Police found the man lying unconscious outside the Quick and Go convenience store on the corner of Alinga Street and Northbourne Avenue about 5.30am. This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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He had serious head injuries, thought to be the result of an assault. Police described his condition as ''unresponsive''.

The man was taken to Canberra Hospital where he underwent emergency surgery. He remained in a critical condition late yesterday.

Details surrounding the incident are scarce, but employees of the 24-hour convenience store reported seeing a group of five or six men believed to be responsible for the assault.

Store employees called police but the group fled when approached by nearby security staff. One employee, who refused to be named, said the store's CCTV cameras had captured the incident, but the footage was not clear.

An ACT Policing spokeswoman said police were reviewing CCTV footage from the area, but said it was uncertain whether it would be of any value.

Police cordoned off the area for much of yesterday morning while forensic teams analysed the scene.

Witness statements were taken from employees of the Quick and Go store.

The area is generally busy at 5.30am on Sundays, as nightclubs close and patrons walk to the taxi rank near the store.

Police believe a number of people and security staff witnessed the incident and are calling on them to urgently contact ACT Policing operations on 131444.

Witnesses can also contact Crime Stoppers on 1800333000, or via the Crime Stoppers website.

This is not the first time an Irish national has been seriously assaulted in Australia.

The most well-known case is that of Irish tourist David Keohane who was left brain-damaged and in a wheelchair after being bashed in the Sydney suburb of Coogee in 2008.

Another Irishman, Gearoid Walsh, died in 2009 after being punched in the head in 2009, also in Coogee.