The brother of a well-known businessman in Galway was the subject of a serious assault over the weekend. Ronan Greaney, whose brother Eugene runs Dough Bros pizza parlour on Abbeygate Street, had his jaw broken in the incident.
Mr Greaney was assaulted outside Woodquay Stores in the early hours of Sunday morning. He had gone to the shop to get cigarettes following a night out at the Galway Christmas Market tent. He encountered two men, and two women outside the shop at around 1.30am. He recalls chatting to the group briefly before suffering a serious blow to the side off the jaw. The suspects are all in their teens and are believed to be between 17 and 19 years old.
Speaking to the Galway Advertiser, Ronan's brother Eugene Greaney, said he returned to their house after the attack and was close to fainting. "I was in bed and he arrived into my room and collapsed on the floor. His mouth was full of blood, I could tell by looking at him that his jaw was broken. I bundled him up and brought him straight to hospital. They also knocked out a few of his bottom teeth. He told me that after it happened, he tried to call 999 but could not remember the number he was so dazed."
It emerged Mr Greaney's jaw was broken in three places, and he had sustained significant damage to his bottom teeth. He has undergone surgery where two plates were placed in his face, which will be there for the rest of his life. His mouth has been wired shut and will remain like this for between four and six weeks, and he will have to eat through a straw.
Eugene says the family are just glad that Ronan did not suffer a blow to the skull. "If it had been a few inches higher, it could have been even more serious so we are grateful for that. We are trying to take the positives out of the situation. We just hope these people are caught. It is terrible that something like this can happen - it was completely random."
Following this assault, the group of suspects were seen on CCTV walking towards the Headford Road. If anyone noticed suspicious activity in the Woodquay area between 1 and 2am on Sunday, or has any information about this incident, they are asked to contact Millstreet Garda Station on 091 538 000.
