A prisoner in his 50s has been arrested on suspicion of murdering Mark Lawlor who was found dead in his cell at Cloverhill Prison on Saturday morning.
Inmate Mark Lawlor was found dead shortly after midnight following reports of a vicious row with a fellow prisoner.
Mr Lawlor, who was in his 30s, was a petty criminal who had been in custody for just over a week facing theft charges.
The arrested man is currently being detained at Clondalkin Garda Station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.
A post-mortem was completed on Saturday but the results will not be released for operational reasons, according to Gardai.
Reports suggest warders had to pull a fellow prisoner off him when they entered the cell following an altercation.
Prison staff tried to resuscitate Mr Lawlor but unfortunately it was too late.
A cause for the fight between the two men is still not yet known.
A source said: “Inmates in the cell next to Lawlor’s heard a commotion coming from the cell and notified warders.
“They opened the cell as fast as they could but Lawlor was already dead by the time they got to him.
“They had to pull the other inmate off him.
“It’s understood that a fight broke out between the two inmates shortly after midnight and Lawlor was strangled.
“A reason for the row is not yet known.
“A full investigation into the incident will now take place but there’s no rhyme or reason as to why it started yet.”
A spokesman from the Irish Prison Service(IPS) said that inmate safety is of the utmost importance.
The spokesman said: “All practicable measures are taken by prison Management and Staff to ensure the safety of those in custody.
“However, regrettably no prison system can be completely free of violence and inter prisoner assaults do occur.
“Investigations by An Garda Síochana, the Irish Prison Service and the office of the Inspector of Prisons are underway to establish the circumstances surrounding today’s incident.”
