Gardaí are continuing to search the area around Russborough House in Co Wicklow today after another theft of valuable paintings yesterday.
The five pieces from the Alfred Beit collection were stolen in a raid on at the Blessington house just after 6 a.m. yesterday.
It was reported this morning that the criminal responsible for the theft was involved in three previous robberies at the house.
RTÉ is reporting the main suspect is is believed to be a well-known Dublin criminal who was a close associate of "The General" Martin Cahill. Cahill robbed Russborough House 16 years ago.
Yesterday's theft is the fourth of its kind and comes days after the recovery of two paintings stolen from the collection last year.
Experts said it would be difficult for the thieves to "fence" any of the paintings from the collection, assembled by the late Sir Alfred Beit and his widow Lady Beit, who still lives in a part of the mansion but was not there on Sunday.
"It's certainly not easy to dispose of works of this kind of reputation, that are known, that are documented, that have been photographed," said Mr Raymond Keaveney, director of National Gallery and a member of the Beit Foundation.
"You couldn't pass them off lightly, even at a domestic auction, without somebody twigging that these were actually significant works and were stolen."
He described the theft as "appalling and dispiriting".
