IT IS THE bloodiest Irish gangland feud in history and it is set to continue to cause death and misery in 2013.

When mobster Gerard Eglington was brutally gunned down in front of his three-year-old son and his partner's daughter last September, he had been a dead man walking for over 18 months.

Gangland hardman Eglington (27), was regarded as a key member of the Brian Rattigan mob and acted as 'muscle' for the drugs gang.
It shows how the bitterness and hatred caused by a drugs seizure in the Holiday Inn in Dublin 2001 is still capable of causing death to people who were children when the original split happened.

Gardai believe Eglington was the first of the 'new generation' of leaders of the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud to be murdered.
The assassination was planned by senior gang members in revenge for a pub attack on 'Fat' Freddie Thompson's older brother Ritchie.

Savage

The murder was carried out by two of Thompsons most trusted lieutenants and shows the chubby mobster's gang are still capable of murder.

Just five hours after Eglington was shot in Portarlington, Co. Laois, Declan O'Reilly (31), was also murdered in front of his young child on the orders of Thompson's cronies.
The savage execution was arranged by two notorious mobsters who hired an erratic criminal who was previously friendly with O'Reilly to carry it out.

Gardai believe 'Fat' Freddie's core gang members are still responsible for arranging drug shipments into Ireland and for wholesaling heroin, cocaine and cannabis across the country. They include Thompson's childhood pal Graham 'the Wig' Whelan and his first cousins Liam and David Byrne.

These veteran criminals have long-established links to drugs godfather Christy Kinahan and tend to avoid direct involvement in handling guns or drugs.
However, a new generation of criminals has seamlessly taken up the baton for carrying out violence in the long-running feud.

These thugs - who are mostly in their mid-20s - have been responsible for a wave of violence over the last 12 months, including pipe bombings, stabbings and shootings.

A number of these up- and-coming mobsters have family connections to gang members who were involved in the original feud.Gardai believe both sides of the feud have access to high-powered weaponry and are involved in drug trafficking across the country.

In August, Rattigan gang associate Owen Gaffney (22), narrowly escaped with his life after a gunman fired six shots at him near his home in the Basin Street Flats in Dublin.

Detectives believe Gaffney is a key member of a new generation of criminal allied to mobster Brian Rattigan.
He is a close associate of Brian Rattigan's younger cousin Aaron Rattigan and has been repeatedly targeted as part of the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud.

In September, a pipe bomb was also left outside the home of one of Gaffney's crew in the Basin Street Flats by young thugs.

Gardai have previously placed him under armed protection after learning he was a target for rival gunmen.

Divided

It is believed that Gaffney's attempted assassination was carried out by associates of Ian 'Mad Dog' Maloney - a former driver for 'Fat' Freddie Thompson.
Maloney (25), - who is currently serving an 11-year sentence for his part in an armed robbery on a jewellers - is regarded as one of the leaders of the new generation of 'Fat' Freddie gang members.

Another former gangland driver, Paul Gray, is also regarded as a key figure in the ongoing feud. Gray (25), earned his criminal stripes as a driver for Graham 'the Wig' Whelan.
Gray is the brother-in-law of Ritchie Thompson and when Gerard Eglington appeared before Dublin District Court in July 2011, Gray appeared suddenly from the public gallery and assaulted the thug.

This was in retaliation for Ritchie Thompson, and Gray l; sister Catherine, being assaulted by Eglington in the Karma Stone pub on Dublin l; Wexford Street in March 2011.

A senior source has previously told the Sunday World that the murder of Eglington was a "serious blow" for the Rattigan gang.
Eglington's death means that the majority of the senior Rattigan gang members are now behind bars or have been killed.

However, there still remains a hardcore group of more than 15 young men - including a young relative of slain gangster Martin 'the General' Cahill- who are ready to aim and murder Thomnpson's associates.

Suspect

Over the last 12 months, members of the Rattigan gang have regularly been spotted in the company of RIRA murder suspect Sean Connolly,Connolly (34), is a child-hood pal of Brian Rattigan and has remained close to members of his family since his release from a prison sentence in 2010.

Despite being a so-called anti-drugs activist, Connolly and members of the rogue RIRA unit he headed up were regularly spotted in the company of Rattigan gang members.

It is believed that Connolly's reputation in the south inner city provid- ed protection for the under-fire mob.
However, Connolly is now off the streets after being charged with the murder of godfather Eamon Kelly last month.

The RIRA unit he was in charge of - based around Inchicore and Bluebell in the capital- is likely to be restructured by the dissident group's new Northern-based leadership.

RIRA chiefs are said to be disgusted at Connolly's links to drug-dealing criminals and have told his gang to disassociate from the Rattigan crew.

But while the Thompson faction is in the ascendancy, the new generation of gang members have suffered a number of damaging splits and the potential for inter-gang feuding remains high.

Last year, convicted criminal Karl Fay narrowly escaped with his life after his 16-year-old cousin Stephen Hynes was shot in the back near his home on Lismore Road.

Shooting

Gardai believe the intended target for the drive-by shooting was Fay, who was standing next to innocent Stephen.
Fay is an associate of a number of members of 'Fat' Freddie Thompson's gang and was previously cleared of murder.

He has links to an up-and-coming gang - who are mostly in their 20s - that controls the drug trade in the Charlemont Street area and Swan Grove in the Ranelagh suburb of Dublin.

The gang is heavily involved in heroin dealing and is believed to source the drugs from Thompson's organisation.
But despite his links to 'Fat' Freddie's mob, gardai believe Fay has been targeted by another arm of the gang controlled by associates of drug dealer
Gareth Chubb,Chubb (26), is a member of Thornpson's drug gang and is regarded as an up- and-coming criminal figure.

A source said: "The new generation have links to sen- ior gang members and probably worked for them at one point. But their loyalty is questionable.
"They might be considered members of the Thompson gang but really they are only interested in looking after themselves."