Irish Daily Mail, Saturday, May 5, 2012 Page 49 AFTER THE DUNDONS

Dispersal: Some families have moved out to rural villages like Murroe

Legacy of brutality: Boarded-up houses at Hyde Road in Limerick has decamped to England and put The community is responding, their children into schools in London slowly, but as surely as McCarthy amid threats from rival gangs owed did in the face of intimidation a dec- money by the Dundons. ade ago. Resource worker, Eimear The Dundons’ sister, Annabelle, has Purcell, said: ‘It’s not as turbulent as moved to London too. All four Dun- people lead you to believe. don brothers and their key hench- ‘I have only been here since Octo- men are behind bars at present. Their ber but I haven’t seen the chaos that 13-year reign as criminal kings of the was there before. There’s hockey, Hyde Road is suspended, possibly rugby, tennis, soccer, there’s talk of over. Cathal McCarthy isn’t so sure. relaunching scouts in the area. ‘Reported crime is down since the There’s plenty of services here.’ Dundons went to jail a year ago, but Other communities are not as John was jailed for 5½ years for making threats; Dessie is serving life for the murder of Kieran Keane you still have problems with anti- well resourced. social behaviour. In , Co. , some ‘It’s mostly young kids, but there’s locals attending a meeting with local still some gangland stuff. There was gardaí complaining about anti-social They may be in prison but the legacy of these four brothers is etched on one house recently in Crecora Avenue behavior. Martin Butler, who works where the person was offered as a volunteer at the local resource cash and refused it. A gang petrol centre, commented about anti-social bombed it. The council bought it elements moving in from Limerick. Hyde Road. In a chilling dispatch, our writer explains how an ordinary back for €3,000. If it hadn’t been Several hours later he was attacked burned down, it would have cost the with a sword and suffered such severe head injuries that he is currently unable to walk or talk, and is being street became the epicentre of their depravity, meets the residents who tube-fed in hospital. The violence associated with the ‘Regeneration Hyde Road hasn’t ended, it has merely been dispersed. should be about We return to the higher land of stood their ground and discovers what became of those who fled in fear... Mr McCarthy’s house at 5 Weston Gardens. The burned out houses people not houses’ at Numbers 1-3 remain just as they have been since 2002. The In 2009, in the Glen Court estate in surrounding Slieve Felim mountains. John and Wayne Dundon were demolitions and rebuilding promised Emly, Co. Tipperary, a resident was Developers saw it as classic arrested for threatening to kill or council €30,000.’ We walk up a street back in 2007 never happened. stabbed in the leg. The lead suspect commuter belt territory, however, intimidate April Collins later that off the Hyde Road. Grass grows ‘Regeneration should be about the is a member of the Keane-Collopy and it went from having 40 houses month. April Collins is the supergrass through the wasteland. Not far away, people not houses,’ Mr McCarthy gang, who had been relocated to before the Celtic Tiger to having whose evidence helped to send the we pass a green area with freshly says. ‘We still have all these the rural village. almost 500 houses now. Murroe’s Dundons down this week. She has planted flowers, seating, trees and a disaffected youths and lonely old In 2010, Richard Higgins, 42, a population is now 800 and many of since been moved from Murroe to an religious mural. people living here. The Dundons Dundon associate originally from the houses built since 2004 are empty apartment in Limerick city. It’s called the Garden of Hope and being gone won’t change that. Ballincurra Weston but relocated and available for purchase by the We pass April Collins’ old house it’s part of a project McCarthy hopes Another gang will come along, to Lattin, Co. Tipperary, stabbed county council, or for rent by the at 84 Hyde Road, now boarded to extend. He and a group of other but maybe they won’t be as violent his next door neighbour, Seán HSE. A three-bedroom house rents up. There’s graffiti about ‘Collins residents reclaimed one piece of as they were.’ Murphy, 29, to death. He was jailed in Murroe for €600 a month. Rats’ on walls along the Hyde waste, where houses had been demol- The 42-year-old goes inside to for life in July 2011. In April 2011, April Collins, daugh- Road, near the home of April’s ished, and in four hours, planted a complete a paper for the MA in A detective described one 15-year- ter of gangster Jimmy Collins, and mother on Hyde Avenue, which runs fully designed garden. Other ‘mem- sociology he’s studying at the Univer- old transferred to Shannon in 2010 as estranged partner of Ger Dundon, on to Hyde Road. ory gardens’ are planned. sity of Limerick, courtesy of a back a ‘complete tearaway, a one-man fled the Hyde Road to set up home in On Wednesday night, after the Dun- We have coffee at a new resource to education allowance. It doesn’t crime wave’. Murroe with convicted rapist Tho- dons were sentenced, a relative of centre that opened on Thursday, co- affect his social welfare allowance so Relatives of leading Moyross con- mas O’Neill. April’s was assaulted by Dundons ordinating services for everything he can keep up the payments on victed criminals were moved to Mur- One neighbour, who asked not to be out celebrating the ‘light’ sentences from drug-addiction to housing. On the mortgage he took out to buy roe, a village 15km from Limerick. named, describes the mayhem that given to John and Wayne. Monday, John Giles will officially 5 Weston Gardens in 2001 for The village was your classic rural ensued: ‘The Dundons were feuding John Dundon’s wife, Ciara Killeen, launch a new all-weather pitch for IR£37,000 (€47,000). outpost, with a , with her. The house was attacked lives with their two children in the youth of the area. Children have His special area of interest is Garda station, post office, and a few with people shouting outside. There Number 80 Hyde Road. Across the painted murals. The employment ‘Youth, Community and Social pubs and shops servicing a popula- was a high speed car chase, one guy road on the corner of Lenihan Ave- centre is getting a fresh lick of yellow Regeneration.’ He could write the tion of less than 200, who largely waving a gun threatening to shoot nue, Wayne Dundon’s home is empty paint, and a new public space is being book. He might as well have gradu- worked farms in the shadow of the the others.’ at Number 92. His wife, Ann Casey, built in front of the local church. ated already.