AN AMERICAN TOURIST who is in a serious condition in hospital after he was attacked by a number of people on Talbot Street in Dublin City had “saved every penny” to make his “dream visit” to Ireland.

Gardaí said the incident is believed to have occurred Wednesday night at around 10.40pm on Talbot Street in Dublin 1 when “a number of persons attacked a man”.

He was later taken to Beaumont Hospital where he is currently receiving treatment and is said to be at risk of losing an eye due to the injuries he sustained.

Speaking to The Journal, the victim’s sister has said her brother is from Buffalo in New York and was in Ireland to “trace our family that emigrated to the US from Dublin”. 

“My brother had been working at a galvanizing plant, saving every penny to afford the trip. He had always dreamed of visiting Ireland,” she said.

She explained that as children she and her brother were told stories about their grandfather who painted cathedrals in Dublin.

“It’s been difficult to find any trace from here, so my brother thought perhaps he could learn more in Ireland,” she explained. 

She added that their grandmother hailed from Mayo, and their own mother was buried in Ireland almost 20 years ago but her sibling was unable to attend the ceremony and “longed to visit her final resting place”.

She told The Journal that she “didn’t worry about my little brother visiting Ireland, as you have gun control laws and seem much safer than here in the US”.

“We feel so very helpless, none of us can afford the trip to be with him in his time of dire need,” she said. 

Speaking today, Justice Minister Helen McEntee described the attack as “vicious and unprovoked”. 

McEntee said definite lines of inquiry were being pursued by gardaí, stating that “a tough and firm response” would follow. 

Also commenting on the attack, Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said it was “never acceptable” when violence happens and he said he hoped the man makes a “speedy recovery”.

A GoFundMe account has been set up by the man’s son and his sister.