A determined 70-year-old taxi driver is already back behind the wheel only two weeks after being stabbed by thugs in South Dublin.
The inspirational driver, who asked to be called Shay McKenna, had his car taken and burnt out by two thugs in Tallaght on April 6th.
Gardai are still on the hunt for the heartless man and woman responsible, but plucky Shay will be back on the roads Saturday morning.
Picking up his new rental from Autoclass hire on Naas Road , and told Dublin Live he now feels "100%" and that he's determined not to let the thugs get the better of him.
He said: "I'm back with Robbie in Autoclass for a car, they're looking after me well.
Badly shaken Dublin taxi driver, 73, relives horror stabbing by two 'animals' who wanted him dead
"I won't let them [the thieves] get me down. Definitely not. At the end of the day I'm winning this, they won't stop me doing it.
"If I didn't then I might as well lay down and die."
"I feel great, I'm 100% now. Hopefully it won't happen again but I'll be prepared if it does."
Rental dealer Robbie then staggeringly revealed that Shay wanted to get back to work straight away, but they wanted to be sure he'd fully recovered first.
He said: "It was our car that was burnt. He wanted to go back straight away but I wanted him to take two weeks off. So we're giving him a car today.
"He was battering us to get back on the road, but we wanted to make sure he was OK.
"At the end of the day cars can be replaced, people can't.
"He's a gentleman and nobody will keep him down. And hopefully guards get to the bottom of it."
Gardai are following a definite line of inquiry with a spokesperson previously appealing for witnesses.
They said: "Gardaí at Tallaght are appealing for information following the hijacking of a taxi in Tallaght on the March 6.
"At approximately 12:50am a taxi driver - male in his 70s - was confronted and assaulted by a man and woman after dropping a fare on Avonbeg Road."
He added: "The man and woman overpowered him before driving away in his car. The taxi, a blue Skoda Octavia, was later found burned out in the Brookview area.
"The taxi driver was treated at the scene by Ambulance personnel for minor injuries. No arrests have been made to date and enquiries are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact Tallaght Garda Station 01-6666000."
