AN 84-year-old man who bravely fought off three masked and armed attackers as they attempted to rob a betting shop is playing down his heroic actions.
Denis O’Connor has refused all media interviews and has insisted he ‘doesn’t want any fuss’ since a video emerged on Saturday showing him successfully take on three thieves at his local Bar One betting shop in Glanmire, Co. Cork.
85-year-old great grandfather foils attempted robbery at Cork bookmaker | https://t.co/gWJrcLQyw4 pic.twitter.com/XHEkD13dgJ
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) September 17, 2018
The raiders ran into the quiet branch at 6.30pm on Saturday evening, two armed with hammers and one armed with an imitation shotgun.
They threatened the sole staff member on duty, Tim Murphy, and tried to take money from behind the counter.
Mr O’Connor approached one of the attackers and grappled with him, forcing im to flee the shop.
Mr Murphy then fought back against another of the men, before being assisted by the 84 year old customer.
Mr O’Connor chased the remaining two men out of the shop and as the video shows, booted one of them up the backside to send them on their way.
The video has been watched worldwide, with international media outlets such as ABC News and Russia Today sharing the CCTV footage.
CORK GREAT GRANDFATHER MAKES INTERNATIONAL HEADLINES
Denis O’Connor, 83, has attracted attention from all over the world after tackling 3 armed raiders at a bookies in Glanmire on Saturday evening.@ABC & @SkyNews are both carrying the story.
[email protected]/ 1850 104 106 pic.twitter.com/yLLRNlJtfA— Neil Prendeville (@NeilRedFM) September 17, 2018
Since the weekend, Mr O’Connor has received countless media requests, including offers to appear on both RTE and Virgin Media.
However, he has no interest in indulging in this new found fame, and has said he now just wants to return to the local bookmakers shop for “a flutter” without any fuss.
Speaking about his actions, he said: “I thought it was all a joke at the start.
“I didn’t really think about it – I just went for it. You can either sit down and do nothing or take a stand. I decided to stand up to these people,” he added.
“I keep fit. I go to the gym and do a bit of swimming. I suppose you could say I am fit.”
Gardai are investigating the foiled robbery and have vowed to hunt down the three raiders.
