Man who died in Dublin city centre incident named locally as Garda denies 'push'
A Garda denies pushing the well-known Dubliner to the ground in an incident which has since tragically claimed his life.
Mr Butler, 51, who is understood to be from the Grace Park area of Dublin, died on Monday evening - three days after a horrific incident outside the Holiday Inn on O'Connell Street.
Mr Butler, who is understood to come from a large and well regarded family, died days after hitting his head off the concrete - after Gardaí allegedly intervened when they saw him urinating on the street in the early hours of Friday morning.
He is understood to be one of 11 siblings - and has Garda connections within his own highly regarded family.
A Garda involved in the incident denies pushing Mr Butler, who is alleged to have stumbled and fell to the ground amid the intervention - which is now being investigated by the independent police Ombudsman, Fiosrú.
Sources say the incident, which has been captured on CCTV, is not straightforward and the officer has denied any wrongdoing - claiming instead to have attempted to catch Mr Butler as he fell.
Due to the fact that there was any interaction between the Garda and the man - the matter was referred to Fiosrú to investigate.
But sources say the Garda believes the footage will show that he was attempting to intervene with Mr Butler when he tragically fell and hit his head. The young Garda is understood to be insistent that he did not deliberately hurt the man.
Nonetheless, the matter is being probed by the independent body - which investigates such interactions between officers and members of the public.
Mr Butler was rushed to hospital, where he was subsequently declared dead on Monday night. Fiosrú has since provided the family with a liaison officer as they probe the incident.
The Garda is set to be interviewed by the Independent Ombudsman - while officers look at the CCTV footage and canvass witnesses. However, it is understood the Garda remains on duty and is at this point not facing any internal disciplinary proceedings.
Fiosrú is appealing for witnesses who may have been around the Holiday Inn at around 4.15am to come forward.
A spokesperson said: 'Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, is independently investigating an incident referred by An Garda Síochána on Friday, 15 August 2025. The incident involved the serious harm of a 51-year-old man. The man has now died and Fiosrú have been liaising with the Dublin City Coroner and the Office of the State Pathologist in relation to a post mortem.
'Fiosrú thanks members of the public who have already provided information on the incident and is again appealing for any witnesses to this incident to come forward. It is vital to the investigation that any persons who witnessed this serious incident contact Fiosrú.
'Fiosrú would like to hear from anyone who was in the vicinity of the Holiday Inn, O'Connell Street, Dublin 1, D01 T2X2 at approximately 04.15am on Friday, 15 August 2025, or any passing vehicles, including taxis that may have dashcam footage from that location and /or on a mobile device.
'Anyone with information which may be of assistance to this independent investigation is asked to contact Fiosrú at 0818 600 800 or info@fiosrú.ie
"Fiosrú has commenced a criminal investigation into the incident pursuant to section 208(1)(b) of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, 2024.'
The Garda Press Office have meanwhile referred all media queries about the incident to Fiosrú.
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A man who died after hitting his head on the ground in an incident in Dublin city centre has been named as Paul Butler. A Garda denies pushing the well-known Dubliner to the ground in an incident which has since tragically claimed his life. Mr Butler, 51, who is understood to be from the Grace Park area of Dublin, died on Monday evening - three days after a horrific incident outside the Holiday Inn on O'Connell Street. Mr Butler, who is understood to come from a large and well regarded family, died days after hitting his head off the concrete - after Gardaí allegedly intervened when they saw him urinating on the street in the early hours of Friday morning. He is understood to be one of 11 siblings - and has Garda connections within his own highly regarded family. A Garda involved in the incident denies pushing Mr Butler, who is alleged to have stumbled and fell to the ground amid the intervention - which is now being investigated by the independent police Ombudsman, Fiosrú. Sources say the incident, which has been captured on CCTV, is not straightforward and the officer has denied any wrongdoing - claiming instead to have attempted to catch Mr Butler as he fell. Due to the fact that there was any interaction between the Garda and the man - the matter was referred to Fiosrú to investigate. But sources say the Garda believes the footage will show that he was attempting to intervene with Mr Butler when he tragically fell and hit his head. The young Garda is understood to be insistent that he did not deliberately hurt the man. Nonetheless, the matter is being probed by the independent body - which investigates such interactions between officers and members of the public. Mr Butler was rushed to hospital, where he was subsequently declared dead on Monday night. Fiosrú has since provided the family with a liaison officer as they probe the incident. The Garda is set to be interviewed by the Independent Ombudsman - while officers look at the CCTV footage and canvass witnesses. However, it is understood the Garda remains on duty and is at this point not facing any internal disciplinary proceedings. Fiosrú is appealing for witnesses who may have been around the Holiday Inn at around 4.15am to come forward. A spokesperson said: 'Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, is independently investigating an incident referred by An Garda Síochána on Friday, 15 August 2025. The incident involved the serious harm of a 51-year-old man. The man has now died and Fiosrú have been liaising with the Dublin City Coroner and the Office of the State Pathologist in relation to a post mortem. 'Fiosrú thanks members of the public who have already provided information on the incident and is again appealing for any witnesses to this incident to come forward. It is vital to the investigation that any persons who witnessed this serious incident contact Fiosrú. 'Fiosrú would like to hear from anyone who was in the vicinity of the Holiday Inn, O'Connell Street, Dublin 1, D01 T2X2 at approximately 04.15am on Friday, 15 August 2025, or any passing vehicles, including taxis that may have dashcam footage from that location and /or on a mobile device. 'Anyone with information which may be of assistance to this independent investigation is asked to contact Fiosrú at 0818 600 800 or info@fiosrú.ie "Fiosrú has commenced a criminal investigation into the incident pursuant to section 208(1)(b) of the Policing, Security and Community Safety Act, 2024.' The Garda Press Office have meanwhile referred all media queries about the incident to Fiosrú. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here . The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week
