Pair charged with involvement in attempted murder by McCarthy-Dundon gang

Two men appeared before the Special Criminal Court in June 2020 charged with involvement in an attempted murder linked to the McCarthy-Dundon organised crime gang. The charges related to a shooting incident at the University of Limerick car park in June 2015, in which Christy Keane was struck multiple times. John Costello, then aged 39 and resident in Kileely, County Limerick, faced two charges under Section 72 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006. He was accused of knowledge of the McCarthy-Dundon criminal organisation and of providing transport to facilitate the attempted murder. Larry McCarthy, aged 42 and from Limerick City, was separately charged with making a vehicle available to the same organised crime group in connection with the incident during the period 27 to 29 June 2015. Both men were remanded in custody pending court proceedings on 12 June. McCarthy's arrest had taken place in Buncrana, County Donegal. The court was informed of a medical matter requiring attention following an injury sustained by McCarthy whilst in custody. Subsequent court records indicate that McCarthy later pleaded guilty to the charge against him in October 2023. The Special Criminal Court heard evidence of the longstanding feud between the McCarthy-Dundon and Keane-Collopy criminal organisations. In sentencing in March 2024, Justice Caroline Biggs imposed a custodial term of six-and-a-half years, comprising an eight-year sentence reduced from a ten-year headline figure, with the final eighteen months suspended conditional on good behaviour. The court was told that McCarthy had remained crime-free during the intervening years whilst residing in County Donegal and had engaged in employment and community programmes.