Two senior gardai have been assigned to investigate the origin of a cache of ammunition, including a box marked with the Garda insignia, which was found on the beach near the Kilimer ferry in Co Clare.
The ammunition was discovered last Thursday by two young boys on the beach between Cappa and Kilimer.
Local gardai went to the scene and called in the Garda Sub-aqua Unit who discovered more ammunition. It is not known how long the ammunition was on the shoreline.
According to Garda sources, the ammunition recovered included almost 600 rounds of .99 mm ammunition of the type formerly used with the old model of the Uzi sub-machinegun which was issued widely to gardai.
There was also some old .38 Winchester ammunition of the type also issued to gardai in the 1970s for personal issue handguns, it is understood.
The regional Garda commander, Assistant Commissioner Eamon Keating, said yesterday the type of .99 mm ammunition found had not been on issue to gardai for more than 10 years.
He said that Chief Supt Liam Quinn, who is responsible for the Clare division, and a detective superintendent had been appointed to investigate the discovery.
Mr Keating said a box had been found bearing the remains of a label showing that it contained ammunition which had been forwarded by a supplier to the Garda Siochana. He confirmed that some of the ammunition was of the type issued to gardai but said none of the bullets found was of recent issue.
He added: "There was ammunition discovered which was never issued to the gardai." It is understood this refers to an amount of shotgun cartridges found at the scene.
"We have to reconcile the discovery of the box with the origin of the ammunition found," he said.
According to Garda sources, there was no local recollection of ammunition having gone missing from Garda stores. The investigation under Chief Supt Quinn will attempt to discover if officially issued ammunition went missing in the State.