Gardai find nine-year-old in Westmeath

Gardai are trying to establish the motive behind the abduction of an eight-year-old schoolgirl near Moate, Co Westmeath, earlier today.

The child was found safe and well by gardai four hours after her abduction near the Moate area.

An eyewitness saw young Mary Joyce being bundled into a car by a man after she was alerted by the child's screams.

The woman then reported the matter to the gardai.

Gardai then got a report of a missing child from parents Paul Joyce and Kathleen Maughan, a settled traveller family living in Knockdowney.

A short time later she was found safe and well amid unconfirmed reports another traveller family might have been involved in the kidnapping.

Checkpoints were in place on a number of key roads in the midlands as gardai attempted to trace the dark green Toyota Corolla being driven by the kidnapper.