DOWN Gaelic footballer Caolan Mooney has thanked people for their messages of support following an assault which left him in hospital with head injuries.
The 26-year-old and his brother Patrick (32) were attacked in the Merchant's Quay area of Newry in the early hours of Monday.
Two men have been charged by police in connection with the incident.
Caolan Mooney remained yesterday in a stable condition in the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
His brother Patrick sustained a broken nose.
Posting a photo on Twitter from his hospital bed on Tuesday night, the footballer said he was scheduled for further tests.
He tweeted: "Thanks everyone for their messages. Scan in the morning to see if my brain has stopped bleeding. But Happy New Year everyone."
His words were greeted with a raft of supportive messages, including tweets from RTÉ GAA reporter Marty Morrissey and former Tyrone GAA footballer Owen Mulligan.
Down manager Paddy Tally yesterday said of Caolan Mooney's online messages: "That's a very positive thing which is great to see."
Earlier this week, he said the team was "shocked and saddened" by what had happened and they "hope and pray that he makes a full recovery".
Police investigating the incident yesterday charged a 35-year-old man with affray, grievous bodily harm and assault occasioning actual bodily harm.
He is due to appear at Newry Magistrates Court on January 22.
On Tuesday, a 37-year-old man appeared at Armagh Magistrates Court charged in relation to the incident involving Patrick Mooney.
Lee Daniel McKay was charged with affray and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent.
The court heard that Mr McKay, who lives in Australia but has an address at Drumalane Park in Newry, was captured on CCTV footage.
The footage allegedly showed Mr McKay had not delivered the blow which left Caolan Mooney unconscious, but that he had repeatedly hit Patrick Mooney.
He was granted bail, subject to a curfew and on the basis that he surrenders his passport, to appear in court again later this month.
Patrick Mooney, who lives in San Francisco, had returned from the US to spend Christmas in Newry, with Caolan Mooney posting a picture online to mark a family reunion "for the first time in 9.5 years".
Caolan Mooney moved to Australia in 2011 to play Australian Rules football for Melbourne side Collingwood.
He returned to play with Down and his club Rostrevor in 2014 and now works as a personal trainer.
The 26-year-old had been on the team that defeated Fermanagh in the McKenna Cup on Sunday.
