A major Garda operation was in place in the midlands last night after a feud between Traveller families based in the region erupted into a gun and slash-hook attack on a roadway just outside Longford town yesterday afternoon.
Gardaí have linked the incident to a shooting on Monday night in Portlaoise, Co Laois. They fear rising tensions between the rival factions may result in more bloodshed over the coming days.
A shotgun and slash-hook were used in yesterday's attack, leaving two men with gunshot wounds and another with serious hand injuries.
In a major follow-up operation gardaí recovered a number of weapons in the Longford area, including swords and slash-hooks.
Checkpoints were mounted across the midlands by gardaí from Longford and Mullingar. The Garda helicopter was dispatched from Dublin to offer back-up in the search for the men who carried out the attack. It follows disputes at three weddings in the midlands and a funeral on Monday in Longford.
A member of one of the families involved was married yesterday in Longford town but the reception was to take place outside the area.
Yesterday's events took place at around 1.15pm on the main Dublin road between Longford and Edgeworthstown near the area of Shroid. Three men in a car were rammed by another group of men in a blue van and were forced to stop.
At least one man in the van fired a number of shots into the car, wounding two of its occupants. When a third man in the car got out he was attacked with a slash-hook and received serious injuries to his hands.
The three men managed to flee in their badly damaged car and made their way to a nearby house where gardaí and the emergency services were alerted.
The men were taken under Garda escort to the Midlands Regional Hospital, Mullingar. According to one source, gardaí stayed with the men at the hospital for much of the day in an effort to diffuse tensions.
The two men wounded by the shotgun were treated for superficial pellet wounds.
The injured men are based in the Mullingar area. It is understood those who carried out the attack are from Longford. They left in their van after the incident and were still being sought by gardaí last night.
Supt Peter Maguire of Longford Garda station appealed for the public's assistance in tracing the men. "It is part of an ongoing Traveller feud between members of rival factions. It has been going on for long enough and it arises every now and again. It is the same families," he said.
He appealed to any members of the public who were on the N4 between Longford and Edgeworthstown near Shroid at around 1.15pm to contact gardaí.
The van in which the men escaped is blue and has red writing on the side.
Anybody with information is asked to contact Longford gardaí on 043- 50540.
