Locals 'living in fear' following escalation of violence in Cork City
In the latest violent incident, a hand grenade was thrown at a pub in Ballyvolane on Sunday night. Gardaí say there were no reports of injuries.
Locals are "living in fear" following an "escalation of violent attacks" in Cork City in recent days which has seen petrol bombs, hand grenades, and shots fired at multiple homes and at a well-known pub.
A pedestrian was injured last month when he was hit by armed men on a motorbike fleeing a suspected attempted hit on a well-known Cork criminal.
On Sunday night, a petrol bomb was thrown at a pub in Ballyvolane but gardaí said there were no reports of injuries.
A man, well known to gardaí in the nearby Blackpool area, had entered the pub last night armed with a slash hook, a source said.
Security staff there managed to apprehend him but he escaped and fled the scene by car.
But after gardaí viewed CCTV footage from the scene, they recognised the suspect and a man was later arrested in connection with the pub attack.
The escalating violence has been partially linked to feuding drug gangs in the city, a source said.
Sinn Féin TD for Cork North-Central Thomas Gould has called for urgent action on the escalating violence across his constituency.
"I have today written to the Minister for Justice and Chief Superintendent Tom Myers seeking an urgent meeting,” Mr Gould said.
“This is following another weekend of serious violence in the city.
“There has been a series of violent attacks in the last number of weeks that we have been informed are connected to each other. We know one member of the public has been seriously injured already."
Mr Gould said he has been contacted by members of the community calling for urgent action on the violence.
"We have now seen an escalation of violent attacks in the city," he said.
"At least one innocent person has been seriously injured and I have spoken to others who are living in fear and are traumatised.
"The Minister for Justice has no control over this situation in Cork.
"She has not visited Cork for many months despite this ongoing violence and disorder in our communities and the reducing garda numbers."
Mr Gould said people have now sold their homes and moved out of their communities because of the violence in the area.
"I know others who are considering doing similar. People should not be terrorised out of their communities because of insufficient garda responses.
"How many people have been arrested and put in front of the courts? There are serious questions about the sentencing. The judiciary and the gardaí must protect communities from these violent criminals and these incidents. The Minister for Justice must ensure this is happening.
"Communities deserve better and I am disgusted that this has been allowed to escalate to this stage now."
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