Five hour Co Kerry standoff ends as armed man arrested

A sheep farmer in his forties is being detained at Killarney Garda station after a five hour stand-off in the Moll’s Gap and Muckross area of the Ring of Kerry ended without incident in the early hours of Saturday.

The stand-off ended at around 3am and the man who had at one stage brandished a firearm was arrested.

A subsequent search in daylight by gardaí was conducted and two firearms – a rifle and a shotgun – both legally held, were discovered a short distance from the house.

It is understood gardaí from Kenmare called to the remote house at around 10 pm on Friday night after becoming concerned about the welfare of the man. A domestic issue was also involved and matters “quickly escalated”, a senior garda source said.

Back-up including negotiators from Killarney, Garda senior officers as well as the armed regional response unit based in Limerick attended the scene which ended without incident.

The man, who has been described as a sheep farmer, continues to be detained at Killarney Garda Station and a technical examination of the house is being carried out.