People spoke in hushed tones as they stood in biting wind outside St Aiden's Church in Monasteraden during Terry Madden's funeral on Thursday, unable to enter because of the size of the congregation.

There was shock and bewilderment that a man described as "the backbone of the community" could be gunned down in their small village in south Co Sligo.

It was the kind of attack you hear about in other places, usually north of the Border.

On Thursday of last week, the day Mr Madden died after being shot in the back of both legs as he left home, the garda leading the investigation, Insp Michael Barrett, summed up the feelings of the community.

"We are at a loss to explain how something like this could happen in a small country village," he said.

A week later, gardai say they have not established a motive for the killing but are pursuing several lines of inquiry. Detailed results from forensic and ballistic tests have not yet been received. Up to 50 uniformed officers and plainclothes detectives are working on the case.

Insp Barrett said yesterday that his men were engaged in "a long, foot-slogging" exercise. House-to-house inquiries are being made and gardai are appealing for information.

They did receive an early report of a car leaving the area minutes after the attack, but this has not been substantiated. There were no details of the make or colour of the vehicle, just that car lights had been seen. This report is still being investigated. Any other cars seen in the area that morning have been eliminated from the inquiry.

Terry Madden (51) was a father of three grown-up children, a member of the local Fianna Fail cumann, and involved with community organisations.

He worked as the manager of the Monasteraden Resource Coop and the local FAS scheme and was on the board of the Sligo Leader Partnership Company and a lobby group, the Council For The West. He was also chairman of the local group water scheme.

He had helped set up projects in Monasteraden and dealt with people from all parts of the country. The Fianna Fail TD, Mr Matty Brennan, described him as "a fantastic man for the area" and said his work had created jobs for a number of Monasteraden people.

At his funeral, which was attended by the Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Mr Noel Davern, and local Fianna Fail and Fine Gael TDs, the Bishop of Achonry, Dr Thomas Flynn, described Mr Madden as "a great family man, a great community man and an active member of the church".

His son, Alan, paid a moving tribute to a father who he said "lived for his family" and "would have done anything for us". Mr Madden was also a farmer.

"It was the simplest of things that made Dad happy . . . He loved his cows and talked to them as if they were human," his son said.

The Maddens ran a B&B from their large dormer bungalow just outside the village which has stunning views of Lough Gara.

Mr Madden was shot in both legs at about 8 a.m. as he got into his car to drive to a meeting in Dublin. He bled to death before the arrival of either an ambulance or gardai. The nature of the killing, redolent of a paramilitary-style "punishment" attack, led to suggestions of a Northern link. However, a shotgun was used, a weapon never used by republicans in punishment attacks.

There have been numerous theories about Mr Madden's murder, most based on rumour rather than fact.

Some speculation focused on the local group water scheme, which was criticised at a meeting of Sligo County Council the previous week for failing to pay debts of about £40,000. Mr Madden went on local radio to strongly deny that there had been any misappropriation of funds, and gardai are doubtful of any link.

In the area people do not believe the killing could have been carried out by locals and still suspect a Northern link.

Some believe the attack was related to financial dealings, but Insp Barrett says all this is pure speculation and gardai are just concerned with establishing facts. Nothing, he says, has been ruled out.