Martin Foley

Martin "The Viper" Foley (born 24 November 1952) is an Irish criminal. He rose from petty crime to become an associate of Martin Cahill. Foley has 40 convictions, and is considered a key figure in the McCormack-Foley crime family from Crumlin, Dublin. He has had several attempts on his life including being shot on five occasions, most recently on 26 January 2008. Foley was shot a number of times outside the Carlisle gym on Kimmage Road West, South Dublin. The men behind the attack were involved in a separate gun feud, which has since run its course because the main players are all either dead or in prison. Foley has kept a lower profile since then. Early life and family He was born in Derry and was one of five children of a couple who moved south to live in Crumlin.

Criminal career A well known Dublin gangland criminal, Foley's first conviction was in 1968. Since then he has been a member of Martin Cahill's criminal gang, and jailed for numerous offences including breaking a police officer's jaw.

An attack on 26 January 2008 was the fourth time Foley has been shot; in 1995 outside Fatima Mansions, in 1996 by the convicted murderer Brian Meehan, and in 2000 as he left a swimming pool in Terenure. This shooting is believed to be linked to the Crumlin-Drimnagh feud, with Foley aligned to one of the feuding gangs. He was also abducted by the Provisional IRA in 1984, but escaped following a shoot-out in Phoenix Park between the kidnappers and Gardaí.

In 2025 he was ordered to pay the Criminal Assets Bureau over €1 million in outstanding tax or lose the home he lives in with his wife and daughter. He was assessed as owing €916,960.12 in unpaid taxes from 1993 to 2000 plus interest. The judge gave him 18 months to pay the unpaid taxes and refused an application to allow the family to remain until his daughter turns 18. The case has lasted over a decade.