Ex-gang boss avoids drink-drive rap after high-speed Donegal chase

A former leader of the notorious McCarthy-Dundon gang in Limerick has avoided a drink-driving rap following an incident in Donegal where he led gardai on a high-speed pursuit through back roads with his lights off.

‘Red’ Larry McCarthy, who is currently serving a six-and-a-half year prison sentence in Portlaoise Prison for providing a getaway car that was used in the attempted murder of a rival gangster, appeared at Letterkenny District Court.

The 48-year-old McCarthy, who has an address in Manorcunningham, Co Donegal appeared before Judge Gráinne Malone via video link from prison, dressed in a Darkness Into Light t-shirt. 

His solicitor, Mr Rory O’Brien, sought to have a drink-driving charge dismissed. It was contested that it would be unfair on McCarthy to proceed in circumstances where this arose out of the same incident that has already been dealt with before the court.

In 2024, McCarthy was convicted of careless driving and fined €300 over the incident on December 15, 2023.

Ruling on the matter, Judge Malone noted that the drink-driving issue first came before the court in March of last year - nine months after the other matters. 

Judge Malone said that the prosecution’s position is that, given the reading in the drink-drive test, they had “no option” but to go down the fixed charge penalty notice (FCPN) route. 

The court heard that the FCPN notice was issued to McCarthy’s home address in March 2024. After the fine went unpaid, a Garda applied for a summons.

Judge Malone said it was “of significance” that when McCarthy pleaded guilty to careless driving, the Gardai had created a summons in respect of a section 4 prosecution.

The judge said the State was aware at all times that McCarthy was in custody. The summons was served in prison by registered post.

Judge Malone remarked that the question she had to deal with is one of fairness and said the fact that the accused man is in custody is of particular significance. 

The onus was not on McCarthy to go looking for the summons, Judge Malone said.

“The State was responsible for his custody,” she said, adding that she had a question over why the State sought for a summons to be served at the man’s address when they knew that he was in custody.

“It could have been flagged that it was coming,” she said. That would have left Mr McCarthy in a position to discuss the matter with his solicitor and they could have looked for a date for all matters to be heard together. That wasn’t done.”

Judge Malone said that had the charge been dealt with and McCarthy taken a disqualification, that ban could be served or almost served by his release date.

The judge granted Mr O’Brien’s application and dismissed the charge.

Back in 2024, Letterkenny District Court heard that McCarthy was charged with two counts of dangerous driving and a plea to a lesser charge of careless driving was accepted by the court on a full facts basis.

McCarthy veered over a continuous white line past a graveyard on the outskirts of town as he was followed by Gardai.

Gardai activated the blue lights, but McCarthy continued at speeds in excess of 100km/h on a narrow road governed by a speed limit of 80km/h.

The court heard that McCarthy turned the lights off on his car, went over two speed bumps in the townland of Scribbly before going through a crossroads at Drumnahoe.

In March 2024, the Special Criminal Court was told that McCarthy provided a getaway car for the attempted murder of notorious Limerick gangster Christy Keane and he was sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison when he appeared at the three-judge court.

His barrister, Brian McCartney, said at that time that McCarthy had a “Damascus Road experience” since relocating to Donegal.

McCarthy was sentenced for what Ms Justice Caroline Biggs said was the “procurement and placement” of a getaway car during the course of an “infamous” feud between crime gangs – the McCarthy-Dundons and the Keane-Collopys – in the attempted murder of veteran Limerick criminal Keane in June 2015.

In July 2005, McCarthy received an 11-year sentence from Southwark Court in the UK for possession of a MAC-11 “military armament” gun.

The McCarthy-Dundon and Keane-Collopy organised crime gangs have been involved in a feud that dates back to 1993. There have been 19 murders and 15 attempted murders in the feud.