James McGovern

A ‘senior lieutenant’ in the Kinahan cartel has been jailed for 24 years.

Sean McGovern, 40, pleaded guilty to two charges of directing the activities of a criminal organisation relating to Ireland’s Hutch-Kinahan gangland feud.

McGovern – who went by the name ‘Knife’ – oversaw the murder of Noel ‘Duck Egg’ Kirwan in December 2016 and the attempted murder of James ‘Mago’ Gately in 2017.

During a sentencing hearing last month, McGovern apologised for the hurt caused as a result of his actions.

Mr Justice Patrick McGrath said both cases showed McGovern was a senior member of the Kinahan gang and a ‘confidant of those in the higher echelons’, who placed a ‘high degree of trust and competence’ in him to carry out the operations.

He described Mr Kirwan’s murder as ‘cruel and callous’ and said the innocent granddad had been selected as an ‘easy target’ after he was spotted at the funeral of a Hutch family member.

Mr Kirwan was killed outside of his home moments after returning home from a meal with his partner’s family.

Encrypted messages between McGovern and a senior associate of the gang showed they had been plotting to target Mr Kirwan since September 2016 and tasked a gunman referred to as ‘Teeth’ with carrying out the murder.

Detective Sgt Daly said: ‘Within seconds of parking, at least seven shots were fired through the driver’s window of the vehicle, hitting Noel Kirwan on five occasions.’

The judge also said the attempt on Gately’s life had been ‘minutely and carefully planned in advance’.

McGovern referred to Gately as a ‘weasel’, adding: ‘All weasels get caught out in the end.’

Gately was shot at five times at a Dublin petrol station in May 2017 but survived. Caolan Smyth, the gunman in the attack, is in prison for Gately’s attempted murder

The judge added that Ireland’s Kinahan gang was a ‘particularly large, well-organised, sinister and dangerous organisation’.

He added that McGovern would have been fully aware of the gang’s identity, structure and nature, owing to his relatively senior position.

Mr Justice McGrath added: ‘Mr McGovern knew in each instance he was directing preparations for murder and did so intentionally.’

McGovern was arrested in Dubai in October 2024 and extradited to Ireland in May 2025 to face the charges against him.

At the Special Criminal Court in Dublin on Monday, a three-judge panel handed McGovern a 14-year sentence for his involvement in Mr Kirwan’s murder and 10 years for overseeing Gately’s attempted murder.

The sentences are to run consecutively and will be backdated to his arrest.

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