Gardaí fear someone will be killed as inter-family feud spirals out of control
An inter-family feud is spreading in the west of the country, leading to fears someone will be killed.
Shots were fired at a house in Co Sligo over the weekend in the latest incident linked to the dispute, in which a home occupied by an individual nicknamed 'The Farmer' was targeted.
Sources say 'The Farmer' is not involved in the agricultural industry.
No one was injured in the shotgun attack in Tubbercurry, but damage was caused to the property. The incident has led to fears that a feud that has been raging in Co Mayo, as well as in Co Galway, has led to the factions now going to war in Co Sligo.
The shooting at the weekend is the fourth serious incident linked to the feud to be investigated by Sligo gardaí in recent weeks after a number of its participants moved to that county.
The incidents included a criminal damage incident, threats to kill and an attempted arson attack.
According to information obtained by the Sunday World, these crimes are part of 60 separate incidents being investigated by officers from the North Western Region in the last six years related to the feud.
Stock image. Photo: Getty
News in 90 seconds - 21st May
'Like many of these feuds, there is up to four individuals at the core – at the centre of this, but underneath them there are dozens of willing participants,' a source said.
'As this violence continues to spread now to a different county, there are genuine fears that someone could get killed – this is what happens when shots are let off and houses are set on fire.
'A lot of this agitation is spread on social media where so-called call-out videos are posted, which are simply just encouraging violence.'
Sources have said there is a view among some gardaí that more needs to be done to deal with the feuding gangsters terrorising some parts of the west of the country.
This is despite an operation last July in which officers targeted one of the gangs at the centre of the feud. Gardaí seized €75,000 in cash, three vehicles, a Tiguan SUV, an Audi A5 car and a Ford Transit van, as well as a 'large amount' of designer watches and multiple electronic devices in Galway.
Two bank accounts, both within and outside the jurisdiction, with cash and cryptocurrency valued in excess of €990,000 were frozen under money-laundering legislation.
The gang targeted in last summer's operation is considered to be the biggest drug-dealing mob in Co Mayo and also has 'significant influence on organised crime in Co Galway', a source said.
Investigations have established that the Mayo-based gang have been sourcing their drugs from two bigger crime networks – one based in Sligo and the other in Limerick.
Two families based in Mayo originally formed an alliance against two families from Galway city, but now more families have been dragged into the dispute – the origin of which is unclear.
As part of the feud, there have been several shooting incidents, petrol and pipe-bomb attacks, ramming of cars and other violent incidents as well as multiple death threats, often issued on social media.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
‘Frightening' amount of fish found dead in Cork river
The cause of the fish kill is not yet known, but the extent of it has been described as 'frightening' by a member of the Mallow Trout Anglers. Safety officer and former chairperson of the Mallow Trout Anglers, John O'Connell, said evidence of the kill can be seen from Lombardstown Bridge to Lover's Leap. 'When you consider the catchment area would be up to Lombardstown Bridge, there are dead fish up as far as that, right the way down as far as Lover's Leap, which is about five or six miles. 'It is a huge catchment area and is significant and detrimental as there is thousands upon thousands of fish destroyed. 'I am receiving messages from club members who are walking about, and it is frightening,' Mr O'Connell said. The catchment area of the fish kill attracted a lot of visitors in June as it hosted the Four Nations International angling competition. 'When you consider in June, the Mallow Trout Anglers hosted the Four Nations International, and where the fish have been killed is where the competition was held. 'It is absolutely frightening,' Mr O'Connell stressed. The Mallow Trout Anglers were notified of the kill yesterday when a passer-by informed club president Kevin Healy. 'We were first notified of it yesterday, and our president Kevin Healy was notified by a man who was walking his dogs down the paddock, and he noticed the fish and called Kevin. 'Unfortunately, we had a funeral yesterday for one of our long serving members and there was a guard of honour, and it became apparent that it was getting more serious and bigger,' Mr O'Connell added. Labour TD for Cork North-Central, Eoghan Kenny, told The Corkman that he has been in contact with the Mallow-based club and the next port of call is contact the state bodies. 'I have been in contact with the [Mallow] Trout Anglers, and the job today is to contact the state bodies – Irish Water, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI), just to get them to investigate. 'There is concern from the Trout Anglers that there has been dead fish there previously, perhaps not to this extent, but that is the real issue here. 'That is where the state bodies must come in and investigate as they are the experts in this, and they are the ones who need to be examining and take water samples, and I will be led by them,' Deputy Kenny said. It is understood that two teams from the EPA will begin their investigation today. A spokesperson for the IFI told The Corkman that they are 'currently assessing the extent of the affected area.' 'Inland Fisheries Ireland(IFI) is investigating the possible infection of salmonid fish in the River Blackwater between Mallow and Roskeen Bridge (Lombardstown), Co Cork. 'IFI is currently assessing the extent of affected area. 'The Marine Institute is supporting IFI and will undertake sampling to identify the possible infection. 'IFI urges anglers to wash, clean and dry all equipment - and avoid crossing catchments with tackle to minimise the risk of spreading any possible infection,' IFI said. The EPA has been contacted for comment.
Sunday World
7 hours ago
- Sunday World
Twisted thug who left tot blind and brain-damaged battered by inmate behind bars
Christopher Fulton was set upon by life-sentence prisoner Sean Hegarty last week. We can reveal Christopher Fulton, who in April was ordered to serve an extended 22-year prison sentence for the shocking and brutal attack on a young baby boy, was set upon by life-sentence prisoner Sean Hegarty last week. Fulton (35) and his wife Amanda Fulton (36), from Mosside near Ballymoney, were convicted last year and jailed over a distressing series of assaults which left a tiny tot blind, brain-damaged and fighting for his life. Hegarty is serving a life sentence with a minimum term of 18 years after the bodies of Caron Smyth (40) and Finbar McGrillen (42) were found on December 13, 2013, in a house off the Ravenhill Road, Belfast. Sources in Maghaberry Prison say Hegarty accused Fulton of spiking a rolled-up fag which left him with nasty hallucinations. Amanda and Chris Fulton News in 90 Seconds - August 12th When he recovered, 45-year-old Hegarty went berserk and plotted a bloody revenge. 'Fulton gave Sean a roll-up he had smuggled out of the kitchen,' said a jail source. 'There was no funny smell or taste to it, so Sean thought it must be OK — but it must have had mind-altering drugs inside it which wrecked Sean's head. 'After Sean smoked it he thought he could see ghosts and that people were watching him all the time. He was really distressed and it took ages for him to come down from it. 'Sean waited for the right moment and he put a bottle of frozen water into a pillowcase and beat the sh*t out of Fulton and his cellmate. He left them both bloodied and in a bad way. 'Nobody can understand why Fulton would do something so stupid. Sean Hegarty is one man in the jail you don't want to mess about. He also suffers mental health issues, so why they decided to trick him and get him tripping out is amazing. 'Sean has been in the CSU [Care and Supervision Unit] ever since as punishment for attacking them.' The Sunday World has also been told that Sean Hegarty was already in a heightened state because he was moved into a part of the prison which housed abusers. As reported here before, Hegarty was the victim of serious abuse at St Patrick's Training School on Belfast's Glen Road during the '90s, where he met his murdering accomplice Ciaran Nugent. Amanda and Chris Fulton A former inmate who was at the boys' home at the same time told the Sunday World in 2017 that being brutalised in the state institution turned Hegarty from an easygoing person into a violent ticking time bomb. 'Sean is a victim of historical abuse and Maghaberry put him into Shimna House in November 2023, where he was surrounded by prisoners who have been convicted of historical institutional abuse — the same kind of abuse that happened to Sean when he was growing up. 'Is it any wonder he did what he did last weekend?' We know the identity of Fulton's cellmate who was also attacked by Hegarty but we aren't naming him for legal reasons as he awaits trial for serious offences. But according to sources in the jail, nobody is losing any sleep over Christopher Fulton getting a hiding. 'Fulton is despised for what he did to that poor baby so there's absolutely no sympathy for him in the jail,' said a source. 'After the way he left that child he's lucky he's still alive — there's no shortage of dangerous people in here who'd like to get a shot at him.' Amanda Fulton was found guilty of cruelty and causing or allowing the four-week-old child — known only as 'P' during the trial — to suffer physical harm in an assault which left him blind and brain-damaged. Despite just being sentenced to just four years in jail, she has now lodged an appeal against conviction based on a complaint about how the jury was directed on issues of demeanour during the trial. Her evil husband is mounting a separate challenge to the 22-year prison sentence imposed on him for causing grievous bodily harm with intent and cruelty to a child. Both appeals are due to be heard after the summer recess but, after five years of denying all knowledge of how the baby received the shocking injuries, the pair quickly turned on each other at the trial in Newry Crown Court — blaming each other for the severe damage the child suffered. Giving evidence on his own behalf, Christopher Fulton told the jury that 'it wasn't me and there was only one other person in that house — and that was Amanda'. Charges were brought against the couple after doctors discovered the baby's injuries in November 2019. The baby boy was initially brought to a GP in an unresponsive state before an urgent transfer to hospital. By that stage in a coma, he spent 10 days in intensive care. Christopher Fulton accompanied the child to hospital and was described as appearing unconcerned throughout. He was found guilty of carrying out an assault on P. The child sustained a traumatic brain injury, lacerations to his liver, a total of 27 rib fractures and further fractures to his legs. Read more P now suffers from severe dystonic cerebral palsy, is blind, has an intellectual disability and epilepsy, and can only communicate by crying. He is fed by a tube and has a life-limiting condition. In sentencing Fulton, Mr Judge Irvine KC said: 'On two separate occasions, you failed to get medical treatment and inflicted life-threatening injuries on (the baby) and as a result a devastating impact on his life. 'You demonstrated aggressive behaviour to him before these dreadful events occurred and even after these assaults took place, you displayed a total disregard for his wellbeing.' Sean Hegarty had 72 previous convictions and was released to a property that did not have electricity, despite power being required for his electronic tag, just before the two murders he committed. Caron Smyth and Finbar McGrillen had sustained multiple injuries including fractured ribs and damaged organs, as well as head, neck and chest wounds consistent with being punched, kicked and stamped on. Hegarty's accomplice Ciaran Nugent was sentenced to 14 years in prison for the two murders. The pair snorted cocaine as they went about the horrendous murders before attempting to clean up the scene, dumping their cigarette butts and other items in bins near the property. But a coroner at their inquest said the PSNI's lack of action contributed to their deaths as Hegarty should not have been released into the public. A Police Ombudsman's report concerning the handling of the case in 2017 found that the police decision-making which led to Hegarty's release from custody was flawed.
Irish Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Israel's military target Al Jazeera correspondent - killing him and others
Israel's military has targeted a prominent Al Jazeera correspondent with an air strike, killing him, another journalist and at least six other people. Anas al-Sharif and his Al Jazeera colleague Mohamed Qureiqa were among those killed while sheltering outside the Gaza City Hospital complex late on Sunday. Officials at Shifa Hospital confirmed the deaths and said the strike also killed four other journalists and two other people. It also damaged the entrance to the hospital complex's emergency building. Israel's military described Mr al-Sharif as the leader of a Hamas cell – an allegation that Al Jazeera and Mr al-Sharif had previously dismissed as baseless. The incident marked the first time during the war that Israel's military has swiftly claimed responsibility after a journalist was killed in a strike. It came less than a year after Israeli army officials first accused Mr al-Sharif and other Al Jazeera journalists of being members of the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. In a July 24 video, Israel's army spokesman Avichay Adraee attacked Al Jazeera and accused Mr al-Sharif of being part of Hamas's military wing. Al Jazeera called the strike a 'targeted assassination' and accused Israeli officials of incitement, connecting Mr al-Sharif's death to the allegations that both the broadcaster and correspondent had denied. 'Anas and his colleagues were among the last remaining voices from within Gaza, providing the world with unfiltered, on-the-ground coverage of the devastating realities endured by its people,' Al Jazeera said in a statement. Mr al-Sharif reported a nearby bombardment minutes before his death. In a social media post that Al Jazeera said was written to be posted in case of his death, he bemoaned the devastation and destruction that war had wrought and bid farewell to his wife, son and daughter. 'I never hesitated for a single day to convey the truth as it is, without distortion or falsification,' the 28-year-old wrote. The journalists are the latest to be killed in what observers have called the deadliest conflict for journalists in modern times. The Committee to Protect Journalists said on Sunday that at least 186 have been killed in Gaza. Mr al-Sharif began reporting for Al Jazeera a few days after war broke out. He was known for reporting on Israel's bombardment in northern Gaza, and later for the starvation gripping much of the territory's population. In a July broadcast he cried on air as a woman behind him collapsed from hunger. 'I am talking about slow death of those people,' he said at the time. Al Jazeera is blocked in Israel and soldiers raided its offices in the occupied West Bank last year, ordering them to close. Mr al-Sharif's death comes weeks after the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Israel had targeted him with a smear campaign. 'Israel's pattern of labelling journalists as militants without providing credible evidence raises serious questions about its intent and respect for press freedom,' Sara Qudah, the group's regional director, said. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here.
