Nicola Tallent

Former Limerick mob boss Red Larry McCarthy has lost a court bid for free legal aid so he can fight the Criminal Assets Bureau attempts to seize two properties they've identified as the proceeds of crime.

McCarthy, who is currently in the same prison wing as his cousin Wayne Dundon, has told a court he wants to go straight and has moved away from Limerick crime to live in Donegal.

However, says Eamonn Dillon, his past has a habit of catching up with him.

You're listening to Crime World, a podcast from crimeworld.com.

We were just trying to remind ourselves, Eamon, did Red Larry McCarthy, who was a kind of a crime boss from Limerick, he's in jail at the moment for his role in attempting to shoot Christy Keene and was a significant player during the years of the feuding in Limerick.

But he did tell a court that he was hoping to go straight or wanting to go or had gone straight, was turning his back on organised crime and was moved up to the north west of the country.

But I think he certainly was.

I mean, there was...

from what I knew anyway, there was truth in that.

He was living up in Donegal and they were trying to separate themselves from Limerick.

And he had sort of maybe reached that famous age when people want to turn their back on it.

They're fed up.

They're, you know, war weary nearly.

But unfortunately, his past has a way of creeping up on him.

He's in Portleish prison now.

He's put on the landing with his cousin, Wayne Dundon.

And

probably not ideal if you're trying to stay away from crime.

Nonetheless, they know one another all these years.

And now the Criminal Assets Bureau are coming after a couple of properties they say are his and they say are the proceeds of crime.