An Irish sports bar on the Fuengirola strip has been rebranded as the Irish Rover a year after a double gangland assassination took place there. The venue, formerly known as Monaghan's, was the scene of the fatal shootings of Eddie Lyons Jnr, 46, and Ross Monaghan, 43, on May 31 last year.
New photographs show the pub transformed, with white parasols, laminated menus, and a new sign for the Irish Rover. However, the distinctive green tiled pillars and green velour chairs from the day of the shooting remain in use. The branded umbrellas outside also appear unchanged, and flags from around the world, including a Saltire, are strung up inside.
Trade remains slow after the shootings
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 name in June 2025, under the management of local landlord Clive. It advertises Friday night quizzes, Sunday game days, karaoke nights, and drag shows.
The night of the killings
The shootings came hours after the Champions League final, in which PSG thrashed Inter. At 11.30pm, Lyons, who had been on a golfing holiday, was shot outside on the terrace. A masked gunman then entered the pub and shot Monaghan at point-blank range. CCTV showed Monaghan dropping to the floor and crawling, before sitting upright against a wall covered in blood.
A British nurse who held Monaghan's hand as he lay dying 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."
She added: "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."
Police operation and arrests
Michael Riley, 45, was arrested following an international manhunt and extradited to Spain. The shooting led Spanish police to launch Operation Armorum. Mob boss Steven Lyons was arrested in Bali in March and extradited to Spain. His wife Amanda, 38, was held at Dubai's airport in April.
In May, Spanish police raided 18 properties, including the Irish Rover, which was suspected of being used to launder money. A police source said: "The suspicion is that this pub is one of the businesses the Lyons gang used to launder money."
The feud was sparked after cronies of Edinburgh cocaine kingpin Mark Richardson ripped off Dubai-based Ross McGill in a £500k drug deal. Firebombings and machete attacks followed. Operation Portaledge has attended 84 incidents and resulted in 64 arrests.
