DISSIDENT terror groups in the Republic were divided and in disarray in 2013, with infighting and arrests leaving them significantly weakened.
The death of Dublin terror boss Alan Ryan in 2012 led to a major split in the New IRA – the group formed out of an amalgamation of the Real IRA and two other terror factions earlier that year.
This year saw yet another new dissident faction emerge due to the serious problems within the New IRA in Dublin.
Irish Republican Voice (IRV) was set up by Ryan’s former pal James McDonagh after he fell out with the new leadership in Dublin.
At the beginning of the year it was already obvious that Ryan’s death had caused serious problems for the New IRA.
In January 2013 senior dissidents told the Sunday World they were carrying out a “root and branch” review of the organisation, saying it had become tarnished by criminality.
Punishment shootings followed, including an attack on Ryan’s pal ‘Fat Deccy’ Smith.
In March, former Real IRA member Peter Butterly was shot in the car park of the Huntsman Inn at Gormanstown, Co. Meath and several dissidents were arrested.
They included Dean Evans, from Raheny, Eddie McGrath (32), from Tallaght, David Cullen (29) and Sharif Kelly (43), both from Balbriggan.
The group was to suffer a further blow when eight men were arrested in Clondalkin as part of an investigation into dissident activity on Good Friday.
Kevin Braney (38), Des Christie (49), Hubert Duffy (45) and John Brock (40) were among those charged with IRA membership.
Eamon McNamee, from Lucan, was also charged. McNamee was arrested in the wake of the shooting of ‘Fat Deccy’ Smith.
His links to republicans raised eyebrows due to his serious convictions for drug dealing.
There were a number of other shooting punishment attacks throughout the year.
The infighting and arrests led to an emergency meeting of leaders of the 32 County Sovereignty Movement – the political wing of the New IRA – in June.
In July, gardai arrested eight people and uncovered a massive haul of the plastic explosive Semtex as well as a machine gun, at least four handguns, a couple of shotguns, a hand grenade, and a huge amount of assorted ammunition after two raids in Dublin.
Around this time a veteran republican suspected of involvement in the murder of three British soldiers lashed out at the leadership of the New IRA in Dublin.
Roisin Kane, whose son, Ronan McLoughlin, was shot dead by gardai during a RIRA raid in Wicklow in 1998, said under the new leadership the New IRA is “a gangster-ridden movement that only fosters fear into those who do not carry out their totally unjust orders”.
During the year James McDonagh set up Irish Republican Voice after falling out with the New IRA leadership.
Members of the group were pepper sprayed at a protest outside the Dáil in September.
In October, Alan Ryan’s brother Vinny (22) and his pal Daragh Evans (23), were acquitted of firearms possession on the day gangster Micka Kelly was shot dead in 2011.
They have kept low profiles since their release.
Meanwhile, the IRV and their military wing, Saoirse na héireann, were intent on building their profile, carrying out minor non-fatal shootings on low-level criminals in Coolock and surrounding areas.
While small in numbers, they have recruited former New IRA and Continuity IRA members into their ranks and gardai are closely monitoring their activities.
