A man in his 20s was dumped outside Longford Garda Station after a double stabbing last night.
A local councillor says armed gardai are needed to prevent a reprisal.
The violence broke out in Longford town at around 9 o'clock last night.
Two men, aged in their 20s and 30s, were stabbed and rushed to Mullingar hospital with serious injuries.
The younger man is believed to be from the Galway area, and the older man is from Longford.
Irish Independent journalist Liam Cosgrove says there was a quick response by the gardai, including the Garda Armed Support Unit.
He says gardai are keeping an open mind but do have a line of inquiry:
The incident has been condemned by local politicians today - including Fianna Fáil senator Joe Flaherty:
His party colleague, Councillor Seamus Butler, says it's very serious criminal violence:
Gardaí are appealing to anyone who witnessed the incident, or has camera footage of it, to come forward.
