Faces of the Underworld 2

Northern Ireland’s most infamous Loyalist terrorist is Johnny `Mad Dog` Adair. He survived thirteen assassination attempts by the
IRA and INLA during his military career. Aged twenty-one Adair had joined the UDA and was assigned to a unit called `C8` whose
mission it was to riot, shoot at armoured police vehicles and burn down local businesses who were deemed to be employing too
many Catholics. Following Adair’s enlistment C8 became more ambitious and active in its campaign of violence. They planned
to murder Pat Finucane, a solicitor who represented Republicans but this was vetoed by the UDA leadership. Finucane was later
murdered after Loyalist gunmen burst into his home whilst he was enjoying a meal with his family. He was shot twice before falling
to the floor. One of the gunmen then stood over him and pumped twelve bullets into his face from close range. Finucane’s wife
Geraldine was slightly wounded in the attack which their three children witnessed as they hid underneath a table. By the early
90`s Adair had risen through the ranks of the UDA to become head of C Company, Ulster Freedom Fighters. (UFF) The UFF were
the military wing of the UDA. In 1993 Adair was promoted again, this time to Brigadier of West Belfast. Under Adair’s leadership
approximately forty Catholics were murdered. In October 1993 the IRA attempted to assassinate Adair by planting a huge bomb
in a fish and chip shop below an office he regularly used. The device exploded prematurely killing Thomas Begley a member of
the IRA and nine Protestant civilians. The UFF immediately retaliated. On 30 October 1993 three masked men burst into the Rising
Sun bar in Greysteel, County Derry. The leading gunman shouted, `trick or treat` before opening fire on the terrified customers.
Eight people died and thirteen others were wounded. In 1995 Adair was arrested, charged with terrorist offences and imprisoned
for sixteen years.

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Sam `Skelly` McCrory was a childhood friend of Adair’s and he
too enlisted in the UDA where he rose rapidly through the ranks
to establish himself as one of Northern Ireland’s most ruthless
terrorists. It is estimated that he is responsible for the deaths
of more than thirty people. In July 1992 McCrory was part of
a Loyalist death squad who were sent to murder IRA leaders
Brian Gillen and Martin Lynch. McCrory and his associates
were ambushed by British soldier’s en-route. After a gun battle
McCrory surrendered and was eventually imprisoned for sixteen
years for attempted murder. He became the UDA`s officer in
charge at the Maze Prison. A total of 3,500 people were killed
during the conflict in Northern Ireland.

Thousands more were traumatized by violence, injured or
sent to prison. After three decades of bloodshed there was
recognition that violence would not deliver a solution to the
conflict and that any effort to find a political answer would only
succeed if Republican and Loyalist paramilitaries were given a
voice at the negotiating table. In January 1998, Johnny Adair,
Sam McCrory and three other loyalist inmates were visited in
prison by the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Mo
Mowlam. She persuaded them to drop their objection to their
political representatives continuing the talks that eventually led
to peace in the province.

In April 1999 Adair was granted home leave from prison.
He and his wife attended a UB40 concert in Belfast where
Adair was shot in the head but survived. He blamed the
shooting on Republicans. In September 1999, Adair was
granted his freedom as part of an early-release scheme for
paramilitary prisoners under the Good Friday Agreement.

Having secured a peace of sorts the various groups realised
that they could now only secure all out victory via the ballot
box rather than the bullet and so they set about winning
over the hearts and minds of their local communities. In
areas where the sale of illegal drugs flourished, Republican
groups declared war on the dealers.

One ex IRA and INLA terrorist who was extremely active
in eradicating drug dealers and the problems they caused
was `Buffalo’ Billy Clare.

Described in the Irish media as `a psychotic thug who struck terror into communities`, Clare begs to differ. He saw himself as a
man dedicated to cleansing the streets of Ireland from, `those that peddle misery and death to children.` It’s unclear how many
notches Clare has on his AK47 but he has certainly been linked with several high profile executions and numerous bombings. One
of Clare’s alleged victims was Jimmy ‘the Whale` Gantley, one of Dublin’s most notorious villains.

A former henchman of Martin `the General` Cahill, Gantley was shot five times in a Dublin bar but miraculously survived. Prior to
the shooting Gantley’s home had been targeted by anti-drug protesters who were backed by the IRA.

In 2003 Billy Clare and another IRA member were jailed for extorting money from the owner of a Dublin lap dancing club. An
hour after the brand new premises had opened Clare had walked in and asked a waitress if they sold still or sparkling water.
When he was informed that both were available he replied, “You better have lots of it because this place is going to get torched
tonight.” When the waitress informed the manager he alerted security staff. As soon as they saw Clare they ushered the manager
into his office and said, “You have a problem, it’s the IRA and they want money.” The manager was taken to a meeting where
he `agreed` to donate £15,000 per month to the Republican cause. Within two weeks the amount was increased and when the
manager said that he couldn’t afford to pay he was told that he was going to be shot. Fearing for his life the manager contacted
the police. He later said, “They convinced me to make a statement. They told me that these guys were the real thing and that
they were dangerous bastards. They told me that my evidence would put them in jail.” Clare and his associate were eventually
arrested following a covert operation by detectives. The manager was given a new identity and remains in the witness protection
programme.

In 2009 Clare made headlines once more after he was arrested for the murder of twenty-six year-old Stephen O’Meara whose
body was found in a shallow grave. It was alleged that O`Meara had been involved in the drug trade and for that reason he was
shot. The pathologist who examined O’Meara’s body stated that he may not have been dead when he was buried. Clare was
eventually released without charge.

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Not all of Ireland’s drug dealers were dealt with by the police or paramilitaries. Some like Mark Dwyer were executed by their
closest friends. In 1995, Dublin based villain `Cotton Eye` Joe had been convicted of running a brothel. Prostitution was frowned
upon in the devout Catholic community that Joe lived in and so he decided that he would swap trades and move into the more
lucrative drug market. Initially his operation was small scale and he would use his son Scott Knight to distribute cocaine, ecstasy
and cannabis amongst his friends. Joe became acquainted with a feared Dublin gang boss named P.J. Judge who had earned the
nickname Psycho after torturing and murdering a man who had crossed him. Twenty-three year-old Mark Dwyer was Psycho`s
right hand man. Together they had lured William Corbally, a drug dealer that had displeased them, to a field where he was
beaten with iron bars. Corbally was then kicked and stabbed repeatedly before being laid flat on his back. Psycho and Dwyer then
used iron bars to smash his face and mouth until he was dead. The duo then cut their victims throat before tossing his battered
body into an unmarked grave. William Corbally’s body has never been found. Shortly after this abhorrent murder Dwyer began
working for Joe. Using Psycho`s contacts Joe was quickly able to expand his drug empire. In September 1996 Dwyer was sent
to Amsterdam by Joe to purchase 40,000 Ecstasy pills. Everything went well until Dwyer arrived back in Dublin. The drugs were
to be handed over at a pub in the north of the city but when he arrived Dwyer was confronted by a man who was dressed as a
policeman. Dwyer fled but left the drugs behind. Several hours later he returned to the pub and both the policeman and drugs
had vanished. It was evident to all concerned that the policeman who had taken the drugs was not in fact a policeman and the
heist had been planned. Only Joe and Mark Dwyer knew the precise details of the hand over and so Dwyer’s fate was sealed.
Confirmation of his guilt came when P.J. Judge informed Joe that Dwyer had recently offered him a large amount of Ecstasy pills
at a heavily discounted price. Judge had his own issues with Dwyer. He had started talking openly about the murder of William
Corbally and so Judge now deemed him a liability. After a very brief meeting Joe and P.J. Judge shook hands and agreed that it
was time for Mark Dwyer to die.

On 7 December 1996 P.J. Judge took his girlfriend for a drink at the Royal Oak pub in Finglass, Dublin. As Judge and his girlfriend
left later that night a gunman ran from the shadows and shot him twice in the head. P.J. Judge died instantly. As soon as Joe heard
the news he assumed that Dwyer had been the gunman. He immediately rang his friends and ordered them to find Mark Dwyer
and kidnap him. Later that night, Mark Dwyer was dragged from his home by Joe’s son Scott and others. A pillow case was placed
over his head and he was kicked repeatedly before being bundled into a car.

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Forty miles away in County Kildare Joe paced around his home as he waited for news from his son. Every few minutes he would
sit down to snort a line of cocaine and gulp a large glass of whisky. Earlier that day Dwyer had telephoned his girlfriend Adrienne
McGuiness and asked her to pick up a quantity of cocaine from Joe. Oblivious of events that were unfolding McGuiness had
driven to Joe`s home before Dwyer and his kidnappers arrived. Startled by the arrival of a potential witness Joe led McGuiness
into his lounge and asked her to wait. When Scott Knight and the others arrived they carried Dwyer from the car still wearing
the pillow case over his head. They took him to a bedroom and laid him face down on the bed with his knees on the floor. Joe
and Scott then walked into the lounge and snorted a line of cocaine each before returning to the bedroom. It was then that the
screaming started. Joe had armed himself with an array of weaponry which included a crow bar, a long iron bar, a pick axe handle
and a number of knives. Joe began by smashing a bar across Dwyer’s back whilst shouting, “Where are they you little bastard,
who did you give them too? You little cunt you are gone now.” Mark Dwyer’s screams and cries of pain filled the house. As the
torture continued, the crow bar and other weapons flailed Dwyer’s chest, back and legs. McGuiness later recalled; “I heard Mark
plead with them that he hadn’t taken the drugs. `If this is death for me then you are killing the wrong man...I had nothing to do
with the rip.` Joe came back into the sitting room. He was ranting and roaring. `He`ll tell us where they are if it’s the last thing he
does.` He had his shirt-sleeves rolled up and he was sweating like mad. I was afraid to open my mouth. Joe snorted another line of
cocaine and sat down and drank some more whiskey like he was on a break.” Moments later Joe jumped up from his seat grabbed
an iron bar and returned to the bedroom. The spine chilling screams began again moments later. In order to drown them out Joe
put on a CD by M People and turned up the volume. As `Search for a Hero` pumped repeatedly out of the speakers Joe smashed
Dwyer’s bones and stabbed and slashed his flesh. After three hours Scott said to his father that he was going too far. “Fuck him,
he will have to be killed now,” Joe had replied before punching his son in the face. Terrified and in a state of complete shock, Scott
snorted more cocaine and drank more whiskey to block out the madness he was witnessing. Eventually Dwyer was carried back
to the car and driven to a field. He was then forced to his knees and shot in the back of the head with a shotgun. Scott who was by
now unable to stand because of the drink and drugs he had consumed was left lying next to his friend’s corpse. Joe had wanted
it to look like vigilantes were responsible for the murder. Unfortunately for Joe his son survived the sub zero temperatures and
was taken to hospital where he was placed under armed guard. Detectives had heard snippets of information about Joe’s missing
Ecstasy pills and the threats he had made regarding Dwyer. Joe and his son were charged with murder and remanded in custody
to await trial. On Thursday 30 October 1997 Scott Knight became the first man in Irish history to be convicted of a gangland
murder. On 27 April 1999 Cotton Eye Joe stood trial and he too was convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.

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In Belfast Johnny Adair and other members of the UDA were also doing their best to eradicate villains and drug dealers from their
local community, albeit in the hope of securing votes. Adair’s seventeen-year old son, Jonathan Jnr. was shot in the back of both
legs in a so-called paramilitary punishment attack. What was particularly shocking about the shooting is that it was sanctioned by
Johnny Jnr’s own father. A UDA spokesman said, “Johnny Adair is a man of principle and integrity, and that integrity would have
been in question if his family had been treated any differently from anyone else’s, and he wouldn’t have wanted to be treated
differently. The organisation is bigger than any man’s family”. The UDA member explained that Johnny Jnr. had been shot because
he had `raised his fists` on a few occasions and `enjoyed fast cars. ` Locals were horrified that a young man had been maimed
for such petty reasons and so the UDA claimed that the shooting was the result of many small misdemeanours rather than one
major transgression.



As well as taking action against the alleged miscreants within their community Adair and the UDA publicly warned drug dealers
that they would be executed. However, it was widely believed that they were only doing so in order to control and profit from the
illicit trade themselves. Many UDA members disliked Adair’s alleged association with the drugs trade and this led to a bitter and
bloody feud which ended with several men dead and scores forced to flee from their homes.
On 20 September 2002, Adair was summoned to a UDA Inner Council meeting where there was a showdown between him and
other brigadiers. Adair was subsequently expelled from the UDA for treason. On 1 February 2003, UDA divisional leader John
Gregg was shot dead along with another UDA member, Robert `Rab` Carson as they returned from a Rangers FC match in Glasgow.
The killing was widely blamed on Adair’s C Company because Gregg was one of those who had organised his expulsion from the
UDA. In the early hours of 6 February 2003 (just hours before Gregg’s funeral was due to take place), Adair and approximately
twenty of his supporters, fled Ulster and moved to Scotland after 100 heavily-armed men from the UDA descended on their
homes. Since moving to mainland Britain Adair has been joined by his old comrade, Sam `Skelly` McCrory. Neither has been able
to settle peacefully as both have been the subject of several assassination attempts and endless police scrutiny.

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Throughout the troubles both Catholic and Protestant terror groups had received huge support from Nationalists and Loyalists
based in Scotland. The Scottish Loyalist Movement had originated during the Industrial Revolution when a significant number
of Ulster Protestants migrated to Scotland from Ireland. During the Irish Great Famine more than a million people left their
homeland in the hope of finding a better life. In 1848, the average weekly inflow of Irish into Glasgow was estimated at over
1,000, and the figure for January to April of that year was put at 42,860. Within a decade the Irish population of Scotland had
increased by 90%. A large scale movement of people from their native land often causes social tensions, and those new to
a country commonly create support networks for their own people. Many Irish Catholics settled in the deprived east end of
Glasgow and in communities across the west of Scotland.

Sports clubs were founded as a focal point for these Irish immigrant communities. For example, Hibernian Football Club was
founded in Edinburgh in 1875, and Glasgow Celtic Football Club was established in 1888. Football teams, whether they developed
from a mainly Irish Catholic or Scottish Protestant community or neither, played matches between one another and these became
events where opposing factions could air their views and vent their anger. Clashes between Celtic and Rangers have resulted in
several deaths over the years and serious disorder between opposing fans in and around stadiums. The sectarian divide that
existed in Scotland ensured that when the most recent troubles erupted in Northern Ireland in the late 60`s both Protestants and
Catholics were more than happy to assist in the armed struggle that ensued.

Jack Jaconelli who was born and raised in the Dalmarnock district of Glasgow forged links with a Loyalist terror group known as
the Real Ulster Freedom Fighters. He was imprisoned after being caught with a cache of firearms that were destined for Ulster.

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Despite peace being declared in Northern Ireland, the Province has never really enjoyed the true meaning of the word. From
the ranks of the various Republican movements that had agreed to a ceasefire emerged a group calling itself the Real Irish
Republican Army. (RIRA) Buffalo Billy Clare and other RIRA volunteers refused to accept any British involvement in Northern
Ireland and continued to target the security forces in gun attacks. The organisation was also responsible for a number of bombings
in Northern Ireland and England with the aim of causing economic harm and/or disruption. The most notable of these was the
Omagh bombing in August 1998 which killed twenty-nine people. In August 2001 British Security Services identified the leader of
the RIRA as a former member of the IRA but more surprisingly he was a member of the Irish travelling community.

Suspicious of outsiders, Irish travellers have traditionally played no role in the troubles. They have steered clear of politics and
pursued their own lifestyles free of sectarian interests. But not this man. His staunch nationalism was a remarkable break from his
traveller past and gave the dissident Irish republican group access to Europe-wide networks of smuggling channels that previously
shifted stolen goods or drugs. These were soon replaced by arms and explosives. This new access to weapons and armaments led
to bombs being planted in England and RIRA members being arrested whilst trying to purchase weapons in Slovakia.

The most popular smuggling routes used between Europe and Ireland by terrorists, drug dealers and travellers are the ferry
routes from Liverpool and Wales into Dublin. These routes are made particularly favourable to smugglers on the first weekend
of each month when thousands of travellers and tourists descend upon Dublin for the Smithfield horse market. It is one of the
oldest - and most controversial - horse fares in the world. As well as trading horses the travellers take part in bare knuckle bouts
and other sports in keeping with their traditions. Alcohol is consumed, blood is spilled and feuds are settled. In 2011 two traveller
families fought in the marketplace with guns and knives. Witnessed by thousands of onlookers two men were blasted with a
shotgun and another suffered serious injuries after being hacked with a slash hook (sickle).

The origins of bare knuckle boxing date back to the times of the early Greeks. However, since the dawn of mankind bare fists have
been the natural option as a weapon to survive against the threat of extinction. Bare knuckle boxing flourished as a sport in the
18th and 19th century and bouts were often financed by the aristocracy. Gambling went hand in hand with the sport. When one
of its main Patrons, the Duke of Cumberland suffered huge losses he used his influence to try and outlaw any future fights. With
no defined rules or regulations and no sanctioning bodies with any influence, bare knuckle boxing as a sport was doomed. The
introduction of boxing gloves was the final nail in the coffin for bare knuckle contests. The sport was forced underground and into
the hands of criminals.

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Decca Simpkin is a man mountain from Derbyshire who fought forty-two professional heavyweight fights. When he retired from
boxing his love of physical combat resulted in him taking on all comers. Villains, travellers or ex professional fighters like himself,
Simpkin fought whoever has been put in front of him whether it was on the street or in a ring.





One of the most unlikely contenders to ever fight a bare knuckle bout was a fourteen-year-old boy named Wayne Barker. Disruptive
at both home and school Barker’s father had given up on his son at an early age. In desperation he asked a leading member of
the travelling community in Manchester to raise him. Exploiting Barker’s already violent streak, the travellers subjected him to
a gruelling training regime and had soon turned a disruptive child into a very determined and effective fighting machine. The
travellers were impressed with Barker’s fighting ability and so took him to the horsefair in Dublin in the hope that they could bet
on their protégé and earn a good return for the time they had spent training him. Describing the bout some years later Barker
said, “I will never forget that day, forty-nine men paid £1 each to watch me fight. It was winner takes all and my opponent was
a big thirty-five year-old Irishman called Jimmy Walsh. To be honest I was scared to death. On the morning of the fight I was
wondering what I had got myself into, but there was no going back. I beat the guy to a standstill and won myself £49! I thought I
was a millionaire.” From that day forth Barker used his fists to make a living. After a spell in prison for attempted murder Barker
moved to America where he fought in several professional boxing bouts. His opponents included former World Middleweight
champion Fulgencio Obelmejias who he fought at the National Stadium in Caracas, Venezuela and Teddy `Irish` Mann (ranked
seventh in the world) who he fought at the Sands Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. After returning to the UK Barker
managed fighters and promoted boxing shows. Despite success in his profession Barker never forgot the travelling community
who had helped him to learn his brutal trade.

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When members of the infamous Joyce family fell out with `celebrity` traveller Paddy Doherty, Barker intervened. The Joyce’s
are a large family of Irish travellers and bare knuckle boxers based around Moate, Westmeath, and Navan in Ireland. In England
they are mainly based around Oxford, London and Manchester. Their most notable feuds have been against the Nevin and Quinn
McDonagh families. Trouble initially broke out in 1992 when Brian Joyce was killed outside a pub in Peckham, London. ‘Curly
Paddy’ McDonagh was charged with his manslaughter. In 1996 another incident occurred when Tim ‘Handshaker’ Joyce was
killed in Finglas, Dublin and David ‘Minor Charge’ McDonagh was charged with the killing. It’s fair to say that the Joyce family
have lived and continue to live extremely violent lives. Johnny Joyce Jnr. had battered Doherty in Manchester after being taunted
by the older man. Doherty broke traveller tradition by informing the police which caused outrage after Joyce was arrested and
charged with grievous bodily harm. In an effort to restore order Barker suggested that the men have a bare knuckle bout to
resolve the matter. Wayne told reporters, “We don’t want war-mongering in our community. Let’s do it the proper way – the way
these people have done it for years – and settle it in the ring. This is Paddy Doherty’s chance to redeem himself in his own culture,
if he had taken his beating like a man that would have been an end to the story.” Barker put up a £50,000 purse and urged Doherty
to do the same. The winner would take all. Doherty declined the offer and Joyce was cleared of all charges in court. However, the
feud festered and violence broke out once more. Johnny Joyce Jnr. and his brother Dougie met Doherty by chance one day in a
Manchester street. In the fight that ensued Doherty was badly beaten and had his ear bitten off. Johnny Joyce Jnr. was imprisoned
and Paddy Doherty left Manchester the same day.

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