Eamon Dunne was a notorious criminal who was linked to at least 12 killings and met a gruesome end while celebrating a birthday
A bloodthirsty gangster who was shot dead in a pub in front of his teenage daughter took a chilling phone call just minutes before the murder.
Eamon Dunne – known as ‘The Don’ – was a notorious criminal in north Dublin who led a gang which dealt in drug dealing, armed robbery, extortion and murder. He was linked to at least 12 killings and was considered Ireland’s public enemy number one at the time of the murder.
In April 2010, Dunne was attending a friend’s birthday party at the Faussagh House pub in the Irish capital. Two gunmen marched in and shouted “down, down, everybody down”, before firing a volley of shots at the 34-year-old, who was sitting next to his 17-year-old daughter Amy.
Lounge boy Jen Tiang – who was waiting for a payment for a 7-Up from Dunne – was grabbed by the gangster, who tried to use him as a human shield.
Another gunman waited outside to prevent Dunne’s escape, while the getaway driver stayed in the car outside. The mob boss was shot twice in the back of his head, and six bullets were recovered from his body.
Sources told The Irish Independent that Dunne took a number of “serious” calls before the attack unfolded. One was from a jailed gangster who is serving a life sentence for a brutal murder. He was in Mountjoy Prison at the time and called Dunne on an illegal mobile from jail.
A source told the newspaper: “This fella was convinced that Dunne was sleeping with his girlfriend. He confronted Dunne about this on the phone – Dunne was his usual aggressive self with this man.”
Just minutes later, his bloodied corpse was left on the floor as his own gang members fled the scene. His daughter Amy was left stood over Dunne screaming “me da, me da”.
Rather than the lag, he was reportedly targeted by a group of criminals from the north inner city.
Dunne became a high-priority target for Irish law enforcement. He was closely monitored by multiple police task forces, including the National Drugs Unit, the Criminal Assets Bureau, and the Organised Crime Unit.
At the time of his death, he was out on bail, preparing to face trial for conspiring to rob a cash-in-transit van.
Despite this, his criminal activities continued unabated, and his paranoia — reportedly fuelled by heavy cocaine use — grew.
Two men were arrested in May 2010 in connection with helping plan the attack, and another person was questioned under section 50 of the Criminal Justice Act. However, no convictions were made, and the killing remains unsolved.
