Limerick feud

The Limerick feud is a feud between rival criminal gangs in Limerick City, Ireland. The feud started between two criminals in the year 2000 and then spread to involve several criminal families, mainly the Keane-Collopy gang from St. Mary's Park and the McCarthy-Dundon gang from Ballinacurra Weston. While control of the drug trade is a factor in the feud, according to Garda Superintendent Gerry Mahon, the primary driving force is "absolute hatred by each side for the other".{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/hate-instils-no-fear-of-dying-and-no-hesitation-in-killing-26015553.html |title= Hate instils no fear of dying and no hesitation in killing |work=Irish Independent |date= 7 February 2004}}{{cite web |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2008/0408/ireland/body-count-rises-as-two-tribes-continue-to-wage-war-59707.html |title= Body count rises as two tribes continue to wage war |publisher= Irish Examiner |date=8 April 2008}} Up to twenty murders and hundreds of shootings, stabbings, and pipe bomb attacks have been attributed to the feud since it began.Family Feud, Anthony Galvin. Hodder Headline Ireland (2003) {{ISBN|0-340-83153-7}}

Background

File:Limerick Shooting Incidents (2003-2013).png

Throughout the latter part of the twentieth century, Limerick grappled with a crime problem, with numerous high-profile crime incidents occurring in city. In this period the city gained notoriety being dubbed "Stab City" by media outlets, while nationally the city gained a popular image and reputation for criminality, violent disorder, and toughness. While there are a number of various and complex reasons for feuding and crime in the city, part of the problems arise from the deprivation experienced in some of the suburban local authority housing estates built by Limerick Corporation from the mid-to late 20th century. By end of the 20th century, endemic unemployment and deprivation in these estates were amongst the highest in Ireland, fostering major antisocial behaviour in the estates as well as high levels of organized crime amongst rival gangs within the city in order to control the city's drug trade.

While feuding in parts of the city goes back decades, the present feud can be traced back to a dispute between gang boss Christy Keane and close associate, Eddie Ryan. In 2000. Keane, a major drug dealer and leader of the Keane-Collopy gang, and Ryan, the gang's main enforcer, had a bitter falling-out after a series of violent incidents involving relatives of the men.{{cite web |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/limerick-s-feud-how-it-started-and-ended-1.1496419 |title= Limerick's feud: how it started and ended |work= The Irish Times |date=16 April 2013}} On the afternoon of Friday, 10 November 2000, an attempt was made on the life of Christy Keane as he was collecting his son from school at Edmund Rice College on Shelbourne Road. A gunman, believed to be Eddie Ryan, approached him as he sat in his car and he tried to shoot Keane, but the gun jammed and Keane escaped with his life.{{cite web |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/limerick-gang-war-marks-its-10th-year-136082.html |title= Limerick gang war marks its 10th year |publisher= Irish Examiner |date= 11 November 2010}} Two nights later as forty-year-old Ryan was drinking in the Moose Bar in Cathedral Place, two gunmen entered and shot him dead. Ryan's son Keiran, who almost certainly would have been killed as well, survived; as he had gone to the toilet seconds before the killers arrived at the bar.{{cite web |url=http://www.herald.ie/opinion/limerick-feuds-tear-city-apart-27891808.html |title= Limerick feuds tear city apart |work= Herald|date= 10 November 2008}} The gunmen were believed to be Keiran Keane, a brother of Christy, and Philip Collopy. As well as dozens of other serious incidents over the following year, there were at least 30 petrol bomb and gun attacks on the home of Eddie Ryan's brother, John.Crime Wars, Paul Williams (2008) Merlin Publishing {{ISBN|1-903582-83-0}}

Double Cross

The McCarthy-Dundon gang, who were involved in drug dealing, robbery, and extortion, secretly agreed to join forces with the Ryan faction in an attempt to take control of the Limerick drug scene. They had been careful not to allow themselves to be seen to be allied with the Ryans and their associates. They deceived the Keane-Collopys in to believing they would remain neutral in the feud even though they had supplied them with guns previously.

On 23 January 2003, Eddie Ryan's sons, Eddie Jr. (aged 20) and Keiran (aged 19) were reported abducted after being bundled in to a van by several armed and masked men on Moylish Road, Ballynanty.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2003/jan/26/ireland |title= Bloodbath fear after gunmen snatch brothers |work= The Guardian |date= 25 January 2003}}

It is unclear if the McCarthy-Dundons set up the "kidnapping plot" after being contracted to do so by Keiran Keane. Keane had agreed to pay €60,000 in the return for the Ryan brothers' murder.

Seven days after the Ryans were allegedly abducted, Keiran Keane and his nephew Owen Treacy went to a house in the Garryowen area of the city to meet Dessie Dundon. They believed they were going to witness the execution of the Ryan brothers or view their dead bodies. On entering the house they were confronted by several armed men, had their hands tied and were beaten. After a failed attempt by the captors to also lure brothers Keiran and Phillip Collopy in to a 'trap', Keane and Treacy were eventually brought to a country lane in Drumbanna, five miles outside the city. Keiran Keane was stabbed in the face before being shot in the back of the head. Owen Treacy was stabbed seventeen times in the face, head and chest. The attackers left believing both men to be dead but Treacy survived and made his way to a nearby house for help.Mean Streets:Limerick's Gangland, Barry Duggan, O'Brien Press (2009) {{ISBN|1-84717-144-3}}

Six hours later the Ryan brothers walked into a Gardaí station in Athlone. Subsequent Garda investigations revealed they had never been kidnapped and spent the week at the home of an associate in Thurles, County Tipperary.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2003/jan/31/ireland |title= Gangs of Limerick: a bloody four-year story of shooting, kidnapping and revenge |work= The Guardian |date= 30 January 2003}}

Dessie Dundon (aged 20), David Stanners (aged 31), James McCarthy (aged 24), Christopher Costelloe (aged 20), and Anthony McCarthy (aged 21) were all given life sentences for the murder of Keiran Keane{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/five-men-jailed-for-life-over-keane-murder-25919580.html |title= Five men jailed for life over Keane murder |work= Irish Independent |date= 22 December 2003}}

Post Double-Cross Killings

John Ryan, 47, was killed in Thomondgate in July 2003. Two men on a motorbike arrived as he stood outside a house and the pillion passenger shot him several times. Twenty-three-year-old Michael Campbell McNamara was a member of the Keane-Collopy gang and was centrally involved in the feud. On 21 October 2003, his mutilated body was found on waste ground near Southill, Limerick. His arms and legs were bound and he had been stabbed multiple times and shot twice.{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/0725/91660-macnamaram/ |publisher=RTÉ News |date=25 July 2007 |title=Man jailed for role in Limerick murder}} Other victims of the feud were the 2006 murders of Aidan Kelly (aged 19) shot dead near Ardnacrusha, "Fat" Frankie Ryan (aged 21), a senior McCarthy-Dundon member shot dead in Moyross, Noel Crawford (aged 40) shot dead in Southhill after being mistaken for his brother Paul, a known McCarthy-Dundon associate, and Noel Campion (aged 35), a convicted armed robber from a notorious family in Moyross, shot dead by the McCarthy-Dundons in Thomondgate.{{cite web |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/life-of-crime-runs-in-family-but-ends-in-jail-239741.html |last=Woulfe |first=Jimmy |publisher=Irish Examiner |date=14 August 2013 |title=Life of crime runs in the family, but ends in jail}}.{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/opinion/analysis/one-more-murder-and-limerick-is-muder-capital-of-western-europe-26416625.html |last=Cusack |first=Jim |work=Irish Independent |date=24 September 2006 |title=One more killing and Limerick is murder capital of western Europe}}{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardai-fear-trouble-as-man-is-freed-26301711.html |last=Duggan |first=Barry |work=Irish Independent |date=29 May 2007 |title=Gardai fear trouble as man is freed}}{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/murder-victim-was-a-double-agent-suspect-26287537.html |last=Cusack |first=Jim |work=Irish Independent |date=29 April 2007 |title=Murder victim was a "double agent" suspect}}

There were over 100 shooting incidents in the city in 2007 linked to the feud as rival gang members attacked each other and each other's homes.{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardai-winning-war-on-crime-in-gang-hotspot-29210706.html |title=Gardai winning war on crime in gang hotspot |last=Duggan |first=Barry |work=Irish Independent |date= 21 April 2013}}

On 5 April 2008, Mark Moloney (aged 40), a friend of the Keane-Collopys, was shot dead at 3 pm as he spoke to a friend outside a shop in Garryowen.{{cite web |url=http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/local-news/limerickman-gets-15-years-for-manslaughter-of-mark-maloney-in-drive-by-shooting-1-2368941 |title=Limerickman gets 15 years for manslaughter of Mark Maloney in drive-by shooting |publisher=Limerick Leader |date=1 December 2010}} Two days later as Gardaí searched waste ground looking for the gun used in Moloney's murder, they found the body of James Cronin (aged 20) buried in a shallow grave near Ballinacurra Weston. He had been shot in the back of the head the day before. Gardaí suspect Cronin drove the getaway car in the Maloney murder and was killed by his fellow gang members because they feared he would talk to the Gardaí if arrested.{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/nov/30/ireland |last=McDonald |first=Henry |publisher=The Observer |date=30 November 2008 |title=Blindsided in gangland}}{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/news/bloodbath-fears-as-feud-tears-gang-apart-26436280.html |work=Irish Independent |date=9 April 2008 |title=Bloodbath fears as feud tears gang apart}}

A killing that caused a public outrage in the city was the murder of Shane Geoghegan (aged 28), who was shot dead in a case of mistaken identity near his home in Dooradoyle in November 2008. Shane was an innocent victim with no connection to the feud. The intended target was Shane's neighbour, John McNamara, an ally of the Keane-Collopys who had survived three previous attempts on his life.{{cite web |url=http://www.herald.ie/news/anger-grows-over-rugby-players-murder-27891823.html |title=Angers grows over rugby player's murder |publisher=Herald.ie |date=11 November 2008}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.SUNDAYWORLD.com/top-stories/news/shameless |title=Shameless |publisher=Sundayworld.com |date=27 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131117173710/http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/news/shameless |archivedate=17 November 2013 }}

Daniel Treacy, a brother of Owen, was killed on 22 February 2010 at a filling station on the Ennis Road. Thirty-five-year-old Treacy, who was not involved in the feud, was shot three times in the head by a lone gunman.{{cite web |url=http://www.herald.ie/news/murdered-for-his-brother-27942875.html |title=Murdered for his brother |publisher=Herald.ie |date=22 February 2010 |last=O'Keeffe |first=Alan}}

2011 onwards

File:Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation conducting stop and frisk.jpg conduct an aggressive stop-and-search on a drug gang suspect in Limerick|300px]]

Gardaí have been extremely successful at putting the feud to a stop, which has led to a dramatic reduction in the violence.{{cite web |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/a-bright-future-now-dawns-for-limerick-240117.html |title=A bright future now dawns for Limerick |publisher=Irish Examiner |date=17 August 2013}} Up to sixty key figures involved in the feud are in prison.{{cite web |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/gardai-fracture-limerick-gangs-as-60-jailed-207738.html |title=Gardai "fracture" Limerick gangs as 60 jailed |publisher=Irish Examiner |date=15 September 2012}}

Dessie, John and Wayne Dundon are serving life sentences for murder. Their brother Gerard, was held in prison for violent disorder.{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0813/467816-john-dundon-court/ |title=John Dundon guilty of murder of Shane Geoghegan |publisher=RTÉ News |date=13 August 2013}}{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/court-throws-out-ger-dundons-appeal-against-fiveyear-sentence-over-violent-car-chase-29583372.html |title=Court throws out Ger Dundon's appeal against five-year sentence over violent car chase |work=Irish Independent |date=16 September 2013}} Nathan Killeen, a senior McCarthy-Dundon member, is also serving a life sentence for murder and is awaiting trial for a second murder.{{cite web |url=http://www.journal.ie/verdict-due-in-roy-collins-murder-trial-1571717-jul2014/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140718004518/http://www.journal.ie/verdict-due-in-roy-collins-murder-trial-1571717-jul2014/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=18 July 2014 |title=Wayne Dundon and Nathan Killeen given mandatory life sentences |publisher=thejournal.ie |date=15 July 2014 }}{{cite web|url=http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/crime-desk/killen-charged-with-gun-murder |title=Limerick criminal Nathan Killeen charged with 2008 gun murder before special criminal court |publisher=SUNDAYWORLD.com |date=2 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112014401/http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/crime-desk/killen-charged-with-gun-murder |archivedate=12 November 2013 }}

The McCarthy-Dundons are currently led by a cousin of the Dundon brothers, who returned to Limerick from England in 2011, where he had served half an eleven-year sentence for a firearms offence.{{cite web |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/icrime/gang-boss-freed-from-english-jail-as-3-more-begin-sentences-144540.html |title=Gang boss freed from English jail as three more begin sentences |publisher=Irish Examiner |date=8 February 2011}}

Keiran and Eddie Ryan Jr. were both convicted of firearms offences.{{cite web |url=http://www.limerickleader.ie/news/local-news/limerick-brothers-keiran-and-eddie-ryan-jailed-for-firearms-offences-1-2192625 |title = Limerick brothers Keiran and Eddie Ryan jailed for firearms offences |publisher=Limerick Leader |date=30 July 2010}} Ryan Jr. was released in July 2014 after a High Court Judge ruled that he was entitled to one-third remission of his original six-year sentence.{{Cite web|url = http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/courts/son-of-slain-limerick-gangster-freed-as-judge-rules-hes-entitled-to-onethird-remission-30402621.html|title = Son of slain Limerick gangster freed as judge rules he's entitled to one-third remission|date = 2 July 2014|work = Irish Independent}} However, Ryan Jr's remission was revoked in August 2014 after a Dublin court ruled his release constitutionally invalid.{{Cite web|url=http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/setback-for-real-ira-leader-michael-mckevitt-in-bid-for-early-release-30529799.html |archive-url=https://archive.today/20140826005452/http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/setback-for-real-ira-leader-michael-mckevitt-in-bid-for-early-release-30529799.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 August 2014 |title=Setback for Real IRA leader Michael McKevitt in bid for early release |date=23 August 2014 |work=Belfast Telegraph}}

Many of the feud instigators in the Keane-Collopy gang are also serving long prison sentences.{{cite web |url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2012/0915/world/garda-successes-lead-to-fall-in-organised-crime-207635.html |title = Garda successes lead to fall in organised crime |publisher=Irish Examiner |date=15 September 2012}} Christy Keane, due to being suspected by Gardaí of being still involved in the drug trade, suffered an assassination attempt against him on 29 June 2015. He was shot multiple times by two gunmen on the University of Limerick campus as he made his way to use the university gym, but survived the attack. Young criminals aligned to the McCarthy-Dundon and Ryan gangs are the main suspects.{{cite web |url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/convicted-drug-dealer-christy-keane-critically-ill-after-limerick-shooting |publisher=Breaking News |date=29 June 2015 |title= Convicted drug dealer Christy Keane critically ill after Limerick shooting}}{{cite web|url=http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/crime-desk/investigations/gang-boss-barred-from-niece-s-communion |publisher=Sundayworld.com |date=14 June 2010 |title=Gang boss barred from niece's communion |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160504083118/http://www.sundayworld.com/top-stories/crime-desk/investigations/gang-boss-barred-from-niece-s-communion |archivedate= 4 May 2016 }}

Limerick feud

Background

Double Cross

Post Double-Cross Killings

2011 onwards

References

Further reading