Gardaí are investigating a possible IRA link to a find of arms, ammunition and explosives on Nun's Island in Lough Ree, near Athlone, Co Westmeath.
The arms were found by the landowner. Army bomb experts were called in yesterday after three suspect packages were spotted, which are believed to contain explosives. A substantial quantity of ammunition and a smaller number of machine-guns and rifles were also discovered hidden in a container on the island.
The explosives will be made safe by the Army Explosives and Ordnance Division before they are handed over to gardaí for forensic examination. A Garda source said a link to the IRA was being investigated. He added the arms dump may have been there for up to 15 years.
Nun's Island is one of a dozen uninhabited islands in the middle of Lough Ree, one of the three major lakes on the River Shannon. The owner of the island, Mr Ciarán O'Connor, had recently cut a lot of the overgrown trees and bushes in an attempt to make it more accessible.