ANALYSIS:Limerick's widening gang feud is driven by deep personal hatred just as much as a drugs turf war, writes Conor Lally, Crime Correspondent
AS THE State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy was yesterday carrying out a postmortem on the body found in a shallow grave in Limerick, the city's most senior garda was explaining to the media the deep-rooted nature of the local feud.
Chief Supt Willie Keane said very young children who came from poor family situations were dropping out of school early and were being sucked into crime by gangs who preyed on them.
"The gang is the family for want of a better word and I suppose it gives these young people a certain amount of status within their own community."
He said the age profile of those involved in serious crime was getting younger and that the challenge for the authorities was to break that cycle.
His comments are borne out by recent events.
Last month a 14-year-old boy was found wearing a bullet-proof vest in the city and was implicated in a shooting. Gardaí have said children as young as 10 were being used by the gangs.
"Some commentators have put it [the feud] down to a drugs turf war," Chief Supt Keane said, "but it is deeper than that in Limerick, unfortunately. It is to do with family hatred. There is an overwhelming desire to seek vengeance."
He said 55 people were currently in prison that could be linked directly to the feud, but increasing numbers of criminals were stepping into the vacuum.
This year so far, 15 firearms had been seized in Limerick, with 70 seized last year and 80 the year before. Included in the arsenal were semi-automatic pistols, machine pistols, revolvers, shotguns, Kalashnikov rifles and assault rifles.
"You name it," Chief Supt Keane said of the gun types.
In the last three weeks alone, drugs valued at more than €1 million had been found in the Limerick.
Some 600 firearms searches were carried out last year in the city, 70 additional gardaí had been drafted in in recent months, bringing total Garda personnel to 600.
The Criminal Assets Bureau has profilers in the city looking for assets and recently bullet-proof vehicles have been seized.
Despite the high level of criminal activity taking place in an atmosphere of deep family hatred, Chief Supt Keane insisted there was hope.
Just last year as a feud was developing on the south side of the city, "feelers" were sent out to the rival factions. "They were receptive to it, peace was achieved," he said.
He then appealed directly to those involved in the increasingly fragmenting feud between the Keane-Collopy gang and the McCarthy-Dundon gang.
"Step back from the brink and maybe in the cold light of day and with a calm mind, look at where this is getting those involved. Where is it getting them? It is resulting in death, serious injury and disability and long terms of imprisonment."
The feud began when the Ryan and Keane families fell out and some of their children became involved in a school yard fight. Eddie Ryan snr was shot dead in 2000 and Kieran Keane was murdered in 2003.
The original motivations have been lost sight of now. A much larger group of families who were not involved at the beginning have been sucked in as the circle of violence has widened.
Some of those now carrying out the shootings were only nine or 10 when the Keanes and Ryans first fell out eight years ago. Ten men are dead as a direct result of the feud and at least three others who crossed gang members have also been shot dead. With some leading gang members either just recently released from prison or due out in the next 12 months, an end to the violence does not appear close.