A SEARCH for what gardai believe is a substantial arms dump and possible supply centre for south Armagh units of the IRA - will resume near Inniskeen, Co Monaghan, at first light today.
Since yesterday afternoon specialist teams from the Garda Emergency Response Unit have been searching farms and farmland 1 1/2 miles north of the village.
The search is concentrating on three farmhouses and adjoining land six miles south of Crossmaglen, one mile from the Border, and 10 miles from Dundalk.
It began following the arrest of a local man who was being detained last night at Carrickmacross Garda station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
Last evening the specialist teams were concentrating their search on a derelict farmhouse just off the Inniskeen Crossmaglen road and on a slurry pit near farm buildings outside a modern farmhouse.
The Garda teams were using metal detectors and other probes to search the buildings, including one of the farmhouses.
A digger was also brought in to help the 30 strong team excavating part of the farmyard where the search is being carried out. The team had also used pumping gear to remove slurry from a large pit.
As the teams were digging, uniformed gardai searched the adjoining land, and by evening over 200 acres had been covered. The search is expected to last for at least two more days.
The area under scrutiny runs north to the Border, only a mile from where the search is concentrated.
Garda sources indicated last night that information given to the force following the shooting of Det Garda Jerry McCabe in Adare, Co Limerick, over a fortnight ago had led to the search.
The sources also indicated they were confident guns or bombmaking equipment would be found in the area.
However, Det Supt Bill Somers, of Monaghan, who is in charge of the search, said nothing had been found yesterday, but the search would probably continue for a number of days.
He confirmed that one man was being held for questioning in Carrickmacross Garda station under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
Since Det Garda McCabe's killing, gardai are receiving a flow of information about suspected IRA activity from the public.
It is thought such information led to the major arms and explosives find in Clonaslee, Co Laois, last weekend, when four men were arrested.