Dundon-McCarthy gang associate who fatally shot Noel Campion told multiple people he'd killed a man

A 42-year-old man with links to the Dundon-McCarthy organised crime group has pleaded guilty to participation in that criminal organisation and to possession of a firearm with intent to endanger life following the fatal shooting of Noel Campion in Limerick City on April 26, 2007. Darragh Quinlivan, originally from Limerick but residing in Manchester at the time of his court appearance, did not enter a plea to murder. The Central Criminal Court heard that Campion, then aged 35, was shot multiple times while sitting as a passenger on a motorcycle near Thomondgate. Following the shooting, Quinlivan travelled to the United States, where he made statements to police and others while intoxicated in which he claimed responsibility for killing a man. Upon his return to Ireland, he later characterised these admissions as casual conversation and sarcasm rather than factual confessions. Quinlivan was deported from the United States in 2008 and returned to Ireland. The case remained unresolved for over a decade until it was reactivated as a cold case review in 2022. At the time of his guilty plea, Quinlivan had accumulated 24 previous convictions. During the January 2026 hearing, the court received victim impact statements from members of Campion's family, including his widow and daughter, documenting the enduring harm caused by his death. Justice Paul McDermott remanded Quinlivan in custody pending sentencing, scheduled for February 9. In subsequent proceedings, the judge described the shooting as callous and brutal, carried out in cold blood from close range on a public street during daylight hours. Quinlivan was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment following his guilty pleas.