Dublin 'gun feud': Funeral of Eddie Hutch hears family plea for no retaliation

Mourners carry the coffin of Eddie Hutch at his funeral in Dublin

Mourners at the funeral of a second victim of a suspected Dublin gangland feud have heard a plea from his family for no retaliation for his murder.

There is a heavy police presence for the funeral of Eddie Hutch Sr, who was shot dead on 8 February.

Police believe it may have been in reprisal for a fatal shooting at a boxing match weigh-in days earlier.

The priest conducting the Mass said the Hutch family had called for "this cycle of violence to stop, and to stop now".

Fr Richard Ebejer told mourners all vengeful violence was to be condemned in the strongest terms possible, according to Irish state broadcaster RTÉ

Eddie Hutch, who was in his 50s, was killed at his flat in the north inner city of Dublin

No retaliation plea at 'feud' funeral

'Level of fear'

Mr Hutch Snr was the uncle of Gary Hutch who was shot dead in Spain five months ago.

He was also the brother of Gerry Hutch, a notorious criminal in Dublin in the late 1980s and 1990s, who was nicknamed the Monk.

Dublin priest Fr Peter McVerry, who knows some members of the Hutch family, told BBC Radio Ulster that: "Eddie Hutch was a totally innocent person in this enterprise, and he was shot simply because of his name."

Fr McVerry described the atmosphere in the city ahead of the funeral as "tense".

Fr Richard Ebejer told mourners all vengeful violence was to be condemned in the strongest terms possible

"Obviously, this is a feud unlike any other feud. This is a feud between two very powerful groups and it's difficult to see who is going to back down, or how there is going to be a compromise."

He added: "That has raised the level of fear to a whole, new height. People don't know who is going to be next."

Hotel shooting

The victim was a father of five and had a criminal record, but he was not regarded as a senior figure in Dublin's criminal world.

At least four gunmen entered Eddie Hutch's home and shot him dead in the hallway of his flat in Poplar Row, North Strand, in the north inner city.

Earlier this week, there was a major security operation for the funeral of David Byrne, who was shot dead at a boxing weigh-in event at the Regency Hotel on 5 February.