'I felt afraid' - Woman out walking in Limerick encounters mysterious armed men

A WOMAN who went for a walk up Knockfierna hill in Limerick to enjoy the beautiful scenery saw a sight that made her feel very uneasy.

“As I turned a bend on my way uphill, I walked against a group of 10 people dressed in military clothing and holding guns. I felt afraid walking past this group and they made no effort to alleviate the intimidation their presence would cause in a public place,” said the woman, who contacted gardai and Minister for State Niall Collins.

She said the first man returned a greeting of hello but none of the others spoke to her.

“It is an out-and-back trail and they were between me and the car park so I phoned the gardaí. As I left the car park a squad car came against me. They told me that it was a ‘military photoshoot’.

“I don’t think this response was good enough. Each member of the group was dressed in military gear. There was no clear sign of a ‘photographer’, nor did I see a camera. There was ample opportunity for the group to speak to me as I passed and say that they were only on a photoshoot, but they remained aloof and to me appeared quite serious.

“You can see how the gun is being held in the picture – it would not be clear to any passerby that it is just a prop – most, if not all, of the group were holding the guns in that manner as I walked past them. Again, there was no camera visible. They were walking in a line rather than casually and there was no conversation,” said the woman.

Despite efforts made, the Limerick Leader was unable to ascertain if the group were members of the military or not. The Leader understands there is no garda investigation into the matter which occurred on Saturday afternoon, October 14.

Mr Collins said it was a very strange occurrence in the popular walking spot.

“Encountering men in camouflage gear and brandishing weapons - whether real or not - is not a pleasant one in a setting like that but they could have diffused the situation by explaining what exactly they were doing. Some simple official signage saying special exercise in operation or photoshoot should be on display to inform people,” said Mr Collins.