Limerick gang culture explored

The spread of violence and bloodshed in South-East Clare perpetrated by criminal gangs based in Limerick City is chronicled in a new book. Mean Streets: Limerick’s Gangland by Irish Independent journalist Barry Duggan tells how Limerick City became home to a ruthless criminal underworld.

Of particular interest to Clare readers are the various incidents that took place over the years as Limerick’s gang violence spiralled out of control. These include a crude petrol bomb attack on a home in Clonlara; the horrific murder of a part-time car salesman at his home in Blackwater and the murder and dumping of a teenage boy’s body in an East Clare lake.
Working as Mid-West correspondent for Independent Newspapers, Duggan has covered the major news stories to have taken place in both Clare and Limerick in recent years.
Over the past 12 months, he provided detailed coverage of both the horrific murders of Shane Geoghegan and Roy Collins in Limerick and how the authorities are now attempting to tackle a problem that is regarded as a threat to the security of the State.
The book recalls how the estates of Moyross, St Mary’s Park, Ballinacurra-Weston and Southill were all founded with good intentions but were transformed throughout the decades into ghettos.
Interviews with the man trusted with bringing about the regeneration of Limerick, John Fitzgerald and the city’s State solicitor, Michael Murray, highlight problems the authorities face and the recommendations they hope will change the city’s social and physical landscape forever.
The book was officially launched by Steve Collins last Friday. Mr Collins received a People of the Year Award in September for refusing to give in to threats to his family after the murder of his son, Roy. He established a campaign to reclaim the streets of Limerick from criminality, which drew the support of thousands.