Just one year after a double gangland assassination, the Fuengirola pub where two Glasgow hoods were shot dead has been rebranded as the Irish Rover. New photographs show the venue transformed, but trade remains slow, with punters reportedly choosing to drink elsewhere.
The pub, formerly known as Monaghan's, was the scene of the killings of Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, and Ross Monaghan, 43, on May 31 last year. The two men were shot dead as a turf war escalated back home in Scotland, on the night of the Champions League final. Their alleged killer, Michael Riley, is currently in a prison near Malaga awaiting trial.
New name, familiar fixtures
The watering hole has since been rebranded as the Irish Rover in the hope of shedding links to its former owner Monaghan. New photographs supplied to the Record show how the pub has transformed one year on from the shooting. Huge white parasols now shield holidaymakers from the sun, and the sound of 80s anthem The Power of Love by Huey Lewis can be heard blasting from inside. Large laminated menus displaying photographs of food favoured by British expats adorn each table.
Despite the new name, little has changed. The distinctive green tiled pillars remain from the day of the shooting, while the green velour chairs which the gunman was seen running past on CCTV appear to still be in use. Even the branded umbrellas set up outside don't appear to have been replaced at the "Cash is King" sports bar. Flags from around the world, including a Saltire, have been strung up inside to welcome all football fans inside to catch a game.
Quiet trade and lasting memory
An insider told the Record: "The pub is pretty empty most of the day - especially compared to the others on the strip. There's no sign of the violence that occurred last year. Punters are still choosing to go for a drink elsewhere. The lack of customers shows people haven't forgotten what happened."
The pub reopened under its new Irish Rover name in June 2025, under the management of local landlord Clive.
The shooting and its aftermath
On the night of the killings, shocking footage captured the violent deaths of the two men. A video later emerged showing a woman desperately trying to administer CPR on the gangster. Police and paramedics were later seen surrounding his body after he was covered under a blanket. A masked gunman dressed in black then stormed the pub and shot Monaghan at point blank range.
CCTV of the shooting was broadcast on Spanish TV. It showed Monaghan dropping to the floor as the gunman shot at him a number of times. As the stricken gangster crawled across the floor, he appeared to turn around and look into his killer's eyes. He is later seen sitting upright against a wall covered in blood. Two innocent bystanders, thought to include a waitress and a punter, could be seen fleeing for their lives in the footage.
The Record later reported a British nurse held Monaghan's hand as he lay dying. She said: "I got to the first person who was lying on his back on the terrace who I later discovered was Eddie Lyons Jnr. He was clearly dead and had what appeared to be a bullet wound in his chest and one in his abdomen. A bar lady told me there was another one in the bar. The other man, Ross, had one shot in his chest, just on the right side. He was lying on the floor and was still alive but his breathing was laboured. He was wearing a white T-shirt and shorts and trainers and he looked younger than 43. There was blood everywhere, on the floor and around the service hatch to the kitchen. There was nothing I could do, he wasn't bleeding from his mouth so I just held his hand, stroked his hair and waited for the emergency services."
A joint funeral was held for the two men at Bishopbriggs Crematorium two months later. Michael Riley, 45, was arrested following an international manhunt and extradited to Spain.
Police operation and ongoing feud
The shooting led Spanish police to launch Operation Armorum - in a bid to dismantle the Lyons gang. Mob boss Steven Lyons was arrested in Bali in March of this year and extradited to Spain to face organised crime charges. His wife Amanda, 38, was held at Dubai's airport in April at the request of Spanish police who remain confident she will also end up in custody on the Costa del Sol after being extradited along with her husband.
In May Spanish police raided several properties thought to be linked to the gang. The seafront pub, The Irish Rover, was one of the 18 properties raided and documentation was taken away. A police source added: "The suspicion is that this pub is one of the businesses the Lyons gang used to launder money." A food and drinks firm based in Mijas near Fuengirola and a rental car company were among the other premises searched along with an apartment in Malaga owned by Steven Lyons and used as a "meeting point" by gang members.
Monaghan had spent decades in the Lyons organisation after rising through the ranks of Glasgow's feared Club Boys gang alongside Lyons Jnr. He survived an assassination attempt outside a Glasgow primary school in 2017 and fled to the Costa del Sol with his girlfriend, where he opened the pub and ran a business selling Scottish produce to expats. Lyons Jnr had also survived previous attempts on his life, including being shot by Daniels enforcer Kevin "Gerbil" Carroll in 2006 and blasted in the stomach outside his Cumbernauld home six years later. Carroll would end up being shot dead in the back seat of an Audi at Asda car park in Robroyston in 2010. Monaghan was accused of being the gunman but was ultimately cleared due to insufficient evidence in June 2012.
The deaths of Lyons Jnr and Monaghan took place after warfare exploded in Scotland. The feud was sparked when cronies of Edinburgh cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson ripped off Dubai-based Ross McGill, a former Rangers "ultras" leader, in a £500k drug deal. The Daniel clan in Glasgow were targeted due to their association with Richardson. Lyons boss Steven Lyons, who had been at war with the Daniel clan for over 25 years, then began helping McGill with information.
Firebombings and machete attacks followed. Despite claims from police the feud had ended, violence erupted again this week. Just two days ago, cars were torched at a garage in Tollcross in what police are treating as a wilful attack. Other incidents have included firebombs and machete attacks on businesses and a home being rammed by a car. Gangland sources claim revenge attacks were ordered following the Costa del Sol killings. Operation Portaledge, which was launched by Police Scotland in response to the gang warfare, has attended 84 separate incidents and resulted in 64 arrests.
