RTE presenter speaks about ‘unprovoked’ Clondalkin attack on St Stephen’s Day
The RTE 2fm presenter Eoghan McDermott has said the vicious, unprovoked attack he was the victim of in Clondalkin on St Stephen’s night left him severely concussed.
He took to Twitter the following day to say: “Some coward jumped me from behind as I was walking down the road last night, got knocked unconscious. Brain scan, concussion. I’ll find you!”
Speaking on RTE’s Liveline this afternoon, the popular RTE star said he had just left the Laurels pub in Clondalkin village to get a taxi when he was “sucker punched” while he was on the phone to his girlfriend.
He said: “I left the pub and was on the phone to my girlfriend while walking towards the taxi rank and I don’t remember anything after that until I woke up in Tallaght Hospital.
“She (my girlfriend) heard a yell on the phone, and then there was some silence, and about 30 seconds later a girl picked up the phone and said I had been attacked from behind and was unconscious.”
The RTE presenter had been visiting friends in the Laurels and they quickly rushed outside when they heard what had happened and got him to hospital where he had a brain scan.
He said he was in Tallaght Hospital for 10 or 11 hours and thankfully the scan came back clear, but his tooth had been knocked through his lip and he was “all bust up”.
He continued: “I couldn’t see properly and I was nauseous […] after the scan I started vomiting pretty violently and they said that was a sign so I would have to stay in for some observation but I was ultimately released.
“I went home for a day, but my vision started to go and I had ringing in my ears and my head was absolutely pounding.”
Mr McDermott eventually went back to the hospital on the advice of his girlfriend, who is a doctor, for a second scan.
Some coward jumped me from behind as I was walking down the road last night, got knocked unconscious. Brain scan, concussion. I’ll find you!
— Eoghan McDermott (@eoghanmcdermo) December 27, 2016
Thanks for all the kind msgs. Rough today, lots of nausea, vomiting, shooting headaches. Will speak to Gardai soon as I can leave the house.
— Eoghan McDermott (@eoghanmcdermo) December 28, 2016
Head still getting shooting pains, ears ringing, vision blurry. Taking week off @Eoghan2FM -thanks @BlathnaidT @jayhartigan for stepping in
— Eoghan McDermott (@eoghanmcdermo) January 3, 2017
Questions had been raised about why there had been no report made to gardai since the attack, but Mr McDermott took to social media to explain, saying he would file a report when he was allowed to leave his home.
He confirmed on Liveline today that a full statement has now been made to gardai and he hopes the many CCTV cameras in the area will lead to the perpetrator being apprehended.
