Eddie Lyons Jnr spent decades at the heart of Glasgow’s underworld before he was gunned down in the Costa del Sol alongside his closest associate Ross Monaghan.
The senior Lyons clan figure was shot dead aged 46 outside Monaghan’s Irish bar in Fuengirola on May 31 last year as tourists and expats watched on in horror after the Champions League final. A masked gunman opened fire outside the pub before storming inside and chasing Monaghan through the boozer.
Lyons died at the scene after being blasted in the chest while Monaghan was shot multiple times inside the bar.
The murder marked a bloody end for one of the most recognisable members of the notorious Lyons crime family. The organisation was born from the streets of Milton in north Glasgow and expanded into an international criminal empire.
Eddie Lyons Jnr was raised in the north of the city, as his dad Eddie Snr took over the management of the Chirnsyde Community Initiative youth club in 1991. Alongside brother Steven and best pal Ross Monaghan, he became part of the “Club Boys” gang based out of the centre.
The Club Boys gained a fearsome reputation across Glasgow during the late 1990s and early 2000s as violence and drug dealing became intertwined with the bitter feud between the Lyons and rival Daniels clan.
View 6 ImagesEddie Lyons jnr and Ross Monaghan(Image: Daily Record)
Over time, Lyons Jnr became one of the family’s most trusted figures while brother Steven later relocated abroad as the organisation expanded operations to Spain and Dubai.
But gangland life repeatedly caught up with Lyons. In 2006 he survived an assassination attempt after being shot by Daniels enforcer Kevin “Gerbil” Carroll. Six years later he was targeted again when a gunman blasted him in the stomach outside his home in Cumbernauld. He survived both attacks.
Despite the repeated attempts on his life, Lyons remained a prominent figure within the underworld and continued to move in the same close-knit circle as Monaghan and other senior associates.
View 6 ImagesKevin ‘Gerbil’ Carroll(Image: SWNS.com)
In 2017, Lyons and Monaghan stood trial alongside Andrew Gallacher and Liam Boyle over a violent disturbance outside the Campsie Bar in Bishopbriggs. Three men were left seriously injured in the attack, including one victim who suffered a torn ear and facial injuries.
However, the case collapsed after prosecutors withdrew proceedings citing flawed identification evidence and all four men walked free.
Away from a life of crime, Lyons was known among pals as a keen golfer and long-standing member of Dullatur Golf Club near Cumbernauld. Club members described him as a familiar face within the golfing community and flags flew at half mast following his death.
View 6 ImagesEddie Lyons Jnr was a keen golfer and kept a low profile at Dullater Golf Club
He had travelled to Spain with golf pals on the ill-fated trip that ended in his death. The group had arranged to watch the Champions League final at Monaghan’s beachfront Irish pub in Fuengirola before the gunman struck.
Harrowing footage later emerged showing Lyons lying mortally wounded outside the bar as horrified bystanders desperately tried to save him.
Inside the pub, CCTV captured Monaghan attempting to flee from the attacker before collapsing to the floor after being shot several times.
View 6 ImagesMonaghans Bar in Feungirola, Spain where double murder took place(Image: Daily Record)
The double execution sent shockwaves through Scotland’s criminal underworld and intensified fears surrounding the escalating gang war linked to rival organised crime groups.
Spanish police described the killings as a targeted professional hit and later arrested Liverpool man Michael Riley in connection with the murders following an international manhunt. He remains in Spain awaiting trial.
Lyons and Monaghan were laid to rest together at Bishopbriggs Crematorium in July last year as hundreds of mourners, including gangland figures, friends and family members, gathered to pay tribute.
View 6 ImagesA “guard of honour” was held for the gangsters(Image: Alasdair MacLeod/Daily Record
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A eulogy delivered during the service described the pair as “sons, brothers, husbands, dads, cousins and loyal friends” as the curtain came down on two of the most infamous figures associated with the Lyons crime clan.
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