Limerick solicitor offers to mediate between factions

A Limerick-based solicitor this morning described the situation in the city as a "powder keg waiting to explode" and offered to mediate between criminal factions.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio this morning, defence solicitor John Devane said every State mechanism had failed and a neutral intermediary should be brought in to try to put an end to gang feuding.

"You have various factions and various families that are vying for power withing the drugs business. They are indiscriminate in who they shoot and who they kill, who they maim and who they injure," he said.

"I think you need someone who is in touch with these particular type of people or persons on a daily basis as I am within my work, somebody who can talk the talk and walk the walk, who can sit down and try to point out the futility of not alone shooting each other but going to the stage now of shooting and injuring innocent people."

He described the current situation as "madness", with people now walking the streets in fear that they would be the next victim. He warned that the Minister of Defence Willie O'Dea is viewed as a representative of the system and said a neutral mediator was the next step.

"Everything else has failed. The power of the gun has failed, the power of the garda has certainly failed," said Mr Devane.

Minister for Justice Brian Lenihan today ruled out Government mediation in the Limerick feud.

He told reporters in Dublin he believed gardai were doing all they can to tackle the situation.

Fianna Fáil's new leader designate, Tánaiste Brian Cowen, said the Minister for Justice Brian Cowen had the Government's "full support" and he believed the people of the country "expect and are entitled" to see the "full force of the law" applied to those involved in drugs or such activities.

Ten people have already fallen victim to the long-running feud. On Monday, the body of James Cronin (20) was found in a shallow grave on waste ground in Limerick city. A post-mortem confirmed he had died from a gunshot wound to the head.

Last Saturday, 40-year-old Mark Moloney was shot dead in the Garryowen area of Limerick. His funeral is taking place today.

Gardai said Mr Moloney was not actively involved in the Limerick feud. An 18-year-old was last night charged with his murder.