The Irish Army's bomb disposal squad has been called out after a stockpile of War of Independence-era explosives was discovered at a farm in West Cork.
Former RTÉ broadcaster Fergal Keane said he was renovating an old shed at the property when he discovered around 180 sticks of explosives labeled "gelignite".
Keane said he initially found sticks of explosives in an "earthenware jar" before finding further stores buried into the walls of the old shed.
He said he called An Garda Síochána after making the discovery and added that the bomb disposal squad remained at the property for "quite a while".
The explosives are believed to date back to the Irish War of Independence.
Keane told the Irish Independent that the farm had been virtually abandoned for 30 years when he bought it in 2016 or 2017.
"Some parts we haven’t even been to, they were totally overgrown. It was yesterday when we finally got started on this shed," Keane said on Thursday, adding that lucky that he hadn't stored anything in the shed prior to the discovery on Wednesday.
"We always knew we would find something in this place," Keane told the Irish Independent.
He said the family who previously owned the property were relatives of a man involved in the Kilmichael Ambush in 1920.
Keane revealed that Army personnel told him that the explosives had been manufactured in Glasgow in a factory that closed down around 1920.
"We think it was hidden by Denis Dinny O’Neill and his comrades around then. He emigrated to the US in the mid-20s and it was forgotten about. Found 180 sticks in total," Keane wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.
The Defence Forces later carried out controlled detonations on the explosives.
So renovating an old shed on the farm in W Cork and found this - it’s gelignite - lots of it. Bomb squad have arrived. Earlier tweet with pic of DF personnel deleted at DF request. It’s War of independence era pic.twitter.com/TqcSYicRGU
— Fergal Keane (@fergalrte) October 5, 2023
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