Two men were in Garda custody last night following an attempted post office robbery in Tipperary that was foiled by locals who tied them up before phoning gardaí.
People in Templederry village, near Nenagh, were last night toasting the bravery of 10 panel beaters from the local garage who restrained the intruders after a violent struggle.
The events began around 10am yesterday when two men wearing balaclavas got out of a Honda car and burst through the front door of the post office.
They ordered postmaster Micheál Hogan down on to the floor while they searched for money.
The raiders were then confronted by Mr Ryan's teenage daughter, Lisa (17), who was armed with a hurley.
A van driver delivering meat to a shop witnessed the commotion and raised the alarm at the nearby garage, owned by Donal Ryan.
Ten panel beaters ran to the post office, where they confronted the men.
One of the panel beaters, Donal Ryan jnr, a son of the garage owner, was hit over the head with a hammer when he tackled one of the raiders.
"When I came in, Lisa, the daughter of the postmaster, was swinging a hurley at one of the men. I think she hit him and helped me get him down on the ground," he said last night.
"We just grabbed him then and he was doing his best, swinging away. One of the other lads just grabbed him then and it was all over in a few seconds. There was a lot of blood, but I think most of it was my blood."
He added: "One of the other lads had cable ties from the garage and he managed to tie them around him [the raider] and held him down. It was mayhem."
Mr Ryan said one raider had a hammer and the other had a screwdriver. "You try to swing at anything when you're cornered. I had to get stitches in the hospital, but, to be honest, I don't know how many stitches I got. I'm all right, thank God."
Mr Ryan snr said the panel beaters managed to tie the raiders' hands and legs. "They got one in the post office and they chased another down the road and got him at the back of the school or the church."
Locals then phoned Templemore Garda station. Supt Jim Mulligan said a call came through at about 10.30am.
"As a result of the vigilance by the locals, we now have two prisoners. I would like to pay tribute to everyone who helped in this matter."
The men, believed to be aged 33 and 26, are understood to be from Dublin. They were being questioned in Templemore station last night and are expected to face charges in relation to the attempted robbery today.