Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
National
Cormac O'Shea & Nicola Donnelly

Gangland shooting victim James Whelan buried in golden coffin as mourners gather at Dublin funeral

Gangland shooting victim James Whelan was buried in a golden coffin at a funeral mass in Dublin city this afternoon.

The 29-year-old was gunned down and killed by notorious Finglas drug dealer Mr Flashy’s mob in the early hours of Sunday morning, April 3.

Mourners walked behind Whelan's coffin to River Mount Parish church in Finglas for mass at 11.30am, before making their way to Dardistown Cemetery for the burial.

Read more: Garda ring of steel planned for funeral of gangland shooting victim James Whelan

Whelan's coffin was brought to the church in a horse drawn carriage covered in white flowers.

A large crowd was seen following the procession through the streets of Finglas.

Whelan, a father-of-one, is believed to have been attempting to carry out a petrol bomb attack on a property connected to Finglas mob boss Mr Flashy when he was shot dead in the Deanstown Avenue area of Finglas.

It is also understood that Whelan, who had over 50 convictions, had fallen out in recent months with Mr Flashy — who gained his nickname from his constant flaunting of his wealth and designer gear on social media.

The feuding between both sides reached boiling point when an associate of Mr Flashy was abducted, beaten and dumped in Finglas last month.

Whelan’s murder marks a new departure for the Finglas feud, which had only seen violent attacks and assaults before he was ruthlessly shot dead.

And gardai now fear further violence between the feuding gangs — with sources saying gardai now believe a key associate of Mr Flashy was the gunman who shot Whelan.

In the weeks before he was fatally shot, he had been the victim of sustained attacks on social media and this war of words continued hours after he was dead with taunting on social media from both sides of the rival factions.

Get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox by signing up to the Irish Mirror newsletters here

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.