The Kinahans

About The Kinahans

*** Following the sentencing of Cartel lieutenant Sean McGovern to 24 years in jail, the family of Noel Kirwan speak exclusively to the Kinahans Downfall podcast. Two brand new episodes are released on June 9th and June 11th *** In February 2016, a hit-team of 6 men burst through the doors of a boxing weigh-in at Dublin's Regency Hotel. There, a Kinahan Cartel lieutenant named David Byrne, was shot point blank in the head. The attack took place in front of a room packed full of sportspeople, media and civilians including young children. From that moment on, Irish gangland would never be the same again. The Kinahan's is a new true crime series from The Irish Sun telling the complete story of Ireland's most feared crime family. The podcast looks at how a middle class man and his two sons from Dublin, became Europes biggest drugs cartel. We also look at what comes next for the cartel, as they continue to evade The FBI, An Garda Síochána, Interpol and a number of other police services globally. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

The Irish Sun

Category

news · society & culture · true crime

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

24 Apr 2023

Latest episode

10 Jun 2026

Latest episodes

10 of 30 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   10 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   Downfall | 12

   Donna and Kristopher Kirwan discuss the police work that led to Sean McGovern's conviction and their hope for justice for their father's murder in this interview.

2. 

   8 Jun 2026TRANSCRIPT

   They Murdered Our Dad | 11

   Donna and Kristopher Kirwan share their harrowing story of their father's murder by the Kinahan Cartel and their subsequent fight for survival in this interview.

3. 

   6 Apr 2026TRANSCRIPT

   New listen: Nobody Heard Them Cry

   In 1992, Frank McCann tried to kill his wife and child four times to keep a dark secret from coming out. The swim coach had secretly fathered a child with a special needs teenager in 1987, just months after marrying Esther O’Brien. With Esther on the brink of discovering the truth and after repeated efforts to kill her, he burned her and their 18-month-old foster baby Jessica to death. And now, to the horror of those left behind, the remorseless former publican stands on the brink of a permanent release from prison. Nobody Heard Them Cry is the extraordinary story of a woman and her child who had no idea that their Dublin home had become for them the most dangerous place on earth. How Esther’s determination to adopt Jessica unwittingly dug up the bones of McCann’s sordid past. And how her supposedly respectable husband was willing to do anything to keep it buried. It’s also the story of two family’s desire to keep the unrepentant killer - currently enjoying freedom most days from prison - locked up. With contributions from Esther’s sister Marian Leonard, McCann’s brother Bernard and gardai, the Irish Sun’s Deep Dive team also come face to face with the beast who has spent over 30 years behind bars. The three episode series is narrated by Nicola Bardon. Hear it here: https://open.spotify.com/show/7xAbbmH35Y1faFXWXJYTyt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Inside a recent episode

Downfall | 12

Published 10 Jun 2026 · Transcript excerpt

[…] The media was full of stories for years about the imminent threat to his freedom. He had to be aware that there had been a sea change in the attitude of the authorities in Dubai in the sense that we saw the arrest of Sean McGovern and his subsequent extradition to Ireland. […]

Who has been a guest on The Kinahans

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Donna
• Kristopher
• Donna Kirwan
• Kristopher Kirwan

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

90 ratings

Spotify

4.9 / 5

2,302 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 42 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

45

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

98

Contact The Kinahans

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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  Shattered Lives

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  Nobody Heard Them Cry

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  Ireland Crimes and Mysteries

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