Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Updated at 7.48am
A MAN AND a woman — both serving members of the Defence Forces — are being held for questioning by gardaí after they were arrested in Burnfoot, Co Donegal on Monday.
They were detained after the army bomb squad responded to a call out to examine a suspicious device at a residence in the village.
It was located in a building next to a filling station, and was later determined to be a viable explosive device.
The man was detained on Monday afternoon, and the woman later that evening. Both are aged in their 20s.
A garda spokesperson confirmed they had been taken for questioning to Buncrana Garda Station, where they are being held under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.
Burnfoot is a small village, located around 4km from the border.
First posted at 7.30am
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Sad to hear that..hope it was nature that was the cause.
Fascinating story : really enjoyed it even if it wasn’t exactly happy ever after .It’s great to know that in spite of everything we have people in our little country so dedicated to wildlife .Have other people in the older age bracket noticed just how drastically the insect population has declined since they were v young .May not seem that important as insects generally can be such a nuisance but clearly it does represent a mini crisis for nature in other areas
@Joan Grennan: it’s particularly noticeable on cars after long summer evening drives. There’s not nearly as many insects squished on the cars. It’s the same here in the US.
@Joan Grennan: it’s no mini crisis, with less insects comes less creatures that feed on them all the way up the chain such as fish and birds. The more of them that are lost such as pollinators the less agri foods that depend on them for pollination will take place. With that go’s some of our food source along with flowers and plants that we need in turn to produce oxygen. Everything is linked and balance is needed for it all to work and what has humanity done for its part in the process, destroyed as much of it as we possibly can for short term gain.
@Mickey Amoko: That’s due to increased usage of spraying on farm land.
@Joan Grennan: I wonder has the reduced insect population affected the number of birds like swallows. I did read before that the swift population is far smaller today than it was 30 years ago.
@Joan Grennan: You’re not the only one who has noticed. One thing we can do to help is to not have a light on at night in rooms with a window open. There may not be vast quantities of insects get attracted in and trapped, but every saving contribution does matter in the longer term.
@Joan Grennan: This is just anecdotal evidence but since we stopped using Roundup (and all other chemical pesticides) around the garden and surrounding fields we’ve seen a huge increase in bees, butterflies and other insects. I’ve even seen dragon flies around the nearby stream which I haven’t seen in 30 years.
I did not realise Cranes were extinct in Ireland as we have regular visits to our shed roof in Dublin by two Cranes including a young bird, they love cat food and are drawn here as we feed three cats daily, the other visitor is a large hedgehog who also shares a passion for cat food, I also see foxes and a badger around so it’s amazing there are such creatures in green belt areas, hopefully we can enjoy them for years to come before the apartment blocks appear and our little friends disappear.
@Honeybee: Likewise in these parts, there are cranes on the local river for a long time. This year I even saw a fledgling when out walking.
@Gearoid De Nogla: you might be confusing them with the common heron. They look very similar.
@Gearoid De Nogla: FYI, you didn’t see a Crane, what you saw was a Grey Heron.
@Honeybee: FYI, you didn’t see a Crane, what you saw was a Grey Heron.
@Gearoid De Nogla: Maybe they were herons?
Having stumbled across some of the “nest cam” videos on YT, it is a wonder that any birds survive. Survival is tough and nature can be cruel.
Crane’s giving birth to live young? Wow
@Gavin Tobin: Well there’s a housing shortage, unless we breed more cranes we’ll never get those apartments finished.
F off there’s a dozen viable from arklow Bridge they must love s.. T
So long fraser and niles
have your say