THE PARENTS of 20-year-old gangland murder victim Tommy Joyce spoke only of forgiveness in the wake of his murder last week, the priest concelebrating his funeral Mass has said.
Fr Michael McCullagh told up to 300 mourners at St Francis of Assisi Church in Priorswood, Clonshaugh, north Dublin, that when he visited the dead man’s parents Sonny and Lilly in the days after the killing he found an atmosphere of forgiveness and the spirit of Jesus in their home.
“Last Sunday night at the home of Son and Lilly I was so aware of the presence of Jesus. As they mourned the death of their dear young son Tommy, Jesus was definitely in that room. And he was speaking into the quiet resigned hearts of these sorrowing parents.
“Our prayer today is that Tommy not only has the maternal hands of his grandparents on his shoulder but that he also has the maternal and paternal hands of God coming gently around him. May he rest in God’s love.”
Lilly Joyce is a minister of the Eucharist at the church where her son’s funeral Mass took place. She served at yesterday’s ceremony.
The dead man was buried at Balgriffin Cemetery near Darndale, north Dublin after the 10am Mass. His remains were taken from the church to Balgriffin in a horse-drawn carriage.
Joyce, a known drug dealer, was shot dead on June 17th in the Grove Lane halting site on Malahide Road, Coolock. A gunman got out of a car and shot at Joyce outside his home as he was speaking to a friend.
The 20-year-old tried to run from his killer but was shot twice in the buttocks, twice in the upper body and once in the head.
Joyce had been targeted by the Criminal Assets Bureau (Cab)when aged just 19 years.
Garda witnesses in the Cab court case said Joyce was a leading member of a major Coolock drugs gang.
Last October, a planned Garda search targeting the gang yielded a spent hand grenade, cocaine valued at €75,000, ammunition, an imitation sawn-off shotgun and a samurai sword. In two searches in January 2008 gardaí seized cocaine from the gang valued at just over €2 million.
Gardaí are investigating if Joyce’s killing was linked to the shooting dead of Darndale criminal BJ Clarke (21) in Artane last month.
Joyce was a former associate of Clarke’s but they had fallen out in recent months.
Factions formed around both men and these have now become involved in a drugs feud. Garda sources said they fear more violence following the Clarke and Joyce murders.
Clarke’s associates believe Joyce supplied the Skorpion machine pistol used for Clarke’s murder. Gardaí are now working on the theory that Joyce was shot dead in revenge for the Clarke killing.
The man suspected of carrying out the Joyce killing was a very close associate of Clarke’s. The same man is suspected of carrying out an armed robbery in Coolock in recent weeks.
Since the Joyce murder he is said to be in fear of his life and has been wearing a bulletproof vest. Gardaí have also received intelligence identifying a second suspect for the Joyce murder.
They believe the man, who is also from Darndale and was very close to Clarke, drove the killer to and from the scene. Another very close associate of Clarke left the country immediately after the Joyce murder.
