Gang Violence in Dublin, Ireland

Gang Violence in Dublin, Ireland

This article relates to All Them Dogs

Djamel White's debut novel All Them Dogs follows gangster Tony Ward, who returns to Dublin after years away, and reintegrates himself into the crime scene that raised him. It's one of many novels set in Dublin's gangland, and the prominence of Irish crime novels can be seen as a reflection of a familiar cultural landscape for the books' authors. In an interview with The Observer, Djamel White says, "There's almost a folkloric sense to Dublin gangsters. They're gossiped about like they're celebrities, and the tabloids sensationalise that world and its feuds."

One of the first introductions of armed violent crime to Dublin was via Saor Éire, a paramilitary offshoot of the IRA in Northern Ireland. In the 1970s, Saor Éire carried out numerous bank robberies in Dublin to bankroll their organization. Christy Dunne, a member of Saor Éire, would go on to establish the first prominent Dublin crime family. The Dunnes would then become one of the early facilitators of the drug trade there.

In the 1980s, the heroin epidemic ravaged inner-city neighborhoods in Dublin. By 1983, Dublin was considered the "heroin capital of Europe," with one in ten young men using the drug. With much of the Dunne clan locked up by the late 1980s, more crime families arose to prominence to meet the volume of distribution needs, but this period did not see much inter-gang violence.

One of the first notable clashes between Dublin crime families was the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud which started in 2000 and resulted in numerous acts of violence and the deaths of at least fifteen people. With Crumlin and Drimnagh being two Dublin suburbs, the leaders of their respective gangs were Freddie Thompson and Brian Rattigan. The two got into a dispute when it was suspected that a member of the Drimnagh gang tipped the police off about an incoming shipment of drugs. The ensuing feud spanned nearly two decades, and became one of Dublin's most notorious gang wars.

Today, crime is still rife in Dublin. As of 2023, Ireland had the second highest number of opiate users in the EU, and cocaine use has also been on the rise. The "Celtic Tiger" economic boom from the mid-1990s to the mid-2000s brought an uptick in drug use for the country, particularly cocaine, since people had more disposable income to spend. Drug use necessarily coincides with street violence, as suppliers all vie for the kingpin role in their communities.

A 2019 Europol report revealed a growing trend in recruiting boys and young men to act as enforcers for gang leaders, who use them to intimidate drug users into paying their debts. The report says that gangs use a three-tiered system: the top tier are the gang leaders, the middle tier are the dealers and enforcers, and the lower tier are mostly disadvantaged young men who spread fear in the community on behalf of the gang. These are often young men who start out as users, who are recruited into the gang after being unable to pay their debts.

Many believe the answer to this much youth violence and exploitation is the implementation of youth services, and the Irish government has made strides in this area. In 2025, Helen McEntree, the Minister for Education and Youth, announced the allocation of an additional 1.2 million euros to establish ten new UBU Your Place Your Space locations throughout Ireland. The program provides support to at-risk youths who are at economic and social disadvantages. This follows a 2023 announcement from Hildegarde Naughton, the Minister for Public Health, Wellbeing, and the National Drugs Strategy, of 1.5 million euros being allocated to a youth drug-prevention scheme.

With these programs in place, Irish government officials hope to see fewer youths on the streets, but addressing social issues like gang violence will always require a holistic approach—ensuring funding not only for anti-drug programs, but also for single mothers, education, and mental health services.

Brandon Road, Drimnagh, Dublin, courtesy of Jonathan Billinger CC BY-SA 2.0

Filed under Places, Cultures & Identities

This article relates to All Them Dogs. It first ran in the May 20, 2026 issue of BookBrowse Recommends.