Funeral of triple murderer John Cullen takes place in Dublin 

The funeral of triple murderer John Cullen took place on March 14, 2026. Picture: Alison O'Reilly

A notorious pimp and triple murderer was described as the “best role model” anyone could ever ask for at his funeral mass on Saturday.

John Cullen, aged 75, from Drimnagh in south Dublin, died on Monday at St James Hospital, where he was treated for cancer for the past year.

He was one of the country’s longest serving prisoners and spent 37 years in jail before he fell ill and was hospitalised for the remainder of his life.

Cullen controlled prostitution in Dublin for a decade between the 1970s and 1980s and was feared by sex workers all over the city because of the violence and intimidation he used against them.

He also raped dozens of sex workers and never showed remorse for any of his crimes.

On January 16, 1983, Cullen set fire to the house of sex worker Dolores Lynch in Blackpitts in Dublin city centre, after she gave evidence in court against him which led to him being jailed for three years for assaulting her.

After he was released, he set her house on fire. Ms Lynch, her mother Kathleen, and aunt Hannah were in the house at the time. All three perished in the fire.

Cullen’s funeral mass took place on Saturday at St Brendan’s Church in Coolock in north Dublin.

The only reference to his 37 years in prison was an extract from the Bible referencing St Peter when he was locked up in a prison cell.

His granddaughter delivered the eulogy, describing Cullen as someone who "adored his family and his grandchildren" as well as his in-laws and extended family.

She described her grandparents as “the best role models” and said she never met a stronger and braver man who put up the best fight.

Speaking to the Irish Examiner, one sex worker who worked in the city at the time remembered him as “a man of violence”. 

The woman, who did not wish to be named, said: “Every woman was afraid of her life of him. The things he did, he was a horrible man, he threatened me with a knife, I remember it well, he told me if I ever spoke to the guards about him, he would kill me and all my family."

She said Dolores Lynch "stood up to him" and "was like a hero". 

Cullen was buried in Dardistown following his funeral mass.