The alleged kidnapping of the Ryan brothers had sent shockwaves through Limerick and beyond. Their father had been one of the most feared men in Ireland, using ruthless violence to further his criminal career. With Eddie Ryan senior out of the way, the kidnap and presumed murder of his two sons was thought to be the final blow against the criminal family. But Keane and Treacy had walked into a trap.

What happened next would arguably lead to the final fracturing of the many gangs of Limerick. The main players, the Keanes and the Ryans, had been at loggerheads for almost two years, but another gang, the notorious DundonMcCarthys, were about to strike a blow that would lead to a seemingly endless series of shootings, stabbings and internecine warfare . . .

violence which continued right up to last week.

Inside McCarthy's house, a gang of men emerged from the kitchen of the house wearing balaclavas. One of these was David 'Frog Eyes' Stanners. The captives were bundled into a van.

Half an hour later it stopped and David Stanners pulled Kieran Keane to the ground. Stanners took a gun from Christopher 'Smokie' Costelloe and shot his victim once in the back of the head.

The gun jammed in the attempt to kill Treacy. Costelloe drew a knife and stabbed Treacy in the neck. Stanners took the knife from Costelloe and continued the assault. Treacy was stabbed 17 times in the head and body. As Stanners stabbed him, he told his victim, "this is the last face you are going to see."

Sentenced to life imprisonment Six hours after the killing of Kieran Keane, Eddie Ryan junior and Kieran Ryan, the two kidnap victims, presented themselves at Midland garda station completely unscathed. But Treacy had survived. The Dundon-McCarthy gang had managed to kill the biggest figure in Limerick crime, but their failure to finish off his nephew would cost them dearly.

Desmond Dundon, 20, of Hyde Road, David Stanners, 31, of Pineview Gardens, James McCarthy, 24, of Delmege Park, Christopher Costelloe, 20, of Moylish Avenue and Anthony McCarthy, 21, of Fairgreen, were all arrested and charged with the murder of Kieran Keane, the attempted murder of Owen Treacy and the false imprisonment of both men.

In the midst of the biggest trial the country has even seen, John Dundon, 22, from Mayorstone Court, a brother of one of the accused, was arrested and sentenced to four-and-a-half years in the middle of the hearing for threatening to kill Owen Treacy.

During Treacy's eight-day cross-examination, Dundon approached Donna Treacy, the witness's wife, and told her, "I swear on my baby's life, when this is all over I'm going to kill Owen Treacy." Justice Paul Carney sentenced all five men to life imprisonment and refused permission to appeal. As they were being led away from the court, Anthony 'Noddy' McCarthy issued a chilling warning to the Keane family:

"For every action there is a reaction . . . remember that."

The bitterness and division that have plagued the city's criminal fraternity in the past three to four years remain unabated, despite the fact that gardai have put many of them behind bars.

Some of the key figures in the current disputes are very young men. Gerard Dundon, 21, of Hyde Road, Prospect, and Ger Galvin, 20, of Lenihan Avenue, Ballinacurra, Weston, were identified in court in October 2004 as key members of the Dundon-McCarthy gang.

Opposing their bail on charges of malicious damage, detective Brian Sugrue of Henry Street said both had access to guns and were big players in the city's gang conflicts. Judge William Earley refused bail and remanded them in custody to Limerick Prison.

As he was led away, Gerard Dundon shouted to the court: "Up your hole".

John Dundon and his brother Gerard were later sent to Mountjoy amid fears of bloodshed if they remained at Limerick jail. But that transfer may yet spark a major war among Limerick and Dublin gangs.

Just weeks ago, well-known Dublin criminal Michael Cahill, brother of the murdered 'General', Martin Cahill, was attacked by associates of the Dundon brothers in the centre 'circle' area of Mountjoy. This could trigger a major battle between Limerick gangs that have become closely aligned with feuding groups in Drimnagh in Dublin, and the Keane gang, which is associated with a gang in Finglas.

The potential for major bloodshed in the capital cannot be ruled out. Indeed, there is an indication that one leading west Dublin criminal recently ordered the murder of a key member of the Keane gang, before Limerick gardai intercepted the hired foreign assassin and recovered a high-calibre firearm.

Out of 32 killings in Limerick between 2000 and 2005, five were related to the feud and six were connected with other gangland activity.

That means that 14% of killings were directly related to the feud and 34% to gangland. Since the start of this year, there have been two more gangland murders . . . the killing of 19-year-old father-to-be Aidan Kelly in May, and the shooting of 21-year-old Frankie Ryan in September.

The young age of many of the main players in the city's drug-related feuds is a problem. Many are irrationally loyal to the older men who send them out on criminal business, and they do not see the contradiction in mourning a fallen comrade while simultaneously plotting fatal revenge.

A letter read out at Frankie Ryan's funeral said his friends had "nothing left but a fight to the end", which sums up one of the most salient aspects of the ongoing Limerick shootings: there is a fatalistic undercurrent to the gang members' approach.

It appears that jailing the big players is not enough to curb the warfare. Christy Keane was arrested in August 2001 after being found in possession of 240,000 worth of cannabis. A close associate now runs the gang but there is little doubt that Christy remains influential from his cell in Midlands Prison.

In 2005, over 30 firearms were recovered, including submachine guns, sawn-off shotguns, pistols and rifles. Whereas the gangs used to use old weapons that had a tendency to jam at crucial moments, they are now heavily armed with high-powered guns. In 2005 there were over 70 shooting incidents in the city, although not all were related to the feud.

Interest-free loans up to /50,000 Over 40 people have been intercepted carrying firearms since the start of this year; more than two dozen murder plots are being probed by the city's detectives; there have been over 80 recorded gun attacks against people or property in the southern city; more than 120 weapons, ranging from automatic guns, knives and crossbows have been recovered.

The amount of money being generated by the southwestern drugs market . . . driven largely by recreational users of ecstasy, cannabis and cocaine . . . is considerable. The shooting of fiveyear-old Jordan Crawford in O'Malley Park last week . . . after a gunman botched a murder attempt on the child's uncle, Paul Crawford . . . is a direct consequence of the proliferation of firearms that is a symptom of that drugs trade.

The Limerick gangs have sparked the interest of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), which in late 2003 won the right to seize the home of Brian Collopy in the village of Fedamore. Collopy was a close associate of Kieran Keane and the CAB asserted that the then 31-year old was benefiting from the proceeds of illegal drugs. According to local sources, the gangs are now using property to shield their money from CAB's watchful eye. The gangs offer interest-free loans up to 50,000 to local people to purchase homes.

CAB is monitoring several people in the city who are making significant profits from drugs.

However, speaking to the Sunday Tribune in June, chief superintendent Felix McKenna, then head of CAB, said criminals were using their fortunes to buy property for family members.

According to McKenna, there are people on the dole with massive property portfolios, gathered using the money of criminal relatives.

Criminals in the city have also moved millions of euro into offshore accounts, with one gang leader thought to have invested an astonishing 9m in the financial services industry in Dubai.

While some of the city's most notorious criminals have been jailed, there is little doubt that key figures remain influential from their cells in Limerick, Portlaoise and Mountjoy. With such significant sums of money being generated from illicit drugs in Limerick . . . and from the entire south-west region . . . the financial incentive for murder remains.