Gardaí in Co Carlow had been warned of the potential for confrontation in a dispute over land that led to the deaths of two men at the weekend.
James Healy (30), a father of one from Garryduff, Paulstown, Co Kilkenny, suffered two gunshot wounds after he was shot by Michael Kehoe (39), a bachelor, at Coolyhune, Co Carlow, on Saturday morning.
Mr Healy and brother Brian were attempting to carry out fencing work on land he had purchased last year when they were confronted by Mr Kehoe at around 11am on Saturday morning.
The Irish Timeshas learned that Mr Healy had notified gardaí he was going to carry out work on the land at Coolyhune as he had anticipated that there might be trouble.
It could not be established last night when exactly gardaí were notified. Mr Healy had got an injunction recently against Mr Kehoe to restrain him from disrupting him, it has emerged.
A verbal altercation took place that led to Mr Kehoe returning to the family farmhouse where he lived alone and going back to the scene with his legally held double barrel shotgun.
Gardaí believe that Mr Kehoe then fired a shot in the air and as Mr Healy and his brother were retreating, he fired a second shot wounding Mr Healy before firing a third which fatally wounded Mr Healy.
Brian Healy managed to flee the scene and raise the alarm. Two gardaí at Graiguenamanagh Garda station some three miles away were at the scene quickly, along with the emergency services and a doctor.
The doctor pronounced Mr Healy dead at the scene.
Mr Kehoe later shot himself at an outhouse near the family farm.