Two men were in hospital last night suffering from stab wounds they sustained in a street fight early yesterday morning when a number of groups clashed in Carrick-on-Suir, Co Tipperary.
The two men were found injured in the street after the emergency services were called to the scene by local people.
The injured men lost a large quantity of blood. Blood could be seen smeared on a shop front in the town and on the pavement yesterday. Minor damage including broken windows was also caused to a number of nearby businesses.
The row erupted after a large number of young people began congregating on Bridge Street, when a number of local pubs began to close. Gardaí believe around 50 people may have been in the area. Many of them became involved in scuffles and fights while others tried to break up the violence. The fracas escalated when knives were produced and two injured men sustained stab wounds.
The scene of the row, which took place just after midnight, was sealed off and underwent a full technical examination yesterday. Gardaí will study CCTV footage from local businesses in an effort to determine who was involved in the row. However, some of those involved had already been identified by gardaí last night.