Delays As Donegal Bomb Tackled

A bomb has been defused in Donegal town - but only after explosives' experts took four hours to reach the scene.

An Irish army bomb disposal team - previously based at nearby Finner Camp during the Troubles, but now in Athlone, Co Westmeath - travelled to the scene on Friday and made safe a viable improvised explosive device after it was found in the centre of Donegal town.

The device was found outside a branch of the EBS building society, just off the main Diamond area of the town.

The device was examined and made safe with a remote-control 'barrow' (such as that pictured) and then removed for further examination, after it was found to contain explosives.

The bomb disposal officer gave the all-clear at the scene at 1.27pm and remains of the device were handed to gardaí for investigation.

Part of the town was cordoned off for five hours. Dozens of employees could not gain access to their business premises.

Gardaí say they were alerted by a member of the public just after 7am. The device was visually examined by local gardaí, who made their suspicions known to senior personnel.

A 200m area of Upper Main Street and Water Street was immediately cordoned off.

While the area was sealed off by 9am, there was a four-hour wait until 1pm before members of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Unit, the Defence Forces disposal team, arrived, because of the long journey by road from the new base.

(BMcC/KMcA)