People Before Profit Councillor Conor Reddy has said reports of a child firing an automatic gun after it was thrown into bushes in Sillogue Gardens, Ballymun, during an ongoing feud have left the community deeply shocked and must force urgent Government action.
Cllr Reddy said:
“People in Ballymun are shocked and frightened by what has happened. We are extremely lucky that nobody was injured or killed, but there is a growing sense of fear in the community as violence escalates and these feuds continue without resolution. Homes have been shot at, there have been arson attacks, extremely violent attacks have happened in broad daylight, and people are terrified as a result.
“You can’t help but feel that if this continues, somebody innocent could be seriously hurt or killed. That is the fear many people are carrying.”
The feud has reportedly involved very young people, including teenagers and young men in their early 20s. Kevin Kelly, who was killed on Balbutcher Lane last year in an incident Gardaí are treating as murder, was only in his 20s.
Cllr Reddy said:
“One of the most tragic and striking things about this violence is the age of some of the people involved. We are talking about teenagers and young men barely into adulthood. That speaks to a deep failure by the State.
“Ballymun has some of the highest levels of deprivation in the entire State, alongside generations of problems with drugs, addiction, trauma and underinvestment. There are brilliant people doing incredible work in the community: youth workers, volunteers, addiction services, schools, community organisations and residents. Much of that work is proven to have an impact, but it has never been given the scale of support needed.”
The 2021 report Ballymun – A Brighter Future warned clearly about open drug dealing, crack cocaine, young people being drawn into criminal networks, school exclusion, trauma, inadequate family supports and the need for a serious plan based on prevention, desistance and tackling the most harmful criminal activity.
Cllr Reddy said:
“Mícheál Martin came to Ballymun in 2024. Helen McEntee, as Minister for Justice, made commitments around the Ballymun Implementation Board. The people around that table are dedicated and serious, but central Government has not provided the investment required to tackle the entrenched and complex social problems that lead to violence. They have neglected us again. Government has again failed to guarantee the safety of a working-class community.”
Speaking about positive community approaches in recent years, Cllr Reddy said:
“Ballymun has become Ireland’s first Trauma Informed Town, but on top of a trauma-informed approach, we also have to tackle the social issues that create trauma in the first place. We need to address these issues systematically: secure housing, family support, proper addiction and dual-diagnosis services, mental health care, youth work, school inclusion, and alternatives for young people who are being pushed out of education.
“A board without serious funding is not enough. Ballymun does not need more reports or recommendations. It needs investment.”
People Before Profit said Ballymun needs a properly funded community safety and public health response to recent violence and longer-running drugs and social issues. They say this response should include investment in youth work, family support, addiction services, dual diagnosis, mental health, alternative education, community development and measures to protect residents from intimidation and open drug dealing.
Cllr Reddy concluded:
“People in Ballymun deserve safety. They deserve to walk through their community without fear. But you can’t police your way to safety. Real and lasting safety comes from investment in the services, supports and opportunities that break the cycles driving crime and violence in the first place.
“Ballymun deserves a lot better. This has to be a turning point.”