A Man Walks Into A Bar

A man walks into a bar, right? And he's got a sawn-off shotgun.

Not a joke at all, when you see a weapon with that kind of firepower. That was the scenario last night in Limerick, when a man wearing a balaclava strolled into the local pub and pointed a shotgun at a customer.

What does any right-thinking person do? Run away and get help, you might suppose, but this is County Limerick, after all.

Gardai were eventually called in, but not before four people in the pub went to the aid of their fellow drinker. By the time help arrived, it was the criminal who was in need of help. Now, if he'd gone into the pub and the man he was after was alone, that's one thing. But to walk into a busy place and expect to hold the entire place at bay is quite another.

There was safety in numbers in this case. Four potential victims set upon the gunman and he ended up at the Mid-Western Regional hospital with head injuries.

And aren't we all relieved to know that none of the four got hurt in the altercation? Nor did they get arrested for battery. Good to know that four men won't be prosecuted for believing that they are, indeed, their brother's keeper.