A substantial amount of explosives and bomb making equipment was found near Hackballscross, Co Louth, close to the Border with Armagh yesterday. This is the third such find in the area since the beginning of October.
All items found in the joint Army/Garda operation are believed to belong to the Provisional IRA.
Last night gardai confirmed they had found 20 kilos of homemade explosive and approximately one kilo of the manufactured plastic explosive, Semtex, as well as an assortment of bomb making equipment.
Supt Michael Staunton, Dundalk, described the find as significant and said the items recovered could have been used in the planting and construction of bombs.
Yesterday's find comes two weeks after four kilos of explosives including Semtex and an assortment of arms and ammunition were found at Ballybinaby, just a quarter mile from the latest cache.
Both finds, as well as the discovery of a number of mortars with holding frames found in early October, were made during a series of searches of isolated farmland along the Border.
A Garda spokesman confirmed that they had also recovered five timing power units, which could be used in bombs, two pressure mats which could be used to detonate bombs, cortex, ammunition, rocket flares, a number of grenades and what he described as assorted bomb making equipment.