Man, 20s, arrested after car driven at people b in Skerries

They are particularly interested in hearing from any one with camera footage, including dash-cam, from the area at the time.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Balbriggan Garda Station on 01 666 4500, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any garda station.

Watch: Footage of the incident – contains distressing content

An eyewitness described the scene in Skerries as “chaos” and “horrifying to watch”.

“It was chaos. There was a lot of people hanging around. I saw a massive crowd coming down the road from the top of the pier and watching from here, I just saw a car basically run through the crowd.

“It was really, really scary. I’m relieved that everyone is somewhat Ok but it was horrifying to watch in the moment.”

The witness said that they had been coming to Skerries for years and usually feel very safe.

“It could have been any of us that were in the way of that car,” he said.

Gardaí have been carrying out inquiries in the many busy cafes, bars and restaurants along the Harbour Road in Skerries today.

Mayor of Fingal County Council Tony Murphy said that the local community was “absolutely shocked” by what happened.

“It’s an idyllic place for people to congregate and socialise, so something like this is absolutely appalling to have happened,” he said.