Millionaire businessman recovering from hostage ordeal

A Cork businessman who was held hostage by an armed gang was recovering today after receiving treatment for a head wound.

Gary O’Donovan, who runs a pub and a chain of off-licences in Cork, was imprisoned by two masked men in his house in Mount Oval Village, Rochestown, on the outskirts of the city.

The men, one in his 30s and the other in his 40s, were arrested, as they left the house in the early hours of this morning.

Employees at the Rochestown Inn in Cork city, which Mr O’Donovan owns, were distraught to hear of his ordeal but relieved that he and his family had escaped without serious injury.

“Obviously everyone is delighted he is safe and wishes him well in his recovery,” said a spokesman.

Two men broke into Mr O’Donovan’s house in Mount Oval Village at around 9pm last night and held his wife, Katie, at gunpoint while they waited for him to return.

When he arrived home at 10pm, he was beaten and had a cloak placed over his head.

It is understood that the gang wanted to extort money from Mr O’Donovan.

However, the man guarding him upstairs fell asleep and he escaped to raise the alarm.

Gardaí from stations across Cork city surrounded the house and brought in a trained negotiator in the event of a hostage situation developing.

They later arrested two men and recovered a handgun and a stun gun.

A Garda spokesman said the men were being held in Togher Garda Station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.

“They are being questioned about false imprisonment and aggravated burglary,” he said.

Mr O’Donovan required treatment in Cork University Hospital for a head wound but his wife, who is six months pregnant, was unharmed. The couple’s four children slept through the ordeal.

Mr O’Donovan is the head of the O’Donovan Off-licence group, a Cork-based chain of 13 off-licences with a turnover of around €25m. As the holder of a diploma in wine appreciation, he has given lectures across Munster on wine tasting and wine history.

Gardaí were today continuing to search for a third man, who was believed to have visited the house briefly during the night.