Claim Ireland is a safe country disputed

THREE murders, two savage beatings, two stabbings, a gun attack and a possible fatal arson attack - all in a week in a country reputed to be one of the safest in Europe.

As the Minister for Justice was championing the latest crime figures, detectives are investigating a gangland-style assassination, a shooting in a pub, a likely ritual killing, the frenzied stabbing of a woman in her home and a fatal drunken brawl.

In the latest disturbing incident, a 23-year-old man is fighting for his life after receiving a savage beating from a four-man gang in Louth. The victim was attacked near a community hall at Toberona on the outskirts of Dundalk around 11pm. He suffered multiple wounds to his upper body.