LIMERICK residents who were alarmed to hear spurts of gunfire in the city centre in the early hours of Tuesday morning need not worry.
The army has confirmed that the shots were fired as part of a training exercise.
A spokesperson for the Defence Forces told the Limerick Post that the activity seen and heard at the site of the former Cleeves Factory was an urban terrain instructors course for officers and non-commissioned officers.
The spokesperson said that the unit, based at Collins Barracks in Cork, were carrying out training for officers, including members from Sarsfield Barracks in Limerick.
The exercise involved firing blank rounds, among other elements, and no live ammunition was involved.
But while city citizens will be relieved to hear that the army presence does not signal the outbreak of urban warfare, a number of readers who contacted the Limerick Post complained that the gunfire went on until after 2am.
