The first 10 months of 2023 were marked by a complete absence of gangland shootings, continuing a trend that began with the end of the bloody Hutch and Kinahan feud five years ago.
However, since the end of November, there have been three gun attacks relating to organised crime which resulted in fatalities, culminating in a brazen assassination attempt in a busy Dublin restaurant on Christmas Eve. This has prompted fears among gardaí that the pause in gangland shootings was an aberration rather than a permanent state of affairs.
The first attack of this year occurred on November 18th when 23-year-old Brandon Ledwidge was shot dead outside his home in Finglas, Dublin. Gardaí believe the murder was linked to the local drugs trade.
A month later, Clinton McCormack (44) was shot several times in the legs at a building site in Delgany, Co Wicklow, following a run-in with organised criminals in Bray. He died in hospital, although doctors believe the main cause of death was an undiagnosed brain tumour.
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And, last Saturday, Tristan Sherry (26) entered Browne’s Steakhouse in Blanchardstown and opened fire with a submachine gun as families enjoyed a Christmas Eve meal together.
His suspected targets were a father and son from the Corduff area. The older man was shot in the neck before other diners tackled Sherry and stabbed him to death. The father (47) remains in a serious condition while his son (26) escaped unharmed.
It was the most audacious gun attack in Ireland since the 2016 Regency Hotel shooting, when gunmen dressed as gardaí opened fire at a boxing weigh-in, and, along with the other recent shootings, displays a newfound willingness among younger criminals to use extreme violence to settle disputes.
It is all the more concerning given that none of the men involved are high-ranking members of the criminal underworld, though they are all known offenders.
The two intended targets have previously been charged with money laundering and related offences. The younger man has a long history of offending, including assaulting gardaí and violent disorder.
Sherry was a low-level criminal who was charged in 2017 with repeatedly kicking a teenager in the head outside a Dublin nightclub. The charge was later dropped.
Initial indications are the attack is linked to a long-simmering feud involving criminals from the Corduff and Finglas areas. Although there have been dozens of violent incidents relating to the feud, including a shooting outside a school, Saturday’s attack was the first to result in a fatality.
Both sides in the feud have easy access to powerful firearms and gardaí believe reprisals are all but inevitable.
The situation is not helped by social media, where associates of the criminals have been making threats and counter-threats since Saturday. One person, who has a history of witness intimidation, linked to the injured man has offered a cash reward for information on a suspected gangland rival.
Criminals are also out for revenge on another man they believe was with Sherry but who fled the scene in a car. Gardaí in Blanchardstown are now in a race to find him first.
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