Sawn-off shotgun and bullets found next to Cork cemetery

The search was mounted as part of an intelligence-led operation by members of the Serious Crime Investigation Unit.

Gardai focused their search first in an area of the graveyard but they expanded their probe to include an area of land alongside the cemetery, accessed through a gap, where some illegal dumping has taken place recently.

They found the weapon - a single-barrel shotgun that had its stock and barrel sawn off - in this area. The three shotgun cartridges were found, wrapped in tinfoil, nearby.

While an effort had been made to conceal both the weapon and the ammunition in this area, they had been stashed in such a way as to make their retrieval quick and easy.

The weapon bore the signs of long-term outdoor storage, although it is not clear how long it may have been stored at this location.

And although visibly weathered, a preliminary examination suggests that the weapon was in working order and fully capable of being fired. Ballistics tests will confirm that later.

A further search of the area was carried out by the Southern Region Dog Unit and members of the Divisional Search team but no other items of interest were discovered.

No arrests have been made and gardai investigations are ongoing.

A senior garda said while they await the results of the forensic tests, the recovery of any kind of firearm is significant.

"Taking a weapon like this off the streets is always a good thing," he said.

The gun and the ammunition will now be sent for specialist forensic analysis, which will include fingerprint and DNA analysis and ballistics tests.

There have been a number of gun attacks on houses in Cork city in recent months - including one in the Mahon area earlier this year.

There have been no injuries arising out of any of these shooting incidents.

Some of these attacks have been linked to an ongoing feud involving rival families who are members of the Travelling community.