PATRICK Duggan limped slowly past his cream coloured front wall when he came out to face photographers gathered outside his home in Kiltrogue, about 10 miles east of Galway.
The wall was speckled with the fresh blood of one of his assailants, who with two other men kicked down his front door in the early hours of yesterday.
If they thought the elderly bachelor would prove easy prey they were mistaken; Mr Duggan is known and admired in the area for his independent, self sufficient outlook on life.
That self sufficiency led him to reach for his legally held shotgun and confront the raiders who were trying to rob him not just of his money, but also of his peace of mind. One shot was discharged, injuring one of them in the face.
Although he is 76 years old, lives alone and suffers from arthritis two weeks ago he climbed up on the walls of a new shed beside his house to fix a corrugated iron roof. Around the same time, local gardai fitted a heavy duty lock and chain on his front door.
He seemed an unlikely hero yesterday morning, in his soft cap and dark winter jacket, as he leaned on his walking stick and made his way on to the winding boreen that ends at his farmhouse.
Although he was clearly shocked by his experience, there was a certain deliberate pride in the way he carried himself. He was advised by gardai not to talk to reporters and when he was asked how he felt he clutched his side before replying. "I'm not very well," he said.
A neighbour, Mr John Casserley, said Mr Duggan was highly regarded in the area. He was glad he had stood up to his assailants. "I'm not one bit surprised at the outcome, that as soon as this happened he would handle himself," he said.
Others also congratulated him on his action. A retired ophthalmic surgeon in Galway, Mr George Hewson, said he was "delighted" at the shooting.
During his career he frequently tended injuries suffered by people during attacks and assaults and he said he knew the price in human suffering they caused. "The sooner more people do what that man did, the sooner we'll find more polite young puppies around this area," Mr Hewson said.