Armed garda checkpoints are taking place across the northside of Cork City following a spate of violent incidents, during which guns, petrol bombs and a hand grenade were used.
As the Irish Examiner reports, a man remained in garda custody on Monday night in connection with a suspected petrol bomb attack at Murphy’s Rock pub in Ballyvolane late on Sunday night.
In that incident, the man returned to the pub with a slash-hook after an earlier verbal altercation. When he was ejected by security, he later arrived with a petrol bomb, which caused minor damage to the property.
The man was arrested a short time later and remained in garda custody on Monday.
Gardaí are also investigating the use of a suspected hand grenade in an unconnected attack at a house in Meadow Park Avenue, also in Ballyvolane.
A controlled explosion was carried out by members of the Defence Forces after locals were evacuated from their homes and a cordon was put in place.
The Meadow Park Avenue attack is being linked to an incident in which a shot was fired through the window of a house in Palmbury Orchard in Togher late on Friday night; and to the firing of a shot at a property on Innishannon Road in Fair Hill at 10.45pm on Saturday night.
Gardaí believe the incidents in Meadow Park Avenue, Fair Hill and Togher are linked to a feud between two extended Traveller families.
They are so concerned at the escalation of tensions between the two sides that checkpoints by armed garda personnel are taking place in a bid to prevent further attacks.
While the focus of the activity has mainly been on the city’s northside, the feud has spread to the southside with the incident in Palmbury Orchard.
There has also been an escalation of violent incidents in the northwest of the city, including a suspected petrol bomb attack at a house in Mary Aikenhead Place in Gurranabraher on August 26th.
Garda sources have also indicated that the recently-released notorious criminal Gavin Sheehan is trying to ‘recruit’ other former prisoners to protect him after an attempted hit at his home by armed men.
