A number of homes were evacuated in Dublin last night after the discovery of a viable pipe bomb outside a home in Clondalkin.

The gardaí were alerted and the army bomb squad arrived at the scene in the Monksfield area at 3.30pm.

Officers put road closures and a cordon in place, while a number of nearby residents had to leave their homes.

A controlled explosion was carried out on the device to make it safe before it was handed over to Gardai for further investigations, and the scene was declared safe at a quarter to five this morning.

Captain Laura Keane from the Defence Forces Press Office says it's the 34th callout for the bomb squad so far this year - which is in line with last year's figures: