The Regency Hotel shooting location

This is the location where the Regency Hotel shooting took place.

It is situated at 9 Swords Road in Whitehall, Dublin. The property was renamed the Bonnington Hotel in October 2017.

The incident sparked a violent feud between the Hutch gang and the Kinahan cartel. The conflict had reportedly started two years earlier after the Kinahans murdered Gary Hutch, the nephew of Gerry "The Monk" Hutch.

Hutch-Kinahan feud

Gary Hutch, who previously worked for the Kinahan cartel, was shot and killed at his apartment complex in Marbella, Spain, on September 25, 2015.

Gangland sources said Gary fell out of favor with the Kinahans after he began working alongside a rival organization from England. Members of the cartel also suspected he was an informant.

Investigators believe Gary attempted to orchestrate the murder of Daniel Kinahan in August 2014, but the attack failed when the gunman shot the wrong target. Following the attempt, the Hutch gang tried to save Gary's life by paying the Kinahans €200,000 in cash. However, the cartel reportedly demanded another €200,000 before reneging on the agreement.

After his nephew's murder, Gerry "The Monk" Hutch also became a target. On New Year's Eve 2015, he survived an attempt on his life in Lanzarote. Hutch was drinking in a pub when two hitmen entered, but he recognized them immediately and escaped via a side exit.

The shooting

On February 5, 2016, several associates of the Kinahan cartel attended a boxing weigh-in at the hotel for a lightweight title fight between Jamie Kavanagh and Antonio João Bento. During the weigh-in, a group of armed men arrived at the entrance.

CCTV footage captured the gunmen entering the foyer armed with AK-47 assault rifles. Three of the men were disguised as members of the Garda Emergency Response Unit, while a fourth was dressed as a woman. A fifth member of the gang wore a flat cap.

Authorities believe the gang intended to retaliate against the Kinahan cartel for the 2015 murder of Gary Hutch. When the gunmen entered the lobby, Kinahan associate David Byrne initially ran, but then stopped for a moment to assess the situation. Seconds later, one of the gunmen recognized Byrne and opened fire, killing him instantly.

Panic and escape

When the gunfire erupted, cartel members and panicked boxing fans ran toward the nearest exits. At the time, many believed it was a terrorist attack.

Crime boss Daniel Kinahan, who investigators believe was the primary target, was among those who fled. He survived by exiting the function room through an emergency door, running up a flight of stairs, and climbing onto a small roof at the rear of the hotel.

During the attack, one of the shooters reportedly shouted, "He's not f-cking here. I can't f-cking find him!" It is believed this comment referred to Kinahan. After failing to locate their target, the men left the hotel, entered a van, and fled the scene.

Aftermath and rebranding

The attack received worldwide news coverage, and footage of people scrambling for the exits went viral.

Fifteen men were killed in separate shootings in the two years that followed. Most were associates of Gerry "The Monk" Hutch, who went into hiding. Although Hutch was eventually extradited from Spain and charged with Byrne's murder, he was found not guilty in April 2023.

The hotel was rebranded as the Bonnington a year and a half after the incident.

Because Dublin hotels remain in high demand, sales did not decrease. Although the owners had already planned to rebrand the property, the shooting accelerated the process.