Letterkenny parishioners left in fear as huge Garda numbers needed to quell feud

Church-goers in Letterkenny were left in a state of shock as an anniversary mass had to be delayed after a feud broke out.

A massive Garda presence was required at the Church of the Irish Martyrs in Ballyraine this morning at 11:30am mass, with the armed response unit on response and at last half-a-dozen Garda cars.

Bickering began in the porch of the chapel, which then spilt inside as fr Dominic Thoomkuzhy was about to start to Gospel. The group dispersed outside into the carpark, where there was a significant Garda presence outside as well as in the church, who in turn broke the feuding parties into fractions and held them for some time. 

Inside, parishioners sat in fear as the mass was temporarily postponed for over five minutes before swiftly concluding. In a message passed onto Fr  Thoomkuzh by the local sacristan, Siobhan O'Connell, those in attendance were told to wait inside the chapel for 10 minutes until things had cleared outside, where things had been quieten with a large number of gardaí surveying things. Declan Nee, who runs the church choir, apologised to Fr Thoomkuzhy on behalf of the local community.