Bray hit-man Boyle subject of assassin documentary
THE final episode of TV3’s ‘Assassins: Ireland’s Contract Killers’ will look at Michael Boyle from Bray tonight ( Wednesday) at 9 p.m.
Michael Boyle was an ex-Republican terrorist, bank robber and kidnapper before becoming an assassin.
He came from a respectable background but associated with known criminals. He was a native of Scott Park and a past-pupil of Presentation College. Boyle’s father was a Sargent in the Irish Army and his mother a legal secretary.
In each episode investigative journalist Donal MacIntyre and leading criminologist Professor David Wilson examine a notorious assassin - What are their backgrounds? What motivates them - money, payback or the thrill of the chase? And how does this bloody business affect society as a whole?
He was caught red-handed by British police whilst carrying out a hit on an intended target. He was acting under instructions from an Irish Godfather who feared that criminal rival Anthony Brindle was damaging the expansion of his drug-trafficking empire.
Boyle travelled from Dublin to London at least six times in furtherance of the plan. During his trial it emerged that Boyle was a police informant and shared valuable information with An Garda Siochana about high-level criminals including George Mitchell.
He began robbing before progressing to extortion and kidnapping before progressing to a professional hit-man.
He came from a respectable background but associated with known criminals. Whilst in prison for aggravated burglary he was recruited by the INLA. What lies behind the multiple contradictions of hit-man Mickey Boyle? Why did he turn informant & tell the police he was intending to kill someone?
David and Donal attempt to understand the motivations and contradictions of ultimately bungling hit-man Mickey Boyle.