Louth killings reminder of darker times

In the bad old days of the troubles, the backroads of Omeath – just two miles from the Border – were a hive of gunrunning, smuggling and subversive activity.

“If you wanted to cross the Border, this was one of the three main routes to use,” says one former locally-based garda.

“The checkpoints at the Border could delay people for hours. It was dangerous for the guards, but it was also difficult for the 99 per cent of the population that were ordinary, decent people.”

In recent times, the village has been carving out a new image for itself.

On the shores of Carlingford Lough and overlooked by the Cooley mountains, a new greenway on the old disused train line has helped boost tourism. Celtic Tiger era properties have helped swell numbers.

But the shock of Sunday evening’s shootings, say many, make it feel like a return to those darker times.

The murder of Garda Tony Golden – the second such incident in Co Louth in three years – is a jolting reminder that the legacy of the Troubles still casts a shadow over this area.

He was shot dead by dissident republican Adrian Crevan Mackin, whose partner had made a domestic abuse complaint about him, according to gardaí. He is believed to have taken his own life after shooting the garda and critically injuring his partner.

Previous shooting

The shooting occurred in the same region of Co Louth where Det Garda Adrian Donohoe was fatally shot in January 2013.

Most locals yesterday declined to give their names, fearful of any potential consequences, but say dissident criminal activity has never gone away. Diesel laundering and car smuggling remain lucrative trades.

Yet locals are quick to point out that Garda numbers have fallen significantly from the 1980s and early 1990s when up to 20 gardaí staffed the small local station around the clock.

Tony Golden was one of three gardaí attached to Omeath Garda station and had been stationed there for the past six years or so.

Fr Christy McElwee, who performed last rites on the garda, said locals were still shell-shocked.

“People are wondering how this could happen in their own local village,” he said.

He described Tony Golden as an outgoing, charitable man who had served his community with pride.

“He was just the kind of community garda that you want in a place like this,” says one shopkeeper, who declined to be named.

“He didn’t sweat the small stuff … But he and they others would have been keeping an eye on characters moving into the village and knew what was going on.”

At the local school, just yards from where the shooting occurred, knots of parents tried to come to terms with violence on their doorstep.

“We don’t always appreciate the danger the guards face. They’re putting their lives on the line,” said one mother.

“With domestic violence, you don’t expect to face down someone with a gun. You hate to think people are going around with guns. The guards are powerless against it. And these guys are going Scot-free out of court. It has to be very disillusioning,” said a father.

Cllr Mark Dearey, who lives in the town, said the area felt as if it had been turned upside down.

“It was difficult up there in the school car park ... talking to our friends and neighbours about this most unbelievable invasion of violence…”

Amid the grief, there is also anger and lingering frustration.

Many feel the “downgrading” of local Garda resources are undermining the fight against crime, in particular dissident activity.

Dangerous area

Cllr Richie Culhane, himself a former Special Branch garda, said the area remains dangerous for members of the force.

He says the Louth division of the Garda needs to be policed much more extensively than other parts of the country, yet numbers have dwindled, to the frustration of the community and the force itself.

“Louth is a different from other areas. It needs to be policed differently. There is still a criminal element along the Border who pose a serious threat to the Garda, as proven by this latest atrocity,” he said.

The shooting of Garda Golden by a dissident republican has also raised questions over whether enough safeguards were in place to protect the unarmed garda’s safety.

Some locals said they were surprised, given Adrian Crevan Mackin’s history – he was on bail having been charged with IRA membership – that the garda attended the disturbance unarmed and without back-up.

“It’s kind of shocking. Everyone here knew about his past. He was never far from trouble. He was the kind of guy you’d be keen away from,” says one middle-aged man in Omeath.

Mr Culhane, however, said he wasn’t surprised at the manner in which the incident was handled.

“Every day, members of the Garda are putting themselves in potentially dangerous situations,” he said.

“They would have known a lot about the suspect. It was a domestic incident as far as Tony was concerned. He would have known the individual well. Had he know he was in possession of a firearm, though, there’s no way he’s have gone there on his own.”

Most politicians chose to focus on Tony Golden’s contribution to the community, rather than trying to score political points over Garda resources.

At Dundalk Garda station, meanwhile, the Tricolour flew at half mast and a steady stream of visitors signed a book of condolences in memory of the slain garda.

There was little talk of frustration over resources – instead, officers focusing on investigating the circumstance surrounding this latest death and remember their colleague.

Traumatic time

Garda Commissioner Nóirín O’Sullivan said that it has been a traumatic time for the force, in particular for those who had seen a second colleague killed in a short period of time.

“They have to park that emotion, the trauma. I’m very conscious of the members that visited the scene last night… and the assistance that they rendered to their colleague and indeed to Mr Mackin and the other injured party in that case.

A shaken Supt Gerry Curley, who was Garda Golden’s commanding officer, paid tribute to the 36-year-old.

“Garda Tony Golden was an excellent member of An Garda Síochána,” he said. “He was meticulous in the way he went about his work. He was a quiet, unassuming person who did his job in a diligent manner.”