Garda hailed a hero after foiling tiger raid

THE hunt was continuing last night for a gang of four who terrorised two families in Roscommon in the country’s latest tiger raid.

A garda in the small town of Cloonfad was hailed a hero after he confronted the gang early yesterday morning as they waited for a time lock to open at 9am.

Garda Gerry McDonagh suffered minor injuries after being hit by a shovel on the side of the head but the gang fled the scene without getting any money.

The four kidnapped people — a retired postmaster, his successor and her elderly parents — were freed unharmed, over nine hours after their ordeal began.

On Wednesday night, four men burst into the Cloonfad home of retired postmaster Padraig McCormac, who lives next door to the post office where he has worked for years. He was tied up and taken by car to the isolated farmhouse at Curragh where current postmistress Geraldine Finnegan resides with her parents Padraig and Ann.

The Finnegan’s home was ransacked and a sum of money, believed to be about €3,000, was taken before all four people were bundled into Ms Finnegan’s car and taken back to Cloonfad village at around 2am and into the post office. The four people were detained overnight as the raiders waited for the time lock on the safe to open at 9am.

However, the alarm was raised when Geraldine’s brother Padraig arrived at the family farm to feed livestock and noticed his parents and sister missing and the house ransacked.

Garda Gerry McDonagh responded to the alarm and confronted the raiders when he arrived at the post office.

The men were armed with crowbars, sticks and a shovel, which struck the garda on the side of his head. They fled the scene in a green Volkswagen hatchback with an ‘06 Mayo registration, but with no money from the post office.

Gardaí have appealed for witnesses to come forward. Contact Castlerea Garda station on 094-9621630.