Player sidelined after garda car rammed

A senior Tipperary camogie player and Killaloe Garda due to line out for her county in the Gala All-Ireland Senior Championship against Cork on Saturday has been ruled out of action after she sustained injuries in the line of duty on Monday night.

Garda Michelle Shortt sustained a fractured wrist and her colleague Garda David Moore was bruised after their car was rammed by a jeep in the Ballyquin area near Bridgetown in South East Clare at approximately 10pm on Monday night. 
Garda Shortt was driving the car when they observed the vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road.
“The garda car was responding to a call of a jeep acting suspiciously in the Ballyquin area.
“The gardaí were met by a vehicle driving on the wrong side of the road at Ballyquin and the jeep then rammed the garda car. The two gardaí were injured in the incident, Garda Shortt has a fractured wrist, while Garda Moore received some bruising,” Superintendent Tony Kennelly at Killaloe Garda Station said.
The jeep was then abandoned by its two male occupants, who fled the scene on foot through fields. 
Superintendent Kennelly said it was lucky that someone hadn’t been killed in the incident.
“Had the car been struck head on there would have been a fatality.
“It was a big jeep that had bull bars on the front. It struck the car on the left front side and the air bags were deployed. The two men in the jeep fled through fields. Gardaí gave chase and the Emergency Response Unit came out from Limerick to assist in the search, which continued for an hour and half. Once it got dark the search was called off and the two men have not been located,” the superintendent added.
He has appealed to those in the area to report any suspicious activity on the night or subsequent activity in the vicinity, as the two men have not been apprehended to date.
He highlighted that information the gardaí have has linked the jeep to criminal activity in the region.
“This car was being used in the commission of crime in the area. I would appeal in any circumstance to those who see cars driving suspiciously at night to contact us. I would urge people to be vigilant, there are a number of travelling criminals in the area who are cruising around for the purpose of committing crime and I would encourage members of the public to make a note of licence plates and call the gardaí,” he added.
Garda Shortt was treated in hospital but has since been released and will be out on sick leave for some time. Garda Moore is also currently out of work as a result of the incident.
Garda Shortt will also be out of action for her club and Tipperary County PRO Kieran Slattery said she will be “a huge loss” to the team.
“Michelle is a very important player. She has been involved with the county for six to eight years and is a prominent player. She plays for her local camogie club in Drom. At the moment, Michelle has been playing in centre field, but last year she played corner-forward, she is remarkably fit and is a valuable member of the team and panel.
“She was due to line out in the first round of the All-Ireland Senior Championship in Cork on Saturday. She won player of the match in the Munster final, where Tipperary played Clare last month, so she is a huge asset to the team,” Mr Slattery concluded.
The team has six matches to play over the next six weeks and the Tipperary Board has wished Garda Shortt a speedy recovery.