Car explodes in flames after being rammed into Limerick home as part of ongoing feud

A car exploded into flames after it was rammed into a home in Rathkeale, Co Limerick overnight.

It is believed to be a further escalation of an ongoing feud between rival Traveller families in the town. Last month, a truck was driven into a house in Rathkeale and a petrol bomb thrown into another property.

A garda spokesperson said gardaí attended an incident of criminal damage that occurred at approximately 3.20am this morning, Tuesday, November 12 at a residential premises in Rathkeale. It is not known if the house was occupied at the time.

“No injuries were reported. Investigations are ongoing at this time,” said a garda spokesperson.

It is not known if the vehicle, thought to be a BMW X5, exploded into flames following the collision or was set alight on purpose. There are unconfirmed reports that the BMW was stolen.

The exterior and bay window of a detached dwelling in Rathkeale, located close to a school, have been badly damaged.

The scene has been cordoned off by gardai pending the completion of a technical examination this morning. Firefighters also attended at the house to extinguish the car fire.

Local councillor, John O’Donoghue said it is “beyond belief”.

“It is right beside a school,” said Cllr O’Donoghue.

The recent incidents are believed to be linked to the serious incident in Rathkeale in December of 2022 when jeeps were rammed into each other like “dodgems”.

Cllr O’Donoghue previously said these are very worrying developments in the run upto Christmas when traditionally the population of Rathkeale swells.

“It is of concern if things are escalating at this stage. An Garda Siochana have enough to be doing all day, every day. If we are going to start tying up all our resources in Rathkeale over the Christmas, it is going to leave everywhere else in the county very, very tight on garda resources,” said Cllr O’Donoghue.

Gardai are already trying to keep a lid on a feud on the southside of Limerick city.