Gardaí were hunting for two gun attackers today after a gangland-style shooting in a bar.
The armed and masked men entered McDonagh’s pub in Bettystown, Co Meath, at around 9.40pm last night.
The pair fired a number of shots at a 41-year-old man who was drinking in the bar before fleeing on foot.
The man was rushed to Our Lady of Lourdes hospital in Drogheda, where his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
The victim, from the Dublin area, is known to gardaí and the shooting is believed to be linked to an ongoing gang feud in the capital.
The small thatched cottage pub, situated beside a caravan park in the seaside village, was sealed off today as gardaí conducted a technical examination.
Fine Gael TD for Meath East Shane McEntee said there had been a spate of similar attacks along the East coast in recent years.
“The area is a quick exit from Dublin and it’s not without its problems,” he said.
“It’s an issue that has to be addressed - when a thing like this happens, for a lovely quiet pub to become a crime scene, it has an impact.
“People want to see it addressed and people want to see arrests made.”
The attackers are both said to be between 1.7m and 1.78m (5ft 7in and 5ft 10in) in height, one with a thin frame and the other with a heavy build. Both were wearing hooded tops with scarves concealing their faces.
Gardaí in Laytown have appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
PA