Alleged border cattle rustlers see names daubed on buildings

A wave of cattle rustling along the Monaghan/Armagh border took a dramatic twist at the weekend when several roadside buildings — including a country pub — had their walls daubed with an alleged New Year’s Thieves’ List.

Gardaí are investigating the daubing, believed to have been carried out by vigilantes and purporting to name individuals allegedly linked to the widespread theft of cattle on both sides of the border.

While efforts were made to remove the daubing from some premises with a ‘paint-over’, the markings were still visible yesterday, on several buildings close to the border in counties Monaghan and Armagh.