Stab victim was not player in organised crime as gardai launch murder probe
Joseph McEvoy (34), was brutally stabbed outside a house in Shancastle Close, near Liffey Valley shopping centre at around 5:30am on Monday morning.
However gardai are understood to be probing whether McEvoy may have been targeted because of his links to criminals involved in the feud.
The feud is understood to be personal, and a row may have spilled out between the victim and his attacker in the early hours of the morning.
He was attacked amid a spate of incidents over the course of the weekend.
McEvoy, who was club captain with local football club Quaryvale FC, was rushed to hospital but was subsequently declared dead.
Gardai have launched a murder investigation - as sources say McEvoy himself was not considered to be a criminal figure.
He is understood to have had no major convictions to his name - but he was connected to a number of players involved in a local feud in the area - and gardai are working to establish if he was targeted because of the association.
A man known to him, who it is understood has been involved in the bitter gangland dispute, was arrested by gardai following the incident.
He was being detained on suspicion of assault causing harm.
However Gardai have now launched a murder probe into the incident - which sources say is a dangerous escalation in a feud in the area.
The feud involves a young associate of veteran mobster John Gilligan - and those with links to McEvoy.
McEvoy's suspected murder also occurred after a spate of incidents over the course of the the weekend.
A car was burned out in the Glenfield Avenue area before another car was rammed in the Greenfort area.
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A petrol bomb is then suspected to have been thrown at a house in the Shancastle area.
It follows several serious tit for tat incidents over the last few years - including petrol bomb attacks and a machete attack.
Several people are currently before the courts in relation to incidents connected to the dispute.
Tributes have since poured out for McEvoy, who was a talented local footballer.
In a post on social media, Quarryvale FC stated: 'We are devastated to hear of the loss of our club captain Joey.
'The nicest man you'd ever meet and an absolute warrior on the pitch. Big Joe Mac was the life of every party and nothing will feel the same with him gone.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this horrible time,' they stated.
Other pals took to social media where they called McEvoy a 'gentleman' and 'family man.'
In a statement. Gardaí said they are 'investigating all of the circumstances surrounding the death of a man following a fatal assault in the Shancastle area of Dublin 22, in the early hours of Monday 7th July 2025.
'At approximately 5.50am, Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to an assault at a residence in the area.
'A man, aged in his 30's, was found unresponsive. He was conveyed to John Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown, where he was later pronounced deceased,' they said.
The scene is currently preserved for forensic examination by the Garda Technical Bureau. The Coroner and the Office of the State Pathologist have been notified and a post-mortem examination will be arranged in due course.
A Senior Investigating Officer (SIO) has been appointed to lead the investigation and an incident room has been established at Lucan Garda Station. A Family Liaison Officer (FLO) will be assigned to support the family of the deceased.
A male (aged in his 30's) has been arrested in connection with the investigation. He is currently detained pursuant to Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984, at a Garda Station in the Dublin area.
Investigating Gardaí are appealing to anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.
They are also appealing to anyone with camera footage, including motorists with dashcam footage from the area between 5am and 6am on Monday 7th July 2025, to contact them.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Lucan Garda station on (01) 666 7300, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda station.
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