GARDAÍ ARE INVESTIGATING two petrol bomb attacks in the Moneymore area of Drogheda in Co Louth.

Three properties were damaged during the attacks, which happened at around 11.30pm last night.

LMFM reports that one of the houses was completely destroyed during the incident, and that local fire crews attended the scene.

In a statement, gardaí said no injuries were reported and that a criminal investigation is now underway.

No arrests have been made and investigations are ongoing.

The attacks follow the shooting of a man in his 20s at Termon Abbey in the town at around 8.20pm last night.

The man was injured during the shooting, but his wounds are not believed to be life threatening. It’s understood that the shooting is related to an ongoing feud in the area.

The feud began in July last year, when Owen Maguire was shot and wounded a number of times at his home on Cement Road.

Since the shooting, two gangs have been exchanging tit-for-tat attacks – mainly in the form of firing shots at people’s homes.

Violence erupted again in November between the two gangs, one of which predominantly comprises of members of the Traveller community and the other of settled men. 

There have been a number of serious assaults related to the feud.

In the most recent incident in April, a man was shot and two houses were attacked with petrol bombs.

Last month, Commissioner Drew Harris promised to send new garda recruits to Drogheda in response to recent violence in the town. 

His announcement follows the deployment of additional armed patrols and uniformed units to cover what gardaí expected would be be a serious escalation in tensions between feuding sides in the town.

Superintendent Andrew Watters of Drogheda Garda Station appealed to the public for information surrounding the shooting. He urged anyone who was in the the Elmwood Close area of Termon Abbey area between 7.00pm and 8.00pm or any person driving in the same area and who may have dash cam footage to contact gardaí. 

Chief Superintendent Christy Mangan expressed his thanks to the wider community in the Drogheda area for their support and assistance over recent weeks which has reduced tensions within the Drogheda area.

Chief Superintendent Mangan said gardaí are making every effort to prevent and detect “these irresponsible criminal incidents” occurring within a small group of individuals and appealed to the wider community to “come forward with any information which will assist An Garda Síochána in bringing the perpetrators to justice”.

With reporting from Garreth MacNamee.