‘He tracked dad for 9 long months’ fume innocent Kinahan victim’s kids after ‘stupid’ Sean McGovern blast as thug caged

MURDERED Noel Kirwan’s son and daughter today told how Sean McGovern’s sentencing marks the end of a “long and painful journey” for justice.

And a senior investigator warned that “there are no untouchables”, adding that the Kinahan cartel lieutenant’s 24-year sentence will act as a “lesson to those who glorify organised crime and promote it as a way of life”.

The gangster, 40, was handed down the hefty term for directing the 2016 murder of innocent Noel ‘Duck Egg’ Kirwan and the attempted murder on Hutch associate James ‘Mago’ Gately the following year. 

He did not react after Mr Justice Patrick McGrath read out the sentence after saying evidence in both cases highlighted how McGovern was a senior member of the Kinahan gang.

He said the murder of innocent Kirwan was “cruel and callous”, pointing towards evidence he was an “easy target”. 

And in an emotional statement outside Dublin’s Special Criminal Court following the sentencing today, Noel Kirwan’s heartbroken adult children Donna and Kristopher told how they believe their father’s case has “made a difference”.

Kristopher said: “Today marks the end of a long and painful journey for me and my sister.

“For the past 10 years, we have sat in courtrooms and listened to evidence surrounding the brutal murder of our father. Nothing can ever bring him back and no verdict can undo the loss and trauma we have suffered.”

He added: “While nothing will bring our dad back, we believe this case has made a difference, and in its own way, made history.

“Our dad was our safety net, a hard-working, family man, who spent our whole lives working two jobs, so we would never go without. He was all we had. 

“His home and arms were always open to anyone who ever needed help. He loved helping. Helping the community, the elderly, helping anyone who needed it.

“Our dad was a huge part of the anti-drug movement in Dublin’s north inner city in the 90s. The values he lived by, love, sacrifice and generosity, are the foundations he left behind.”

Kristopher said it is “heartbreaking” that McGovern, who has two children of his own and survived being shot in the Regency Hotel, would “inflict such pain and torment on any other family”.

He continued: “He watched and tracked our dad for nine long months, with countless chances to walk away, to change his mind, and to choose a different path. But he didn’t.

“He and his partner flew the country shortly after, and in doing so, lost a chance to stand at his own dad’s funeral. Was it really worth the shot? 

“The Christmas of 2016, we had to stand in a bitterly cold morgue, and identify our dad.

“While families were at home celebrating, and out buying presents for their children, Sean McGovern was planning the murder of my dad, a 62-year-old innocent man.”

Kristopher said the “complete disregard for human life” and the “devastation” left behind, is something both he and Donna will carry with them forever.