A man remains in custody this morning after a number of people were hit by a car at a graveyard in County Louth yesterday.

Gardaí said initial investigations indicated that the car drove at people attending the annual blessing of the graves at St Patrick's Cemetery in Dundalk.

An elderly man was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda with serious injuries.

A number of other people received what Gardaí described as superficial injuries.

The car then drove out of the cemetery and crashed into a number of parked cars on the road outside.

Local Parish Priest Fr Mark O'Hagan said it was a terrifying experience.

“We were coming towards the end of the blessing of the graves and I could hear screaming and shouting to my left and I looked round and I could see loads of people running and screaming and shouting,” he said.

“People shouting to me, ‘Father, phone for an ambulance, phone for an ambulance.’

“At that I knew there was something wrong.”

A man in his 20s was arrested at the scene and is being held at Dundalk Garda Station.

Gardaí are calling for witnesses and in particular anyone with video footage to contact the incident room at Dundalk Garda Station.