An elderly couple recount how they were attacked and robbed at their home in rural Cavan.
A gang has been crossing the country, targeting older people in a spate of violent robberies.
Garda border duty has an added meaning now, they are watching for the so-called vehicles of fear.
Michael and Elizabeth Maguire, both in their 80s, live in Dowra in north County Cavan. In March, a gang of five masked men broke into their home in the dead of night. They used an axe to break down the door and an iron bar to break the windows.
The gang were primarily interested in cash. The Maguire's children, who live in America, sent money home to help pay for the funeral of Elizabeth’s brother. Elizabeth Maguire changed dollars to pounds at the bank in Dowra. She is convinced the man in the queue behind her saw her changing the money and spread the word about her windfall.
The robbers arrived after the funeral expenses had been paid, so there was less money in the house than expected. Michael Maguire showed the intruders the receipt to prove he was not hiding a large sum of cash. The gang still ransacked the house, taking prize bonds and cash.
Michael Maguire is relieved they had some money left over from the funeral, otherwise, the intruders might have killed them.
Elizabeth Maguire was thrown against the wall during the burglary but suffered no lasting physical effects.
I’m strong-hearted, the doctor told me I had the heart to bring me to 100.
The incident has impacted her mental health and she no longer wants to live in her home, but knows moving is not an option. When the gang left the premises, one of them shook hands with Elizabeth and wished her good luck. These actions lead her to deduce,
They knew me.
A 'Today Tonight’ report broadcast on 30 May 1985. The reporter is Brendan O'Brien. The presenter is Pat Kenny.
'Today Tonight' was an RTÉ current affairs programme with up-to-the-minute coverage of events at home and abroad. 'Today Tonight’ was first broadcast on 6 October 1980 and ran for 12 years until 1992. Edited by Joe Mulholland, the original presenters included Barry Cowan, Brian Farrell and Olivia O’Leary.
