Local residents describe hearing gunshots at scene of Cork raid

Residents living close to last night's dramatic Garda operation in Glounthaune, Cork, have today spoken of how they locked their doors for fear a gunman was on the loose.

Speaking to Irish Examiner reporter Sean O'Riordan, local brothers Paddy and Kevin O'Shea said they were relaxing at home around 10.30pm when they heard two bangs.

Paddy O'Shea, who was upstairs at the time, said the noise prompted him to go to an open window, where he heard a further three bangs - which he believed to be gunshots - before seeing a man running across an adjoining field.

"The man was shouting: 'I've been shot'," he said. "Now, he could have meant he'd been shot at, or something, but I heard 'I've been shot', followed by 'The gardaí, the gardaí'."

Paddy O'Shea went on to say that he then rushed to lock the doors of the house as he feared a gunman was on the loose.

Paddy's brother, Kevin, who was downstairs watching 'The Sunday Game' at the time, said he rang the gardaí after speaking to his brother.

"But as I rang the guards, I heard the gardaí helicopter above."

Earlier today, a fifth man was arrested by gardaí in Cork in connection with what they have described as an attempted armed robbery in the area.

It is understood that a number of men tried to break into the home of the businessman in his 50s but the alarm was raised, gardaí were alerted and the raid was foiled.

Two men, both from the southside of the city and well known to gardaí, were captured near the house and arrested.

Gardaí then began a major search operation for another three men, whom they believed were also involved in the foiled raid.

Armed gardaí from Cobh and Midleton were joined by armed officers from Cork city as well as armed members of the Regional Support Unit.

Around 11.30pm, gardaí arrested another three men in the Glanmire area nearer to Cork city. All three were detained under Section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act.