Arms cache is found at Galbally farm

December 1994

Rocket launchers and what is believed to be bomb-making equipment have been found at a Wexford farm after an extensive search.

A father and son were arrested at Galbally under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.

However, they were released within 48 hours, pending preparation of a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions.

The discovery was a major coup for the Wexford division of the Garda Siochana, who carried out the search. A team of about a dozen spent several days at the property in Galbally, going over the farmyard and surrounding land in minute detail.

It is believed that the find included two L.P.G. rocket launchers as well as other material – all of which is now being examined by ballistics experts in Dublin.

The Garda team was led by Inspector Tom Saunderson, and details of the operation have been kept secret.

However, it is understood that the seized items were not hidden in any underground bunker, but that they were concealed in some other way. It is thought that they may have been hidden in Galbally for some time, but this is being checked by the forensic experts at the Technical Bureau.

The cache was located close to a building on the farm and was uncovered by a thorough and time-consuming sweep of the area. The officers involved have since left the property, after almost a week of activity.

The Garda Press Office has said that the force is not in a position to release the names of those arrested. It has been confirmed that they are a father and son, and that a file will be drawn up for the D.P.P. before any charges are considered.

‘It was a professional and thorough search,’ commented a senior Garda at the Wexford station. ‘The way we search, we take our time, and we do not overlook anything.’