Crime World: Top 10 most listened-to episodes of Nicola Tallant’s hit podcast in 2022

Covering a broad range of topics such as drugs, serial killers, gangs, murder and the law, the podcast has delved into many of 2022’s biggest stories.

During the year, Nicola Tallant brought behind the scenes of the downfall of the Kinahans, the murder of James Whelan and the dramatic aftermath, and most recently the Regency Murder trial which has seen Jonathan Dowdall turn state witness as one of Ireland’s most notorious gangsters, Gerard ‘The Hutch’ Monk faces trial.

But some stories in particular reached our listeners in their droves. Here are the top 10 episodes of Crime World from 2022.

110: Mr Flashy and Dublin’s dirty gang war

When drug dealer James Whelan was gunned down in Finglas, north Dublin in April, gardai braced themselves for an explosion of violence and tit-for-tat attacks. Following the incident, the home of Whelan’s mother, Sonya, has been firebombed amidst 70 violent incidents linked to the feuding gangs, many of which are flagged on social media postings.

But is the Finglas feud the future of gangland wars or is it part of the fallout of the collapse of the Kinahan empire where the so-called ‘Flashy’ gang once held a prominent position of power?

118: The rise of ‘The Gypsy King’ and his links to Daniel Kinahan

He's the world heavyweight boxing champ who was been refused entry to the US as a result of sanctions levelled against the Kinahan Organised Crime Group. So, just what are Tyson Fury's links to mob boss Daniel Kinahan and how far back does the relationship go back?

Will the travel ban implemented against Fury and other associates of the Irish mafia chief affect their boxing careers and future prospects?

161: The dramatic new evidence that halted the murder trial of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch

The trial of Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch for the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel was been put back for a few weeks after dramatic developments in the Special Criminal Court.

In October, Hutch stepped into the dock hours after the court heard his neighbour and lifelong family friend Jonathan Dowdall had turned State witness against him.

During his sentence hearing for the lesser charge of facilitating the Regency attack, evidence was heard of how Dowdall is set to enter the Witness Protection Programme after giving a lengthy statement to gardai.

113: ‘The Lifers’ behind bars in Irish prisons

They are the killers and rapists deemed so dangerous that they are serving life sentences behind bars. But what does life mean in Ireland, and while the sentence is mandatory in murder cases, how does a sex offender reach the maximum term lock-up?

In this episode, Nicola Tallant talks to journalist Eamon Dillon about the 350 prisoners doing life behind bars - about the gangland triggermen on the promise of blood money who found themselves counting the cost of their chosen career, about the evil rapists whose crimes abhorred society and about the parole board and what it will mean for those looking for early release.

Crime World Long Read: The twisted secrets of sadistic killer Graham Dwyer

He’s one of Ireland’s most sinister and twisted killers who groomed his vulnerable victim and gave her take a starring role in her own murder.

In this two-part Crime World special, written by Niamh O'Connor, Crime World looks back on the gruesome details of Graham Dwyer's relationship with Elaine O'Hara, and her tragic, brutal killing.

Listen to the text messages that passed between the pair in the days before Elaine’s death, and get a glimpse of the sickening bloodlust hidden inside this seemingly ordinary family man.

And we learn how, over a year after her death, a series of miracles would lead police to Elaine O'Hara's body — and her killer.

The story of Graham Dwyer and Elaine O'Hara is a shocking one, so, if you're squeamish, this episode isn't one for you. And it definitely isn't one for a younger audience, so be mindful where you listen to it.

133: What’s next for Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch after his failed bid for freedom?

Throughout his life he was known as the greatest gangland player of all – a criminal who worked the system and always appeared to win.

Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch is behind bars and after his final bid to stop his trial for the murder of David Byrne at the Regency Hotel failed.

Like a chess player, he is now facing the greatest game of his life and one which will set out the course of his future.

So what will The Monk do next?

Crime World Long Read: Thomas ‘Bomber’ Kavanagh - from low-level drug dealer to Ireland’s most feared mob boss

When the Criminal Assets Bureau was set up in 1996 after the brutal murder of journalist Veronica Guerin, Thomas 'Bomber' Kavanagh was its first target.

A known drug dealer with a string of convictions, Bomber was then running a lucrative business along with his cousin Gerard ‘Hatchet’ Kavanagh. They were dealing whatever they could get their hands on and making a pretty penny as a result.

Hatchet would be shot dead in Marbella in 2014, a hit understood to have been sanctioned by Kavanagh and organised by his then business partner, Daniel Kinahan.

But when David Byrne took a bullet meant for Daniel at the Regency Hotel in February 2016 — it changed everything and cemented a blood bond between Kinahan and Kavanagh that would set them in the sights of international law enforcement.

In this Crime World special, we reveal the rise and spectacular fall of Bomber's empire and why he became one of Ireland's most-feared mob bosses.

102: The life and crimes of Kinahan cartel crony Johnny ‘Cash’ Morrissey

For years flash Johnny Morrissey has been splashing his cash on the Costa del Crime, where his luxury villa is a monument to the Roman Emperor Nero. Larger than life, Morrissey thought he was untouchable - but now that he has been named as the Kinahan mafia’s Costa enforcer and sanctioned by U.S. for laundering dirty money, the vodka boss has been running for cover.

But Morrissey is no newcomer to the underworld scene and he has run away before, including from a fishing village in rural Ireland where he tried to land shipments of cocaine on the Cork coastline.

137: The brutal murder of Mountjoy prisoner Robert O’Connor

The murder of Robbie O’Connor behind the walls of Mountjoy Jail in August was a shocking and rare killing of an inmate in the Irish Prison System.

Lured to a cell by his attackers and fatally injured in a matter of seconds, his brutal death is a reminder of the highly dangerous and volatile atmosphere that exists at all times in our jails.

131: The life and crimes of Kinahan hitman Imre Arakas

A survivor of the Cold War and of the notorious Russian Gulags, Imre Arakas was an international hitman who washed up on our shores like a character dreamed up in a work of fiction.

His paymaster for this trip was Daniel Kinahan, the son of Christy Kinahan Snr and director general of the Irish mafia on the Costa Del Sol where Arakas lived. He’d worked for them before and he’d always been paid swiftly and efficiently on completion of a job.

He’d flown into Dublin with a tent, a little camping stove, fishing rods and binoculars, looking every bit the nature lover who enjoyed holidays in the great outdoors. Despite his celebrity as an international hitman for hire, Arakas was confident that nobody would know him in Ireland and that he could pass off as a tourist. It didn’t quite work out like that though. This is his story.

All episodes of Crime World are available to listen to now, wherever you get your podcasts.