A murder investigation is under way after the body of a man was found next to a burning car on a quiet country lane just off a motorway.

It is believed the man had been shot in the head and chest, and police are investigating whether the incident is linked to a criminal feud.

Officers were called to reports of a car on fire just yards from the Dublin to Belfast M1 motorway, in Balbriggan in Co Dublin in Ireland, at around 11.20pm on Tuesday.

When they arrived they discovered the man's body with apparent gunshot wounds and launched a murder investigation, Dublin Live reports.

The body remained at the scene early on Wednesday morning as forensic officers carried out an investigation.

It is believed the man had been shot in the head and chest on a quiet country lane, the Irish Independent reported.

Gardai have appealed for anyone with information or anyone who may have witnessed the incident to come forward.

A spokesman said: "Gardai at Balbriggan, Co Dublin are investigating a fatal shooting incident which occurred at Rowans Little, Walshstown, Balbriggan, Co Dublin at approximately 11.20pm last night, Tuesday May 21 May 2019.

"Gardai and emergency services were alerted to a car on fire at the above location and discovered a male, age unknown, with apparent gunshot wounds beside the car.

"The body of the man remains at the scene and the area is currently preserved pending an examination by Garda Crime Scene Examiners. </s> A young man shot dead in north Dublin has been named locally as Sean Little (22).

A young man shot dead in north Dublin has been named locally as Sean Little (22).

Pictured: Man (22) shot dead in Dublin and found next to burning car is named locally

Little was found dead next to a burning car after being shot multiple times at a laneway located at Rowan's Little, Walshestown, near Junction 5 on the M1 in Co Dublin.

Detectives are probing if Little - who is from the Coolock area of the city - travelled to the location of the shooting in his own car as part of a deadly set-up.

He was found dead beside the burning car overnight and is known to gardai through his involvement in organised crime.

Despite being known to gardai the man did not have any serious criminal convictions.

It's understood the man was a juvenile offender and had one conviction as an adult for a road traffic offence.

Little had links to the Kinahan crime cartel and the ‘Mr Flashy’ gang who have been involved in a signifciant Finglas feud.

He is suspected of being a main player in the drug scene on the northside of the capital for the past 18 months.

He was a close pal of drug dealer Zach Parker (23) who was shot dead in Swords last January in an unsolved case.

Gardai in Balbriggan are investigating, but no arrests have been made as of yet.

The victim is believed to have been shot in the head and the chest.

A forensic examination is still being carried out with the scene sealed off.

Gardai were informed of the incident shortly before midnight, and the emergency services rushed to the scene.

The car was a 161 D Opel Insignia, and it was extinguished by a unit from the Dublin Fire Brigade.

"Gardaí at Balbriggan Co Dublin are investigating a fatal shooting incident which occurred at Rowans Little, Walshstown, Balbriggan, Co Dublin at approximately 11.20pm last night," a spokesman said.

"Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to a car on fire at the above location and discovered a male (age unknown) with apparent gunshot wounds beside the car. </s> The man shot dead in a gangland attack in north Co Dublin late on Tuesday night has been named as Sean Little.

He was a 22-year-old with no criminal convictions from Kilbarron Ave, Kilbarrack, north Dublin. He was shot dead on a back road that leads from Walshestown in north Co Dublin to the M1.

He had driven on Tuesday night to a remote location, between exit five of the M1 and Walshestown, in a black Vauxhall Insignia he had recently imported from the UK and re-registered in the Republic.

Gardaí believe he was lured to the location where he was killed on the pretence of meeting somebody he knew and trusted. He was standing on the road beside his car when he was shot in the head and chest.

His killer then set his car on fire, with a member of the public calling Dublin Fire Brigade when they saw the fire.

When the emergency services arrived on the scene, they found the car on fire and Mr Little’s remains on the road. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

While the victim, who is from Coolock in north Dublin, had not been convicted of any crimes, he had been very closely associated with known gangland criminals.

Last week in Donaghmede, north Dublin, an effort was made to shoot a man as part of the Drogheda gangland feud. The victim of Tuesday night’s shooting was close to the suspects of that botched attack.

He was also close to people centrally involved in the Kinahan-Hutch feud. He had a strong social relationship with a man in his 20s who is close to Liam Byrne (38), the Kinahan cartel’s key leader in Dublin for almost a decade.

Sources said the victim had been the subject of a number of stops and searches by gardaí and had been found to be wearing a bulletproof vest.

Gardaí are working on the theory he had driven to the spot where he was found to meet somebody he knew and trusted. They believe he was standing outside his car on the roadway when he was shot.

His killer or killers then set his Opel Insignia alight in a bid to destroy forensic evidence.

The scene was sealed off and remained secured by gardaí overnight. The body was left in situ pending the arrival of a pathologist.

The man’s remains were removed in an ambulance early on Wednesday morning to the Mater hospital for a postmortem.

The scene is undergoing a forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.

Supt Tony Twomey, who is based in Balbriggan, said the Garda was alerted to the attack when a member of the public contacted Dublin Fire Brigade at about 11pm. When they arrived they found the dead man’s car ablaze and his remains in the road.

He added the victim had a wound to the head and chest, though he did not confirm those were gunshot wounds.

Other sources said the post mortem was expected to show they were gunshot wounds and that the man may have been beaten before being shot dead.

Supt Twomey said the dead man had been driving a black imported Vauxhall Insignia, registration 181 D 46703.

He added gardaí wanted to speak to anyone who may have seen the car or recorded it dashcam footage any time between 10pm and midnight.

And gardaí were also seeking any dashcam footage from motorists who were on the M1 around the time of the murder and immediately after it.

The location where the body and burning car were found is close to the top of the off ramp at exit five on the M1 on the road to Walshetown.

“We are in the early stages of the investigation and we can’t quite say what is behind this,” Supt Twomey told the media close to the crime scene.

Anybody who may have witnessed any suspicious activity around the scene or who may have information about the murder is asked to contact Balbriggan Garda station on 01- 802 0510, the Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111, or any Garda station. </s> A man was shot dead in an apparent gangland attack in north Co Dublin late on Tuesday night.

The man’s body was found near a burning car at about 11.20pm at Rowans Little, Walshtown, Co Dublin, near the M1 motorrway.

One line of inquiry being explore is that the man’s fatal shooting is linked to the worsening gangland feud in Drogheda, Co Louth.

If a link is confirmed it would be the first murder in the feud, which began last July when a man was shot and paralysed.

A series of non-fatal shootings and petrol bombings has continued since then, with almost 80 feud-related incidents recorded by the Garda in the past 10 months.

There were fears the recent release from prison of a leading player in the feud would exacerbate the violence.

As well as the Drogheda feud, a gangland feud is also under way in west Dublin involving three gangs from Blanchardstown and Finglas. And as the scene of Tuesday night’s discovery is not far from west Dublin, that feud has also not be ruled out.

Shots were fired towards a car in Mulhuddart late on Tuesday night. Though nobody was injured in that attack, it was being linked to the worsening feud in west Dublin.

The victim of Tuesday night’s fatal shooting in north Co Dublin was found on the road beside the Opel Insignia car that was set on fire on what is a link road to the M1.

The scene was sealed off. It remained secured overnight, watched over by a number of gardai.

The body was left in situ overnight pending the arrival of a pathologist on Wednesday morning.

The man’s remains were expected to be removed for post-mortem early on Wednesday, while the scene was also set to undergo a forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.

“Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to a car on fire at the above location and discovered a male with apparent gunshot wounds beside the car,” a Garda statement said.

“The body of the man remains at the scene and the area is currently preserved pending an examination by Garda Crime Scene Examiners. Diversions are in place.”

Anybody who may have witnessed any suspicious activity around the scene or who may have information about the murder was asked to contact Balbriggan Garda station on 01- 802 0510, the Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111 or any Garda station. </s> The man shot dead in a gangland attack in north Co Dublin late on Tuesday night was a 22-year-old with no criminal convictions.

His body was found lying near a burning car at about 11.20pm at Rowans Little, Walshtown, Co Dublin, a link road to the M1.

While the victim, who is from Coolock in north Dublin, had not been convicted of any crimes, he had been very closely associated with known gangland criminals.

Last week in Donaghmede, north Dublin, an effort was made to shoot a man as part of the Drogheda gangland feud. The victim of Tuesday night’s shooting was close to the suspects of that botched attack.

He was also close to people centrally involved in the Kinahan-Hutch feud. He had a strong social relationship with a man in his 20s who is close to Liam Byrne (38), the Kinahan cartel’s key leader in Dublin for almost a decade.

Sources said the victim had been the subject of a number of stops and searches by gardaí and had been found to be wearing a bulletproof vest.

Gardaí are working on the theory he had driven to the spot where he was found to meet somebody he knew and trusted. They believe he was standing outside his car on the roadway when he was shot.

His killer or killers then set his Opel Insignia alight in a bid to destroy forensic evidence.

The scene was sealed off and remained secured by gardaí overnight. The body was left in situ pending the arrival of a pathologist.

The man’s remains were removed in an ambulance early on Wednesday morning to the Mater hospital for a postmortem.

The scene is undergoing a forensic examination by members of the Garda Technical Bureau.

“Gardaí and emergency services were alerted to a car on fire at the above location and discovered a male with apparent gunshot wounds beside the car,” a Garda statement said early on Tuesday.

“The body of the man remains at the scene and the area is currently preserved pending an examination by Garda Crime Scene Examiners. Diversions are in place.”

Anybody who may have witnessed any suspicious activity around the scene or who may have information about the murder is asked to contact Balbriggan Garda station on 01- 802 0510, the Garda Confidential Line 1 800 666 111, or any Garda station. </s> A man in his 20s has died following a shooting in Darndale, north Dublin. The attack occurred on Marigold Road at about 4pm on Wednesday.

There were grave fears for the victim’s life immediately after the attack occurred and he was pronounced dead a short time later.

Gardaí say the killing has all the hallmarks of a gangland attack and are exploring links to the drugs trade.

The scene of the shooting has been sealed off and the Garda has deployed all the resources of a murder investigation to the inquiry.

Gardaí in Coolock Garda station are carrying out the investigation into the killing of the man, who was believed to be local and in his early 20s.

The shooting follows the murder of a 22-year-old Dublin man whose body was found near Walshetown in north Co Dublin late on Tuesday night. </s> A man has died after a shooting in Dublin - the second in less than 24 hours.

The incident is understood to have taken place in the Marigold Road area of Darndale shortly after 4pm.

It is understood that the victim, who is in his early 20s, was shot multiple times and died at the scene.

The shooting comes just after the body of Sean Little was found beside a burning car at Rowans Little, Walshestown, Balbriggan.

His body was removed from the scene of the fatal shooting this afternoon.

It is understood that Mr Little, who was found beside the car, was shot once in the head and once in the chest.

A garda spokesman said: "Gardaí are at the scene of shooting incident that occurred at approximately 4pm on 22/5/19, in the Marigold Road area Darndale. Further details will be issued in due course."

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We're also on Facebook/irishmirror - your must-see news, features, videos and pictures throughout the day from the Irish Daily Mirror, Irish Sunday Mirror and irishmirror.ie. </s> Update 5.01pm: A man has died after being shot dead in North Dublin.

It is the second fatal shooting to take place in the capital in under 24 hours.

The Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has released a statement condemning the recent Dublin shootings.

He said: "I utterly condemn any violent loss of life and I am extremely concerned about the three shooting incidents that took place in Balbriggan, Mulhuddart and Darndale in the past 24 hours.

"An Garda Síochána are now conducting full enquiries into the circumstances surrounding these incidents and I would appeal to anyone who has information which could help to please come forward to them as soon as possible.

"Any information, no matter how small, could play a vital part in bringing the perpetrators of these acts to justice. Gardaí can be contacted anonymously by using the Garda Confidential Line on Tel: 1800 666 111."

Earlier: Gardaí at scene of shooting in Dublin

Gardaí are at the scene of a shooting incident in Dublin.

The shooting happened at around 4pm on the Marigold Road area of Darndale.

It is reported that a man is in a critical condition following the shooting. </s> Update 7.38pm: Gardaí are appealing for witnesses in relation to the fatal shooting in Dublin this afternoon.

Officers have said the man in his 20s was shot a number of times in a laneway next to Our Lady Immaculate National School in Darndale, Dublin 17, at around 4pm.

He was later pronounced dead at the scene.

Gardaí are appealing for anyone who was in the area shortly before 4pm to contact them in Coolock Garda Station on 01 666 4200, the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111, or any Garda Station.

Update 5.01pm: A man in his 20s has died after being shot dead in the grounds of a church in North Dublin.

His body is still at the scene, which is also near a primary school, as forensic officers carry out an examination.

It is the second fatal shooting to take place in the capital in under 24 hours.

This afternoon's gun attack took place in the grounds of the Church of Our Lady Immaculate in Darndale.

The Minister for Justice Charlie Flanagan has released a statement condemning the recent Dublin shootings.

He said: "I utterly condemn any violent loss of life and I am extremely concerned about the three shooting incidents that took place in Balbriggan, Mulhuddart and Darndale in the past 24 hours.

"An Garda Síochána are now conducting full enquiries into the circumstances surrounding these incidents and I would appeal to anyone who has information which could help to please come forward to them as soon as possible.

"Any information, no matter how small, could play a vital part in bringing the perpetrators of these acts to justice. Gardaí can be contacted anonymously by using the Garda Confidential Line on Tel: 1800 666 111."

Earlier: Gardaí at scene of shooting in Dublin

Gardaí are at the scene of a shooting incident in Dublin.

The shooting happened at around 4pm on the Marigold Road area of Darndale.

It is reported that a man is in a critical condition following the shooting.
A man is shot dead and his car set alight in Walshestown near Balbriggan, Dublin. It is believed the shooting is linked to the 2015–19 Irish gangland feud.