Gardaí must get every aid to beat thugs

WITH no end in sight to Limerick’s murderous gang warfare, the grim warnings of a bloodbath there over the Christmas have sent shivers through law-abiding communities in the city.

In the aftermath of the handing down of life sentences to all five men convicted of murdering crime figure Kieran Keane, it is understandable that people in areas terrorised by the feuding of criminal families are bracing themselves for further outbreaks of the savage violence for which Limerick has, unfortunately, become notorious.

Perhaps the one bright light on an otherwise bleak landscape is the fact that the main witness in the case against the five men held his courage, thus enabling a jury to bring in guilty verdicts against the accused after the trial was moved to Dublin because of difficulties in Limerick where jurors faced intimidation.