Murder of Shane Geoghegan

Shane Geoghegan (8 March 1980 – 9 November 2008) was an Irish rugby player for Garryowen who was shot and killed in a case of mistaken identity as part of a gang feud in Dooradoyle, a suburb in the city of Limerick, Ireland.

He worked for Air Atlanta as an aircraft fitter and was a keen rugby fan, playing as prop with Garryowen and was captain of their third team and lived with his girlfriend Jenna Barry.

[1] It is believed that he bore a resemblance to a drug dealer called John McNamara,[2] who was the target of a contract killing and lived nearby.

Geoghegan managed to run to the rear of a house in Clonmore, where he was shot three times in the upper body and once in the head.

Members of the recently established Garda Regional Support Unit were the first at the scene after a 999 call was made from concerned residents who heard the sound of gunshots.

Twenty-three-year-old Barry Doyle from Portland Row, Dublin but living in Limerick was subsequently charged with the murder.

The trial of Barry Doyle resulted in a hung jury after one of the longest deliberation in Irish legal history.

Local TD and Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea, came under pressure to secure changes to the law and greater resources to tackle Limerick city's gangland crime.

[21] A charity was launched in honour of Shane Geoghegan in October 2009 by his mother and former Ireland soccer international and CEO of Sunderland AFC Niall Quinn.

Its aims are to provide children with an alternative to criminal or anti-social behaviour by making a range of sporting and creative activities accessible to them.

[22] The trust is based on the Sunderland AFC foundation which helps children in vulnerable communities by getting them involved in sport.