Gunmen raid hotel

Armed raiders tonight struck at a top Dublin hotel where the Irish soccer team is staying ahead of a friendly match against Canada.

A shot is believed to have been fired during the raid on the Portmarnock Golf and Country Club in North Dublin where the squad is preparing for Tuesday’s match.

Gardai said two armed raiders in balaclavas entered the reception area of the hotel and a shot was fired into the ceiling.

No one was injured in the incident and the squad is understood not to have witnessed the drama.

A Garda spokesman said the robbers got away with “a small amount of cash” and made off in a red car, possibly a BMW.

The Irish team, knocked out of Euro 2004, is playing the friendly against Canada at Lansdowne Road on Tuesday as it starts its long preparations for the next World Cup.