THE birds sang and down the road people were mowing lawns and mending gutters in the sunshine. But around the small semi in Lansdowne Park on the outskirts of Limerick life had stopped.
Outside Jerry McCabe's house a group of men in shirtsleeves stood at the gate. The front door was open to everyone, except reporters. This was not the time.
Neighbour Maura Hackett arrived carrying sandwiches wrapped in tinfoil. The neighbourhood had organised itself to do what it could.
Sandwiches were the most practical gesture of support as family members arrived from all over Limerick and Kerry. It was a team effort. The sandwiches were all made in one kitchen up the road, with everyone bringing some ingredients.
As one woman arrived, she was met in the garden by a young man carrying a child. Their sobs could be heard 20 yards away. in the front garden another young man sat on the lawn, his eyes rimmed red.
Mr McCabe's wife, Ann, is a hairdresser in a local salon, so the couple were well known in the quiet suburb. Their 17 year old daughter Stacy was due to sit a Leaving Cert exam yesterday, while Ross (15) was sitting his Junior Cert.
The family were devastated, Ms Hackett said, and the neighbours were shocked into a silent procession to the house. "He'd been due to take the family on holiday in a few weeks", one woman said.
For years the residents in Lansdowne Park had been comfortable having a Special Branch detective living in their midst. He was a great neighbour, they said.
At the Garda station in Henry Street, plainclothes and uniform gardai walked through carrying folders. Two gardai outside the station were approached by people anxious to express their sympathy to anyone in a Garda uniform.
One colleague of the two gardai said he got up yesterday morning to make his wife breakfast.
He was not on duty until 4 p.m. The first he heard of the shooting was when his brother phoned from Galway. Like the rest of his colleagues, he came straight to the station.
In Adare, the sun seemed to shine all day. The American tourists came to the scenic village in coach loads, with camcorders and cameras.
A sign outside the town advertised tomorrow's garden festival, but opposite the scene locals stood in silence trying to take it all in.
One senior garda remarked bitterly to himself as Det Garda McCabe's body was taken away. "After 32 years of service and you end up in a box. Just like that."
