By Editor Nick Craven
Strolling in the Summer sunshine on a street in Crumlin, south Dublin, this is the man who murdered campaigning journalist Veronica Guerin, enjoying his first steps of freedom on day release after 26 years.
Gangland enforcer and getaway driver Brian Meehan was part of a two-man hit team who struck to silence the fearless reporter on June 26, 1996, in a shooting which would shock the entire nation and usher in a new era of law enforcement.
Her life was portrayed in the eponymous 2003 Hollywood movie starring Cate Blanchett, Colin Farrell and Ciaran Hinds.
Known for her fearless coverage of Ireland’s drug underworld, Veronica Guerin, 37, was shot dead in broad daylight while stopped at a traffic light on the Naas Road in Dublin.
Her murder, chilling in its audacity, would not only spark national outrage but ultimately lead to the downfall of some of Ireland’s most powerful criminal empires -including the conviction of Meehan, who was the getaway driver.
Guerin, a mother of one, was a reporter for the Sunday Independent and had carved out a reputation as one of Ireland’s most courageous journalists.
While many in the media avoided naming or even hinting at the identities of Dublin’s criminal figures, Guerin went further. She didn’t just allude – she investigated, reported, and exposed.
Using her disarming charm and sharp intellect, she infiltrated the world of drug barons and gangland bosses, attending court hearings, knocking on doors in inner-city housing estates, and confronting major players face-to-face.
Her work put her in grave danger. In 1995, she was shot in the leg after answering her front door. Her home was routinely watched. Her phone rang with anonymous threats. But she refused to back down.
One of the men her work repeatedly targeted was John Gilligan, a ruthless drug trafficker who had risen through the ranks to become one of Ireland’s most feared gangland figures. Guerin was on the brink of publishing an expos茅 linking Gilligan directly to his vast drug enterprise when she was murdered.
Gilligan was subsequently charged with Veronica’s murder but acquitted.
Meehan, now greying and in his late 50s, with a beard, was given a life sentence on his conviction in 1999. He was the getaway driver of the Kawasaki motorbike, and a second man, the late Patrick ‘Dutchy’ Holland, pulled the trigger.
Holland was never charged with Ms Guerin’s murder due to lack of evidence, but garda铆 named him in a subsequent drugs court case as the man who pulled the trigger.
Holland denied it up until his death in an English prison at 70 years of age in 2009.
Earlier this year, Meehan was moved to an ‘independent living unit’ on the grounds of Shelton Abbey Prison in Co Wicklow, and enjoys day releases, ahead of a potential full release from jail.
As our exclusive photograph shows, he has also been allowed out of the open prison to attend training courses as well as for social meetings, and visited the home of his elderly parents last week.
The move into an independent living unit is seen as another step closer to freedom for Meehan, who has enjoyed playing golf since entering Shelton Abbey in 2021. In 2017, Meehan lost a final appeal to overturn his conviction.
Meehan’s case is believed to be coming before the Irish Parole Board soon, and Ms Guerin’s brother Jimmy was asked if he wanted to make a statement, but declined.
Mr Guerin, who is an independent councillor on Fingal County Council, told the Sunday Independent in May that he ‘didn’t want to get into that process’.
‘We went through this two years ago,’ he said. ‘The Parole Board considered Brian Meehan’s release and it was declined.
‘He still has to go before the Parole Board again. I have never submitted a statement to them before and I won’t. It is a matter for them whether he is deemed eligible for release under licence, as a convicted murderer.’
He said the family’s situation would be no different from other relatives bereaved by murderers.
‘His possible release is something I have no control over.
‘In a way, it would be no more difficult than when John Gilligan was released [on drug trafficking charges in 2013].
‘My sister will be dead 30 years next year. Every time there is a serious crime, her name is brought up, so there are constant reminders.’
The public reaction to Guerin’s killing was instant and furious. More than 1,000 people attended her funeral. The Irish government, facing immense pressure, enacted emergency legislation to strengthen the powers of the Criminal Assets Bureau (CAB), a newly formed agency designed to strip criminals of their ill-gotten wealth.
Homes, cars, racehorses, and foreign bank accounts linked to Gilligan and his associates were frozen or seized. The State finally turned its full force against organised crime.
In the months that followed, the Garda铆 (Irish police) launched Operation Oak, a massive investigation into Guerin’s murder and the activities of the Gilligan gang. A breakthrough came when Garda铆 found the abandoned motorbike used in the assassination. Forensic evidence linked the bike to Meehan.
Meehan, a small-time criminal turned trusted hitman, was a key enforcer in Gilligan’s gang. He was known for his aggression and loyalty鈥攓ualities that, in the brutal calculus of gangland life, made him an ideal candidate for such a hit.
He had previously worked as a car thief and getaway driver and had been involved in countless acts of intimidation and violence on behalf of the gang.