Gardaí who continue to investigate the serious assault of a woman on the R494 at Birdhill, Co. Tipperary on Saturday are appealing for information on the movement of two vehicles seen driving dangerously on the evening of the incident.
The woman, who is in her 20s and is a member of the Traveller community, remains in a critical condition in hospital. Gardaí said on Sunday that a technical examination of the scene had been completed, with the road reopened.
The injured woman, named as Scarlett Faulkner, remains in a critical condition at Cork University Hospital after sustaining severe head injuries during the attack.
The force are seeking to question a number of men and women in connection with the assault after video footage which circulated of the incident online appeared to show a number of men and women armed with what appear to be a hatchet and a sword attacking two women, including Faulkner.
The area where Ms Faulkner was found seriously injured is just a short distance from the lakeside towns of Ballina and Killaloe, located between Nenagh and Limerick.
It is understood that the young woman was attacked by one or a number of people who were armed with weapons, and left for dead at the side of the road just before 5.30pm on Saturday.
It is believed that the vehicle she was travelling in was deliberately forced off the road, before Ms Faulkner was pulled from the car and “brutally” assaulted by two individuals, one of whom was armed with an axe.
A number of other people were present during the incident.
Limerick Fianna Fáil TD Niall Collins spoke of the vicious nature of the attack, saying it had provoked shock.
“It’s truly concerning and people are asking the question, what happened here,” Collins told RTÉ News. “How could such a brutal incident happen on a public road in the middle of the day?”
Collins called the incident “truly shocking” as he appealed for anyone with information to get in touch with the Gardaí.
Gardaí are appealing for witnesses who may have seen the vehicles in the Co Tipperary townlands of Cooleen, Crag Cross, Shower Cross, Kylebeg, Annaholty and Thornhill between 4.30pm and 5.30pm on Saturday.
They are also asking any road users who were on the R494 on Saturday evening and who may have camera footage or dashcam footage to make it available.
In particular, Gardaí are seeking information on the movements of two vehicles, a grey 162 Ford Transit van and a blue 161 Volkswagen Touran people carrier, travelling in convoy or driving dangerously.
The force said it is aware of video footage circulating of the incident online, and have requested members of the public not to share it on social media platforms or messaging apps, but instead to provide it to investigating gardaí.
Prayer requests have flooded in online from Ms Faulker, a young mother who is from a traveller family from Limerick City.
One post read: “Come on sister, please you can do this. Everyone please pray for my sister Scarlett. Love you sister.”
“Please God don’t do this to us,” pleaded another.
Moyross Parish Priest, Fr Pat Hogan, told the media: “We don’t need such violence in our society. We don’t need our children seeing it, and it’s our duty as adults and as parents to bring our children up in a non-violent place, a non-violent society – so we need peace.”
Fr Hogan, who is also a chaplain to the Traveller community knows the family well – describing Ms Faulkner as a “lovely young lady.”
“We are shocked by the incident, the violence involved,” he added.