Gangland violence: Nothing left to chance during a testing week for gardaí

The sight of heavily armed men in balaclavas packed inside black Landcruisers gave many a passing pedestrian a startle.

Mums out pushing their strollers looked in at the men of the Emergency Response Unit clasping their MP7 machine guns, their eyes glancing in the direction of the gates of St Nicholas of Myra Church in the heart of Dublin’s historic Liberties.

Inside the church was the first of this week’s two gangland funerals — that of David Byrne, a father of two from Crumlin, south Dublin, gunned down at the Regency Hotel last Friday week in a military-style assault.

* Warning: Some viewers may find this video extremely distressing.

Later this week, most likely on Friday, Eddie Hutch Snr, shot dead in suspected retaliation last Monday week, will be laid to rest, across the River Liffey, in the north inner city.

The week is a massive test for gardaí.

And yesterday, in what was a two-hander by two separate Garda districts, nothing was left to chance.

As was reported last week in the Irish Examiner the church was subjected to a bomb search on Sunday, as was the limited grounds and Francis Street.

Public bins were sealed and covered over, while the street was lined with jeeps and BMWs carrying the ERU and members of the Special Detectve Unit.

Uniformed police were positioned along Francis Street and a perimeter of neighbouring junctions.

Gardaí from both the “A” district (Kevin Street) and “G” district (Crumlin) conducted a joint operation, with senior officers from the G leading the cortege to and from the church and officers from the A taking charge at the church.

Upwards of 100 gardaí, in all, were involved, aided by the ever present Garda helicopter above.

Francis Street was not closed to traffic, however, apart from when the funeral party arrived and departed.

Inside the church were the sons of drug boss Christopher Kinahan, Daniel and Chris Jnr, as well as Freddie Thompson and other senior members of the Kinahan gang.

It was appropriate that the cortege, on its way to the church, cut right through Kinahan heartland.

From the family home at Raleigh Square, down through Crumlin and over the Grand Canal and into the south inner city, it passed St Teresa’s Gardens flats, a stomping ground of Christopher Kinahan in his youth.

The impressive cortege was led by a gleaming new unmarked 161 Hyundai, carrying senior officers, followed by four outriders from The Chosen Few bikers group, followed by two hearses, no less than 10 stretch limos, three horse-drawn carts carrying floral tributes, with two ERU jeeps and a marked Garda van bringing up the rear.

Locals, foreigners, and tourists alike looked on in amazement as the cortege careered onto Cork Street and then into the narrow roads of the Liberties.

Gardaí at the funeral of David Byrne at St Nicolas of Myra Church, on Francis Street, Dublin 8. Mr Byrne was shot dead in the Regency Hotel on Friday, February 5.

As it left, the cortege met an even bigger crowd at the busy junction of The Coombe and New Street, where it swooped up towards Clanbrassil Street, and onto Mount Jerome Cemetery in Harold’s Cross.

After the burial, a social function was held at the Belgard Inn in Tallaght, south west Dublin.

People later split up into separate groups, including a family function back at Raleigh Square.

A round-the-clock garda operation around the family home, in place for over a week, continued last night.

The body of Mr Hutch is expected to be released to the family by the coroner some time today. It is thought that his funeral will take place on Friday.

It will now be the turn of gardaí in the north inner city to draw up their policing plan.