Attempted robbery at phone shop in Athy
ABOVE: One of the suspects in the Vodafone store in Athy. Photo: Independent.ie
However the raiders left empty-handed after vigilant shop staff raised the alarm.
In a possibly related incident, 60km away in Bunclody, three men stole dozens of mobile phones from a Vodafone store.
This incident happened at 2.50pm.
CCTV shows how one of the men entered the shop and appears to ask for assistance.
Two other men can then be seen walking in and heading straight for the back room where a number of valuable phones were stored.
"There were no guns or weapons used, but they were very aggressive.
"They took every phone and some money. Nobody was hurt, just shocked."
A Garda spokeswoman told the Irish Independent no arrests have been made in relation to the Bunclody incident.
However, Garda investigations are ongoing.
Any witnesses or anyone who can assist Gardaí with information is asked to please contact Bunclody garda station on 053-9377102.