A 14-year-old is recovering in hospital after being stabbed during a row with another teenager.

The boy is being treated for his injuries at Tallaght hospital but has so far refused to give gardaí a statement about who is responsible for the attack. Gardaí are hoping to speak to him again today. He was stabbed in the left hip by the assailant in Donomore Crescent, Tallaght just after 1am yesterday. His injuries are not life-threatening.

Investigating detectives are aware of the motivation for the attack – it concerns a local row.

The 14-year-old is known to gardaí but is not considered one of the young up-and-coming criminals in Tallaght they have been targeting in a series of operations over the past 12 months.

Detectives are due to interview the teenager again today but are not overly optimistic the youngster will give them a statement about who attacked him.

The low-level dispute between the 14-year-old and other teenagers is not close to resolution and detectives are monitoring the situation.

A garda source said it was "worrying" that teenagers of that age were carrying weapons and were willing to use them.

The knife used in the attack has not been recovered.