In praise of . . . the Collins family

There were emotional scenes outside the Courts of Criminal Justice this week as the Collins family stood united following the conviction of Wayne Dundon for the shooting dead of Roy Collins.

The jailing for life of Dundon (36) means arguably the most violent criminal in the history of Irish gangland crime has been taken out of circulation.

While the Garda is to be commended for persevering against him and the gang he led for a decade and a half, the people who stood head and shoulders above everyone this week were the Collins family.

Their ordeal began in December 2004 when Steve Collins's adopted son Ryan Lee refused Dundon entry to the family's pub, Brannigan's, because he was with his 14-year-old sister, Annabel, at the time.

Dundon made a shape of a gun with his hand and pushed it against Lee’s face, saying “f*** you, you’re dead”.

Less than 30 minutes later, a man wearing a helmet entered Brannigan’s pub armed with a sawn-off shotgun. He singled out Lee and shot him twice, in the knee and hip.

Dundon was later sentenced to 10 years for threatening Lee, although the sentence was later reduced to seven on appeal.

He was convicted on the evidence of Lee; his decision to testify and the decision of the family to speak out and stand against Dundon was undoubtedly the bravest civic action during a long-running Limerick feud, given the number of people the gang had killed.

The pub where Lee was shot was burned down by the McCarthy-Dundons as Wayne Dundon awaited trial.

The day his trial was due to start, the family received a threatening letter addressed to Steve Collins and warning that his staff and family would be attacked if the family gave evidence.

Chillingly, it urged the family to “look at all the other people that’s dead”.

They shot dead Roy Collins, Steve’s son, at the family’s Coin Castle Amusements, Roxboro Road Shopping Centre on April 9th, 2009

It was for that killing that Dundon and Limerick man Nathan Killeen (23) were jailed for life this week, Dundon having organised the murder from his prison cell.

The Collins family has lost a great deal.

Just over two years ago the stress of the constant threats and need for armed Garda protection became too much and the family left the State under a witness protection scheme.

Steve, his wife Carmel, two of their children Leanne and Stephen jnr and their partners all left.

The State bought the amusement arcade and the adjacent Spinning Wheel Pub to help the family get started again abroad. It also acquired the closed Brannigan’s Pub.

This week the family came back to Ireland for the sentencing hearing.

Collins spoke in his victim impact statement about the evil of his son’s killers coming into his family and wrecking their lives.

However, he said they hoped to be able to return to Ireland and said he was glad they stuck it out to the end to see Dundon go down.