A young woman remains in a critical condition in St Vincent's Hospital on Sunday after being beaten and stabbed in her Co Wicklow home in the early hours of Saturday.
The 30-year-old mother-of-one sustained severe head injuries during the incident which happened at about 4.25am at the house in Arklow.
The injured woman is from Arklow and her family is well-known and highly respected within the town.
It is understood the attacker fled the scene in a car after a neighbour intervened.
Later on Saturday a man was arrested in Co Wicklow in connection with the incident.
He is being detained at Wicklow Garda station under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
One Arklow resident, who knows the injured woman, described her as a “bright spark” who was studying beauty therapy and working at a skin care clinic.
This person, who declined to provide their name, said what had happened was “unbelievable”.
“She is just a lovely person, inside and out. Really, really shocking. On Saturday morning news was spreading around the town that someone was missing as the search and rescue helicopter had been hovering over the town and along the beach, but then the news came through of the tragic events.”
A friend of the injured woman said: “Words cannot describe what a beautiful person she is both inside and out, she always has time for her friends and her daughter is her whole world, we [her friends] have all been keeping in touch through social media and have been overwhelmed by the messages of support we have been getting not only here in Arklow but from all over the world.
“We are just hoping and praying that everything will turn out alright. Empty and numb is the only way to describe the feeling right.”
Local parish priest Pádraig O’Cochláin called for a peaceful and violence-free Christmas during Mass on Sunday.
Gardaí in Wicklow are appealing for any witnesses or anyone who may have information in relation to the incident to come forward.
They are also appealing to road users who were travelling in the Arklow area between 4am and 5am and who may have camera footage to contact them at Wicklow Garda station on 0404-60140, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800-666111 or at any Garda station.