The Army Bomb Disposal Unit safely detonated an early 20th century grenade in Rosslare last week.
A HISTORIC, viable grenade from the early 20th century caused a stir in Rosslare when the army descended on the area to dispose of the item.
The alert was raised from the small town land of Ford of Lyng last Tuesday after the grenade was found during excavation work in a private residence.
The gardai were called and sealed off the area, blocking the road to local residents until the arrival of the Army Bomb Disposal Team at around 4 p.m. The grenade found was a type which had been used during the War of Independence, the Civil War and the world wars.
It is understood that the grenade had suffered extensive corrosion and the army, unsure of how destructive it was, took the decision to remove it from the vicinity and safely detonate it.
One local resident said there was great excitement along the road and that a number of the residents got down to the beach where the grenade was blown up.
“The whole thing happened very quickly, within the space of an hour. A couple of neighbours, who didn’t know what was happening, got stopped from coming down the road and that was how they found out there was a grenade on the road!”
The added that the army spent approximately ten minutes in the house before removing the grenade and bringing it down the strand where it was made safe.
