Ireland: Gardaí have launched an investigation following reports of criminal damage to a headstone in a Limerick graveyard, an incident suspected to be linked to ongoing violent feuding among rival groups operating in the southern part of the city.
A video circulating widely on social media depicts the desecrated grave, showing significant damage to the headstone. In response, a Garda spokesperson confirmed: “Gardaí received a report of criminal damage at a graveyard on the outskirts of Limerick City yesterday. Investigations are ongoing.”
Sources within An Garda Síochána believe the incident is part of an escalating conflict among factions involved in drug-related criminal activity in Limerick City and County. The ongoing feuds, primarily driven by competition in the illicit trade of cocaine and crack cocaine, have intensified in recent months.
A series of violent tit-for-tat attacks—including petrol bombings, stabbings, shootings, and the use of improvised explosive devices—have been reported as rival groups attempt to exert dominance and intimidate one another. Last Thursday, a vehicle was set alight in a petrol bomb attack in Garryowen, prompting increased Garda patrols and checkpoints across several high-risk areas, including Ballinacurra Weston, Hyde Road, Southill, and Carew Park.
The groups involved are believed to have direct links to or associations with the long-standing feud that resulted in up to 20 murders between the late 1990s and mid-2000s. A government-led intervention in the mid-2000s, which included significant investment in a Regeneration Agency and An Garda Síochána, successfully curtailed gang-related homicides for a time. However, sources now warn of a resurgence in violent confrontations, with growing concerns that the situation could once again escalate to fatal outcomes.
Public reaction to the graveyard vandalism has been one of shock and outrage. One social media user lamented, “Mother of sweet Jesus, is there nothing sacred anymore?” while another described the act as “absolutely disgusting behaviour” and “the lowest form of evil.”
Meanwhile, the Defence Forces' Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit has been deployed on multiple occasions in recent months to deal with a series of incidents involving improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in Limerick City, underscoring the severity of the ongoing feuding.
Gardaí continue to appeal for information as investigations into the graveyard incident and the broader criminal feud remain ongoing.
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