A parish priest was robbed and threatened with a knife by a woman at his home in Kilkenny last weekend.
Fr John Delaney (86) was confronted by the woman in the Parochial House in Coon, north Kilkenny at approximately 5pm on Saturday.
The woman, described as being approximately six feet tall and "of a strong build" demanded money from Fr Delaney while brandishing a knife.
Fr Delaney received a cut to his head and handed over a sum of money after which the woman fled.
The priest managed to raise the alarm shortly after the incident and was taken to hospital by a neighbour where he was treated for his injuries.
Gardaí arrived at the scene within minutes and carried out a technical examination.
They believe the suspect left the scene in a cream-coloured car which had two children as passengers at the time.
Superintendent Derek Hughes said: "We are appealing for information on a small cream-coloured car and we believe that there were two children in the car at the time.
"The culprit is a female and is described as being of a strong build, approximately 6ft tall with dark hair.
"We are treating this very seriously and although we are following a number of lines of enquiry, we are also seeking the co-operation of the public to help solve this particularly heinous crime."
Gardaí in Castlecomer are investigating the incident and investigations are ongoing.
Digital Desk
