While the "blue flu" was widespread in Cork city and county yesterday, one of the talking points was that the 15-strong detective team involved in investigating the appalling rape of an eight-year-old girl in the city last weekend continued to work.
The rape has galvanised public opinion in the city, and there has been widespread support for the gardai in their search for the perpetrator.
In Cork, Chief Supt Adrian Culligan said that pre-planned contingency measures meant that adequate resources were in place to deal with the action taken by gardai. There was an adequate presence of patrol cars and personnel on the streets, he said, and trainees who had been drafted in were supplied with mobile telephones to ensure immediate contact with base stations.
anaiste, Ms Mary Harney, said that by their actions, the Garda Representative Association members of the Garda Siochana had played into the hands of criminals, threatening to undermine democracy and public confidence in the force. But it should be made clear, she said, that the Government would not cave in to such pressure.
Garda sources said the level of absenteeism in the city was put at almost 80 per cent, while in the north and west of the county, the figure varied between 90 and 100 per cent.
Despite this, there was a visible Garda presence from early morning and no major incidents were reported. Banks remained opened.
In Cahirciveen, south Kerry, the home constituency of the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, the garda action received near total support, despite the Minister's appeal for members of the force not to lend their support. More than 90 per cent of gardai who should have reported for duty failed to do so.
In other parts of Kerry, including Killarney, Listowel, Tralee and Cahirciveen, the absentee rate was said to be just over 20 per cent.
Courts in Cork functioned normally, but there was an increased number of adjournment applications due to the absence of Garda witnesses.