A senior Garda witness has told the murder trial of a Limerick man that he suspected the 20-year-old shot dead a carpenter in retaliation for an arson attack on his mother's van.

A FORMER associate of a well-known Limerick family, along with his wife and children, are living under 24/7 Garda protection, a Circuit Court heard yesterday.

THIRD-level scholarships worth up to €160,000 and financed by JP McManus were last night presented to eight students who completed their Leaving Certificate exams at CBS Sexton Street in Limerick.