THE welfare and condition Mr Gerrit Isenborger's terminally ill mother has been of immediate concern to gardai at Bawnboy. But their principal concern has been to contain the threat posed by Mr Isenborger.
It is known that he has military training and may have access to three or four weapons. It is also known that he has a high powered hunting rifle and that he is almost certainly a good shot.
With such a weapon, Mr Isenborger could hit a target as far as half a mile away. This is what has led the gardai to establish such a large exclusion zone around his collage.
The gardai also want to contain the threat. They are concerned that since he opened fire on the bailiffs on Wednesday morning he might try to break out of the blockade around his home.
If he decided to do this he would have the benefit of access to the four vehicles left by the bailiffs, including at least one all terrain, four wheel drive vehicle which could be used over the rough, hilly land surrounding the farm.
If that happened it could turn the standoff into a much more dangerous situation - something the gardai are deeply concerned about.
The main object of the negotiations by telephone with Mr Isenborger, therefore, is to address his concerns and to try to offer a peaceful settlement to his predicament.
It appears Mr Isenborger is deeply unhappy about his present circumstances, affected by both his mother's illness and the threatened eviction.
The principal Garda negotiators, Supt Bill Somers and Insp - Tighe Foley, are, therefore, frying to persuade him that there is widespread sympathy about his predicament and to assure him that he will be helped and well treated if he surrenders.
The main difficulty facing the Garda negotiators, however, is the simple lack of information about Mr Isenborger.
One officer involved in the situation pointed out yesterday that if they were dealing with a local man they would be able to build up a psychological profile.
The Garda would be able to find out the cause of a local man's problems from talking to his family and neighbours. However, Mr Isenborger is a near recluse who apparently moved to the isolated, rugged area of Cavan in an effort to escape the levels of human contact inherent in living in the densely populated and highly developed industrial society of Germany.
The gardai know very little about him and this is making the negotiations difficult. The negotiators have to move carefully in case any of their suggestions might provoke an unexpected, violent reaction.
With the difficulties involved in such negotiations and the logistics of the standoff, officers involved were pessimistic last night about an early resolution - although hopes were raised by Mr Isenborger's agreement to hand over some weapons.