Posted by Updated / Monday, 16 Feb 2026 16:06
Eastern Correspondent
A former assistant garda commissioner has said a play that focuses on Gerard Hutch could be difficult for victims of organised crime.
The play which centres around Hutch’s recent trial at the Special Criminal Court, opens in Dublin this evening.
However, some have expressed concern about the impact the play could have on victims of organised crime.
Former assistant garda commissioner Pat Leahy said it is not unique for a play to deal with a figure like Hutch, but that he is concerned about the wider portrayal of the man known as ‘The Monk’ as he makes a second election attempt.
“Anybody who has been touched by gangland crime is going to look at this, and you’d have to expect that you’re going to be looking at this and feel like that they’re being exploited, and their grief has been exploited, and that people are looking at this like at all, in a way in which they shouldn’t look at it. Like it is criminality, and there’s no such thing as a good criminal. Criminals exploit the vulnerabilities in communities and in society as a whole, they exploit individuals, so there’s no such thing as a good criminal,” he said.
“I think we’ve seen this before. I think we saw it a little bit with Martin Cahill, when he was out and about engaging in his criminality, and people kind of saw him as a type of Robin Hood figure. And I think they’ve done the same now with Gerry Hutch.
“I suppose my perception in relation to this is we have to look at the geopolitical environment now, which really gives us all the evidence that we need to rationalise what’s happening here and what potentially can happen.
“All of the evidence is there enough to suggest that the people are going to public office need to be the right calibre of the person, with the right driving forces behind them, and that they’re going to deliver what communities need, not what the individuals need. The Special Criminal Court came out and clearly stated what his position was in organised crime, so we can be under no illusions of who we’re dealing with.”
Meanwhile, the producer of ‘The Monk’ said the play is provocative and challenging.
Written, produced and performed by Rex Ryan, son of the late RTÉ broadcaster Gerry Ryan, the show in Dublin’s Ambassador Theatre has the support of the controversial figure who appeared at a publicity event for the play last week.
During that event, Hutch refused to answer questions about criminality. Mr Ryan said the play is not intended to glamorise crime, and he is astounded by how much attention it is receiving.
“It is provocative and it does spark conversations, but it’s certainly not my intention to be disingenuous or to hurt anybody. What I’m actually trying to do is I’m trying to bring people together and maybe not start a conversation, but at least make people feel something about it, but certainly not glamorise and certainly not, I don’t take it lightly.”
“The spark was the terrible gang feud that happened in Dublin. I was astounded and shocked that something like that could happen in our city. So, I ended up meeting Gerry, and Gerry ended up being the vehicle to tell what I think is a Dublin story.
“I’m trying to get at a lot of different things with this story, but it ended up being the story of a man who grew up in a place known as the Cage in the 60s, and it takes in all of that social, political circumstances of the time of the 60s right up until the present day, of all the different various things that Gerard Hutch went through.
“So, it takes place in his mind, and it’s like a snapshot of his life, and also a snapshot of Ireland through those years. It’s dealing with some difficult topics, its a piece of historical fiction based on facts.”
He added: “It is controversial, and it’s a provocative piece as well, but it’s also funny, I hope. I’m biased, of course, I wrote it, I think it’s funny, I think it’s – it’s hopeful. He hasn’t said too much to me, but he has seen it, and he found it really challenging; he was also touched by it.
“I’m astounded a piece of new writing has garnered so much attention, that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to do for the last 10 years with all the new writing I’ve worked in. So, I’m mostly appreciative of all the attention. I’ve noticed that the people are really surprised, whether they were for or against the man or the general story, they have their own opinions, they come out afterwards, and they’re surprised, and we talk in a different way than we would have had they not seen the play, and that’s all I can ask.”
At the publicity event for ‘The Monk’ last week, Hutch also confirmed his intention to run in the Dublin Central by-election that is due to take place in May, the constituency where he came close to taking a seat in the last general election.
The play opens at the Ambassador Theatre in Dublin tonight and runs until Saturday.
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