Woman (72) who was stabbed may not have been target

Gardaí investigating the stabbing of a 72-year-old woman in west Dublin on New Year’s Day, are examining the theory that she may not have been the intended target of the attack.

Bridie Smith, who remains in a critical condition in St James’ Hospital, is understood to have answered the door to the attackers at about 9.30am but refused them access to the house.

Ms Smith was not alone in the house at the time, sources said. She suffered severe wounds to the chest in the attack.

Gardaí have also been trying to establish whether the attack, which they are currently treating as an assault causing harm, is linked to an ongoing feud between families in the area.

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No arrests have been made in connection with the incident. Locals said two men were seen running from the scene.

Technical examination

Gardaí completed a technical examination of the scene, a terraced house where Ms Smith lives. House-to-house inquiries were also conducted to piece together what had happened.

Ms Smith is believed to have lived in the house for over 30 years, and has a number of children.

Local Sinn Féin councillor Daithí Doolan said feelings in the area were changing from “numbness, shock and disbelief” to “anger that this could happen, that this was allowed to happen”.

Cllr Dolan said the local area did not have adequate Garda resources and the local station was a substation for Clondalkin Garda station.

He said criminals driving stolen cars were not pursued by gardaí, and a recent attack on a man working on a building site had resulted in the site being shut down and the new homes delayed.

“People are very angry that the whole Cherry Orchard/Upper Ballyfermot area has been deprioritised,” he said.

‘Shock and horror’

Local priest Fr Joe McDonald said parishioners felt an “extraordinary sense of shock and real horror” at the incident.

Fr McDonald of St Matthew’s Church said Ms Smith had lived in the parish for many years and most of her family lived in the general area of Ballyfermot.

There was a “very strong atmosphere” based on “the old idea of good neighbours”.

Commenting on the words of Archbishop Diarmuid Martin about a dangerous culture of violence developing across communities, Fr McDonald said: “When we go down the road of violence there is no happiness, there is no joy, no peace and all the things we’d be praying for and wishing for people at the beginning of a new year. An act like this . . . will always lead to more.

“The problem is that violence leads to violence – it’s a spiral. And what you end up with is anger and hurt and revenge and, where that takes a momentum, all we have is heartache and suffering.”