Locals living in and around the busy junction at Hanlon’s Corner in north Dublin were shocked yesterday at the news of a multiple shooting outside well-known public house Hanlon’s.
The pub, at the junction of the Old Cabra Road, Prussia Street, North Circular Road and Annamoe Road, was sealed off with Garda tape yesterday and part of the Old Cabra Road was also closed.
Forensics team members, at times on hands and knees in their white overalls, examined the scene of the shooting. A blue tent covered the spot where convicted drug dealer Greg Lynch was shot and seriously injured, along with three women who were shot as they smoked outside the pub.
One local resident who heard the shots said the incident did not sound like a short, indiscriminate burst of gun fire. “You could hear a shot and then a few seconds and then another one,” said the witness. “It sounded odd at the time; the shots were definitely spaced out rather than ‘bang, bang, bang’ one after the other like you’d expect. It seemed methodical.”
Neighbours on the North Circular Road said they heard nothing during the night. One neighbour said he was “a bit shocked”, but added “you get used to that stuff around here”.
Residents from the Drumalee housing development across the road from the pub were reluctant to talk. Some stood in knots watching gardaí as they worked. One onlooker spoke of the changes in Dublin over the years.
“If you do something on somebody these days, it’s a gun or a knife they use,” he said. “People are not safe.”
Local Dublin City Council member Mary Fitzpatrick of Fianna Fáil said the incident had left the local community in shock and highlighted the need to protect local Garda resources. “The shooting happened on one of the capital’s main streets outside a busy public house and close to many private homes.
“The area is heavily populated with young families and older people who are extremely upset by what has happened and now have serious concerns about community safety.”
She said there was no room for complacency when it comes to violent crime in the community. “Dublin Central is served by dedicated and hardworking gardaí. However, they are stretched to capacity.”
Minister of State and Labour TD Joe Costello, who lives in the neighbourhood, said “such acts of violence are totally uncharacteristic of the area”.
