Two arrested following attempted armed robbery in Cork village

Two men have been arrested after an attempted armed robbery in Cork this morning.

Two raiders carrying what is believed to have been a baton burst into a shop in Grenagh, about 20km north-west of the city and about 1km off the N20, at around 8.30am and threatened staff.

They fled empty-handed. There were no injuries but staff were said to have been shaken.

One of the raiders left in a car which was believed to have been stolen. It crashed a short time later.

Several garda units, including armed members of the regional support unit, rushed to the scene and two men, one in his early 20s and one in his late teens, were arrested.

They are being detained at Gurranabraher garda station for questioning.

Separately, gardai are satisfied that a starting pistol similar to those used in athletics was used to fire 'shots' outside a house on the northside of the city on Thursday night.

Investigations are continuing to establish who fired the pistol and why.

It follows a report that shots were fired outside a house in the Ardmore Avenue area of Knocknaheeny at around 10.30pm on Thursday.

Gardai, including armed units, rushed to the scene. There was no damage to the house and no reports of any injuries.

Gardai searched the area and maintained a visible presence in suburb overnight as they tried to establish any reason why the occupants of that house would be targeted.

Enquiries are ongoing to establish if the incident was a form of intimidation aimed at a specific family or individual.

The scene was sealed off for a full garda technical examination and garda forensics experts examined the area this morning. (FRIDAY)

They have recovered a number of 'shell casings' similar to those fired by a starter pistol from the road outside. They are satisfied that no projectile was fired from the 'pistol'.

The casings will now be sent for forensic analysis to identify any possible traces of DNA or fingerprints.