A Close Shave

My brothers-in-law are visiting us in Cork this week––young lads both of them, but they're finally over the legal pub age. So naturally seeing some watering holes has been an integral part of their trip. Yesterday we were walking around the North Side and, as tends to happen on a warm day, we got thirsty. A pub called Mo Chuisle caught our eye and we wandered in for some Murphy's. It was a nice place, complete with pool table. But only a few hours after our visit Mo Chuisle was the scene of some American-esque drama:

From the Irish Independent: ARMED gardai last night dramatically foiled an apparent murder bid after shooting a young man who had threatened staff and customers with a shotgun in a busy pub.

The man – who is in his 20s – was fighting for his life after he was shot by Cork-based members of the Garda Regional Support Unit (RSU).

He was shot after he had repeatedly ignored shouted warnings from RSU officers to drop his firearm and surrender to gardai.

It is the first time RSU officers have been involved in such a shooting, with their only previous armed intervention being the use of a Taser stun gun in Limerick.

The drama unfolded after the armed man walked into the Mo Chuisle Pub on Cork’s Blarney Street at 6.40pm. He was carrying a shotgun and asked for an individual by name. The individual was not on the premises at the time – but the man then proceeded to threaten customers and staff, demanding to know the whereabouts of the named man.

A passerby spotted what had happened and alerted Gurranabraher garda station.

An RSU team was already in the vicinity and they arrived within minutes of the alarm being raised.

Several armed officers entered the pub and demanded that the man drop the shotgun and surrender.

However, the man ignored the orders and turned, apparently sweeping the shotgun towards pub customers.

One garda source said the man’s action was deemed to represent a serious threat to both pub patrons and the RSU officers so he was shot in an effort to incapacitate him.

A number of shots were discharged and the young man was hit at least once in the stomach.

An ambulance was called and he was transferred to Cork University Hospital (CUH), where he was undergoing emergency surgery last night.

The young man’s condition is understood to be critical.

Gardai immediately sealed off the scene and assisted the traumatised customers and staff out of the pub. Detectives were investigating whether the incident may be linked to the tragic death of Anthony Hennessy (41) outside the Mo Chuisle pub in March 2008.

Good thing we wound up at Costigan's to finish the evening! The article goes on to say that Mo Chuisle has had other armed encounters in recent years. Take a look if you're in the neighborhood around midday, but stay away in the evenings.