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The scene of a shooting in Ballymun on Wednesday. Sam Boal/RollingNews.ie

'Amazing things happen in this community. Ballymun is about the people not the crime'

Locals are fighting back against a negative reputation which they say is unfair.

LOCALS IN BALLYMUN have expressed concerns that Wednesday’s double murder may tarnish the area’s improving reputation, but insisted that the community is too strong to let that happen.

At the scene of the crime on Balbutcher Drive, where mother of six Antoinette Corbally and Clinton Shannon were shot dead, members of the community gathered around the crime scene tape. They saw Antoinette’s pregnant niece Andrea covered in blood. She managed to escape physically unharmed by the machine gun attack.

Garda armed support units had been tracking the intended target of the murder – convicted criminal Derek Devoy, who had recently been told his life was at risk. Devoy managed to escape the gunmen – his sister, Corbally, died from gunshot injuries she sustained.

For all the garda armed units patrolling the area, however, locals said there were only so many attempted murders the officers were able to stop.

Community gardaí, described by local representatives as the “eyes and ears” of the streets in Ballymun, have had their resources cut by over half.

In 2011, there were 15 community gardaí – compared to just six in 2016.

Councillor Noeleen Reilly said that tensions in the area had heightened in recent months, and an incident of this nature was expected. However, she said the extent of the violence could not have been anticipated.

“Nobody is talking about the community policing levels,” the Sinn Féin councillor said.

“I can’t remember the last time I saw a garda walking around Ballymun. I’m not here to slag off the gardaí. They’re up to their eyes and they do the best with the resources they have.

But we could sense things escalating. There was a tension.

Like Reilly, locals fear that the double murder on Balbutcher Drive will destroy the ever-improving reputation the area has been fostering since the Ballymun regeneration project began over a decade ago.

June 5 ballymun 20050004 One of the Ballymun towers before demolition. Flickr / Darren Hall Flickr / Darren Hall / Darren Hall

Mark O’Brien is the CEO of the Axis arts centre in Ballymun. He has been working with the community for over 12 years and says he hopes the terrible events of Wednesday do not lead to locals being tarred with the same brush as the killers.

“Before you rang, there was a Nigerian festival happening with four different drum troupes going by. If you juxtapose that with what we’re talking about you can see that there is so much more to a community than the bad things that happen in it,” he said.

Ballymun has long been trying to shake off the reputation of a an area destroyed by drug addiction. The seven tower blocks in the area became synonymous with heroin addiction and deprivation in the 80s before the final one was torn down in 2015.

Many people from outside Ballymun believe that when negative or violent events occur in the area, it’s par for the course, O’Brien said.

When something happens in Ballymun, it has a louder resonance and that is not necessarily deserved. I think to be honest that reputation is foisted on the community rather than earned.
So many amazing things happen in this community. Ballymun is all about the people not the crime. That’s the way I look at it.

But for now, the worry for the area is of a retaliation for the murder of two people on Wednesday. Locals don’t want to see an emulation of the Hutch-Kinahan feud which has turned the north inner city into a warzone, according to Reilly.

The councillor said there is a real concern that Ballymun is going to be dragged back two decades.

“There is so much positive stuff happening here but people are worried they are being dragged back. The road next to the road where the shooting happened had been nominated for a Pride of Place award – a national award.

There is a fear that this is not the last of this, that there’s more to come and that this won’t stop. People are frightened, for sure. We’re crying out for more resources.

Read: Intended target of Ballymun shooting had been warned of threat to his life >

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    Mute Emmet Dillane
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    Aug 18th 2017, 12:51 AM

    The people of Ballymun are the salt of the earth.

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    Mute Andy Dwyer
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    Aug 18th 2017, 12:59 AM

    @Emmet Dillane: Hahaha

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    Mute Emmet Dillane
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    Aug 18th 2017, 1:19 AM

    @Andy Dwyer:
    The heart and soul of Dublin. I have fond memories of visiting a friend on the fifteenth floor of the Joseph Plunkett tower block back in the day when I lived in Phibsborough. We’d share some Lamb’s bread and stare at the planes flying in to Dublin airport while listening to Floyd on the sound system.

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    Mute Emmet Dillane
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    Aug 18th 2017, 1:21 AM

    You felt like you were on top of the world with the splenderous vista of the city sprawling out beneath you.

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    Mute Acedeuce
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    Aug 18th 2017, 1:28 AM

    @Emmet Dillane: you have a way with words.. Very poetic

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    Mute Emmet Dillane
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    Aug 18th 2017, 1:42 AM

    @Acedeuce:
    Ballymun Incantation.
    https://vimeo.com/204428903

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    Mute Tricia Lowry
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    Aug 18th 2017, 2:14 AM

    @Andy Dwyer: what’s so funny and where are you from

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    Mute Ryan Kelly
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    Aug 18th 2017, 4:31 AM

    @Emmet Dillane: You really are an idiot.

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    Mute The Viking
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    Aug 18th 2017, 4:53 AM

    @Emmet Dillane: Your not wrong either. I drive the bus routes through there. 99% of the Ballymunians will greet you as they get on. Thank you as they depart. Always helping the elderly with their trollies and so on. Ofcourse we get the odd bit of anti-social behavior. That can happen in most area’s. As I you said tho Emmet. ” Salt of the Earth.

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    Mute Joseph Bloggs
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    Aug 18th 2017, 6:31 AM

    @The Viking:unfortunately it’s hard to Imply that’s it’s a grand aul place when in this case the odd bit of anti-social = 2 dead people.

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    Mute Brian O'Loughlin
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    Aug 18th 2017, 6:00 AM

    I wonder how many of these ‘good people’ are helping Garda with their enquiries?

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    Mute Gary Nugent
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    Aug 18th 2017, 8:10 AM

    @Brian O’Loughlin: I wonder how brave you’d be to speak to Garda if you lived in the area and knew your family would next to get murdered if you opened your mouth.

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    Mute Darren Tully
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    Aug 18th 2017, 9:41 AM

    @Gary Nugent: Don’t bother with Brian he’s just an @rsehole, he was making fun of the victims yesterday

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    Mute Jim Leonard Snr
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    Aug 18th 2017, 11:39 AM

    @Brian O’Loughlin: Come out and ask them.

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    Mute ChuckE
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    Aug 18th 2017, 7:57 AM

    The people injured and killed in this god awful case were family and friends of a known criminal. The target while knowing his life was under threat still stayed close to family with young children caring little about their safety.

    It’s awful but I just can’t have sympathy for family and friends who willingly mix with people who do so much damage to communities who are trying to get on with life.

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    Mute S Mac Giolla Choin
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    Aug 18th 2017, 8:36 AM

    Ballymun is amazing – In 1999, a local girl actually passed her leaving cert and got a job.

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    Mute Rachel Flood
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    Aug 18th 2017, 10:16 AM

    @S Mac Giolla Choin: I’m from Ballymun I graduated with an honor degree from DCU work full time and have a mortgage on my house in Ballymun…. My son is now starting DCU this year…..there are loads of good honest people in Ballymun who just want to get on with life in peace

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    Mute Jim Leonard Snr
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    Aug 18th 2017, 11:42 AM

    @S Mac Giolla Choin: Lousy comedy, using old jokes.

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    Mute Terry Cahill
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    Aug 18th 2017, 3:28 PM

    @S Mac Giolla Choin: you are beneath contempt !

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    Mute Darren Cooney
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    Aug 18th 2017, 1:40 AM

    Every corner around there is covered in Garda camera’s.

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    Mute Tricia Lowry
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    Aug 18th 2017, 2:15 AM

    @Darren Cooney: and where do you get that from

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    Mute Jacqui Curtis-owens
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    Aug 18th 2017, 5:49 AM

    i love Ballymun and the people in it…..i always will….so sad what happened….its happening everywhere…..shoulder to shoulder.

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    Mute John003
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    Aug 18th 2017, 1:16 AM

    It has a University…. DCU is in Ballymun….

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    Mute Michelle Keeley
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    Aug 18th 2017, 3:23 AM

    @John003: DCU address is Glasnevin, Dublin 9, with the main entrance on Collins Avenue in Whitehall.

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    Mute Philip Gerard
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    Aug 18th 2017, 3:31 AM

    @John003: …what Ballmun has a Uni?? More ignorance. Go back to fluffing Trump.

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    Mute Sandra Anderson
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    Aug 18th 2017, 7:00 AM

    @John003: yeah dcu is there and they advise their students to keep away from the area! Unfortunately. A minority of people can bring down a place. I lived there!

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    Mute John Brennan
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    Aug 18th 2017, 9:52 AM

    @Michelle Keeley:
    And the continuation of Collins Ave towards Fingland was originally Ballymun Ave but was renamed Glasnevin Avenue for some reason

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    Mute owen kirwan
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    Aug 18th 2017, 10:04 AM

    @Sandra Anderson: hi Sandra I’m afraid your wrong ,students are not told to stay away from Ballymun they actually have a large student community their and student housing ,they shop in nan’s supervalue,they just don’t go into the fishbowl they rather stay in the college bars
    Ballymun is no different from any other part of Dublin.Students are warned about the dangers of being out in any area,Unfortunately their is a Drug culture in all working class areas the Garda have their hands tied ,courts are useless .

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    Mute Jim Leonard Snr
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    Aug 18th 2017, 11:44 AM

    @Michelle Keeley: There’s one like you on every street.

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    Mute Cillian Murray
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    Aug 18th 2017, 1:08 AM

    Ballymun in the Sun….

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    Mute Pat Troy
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    Aug 18th 2017, 10:49 AM

    Even Santa has to have security.

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    Mute Tom
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    Aug 18th 2017, 4:41 PM

    From reading his profile on the independent he should never have been out in the first place and I expect that we could say the same for the lads doing the shooting.

    Jailing people with a history of violence and multiple convictions becomes not a punishment but a protection for society. How soon will we learn that lesson.

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    Mute Leonie Marshall
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    Aug 18th 2017, 10:26 AM

    @S Mac Giolla Choin: your pure ignorance and attempt at comedy is something to behold.

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