Doyle gets life for shooting rugby player

“The real Limerick is represented by Shane Geoghegan, not by the people who killed him. The friendship, the welcome, the spirit and the passion that he embodied. That’s what Limerick is all about.”

Those were the words of Garryowen president Eoghan Prendergast as finally, more than three years after the 28-year-old rugby player was gunned down in a case of mistaken identity, the man who pulled the trigger was finally sentenced to life in prison.

For gardaí, the successful prosecution was the result of a determined investigation to track down the culprit. However, the investigation still continues into those who were behind it.

“There were a lot of very decent people traumatised by [the murder] and we are happy enough with the outcome as it is today,” said Chief Superintendent John Scanlon outside the courtroom where Barry Doyle, aged 26, was brought to justice.

“It means that where serious crimes are committed An Garda Síochána will respond and the courts will vindicate that response, and people should feel happy that there will be a response and the rule of law will win out in the end.”

He added that the conviction was “a good result for the decent people of Limerick”.

Mayor of Limerick Jim Long last night dismissed statements that “Shane was in the wrong place at the wrong time”, pointing out that “Shane was in the right place, going home to his beloved partner Jenna”.

As it emerged in court, unfortunately for the captain of Garryowen’s thirds team, the intended target, John McNamara, lived four doors away from his own home in the Kilteragh estate in Dooradoyle.

On Nov 9, 2008, Mr Geoghegan was on his way home from watching a rugby international between Ireland and Canada with his teammates.

Then the gunman struck. Doyle admitted to gardaí that he chased him round the back of a house and, despite pleas from Mr Geoghegan to stop, he shot him twice in the head as he lay on the ground.

The innocence of the victim, combined with the brutality of the killing, meant Shane Geoghegan’s murder attracted widespread revulsion across the country.

In Limerick, his killing galvanised the community against the gangs who for so long had put the city’s name in the headlines for the wrong reasons.

The Shane Geoghegan Trust was established to engage with children in every parish and neighbourhood in the city and county and try to keep them from becoming embroiled in gang culture.

Mr Prendergast revealed how the rugby community worldwide united.

“It was particularly poignant that [support came] from New Zealand, South Africa, America, England. Andy Leslie, who was then president of New Zealand Rugby Union, came down from Dublin for the funeral, as did the team manager,” he said.

“Expressions of support literally flowed in. There was a tsunami of empathy and sympathy with us and shared grief at what had happened to Shane. It was remarkable.”