DEP ARTMENTS

DIARY 4

:\fED IA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5
FADE IN, FADE OUT
Gabriel Byrne writes about his days
as a seminarian .. . . . . . . . .. 14

BUSINESS FORUM . . . .. 11
WIGMORE 60
FROM BOG ROAD TO
BINGO
By Robert Allen
There are many joumalists in the
lrish Press who will tell you that
they'd rather work on a lottery tic-
ket than not work at al! . . . . .. 6

COUSIN KEVIN
By Sio bhan Crozier
It's no secret that Kevin McNamara,
Britis Labour Party spokesman on
Northern Ireland, would like to be
sitting at Tom King's desk, This puts
him apart from other Brttish MPs'
who mostly regard the NI job as the
Britis equivalent of being sent to
Siberia 12

The Glasgow Celtic Story

Eamonn McCann, in the first of a
rwo-oart series to mark the Cen-
tenary of Scot1and's most famous
football club, writes about Ce1tic's
F,b roots and its poltical and
:-eHgious tradition 42
Shamrock Rovers in Crisis
Does Ireland's number one soccer
b nave a future away from its THE DRUMSHANBO Van Morrison has given us a body
DaTIL.-m nome? Robert Allen reports HUSTLER of work to put beside that other
on me Iatest llaves in the Rovers By Paul Durcan great Irish jazzman ofthe twentieth
can~o,~- 50 Over a span of twenty-five years, century , Patrick Kavanagh ... 56
 I HEAR TALK THAT FINANCE
but I felt bound to point outthat
Minister Ray MacSharry won't be too
mainly what young people seem to do
broken-hearted if deputies in Leinster
in Dublin, as with the rest of the
House are able to forget about their
country, is get out as fast as they Can.
petty differences and stop cheeking
I am not alone in this regard. Recent-
and making impudent remarks about
ly for their 300th issue, my former
each other for long enough to combine
magazine, In Dublin,' attempted a
to defeat his tax on the hole-in-the-wall
feature on 'The 300 Best Things
cash dispenser cards, This just goes to
About Dublin' and succeeded in'
show what a sensible fellow he is,
coming up with only 191 of these.
because if ever there was a tax which
added excise to injury, this is it. Even if you count the four members
of U2, Dohenyand Nesbitt, McCullough
It is a complete rnystery to me why
and Pigott and both of the Hand twns
there has never been a serious pro blem
you still wouldn't crank it up to even
with vandalism of these machines - in
200 Best Things About Dublin.
the same way, for instance, as there is
with telephone kiosks. Everyone knows In any event, what the Hand twins
have to do with Dublin is not immedi-
that the vast majority of the people
ately clear. To my certain knowledge
who wreck telephone boxes are per-
fectly respectable citizens who -have neither of them has yet completed un-
packing following their journey up
been driven over the edge by the state
of the telephone service, and that the fromDrogheda. For Jim Hand, at least,
factor involving mindless hooliganism Dublin remains a total mystery: once
is quite marginal. Why, then, have these
wall-bandits escaped so lightly?
Just think about it. These machines
Adding excise he confided to me that he had never
been on a bus in Dublin, "because
you'd never know wherethey'd
going."
be
are employed to dispense your money,
yet they succeed in making you feel
like a beggar every time you have oc-
casion to use them.
tCJ irfury In the course of the same In Dublin
article, incidentally , the period in
which, as editor of that magazine, I
gave rather lukewarm support to the
You know the scenario. You want there should be a keyboard which party which is now in government is
to withdraw iISO, which is your full allows you to put in a defence, such described as an "aberration". An in-
entitlernent, but then the machine tells as "But I'rn not married." Although, vestigation has revealed that this was
you that it has run out of i20 notes come to think of it, the machine's written by somebody from Longford
and you're only allowed to have riposte to this would probably be, who, when 1 first met him, used to
amounts up to i140. It's your money "Well, you should be. It's time you think that an aberration was some-
and it's the machine which has made got yourself a wife and a mortgage thing you went into hospital to have.
the cock-up on the tenner front, so and faced up to your responsibilities.
why does it have to be you who loses G home, outa that."
out? Why can't the machine say some- RECENTLY, WANG IRELAND AND
thing like "I've got nothing smaller Hilton Holdings PLC, whomsoever they
I HAD A VISIT RECENTLy FROM both might be, held a lunch to an-
than twenties today, love, but here's a team of people from the BBC
an extra tenner in case you run short "? nounce their 'J oint Statement for the
wishing, for sorne bizarre reason, to Future'. 1 have no idea what this
And, of course, everyone will be solicit my help in making a television
familiar with the experience of having statement contained because 1 didnot
programme about Dublin , Someone attend the lunch and, in any event, 1
Reached Your Limit. You've forgotten had told them that I used tobe editor have an aversion to receptons, apart
about that thirty quid you withdrew of In Dublin and this gave them the from ones where 1have prior assurances
while out on the batter over the week- idea that I rnight be agood person to as to the availability of cocktail
end and you saunter up to the machine ask. sausages. The only reason I mention it
to withdraw the price of a pan loaf and Having attempted unsuccessfully too is that the invitation to the lunch ar-
a pound of sausages for the tea. You persuade them that I was not by any rived in the form of a large plastering
insert your card, dial in your personal means a good person to ask, I sat down trowel whch I am sure will come in
number and wait ... The machine hisses and tried to think of uplifting things incredibly useful for sornething or
malevolently as it returns your card which they might cover in ther pro- other.
and practically amputates your finger gramme. Their interest was specifically If other launch organisers are con-
with an invisible glass guillotine shutter in the area of things whichyoung people templating sending me invitations to
which slides out of nowhere, and then might do in Dublin, so I addressed my- their receptions, please note that at the
the screenlights up with a messagethat self firstly to this. Within a short time moment I require the following items:
you know can be read by the people at I had come up with glue-sniffng, pros- shaving mirror, brush and pan, fire
the bus stop the far side of the street: titution, heroin addiction, joyrdng, bucket, cutlery holder, flower pots,
"You've reached your limito Go home breaking and entering and begging on lavatory brush and floor mop.
to your wife and children and don't be O'Connell Bridge.I .forgot to menton I have made a resolution that in
out slobberin' and drinkin' and spend- slot machines, so I hope the people
ing my money." future I wilI not attend receptions
from the BBC happen to read this. I unless the invitation comes attached to
And the worst thing is that all you allowed, charitably , that my difficulties sorne usefuI item. Unless, of course,
can do is take your card and crawl mght not be unrelated to the fact that that by attending 1 will annoy people
sheepishly away , At the very least I am myself of the culchie persuasion, even more.
4 MAGILL MA Y 1988
 Maurice Manning

Ljfe outside
the lobby
1 REMEMBER MANY YEARS AGO
attending the funeral of an elderly
journalist whose working life had
spanned the turbulent decadesbefore
and after the foundation of the State.
As we left the cemetery a contemporary
of his said to me "You know, that man
brought to the grave sorne of the great-
est political secrets of his time. Now
we will never know the full story.'
1 did not doubt this assessment, but
1 was intrigued. 1 found it hard to
understand how, first of all, politicians
would confide such secrets in a journal-
ist and, even more striking, why he
had never published them or even a
hint of them. The answer, 1 suppose,
was that the price of being told was
the condition not to publish. In essence, man Tebbit was out of favour or that They will argue too that the systern
the journalist and the politicians were Mrs Thatcher had bawled out Tom King provides for a well structured system
members of the same club. in the cabinet, this should not appear of communication between journalists
It was this recollection which put in sorne oblique way as "according to and politicians, with the ground rules
me in mind of our "lobby" system of senior sources in Whitehall" or "source s wcll understood by both sides: that a
political journalism and the extent to close to MrsThatcher" but should carry spokesman who lies or misleads once
which it enables journalists to publish the name of the person who made the will not get a second chance andothat
part of most stories but rarely the full remark. Anything less, thelndependent the whole systern allows for the kind
story , and to ask whether or not this argued, was manipulation of the media of in-depth briefing which would be
somewhat cosy system operates fully by the spokesperson, since there was difficult otherwise.
in the public interest. no real way for the reader to verify They also argue that the natural
It is significant that the (British) the accuracy or otherwise of the story competition between journalists and
Independent, by now the best news- because its source was not available or between newspapers will ensure that
paper in Britain with the best political visible. there is no cosy cartel and that experi-
coverage, broke from the start with the enced journalists will subject every
establshed tradition of politic al report- THERE WAS AN INTERESTING EX- offical claim to the most rigorous and
ing by declining to be part of te West- ample of this type of manipulation here cynical scrutny.
minister lobby system. Its reasons for shortly after Padraig Flynn's green
this were straightforward - though little outburst in the USA on St Patrick's THERE IS MUCH TRUTH IN THESE
appreciated by the other papers and Day, Almost immediately afterwards a claims and 1 believe that by and large
probably appreciated even less today , number of papers, but especially the our political journalists value their in-
The Independent fe1t the lobby Iris Independent, carried stories sayng tegrity and independence. But, that
system inhibited it from fully report- Mr Haughey was "furious" with Mr said, 1 still feel uneasy about our lobby
ng political events and allowed govern- Flynn and that Mr Flynn would be system. It is too cosy, It does act to
ment spckespersons to manipulate the seriously rebuked. We were not told exclude too many journalists who
media and "manage" the news agenda. how the journalists knew this or what might legitimately claim membership,
It argued also that the lobby systern in proof they had that the re buke had or It tends to induce a "group" ethos. It
practice set limits to what could or would happen. It was all on the basis creates a situation in which its members
could not be reported, that it created a of unattributed sources. spend too much time talking to each
cosy club-lke atmosphere and put , There probably never was any other. It produces an over-reliance on
government spokespersons in a position "rebuke". Mr Haughey's blood pressure official sources for news and, yes, it
to favour those whom it regarded as almost certainly never rose, but the does, from time to time, allow official
"sound" while cutting off those deemed story allowed Mr Haughey to distan ce manipulation of the news by govern-
to be hostile. himself from a speech which at that ment and politicians.
The Independent also felt that the time was somewhat inopportune, even I'm always surprised that journalists
lobby system conferred anonyrnity on if mild compared to his own later so readily accept this systern and 1
people who had no right to shield be- speech iir New York to the 'Friends of would certainly applaud the first Irish
hind such a cloak. It argued that if a Fianna Fail', The whole point of the paper to emulate the example of the
government spokesperson said some- exercise was to enable Mr Haughey face Independent and opt out of the lobby.
thing on a question of public interest in two directions at once. This may be The quality of that paper's political
then it should be on the record with slick politics but it is not the job of coverage and the integrity of its analysis
full attribution. If, for example, Mrs newspapers to enable him to do it. is proof - if such is needed - that there
Thatcher's Press Secretary, Bernard Those who favour the lobby system is life - and healthy life - outside the
Ingham, told the journalists that Nor- will argue that this sort of thing is rareo sheltered confines of the lobby.

MAGILLMAY 1988 5
 From Bog Road to Bingo
Pop goes the Press
W RITING FONDL y ABOUT
the only trade he had known
in his life, the late British
journalist James Carneron , a few years
copypaper 10 computers , and I would
prefer 10 work on a newspaper than on
a lottery ticket."
What then would Camero n have made
the modern environment. And there are
many journalists in the Irish Press who
will tell you that they would rather work
on a lottery ticket than not work at all.
before his death, lamented the changes it of the changes in the Irish newspaper
had suffered over the decades. "Sorne of
us ageing journalists who still treasure our
days of the quill pen and carrier pigeon
can still recall the time when people
bought newspapers for the curious
business these past months, and of the
new tabloid lrish Press, which ended a
fifty-six year broadsheet tradition last
month. Observing Irish life he would
probably not have appreciated that old
T HE NEWSPAPER LOTTERY
ticket has been late coming to
Ireland, as indeed has the tabloid
newspaper. It has taken the Irish Press
Group over twenty years to recognise the
purpose of reading them. It is not that the traditions and cultures must not stand in
newspaper business has diminished or changing market forces and finally
the way of material and economic challenge the astute commercialism of its
dererior ated - it has just beco me progression. As the Theatre Royal, Wood
sornething rotally different. (And you nearest rival, Independenr Newspapers.
Quay and MilItown must pass into history "This myth about a tabloid war is
rnust underst and that 1 mean 'it ', not so must the newspaper business adapt to nonsense," said a spokesman for the lrish
us.) I do not denounce it, nor complain,
Press, of the Group's new venture. "It
nor moralise; it is just that 1 no longer
is about taking sales away from the Irish
wanr 10 know. 1 would sooner be a
correspondent than a croupier; 1 prefer
By Robert Allen Independent in the east coast."
Although the Irish Press rnanagement
6 l1AGILL MAY 1988
tacitly decided over ayear ago that a Ireland fel! and the Independent group the lndo's new bingo game, circulation
change to tabloid was inevitable, the discovered that, although the public were of the Irish Press fell to an all-time low
announcement wasn't made until several loyal to the politicalleanings of individual of 61,000 copies, againstan average for
months before the launch, and even then papers, converts were getting fewer and that month 0["65,000, More significantly,
it wasn't made official until the Press fewer. salesin Dublin fel! to 15,000. Onthe east
knew they could not hide their intentions By the late Seventies daily sales of the ccast, where the advertising revenue was
any longer. Still it took the Independent Irish Indepen den t were just short of to be made, the Press was selling. only
Group by sur prise. Al! the tal k had been 200,000. The Press sold 115,00Q. Before 30,000copies. Poten ti al advertisers were
about [he joint Independent/ EXPress the 1985 lock-out, the culmination of not interested in the fact that the Irish
Newspapers' launeh of the Star in March years of industrial problerns, this had Press was a big seller in Ireland's major
and rhe prospeets of a tabloid war. slipped to 95,000. When the paper ruraltowns,
As rumour and specualtion increased

S
I:\CE THE MID-SIXTIES THE about the future of the Press group, sales
Irish Press, the flagship of th.e Press increased to 77 ,000 following a redesign,
Group, which was founded by and thenthe tabloid was announced, And
Eamon de Valera in September 1931, has although Dr Eamon de Valera, grandson
floundered in the storms whipped up by of the paper's f'ounder , talked of
:he cornmercial success of the Irish maintaining the Irish Press's great
Independent . Back in the Sixties the tradition on the day of the tabloid launch,
Independent began to leave the Press the link with the republican ethos
oehind in the newspaper circulation war, advocating an 'Irish Ireland' begun by his
swiftly innovating new supplements which grandfather in [he thirties had effectively .
appealed to advertisers and instigating returned three months later circulation been severed.
rnarket surveys which showed that the executives in the Press were amazed to

T
future for newspapers was in urban learn that they had lost no more than HE LATE EAMON DeV ALERA
Ireland, inside the Pale. The Press 6-7,000 in daily sales. "It has only been too k the idea of an Irish newsaper
management remained intransigent to in the last year that the Press sales have ... that reflected republicanism very
hange and steadfast to tradition, and fallen to the heavy marketing of the seriously. "Our ideal, culturally, is an
from a high of over 200,000 copies a day Independent group," said an Irish Press Irish Ireland, an Ireland aware of its own
in the Thirties sales of the IrishPress fel! spokesman. greatness, sure of itself, conscious of the
gradual!y to less than 150;000 in the The Independent launched its heaviest spiritual forces which have forrned it into
Sixties. With the advent of television in broadside inFebruary this year. On one a distinct people having itsown language
{he Sixties, newspaper sales al! ayer day during the first week of 'Fortuna', and customs and a traditionally Christain
 philosophy of life," he wrote in the
editorial of the first Irish Press on
Saturday September 5, 1931
When the 300,000 copies of that first
issue rolled off the presses in the new
Burgh Quay offices, site of the former
Tivoli theatre and cinema, for de Valera
it was the culmination of nearly a
decade's dedication to that ideal. "Our
intention is to be the voice of the people,
to speak for them, to give utterance to
their ideals, to defend them against
slander and false witness," he wrote.
The idea for the newspaper was first
announced by de Valera at the second
Fianna Fail Ard Fheis in 1927. He said
that [200,000 would be needed. It took
four years and a lot of legwork before de
Valera and his associates raised the
money, which they did in Ireland and in
the the USA - and not without
controversy.
The depression in Europe hit America
just as de Valera began canvassing for
funds for the new paper. The minimum
subscription of 500 dollars was beyond Press certainly reflected much that was Limerick Leader and the Nationalist in
most as America headed for the Wall innovative in American newspapers. Carlow.
Street Crash. De Valera decided to accept De Valera showed that he had the right The Press was primarily perceived as
smaller amounts. Then he had an idea. combination of political and business l rural newspaper. A report in the second
In 1919 half of the five million dollars acumen to lead the lrish Press and issue on September 7, 1931 stated that,
raised in the US for the Republican anything that was dangerous to the future of the over 200,000 copies sold, 35,000
movement remained on deposit in New of the FF party was treated with suspicion had been sold in Dublin alone. The Press
York banks. In August 1922 the Cosgrave and outright opposition. Journalistically was delighted that fifteen per cent of its
government had won an injunction the new paper outshone the staid circulation was in Dublin but the paper
preventing the banks from paying any of conservative lrish lndependent and the reflected, they believed, the whole island.
this money to de Valera and his !iberalism of the mouthpiece of the In the fifties this was demonstrated by the
associates. In May 1927 the New York
success of writers like Ben Kiely, Sean
Supreme Court foiled de Valera's next
White, Edna O'Brien and Brendan
attempt and ruled that the money be
Behan, whose columns, delightfully and
returned to the original subscribers. De
Valera, however, returned to the States
In the Press all copyboys beautifully crafted, were widely read. One
were taught to be loyal to such column was 'Down Your Way' by
to promote the new paper and persuaded
'Patrick Lagan', which was shared by
subscribers to transfer that money to the the joumalistic staff and the
White and Kiely. Although Kiely now
Irish Press Corporation, which had been papero Editorial and fondly remembers that it was an excuse
set up in America to invest funds in the executive types were to be
Irish Press Ud in Dublin. to get out of Dublin for three or four
In Ireland the rernainder of the money
referred to as "Mtsrer". days, 'Down Your Way' was contrived to
keep the rural links alive. It frequently
was raised through the republican
caught the nation's imagination and when
movement and, although de Valera stated
Kiely wrote about 'The Old Bog Road'
in that first editorial that the paper "was I
in one column and identified it as being
not the organ of an individual, or a
in Kildare bet ween Kilcock and Innfield,
group, or a party", the reality was Protestant ascendancy, the lrish Times, Bord Filte subsequently marked the
different. From the beginning the Irish but as FF grew more powerful and location officially with a signpost. \The
Press was closely asociated with Fianna become part of the establishment so too song by Teresa Brayton was a favourite
Fail but there was no doubt in the minds did the Irish Press. The circulation settled with the immigrant Irish and although
of many that the purse strings were at around 150,000, and by the end of the Kiely had been told about the road by the
controlled by the de Valera family. Thirties the sentiments in de Valera's first author years before he was the first
De Valer a had been trustee and editorial were history, a part of the distant national newspaperman to write about it.
representative of the American based past.
Irish Press Corporation on the Irish Press

G RADUALL Y, HOWEVER, THE

Board and, with his own considerable

W
HEN THE FIFTIES CAME Press stopped employing
shareholding, held a controlling interest the Irish Press was well colurnnists. Behan died and the
in Irish Press Ud. He was also leader of established and had won itself others moved away and the paper offered
the FF party at the time and it was a reputation for having a fair, accurate liule more than its consistently excellent
signigicant that he later admitted that if and honest newsroom. At different news coverage, in the design the paper
he had to choose between leading the periods during the Forties, Fifties and had innovated decades before. More
party and running the paper he would Sixties the newsroom would have been change and innovation was needed as the
choose journalism. When de Valera went dominated by different provincial groups, lrish Times, edited by former Press man
to America to raise funds for the paper reporters who had earned their credentials Douglas Gageby, acquired a more
he also made efforts to gain practical on the Cannaught Telegraph in Mayo, the educated readership and as the Irish
newspaper experience and the early Irish Donegal Democrat, the Kerryman, the Independent began to loo k to more

8 MAGILL MAY 1988

aggressive marketing as a means to conceived. the appointment of Tim Pat Coogan as
improve its circulation. Almost immediately the Irish editor in 1968 the majority of Irish Press
Des Maguire was the agricultural editor Independent began its own farming editors had been men with strong
of the Press and he had suggested the supplement. Apart from being a huge republican backgrounds, rather than
inclusion of a Farming Supplement. At advertising success it grabbed a large newspaper backgrounds. Nearly al! the
this time the Evening Press, with sales of chunk of the Press's farming readership. journalists who had started with the paper
over 100,000, was the top sel!ing evening "It broke," said one observer, "the in the Thirties would have been anti-
paper and the Sunday Press was giving Press's strong rurallinks and, apart from Treaty people, loyal to Fianna Fil,
the Sunday Independent a run for its the incredible loss of advertising, it began Coogan was a departure. Only the middle
money. The decision to ignore Maguire's to destroy the tradition." ranks of the Press tended to be hard
suggestion was to prove costly, but it was Although the Fianna Fil tradition was newspapermen and mostly rural. In the
the first signs of a state of affairs which stil! strong within the Irish Press in the early Sixties something significant
was to continue until the tabloid was Sixties, this was changing slowly. Until happened to change al! that.
 I
F THE IRISH PRESS MANAGEMENT
. in the pre-Coogan.days 01' t~e Sixties
were aware that ihe f'lagship of'. the
group was shorn 01' an image and lacking
a dist inct idcntity, they did n 't believe thc
situation wax serious, They had other
more import anr executive mairers to
consider. Thc people who had come
thr ough wirh the papel' since the Thirties
had either left 01' died away and thePress
managernent decided lO encourage a
system 01' ernployment that would nurtur
people who would be loyal to t he
cornpany at her than ro the FFparty.
A report was prepared which centered
onthe career potential 01' the copyboy
staff in Burgh Quay, Rather than recruit
sub-editors frorn outside the papel' the
report urged that copyboys with the right
stuffbe recruited and .after a yearor so
be taken on as subs. At that lime in t he
Press all copyboys were taught to be loyal
to the journalistic staff and the paper. more cautious and selective in the placing convinced 01' t he management's
Editorial and executive types were to be 01' ads, opting more and more 1'01' the comrnitrnent lO the paper's survival.
referred to as 'Mister '. growing number 01' radio stations. From There were rounds ofunion meetings, but
Many 01' the copyboys who carne inro 1981 until May 1985 when a dispute with in the end al! theteething problems were
the papel' around that time have how the Irish Print Union resulted in the Press solved. "Up until ihe launch 01' the
clirnbed throughtth ranks to seriior managernent declaring a 'Iock-out ' the tabloid they had no idea who to sell it to,"
positions and include the present editor; Press Group recorded losses 01' f5 million. said One Press reporter. BUl the
Hugh Larnbert, the deputy editor Richard And it \las getting worse .. Only the homework had beeri done. "1 f we achieve
O'Riordan, t he deputy editor 01' t he fi n a n c ia l b o o st from its Reuter s our target in the Dublin area even at the
Sunday Press Ernrnanuele Keogh and shareholding in 1983 had eased the pain expense 01' the rural readers it will have
Niall Connolly, the editorial manager. 1'01' the Press Group. been a success," said a spokesman for the
rhe current Managing Director 01' the The editorial staff were now becoining papel'. As the cornpany had known for
Irish Press Group, Vincent Jennings, a uneasy. Many journalists cornplained that years it needed to attract the young urban
graduate with an MA from UCD, was they didn't know who they were writing readers, especially women.
encouraged to leav his teaching Job in for and the rrianagernent, it appeared, had Al'ter the first week 01' the tabloid, sales
the prestigious Castlek nock College to lost interest in the Irish Press. The lrish were reported to be touehingthe 100,000
become a copyboy for ayear and Press was starved 01' resources. "It was mark, 20,000 short 01' the target. There
subsequently astaff sub. firing on one cyclirider ,' said one is no breakdown al' those figures as yet,
The Irish Press had not changed its jourrialist. Any resources the company but a Press spokesman said that "if we
design since the Thirties when Coogan had were going into the Evening Press get the penetration we need in Dublin it
carne in, simply used larger pictures, and and the Sunday Press. Yet sornehow .the will be a suecess".
created an in crease in sales. papel' survived, despite its inconsistent It already seems to be.The first tabloid
In 1968 the North ..erupted. One day a editorial lineo It .seemed that the only issue was seheduled as forty pages.
staff reporter phoned in copy from Derry. aspect ihe public could identify the paper 1nereased advertising revenue pushed that
He was told by the newsdesk that the

.
with was its excellent news coverage. up to forty-foir and then forty-eight.
"riorthern eruption" was orily a seven- "The goodwill towards the paper has
day wonder. In the event it was perfect

W
HEN THE SHAKE-UP IN THE been remarkable," said one executive.
1'01' Tim Pat Coogan and it made his Press Group carne last year the Yet as the new Irish Press grapples with
name. News 01' the Six Counties conflict . resulting appointments sur- their new-found eirculation on the east
was reported impartially and although prised many in the newspaper world, both coast and their sol'ter 'feminine' approach
Coogan began to take a strong republican inside and outside Burgh Quay. Many 01' there are a few lines 01' eaution from
line the sales 01' the paper continued 10 those loyal to the company were aceros s the road in D'Olier Stret, where
rise. Gradually, though, the North promoted into senior positions, Vincent the Irish Times reeently commissioned a
became Iess fashionable. Jennings moved from the Sunday Press readership survey. Referring to the Irish
Coogan reigned suprerrie in the Irish into his executive management position. Time'swomen's page, readers expressed
Press right up to last year, even despite Hugh Lambert moved from the same a "high level 01' dissatisfaction " because
the paper carrying its infamous political paper to beco me editor and with him he serious issues were not treated properly.
obituary 01' Charles Haughey during the brought Eoghan Corry, who became Aftertwo weeks, the new tabloid Irish
he aves against the Fianna Fil leader. features editor. Baffled by the changes, Press is feminine but it is not feminist and
This enraged large numbers 01' the paper's John Spain and Miehael Wolsey, who ehanging titles from 'Girls on Top' to
ageing rural FF leadership, and perhaps had worked hard during the Coogan 'Women At The Top' is, according to
marked the death knell 01' the newspaper years, crossed the Liffey to the several dissatisfied women journalists on

'
as the voice 01' rural Ireland. Independent Group. Sean Garvey, lhe paper, not going to irnprove the
another stalwart 01' the Cooganera, readership among women.

A
T THE TURN OF THE DE CAD E stayed on. Immediately Larnbert, a layout . Perhaps the final irony lies with the
the Irish Press Group was man, irnproved the image 01' the Irish market survey whieh showed that the red,
- recording profits 01' over il Pr ess , sirnp ly by jaz zing up its : white and blue masthead 01' the riew
million, but the good times were nearing presentation. . tabloid was the one the publie found
an end. Sales 01' newspapers were Although many 01' the editorial staff preferable. De Valera is probably turning
dropping drastically and advertisers were knew 01' the tabloid launch they were not in his grave.

10 MAGILLMAY 1988
 output vo1ume is concerned.
Swatch is part of the SMH
Group (Swiss Corporation for
Microelectronic and Watch-
making Industries), the largest
Swiss watch manufacturero
AERRIANTA Other SMH brands inc1ude
CALLING Omega, Tissot, Longines and
AER RIANTA'S NEW VIP Rado.
Duty Free Shopping Service The Swatch .idea - the
is now in operation. Regular combination of unchanging
travellers can enjoy the free- quality and fashionab1e varia-
dom and convenience of bility - is the core of its
purchasing items available in phenomena1 success. Their
Dublin duty free from their constant innovation and vari-
homes and offices. All one ation keeps interest at a peak.
has to do is simply dial either Even at this early stage,
of the special VIP Duty Free Sothebys has auctioned a sold-
'telephone numbers. Then, by out Swatch model as a collec-
simply quoting your credit tor's item.
card number, flight details and In spite of sorne predictions
of course the items you re- to the contrary, the popularity
quire, you will find them of Swatch is not letting up.
packaged and ready for col- The Swiss watch industry had
lection from the Duty Man- taken asevere beating at the
ager's Shop, which is adjacent hands of the Japanese , but
to the check outs in the duty now, ironically, Swatch is
free shop. This new service, enormously successful in
which comes along at the same Japan.
time as Aer Rianta's recent Sales of Swatch in Ireland
coup in Russia, is a first for are, per capita, the highest in
duty free shopping, the world.
As an added bonus, every The models in the Swatch
time .you spend LIS .00 or Summer Collection are shock
over by phone, you will re- proof and water resistant,
ceive a special offer voucher carrying an international guar-
to collect towards a free gift. antee, and are available from
Gifts inc1ude Famous Irish all leading jewellers and de-
Distillery prints, Philips Cafe partment stores at f:27.95.
Compact, Lancome cosmetic
sets and special edition minia- SOCKBROKING
ture Pot Still decanters con- THE NEW IRISH OWNED
taining Whyte & Makay De sock shop is expanding at a
Luxe Scotch whisky. rapid rateo The first shop
FrankHanlon, General Man- opened in the airport depar-
ager of Retailing at Aer ture 10unge in early Decem-
Rianta, said "The scheme is ber. Business has been brisk.
proving to be successful with The second store opened at
our regular travellers. It saves Easter in the Powerscourt
businessmen, especially , valu- Townhouse Centre and a
able time in the airport and third shop is scheduled to
still allows them toavail fully open in the near future.
of the Duty Free Shcp. We Sockbroker sells everything
have already noticed that once from socks to boxer shorts
people try the VIP Duty Free and are stockists of high
Shopping Service they try it quality brands such as Dior,
again and again . : .' Dore Dore and Burlington.
For further information Patrick Cochrane, sales di-
contact VIP Duty Free on rector at Sockbroker, has this
(01) 426802 or (Ol) 379900, to say: "When we first opened
ext. 4356, Monday to Friday we knew we were going into
from 9 a m to 5 p m. head on competition with the
English chainstores. We sawa
THE SWATCH STORY gap in the market and went
... SOFAR for it. Sockbroker is a wholly
SWATCH CELEBRATES ITS owned Irish company and so
fifth birthday this year with far the success of the shop
sales to date of more than 35 has gone beyond our wildest
million pieces and monthly expectations. At present there
production of 1.1 million. are plans afoot to introduce
These figures put all other our own label in time for
watches in the shade as far as next autumn."
Cousin Kevin
N EIL KINNOCK'S
last year to appoint
DECISION

McNamara as Opposition Front

Bench Spokesperson
Kevin

on Northern Ire-
In an interview with
SIOBHAN CROZIER, British
LabourPartySpokesman
on Northern Ireland,
ponsible for the equivalent
own government

given to few ministers

of your
in Northern Ireland
and there are opportunities which are
to influence
land was as great a shock to McNamara events .to such a degree. It is possible
himself as it was to the commentators Kevin McNamara, says
to put your mark upon that society:
who hailed it as the "greening" of the that Britain has, inrelation to Whitelaw certainly did that - in fact,
Labour Party , The word in Westminster Ireland, been "insensittve and it made his reputation, others in not
was that Kevin McNamara was "gob- bungling rather than specifically. such a beneficial way, as we can well
smacked" by the offer, and along with remember." Kevin McNamara laughs
his colleague, Jim Marshall, embarked
and deliberately malicious. "
conspiratorially, declning to name
on the job with the vigour which has was the capital of Ireland, you belonged names, but the Barnsley Bruiser is in-
characterised his twenty-two years as to the diaspora, had relatives in Cana da , voked once again.
an MP. America, Ireland, you went to ceilidhs, The British Labour Party has al-
The Irish in Britain have been left had holidaysin Ireland. You voted ways been uncomfortable in its position
with a nasty taste in the mouth by suc- Labour, went to Mass and spoke at on Northern Ireland, not least within
cessive Labour Secretaries of State and home with your father about poltics: its own ranks. A deep chasm exists
spokespeople on N orthern Ireland: the partition of Ireland was aBad between the opinions of the leadership
many regard the legacy of Labour Thing." and those of party activists who cm-
governments as far worse than the The post of Secretary of State for paign on Irish issues. The various in-
Tories - the spectre of Roy Mason, Northern Ireland is widely acknow- cumbents of the leadership have long
commonly known as the Barnsley ledged as the roughest job in the been se en to operatea policy of bi-
Bruiser, is one which will not quickly British cabinet. Ambitious MPs view it partisanship with the Tories, although
be exorcised., -". as the British equivalent of being sent Kevin McNamara is determined that he
The significance of this departure in to Siberia. Prime Ministers rarely invite is not falling into this chasm. "When
the appointment of Kevin McNamara their most favoured colleagues to take we had a major meeting on Ireland after
les in his individual record. He is the it on, and many of those who accept Enniskillen, there was complete en-
member for Hull North and has con- do so in the knowledge that it's more dorsement of the lne taken by myself
sistent1y carnpaigned on issues relating frequently a job for those on the way and the leadership by the great bulk of
to Ireland. He describes hirnself as a out than the way up. Whatever Tom the parliamentary party. Those el-
"United Irelander", a most consti- King rnght think, his opposite number ements within the party who might
tutional nationalist, who regards his on the Labour Front Bench totally dis- have fe1t frustrated in the past now
interest in Ireland as a natural process agrees with this perspective. know that there is a positive line -
of growing up in a Lverpcol-Irish Cath- "It's one of the most fascinating whether or not they agree with it is
olc farnly. "One was conscious of an jobs that any poltician could hope to another matter but they know that it
Irish identity in that you just assumed have. When in government, you have a is not reactive. It is an attempt tomake
.it, you were of Irish dcscent, Liverpool great deal of autonomy: you're res- the debate and push the governrnent

12 MAGILL MAY 1988

tojustify itself. We've been laying comments after she had met Haughey. terrorists' job for thern, and they are
down our own agenda. On job ds- 1 don 't beleve in the conspiracy theory going to do it far better than we are.
crimination, for example, the govern- .and certainly 1 think that the Northern The whole of the democratic case is
ment s having to respond to what we're Ireland Office are conscious of the lost - people should be apprehended
saying rather than us having to react to extraordinary damage that's been done and brought to justice. They had been
them." by a number of things, 1 think it was under surveillance for four months; if
McNamara identifies the definite insensitive and bungling rather than the security forces were waiting for
break in bi-partisanship as the adoption specifically and deliberately malicous." the smoking gun to apprehend them,
by Labour in 1981 of the policy, of McNamara identifies the problem as that was amost dangerous policy, They
unity by consent of the majority in , a failure to use the mechanisms of the had their evidence to apprehend them
the North. The official line of the Anglo-Irsh Agreement and considers - if', as they say, they feared that a
Labour Party is that this consent must that Dublin should have been directly timer would be set off in the pocket
be built through harmonisation, an idea notified on all aspects of the Birrning- and therefore it was necessary to shoot
which causes dissent among the rank ham Six decision and the move to make as they didn't know whether the car at
and file activists who regard it as the PTA permanent. "They should at that time did or didn't have a bomb in
meaningless and unattainable, holding least have been forewarned and should it, then they should never have allowed
the view that the leadership is incapable not have found out about the decision that risk - that the bomb could have
of any disagreement with the Dublin on the Stalker Inquiry while they were gone off before they shot them."
government. Kevin McNamara is ada- sitting up in the gallery of the House "This smoking gun business is real
mant that this is not the case. "The of Commons while the statement was brinkmanship. Nobody could but .be
first principle that we adopt is that, if being made to parliament. That was happy that what could have been an
we're in favour of a united Ireland, it just a gross discourtesy ." Kevin McNa- enormous tragedy was averted, but the
is for the Irish people and the Irish mara's conjecture of the situation is handling of it and what happened to
government to decide things for them- -that there was a totallack of co-ordin- those three members of the Provisional
selves. It's not for us to dictate their ation within the Northern Ireland IRA dcesn't rebound to our credit a
reaction toevents. Therefore, when Office. "There was no-one there strong great deal. It's more like what happens
they embark on Thatcherite policies, enough - this is partly King's problem, in El Salvador, Guatelamala and places
for exarnple , that's a matter for the a1though he's improving in the job - like that - it's not good news and it
Irish people - I'd much prefer that but no-one to coordinate things and isn't the way that one would want to
Dick Spring were Taoiseach but it's look at them in relation to one another see what used to be regarded as avery
not for me to decide!" and consider how different events were high standard o British justice being
being dea1t with, 1 commented that carried out. Unfortunately, the popular

M CNAMARA'S OFFICE IN
Westminister generates a
mass of research into all as-
pects of the state of things in the Six
Thatcher should take a firmer grip
because the Anglo-Irish Agreement is
very much her baby as well."
McNamara believes that recent
press in this country does not make
that distinction - they said they deser-
ved it, it's the Lord Chief Justice Gibson
attitude, and it doesn't help."
Counties. He regards this as the crucial events have proven the necessity of the Kevin McNamara perceives the job
task of preparing the conditions for Anglo-Irish Agreement rather than as being to both pin .down the govern-
building a consensus for eventual with- weakened it. He sees it as an important ment in relation to grantng real con-
drawal and in the hope that there will factor in the Tories' break with Union'- cessions which will ameliorate the lot
one day be another Labour government ism, on which they have failed to build. of northern Nationalists, especially in
in a: position to put his ideas into prac- "They stood up quite courageously to the field of employment discrimination,
tice. He sees it as a matter of getting the street demonstrations, riots, boy- and also to prepare workable policies
people to try and grapple with the cotting of local councils and West- for a future Labour government. "Hav-
problems and mechanics of the situ- minster; having done that and seen ing sketched out our agenda, we're
ation rather than "mouthing clichs". them down, there was a political vac- now setting up groups to look at prob-
"The worst disease in any left wing uum andthey didn't know what to do. lems of infrastructure and trade within
organisation is resolutionitis - resol- They had a marvellous opportunty the whole of Ireland, the effect of
utions are fine but you've then got to to create political initiatives, far more common agricultural policies. When
put them into policies while you're so than at the beginning of the Agree- we come to power we will have pre-
in opposition and see how they 're ment, and th ey lost it. What we are see- pared ideas that we can take to an Irish
going to work, identifying all the snags. ing as a positive result of the Agree- government for discussion to find out
There was a belief that if we put the ment and the seeing down of the how best the economy of the whole
Six Counties on a silver tray , gift- Unionists are these rather coy flirt a- island can be run, because it's in the
wrapped it and gave it to Charlie tions between Molyneaux and Paisley, economic interest of both parties to
Haughey, he'd be grateful - as it is the talks with John Hume and Gerry work these things out."
now! Many in the party don't think Adams. The British government is al- To many Labourvoters, the prospect
what it would mean to the Republic most in the back seat - eventually, it 's of another Labour government is fast
if it were dumped in their lap, a1though got tobe solved between Belfast and becoming a pipe dream. Kevin McNa-
I'm sure if 1 said it to Charlie Haughey , [)ublin. All any British governrnent mara has been in politics long enough
he'd say, TU take it tomorrow, Kevin can do is help in creating aclimate to keep the faith: he understands the
- or the day after' ". which will enable things to happen. The disaffection of the large numbers of
Since last November, Ireland and Conservative governrnent has failed to Irish voters here better than mosto If
events relating to it have hardlybeer. u~e the chances they've had since the they're to be won back to Labour and
off the front pages of the British press. last election
It has been something of a trial by
, to achieve change." the party wins an election, McNamara
is determined that the Northern Ireland
ordeal for Kevin McNamara in his job

K
EVIN McNAMARA REGARDS Office will reflect a sea change in La-
of only a few months. He considers the Gibraltar killings as another bour's policy. He evidently enjoys his
that the Conservatives have bungled very major mistake on the part current position and carries it out with
through insensitivity in Anglo-Irish of the government. "Our main concern great commitment but it's no secret
'relations, "1 think the insensitivity was is that we cannot have summary exe- that he'd like to be sitting at Tom
shown in sorne of Mrs. Thatcher's cutions on the streets - that does the King's desk rather more.

MAGILL MAY 1988 13

 fode in,fode out
"So you'd like to be a priest?" he mad. What about the street leagues?"
asked. I remembered him standing "What about them?"
under the map of the world in our class- "When are you going?"
room and, with the geometry ruler, "September. "
pointing out all the places where his "Where do you have to go to?"
order had missions, Trinidad and To- "A place near Birmingham. Sorne
bago, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ecuador, English gaff - I can't pronounce it."
Bolivia, Peru, BraZiJ. and Papua New "For how long?"
Guinea. I repeated the names silent1y "Seven years."
to myself', over and over in my head "But why do you want to be one?"
like a little poem. Names full of mys- lthought for a momento "Because
tery and magic that set the pulse racing many are called but few are chosen," I
with excitement and danger. replied fiercely.

ChosenFew He passed a book of pictures.around

the elass. Two boys, suitcases in harid,
were opening a gate which led to a lake
surrounded by trees. The boys standing
"But you're only twelve. You have
to be old to be a priest."
"That's why I'm going to a novitiate,
so's I can learn how to say Mass and

U
NDER THE LIGHT FROM on steps being greeted by smiling give communion and hear people's con-
the street lamps we were going priests in front of an ivy covered build- fessions. And then I have to go out to
, into extra time in the 1963 FA ing: the boys playing snooker and Papua Ne'!VGuinea to convert all the
Cup Final and Manchester United were soccer and music. Then a photograph pagans out there. You can come out
trailing Leicester City by four goals to of seminarians, older now, studying and visit me."
three, when our goal keeper Kevo in their own rooms, a crucifix behind, "You have your glue," he said and
(Gordon Banks), fearless acrobat on the shelves lined with books, sunlight walked on.
concrete or grass, was called in by his streaming through the windows. Then, A elothing list arrived: two grey
. mother. aman blessing his proud parents on flannel trousers, black blazer with
He had just soared into the light the day of his ordination and, finally , crest of eagle soaring, six white shirts,
and brought down a dangerous comer the same man in shirt-sleeves and a three pairs of black shoes and two caps
ball when she appeared in the dcorway. straw hat sitting on a horse surrounded also with crest. I was measured and
"Ah Kevo," we begged, "leave the by smiling black children in the shadow fitted in Dermis Guiney's of Talbot
ball. We're in extra time." of a cloud-topped mountain. Street, and then for a gaberdine in
He ignored uso "O yesFather, I'd like to be one Clery's. My mother stitched my num-
It was not unusual for our FA Cup alright." ber, 558, on to all rny clothes. Ilooked
Finals or even World Cup Finals to end "And tell me now, why would you in the mirror and saw a stranger in
thus. like to become a priest?" stranger's clothes and turning the white
As always, we repaired to Mario's I thought for, a moment of myself collar to the front gave myself an apos-
for a postmortem and chips. Then the on a horse in Papua New Guinea in a tolic blessing. -
talk was Elvis and girls and Brother strawhat. The night before I left we had a
Bony, our terrifying teacher of Irish, "To save souls, Father." farewell party. My Un ele Joe at every-
who'd had a brain operation and as a "Y ou have a vocation to the priest- '. body's insistence sang his favourite
result now read everything upside hood. Do you know what that word 'Goodbye Johnny Dear' and 'When
down. means, vocation? From the Latin You're Far Away'. Don't forget your
We recognised the priest instant1y vocare, to callo God is calling you," he dear old mother far across the sea. /
as he passed the chipper window. We said, breaking another biscuit. "And Write a letter now and then. / And
watched as he stood outside my house you must answer thatcall." send her al! you can. / And don't [or-
checking the number. I looked at my father. He looked get where e're you roam / That you're
"Jazes, he's going in your gaff," away. In the porch, Father Finnerty an Irishman.
somebodyexclaimed. put on his hato "God bless you all," he My Auntie Mary was helped from
Within minutes my litt1e brother addressed the entire family , "and the room in tears, the worse for several
burst through the door of the chipper, remember, many are called but few are bottles of Mackeson's Milk Stout.
breathless from running and excite- chosen, but a priest in the house is a "Sure he's only a Trawneen. He'll
mento blessing from God himself'." be et alive beyond. O why couldn't
"You've to come in, you, there's a I never saw him again, he join up with the Brothers at Black-
priest looking for you." rock?" she snuffled.

T
He was sitting in the sofa by the HAT NIGHT I LAY AWAKE "Tis G ... G ... God's will, Mrs,"
window, drinking tea from the special with beating heart, dreaming of stammered Father Clery who had me
occasion china. "I'm Father Finnerty," , villages of straw, fire-red suns, put out of the church for laughing dur-
he smiled, "you remember me, don't rivers of crocodiles and snake-infested ing the Stations of the Cross.
you? You filled in my form when I jungles. And me astride my horse

E
gave my wee speech the other day at gallopng brave and reckless to bring VENING DARKENED OVER
your schcol." He took a Marietta from salvation to those who knew no God. Dun Laoghaire. Aman on the
a plate and broke it carefully in two Oyes, I would be a priest alright. I was , quayside, head rocking from
like 'a host. being called. I knew it now. side to side like a metronome, played
"Sit down, sit down like a good Crossing the convent field Kevo an accordion, and the Legion of Mary
mano I won't take a lump out of you." said: "Are youreally going to be one?" handed out leaflets to people as they
He smiled and peered at me over his "Y eh, I am." stepped on the gangplank. Gulls
glasses. "My oul fella says you're bleeding wheeled and bickered over the mail

14 MAGILL MAY 1988

boat and a cold wind knifed along
the docks. 1 waved goodbye to my
family and friends and 1 stood and
watched till the spires and roofs and
hills of Dublin became only a line that
joined the sea and sky. Downstairs in
the cafeteria, 1 joined my new friends,
my fel!ow seminarians, al! my own age,
al! dressed identically. In charge of us
was an older, flame-haired youth from
Cavan. We sat around him, a flock of
frightened crows.
"1 am your guardian angel," he an-
nounced , "and yous are my chicks.
That's what yeer known as in yeer first
year. Ye will al! be under my wing till
we get beyont."
The boat thudded and heaved
through dark waters. A nun vomited
politely into a paper bag, the white of
her veil framing her face in the
She staggeredaway holding theraillike
a drunk. A necklace of lights was strung
around Holyhead as we slowed towards
shore. Disorientated from sleeping only
fitful!y on the wooden deck benches,
we trooped in a line behind our leader,
hauling our cases through customs, past
Welsh bobbies, stern-faced and reprov-
ing under their bizarre helmets. "They're
not like real guards at all," 1 thought.
The doors of the long red train were
open and it snorted, anxious to be away
from the crowded platform.
Soon we were hurtling through
Wales, the blackness broken here and
there only by a light from a house in
the mountains, and al! the towns were
sleeping now. But once 1 thought 1 saw
or dreamed 1 saw a solitary figure stand
and wave to our speeding train. 1waved
back anxious that he should know that
1 had answered his lonely salutation.
Our guardian angel rose from his seat
and removed the bulb from the ceiling.
"We will all kneel and say the rosary
for our Blessed Mother to deliver us
safe." In the silence 1 heard his beads
rattle.
"I've always had a great devotion
to OUT Blessed Lady myself and of
course to Dominic Savio, the patron
saint of young boys," he said.
He began to intone the first joy-
ful mystery and we answered in half-
hearted unison, but my mind made its
own prayer to the rhythm of wheel on
track: 1 want to go home, 1 want to go
home, 1 want to go home.
Later a megaphoned voice announ-
ced that we had arrived at Crewe
station. A black porter was sweeping
the deserted platform.
"Look, it's Shang Mohangi," said
one of the boys. A light snow was falling
over the tracks and on the roof of the
train, as we followed our leader from
our compartments. "Goodbye now and thanks very photographs. The branches of trees that
"Right, boys, remove your over- mucho That was a grand bit of break- edged the ribbon of road that led to
coats." fast." She turned her backand did not my new home were traced in silver.
He stood before us inshirt and tie reply. Birds cried in alarm and rose up from
for a moment and then began to jump Through the dismal streets of Bir- the bare trees and only the soft sound
up and down clapping his hands over mingham our bus inched its way. of OUT footsteps foHowed us, 1 fe1t no
his head with every second jurnp. "Take courage.? a sign on a hoard- excitement, only fear and an aching
People watched from the carriage, rub- ing said. loneliness, and thought how different
bing the windows. They pointed at us "1 will, 1 will," 1 said to myself. it all seemed to the photographs passed
and laughed. 1was heartsick with shame Now the city gave way to a sheeted from desk to desk that day at school.
and regret. Snow was falling heavier landscape of chocolate box houses Suddenly.a huge.grey building, bearded
now, blown by the wind, like a scatter- with black timber and stone. At last with ivy, loomed before uso It seemed
ing of wild, white insects beneath the we reached a village, a strange, silent to possess a dark personality of its
platform lights. Finally we picked up place with signs 1 would never forget, own that resented the intrusion of
our sodden coats and followed him Uriah Crump and Son, Undertakers, strangers. There were no smiling priests
back to the train. There was sorne snow The Barley Mow Inn, Mrs Turnbull's to greet uso Instead, we waited like the
on his eyebrows and head, as he settled Tuck Shop, names that seemed to me horseman in Wa1ter de la Mare's poem
himself against the seat. as bizarre as anything Dickens would 'The Listener' as the knocker echoed
"Now 1 bet yeer the better of that," have invented. We passed a graveyard deep within the house. The door swung
he said. where a woman tending a grave stared open and a small priest with glasses, in
Dawn whitened the sky as we pulled at us for a few minutes and returned a stained soutane, stood before uso 1
into New Street station, Birmingham. to her work. A lorry appeared in the noticed he was wearing Chelsea boots.
In a cafe near the bus terminus we de- distance. Halfwithout hope, 1extended "Ah," he laughed, "the Irish Bri-
voured fried bread and eggs and mugs my thumb. It halted. gade." We followed him through dark
of warm tea. A waitress collected our "Who stopped that lorry?" snapped statued corrldors, up stairways of un-
money , throwing back the Irish coins. our Guardian Angel. even stone, hung with paintings of as-
"It's -getting up grand now, thank l felt a cbward's relief as we clam- cetic, long-dead priests. The air smelled
God," our Guardian Angel said. bered, cases and all, into the back. of boiled cabbage and disinfectant.
, "1 don't know where you've come Somewhere a piano was being played.
from, my love, but this is the worst THE GATES OF THE SEMI- He showed us our dormitories. No
frigging winter in living rnemory." nary opened to reveal a frozen bookshelves here, no sunlight streaming
He ushered us to the door. lake 1 recognised from the through windows, only rows of narrow
 beds with red woollen covers, our
numbers sellotaped to the frames.
Around the walls, wooden lockers with
"Discipline and prayer and work
will be your companions. They will be
your strehgth. For you are now mem-
till I was woken by the sound of bells
agan. I knelt on the cold floor to pray
in my Clery's cotton pyjamas but I
your name. and year, bers of a special family and you must could find no prayer, only thoughts of
Later in the refectory hundreds of tum your back on the ernpty pleasures Irene and the roundabout and Mario's
boys sat around long tables. One of ofthis world, the better to serve Him." one and ones with loads of sa1t and
thern was reading aloud from the New I th ought of Irene in her purple vinegar, and Mr Goodshow from the
Testament in an English accent. On a coat, her lovely face smiling at me paper shop saying "good show" as he
raised dais three priests sat. Then one across the table in the chipper. Irene, gave you your change and Uncle J oe
of them, removing his napkin from a my first love from Drimnagh, I must singing on an evening that seemed so
silver circle, said something in Latin turn my back on her forever. The boy long ago now, his head thrown back,
and we were allowed to talle A wave beside me wet himself, a stain spreading and the firelight in his whiskey glass.
of noise drowned the silence. When in his grey f1annel trousers.
the meal was finished all the Irish boys At the entrance to the dormitory,
had to stand and we introduced our- a priest stood reading his breviary in
selves amongst clapping and whistles the half light. We extended our hands
and banging of spoons on the tables. to show we had washed. Re waved us
Sorne of the English repeated our in one by one without a word.
names to each other and laughed. The I lay in my thin bed as the lights
priest rang a small bell on his table to were extinguished. I listened to the
quieten them. Before the sacred taber- new sounds. The clearing of throats, the
nacle in the f1ower-filled candle-lit whispered conversations, the breathing
chapel we sang 'Soul of My Saviour', of sleep, the creaking of springs, Moon-
the win dows open to the night, light slanted white over the beds and
"You are embarking on a most diffi- the stone flcors and somewhere a bell
cu1tjoumey ,You have chosen a narrow, rang slow and lonely. I heard the swish
dangerous road. Temptations will be of a soutane as it brushed the floors
many. Sorne of you will not reach your between the beds and the squeak of
joumey's end;" the rector told us from his shoes in the shadows. A boy cried
the altar. I glanced at our Guardian out in his sleep. AH was quiet again.
Angel. His mouth was tightened in a Sleep would not come for hours, but
smile. when it did it was dreamless and deep,
THE STORY Uf THE O'GRADY KIONAP , ., ~ '. .

By Michael O'Higgins
The Gardai had in their possession a c1ue which could have led thern to the O'Grady
kidnappers and their captive some ten days earlier. A card found in a rucksack after the
Midleton shoot-out led thern directly to the gang once they checked it out - but this was ten
days later, by whichtirne John O'Grady had lost two of his fingers.

where the alarm and console for opening and closing the
l. The O'Hare Gang comes calling front gate in the driveway were located. O'Grady had diffi-
culty convincing O 'Hare that the alarm had not been switched
on because it had been rnalfunctioning recently.

J OHN O'GRADY WAS STANDING AT THE TOP

of his stairs when Dessie O'Hare, attired in a grey
. suit and black balaclava, carne smashing through the
wooden framed g1ass panels of his front door with sledge-
O'Hare wanted to know where Dr Austin Darragh, the
head of the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology, was. He was
told that Dr Darragh had not lived in the house for three
and a half years. O'Hare went back upstairs. There was a
hammer. Up to that point it had been an unremarkable day. telephone in Louise's bedroom too. Marise O'Grady had
He had retumed home from his dental surgery in Wellington dialled 999, got through to the exchange and was awaiting
Road at six o 'dock, a little earlier than usual. He had dinner connection to the police. At that moment O'Hare entered
with his wife Marise and three children, Darragh, aged thir- the room. He flew into a rage and called Marise O'Grady a
teen, Anthony, twelve, and Louise, six. After dinner he went bitch and swore at her. The 'phone was ripped out of the
up to visit his mother Kitty O'Grady who was sick. He re- wall. Dessie O'Hare said that there had been a "fuck up"
tumed horne just before nine o'clock. The children were and that they had got the wrong man. He told Marise O 'Grady
already in bed. John and Marise O'Grady decided to have that a previous kidnap in which he had been involved had
an early night. They were in bed watching television when been bung1ed and it was important that they should not
at around half past nine they heard the sound of breaking lose face.
glass. They thought it might have been Anthony and Darragh John O'Grady was by this time handcuffed. He had had
playacting. John O'Grady got up in his pyjamas and went to walk barefoot out to the porch through the broken glass.
to investigate. He was taken into the kitchen where he met Fergal Toal
Confronted with a stranger breaking down the door with who was armed with a pump action shotgun and who he
a sledge-harnmer, John O'Grady instinctively descended a noticed was very nervous and breathing heavily. Dessie
few steps of the stairs. Now, Dessie O'Hare was standing in ~Hare told O'Grady to open the safe, All that the safe con-
front of him pointing a gun at his head, threatening to blow tained was birth, baptism and marriage certificates, pass-
him away , There were three other armed men, al so wearing ports, a TV licence, other personal documents and jewellery
balaclavas, along with O'Hare. O'Grady told O'Hare not to worth just over a thousand pounds. O'Hare took everything.
panic, that he (O'Grady) was not going to do anythng. Marise O'Grady was upstairs in one of the bedrooms with
Other members of the O'Grady household were aroused her three children. They were under armed guard by another
by the noisy incursin. They were ushered at gunpoint by member of the gang, Tony McNeill. Marise O'Grady found
O'Hare nto the bedroom of Anthony O'Grady, Anthony that McNeill was reasonable. He acceded to all her requests,
was already on the phone attempting to contact the gardai. Attempts to draw him into conversation, however, failed.
"You little bastard ," ranted O'Hare who prompt1y took the McNeill put his finger up to his lips to indicate that she
phone frorn him. The family was ushered into the bedroom should be quieto . .
of Louise O'Grady, the youngest of the O'Grady family, Downstairs Dessie O'Hare was in a foul tempero He su m-
John O'Grady was taken downstairs to the front porch moned Marise O 'Grady. O 'Hare was trying to think of a ruse

18 MAGILL MAY 1988

that would entice Dr Darragh 'out to the house. One of his
suggestions was that John O'Grady should ring him and tell
Dr Darragh that Marise had fallen down the stairs and broken family , He lay down on the bed beside his wife Marise. He
her neck. Marise O'Grady told O'Hare the plan would not was aware that the gang had discussed the possibility of tak-
work. O'Hare kicked her on the backside. On theway back ing one of the children as wel1 as himself. He talked it over
upstairs he called her a "lying cunt ". The kidnap gang held with Marise. John Q'Grady decided Anthony would be the
a conference over tea and biscuits. O'Hare lamented thefact one they should take along with himself. All the time Tony
that Q 'Grady was not a son of Dr Darragh. He took the view McNeill was sitting, armed with a shotgun, on a chair in the
that J ohn Q'Grady would be "expendable". The idea of comer of the room watching them. After an hour or two
taking Marise Q 'Grady was dscussed but O'Hare was against J ohn O 'Grady was taken down to the playroom where he
taking a woman. John Q'Grady was summoned downstairs was made to sit on a swivel chair. Eddie Hogan talked with
again. The fourth member of the gang, Eddie Hogan, pro- him for a while about Dr Darragh'swealth. Before the family
duced a video camera. He filmed John O'Grady , flanked on was a1lowed go to bed for the night a ransom note demand-
either side by Dessie Q'Hare and Tony McNeill who had ing 1:300,000 was drafted.
guns pointed at his head. Afterwards they asked O'Grady
where his video cassette player was, to check if the camera
worked. 'Manar House ' has a1most every modern convenience 2. Not tbe smootbest of operators
imaginable but John Q'Grady told an incredulous O'Hare

I
that they did not own a video cassette player. The reason, NTHE MORNING DESSIE O'HARE TOOK JOHN
he explained to Q'Hare, was that he didn't want his children O'Grady downstairs. Marise O'Grady was told to get
to watch video 'nasties. warm clothes, socks and wellington boots for her hus-
J ohn O 'Grady was taken upstairs to rejoin the rest of his bando He was to be kept in a field, she was toldo J ohn O'Grady

MAGILLMAY 198819
 His glasses and handcuffs were removed. He took stock of
his new surroundngs. The walls were bare. There was a blue
coloured blanket hanging from the ceiling separating him
from his captors. There was a black Victorian fireplace in
the comer. The only heat being provided, however, was
from one bar of a superser heater. A dinner of roast beef,
vegetables and potato was provided. Fergal Toal and Tony
McNeill, who had retumed with Dessie O'Hare, took up
guard duties. Eddie Hogan and Dessie O'Hare left.
It was Wednesday Octo ber 14. The first full day of this
kidnap was nearing a close. Gerry Wright's cellar was to be
home for the next four days.

4. The "poor old 'Border Fox' "

was in the playroorn with Tony McNeill guarding him.

J
OHN O'GRADY'S GUARDS WERE PREPARED
Shortly before nine o'clock one of the gang carne in and to make minor concessions. On Wednesday evening
blindfolded him with a lint and gauze dressing. O'Hare led he was asked if he would like a drink. O'Grady
him, still handcuffed, out to the back of the house to a car asked for, and was provided with , a bottle of Muscadet wine
and John O'Grady was ordered to get into the boot. and Ballygowan mineral water. The two mixed together is
O'Hare retumed to the house. The 'phone rango O'Hare known as a 'spritzer' and is a fairly popular drink in many
stood over Marise O'Grady while she accepted an invitation of Dublin's upwardly mobile bar lounges. There wasnothing
from a friend to Sunday dinner. It was another cock up: salubrious about his present surroundings, however. The
O'Hare was not wearing his balaclava and Marise O'Grady spritzer was served in a paper cup. There was a bucket to
got a good loo k at his face. O'Hare told her that he was urinate in. For most of the time he was handcuffed and
leaving with her husband and wamed her not to contact the obliged to wear the pair of blacked outglasses,
police. The car they were leaving in had already been packed Meals were strictIy functional. Tea, toast and boiled eggs
with provisions from the house. The gang also took a walk- for breakfast, yogurt, fruit and sandwiches for lunch, and
man radio, walkie talkies and a polaroid camera. Two mem- burger and chips or Kentucky fried chicken in the evening.
bers of the gang, Fergal Toal and Tony McNeill, remained Toal and McNeill worked in rotation, taking tums for sleep.
behind to ensure O'Hare's safe getaway , Dessie O'Hare and O'Grady succeeded in having a brief conversation with
Eddie Hogan drove off with John O'Grady. McNeill about his Republican beliefs and getting the British
They intended driving to a lock-up garage on the north soldiers out of Northern Ireland. McNeill told him he wanted
side of Dublin, but quickly lost their way. They were forced to see a Socialist State in Ireland and every other country
to rely on directions from John O'Grady who was blind- that was not already communist. O'Grady was allowed read
folded and in the boot. Less than twelve hours into the the newspapers and was given his son's walkman to listen
kidnap it was apparent Dessie O'Hare and his gang were too He tuned in to pirate radio station, NRG 103.
not the smoothest of operators, On Thursday October 15 Dessie O'Hare and Eddie Hogan
retumed. The kidnap was by now public knowledge. O'Hare
3. "Look as natural as possible" then asked O 'Grady for the names of other people whom
they could contact to make a ransom demando O'Grady
suggested a relative, an Auntie Bettie, and Hilary Prentice,

T HE CAR SLOWED DOWN AND MOUNTED TWO

kerbs or bumps. From inside the boot J ohn O'Grady
could hear a roller door being opened, Dessie O'Hare
got into a second car and drove off.
a solicitor who worked in the firm of Matheson Ormsby
and Prentice. Prentice was a patient of O'Grady's. O'Hare
asked O'Grady for details which would show his bona
lides when he contacted them to demand the ransom.
The plan had been for McNeill and Toal, who remained O'Grady provided details which were written down by
behind in the house, to drive off after a time in John Hogan , The two then departed.
O'Grady's car which they were then to dump outside the The following moming O 'Grady was supplied with a basin
Fairways Hotel in Dundalk. This was to create the impression of hot water and allowed to wash. He was also given the
that the gang had gone across the border. Dessie O'Hare three morning papers which were full of news of the kidnap.
switched cars and drove off to meet with McNeill and Toal Toal and McNeill also read the papers but didn't pass any
to bring them back to Dublin. comment. O'Grady was given two books, 'Murder in the
Back in the lock-up garage John O'Grady could hear Vicarage' by Agatha Christie and an adventure thriller by
Eddie Hogan snoring. In the boot, O'Grady munched apear Wilbur Smith 'The Power of the Sword'. He passed the day
from the stock of provisions. He, too, dozed off. When he reading and listening to the radio. Overhead he could hear
woke he asked Eddie Hogan if he could go to the toilet. He movement in the barber's shop as Gerry Wright tended to
was supplied with a milk bottle which he filled twice. A his customers.
short time later Dessie O'Hare retumed. John O'Grady was On the following Saturday , October 17, Dessie O'Hare
released from the boot and ordered into the back seat of retumed alone. John O'Grady was to be moved to a new
another caro The blindfold was removed. He was given a pair location. On the journey the gang were in high spirits. They
of glasses with the lenses blacked out with masking tape. joked about the "poor old 'Border Fox' being blamed for
They drove for about half an hour in heavy traffic. O'Grady everything". They stopped after about an hour and O'Hare
was given a cigarette on the joumey and told to pretend to went to a takeaway to get fish and chips and curries. They
smoke it and to look as natural as possible. Their destination ate the food in the caro O'Hare joked to O'Grady that he
was a barber 's shop at 41 Parkgate Street near Guinness's would take him for a drink except he might be recognised.
brewery , They were met by the proprietor of the premises, They drove on. O'Hare suddenly ordered everyone in the
Gerry Wright, O'Grady was led to a cellar. His arm was car to get down and shouted "Brits". He then fired two
shaking. Wright took his arm, told him he was alright and shots out the window. J ohn O 'Grady now presumed he was
not to worry , The cellar was dilapidated, dusty and disused, in Northem Ireland. They had driven for three to four hours
He was put sitting in a sweaty-smelling arrnchair in a comer. in all.

20 MAGILL MAY 1988

 operator. He led a charmed life. In June 1979 he was on an
operation with Paddy McIlvenna. From a catt1e truck they
5. Evacuation lessons fired on an RUC station. Their retreat brought them past
the house of a prison officer who was mowing the lawn. He

J OHN O'GRADY DIDN'T YET SUSPECT IT BUT

he was actually in Carriggtwohill. in County Cork.
For the second time in a week his living standards
were to drop sharply , But, compared with what was to
had a shotgun handy and he opened up on the cattle truck.
. By the time they crossed the border McIlvenna was dead
and O'Hare injured. Fve months later, he was involved in a
car chase with the gardai. The car crashed and O'Hare 's
follow, the grimy cellar in Gerry Wright's barber shop would passenger, Tony McC1elland,was killed. O'Hare was charged
seem a very attractive place indeed. with possession of a shotgun and sentenced to nine years in
The first night wasn't too bad. He spent it in a cottage Portlaoise. At the time of his arrest he was credited by the
which was damp with, he noticed, lots of cobwebs in the RUC, wthout substantiation, with invo1vement in over
cornero Early next morning he was taken by Dessie O'Hare twenty killings. He had not yet reached twenty-one years of
out to a shed in the yard. Entrance to the shed was through age,
a two-foot hole in the wall. McNeill and Toal resumed their He cou1dn't adjust to jail, There were severa1naive escape
guard duties. Each moming they would take theirmattresses attempts right up to within months of his release, costing .
out through the holeo They would then travel a coup1e of him remission. He was frequently beaten up by prison war-
hundred yards through gorse undergrowth to a clearing. ders. He had few frends in jail. Eddie Hogan had been sen-
Here they wou1d remain until sundown. They put blankets tenced to eight years in 1981 for his invo1vement in an
over themselves to keep out the cold. John O'Grady read armed robbery. Toal was sentenced in 1984 for his part in
books supplied by his captors and listened to the radio. an attempted armed robbery in Dundalk. The three, along
At night they retumed to the shed. It was made from wth Jimmy McDaid, who was serving a sentence for the
bare cement blocks and measured ten feet by eight. The roof mans1aughter of a British soldier, formed one of the many
was corrugated iron. The floor was mudo John O'Grady by cliques in prison.
now was leaming to associate the intermittent appearance Dessie O'Hare was released from jail in October 1986
of gang leader Dessie O'Hare with disruption or trouble. and Toal shortly afterwards. The INLA was in dsarray.
O'Hare retumed on the night of October 20. O'Grady Initially Dessie O'Hare approached a member of the new
was finding him increasingly volatile and aggressive. O'Hare Army Council faction. O'Hare proposed that the list of
enquired of O'Grady's guard whether he (O'Grady) was get- legitimate targets should be widened to include people 1ike
ting in and out of the hole in the shed quickly enough. In Bishop Cahal Daly - who had made a number of state-
reply , he was told that O'Grady was a bit slow. Chains were ments critical of republicans - and Peter Suther1and, who
produced and attached to both wrists and ankles. O'Hare had been Attorney General when the Suprerne Court re-
then got a scarf and gagged O'Grady. He started to kick versed its policy of not extraditing people suspected of in-
O'Grady in the head, legs, bottom and back. O'Grady put volvement in offences while on "active service". The man
his hands around his head and tried to scream through the
gag. O'Hare was shouting and cursing that he wasn't getting
out of the hole quickly enough, O'Hare stopped abruptly
and told hirn: "When 1 say go, you are to gather your mat-
tres s and get out of the hole." Once instructed, O'Grady
irnmediately gathered up his mattressand dived for the holeo
He received another kicking because he wasn't fast enough
for O'Hare. He went again, this time, much more quickly ,
His improved speed seemed to satisfy O'Hare's evacuation
requirements. Before 1eavingO'Hare with the polaroid camera
took a photograph of O'Grady in chains and a gun to his
head. John O'Grady noticed that Dessie O'Hare was wearing
his Longines gold watch and that his Cross pen, bearing the Step into The Saddle Room, and you will be
logo of the Institute of C1inical Pharmaco1ogy was sticking transported back in time to the elegance of Ceorgian
out of his pocket. Dublin.
The next day was spent in the clearing. It was raining, As a brilliant log fire blazes at the end of the vaulted
On the instructions of O'Hare the chains were still attached and wood-panelled dining room, costumed waitresses
to O'Grady's wrists and ankles.
There were nuggets of comfort. The Gay Byme radio serve the very best of traditional fare in all its hearty
show had broadcast a message saying that his mother who robustness, with top quality prime Rib ofBeef taking
had been ill had recovered and that his wife and family pride of place. Indeed, The Saddle Room is so highly
were well, and that he was not to worry , That afternoon specialised in beef that the men u is centred around
Tony McNeill, clad in ba1aclava, played a couple of games "The Story of our Beef", although we also offer fresh
of chess with O'Grady. McNeill was the only one of the
gang he cou1d establish any kind of rapport with. McNeill fish dishes and superb game in season.
assured O'Grady that he would see to it that he would not The pudding trolley offers such sumptuous delights
be shot.
as Deep Apple Crumble, Syllabub, Bread-and-Butter-
Pudding laced with Cognac, and a Steamed Pudding.
6. A gang with nothing to lose Lavish, gracious hospitality in an authentic Ceorgian
setting provides an elegant atmosphere for relaxing

J OHN O'GRADY BY NOW REALISED HE WAS IN

the company of dangerous and desperate meno The
newspapers had been full of profiles of Dessie O'Hare,
detailing his most notorious deeds.
and is the perfect choice for business people.
Lunch: Mon--Fri: 12.00-2 p. m.
Dinner: Mon -Sal: 7. 00-11.30 p. m.
O'Hare was born in Keady, County Arrnagh, in 1958. He
joined the Provisional IRA at the age of sixteen. He quckly
acquired a reputation as a fear1ess, ruth1ess hut also reckless
Ely House, 7/8 Ely Place, Dublin 2. Tel: 761751

MAGILLMAY 1988 21
 to whom O'Hare proposed this was appalled, gave him f,500
gardai. The first garda arrived at the house shortly after
and told him he would be in touch.
nine o'clock that night. Manor House, on Brennanstown
In early December of that year he was involved in an
Road, is in the area for which Dun Laoghaire garda station
attempted bank robbery in Shercock, County Cavan. In
has responsibility and this became the station from which
dramatic fashion the doors of the bank were smashed down,
the hunt for the kidnappers was to be coordinated. Every
but the gang left empty-handed. He was arrested shortly piece of information which was tumed up was to be collated
afterwards under Section 30 of the Offences against the and analysed at Dun Laoghare.
State Act and taken to Dundalk station for questionng.
At eleven o'clock the next mornng, October 15, Detec-
Detectives interviewing him were impressed by his agile
tive Sergeant Neill visited Manor House and showed Marise
mind. He told them that he was now a pacifist.
O'Grady a dozen photographs. She quickly picked out Dessie
Over the next ten months he killed, or had killed, five O'Hare.From the account given by Marise O'Grady the
people. O'Hare had contacted the GHQ faction of the INLA
gardai believed the gang to be "a bunch of amateurs". Many
and had been instructed to form a unit. This unit's one and
detectives spoke of an early breakthrough. Dessie O'Hare
only action against the security forces, carried out on New
had told Marise O'Grady to pack wellington boots for her
Year's Eve, ended in disaster. The target was a member of
husband as he would be kept in the open, so initially searches
the UDR, but the assassins missed and shot his seventy-two
year old mother who died soon afterwards. concentrated on woodlands. They didn't reveal any signifi-
cant clues.
The INLA feud erupted at the end of January when
John O'Reilly and Thomas "Ta" Power were shot when
they attended the Rossnaree Hotel for what they assumed 8. A ransom note
were peace talks. O'Hare was first into bat for the GHQ
faction. O'Hare was nvolved in abducting Tony McCloskey.
McCloskey had his finger, nose and ear cut off before being
put out of his misery by a bullet. In the coming weeks
O'Hare was to kill twc others, both INLA members, one for
O N THE NIGHT F OCTOBER 22 JOHN O'GRADY
was asleep in the shed when he was woken up by
. Dessie O'Hare. Wearing the blacked out glasses he
was led out of the shed down a slope covered in gorse and
alleged informing and another in a personal vendetta. In bushes. His chains kept catching in the undergrowth and
June he attempted to assassinate Official Unionist Party progress was slow. There were two cars waiting for them.
representatve Jim Nicholson. Funds were low and in August O'Grady was given a cup of tea. They drove for about ten
he robbed a bank in Ballybay, County Monaghan. In August minutes until they reached Ballymascinley just outside
he robbed two banks within minutes of each other in Castle- Midleton. Desse O'Hare handed John O'Grady paper, a felt
pollard, County Westrneath, pen and a book to lean on. O'Grady was told to move his
O'Hare was formally expelled from the INLA and the IRA glasses up on his forehead. O'Hare dictated a ransom note
were also looking for him in connecton with guns he had addressed to Dr Austin Darragh, The note demanded a
stolen from them. He was now totally marginalised. The million pounds sterling and half a million in punts. During
three bank ro bberies had yielded only n,000. He could dictation Hogan was worried that the light from the car
count those he could rely on in single figures. Eddle Hogan would attract attention, even though the windows were
was released from jail in October and immediately took up covered with blankets. The note wamed Dr Darragh not to
wth O'Hare. contact the police. The note instructed that <El courier be
Tony McNeill was the most unlikely member of the gang, sent to the Fairways Hotel in Dubdalk where a call would
From Belfast, he studied for a diploma in electronic engin- come through for a Pat Murray , The courier was to take the
eering and carne south in 1980 after the RUC allegedly call which would give further instructions.
issued a death threat to him through hs sister. He got a jo b John O'Grady was then taken from the car and led to a
as a nurse's aide in Palmerstown Hospital. It was McNeill freight container where he was bedded down for the night.
who was friendly with Gerry Wright whom he introduced to Toal and McNeill resumed guard dutes. Dessie O'Hare and
Dessie O'Hare in early October. Wright was not a member Eddie Hogan left them to it.
of any group but had "sympathies". He considered the dif-
ferences between the Official IRA and the INLA and the
Provisionals to be only notiona1. His brother had been a 9. A breakthrough for the Gardai
member of the Official IRA in the 1970s but had been shot

O
dead by a fellow member of the organisaton after he made CTOBER 26 WAS A BANK HOLIDAY. DESSIE
a statement in police custody implicating fellow members O'Hare was in great form, saying that he was soon
in a bank robbery. He agreed to cooperate with O'Hare when to be a millionaire. It was also his birthday , Unknown
O'Hare said he wou1d shoot Billy Wrght's killer, whose to him, however, the gardai were about to get their first
identity was well known. Wrght was obsessed with his break in their nvestgaton,
brother's death. McNeill only joined up wth O'Hare on Garda Gerard O'Donoghue succeeded in doing what every
October 1. Four days later the gng killed Jimmy McDaid. member of the force from raw recruit to the Garda Como
O'Hare alleged that he had misappropriated money. His missioner himself wanted to do: he located the kidnappers.
family claims that he was shot because he wanted to dis- O'Donoghue was on plain clothes duty , The gardai in Midle-
associate himself from O'Hare.
ton had been informed of suspicious activity around a con-
Dessie O'Hare liked to think of himself as leading a dis- tainer just outside Midleton in Ballymascinley. Atternpts to
ciplined group who acted under military orders. The reality contact the local patrol car failed due to radio interference.
was far different.
Garda O'Donoghue went out with two of his colleagues in
one of their own cars. They knocked on the container but
7. "A bunch of amateurs" got no reply , They went to an adjacent house where an
elderly woman, a Mrs O'Neilllived. Mrs O'Neill told them
she had not noticed any suspicious activity. They retumed

T HEGARDA INVESTIGATION, NOW WELL INTO

its second week, had yielded little. After Fergal Toal
and Tony McNeill had left John O'Grady's house at
1.50 p m on the first day of the kidnap, Marise O'Grady
to Midleton garda station. The matter might have ended
there but for the fact that at 3 p m Garda O'Donoghue
received new information. On the basis of this O'Donoghue
was convinced he had located the kidnap gang, Superinten-
contacted her father Austin Darragh , They discussed what
dent Murray arrived into Midleton station to take charge at
to do and after sorne deliberation decided to contact the
3.30 p.m. Murray acted quickly: he telephoned surrounding
22 MAGILL MAY 1988
 police stations to request back-up assistance , He then tele- That morning Eddie Hogan and another gang member left
phoned Commandant Grey of Collins Barracks in Cork early , Sometime during the morning O''Grady and the re-
City. Murray briefed him and requested a cornpany of
maining guard heard someone outside the container. Soon
rroops and emergency lighting to assist the civil power.
afterwards, Eddie Hogan arrived and told John O'Grady to
Grey's reply was that it would take two hours to mobilise dress quckly. He again put on his blacked-out g1assesand
rroops. Twenty minutes later, however, the comrnandant was handcuffed. They moved to a tunnel close by.
rang back to saya Captain Kenneally would be in Midleton John O'Grady remained in the tunnel for an hour or so
in three-quarters of an hour with a party of nine soldiers. listening to the RTE 'Radio 2 marathon. Suddenly the head-
By this stage Detective Inspector Carey had arrived from phones were grabbed off his head and he was taken out of
Union Quay station in Cork. Over the next twenty minutes the tunne1. The gang had spotted Garda Gerard O'Donoghue
Murray and Carey cobbled together a plan. There were six- and his two col1eaguesexamining the container and calling
teen armed gardai of various ranks detailed to impement
to the house of Mrs O'Neill. Hogan led him by the hand
this plan. The detectives split into three teams. Team one across a couple of fields to a ditch beside the road. The fOUT
was to take up a position in a field direct1y across the road .men crouched in the ditch eating currant cake. Toal and
frorn the container. Teams two and three were to approach McNeill shared a cigarette.
the container from two directions behind. The ditches in Meanwhile, the three teams of detectives were moving in
the fields around the container were to give the surrounding to take up their positions, unaware that the kidnappers and
party cover. The purpose of the plan, according to Super- John O'Grady had vacated the container. Team number
intendent Murray, was merely to contain the gang until the two played no part in what followed. The first team, led by
army arrived and roadblocks were set up. Each team was Detective Inspector Carey who had helped draw up the plan,
instructed to abandon their transport on farms half a mile took up its position in the field across the road from the
away from the target. The detectives left Midleton station house. The second team, led by Detective Sergeant Michael
at 4.30 p ro to take up their designated positions. The plan Scanlon, also moved int position, approaching from the
failed miserably. Its success hinged on the presumpton that rearo Radio silence was observed until all three teams were
the kidnappers were inside the container. It was fundament- in position, At 4.50 p m the team led by Detectlve Sergeant
al1y flawed. The most serious omission was the failure to Michael Scanlon radioed into base that they were in position.
set up roadblocks sealing off the area. Even if the primary They were taking cover behind a large ditch overlooking the
aim was merely containment, it was already known the gang container. The kidnappers and John O''Grady were hiding
was armed. If it carne to a shoot-out, which was a likely inside this ditch. They heard the message being given over
possibility , road blocks were essential, not just to keep the the garda radio. It was then that Detective Michael Scanlon
kidnappers hemmed in, but, more importantly, to keep the noticed that they weren't in fact in their correct position.
civilian population out. .
There was another field between them and the container.
He ordered his men forward. Detective Garda Gerard Cor-
10. Cock-up at Midleton bett went to climb over the ditch which was covered in
dense undergrowth , The sound of a branch cracking beneath
his weght was clearly audible. The kdnappers, a few feet

F ORTHE PREVIOUS THREE-ANb-A-HALF DAYS,

John O'Grady had only been outside the container
once for a twenty minute exercise periodo Most of the
time he spent listening to the radio and reading the news-
below Corbett, made a break for it out onto the open road.
Luck was on their side. A Hi-Ace van was approaching.
The occupants of the van, Charles and Mary Terry , were
otdered out at gunpont, Using Mary Terry as a shield, one
papers. At regular intervals during the day a man carne and
of the gang fired two shots at Detective Corbett while rcar-
knocked on the container and gave the code word "Gero-
ing "Get down you scum". More shots were exchanged. A
nirno". He would then open up the container and pass in Renault 9 pulled up behind the Bi-Ace van. The kidnappers
meals. The container was locked from the outside: O'Grady's changed their minds and hi-jacked this car instead. All the
guards were as much prisoners as himself. Eddie Hogan had
time one of the gang was firing shots. Another gunman was
eturned to the container on the previous evening, Sunday , shouting: "Bring thehostage". To the gardai the gang seemed
16 i\1AGILL MAY 1988
well militarily drilled. Tlre gardai were unable to return fire was decided to change cars again. They called to the house
because Mary Terry was between them and the kidnappers. of John Hannon. When he opened the door Hogan pushed
The kidnappers took off in the Renault, driving down a gun to his face and pushed him into the living room onto
the road towards the container where the garda team one his couch. Hannon thought it was a joke and went to pull
was positioned. Detective Sergeant Michael Scanlon quickly the balaclava off Hogan's head. Hogan told him it was no-
radioed Detective Inspector Carey to tell him that the kid- thng personal but they needed his caro Fergal Toal, who
nappers and hostage had escaped and were headed in their had been grazed by a bullet at Midleton, cleaned his wound.
direction. In the confusion he told them they were travelling John Hannon, his wife Nuala and Colin, their seven-year-old
in a Hi-Ace van. The kidnappers, driving the Renault 9, were child, were tied up. John, the seven-month-old baby, was
on top of Carey and his men before they knew it. Carey left in his pram beside his parents. McNeill questioned the
recognised Eddie Hogan in the Renault and shouted to his wisdom of tyng up the mother who would then not be
meno Garda Gerard O'Donoghue was in a crouched position able to give the baby attention. Hogan told him : "Tie her
on the grass verge beside the road with an Uzi machine gun. up. That's an order." As an afterthought Hogan made up a
There was a gunman pointing a gun out the back window fresh bottle for the baby before leaving,
which he had broken with the butt of his rifle. Garda John John O'Grady remained outside in the car: for the first
Gleeson was beside O'Donoghue with a Smith and Wesson. time in twelve days he was left unattended. The gang re-
There was an exchange of shots. One struck the boot of the turned after a few minutes and took off. A few miles up the
car. The other grazed the neck of Fergal Toal, the driver. road they needed petrol. John O'Grady was shoved into a
The Renault swerved and went around the comer. Gardai, ditch under guardoThe car returned in a few minutes with a
with the exception of Garda Gerard O'Donoghue - whose . full tank. The gang drove on to Dublin, staying clear of
lead had pnpointed the kidnappers - proceeded to run on main roads to avoid roadblocks, They arrived at 260 Carn-
foot to their cars parked a quarter of a mile away. O'Don- lough Road, the house of barber Gerry Wright, shortly
oghue flagged down a civilian car and gave chase. The kid- before midnght. John O'Grady slept in an ordinary bed for
nappers were already gone. The developments were radioed the first time in almost two weeks. It had been a trying day.
back to Superintendent Murray back in Midleton garda There had been almost nothing to eat all day. AH he got
station. Murray had detailed eght uniformed gardai to set before going to sleep was a glass of water. He slept soundly ,
up roadblocks but none were yet in position. Meanwhile, When he awoke the following morning it was already bright.
Army support had just arrived. The kidnappers were already
miles away , 12. The calm before the storm
11. "Nothing personal" "THAT MORNING, TUESDAY OCTOBER 27, JOHN
O'Grady got a decent breakfast: hamburger, bacon,
s sausage, double egg and pint jug of tea. After break-

A
IT HAPPENED THE GANG DID MEET A SOL-
dier that afternoon. Private Mark Nugent had fast he was moved downstairs and put in an alcove under
travelled by car to Cork with three friends to see the stairs in the living room. He was told that once inside
Cork City play Waterford in a League of Ireland match. The he could remove his glasses. His handcuffs had already been
four had stopped at Cobh Cross to go to the toilet. They removed. There was a mattress on the flo or, a light bulb
were spotted by the gang who decided it was time to hanging from a waterpipe and a radio. The electricity supply
change cars. They took the car at gunpoint. Hogan told was controlled from the living room outside. The alcove
Nugent that if he had any objection he would "blow his was bg enough to sit in comfortably but not large enough
fucking brains out". As the gang approached Mallow it to stand. O'Grady wasgiven a selection of Wilbur Smith

MAGILL MA Y 1988 27
 novels, a book on Liam Mellowes, the writings of Bobby She searched all around the statue for twenty-five minutes.
Sands and a book by Nora Connolly O'Brien on the develop- All she found was a petition to Our Lady askng her to help
ment of Ireland since 1916. He was told to study them Sean's nerves. Auntie Bettie returned to Dubln with the
carefully as he would be asked questions later. petition which she handed over to Detective Superintendent
The newspapers were full of accounts of the shooting Noel Conroy. The note to which Dessie O'Hare referred was
incident in Midleton. It was the first time he knew that he indeed in the cathedral, but Auntie Bettie would have had
had been in Midleton though from listenng to the radio, to lift the statue up to find the note which was underneath.
which had a lot of Cork based ads, he had suspected that The note instructed a courier to go to the Blarney Hotel in
Dessie O'Hare's shots at supposed British soldiers was an Cork on Tuesday November 3 at 1.00 p m in' a car with a
attempt to disorientate him. car phone and the ransom. At the hotel he was to take a
There was criticism in the newspapers over the garda call under the name of Pat Murray when he would be given
handling of the operation at Mid1eton. Public disquet over further instructions.
the way the kidnap was being handled was growing. There On Saturday October 31 Dessie O'Hare made another
was sorne consolation for the gardai, however. Because phone call, this time to the offices of the Sunday Tribune.
there had been no contact with the O'Grady family many He gave an interview to the newspaper. He told them that
gardai feared that John O'Grady was dead. Secondly, the John O'Grady was safe and would remain so provdng cer-
gang had left plenty of fingerprints behind in the container. tain instructions given to Dr Darragh were followed carefully.
The gardai were now able to harden up their suspicions and
positively identify the remaining gang members.
Dessie O'Hare turned up at Carnlough Road the nght 14. "Think of the seasons, think of
after the shoot-out, Tuesday October 27. The gang bought
beer and celebrated. In the alcove under the stairs John Spring. "

a
O'Grady could hear Dessie O'Hare and the others talkng
about the escape in excited tones. Dessie O'Hare was ac- YER THE NEXT DAY OR TWO DESSIE O'HARE
companied by a woman. O'Hare never carne near O'Grady discovered that the Blarney Hotel was useless as a
that night, contact point. It was closed for renovations. On
O'Hare next vsited the house on Saturday Octo ber 3 1, Tuesday November 3 O'Hare rang Hilary Prentice. He was
but again he never carne near John O'Grady. In the inter- unaware that Auntie Bettie had failed to find the ransom
vening days O'Grady had been allowed to have a bath and a note in Limerick Cathedral. He wanted Prentice to get
change of clothes. The other gang members didn't bother Auntie Bettie to contact by car phone the courier who
hirn either. Fergal Toal carne into the alcove on one occasion O'Hare presumed was sitting outside the Blarney Hotel.
and John O'Grady examined the graze on his head, which O'Hare told her there had been "a fuck up". The hotel was
he diagnosed as being not serious. He cut away the hair closed. Auntie Bettie was to instruct the courier to proceed
around the spot the bullet had grazed. He told Toal to bathe to the Killeshn Hotel in Portlaoise - this was-to be the new
it in lukewarm, salted water and then apply Sudocreme. point of contacto
Compared to what had gone before, his days at Carnlough Hilary Prentice hadn't the remotest idea what O'Hare
Road were idyllically spent and incident free. It was to be was talking about. O'Hare said he would ring back shortly
the calm before the storm. after two o'clock. During this call Hilary Prentice told
O'Hare that Auntie Bettie had gone to Limerick Cathedral
13. The note under the sta tu e as instructed and had found no note. It was at this point
that Dessie O'Hare flipped his lid: "1 am going to fucking
chop his fingers off," he told her ... "How many fucking

F ROM THE ALCOVE UNDER THE STAIRS WHERE

John O'Grady was there may well have seemed to
be a lull in activity. But away from Carnlough Road
there were a number of significant developments ..Since the
cathedrals in Limerick are there?" There was more conver-
sation between O'Hare and Prentice in which Prentice as-
sured O'Hare that his instructions had been followed. In the
middle of the conversation O'Hare said "Fuck this" and
kdnap there had been several articles in the newspapers hung up,
speculatng on Dr Austin Darragh's wealth. One of the O'Hare then returned to 260 Carnlough Road. He turned
articles valued his assets att27m. Dessie O'Rare had upped on Eddie Hogan whom he blamed for the mix-up over the
his ransom to tl.Sm. A week earlier he had dictated a note Blarney Hotel and a swearing match ensued. Next O'Hare
to John O'Grady demanding ransom whch named the Far- put on a balaclava and went to talk to John O'Grady under
ways Hotel in Dundalk as a liaison pont, but had never the stairs. He dictated a new note to O'Grady, instructing
followed through on this plan. On Thursday October 29 he the courier to go to the Silver Sprngs Hotel in Cork with
decided it was time to collect. He rang solicitor Hlary Pren- the money, car and car telephone. O'Hare returned a few
tic e of Matheson Ormsby and Prentice, whose name had minutes later. He put two pillow cases over John O'Grady's
been gven to him by John O'Grady as one of the people head. O'Grady was led down to the kitchen. O'Hare tied his
who could act as a go-between. O'Hare told Prentice that legs together. He gagged him and covered his head wth
his name was John Mohen. He established his bona lides another two pillow cases. His left hand was splayed out and
from the information supplied to him by John O'Grady, by .a bread board inserted underneath hs hand. His small fnger
giving her details of work carried out on her teeth by John was then hacked off with a hammer and a chisel by O'Hare.
O'Grady. He told her that she was to contact the wife of The fnger was then cauterised three times with a hot knife
ear, nose and throat specialst Dr Walter Doyle who was
to stop the blood flowing. O'Hare then did the same to the
known to John O'Grady as Auntie Bettie. Prentice was to little finger on O'Grady's right hand.
tell Auntie Bettie to go to Limerick Cathedral. There, under-
The pillow cases were removed and the blacked out
neath a statue of Our Lady, beside the thirteenth Station of
glasses were put on. Dessie O'Hare than took three photo-
the Cross there was a note wth instructions. O'Hare warned
graphs of John O'Grady using the polaroid camera. He told
of the consequences if Dr Darragh contacted the gardai, O'Grady to "think of the seasons, to think of Spring" and
That evening there was a conference in Dr Darragh's apart-
to keep his hands up beside his ears. The blood was trickling
ment attended by Hilary Prentice, Detective Superintendent down hs sleeve. Ampliclox antibiotics, Ponstan pain killers
Noel Conroy, Dr Austin Darragh and members of the and kSO sedatives were on hand to give to O'Grady. Tony
O'Grady family, The following morning Auntie Bettie was McNeill had been upstars when O'Grady's fingers were,cut
driven to Limerick Cathedral by Dr Darragh's chauffeur. off. He carne with a basin of hot water and dressings. "Jess
28 MAGILL MAY 1988
Christ, Jesus Christ" he repeated and lef_~t-,-. _ wanted to cooperate. Q'Hare told her that the fingers were
it fell to Eddie Hogantoapply the dressings, which in the mortuary chapel in Carlow Cathedral. The Q'Grady
proved inadequate. Q'Grady instructed the gang to cut up family were to put the note in Limerick and the note in
a linen sheet and bol it for one hour to sterilise it. He told Carlow together and that would instruct them how and
them to bol a scissors in the same way. Under Q'Grady's when to pay the ransom. Inside the envelope in Carlow
guidance Hogan redressed both fingers and applie.d a tour- there were three envelopes, one containing the fingers of
niquet to both fingers. Q'Grady then fell asleep holding J ohn Q'Grady, another containing photcgraphs of John
his hands up to stop the bleeding. Q'Grady showing his fingers severed, and the third con-
taining a note. "Now, if they haven't got the ransom, 1
don't know what 1 will do - I'll chop this fucking bastard
15. "There's two fingers Iying in up. I'm reaching the end of my tether," O'Hare told her.
"Don't forget to go to Kilkenny to get the other message,"
Carlow Cathedral." he repeated - she would need both messages. Q'Hare then
hung up. Hilary Prentice was more nonplussed than ever.

D
ESSIE Q'HARE, MEANWHILE, HAD LEFT CARN- Where did Kilkenny come in? Immediately the phone rang
lough Road and was back on the telephone to Hilary again, !t was Dessie Q'Hare. When he sald Kilkenny he really
Prentice. He wanted her home telephone number meant Limerick.
so that he could ring her later to tell her where John Hilary Prentice updated the Q'Grady family on the latest
Q'Grady's f'ingers could be picked up. developments. The gardai were also informed. Detective
During the call it was c1earthat Q'Hare's temper had not Chef Superintendent Murphy of the Central Detective Unit
improved. Prentice began telling him that Auntie Bettie had in Harcourt Square contacted Superintendent John
searched the area around the statue carefully: "Its just cost McGroarty in Carlow garda station to ask him to organise a
John two of his fingers. Now 1 am going to chop him up search of Carlow Cathedral. Murphy's record of the call is
into bits and pieces and send fresh lumps of him every fuck- that he made it at 8.45 p m. McGroarty asked Detective
ng day if 1 don't get my money fast." Q'Hare told Prentice Frank Duggan to locate Rev. Toro Dillon, the keyholder, on
to send someone back to the cathedraland "to smash up, the basis of a phone call he received at 10.15 p m. At 11 P m
the fucking statue if necessary " to get the note. McGroarty and Duggan were let into the cathedral by Rev.
Dessie Q'Hare rang Hilary Prentice at home that evening, Dillon. They had no difficulty finding it. McGroarty re-
Prentice told him that she had been in contact with the turned to the station and telephoned Detective Superintend-
Q'Grady family and they were anxious to cooperate: "Well ent John Murphy in Harcourt Square. Murphy told him to
they would want to now, "O'Hare told her, "bcause there's open the package. Wrapped in blood-stained tissue were
two fingers lying in Carlow Cathedral." Hilary Prentice gave John Q'Grady's fingers. Also in the package were the photo-
O'Hare an aircell telephone number where he could speak graphs and note referred to earlier by Dessie O'Hare in his
directly to Dr Darragh. Q'Hare wanted to know if there was conversation with Hilary Prentice.
a tap on the aircell number. Prentice said she didn't know. Detective Superintendent Murphy told Superintendent
"They must be very naive," Q'Hare told her. "Tell them to McGroarty to get the package to Portlaoise garda station
wake up - tell them to contact the Security Risk crowd," where he had a1ready made arrangements for someone to
O'Hare told her before hanging up. He rang backimmediately take it to Dublin. McGroarty handed the package to Duggan,
and made more threats. Preritice emphasised that the family ernphasising that he get Q'Grady's severed fingers to Port-

MAGILL MA Y 1988 29
 laoise as quickly as possible. The package reached Detective .ertly and later, after John O'Grady was released, arrest the
Superintendent Murphy at 2.00 a m. Only then,three hours recipient. Fr Brian D'Arcy was chosen by the O'Grady family
after they carne into the possession of the gardai, were the to act as their courier.
fingers put on ice, before being rushed to Jervis Street The gardai still had not made a breakthrough in their
Hospital.
attempts to locate the kidnappers. One of the main searches
that day concentrated in the woodlands of Meath and West-
16. Painkillers and beer meath. The search was instigated after somebody had seen a
car with a Northern Ireland registration number acting
suspiciously. Nothing carne of this, however.

W
EDNESDA y NOVEMBER 4 WAS THE GLOOMI-
est of the twenty-three days of the kidnap for the
gardai, the O'Grady family and John O'Grady 18. The cine the Gardai overlooked
himself. John O'Grady awoke around 8.30 a m. Afterbreak
fast he took 'more painkillers, removed the dressings and
washed his fingers in a basin of lukewarm water. There was
a large clot on what remained of the little finger on his
right hand. He snipped the clot with a scissors. Hogan
helped apply a second tourniquet to the finger stump on
O N THURSDAY NOVEMBER 5 THERE'WAS, IT
seemed, a light at the end of the tunnel, On October
26 the gang had left Midleton, County Cork,in a
hurry, During the shoot-out the gang had stopped a Hi-Ace
van with the intention of hijacking it , but then changed
this hand. In the afternoon he noticed the clot on the finger their mind and tooka Renault car which carne up behind
had worsened. He decided he would have to remove this the Hi-Ace van. In the confusion a rucksack was left behind
clot to stop the flow of blood. Immediately there was a by the gang in the Hi-Ace van. The rucksack contained fifty-
spurt of arterial blood. O'Grady managed to stop it by using one items. All these items were clues in the kidnap investi-
pressure with a linen dressing in his left hand. He realised gation. The clues could be neatly classified into three cate-
that the finger would have to be cauterised again ; otherwise gories.
he rnight bleed to death, Category one cornprised twenty-two items which were
Dessie O'Hare wasn't in the house, John O'Grady called readily identifiable as belonging to John O 'Grady , The only
Eddie Hogan and told Hogan what had to be done. He was immediate value of these to the investigation was finger-
brought into the kitchen. On this occasion John O'Grady print evidence which might be used to obtain a conviction.
and gang members worked in tandem. There was no need to The second category contained sundry items. Among the
tie his legs together. He was put sitting in a chair and gagged. twenty-six items inc1uded in this group were a copy of the
One of the gang held his right arm which was put on atable. Sunday World, a length of chain, a map of Cork and Kerry,
Another one held his left armo O'Grady wrapped his feet a par of socks with the label "Trackers', a hacksaw and a
around the chair. Hogan cauterised the wound fve or six leaflet on combination locks. These, too, might yield fnger-
times with a red-hot knife. The flow from the artery was print evidence but were unlikely in themselves to add any-
checked and blood loss reduced to a trickle. John O'Grady thing of substance to the investigation .
.was returned to the alcove under the stairs. Hogan gave him The last category was by far the most important. It con-
more painkil1ers and two bottles of beer to wash them down tained just three items - a letter to a Mr B. Jennngs, a
with. O'Grady then fell asleep, bank deposit book with an address on the northside of
Dublin and a Guinness Bi-Centennial pass card made out in '.
17. Enter Fr Brian D' Arcy the name of Paul O'Sullivan, Traffic Department Staff No.
23726.
It might have been expected that the gardai would check

D R DARRAGH HAD DISPATCHED HIS CHAUF-

feur back to Limerick Cathedral. The chauffeur
lifted the statue right up off its wooden plinth and
discovered the note underneath. Taken together, the ransorn
out these items immediately. On Friday Octo ber 3O, however,
al1 fifty-one items in the rucksack were still in Midleton
garda station. They were col1ected by Detective Sergeant
Tom Foley of the Fingerprint Section and taken back to
notes instructed that a courier go to the Silver Springs Hotel Dublin for examination, On November 3 there was a con-
in Cork at one o'c1ock the fol1owing day, November 5. The ference held in Dun Laoghaire garda station, the HQ of the
car was to be equipped with a car phone. At the hotel re- kidnap operation. Detective Sergeant Henry Spring was as-
ception the courier would get a call for a Pat Murray. On signed the task of checking out the Guinness Bi-Centennial
taking this call there would be further instructions. The pass. He collected it from the Fingerprint Sectionthe follow-
notes also gave the standard warning about contacting the ing day, November 4. There was no difficu1ty checking out
police. The family were resigned to paying the ransom and the identity of Paul O'Sullivan. He has worked in Guinness's
spent the day raising the money. This presented difficulties for twenty-five years. On November 5 Detective Sergeant
in itself. Though Dr Darragh is a person of considerable Spring and Detective Martin O'Connor called to Guinness's
means, he did not have that kind of money in cash. But by brewery to see Paul O 'Sullivan. O 'Sullivan identified the card
now they realised that Dessie O 'Hare was not bluffing, The but said he had not seen it for a number of years.
gardai were fully aware of the family's intentions. The clue the gardai were fol1owing was an obvious and
That evening there was a meeting of the Cabinet sub- vital one in the kidnap investigation. They had not acted on
committee on security to discuss the situation. The meeting it for ten days, In the meantime John O'Grady's fingers had
was attended by Taoiseach Charles Haughey, Tanaiste Brian been hacked off. The kidnappers had shown themselves to
Lenihan, Justice Minister Gerry Col1ins, Defence Minister be inept and sloppy. The Guinness Bi-Centennial card left .
Michael Noonan, Garda Commissioner Laurence Wren and .. .at the scene of the Midleton shoot-out was almost as good
senior civil servants arid advisors. The Cabinet sub-committee as a forwarding address. Paul O'Sullivan told the gardai he
was concerned about the decision by the O'Grady family to had given the card to an acquaintance, Gerry Wright, who
pay the ransom. But, in view of Dessie O'Hare's well-proven ran a barber's shop a few doors away ,
capacity for mutilation, they found their position under- Spring and O'Connorwent down to Wright 's barber shop,
standable. The meeting decided that the best course of action When they went in Gerry Wright, who was reading a news-
was a "hands off" approach. The Silver Springs Hotel was paper, jumped up and asked: "Which of you is first?" The
to be staked-out by the Special Branch but no effort would detectives introduced themselves and asked Wright about
be made to intercept payrnent.
the cardo Wright told them that he had used it as an admission
It was hoped to trail whoever picked up the money cov- card to get into the Guinness leisure centre and use their
30 MAGILL MAY 1988
 A detective gives chase to one of the gang at Carnlough Road.

swimming pool. He also told them that he had lost the card forewarned and forearmed. Eddie Hogan grabbed his shot-
a long time ago. He could not help the gardai in their in- gun and ran in under the stairs beside John O'Grady. Tony
quiries as to how it had been found at the scene of the McNeill ran upstairs and jumped into bed , fully clothed.
Midleton shoot-out. The detectives questioned Wright Toal went to the rear of the house.
further. He told them he lived at 260 Carnlough Road. Wright led the detectives into the living room, spread his
O'Connor asked himwas there anybody else there. "No," hands out and said: "See there is nothing here ," The detec-
Wright repled , adding "You can look if you like." Spring tives looked around the room. There was a two-bar electric
saidthey would need a search warrant. Wright started bluf- fire on as well as a fire in the grate. The television was on.
fing. He told them that there was nothing or nobody in his On one of the chairs there was what looked like a walkie
house and the gardai were we1cometo search it without the talkie. At that moment Fergal Toal walked into the room.
necessity of getting a warrant. Wright told him the two men with him were detectives,
Spring, O'Connor and Wright then got into the unmarked looking around. He asked him why he wasn't at his AnCO
patrol car. It was nearly twelve noon. Fr Brian D'Arcy had course. At this point Detective O'Connor went upstars
ear1ier called to the Bank of Ireland in Baggot Street to with Wright. Detective Spring asked Toal what AnCO course
collect the fJ .5m ransom , He was already well on his way he was doing. "Labouring," Toal replied. O'Connor foun d
to the Silver Springs Hotel in Cork to make the delivery. Dr Tony McNeill in bed. He asked Wright who he was while
Austin Darragh was in Leinster House locked in a heated shaking the bed. "This is one of the lads from AnCO. He
exchange with Justice Minister Gerry Collins. Darragh had must not have gone to school." O'Connor asked McNeill to
been critical of the media coverage of the kidnap, which he get up. He noticed McNeill was fully clothed. He felt the
considered reckless and irresponsible. That morning the lead bed and noted there was no heat from the bedclothes.
story in the Irisn Independent broke the news that the kid- John O'Grady was still unaware the gardai were in the
nap gang had increased their ransorn demando The Iris house. Immediately after the rattlingof the door Eddie
Times had also got the story from garda sources but had Hogan had landed in beside him. Hogan. was armed and
agreed to a news blackout. The Independent had apparently was breathing heavily , O'Grady heard strange voices con-
got their inforrn ation from a Department of Justice source. versing outside in the living room. O'Connor, Wright and
O'Hare had made it abundantly clear to Darragh that John McNeill went downstairs to the living room where Spring
O 'Grady would suffer further if Darragh informed the gardai and Toal were talking. Spring and O'Connor exchanged
about the ransom demando Now it was all over the front glances, They didn't need tosay anything. O'Connor turned
page of the Irisn Independent, to Wright and asked what was going on - how it was that
Back in the patrol car the two detectives made small talk he was able to have lads lying around doing nothing ID the
with Wright about boxing and scuba diving, both sports in middle of the day. O'Connor then left the house to go to
which Wright had a passionate interest. Wright was hoping the patrol car. Wright followed him. O'Connor asked Wright
against hope that the gang would have left when they reached if he was paying tax on the money he got for rent frorn the
his house. lads in the house. O'Connor sat sideways into the patrol car
with his legs on the street, radioed base and asked for urgent
19. "He's calling for reinforcements." plainclothes back-up at 260 Carnlough Road. -Wright ran
back in and shouted "He 's calling for reinforcements."
McNeill, who was standing with his back to Detective Spring,

A
T THE HOUSE GERRY WRIGHT MADE A POINT
of ratt1ing the keys in the lock when opening the door. turned around with a gun in his hand and shouted "Get
As he walked from the patrol car to the house Wright down you bastard." Spring was forced to the ground at
started to change the original story he had given to the gardai gunpoint. Hogan jumped out from under the stairs. Spring
in Parkgate Street. He told the gardai that there were a was kicked repeatedly in the head and body. He was
couple of people staying in the house but they would be momentarily stunned. Hogan dragged John O'Grady out
out on an AnCO course. The rattling of the keys gave the from under the stairs. McNeill ran out after Detective
gang the briefest of notice of the gardai arriving. They were O'Connor, followed closely by Toal. Spring, who was un-

MAGILLMAY 1988 31
 EIlled, escaped : the back door and over a back wall. He
ran up the gar en ro a nearby house but - despite pleas
that he was in danger of being shot - he was refused entry ,
21. "1 am John O'Grady."
He smash'ed one of the windows in the house to get in.
Meanwhile .'cXeill carne up to O'Connor, who was still
at the patrol CM and put a gun to his chest. J OHN O'GRADY HAD FOLLOWED THE SAME
route as the kidnappers. He had removed his blacked-
out glasses and ran up Carnlough Road to the junction
where it meets Kilkieman Road. At the comer he saw a
20. The shooting of Detective man and a woman at a hall door. He asked them if he could
come in but the couple closed the door in his face. He ran
O'Connor down Kilkiernan Road. He saw a house with a plywood gate
at the side. He jurnped over the gateo The garden was over-

O
grown. He got down on his hands and knees and climbed
'CONNOR'S RADIO CALL HAD BEEN PICKED
into a space in the middle of a patch of brambles. A few
up by two or three different patrol cars. All were
minutes later he heard two men come into the garden. He
now racing towards Carnlough Road. Toal and
thought they might be gang members. In fact they were
McNeill were now trying to disarm O'Connor. O'Connor
two detectives who had pursued O'Grady who they sus-
was struggling with McNeill over the gun and Toal was
pected was a gang mernber. Frorn their conversation John
punching O'Connor in the face. He put his fingers into
O 'Grady realised that they were garda. He raised his ban-
O'Connor's mouth and began twisting his lips and head.
daged hands in the air and said "1 am John O'Grady."
An ESB meter reader saw O'Connor's head bobbing up .and
down and approached the car. He vas told: "Fuck off and
mind your own business. This man is trying to steal our car." 22. The Tipperary escape
Hagan emerged out of the house with John O'Grady, Hagan
told McNeill and Toal to back off so that he could shoot
O'Connor in the knees. O'Connor stood up and Hogan waved
him towards the wall. O'Connor put his hands on his face
which was sore. He could feel blood. O'Connor was about
two feet from the barrel of Hogan's gun, He was so uncom-
B ACK AT 260 CARNLOUGH
had called an ambulance
ROAD SOMEONE
for Detective Martin
O'Connor. O'Connor was on the ground calling for
his wife Rosy and praying. He thought .he was dying. Gerry
Wright had gene into the house and got a blanket to cover
fortably close he could make out green masking tape around
him and had remained standing over O'Connor. Detective
the stock of the gun. Hogan fired. The shot blew a hole the
Sergeant Henry Spring had hoped to telephone for support
size of a fist in his stomach. His bowel was peppered with
in the house he broke into, but there was no telephone. He
gunshot pellets. O'Connor, who felt the tear in his stomach
made his way back to 260 Carnlough Road to find his
and asevere buming sensation, staggered backwards. He re-
calle ague . Martin O 'Connor on the ground with gunshot
fused to go down. Instead he pul1ed his own gun and fired
wounds. He turned to Gerry Wright who was standing close
at one of the gang. Hogan shot him again in the shoulder,
by and said, "You bastard, you walked us into this."
shattering his collarbone. O 'Connor fell to the ground and
J ohn O 'Grady was put intoa patrol car. He had read in
crouched in a ball clutching his stomach. Hagan advanced
the newspapers that his family had taken rooms in the
again on O'Connor. O'Connor asked him not to shoot again.
Blackrock Clinic in anticipation of his release and he asked
Hogan kicked him in the side and said, "Give me your gun,
the garda to take him there. The news of his release was
you pig." Hogan held O'Connor's gun aloft, head high.
broadcast onRTE radio within minutes. Dessie O'Hare was
At first it was almost an action replay of Midleton. A Hi-
en rout to Cork to supervise the payrnent of the ransom.
Ace van carne down Camlough Road and was stopped at
O'Hare was listening to the radio and , according to a passen-
gunpoint. J ohn O'Grady was pulled by one of the gang over
" ger in the car who later made a statement to the gardai, he
towards the passenger door. At that moment the first of
beat his fists onthe dashboard in rage.
the patrol cars which had responded to the call was arriving,
Meanwhile the kidnap gang had escaped the gardai for a
Detective Garda Gregory Sheehan had been in Phibsboro
second time. Hogan and Toal abandoned the Corporation
when he heard the call on th radio. He approached from
lorry in Blackhorse Avenue and ordered awoman to drive
the same direction in which the Hi-Ace van was travelling,
them to Clondalkin. There they called into a house owned
Sheehan got outof' the car and shouted, "Arrned garda _
by Una Dermody who was having coffee with a friend, Maria
halt." Immediately he heard the sound of bullets whizzing
Hennessy, They demanded a change of clothes. One of the
over his head. Sheehan fired six shots from his Smith and
women cleaned the graze on Fergal Toal's lego The gang took
Wesson. The gang member who had been ushering O'Grady
the Saab car belonging to Una Dermody and the two women
into the Hi-Ace van dived for cover. John O'Grady took his
one chanceo He rano as hostages, and drove to Limerick by back roads. On the
way Hogan talked about art and paintings. Hogan and Toal
All it needed was for one patrol car to arrive from the
conversed among themselves in Irish. The two women let
other end of Carnlough Road and the gang's escape route
off Hogan and Toal at Mount St Laurence cemetery, just
was blocked. Tony McNeill hijacked a car at gunpoint. He
outside Limerick. The two women then reported what had
calmly drove up Carnlough Road and turned left out of
happened to the first garda car they meto It was about six
sight. Hogan and Toal also hijacked a car about fifty yards o'clock in the evening.
up the road. They were just getting into it when the second
patrol car, manned by Detective Garda Dick Fahey and At approximately 7.30 p m Hogan and Toal hired a taxi
Brian Coade appeare d There was an exchange of fire. They to take them to Tipperary. They passed through three or
reversed the hijacked car back up towards Kilkieman Road four garda roadblocks without incident. J ust outside Tipper-
and immediately crashed into a bus. Toal and Hogan pro- ary the taxi passed another roadblock manned by Garda
ceeded up Kilkiernan Road on foot, They retreated military John Conway , Conway waved them on. However, he became
style, one giving covering fire while the other ran a few yards suspicious and contacteda patrol car which then followed
the taxi into Tipperary Town. The patrol car was manned
and vice versa. Fahey and Coade returned fire. Toal was hit
by Garda Liam Walsh, Garda Tom Neville and Garda Dan
on the knee. Hogan and Toal then hijacked a Corporation
Collins. In Tipperary, the gardai instructed the taxi driver
roadsweeper van. Fahey and Coade had been joined by two
to pul1 in. Walsh loaded his sub-m achine gun.
more colleagues. Once again the gardai on foot were power-
The description that the Tipperary gardai had of Hogan
les s to do anything. They commandeered a civilian car but
by then the gang had disappeared. and Toal did_not match the two men in the taxi. They
searched Hogan and Toal and found them unarmed. How-
34 MAGILL MA Y 1988
 after him. Merrigan and Fallon followed. Toal crossed the
reception to a door leading out to the narrow hallway to
the eritrance of the station. Moriarty caught hold of Toal's
shirt. To Moriarty's "great dismay" the shirt ripped 'and
carne away in his hand. The hallway was too narrow for the
other gardai to get past. Toal jumped the seven stepsleading
up to the station and rano lt was the third time that Toal
and Hogan had escaped from the gardai.

23. "They tore the bloody shirt off my

back."

C
ATHERINE RYAN HAD SPENT A PLEASANT
evening with her friend Charles Barret. They had
dinner, met friends and finished off the night in
Shaughnessy's lounge in Kilfinane. They left at 10.30 and
Ryan dropped off Barret at Buttevant. As she drove towards
Tipperary she heard on the late news that the search for
t. two kidnappers was concentrated in Tpperary. She stopped
8. in Ard Patrick and rang Barret. He reassured her that there
lJ.)

fE. was nothing to worry about. Ryan ended the call by saying
.~ she would ring when she got home safely ,
a- Just outside Tipperary the road was blockedby a tree.
~ She stcpped to clear the tree out of the way , Fergal Toal
'" appeared and took the car, and Ryan as a hostage. Toal
o wanted to drive to Dublin but, after driving around back
t@ili~ roads for three hours, he still hadn't left County Tipperary ,
Detective Martin Q'Connor arriving at the Special Criminal Court Toal chatted away with Ryan in the car. When he found
ever, Toal was speaking with a fake Cork accent and traces out she was a nurse he asked her to examine a cut on his
of his northern accent were coming through , Both men litt1e finger which he was concerned about. The finger was
were polite and cooperative but, because of the suspicions grazed and a litt1e bit of the skin was off the knuckle. The
of the gardai and "the state of the country at the time" it one o'clock news gave details of his escape. Ryan asked him
was decided to take them to the station for questioning. The if the report was accurate. "They tore the bloody shirt off.
car stopped forty feet from the station entrance. As they my back ," Toal replied.
were walking in, Hogan bolted. Garda Neville threw his At one point Toal drove through a roadblock and wthin
garda cap on the ground and ran after him. Gardai Walsh minutes was "spotted by a patrol car which gave chase. Toal
and Collins rushed Toal into the station. They handed Toal crashed the car which tumed over on its roof and skidded
over to the station orderly , Garda Andrew Moriarty and for forty yards. He got out of the car and threatened to kill
Garda Fallon, in the presence of Sergeant Patrick Merrigan. Ryan, Toal was surprised from behind by Garda Pat Whelan
Walsh and Collins shouted, "Hold him, another man has es- who put one arm around Toal's neck, put a machine gun to
caped ." They ran off to help Garda Neville find Hogan. his back with the other. For Toal it was all over.
Hogan had run down the road into the Clanwilliam Rugby
Club. He ran the length of the pitch and crossed the goal
line with Garda Neville in pursuit. It was a good try by 24. "Twas the luck of God 1 didn't
Garda Neville but Hogan had already disappeared behind
the cover of trees beside the pavilion. He escaped over a kili him.'
wall and disappeared. The Clanwilliam rugby team, who

E
were training, formed an impromptu search party but with- DDIE HOGAN WAS AT LIBERTY FOR LESS
out success. than twenty-four hours. Shortly after five o'clock
Meanwhile Fergal Toal was back in the station in the gardai in Cahir station received a report that a sus-
custody of the gardai. All the gardai had heard the instruc- picious person had been seen walking at Ballydrehid, four
tion to hold Toal but none, in statements made subsequently , miles outside Cahir, Detective Garda Ignatius Seery and
made reference to being told that a second man had escaped , Garda James Lynch drove out in the patrol car. Since his
The gardai in whose care Toal had been entrusted formed escape Hogan had stuck to the fields and had only been on
quite different opinions of him. Garda Fallon and Sergeant the road a few minutes when the gardai met him. The gar-
Merrigan stress that "he appeared plausible and cooperative. dai stopped the car and shouted at Hogan, "Gardai, we want
When Toal arrived into the station he had asked for water to talk to you." By this stage it was perfect1y obvious that
to take tablets. Garda Moriarty thought he might be a men- whatever Eddie Hogan wanted to do he did not want to
tal patient. Moriarty and Fallon got Toal ready to put him talk to them. He broke into a runo He was caught by Garda
into a cell. Merrigan was standing about ten feet away, James Lynch. Seery and Lynch accompanied him back to
Garda Moriarty took f222 from his pocket with his left the patrol car. Hogan made another attempt .to escape. A
hand. He was taking Toal's belt off with his right.hand. fierce fight followed. Hogan kicked Lynch and head-butted
Garda Fallon was helping Toal step out of his jacket. "What him. There was a struggle in which all three men fell to the
are you doing with my money?" said Toal in his phoney ground. Hogan struggled with Seery , trying to get possession
Cork accent. Toal's belt was caught in one of the loops of of his gun. The gun went off twice within inches of killing
his trousers. Moriarty turned around for a second to put the someone. Seery succeeded in releasing Hogan's grip on the
money in his left hand on the table behind him. When he arm in which he held the gun. At that point Hogan bit into
looked back he saw Toal over at the door letting himself Seery's right thigh. His teeth cut right jthrough Seery's
out to the reception area of the station. Moriarty ran trousers. Seery roared in agony , His legs were straddled over

MAGILL MAY 1988 35

 Re-=,,-, Os saoulders. He oc....=-
o o zng Hogan on the head with
d;e G~ of his revolver. ::::"==.::uilly Hogan stopped biting.
Ly::ci: 21d Seery got Hogza ~g on his chest and managed
to :b.=::::uff him. In cusrocy Eddie Hogan drahk tea and
smo:.:cc egarettes, He ~:; me gardai there would be no
allegarions of brutality: "'I:"'"'CS either me or ye out fuere," he
told -co,nI. He inquired ,,-::ou: Detective Martin O'Connor
whorc 1:e had shot at : ''O~ Road the previous day. He
was relered to hear thaz 2s condition was stable. "Twas
the Iuek of God 1 didn'; e hm ... I'd have been gone for
twenry-ve years if I hE2 o"' The gardai asked hrn about the
cutting off of John O'G::Erly's fingers. "Its war and every-
thing is justified in W'2:"o - zaey were toldo Both Toal and
Hogan were questonec exrensvely about thcir involvement
in the }jdnapping of Jo'-,-. O'Crady. Neither man replied to
any of me questions.

25. f'The Keystnne Cops"

T RI RELEASE OF JOHN O'GRADY, THE SHOOT-

ing of Detective ~Iartin O'Connor and the eventual
capture of Hogar, and Toal dominated the news on
November 5 and 6. Offcially the gardai were sayng nothng
~
j}
about how they trace':' zhe kidnappers to Carnlough Road. fE.
RTE seeurity correspo:::;dentTom McCaughren was the first .~
to get any hard info::nation. McCaughren was prodding a a-
source, asking -b1 ha,," me ;ar'dai had come to visitCarri" -
lough Road. The sotrrce let it slip that the detectives had ~
been foTIowing up 2 Iead on a Guinness ticket. When
McCaughren pressed :oi further details, his source prevari-
cated and dried up. The Guinness Jazz Festival had ben on
down the road , shouting, "Come back you bitch." O'Hare
in Cork on the same weekend as the shoot-out in Midleton.
then went over to the car and took out a shotgun. He fired
The nine o'c1ock news that night carried a story in wlich
a shot into the chipper where astonished customers were
it was said that it was believed the breakthrough carne frorn
looking on. A passer-by was told to "get out of the fucking
a ticket for the Gunness Jazz Festival found at the scene
way" if he didn't want the same. Claire O'Hare meanwhile
of the Midleton shoozing, The following day the story
had run for cover into the Millrace pub. O'Hare jumped
appeared as fact in an eznbellished form in the newspapers.
into the car. The proprietor of the pub carne out to the
The papers went as ::>r as describing how the gardai had
door to investigate. O'Hare fired more shots at the pub
traced the buyer o the jazz ticket which had led them to
from the car, shouting "Get the fucker out." He fired one
Gerry Wright, The entirely erroneous.impression was sown
or two more shots into the pub before driving away.
in the public rnind that the gardai had cracked the case of
Claire O'Hare was hysterical. Later she was taken to
John O'Grady through dogged detective work.
OUr Lady's hospital in Drogheda for treatment. Theie she
The gardai did nothng to correct the reports. After the
was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences against the
escapade with Hogan and Toal they were being lampooned
State Act and taken to the Bridewell in Dublin'.
in the British tabloid press as "Keystone Cops", It would
have been embarrassing to explain that they had sat for ten There was another meeting of the Cabinet Committee
days on the information which led them eventually to John on Security, this time attended by the Minister for Finance,
O 'Grady, by which time John O 'Grady had lost his little Ray Mac'Sharry. There were fears, given his state of mind,
fingers. that O'Hare might make an attempt to kill John O''Grady .
1 In Blackrock Clinic J ohn O 'Grady underwent surgery on The Cabinet sub-cornmittee offered a tI 00,000 reward for
his cauterised finger stumps. It was not feasible to re-attach the capture of Dessie O'Hare.
the fngers, Nevertheless, a spokesperson for the family told The gardai, meanwhile, were raiding houses of known
the media representatives that John O'Grady was in remark- INLA sympathisers, On the morning of November 11, eleven
ably good spirits. armed detectives with uniformed back-up support called to
a house in Le Fanu Drive in Bal1yfermot. They knocked on
the door and got no reply, Detective Sergeant Michael Carolan
26. "One dastardly bastard" kicked the door down. Tony McNeill was asleep in the living
room on a couch. He gave the detectives a false name. He
was recognised by sorne of the gardai who put it to him

D ESSIE O'HARE HAD GONE TO GROUND. TWO

days later on November 8 he resurfaced in Dunleer,
County Louth around 8.30 p m. O'Hare had been
driving through the town with his wife when he decided he
that he was Anthony McNeill. He made no reply. There was
a gun in his jacket. There was also a letter addressed to
"those I love, especially my mother."
poem dedicated to his three-year-old
In the letter was a
son, entitled 'A Bright
wanted a mineral. He went into Lorchide's Chip Shop and
Star'. McNeill was arrested under Section 30 ofthe Offences
ordered a tin of Coke. He attracted the attention of a
against the State Act and taken to Ballyfermot police station.
number of customers who thought he looked a nervous
There he made a half-hearted bid to escape. McNeill was
wreck. Suddenly O'Hare threw the can of Coke on the
consumed with remorse. "1 wish I was dead," he told detec-
ground , Across the road Claire O'Hare was out of the car
tives. He broke down in tears while in custo dy. He pleaded
and making a run for it. O'Hare pulled out a gun and fired a
with detectives to contact his family to reassure them that
.shot from inside the chipper. He ran out the door and fired
he had played no part in the severing of John O'Grady's
36 MAGILL MAY 1988
fingers. He told the detectives that he had argued against o'clock in the morning. Gardai were recalled from other
cutting off the fingers and that, when it happened, he had' operational duties and told to report to the Balief Cross,
prayed for John O'Grady. He was asked if he had tried to fifteen miles outside Kilkenny to set up a roadblock. The
prevent the other gang members cutting off John O'Grady's army was contacted .just after eleven o'clock and asked to
fingers: "No," he replied, "but when he (Dessie O'Hare) provide a company platoon of thirty-two troops as back-up.
gets wired up nobody could stop him ... He acts like he is The roadblock was in position by 12.30 p m.
in Vietnam." McNeill was cooperative in garda custo dy , Nearly an hour later the gardai received a message over
freely admitting his involvement in the kidnap , He refused, the radio to expect the car in the next fifteen to twenty
however, to discuss specific incidents. "1 will have to live minutes. There were two garda patrol cars and an army land-
wih these fellows in Portlaoise," he told them. rover blocking the road. Armed gardai and soldiers were in
One of the detectives asked McNeill "How in the name position, Inspector Moriarty from the Tipperary garda
of Christ did you get involved with O'Hare?" "1 used to division and Detective Sergeant P.J. O'Rourke set up a check-
think he was a Socialist, I know now he is one dastardly point about seventy yards in front of the roadblock. An un-
bastard," he responded. After the interviews were over he marked patrol car was hidden up a lane further down the
was handed notes made out by detectives and invited to road. Once the BMW drove up to the checkpoint this car
sign them. He declined, but asked that a reference to him would move out on the road cutting off its retreat. They
going down fortwenty-five years be changed to "a long saw the BMW approaching in the distance. "Here we go.
time". McNeill didn't want to give thejudges any ideas. This is it," O'Rourke said to Moriarty , Word spread quickly
Gerry Wright was also a broken mano He was arrested down the line to the waiting gardai and soldiers. As the car
immediately after the shoot-out at Carnlough Road under carne nearer it swerved, as if the driver had braked suddenly.
Section 3O of the Offences against the State Act and taken Dessie O'Hare was driving. Martin Bryan was in the
to the Bridewell station for questioning. He made statements passenger seat. .O'Hare rolled down the window. "How's it
admitting providing food and shelter for the kidnappers, going?"Moriarty asked O'Hare. O'Hare nodded. He asked
In the beginning he had become involved because the gang him where they were coming from. O'Hare muttered "Kil-
had promised to take care of the man who had shot his kenny."
brother. As the kidnap progressed the gang had coerced and At this stage Moriarty did not recognise the driver as
threatened him. He was afraid and could seeno way out. O'Hare. He was attired in a grey suit and collar and tie. He
looked more like a solicitor than the Border Fox. Blonde
highlights were c1ear1yvisible in his hair. Moriarty's hesi-
27. "Fadna, Iadlna, Iadna tation may also have been grounded in the fact that the
gardai had been told to expect O'Hare to be in the passen-
Iast.' , ger seat. Moriarty turned rus attention to the passenger,
Martin Bryan, He asked him a couple of questions but
Bryan made no reply , Moriarty ordered him out of the .

I
TWASHARD INFORMAnON AND VERY SPECIFIC. car. Bryan moved as if to open the seat belt and produced
Dessie O'Hare was expected to travel in a green BMW a gun. At that very moment Sergeant Joseph D'Arcy, who
car, registration number 220 EID, on the main Klkenny was behind a wall covering Inspector Moriarty, recognised
to Urlingford road at lunchtime on Friday November 27. O'Hare and shouted, "That's him. Get him out of the car."
The gardai seem to have got the information around eleven, Moriarty jumped back when Bryan produced the gun. De-

MAGILLMAY 1988 37
 tective Sergeant o 'Rourke a1ready had his hand on his
revolver. The BMW rushed forward in a wheel-spin , From
their concea1ed positions the army and gardai opened fire.
The BMW carne to a ha1t when it crashed into the garda car
and the army landrover spread across the road.
There was a pause. Dessie O'Hare pointed a gun out the
window and started firing at army and gardai to his right..
One of the two shots he managed to fire grazed an army
lieutenant's lego The firing recommenced. The BMW was hit
thirty -six tim es in all.
Dessie O'Hare was slumped over towards Martin Bryan
who was already dead. Inspector Moriarty ordered his men
to stay in position. Moriarty and O'Rourke approached the
caro "O'Hare," Moriarty shouted. "Put both your hand on the
steering wheel where 1 can see them." O'Hare's left hand
carne slowly onto the wheel. Moriarty shouted again to him
to put the other hand up. "1 can't," O'Hare replied, "It's
busted." Meanwhile Detective Sergeant P.J. O'Rourke had
sneaked around the back of the car. He emerged at the
driver's window and put his Smith and Wesson into Dessie
O'Hare's neck. It was over.
O'Hare was given a glass of water. He was rnuttering,
"Fading, fading, fading fast." It was when he was being
transferred to the ambulance he uttered the immortal and
infamous line: "Easy , easy , You're hurting me." On the
journey O'Hare held Inspector Moriarty 's hand and corn-
plained of pain. At St Luke's Hospital his blood-spattered
clothes were cut off with scissors and he was taken to sur-
gery.
A wallet had fallen out of his pocket when he was being
moved into the ambulance. The contents included a photo- An artist's impression of Dessie Q'Hare reading his speech from
the dock
graph of John O''Grady , taken immediately after he had
severed his fingers, and a list of safe houses, vehic1es and were devoted to rebutting criticism made by the media. It
people. Later that night O'Hare was transferred to St was conceded during the Templemore meeting that the
Vincent's Hospital where he was put on a respirator. need to refer all information to Dublin resulted in the in-
vestigation being slowed up. The outcome of the meeting
28. The aftermath was the setting up of a team of inquiry , led by three Assistant
Commissioners known as the Three Wise Men. The Report
was ready within weeks. It passed the buck upwards. The

T HE GARDAI WERE JUBILANT. ALL THE PRIN-

cipals involved in the kidnap were now in custo dy,
Dessie O 'Hare was discharged from St Vincent's
Hospital on J anuary 8 of this year. Before being brought to
faults during the kidnap , it concluded, were due to the out-
dated structures the gardai were operating. The responsibility
for this lay with the Department
Minister, however, was unimpressed
of Justice. The Justice
with the report and
the Specia1 Criminal Court he was arrested under Section was particularly annoyed about the fact that the report had
30 of the Offences against the State Act and taken to the not examined specific bungles during the investigation.
Bridewell garda station for questioning. He refused to ans- When' the trial opened on April 13 the decision by the
wer any questions. The on1y member of the force he ack-
accused to plead guilty was greeted with surprise. But, given
nowledged was Inspector .\Ioriarty who had arrested hirn in
the weight of evidence against them, this was inevitable.
Urlingford and travelled in the arnbulance with him after
McNeill and Wright had made statements in custo dy , ad-
the shoot-out, When Moran)" intro duced himself O'Hare
mitting involvement. There were dozens of fingerprints of
smiled and nodded his head from side to side before shaking
the gang in Carnlough Road and at the site of the container
Moriarty's hand. Then, for no apparent reason, O'Hare
at Midleton. At Carnlough Road the gang got bored and
stood up , shook his fist in the air and began to shudder. He
Hogan and Toal took photographs of each other armed
then sat down and started smiling again , During his period
with shotguns. They hadn't even bothered to wear bala-
in the Bridewell O'Hare objected to going on an identity clavas.
parade. When the volunteers for the parade were brought in
Dessie O'Hare was unrepentant. McNeill, Hogan and
O 'Hare removed his shirt and trousers, exposing dressings
Toa1 were acting under military orders, O'Hare told the
covering his wounds. O'Hare, it appears, was worried that court. Wright had been duped into helping them initially
the parade was likely to adrnit evidence thar might prejudice
by the pro mise to shoot the man responsible for killing his
a fair tria!.
brother and later by threats. Claire O'Hare, he told the
Shortly afterwards the new Garda Commssioner, Eamon court had been as much as a hostage as John O'Grady.
Doherty , called a secret meeting of all Chief Superintendents Claire O 'Hare, who is also charged with the kidnap, had opted
at Templemore in Tipperary to discuss what had gone wrong for a separate tria1.
during the kdnap. The Irisn Times the following day had a During his speech from the dock Dessie O'Hare told the
detailed report on the "secret" meeting. The Minister for court that the on1y justice in Ireland carne through the
Justice had also called for a report from the gardai to estab- barrel of a gun, He faltered at one point when he looked up
lish what had gone wrong, The Opposition parties had called to the packed public gallery , The family of Jirnmy McDaid
for an independent inquiry , was staring intently at him.Tressie O'Hare and Eddie Hogan
But the meeting held at Templemore was not concerned got forty years. Tony McNeill received a fifteen year sen-
with probing, The mood was self-congratulatory. The Chief tence. Fergal Toal got twenty years. The court treated the
Superintendents from Dun Laoghaire , Midleton and Tipper- fourth accused more leniently. Gerry Wright got just seven
ary addressed the meeting. Key sections of their speeches years.

38 MAGILL MAY 1988

 In the lirst 01 a twopart article,
EAMONNMcCANNtraces the Irish
rootsol Glasgow Celtic, one 01 the ~
world's most lamous lootbll
clubs, anel looks at the early days .~7'.
01 a tradition which has at least
as mu'chto do with politics and
religion as it has with soccer. ~~
~~ .~!'
I N THE END IT WAS MAGIC, The first half was a nervous sham- ~
the last half hour a swooping, Hearts inexplcably went ahead. Former
bles, full of aimless punts upfield, passes
roller-coaster ride of the emotions Ce1t Brian Whittaker lobbed a high,
to nobody in particular and panicky
and with a clmax that Hitchcock hopeful ball into the Celtic pena1ty
scrambling at the edge ofpenalty boxes.
would have been thrilled to contrive. 'Keeper Pat Bonner observed its flight
Only Paul McStay, radiating calmness intent1y from his vantage pont on the
But for the first hour of its ninety in the Ce1tic mid-feld, truly graced the
minutes the Scottish Cup semi-final goal-line, like a bird-watcher noting
occasion. When McStay was on the the colouration ofa rare species as it
between Celtic and Hearts at Hampden ball, ripples of class eddied through
Park in Glasgow on the ninth of last came closer, was momentarily distrae-
Ce1tic.
month wasn'tmuch of a match. ted by the inrushing Davie McPherson,
Fifteen minutes into the second half then g1anced back up as the ball drifted
42 MAGILL MAY 1988
 gently over his head and nestled into broken Hearts players slumped forlorn- regala and badges of political cornmit-
the neto ly off-field, the Celtic squad skipped mento Green and gold lapel buttons
In response, Celtic were shaken to and danced, one turned a cartwheel, bearing a likeness of James Connolly
'go at last into overdrive. Full-backs and in varying combinations formed are much favoured. The bus won't leave
Chris Mortis and Anton Rogan galloped cavorting huddles of hugs in the middle until around one-thirty but alcohol is
repeatedly along the wings to fire in of the field as they were swamped in banned from football grounds and
crosses that pleaded for a head or foot the adulation of multitudes. The noise supporters' buses in Scotland and it's
to make contacto McStay controlled was astonishing, If there were chants necessary to tan k up before setting out.
a bobbling ball with a single deft touch, being chanted or songs sung they were One notes yet agan that the Scots are
turned inside two Hearts defenders, not individually decipherable. The ele- rare people for downing hard liquor.
looked up, turned back again, dummied mental sounds from fifty thousand Young women are on large whiskeys.
elegantly past a third Hearts man and open throats merged into a white noise From a table in the bar comer
drilled the ball forty yards onto the which carne in torrents 'down from the Gillan dispenses match tickets to mern-
toe-cap of McAvennie in space a dozen terraces to fill the stadium to the brim. bers as they arrive. "This is the pope's
yards from the Hearts goal. But the It lasted longer than a leader's ovation corner," he confides. Pressedas to the
ex-Hammers striker, perhaps non-plus- at a Fianna Fail Ard Fheis and this was religious significance of this appellation
sed by the audacity of the manoeuvre, genuine delight to the point of near- he expands: "Ah, no, it's just that
managed to scoop the ball wide. derangement. The playera had to come there's a few old fellas tend to sithere
McGhee, Walker and McAvennie again back out again after they'd left the after matches, pontificating."
all failed to connect with crosses inside field, sorne of them barefoot, dripping Gillan is a long-time union activist
the six-yard area. The minutes slipped wet and only wearing shorts, having and was among the leaders of the four
past until there were only three left. been summoned from the showers, to month sit-in last year which tried vainly
Hearts fans, massed behind the Celtic take a final salute before the compres- to save a thousand jobs at the Cater-
goal, whistled desperately to the ref sion on the terraces loosened and began pillar planto The strike was broken by
for release. to drift towards the exits. It wasn'tjust Thatcher's laws and the machinations
Then their 'keeper Henry Smith that Celtic had reached yet another cup of the union bureaucracy. He's un-
carne for a curling Tommy Burns cor- final in dramatic fashion. It was that employed now and studying for a
ner and caught it cleanly before drop- the dream Celtic has nurtured all season university course. "There's a lot of us
png it at the feet of Roy Aitken who of doing the league and cup double in have gone back to the school-books.
passed it square to McGhee who speared the centenary season, the perfect, dar- The way it looks, there'll be plenty to
it through a flailing ruck of defenders ing dream which had surely died and discuss literature on the dole queue."
and into the neto One-one with a turned to dust when Hearts were one The social security changes imple-
thunderclap suddenness and the sullen up and the final whistle imminent, was mented that weekend vie with the
Celtic terraces were transformed in a , now suddenly closer to realisation match as the major topc of discussion
twinkling into a carnival of colour and than it ever had been, and beckoning as supporters coIlect their tickets.
roars of joyous relief. brightly , "Were you talking to Jimmy? They've
Less than three minutes later the told him he'll be down 21.95."
Celtic following was catapulted even
higher into ecstasy , Smith, his confid-
ence collapsed by the culpable disaster
of the equalising goal, flapped and
C ARMYLE, WHERE A LOT OF
Irish settled in the early years
of ths century, is a nondescript
industrial suburb to the east of Glasgow
"Fucking Thatcher."
"They've hired a whole squad of new
security men in case of bother at the
buroo."
dithered as a long cross from the right but, separated from the city by the "Fucking bastards."
seemed to hang in the airo McGhee course of the Clyde and the main rail- The fuIl complement of supporters
gratefully bopped a header diagonally way lines across to Edinburgh, it has a is finally cajoled to finish up and board
across the goal-line and Walker stormed village air about it too. "There's a good the bus. The back window is covered
through a rooted defence to blast it sense of community here," says John with a tricolour about six feet by three.
high into the net. Two-one. Gillan, secretary of the local Celtic It's pointed out as a matter of sorne
Hearts re-started dejectedly and the Supporters' Club. "You could say, a significance that this tricolourhas a hem
final whistle blew, signalling bedlam, .good Republican community." along the side with a thin rope threaded
Transported in the space of three min- The supporters' club is based in the through it which once attached it to a
utes from the depths of an existential Cue-Ball Club, which is a square, breeze flagpole. "There was a fellow over here
gloom to the giddy heights of beatific block building at the bottom of a hill, from Dublin and we asked him to send
happiness, the packed Celtic fans on housing a bar and a snooker room with us back a proper Irish tricolour, so he
the steep Hampden terraces disappeared three snooker tables and a couple of cut that down from sorne public build-
beneath a seemingly solid, oscillating pool tables. It's a friendly , functional ing. It's the genuine artcle,"o_o __

expanse of green-and-white as scarfs sort of place where the woman behind As the bus lurches out into the
were held triumphantly aloft and the bar, having established that you've main road the PA system is playing the
swayed to and fro. From within the never been before, says, "Well, let me Beatles' 'Let It Be', which instantly
dense canopy of scarfs scores of tri- bid you welcome, then." draws howls of disapproval. "Get that
colours protruded and, here and there, From around noon club members shite off!" "Where's the WAR music?"
a few intriguing Starry Ploughs. As the begin gathering, bedecked in Celtic Nobody will own up to having f'orgot-

MAGILL MAY 1988 43

 ten the Wolfe Tones' tapes. The back They won their first match, against a
seats essay their own renditions, 'The clan and class factors had made the
depleted Rangers side, five-two, on 28 Reformation spectacularly complete.
Broad Black Brimmer', 'Roddy McCor- M~ 1888. In the same season they
ley' and so forth. Pockets of Catholicism continued to
reached the final of the Scottish Cup, survve in the Highlands and Islands but
Only three of the around forty on Just three seasons later they had come
the bus are women, all of them ac- a census in 1780 recorded only 6,000
from nothng to be acknowledged as Catholics below the Hghland Line.
companied. There's a couple of burly, the strongest clu b in Scotland and won
stan dard-issue workers who one sup- Mainstream Scots Protestantism was in
all three cup competitions. (It was this the Calvnst tradition of J ohn Knox
poses, probably wrongly, are shipyard feat which prornpted the legendary
workers or the like. It's a bright, crisp and vgorously anti-Papist. In 1790
telegram from one Ned McGinn to the there were thirty-nne Catholics in
aftemoon, notwarm, but nobody at Vatican: "We have won the three cups,
all on the bus carries an overcoat. Most Glasgow and forty-three anti-Catholic
y our Holiness." Outraged at receiving societies.
are in their teens or twenties, with ieans no response, McGinn moved a motion
and thin leather jackets and such, sorne Glasgow was a great city. Justifiably,
of censure on the Pontiff at the Glas- it had a very well-developed sense of
with rock-band logos on the back, a gow branch of the Irish National
few earrngs here and there, sorne tat- its own qualities and importance. It
League. It was defeated.) was, in an almost literal sense, self-
toos. They have the pinched look of At the club's ha1f-yearly meeting in
proletarians that is usual in any de- made. The Cly de is not a naturally
1891 committee member Thomas navigable river. Between 1769 and 1773
pressed regon, In shape, size and orna-
Flood declared: "Irishmen in Scot1and the brilliant Glasgow engineer James
mentation they'd pass easily for natives in past years have been made litt1e of
in the Creggan or north inner city Watt supervised the construction of
because we have very few of our num- more than a hundred jetties so pos-
Dublin. There's a certain jaunty swag-
bers in business or in positions of res- itioned as to make the river scour out
ger about them and a ready casual wit
ponsibility, but we have lately demon- its own bed. Glasgowthus became a
that they take open delight in. With
strated that not only in commercial rnajor port. It handled half of the total
reference to a recent Rangers' cup
life can we be successful, but we have American tobacco crop and vast quan-
humiliation: "What's the connection proved the possession on our part of
between the assassination of J ohn P. tities of cotton and sugar. Ships plyng
an amount of pluck and perseverance the Atlantic route carried back rope,
Kennedy and Dunfermline Athletic?"
by which we have risen to the top of leather, glue, nails, tools and a wide
"In years to come folk everywhere will the ladder in the football world. The
be able to tell their grandchildren range of manufactured goods. Industry
Ce1tic team is the pride of the Irish developed rapidly , Glasgow, as a result
exactly where they were when they race. "
heard Rangers were out of the Cup." of the dynamism and genius of Scots
The association of Ce1tic with Irish Protestants, became "the second city
As we approach Harnpden the bus Catholicism has persisted to this day.
noses its way gently through the green of the Empire ".
The: tricolour is dsplayed not only on The Irish had been coming to Scot-
and white throng now thickly filling the terraces but takes pride of place
the streets. A solo voice from the back land as migrant, agricu1turallabourers
aboye the main stand at Parkhead at at least since the middle of the eighteen-
is giving a not-bad rendition of 'Billy all Ce1tic home games. The Archbishop
Reid'. The radio said there 's another th century , From the tum of the cen-
of Glasgow, Cardinal Winning, was the tury they carne, first in a trickle, then
shot dead I And he died with a gun in chief guest at this year's centenary
his hand. I But they didn't say why I a stream, to settle and find work in
banquet. This, and the complementary the developing economy , They were,
Billy Reid had to die. I He died to free association of Rangers with Protestant
Ireland, of course, overwhelming1y Catholic.
Loyalism, has been the basis of the By the y ear of Catholic emancipation,
Are they all really Irish republicans? longest-running and most bitter sport-
Or is this just a way they've come to 1829, the thirty-strong Catholic corn-
ing feud in hstory. The Glasgow police munty in Glasgow had grown to
express support for Ce1tic at football? .assgn a hundred officers to each
Or what? 25,000. The 1841 census showed that
"ordinary" soccer game, two hundred 16.2 percent of Glasgow's 274,000
"To be perfect1y honest with you, and fifty to any match involving Ce1tic
Eamonn, it's a wee bit complicated." citizens were Irish-born, The stream
and Rangers, and five hundred to was swollen further by the potato
Ce1tic-Rangers clashes. famine towards the end of the decade.

C ELTIC'S GROUND AT PARK-

head was openedinMarch 1892,
four years after the club's for-
mation. The first sod was laid by
Three Rangers and one Ce1tic player
went on triallast month for disorderly
conduct and breach of the peace during
an "Old Firrn " match last October. A
As with all such alien in flux es, their
arrval was resented, partcularly by
those among the natives who had sound
reason for apprehension. The Irish mi-
Michael Davtt, the former Fenian and
police chief superintendent told the grants had been used by farmers to
leader of the Land League. The sod
Sheriff's Court: "Soon after the gates undercut the wage rates of local
had been transported from Dungloe in opened ... fans started filling up the
Donegal. Davitt had been elected joint labourers. Later, they were used to
enclosure at either side of the players' the same purpose, and as scabs, by
patron of the club in 1889. The other tunnel, facing each other and singing
patron was the Catholic Archbishop of construction bosses, mine-owners and
songs, The songs were oaths against all-purpose entrepreneurs. The threat
Glasgow. Davitt was to return to Ce1tic the Pope and the IRA from the Ran-
Park on a number of occasions but al- to "brng in the Irish" carne commonly
gers side, whle the Ce1tic versions from bosses faced with an obdurate
lowed that it was better he didn't were against the Queen and the UDA."
attend Ce1tic matches too frequently, Scots workforce. A petition in Glas-
The city's assistant chief constable gow against Catholic emancipation was
lest "he would foreswear politics for referred to "an unrivalled hatred on
football, so much had it impressed backed not only by the elders of the
'him." the faces of sorne of the fans. It is
Church of Scot1and, but by twelve of
different from any other football game
Ce1tic had been formed two years the cty's fourteen incorporated trade
I have ever attended."
before the Scottish League carne into unions. Around the same time 'Hunt
exstence in 1890. Only cup compet- the Bamey' was a popular garne in the
tions were "official", In these, and in
frendly , challenge games, Ce1tic from
the outset were strikingly successful.
A ,
T THE BEGINNING OF THE
last century Scotland was the
most Protestant country in the
world. A complex interplay ofnationa1,
Glasgow area.
The Irish were resented, not only on
account of the economic threat they
were perceved as representing, but also
44 MAGILLMAY 1988
 It should not be forgotten either
that the unchallenged leaders of the
Catholics were their priests and bishops
and in Scotland, as everywhere, the
Catholic clergy had no nterest what-
ever in encouragng "its" community
to assirnilate into wider, non-Catholic,
society.
The Catholic Irish had no specific
political aims in Scotland. They were
not, for example, seeking to detach
Scotland from the Union. Thus, while
the Protestant middle class and bour-
geoisie may have been anti-Papist on
doctrinal grounds, secure in their own
positions they had no reason to fear
the Catholic Irish in any way which
might have driven them into an alliance
with the Protestant working class along
the lines of U1ster Unionismo Political
ant-Catholicism was to find specifi-
cally working class outlets - via soccer,
for example.
The irnmigrant cornmunty devel-
oped separately , retaining its distinct
Irish-oriented identty , though airning
not at achieving fundamental social
change in Scot1and but at acceptance
of itself as a 1egitirnate elemento It con-
gregated in its "own" areas, generated
its own institutions, its churches and
schools. provided its own clubs, halls
and leisure-tirne activities and thereby
acquired a layer of community leaders,
men of sorne substance - publicans,
traders, builders and so forth - who
were increasingly self-eonfident oftheir
ability, and insistent on their right, to
make a mark in the society they had
sett1edin. Glasgow Celtic was the result.
It was in 1892 that the GAA banned
soccer as a "foregn game" - the same
year as Michael Davitt stamped a sod
of Donegal into the new soccer pitch
at Parkhead.

ATE ONE NIGHT IN 1867

L Pat Welsh, a young Dublin

Fenian on the run, was skulk-
ing along the North Wall when he was
arrested by Clare-born Sergeant Tho-
because of characteristics associated and its incense-irnpregnated priesthood. mas Maley of the North British Fusil-
with Catholicism which, not unreason- They drank a lot; even th eir priests iers. Welsh pleaded that he was finished
ably , Scots Protestants scorned. Scots frequented ale-houses. AH this, to the with vio1ence and had been trying to
Protestantism, of both Church of Scot- Scots Protestant mind, made the find a ship to take hrn to G1asgowand
land and evangelical tendencies, was Catholic Irish unworthy of equal a new start in Iife, Ma1eypondered, ex-
notably democratic and made a virtue status. If Protestants tended to have tracted a :firm pro mise of :good be-
of sober self-reliance. In the Kirks, better, cleaner jo bs, this was merely havour, and let the trem bling fugitive
ministers were elected. Pastors of the earthly confirmation of the hierarchy go. Welsh set up as a tailor in Glasgow
free churches established their auth- made in heaven. Moreover, the fact and did well and kept in touch with
ority by dint of their own qualities that the sprinkling of native Catholics his fusilier benefactor. When Maley left
and effort. Church of Scotland policies in central Scotland had been quite the army four years 1ater We1sh, by
were established by public debate. Pas- swamped by the Irish inf1ux meant that then a master tailor, helped hirn and
tors of smaller churches could and did by the middle of the century Cath olic- his family settle in the Glasgow area.
polemicise sharply with one another ism in Scotland was a distinctly Irish The Maleys had four sons, two of
over doctrinal and other issues. In con- phenomenon: this to a much greater whom, Tom and Willie, were to show
trast, the largely illiterate Catholic extent than in any area of England. promise at soccer.
Irish - and this in one of the most And the sense of Irish identity was to In December 1877 Pat Welsh, now
literate societies in Europe - were persist through the generations, not a comfortably-off busnessman with a
characterised by a pathetic attachment least because the "Irish Question" re- shop on opulent Buchanan Street,
to superstitious ritual and an abject mained a major, mainstream ssue in called on the Maleys. He was accorn-
obsequiousness to a totalitarian Papacy internal British politics until the 1920s. panied by J ohn Glass, a joner of Don-

MAGILL MAY 1988 45

 egal extraction, and Brother Walfrd, soccer club, they are also the most pride of the Irish race" is that they de-
headmaster of the Sacred Heart School, transient element within it. The den- vastated their soccer rivals for this
born Andrew Kerins in Ballymote in tity of a football club is determined by accolade in the process of acquiring it
Sligo. The three visitors explained that its management and supporters. The and, further, unlike sorne of their
they represented a group whch had founders of Ce1tic wanted success, as rivals, were perfectly ready to recruit
met in St Mary's Hall the previous syrnbol and potential source of the non-Irish and non-Catholic assistance
month and decided to set up a football success they believed they and their so as to establish permanent sole title
club to raise money for needy Catholic cornmunty were on the brink of and to the accolade.
children. They were piecing together a
As well as Brother Walfrid, John
team. Would Tomjunior and Willie care
Glass and Pat Welsh, prominent figures
to join? Wllie Maley was to become
in Celtic 's early years included a farnily
one of Ce1tic's first stars. He sub-
of catt1e traders from Belfast, the Col-
sequently became manager and held
that position until 1940. gans, the McKillops, who owned a
number of restaurants, the Shaugh-
Tom Maley junior had been on the
books of Third Lanark, then a maior nessys, "prorninent in law and priest-
club, but in those all-amateur days hood", the Kellys, the Whites and
poaching players was fairly cornmon- McLaughlins, with interests in the
place and the men behind Ce1tic were liquor trade. They were a1l comfortably
to prove the best poachers in the off but from families which had come
business. up the hard way and whch were still
'Soccer was boorning in central considered outsiders by the local elite:
Scotland. A game whichhad begun as no better .men for riding roughshod
jousts between rival villages, with un- over the rules of an arrogant establish-
limited numbers and no rules, had ment.
gradually been organised and codified They wanted a proper league, and
by the British upper classes. The first professionalism. Their hostility was
comprehensive set of rules dates from initially directed, not at all against
the l870s. It was a simple garne which Rangers, but against the haughty
could be played on any patch of open gent1emen of the Scottish Footba1l As-
ground and with a minimum of equip- socationand the sniffy amateurism of
mento the powerful Hampden-based Queen's
And the time and place were rght, Park. '
The Catholc Irish rejoced in the
By the end of the l870s, as a result of
brash elan with which Ce1tic, from ther
trade union organisation and pressure,
inception, took on the SF A ascendancy.
, the standard working week in Scot1and
After a SF A meeting in 1896 which
had been reduced from sixty to fifty-
four hours. Daly hours remained from took sorne decision which Ce1tic re-
presentative J ohn McLaughlin nter-
6 a.m. to 5.40 p.m. But now work
stopped at noon on Saturdays, Wth preted as anti-Celtic, Mcl.aughlin wrote
Scottish Sundays still blighted by the in the Catholic Glasgow Examiner:
"Rabid and bigoted partisanship is an
dictatorship of the Sabbatariat, Satur-
exceeding1y mild term to apply to their
day afternoon was the one weekly
period of fresh air freedom enjoyed by ferocious ebulitions. Were they of the
workng class there rnght be a litt1e
men who slaved down mines or in dank
factores all week. Over the previous excuse for them, but the most of them
thirty years real wages had risen by are at any rate dressed like gent1emen.
thirty per cent. Dire p overty was still I am afrad the resemblance ends there,
the common condition. But it was A worse exhibition then these gent1e-
possible for men to afford the sixpence men favoured us withhas never been
Willie Maley during his time as manager given in Scotland. It was worthy of a
entrance money to be associated with
of Glasgow Celtic. band of drunken cannbals."
glory once a week. This is the orign of
football fanaticism in Scotland. The le ague was founded in 1890
entitled to in Scottish society. The and professionalism introduced in
A talent for soccer provided a route name "Celtc " is significant, Unlike 1893, 1argely as a resu1t of Ce1tic's ag-
to farne., if not yet fortune. The sett1ed
the "Shamrocks" and "Emeralds" it is gressive insistence. Ce1tic was already
Catholic Irish produced teams in every as Scottish as .it is Irish in its assoca- paying players "illega1ly"anyway. (In
area where they were concentrated. tions. They squashed early atternpts to 1890 Celtic's players became possbly
Most had names like Shamrocks, Hiber- write a religious qualification into the the only amateur sportsmen in history
nans, Emeralds, Emmets. Sorne laid it club rules and set about assembling to threaten strike action for higher
down as a rule that players had to be their side with, according to taste, great wages.) The opening by Davitt of the
of Irish extraction. Sorne, like Edin- panache or sheer ruthlessness.
burgh Hibernans, demanded that new 50,000-capacity ground in 1892
Tom Maley was the first of many evidenced the seriousness of Ce1tic's
players notonly be Catholics but prac- poached players. In Celtic's first year
tising Catholics. ambition. In the same year the club
no fewer than five of Hibernians' cup-. pioneered the use of goalnets. The
The men who founded Celtc had winning team were coaxed across to follo wng year they conducted the first-
no truck with such self-inflicted limi- Glasgow. As a result, Hibs went out of ever experiments with flood-Ightlng.
tations. They were consciously intent existence for a periodo Renton's two
on creating a team which would re- The year after that Ce1tic ran the first-
star players, Kelly and McCallum, were ever railway "soccer special", offering
present the Catholic Irish cornmunity. signed up. Jerry Reynolds of Carfin a 2/6d ticket to Edinburgh for a match
But they were iust as acutely aware Shamrocks was, in effect, kidnapped. against Hibs, against the standard fare
that while the players are the most Part of the reason Ce1tic were a ble to of 4/-.
obvious public manifestation of any establish themselves so speedily as "the A few years after its inception Ce1tic
46 MAGILLMAY 1988
 was both the biggest club in Scotland
and the most successful expression of
Catholic-Irish identity Scot1and had
ever known. In the process, sorne of
the clubs original, charitable ideals
were ditched. In 1897 Celtic became a
limited company, The concentration
on professionalism and business effici-
ency didn't please everybody, One
Catholic-nationalist commentator
wondered acidly how anyone could
believe Celtic players "kicked the ball
for fath and fatherland" when it was
perfectly obvious that "they kicked
the ball for thirty shillings a week".
Nevertheless, Celtic's swagger through
Scottish football was an expression of
new Catholic-Irish confidence. Between
1892/3 and 1897/8 they won the
League f'our times. Inevitably, the club
attracted to itselfmuch ofthe anti-Irish,
anti-Catholic sentiment around. A team
which would rise up and see off the
upstart Irish challenge was bound to argued that from the outset both sides
attract substantial Protestant support. savaged all before them in the Sixtes
had a business interest in bigotry. But and Seventies.
This team was Rangers. although there was no shortage of It was around the same time, in
combustible, sectarian material in Scot- the years before World War One, that
land at the time - the Home Rule the ideology of Rangers shifted slightly
NGERS HAD BEEN FOUN-
issue loomed large following Glad- but significantly. Always a Protestant
ded a decade and a half before
~ stone's abortive 1886 Bill and violence team, they became frankly, and fer-
eltic. They were a Protestant
regularly attended Orange marches _ ociously, anti-Catholic and the Celtc-
team. There was nothing particularly
thereare few reports of clashes between Rangers riva1ry acquired the razor 's
sectarian about this. Given the seprate
Celtic and Rangers fans in this periodo edge it retains to the present day.
development of the two communities
There were scuffles at matches in 1897
it was more or less inevitable that any
and 1899, but nothing worth talking
soccer team in Scotland would be
either "Catholic" or "Protestant ",
Until Celtic carne along Rangers were
no more thaa moderately successful.
about. Nevertheless, that tensions
would gather was assured. As Rangers
and Celticconsolidated their postion
as a virtual duopoly over Scottish
A LTHOUGH CELnC-RANG-
ers relations had been reason-
ably cvlsedfor the first couple
of decades of Celtic 's exstence and al-
They had never, for example, won the though the clubs had a mutual interest
soccer, the f'ervour of each set of fans in establishing a jont ascendancy in
Scottish Cupo
carne to be expressed almost as much
Rangers' emergence as the Protestant Scottish soccer, their social profiles
in hostility to the other club as in
equvalent of Celtic can be dated to were far from identical. Celtic's first
commitment to one 's own. In 1905
the 1893/94 season - the year after board of directors (1897) comprised
one commentator warned that "an
Ned McGinn's three cups. The Ibrox six publicans and a builder. Rangers
accumulation of ncidents" was build-
side beat Celtic four times and drew (1899) included two capitalsts, four
ing up a dangerous head of hostlity.
once in six matches and thereafter white collar workers and a skilled
The first major riot carne at the Cup
appears to have siphoned Protestant tradesman. Celtic's first two patrons
Final replay at Hampden in 1909 - al-
support in to itself and away from were a radical Irish nationalist and a
though circumstances suggesrthat fans'
smaller, less successful sides.However, Catholic archbishop. Rangers' was Sir
mutualloathing wasnot the main cause.
relations between the clubs were J ohn Ure Primrose. Eleven per cent of
When the replay ended in a draw and
friendly in the early years of their Celtic's frst Iist of shareholders were
it became clear that extra time was not
great rivalry. They travelled together self-described as "Iabourers", The equi-
to be played, both sets of fans believed valent Rangers figure was a half per
when engaged in away matches in the
that their managements were more in- cent. Rangers had four shareholders
same town and social functions after
tent on having a third lucrative en- described as "foreman", Celtic none.
matches in which they played one
counter than settling the issue there In his book "I'he Old Firm '," the
another were reputedly most convvial
affairs. Celtic's first chairman, John and then. Enraged, they poured onto Scottish football nut -and fine historian
McLaughlin, the possessor of a pleasant the pitch, the police baton charged Bill Murray argues convincingly that in
tenor voice, sang in the Rangers Glee and mayhern ensued, The profit motive this contrast can be found the original
Club Choir, although not, presumaby, played a part in provoking the first social basis of the "We Arra People!"
his favourite piece 'The Dear Little Celtic-Rangers riot. That season, 1908/ attitude of Rangers fans which, initially
Shamrock'. 9 also heralded the end of a period of directed against Celtic, and later also
Celtic ascendancy. Rangers had ended aganst blacks, foreigners and anybody
To the extent that each was the
Celtic's early supremacy and became at alllackingundiluted true-blue blood,
leading soccer representative of its
the more successful side in the years has earned them a reputation as "an-
"own community, it was guaranteed
around the turn of the century, But mals" throughout a long-suffering soc-
massive support. The financial attrac-
from 1903/4 to 1909/10 Celtic won cer world.
tions of this set-up were obvious, The
the league six times, the cup three Four Catholics played for Rangers'
Scottis Referee observed in 1896
times, the Glasgow Cup five times and first team between 1904 and 1910;
that the relationship developing be-
the Charity Cup twice. No Scottish since then, two. South African Don
tween Celtic and Rangers was "excep-
team was to achieve such ascendancy Kitchenbrand was only nominally
tionally remunerative-". It can be
agan until Stein's Lisbon Lions
Catholic. The other, Laurie Blythe,
48 MAGILL MAY 1988
was played by mistake. (Rangers had provided real, urgent issues to sharpen and pavement pirates, all, or nearly all,
been unaware that his father, a Rangers and deepen the divide. Crowd trouble in the scarecrow stage of verminous
scout, had married a Catholic and that became a standard feature of Old Firm trampdom, This ragged army of in-
Laurie was of the ne temere persuasion.) clashes. There was to be a riot at every sanitary pests was lavishly provided
Disparate events seventy years ago one of the traditional New Year's Day with orange and blue remnants o o o
were, anyway, conspiring to thieken matches between 1919 and 1939. Practically without cessation the vaga-
sectarian feeling in the Glasgow area. Ce1tie were dominant during the bond scum kept up a strident howl of
The Westminster Parliament was m--9v- First World War, but the Twenties and the 'Boyne Water' chorus, Nothing so
ing towards the.19l2 Home Rule Bill most of the Thirties were Rangers', bestially ignorant has ever been wit-
and Protestant Ulster was mobilising. which, notwithstanding the club's great nessed even in the wildest exhibitions
Celtic was explicit1y Irish-nationalist in successes of previous decades, seems to of Glasgow Orange bigotry ooo"
politics, No "Home Rule for Ireland" have confirmed Ce1tie's self-image as In contrast, "Man in the Know"
meeting in Glasgow was complete underdog outsiders forced to set out noted, "These complaints do not apply
without Celtic representation on the every season to storm the grim, blue- to the Ce1tie brake-clubs (supporters'
platf'orm. And sorne accounts give f1aggedcitadel of Scottish soccer. clubs) whose members, reasonable
significance to the establishment of Celtie's traditional style of play can sentient human beings, are models of
a shipyard in Govan in 1912 by Har- be taken to ref1ect this perception. decorum and possess official testi-
land and Wolff, who brought over Based on enthusiasm, inspiration and monials to their blameless behaviour
sizeable numbers of Belfast workers. feats of derring-do, they were Cavaliers ... They are fond of singingand to this
At the same time Catholics were being to Rangers' Roundheads. n o-one can reasonably object. On
driven from the Be1fastyard. This style, and the extent to which Saturday the boys sang to their hearts'
Rangers had always had an associ- the tumu1tuous events in Ireland had contento They gave us so many rousing
ation with the yards, As early as the become imprinted on Ce1tic, carne choruses, 'Hail Glorious St Patrick',
l870s the club had been able to secure through clearly in the blithe polemics 'God Save Ireland', 'Slievenamon', 'The
the sgnature of amateur players with of the Glasgow Observer's Ce1tie Soldiers' Song' oo. When Cassidy's goal
the entieement of a shipbuilding jobo specialist "Man in the Know". This made vctory sure, it was fine to hear
Rangers provided a natural focus for from 1924: "On the (Rangers) terracing the massed thousands at the western
the enthusiasms of the Belfast arrivals on Saturday there was congregated a end of the Ibrox oval chanting thunder-
who, in turn, boosted the sectarian gang, thousands strong, including the ously 'On Erin's Green Valleys'.
content of the club itself. dregs and scourings of filthy slumdom, "Man in the Know" conveyed the
The Home Rule Bill, the Easter unwashed yahoos, jailbirds, night- result of this particular match thus:
Rising, the Tan War' and Partition hawks, won't-works, 'buroo-barnacles' "Re bels two, Black and Tans nil."
 W HEK BONO TOLO AMERI-
can reporters last Summer
that Shamrock Rovers be-
longed to the northside of Dublin, the
district where he was born, and were
now moving away, it was, to the Irish
joumalists present, an amusing faux
pas by the U2 singer from North
Dublin , Back in Dublin it was a corn-
ment that held unhappy undertones
for the supporters of Ireland's top
soccer club, who longed for Rovers to
move out of the northside back to
their traditional southsds home at
Milltown.
A few months earler, several days
before Shamrock Rovers were to meet
Sligo Rovers in the second leg of the
1987 F Al cup .semi-final, the rumour
that it would be Rovers' last game in
Glenmalure Park .at Milltown was con-
frmed by an Irish Press reporto Just
as the property developers had gnored
public opinion regarding Wood Quay,
the Kilcoyne family - owners of Sham-
rock Rovers since 1972 - seemed
to ignore the emotional support of
geuerations of Rovers' fans to sell
off the Milltown turf, it was later re-
vealed, for property development,
Rovers" managing director Louis Kl-
coyne says: "We can't be held respon-
sible for people's dreams and memories.
We are only responsble for the future
of Sharrirock Rovers, We can't be held
responsible for the past."
Around this time of year, every year
since 1984, Shamrock Rovers have sat
proudly at the top of the Prernier
League of Ireland. When they lifted
the championship trophy last April
they also entered the record books as
the first club in the sxty-six year hs-
tory of the league to win the title four
years insuccession. The following
month they added another record,
winning the F Al cup to complete a
hat-trick ofleague and cup doubles.
This sea son Shamrock Rovers no
longer sit proudly at the top of the
Ieague, They have completed their
le ague carnpagn in fourth position,
Neither will the club play in Europe,
where the financial rewards can be
considerable. They were sensationally
dumped out of the F Al cup in the
first round by UCD. SO Rovers, who
were the first Irish club to play in a
European cornpetition on 26 Septern-
ber 1957 when they lost 6-0 to Man-
six players had been signed for the
chester United, have only domestic playng surfaces in Europe-is no Ionger
1988-89 season.

il
competition to look forward to next the hallowed turf that contributed to
season. YEAR AFTER SHAMROCK
many memorable Rovers successes for
The club is now also without a Rovers vacated it, Glenmalure
half a century , The stands have fallen
manager. Dramatically; hours after Park is like a disused set from into disrepair and the changing pav-
an old Hollywood movie, gloomy and
Rovers' finalleague garne of the season, ilions are wrecked. Only the floodlights,
silent, lacking only the ghostly tumble-
Dermot Keely resgned as manager in purchased with the financial aid of
weeds. The ground has deteriorated,
the midst of the usual end of season Shamrock Rovers patrons, remain in-
the crowd barriers on the stone ter-
activty of re-sgnng players for the tact, despite many months of pro-
racing have been sawn off and the pitch
new season. Before Keely left, only tracted negofiations, which ended ear-
-once regarded as one of the finest
lier this year when the Keep Rovers At
50 MAGILL MAY 1988
 an obituary. In the same magazine Alan
Dalton described the scenes after
Rovers' cup-tie .with Sligo, in the man-
ner of a writer reporting the death
throes of an institution. "There was
bitterness and sadness in the airo The
thought that Glenmalure Park with its
superb surface was lost to footbal1 hurt
deeply. The thought for many Sharn-
rock Rovers fans of a move to Tolka
Park, deep in enerny territory , was un-
thinkable. 'Will Greed kill the Hoops'?'
said one of the protest banners. Is it
greed or just a move of necessity?
Few outside the inner circle believed
it had anything to do with irnproving
the club's position. They, to aman,
fe1t betrayed," he wrote. "Those who
have charge of institutions such as
Shamrock Rovers have an enormous
responsibility which goes far beyond
that of merely running a footbal1 club.
They have custody of a piece of Dublin,
they are guardians of part of the city's
very ,soul."
Yet the Kilcoyne brothers, Paddy
and Louis, in a press conference last
April, insisted that the move had been
inevitable. "If enough people felt suf-
ficiently passionate about keeping the
club at Milltown, they would have pre-
empted this move by turning out in
reasonable numbers to watch our
games," said Paddy Kilcoyne, "For
twelve of the fifteen years that we have
been involved with the club, Shamrock
Rovers incurred a deficit. These losses
-g were funded by the family without help
~ from anybody."
g A1though the Rovers support was
~ small, it was vociferous and dedicated.
ijj Many supporters harboured deep feel-
ings for the club's tradition. Although
many of the fans, particular1y the
Supporters Club, acknowledged Rovers'
dwindling gate receipts, they believed
it was not their function to tel1 the
Kilcoynes how to run the club. Con-
versely the Kilcoynes felt that they
didn't need help in running the club.
The Kilcoyne family might have owned
Rovers but it was the Milltown faithful
who represented the lifebloodof the
club.

ITHIN DAYS OF THE AN-

by Robert Allen W nouncement of the leaving
of Milltown, Rovers fans and
former players ral1ied to form KRAM.
They included Brian Murphy, chief
Milltown (KRAM) committee success- pro bably on the way back from another
ful1y persuaded the Kilcoyne family victory , executive of the Diners Club in Ireland,
not to sel1.off Glenmalure Park's most When the Soccer Magazine paid tri- Gerry Mackey, the former marketing
valuable asset. bute to "Four-in-a-row" Hoops and manager of BP - who has subsequent1y
Rival supporters, not unaware of Jim McLaughlin's successor, Dermot become spokesman for KRAM - for-
the slow destruction ofMilltown, now Keely , at the close of last season, many mer Irish youths coach Liam Tuohy
ridicule what is left of one of Ireland's soccer fol1owers in Ireland read what andPaddy Coad. The latter three al1
finest grounds. "Milltown is a car-park; they believed was Shamrock Rovers' played for what most veteran Milltown
Milltown is a car-park; Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! epitaph. And Sean Creedon's columns fans regard as the best Rovers team of ,
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!" they chant as they of statistics, anecdotes and pen pies of al1time., . I
pass Rovers' new home, Tolka Park, the "Super Hoops" seemed to read like Support for KRAM was s~

MAGILLMAY 1988 51
 i68,OOO was raised in one night in Unknowns in Milltown. Flood and
response to the call to raise money to in their wake as they lifted the tit1e for
Watters scored hat-tricks as Rovers hit the first time in twenty seasons. Rovers
buy out the Kilcoynes. At the end of eleven without reply.
last May the Kilcoynes rejected KRAM's were also in the F Al cup final and were
In 1931 they dropped out of the top favourites to complete the double,
subsequerrt i300,000 bid. Further pro- three for the first time and then carne
posals were also rejected. KRAM then again for the first time since 1964. But
back in style the following season, after a goal-less draw at Dalymount
stated that their campaign to take winning the league and cup double for
Shamrock Rovers back to Milltown Park, UCD won the replay,
the second time. Rovers have now won Alan Campbell and Liam Buckley
would continue unabated and that they the FAl cup an astonishing twenty-four
would do everything in their power to had been Rovers' top scorers that
times and the league on fourteen oc- season and their predatory instincts
prevent planning permission .being casions. Between 1929 and 1933 and
awarded to Glenmalure Park, didn't go unnoticed in Europe, where
then agan between 1964 and 1969 they were subsequently transferred to
Shamrock Rovers have leased Glen- Rovers had their name inscribed on the Span and Belgium respectvely. Me-
malure Park from the nearby Jesuit F Al cup each season without a break. Laughlin replaced them easily with
order since they moved to Mil1town in Statistically Shamrock Rovers' Noel Larkin and Mick Byrne and this
the 1920s. In 1986 Louis and Barton achievements are unsurpassed in League time won the double.
Kilcoyne approached the Jesuits to of Ireland football. Rovers players and
discuss the possibility of getting an managers have won more Personality

D
option to buy the four-acre site. At ESPITE THE SUCCESS THE
of the Year awards than any other club, Kilcoynes were said to be
that stage the lease had another twelve they have supplied more players for
years to run and the J esuits believed worried about the game's falling
Republic of Ireland teams - centre- fortunes. Amazingly Rovers were at-
that the Kilcoynes wished to own the back Peter Eccles was the sixty-second
ground , "The question of development tracting less supporters to Milltown
when he made his debut against Uru- during their double winning season
didn't come up in our discussions," guay in 1986 and, until the appoint-
said a J esuit spokesman. than in their barren years. The intro-
ment of Jack Charlton, the previous duction of "live" English soccer was
The Kilcoynes have always insisted five intemational managers all played
that they decided to vacate Glenmalure blamed and the more significant fact
at sorne stage for Rovers. When the that more and more people were play-
Park because they could not afford to All-Ireland Cup was launched in 1968
stay there, yet the fact that the Kil- ing rather than watching soccer. Still
Rovers were the first winners. Success Mcl.aughln went on his winning ways,
coyne family make their living from a was always a by-product of Rovers'
property development company named despite losng his top players each year.
tradition and it was rare to see them Noel King and Jacko McDonagh
Healy Homes Ud has led many of their go more than two seasons without
detractors to believe that the decision were signed by two French clubs.
winning a trophy.
to leave Milltown had more to do with McLaughlin replaced them with Paul
Yet the seeds o destruction were Doolin from Bohemians and Mick
their entrepreneurial streak than their already sown when the Kilcoynes
passion for soccer. The Kilcoynes have O'Connor from Athlone. They fitted
bought the club from the Cunningham in admirably as Galway replaced Bo-
denied this. family in 1972. League of Ireland hemians as Rovers' nearest challengers.
soccer was generally going through a
The opposition didn't matter and
bad phase. Average gates for garnes

W HEN SHAMROCK ROVERS McLaughlin's team won the league and

had dropped to below 5,000 and cup again to record a historie doub1e-
first leased Glenmalure Park clubs like Rovers were having diffi-
from the J esuits in 1921 the doub1e. But the signs on the terraces
culty holding onto their talented were ominous.
club was control1ed by Larry Fitz-
players, who were constantly being Although Bohemians and Dunda1k
patrick, a fisherman and glassblower.
poached by cross-channel and contin- challenged Rovers for the tit1e in the
He had founded the club in Ringsend ental clubs.
at the tum of the century and, with a ear1y stages, it was only Galway who
Gradually -Shamrock Rovers began stayed the course and they didn't seern
gathering of local friends and players, to lose their shine and the gates drop-
had set up in Shamrock Park. to attract the same support that games
ped further. Other clubs dominated the
In the early years the club entered against Bohemians hado The previous
league and cup and Rovers fans talked season, as the two Dublin rivals chal-
the Dublin junior league and when the of past glories, Paddy Coad's domineer-
League of Ireland was founded in 1921 lenged for the title, their first league
ing team of the fifties and Sean
Rovers were admitted to the Second encounter of the season had drawn a
Thomas's glamorous and exciting cup crowd of 5,200 payng record gate
Division of the Leinster Senior League. sagas of the sixties.
Ayear later Fitzpatrick's daughter receipts of i9,768. Rovers won and
Then Derryman and former North- Bohs faded away.
Mary Jane married a Ringsend book- ern Ireland intemational Jim McLaugh-
maker called Joe Cunningham, who Then Derry City beckoned Sham-
lin brought his undisputed talents from
was becoming a force in the club. rock Rovers' most successfu1 manager
Dundalk, where he had ruled Irish
Rovers quickly became a force in and in May 1986 Dermot Keely re-
soccer on and off for nine seasons. He placed Jim McLaughlin, who left to
Irish soccer, reaching the final of the carne in the summer of 1983 and swift1y
F Al cup during that first season, only attempt to repeat his Dundalk and
built a new team. From Dundalk he
to lose to St Jarnes's Gate after a replay, Rovers success with his native club.
brought goalkeeper Jody Byrne, and
Over the following eght seasons Despite losing Liam O'Brien to Man-
Noel King as assistant and coach. He chester United and John Coady to
Rovers never finished lower than third persuaded Pat Byrne to leave Scottish
in the league and in 1924-25 they won Chelsea in mid-season, Keely main-
league club Hearts to captain Rovers
their frst league and cup double in tained McLaugh1in's momentum as
and from north Dublin rivals McLaugh- Dundalk failed to stop Rovers in both
glorious fashion. 'Juicy' Farrell hit a lin poached Liam O'Brien, Kevin Brady
record twenty-five league goals as the league and the cupo As Keely's
and Terry Eviston. Mick Neville carne success sank: in, and soccer followers
Rovers took the title undefeated. Four from Drogheda and Dermot Keely was
years later they created another record acknow1edged Rovers' unique triple-
delighted to forego his job as player- double, the Milltown faithful feared
when they scored the highest victory manager of UCD to join McLaughlin.
in League of Ireland soccer against Bray the worst. The Kilcoynes had made
It was Bohemians that Rovers left their decision earlier, ~rhaps when
52 MAGILL MA Y 1988
,.,.:';;;
 McLaugh1in left (there had been
speculation that the Derryrnan knew and Mick Byrne joned the long list of
what the future held for Shamrock Rovers playera to be transferred to the
Rovers, although he has never in- continent, when Den Haag of Holland
i dicated this to anyone), The Kilcoynes' signed him in January,
/. decisin had certainly been made be- As Rovers slumped, Keely wrestled
fore the club's last league game of the with the pro blems on the pitch while
6-'87 season when they beat Galway the Kilcoynes remained adamant that
Jnted to retain the championship for the club would remain at Tolka Park.
a record fourth successive title. The On the field Shamrock Rovers failed
fact that only 2,000 turned up to wit- to display the skills that had graced
ness the event seemed to vindicate the Milltown. Their slky, one-touch foot-
Kilcoynes' decision. ball was frequently missing and in de-
fence the confidence was replaced by
NLY THROUGH THE SALES confusion as Keely unsuccessfully tried
of their players were the club, to find the rght combination. The
according to Louis Kilcoyne, pressure of playing in front of virtually
able to reduce their deficit each no vocal support, almost as if they were
season, Rovers would have received playing away every week, began to
something in the region of f300,000 wear the players down and nerves be-
for the sale of Campbell, Buckley camed frayed. "Rovers are a club with-
McDonagh, O'Brien, King and Coady out a soul," said one player.
but, as in all transfer dealings, the Eventually Dundalk, St Pats and
money would have been paid over a Bohemians left Rovers behind in their
period of months and the Kilcoynes quest for the title, yet the admiration
would not have received any fees in for Keely's team remained and fellow
lump sums. professionals, managers, coaches and
Gate receipts would have averaged rival supporters all agreed that the move
out at less than i3,500 and, at an to Tolka Park had undermined the
average of fifteen garnes per season, champions bid for a fifth successive
the total would have fallen well short title. "There is no doubt that had
of the il 50,000 it cost to run the club Rovers stayed at Milltown they would
at Milltown. Even with European com- have been in contention for the league,"
petition (one garue) and lucrative said one manager.
friendlies against the likes of Man- Not surprisingly, Louis Kilcoyne
chester United and Arsenal, the short- did not agree with this assessment. In
fall, the Kilcoynes claim, was as much an interview with the Sunday Press
as i40,000 per season. Rovers' running Louis Kilcoyne told Michael Carwood
costs were amongst the highest in the that Paddy and hirnself were committed
League of Ireland, because to maintain to the future of Rovers and were deter-
their success they had to attract the mined to re-build the team. He admitted
best players and to do that they had that the boycott of Tolka Park was
to offer the best contracts. Rovers "effective" but later he stressed to
they were winning. But the victory
players would have earned an average Magill that "t was important to bear
wasn't wthout controversy,
of i5,000 e!lch. in mind that KRAM and the Supporters
Sorne supporters who didn't agree
When KRAM initially offered Club represent less than a hundred
with the boycott claimed they had people".
f300,000 for Shamrock Rovers the
been intimidated. In October last year
Kilcoynes were reported to have replied "In real terms there isn't any public
before a game against Waterford United
that the offer wasn't "exciting enough" interest in this issue and the behaviour
at Kilcohan Park in which the team
and speculation that i900,000 would of these people has not really affected
arrived late because their coach broke
have been a better carrot has also failed our determination to succeed at Tolka.
down, Louis Kilcoyne was attacked by
to draw the Rovers management into It has, however, succeeded in alienating
supporters who were identified with
negotiation. the KRAM campaign from everybody
KRAM. Manager Dermot Keely had to
As Rovers attempted to settle into involved in football. We attempted to
change his phone number because he
their new home in Dublin's northside, build bridges with them but we made
was receiving abusive calls. It seemed
KRAM and the Rovers Supporters Club it clear that there was no gong back to
that the supporters did not appreciate Milltown."
maintained a boycott of Tolka Park. his jokes about the plight of Rovers
It began on the openng home match The Kilcoynes have also announced
and his lack of seriousness about the
with approximately a hundred protes- that they will be applying for planning
subject. Like many of the players, Keely
ters outside the ground, although twice permission to build luxury houses on
simply wanted to get on with the jobo
as many paid in. Over the weeks the the three-and-a-half acre site at Glen-
However, the move certainly did affect
protests escalated, although the num- malure Park and that, along with Home
morale at the club and as the season
bers of protesters fell away to an Farm, they will attempt to develop
wore on it was clear that Rovers were
average of fifty at each game, The Tolka Park into a 10,000 all-seater
not gong to be the force of the pre- stadium.
crowds also fell away and even the
vous four seasons. Gradually sorne of
introduction of Friday evening games The Sunday Press article incensed
the players left, Paul Carlyle returned
didn't measurably improve the attend- KRAM and the Supporters Club,
to Derry, Damien Byrne took up Brian
ances, When the Evening Press's Con particularly when Carwood wrote that
Kerr's offer to .ion Patrick's Athletic
Houlihan joked that the club should "the takings from league matches this
after the Inchicore club had knocked
read out the names of the crowd over
Rovers out of the Leinster Senior Cup,
season is i21,000", just over n,ooo
the public address system, KRAM knew per game. Louis Kilcoyne later said
Vinnie McCl1rthyreturned to Waterford th~t M1f'ho:la.l r'....
_....
7~_..J 1 1 ..

54 MAGILLMAY 1988
wrong '- that he had said there wasan Kilcoyne said. King is seen simply as the most likely
average of 1,000 spectators per game, "If they say they are going to stay successor to Dermot Keely.
realsing approximately Ed to 1:400 at Tolka Park," retorted Mackey, "the "If anyone gets nvolved in Rovers,"
average gate recepts, boycott wil continue. Unfortunately said Gerry Mackey, "K RAM would
Gerry Mackey, the forme! Rovers we will now have to concentrate our want to talk to them, but who in their
player; who is the spokesman for energies on any planning application righ t mind would get financially in-
KRAM, has insisted that the Kilcoynes' for the development of Milltown. Re- volved with Rovers under the present
reaction to KRAM.and the Supporters gretfully it comes down to a conflicto situation? Louis Klcoyne now knows
Club has been "totally inconsistent" in We are committed to seeing Glenmalure that people know how he would run
relation to their concern with the future Park preserved as the home of Sham- Rovers and that we would not be pre-
of Rovers. "We don't wish to own the rock Rovers Football Club." pared to work with hm, but that is
club," said Mackey, "we just want to On the surface it seems that the not true. I don't think anyone in KRAM
see Shamrock Rovers back at Milltown. battle lines have been drawn tighter. would totally rule that out. We have
We would not have begun our fund- In reality only time will reveal the nevr said categorically that we would
raising campaign if the Kilcoynes had future of Shamrock Rovers and whether not work with the Kilcoynes, but we
not indicated that they would sell the in fact the Kilcoynes continue to own wil only work wth them under certain
club. In May last year Louisand Paddy the club. When asked if there was a circumstances and we will only talk to
Kilcoyne said they would sell to us, family split over the future of Rovers, them if there are no preconditions laid
and only to. us, but they didn't put a Paddy Kilcoyne emphatically said down."
figure ort the club. Paddy Kilcoyne "No!" while almost srnultaneously Yet, while Gerry Mackey stressed
said that if we raised sufficient funds Louis said "Y es!" laughngly , that there is no "personality hand-up"
they would talk to us again." in KRAM about the Kilcoynes, con-
FTER THE FAILUREOFTHE versely the owners of Sharrtrock Rovers

A
.According to the Kilcoynes, KRAM
failed to raise fnds anywhere near the ". '. former Rovers player a~d ex- have made up their mind about the
value rthey had placed on the Club. Derry manager, Noel King, to future of the club and this seems to
"After our negotiations last summer raise an interest in the resurrection f exclude any involvernent by KRAM.
w no longer considered thrn to be Drumcondra, the original tenants at "If they wish to oppose our planning
anywhere near our requirements and Tolk Park , there has been speculation application, that is fine," said Paddy
nothing has happened in the meantime that King and his brothers would be Kilcoyne, "as long as they do it
to make us change our minds," Louis interested in Rovers. At this stage Noel Iegally."
 11.u ,~\, . . .

rnrnrn.~rnm,: ~ {#

rnrn~m~rnr "

A Cele ration
of Van orrison
[by PAU DURCAN

-.r ~;"".1ilF .~

??-.
"I-J r"~im~;
[ .. ..;
"No other Irish poets - writing in either verse or
music -have come within a Honda's roar oi
Patrick Kavanagh and Van Morrison ... In Iect,
the only new development in recent Irish poetry
was Kavanagh's introduction o[ the jazz line and
Morrison's continuation oi it:"

The important thing to remember is that I'm not an

entertainer, I'm an artist - a musician,
- Van Morrison, Amsterdam, ]uly 1973

IVE SPENTTHE
LAST SlX MONTHS TRAVELLING ABOUT, GIV-
ing recitals from my book 'Going Home to Russia': Ireland,
the UK, Canada, Italy. Sorne day I'd like to publish a blow-
by-blow journal of this kind of living - a kind of Forked
Lightning Logbook - one-night stands from Hull to Bolton,
from Montreal to Cape Breton, from Coleraine to
Castlecomer, from Olivetti to Perugia - but, just for now,
I'd like to report that 1 brought along with me for eompany
the tapes of Van Morrison. The operative word is
eompany.
Being an artist of any kind is by definition a lonely
oeeupation. But in addition to the nature of the job there
is the faet that soeially it's lonely (1 mean soeially as well
as spiritually) beeause 1 don't like the eompany ofliterary
people or, rather, there are very few literary people in
whose eompanyI'd want to be in or, rather, 1 don't find
literary people companionable - neither their violenee nor
their holiness.
Literary people seem to me to speeialise in a unique
blend of insineerity and sanetimoniousness; it's a
combination that makes me eringe and 1 am glad to take
refuge in my Sony Walkman. When 1 wake up in the
morning in a bedroom on the seventeenth floor - after the
initial shoek - 1 reaeh for my Sony Walkman.
But it's not only the actual.Jaws themselves - it's that

\1AGILLMAY 1988 57
 whole mafia of literary wheeler-dealers comprising James Myself, if 1 was Minister for Education, I'd bring in a
Bond academics, Ayatol!ah publishers, hyster ical new curriculum in the morning and top of my list would
columnists, club critics, who bestride the one vast literary be Kavanagh and Morrison. Al! of Kavanagh and
bider on [he slopes of Parnassus; there they squat al! the Morrison - not my selection 01' Saint Augustine's selection
year round , hooded fossils, self-regarding, satisfied, 01' Barry McGuigan's selection 01' Dean Martin's selection
oblivious braoding, conspiring. but the entire oeuvre and let the audience (students are a
There are exceptions. There have been times when 1 free audience - not a concentration camp of suitable
have carried my Sony Walkman half-ways around the victirns) pick out what they like and what they don'tlike.
world without ever taking it out of my bag: with Tom Having been Minister for Education , I'd then like to be
::'IcCarthy in Yorkshire , with Anthorry Cronin in Russia, a member of the audience and 1'01' my essay in the Leaving
with Jennifer Johnston in Montreal, with Dermot Bolger Certificate Examination at the end of two years listening
in the Hague, with Seamus Heaney in Boston, with Medbh to Morrison, 1 might choose to offer the following Top
McGuckian in Saskatoon. Thirty of Morrison poerns:

TE
1. 'Summertime in England'
2 'Rol!ing Hil!s'
3 'In the Garden'
4 'Cleaning Windows'
DAY 1 5 'Listen 1'0 The Lion'
ARRIVED BACK FROM CANADA - SATURDA y 6 'Snow In San Anselmo'
MARCH 19 - was the day Ireland reached its nadir. After 7 'Rave On, John Donne'
twenty years of mucking about in the depths of our own 8 'Alan Watt's Blues'
nadir, we finally got there, ju~t after noon on Saturday 9 'A Sense of W onder'
March 19. 1 was half-asleep - having got off the jumbo from 10 'Hard Nose The Highway'
New York at 8.15 amo But strangely enough - strangely 11 'Madame George'
- it was on the evening ofthe same day that Van Morrison 12 'Queen Of The Slipstream'
from East Belfast climbed up on an open air stage outside 13 'Gloria'
the Bank of Ireland in Dublin. And not only that but there 14 'Into The M ystic'
and then he chose to col!aborate with Mchel O 15 'If Y ou And 1 Could Be As Two'
Sil!eabhin, a traditional musician par excellence who, 16 'Inarticulate Speech Of The Heart'
precisely because he is a truly traditional art ist , is morc 17 'Tare Down A La.Rimbaud' .
avant-garde t han the avant-garde. 18 'Cypress Avenue'
And not only that again but - and this is the cake beneath 19 'Foreign yYindow'
the icing - their finale was 'On Raglan Road', 20 'Tir na nOg'
Van Morrison's rendition 01' Patrick Kavanagh's 'On 21 'Irish Rover'
Raglan Road' is fitting because it brings together the two 22 'Ballerina'
finest poets in Ireland in my lifetime. No other Irish peots 23 'And It Stoned Me'
- writing in either verse 01' music - have come within a 24 'The Streets 01' Arklow'
Honda's roar 01' Kavanagh and Morrison. 25 ' T.B. Sheets'
Both Northerners - salid ground boys. Both primarily 26 'Ivory Tower'
jazzmen, bluesmen, sean-nos. Both concerned with the 27 'Hey GirI'
mystic - how t o live with it , by it , in it; how to transform 28 'S! Dominic's Preview'
it; how to reveal it. Both troubadours. Both very ordinary 29 'And The Healing Has Begun'
blokes. Both drumlin mcn - rolling hills meno Both loners. 30 'Full Force Gale'
Both comcdians. Both lovepoets. Both Kerouac freaks.
And I'd state in my Leaving Certificate essay that no
Both storytcl!ers. Both obsessed with the hegira - from
Irish poet since Kavanagh had produced poetry of the
Monaghan too the GrandCanal, from East Belfast to
calibre of those thirty compositions. Even the very titles
Caledonia. Both originals, not imitators. Bothfirst-time
are original, I'd state also that in order to introduce William
cars, not copycats. Both crazy. Both sane as sane can be.
Blake to an audience you dori't necessarily give them poems
Both asci natcd by ar once their own Englishness and their
by William Blake. You give thern Morrison's 'Listen 1'0
own Irishness. Both obsessed with audien.: and with the The Lion .'
primacy (JI' audienee in any act 01' occasion of song 01' art .
I'd write a love letter to the examiners about my favourite
Borh fascinated by the USA. Both Zen Buddhists, Both
Morrison poems. I'd tel! them about 'Summertime In
in love with names - placenames as well as personal names:
England', which to me is an Irishrnan's Hymn to the
Cypress Avenue, Inniskeen Road; San Anselmo, Islington;
Englishness thar is inall of us if wc: care to look inside
BofTyf1ow and Spike, Shancoduff; The Eterrial Kansas
ourselves - which, of course, so many of us don't, except
City, The Rowley Mile; Madame George, Kiuv Stobling:
when we're eating young English soldiers for lunch.
Jackie Wilson, Farher Mat; O Solo Mio by MrGimpscv.
John Bctjcnran on Drumcondra Ro ad.
Can you meet me in the country,
In the summertime in England,
Will you meet me)

The middle 01' the poem contains sorne of the sweetest lines
in 20th ceritury Irish poetry.
YUHEARTALK
ABOUT THE LEA VING CE.R TIFICA TE POETR Y Oh my common one with the coat so old
Curriculum. They say they might change it. But you don't And the light in the head.
hear thern saying they'l! put Van Morrison on the Leaving She said, daddy, don't stroke me,
Certificate Poetry Curriculum. 'Van Morrison, are they Call me the common one.
a group:" asked whizzkid EEC Cornrnissioner Petcr 1 said, Oh, common one, nry illuminated one,
SutherIand in a courtroom in 1982.
Oh my high in the art of sulfering one.

58 MAGILLMAY 1988
 No timr [or sltorshrnr;
fI(ml N;st thr fli,!',hl('{/v,

I'd \\Til(' ;"oul Morri,ol1', visit (o 'TIll' (:!lIIIT!l 01' l r.l.md

in his 'Ti r 11;1l1()g:;,; i l il \\'a, I kit' 0111\' clllll<!J in l rcl.u ul
'1'11('1'('\\;lS ,ju,t l!lis 01J(' ch u rch 111lr('I;ll1d .u u l 01J(' d'l\.
;:I't('I' thousaur l 01'\'(';11',. a 11Ial1,,,lo\>l)('d t!lt'n',;I ui.in "alkd
Morrison. and h wro: a \>oelll abou: it - al)Out t his s(ral1g'"
place, thi s strang'l' ,ile, t h is strang'e iJuilding calkd ''1'11('
Church 01' l rcl.md'.
Maylx- l'cl telI th.-m also that 1 lil: Morriso n \lCcause
1 know ih.u hi s work COllles Irorn i h same le\'l'l ;1Sm v ()\\11
poetry - t hr leve! odavdrcaming: Ihat hc's out lo annihilal"
ego; that hc's alter thc sanie 'nothingness' as Kavanagh was
aftcr. In this sense, he's not realIy a poet at all , no more
than I am . He's alter the musical technique ofhow to live.
I'd wi nd up by saying that in the cnd only two things
cou n t : that poetry is o l it s vcrv e"'('nCl' part 01' an age-old
oral and placcn.uu uadir ion (k nown il1 l rish as t l:
dmdserlch!l\) ane! Morrison is a modcrn l rish cxrm plar 01
that ancicnr tradition; and that , secondly, in anything io
do with anything we eare to ealI art , it is in the end alI
about audienee - so that cven ir, say, you're a writer, it
is what you rcad that eounts most, not what you write.
The reason th ar many poets writc awful poetry is bccau::
rhey don'( read 01' lisien 01' wauh ; they are too hu
listening lO their egos 01' parae!ing thcir competing
nationalism, instcad 01' bcmg part of the audienee t hat \\1'
all are. As Morrison says in 'Tore Down A La Rimbaud':

Showed me pictures in the gallery,

Showed me nouels on the shel],
Put my hands across the lable,
Cave me knowledge of myself

It's also a humorous poem and each time he sings it, down
the years, Morrison improvises; like Kavanagh, he is a
maestro of the improvised linc. In fact, the only new 1973 ON RTE
development in recent Irish poetry was Kavanagh's TELEVISION MORRISON SANC A POEM WHICH
introduction of the jazz line and Morrison's continuation he called 'Drumshambo Hustle'. 1 have never met him and
of it. Kavanagh was a great tenor sax who was content to 1 am glad to say that 1 know little or nothing about his
blow his horn in the sunlit angles of Dublin street-corners personal life - an achievement m anonymity which is as
in the 1950s. He was the King of Anonymity. refreshing as it is inspiring. 1 think of him simply as 'The
I'd tell them about the spiritual adventure of Morrison's Drumshambo Hustler' or, in his present incarnation on
poems which parallels Kavanagh's philosophy of 'not Raglan Road, as 'The Secret Signatory' who, over a span
caring'. From 'No Curu, No Method, No Teacher' I'd of twenty-five years, has given us a body of work to put
quote the poem 'In The Carden', and the lines: besieIe the legacy of that other great Irish jazzman of the
twentieth century, Kavanagh:
The summer breeze was blowing on your face;
Within your violet you treasure your summery words; I gave her gifts of the mind, I gave her the secret sign
And as the shiver from my neck down to my spine that's knoion
Ignited me in daylight - and nature in the garden. To the artists who have known the true gods of sound
and stone
I'd quote the refrain from 'Alan Watts Blues': And word and tint - I did not stint - for I gave her
poems to say .
When I'm cloud-hidden; With her own name there and her own dark hair like
Cloud-hidden; clouds over fields of May.
Whereabouts unknoton,
Paul Durcan has publshed a number of books of poetry, inc1uding:
I'd quote the pearl from 'Queen of the Slipstream': 'Endsville' (with Brian Lynch), New Writers Press, Dublin, 1967;
'O Westport in the Light of Asia Minar', Anna Livia Press, Dublin,
1975; 'Teresa's Bar', Gallery Press, Dubln, 1976, 1986; 'Sani's Cross',
There's a dream where the contents are visible,
Profile Press, Dubln 1978; '[esus, Break His Fell,' Raven Arts Press,
Where the poetic champions compose, Dubln 1980; 'Ark of the Nortb', Raven Arts Press, Dublin 1982; 'Tbe
Se1ected Paul Durcen', Blackstaff Press, Be1fast, 1982 (Poetry Ireland
I'd quote from 'Hard Nose the Highway': Choice), 1985; 1umping the Train Tracks with Ange1a', Raven Arts
Press, Dubln/Carcanet New Press, Msmchester, 1983; 'The Berln
Seen some hard times; Wall Cafe', Blackstaff Press, Bcllest, 1985 (Poetry Book Society
Drawn some bad lines; Choice); 'Going Home to Russia', Blackstaff Press, Be1fast, 1987.

MAGILL MAY 1988 59

 different set of ratings to those in the Sunday Pre ss pollo
JOHN WILSON was in the lower end of the poll, scoring
two per cent with Michael Noonan.Mary O'Rourke and Padraig
Flynn, On the gravitas scale Wilson scores 110 out of 100. He
fires off Greek and Latin tags at his ease. He has the height fo;
it and he can carry it off on a very good day.
BRIAN LENIHAN is everyone.'s favourite Fianna Fail mar
and in FF itself he trailed Ahern and MacSharry by two pero
centage points at nine, though the pollsters admitted that, tak-
ing the totality of urban and rural party men, Brian was "the
most popular man and minister". Brian knows all about the
importance of gravitas. He brings it with him in the briefcase
to Maryfield, Brussels and London, and peor Tom King, Leni-
han's biggest fan after Sir Geoffrey Howe, knows a little gravi-
tas goes a long way.
CHARLIE HAUGHEY, like Brian at selected times, suts
himself out in it depending on the days of the week. On week-
ends he's inclined to hang it up on the bathroom door to take
the creases out of it so that he can be suitably dressed for the
political week. In the last five trying months, he has favoured <.
moresolemn sense of gravitas. We live in sombre times.
PADRAIG FLYNN has the heght of it and has beenquietly
cultivating something of the grand manner - which isn't quite
the same thing as gravitas - since he entered the 25th Dail.
He distinguished himself then as the "Ioudest" backbenche:
of his day when he tumed up in a suit from the wardrobe o:
'Guys and Dolls'. It's been uphill all the way since. Nowadays
Bertie Boy he cultivates a sense of gravitas with every major media outing
Has to be scoring sxty-fve or better.
NOW ISN'T THAT A NICE THOUGHT - COUSIN BERTIE
MICHAEL O'KENNEDY has the height and the sense o:
Ahern as the next Taoiseach when Charle Haughey steps down,
gravitas but it doesn't sit easily on him as a politician. Wean
although it's doubtful if Bertie is holding his breath for that
better as a barrister with a sure-fire briefing. Score him on sixty
historie momento Haughey does everything Lemass did - or as
near as he can get to it. The old Fianna Fail hands always say
Lemass "carne too late and left too early." It looks like Charlie
will not be leaving too early, even though he was a late-comer.
. Haughey wants to leave on an up-beat note like Lemass.
That won't happen in the lifetime of the present House, The
coming year is one of cuts. Cuts are negatve polities. And
with his stock soaring at the pools he can, barring accidents,
pick his own time to go to the country to renew the mandate.
Haughey as Taoiseach of the 26th Dail is, as of now, the
nearest we will get to a political certainty. It would be a creative
Dail in which Haughey would retum to something of his role
as the Minister for Finance. The rising tide would lift all the
boats now lying on the mudflats of the 25th Dail. This, at least,
is how he would like to see it.

Rehabilitation Shuffle Brian Lenihan: a little gravitas

gO&sa long way
THE SUNDAY PRESS POLL RESULTS SHOW THAT THE
politicians up at the cutting face get a low totem poll rating, RAy MacSHARRY is just a little on the slight side, figur-
It would be the Haughey strategy to switch them in a shuff1e wise, to score more than eighty , His intensity of gaze wher
so as to rehabilitate them and even things up for a Succession talking person-to-person can be discornfiting if you are a spoofe:
Stakes race. Life is grim; life is real. Time cannot be wasted. The situatio:
Ray MacSharry used to have the Tanaiste tag laid well by is too grave and it's my responsibility to do something about j
running Bertie to one percentage point as the preference to MICHAEL NOONAN, scored low in the SP at two percent
succeed Charlie, has the potential for growth. Score him, for the moment, z
He has been the "Brutal Bruton" man of Fianna Fail, leaving forty-eght and hope he'l1 do better with another Ministry: i:
John in the ha 'penny place as a cutting Finance Minister. That Fianna Fail Defence is only one step aboye the Board of Works
image would be shed in Europe were he to become our next RAy BURKE, the SP's lone one per center, doesn't hay
Commissioner. It would allow Haughey a re-shuffle so that the the word gravitas, or the concept, in his repertoire. Burke take
Rory O'Hanlons would have a ministerial change and time to aboard the ministerial problems of the day and gives them h;
be political1y rehabilitated. Think of Cousin Bertie as Minister best stroke , to quote The Boss.
for Health! When the Boss tells him he should cultivate a bit of gravita;
Ray will agree, retum to his office, call in the Secretary of th
Department and hand him the pro blem and will expect the frs
The Gravitas Stakes situation paper on the matter in two days at the outside. "Tl;
3ERTIE AHERN HAS A LOT GOING FOR HIM BUT HE'S Boss wants it." If and when he perceives the political need fe
it he'l1 go after it singlemindedly - score him forty for tl;
saort on gravitas. As a matter of fact if we are to score the momento
;::esent Cabinet on the gravitas scale, we would get a completely
MICHAEL WOODS tends to be sornethingof an apologise
6() MGILLMAY 1988
 on Good Friday night was held
Fish and Veg in the West County Hotel on
the edge of the town and a
IT WAS NOT A HAPPY full attendance of councillors
Easter for Brendan, who has was reported.
in recent months been up to Mr Daly, who convened
his neck with the contro- the historie meeting, was spot-
versial and unpopular pro- ted in Ennis the following
posal to tax angling. At home afternoon ensuring that the
for Easter Brendan made sorne boycott was -effective. Un-
fresh enemies when he refused fortunately for the Minister,
to support a massive rally a vigilant woman not at all
organised to protest against happy with what many des-
the alleged run-down of Ennis cribed as a "Judas-like " per-
General Hospital. formance by the TD, displayed
The Ennis rally on Easter a talented aim when she hit
Saturday, attended by several Mr Daly with a slightly impure
Miehael O'Kennedy: seo red a sixty Gerry ollins: twentyfive (maybe) thousand people from all parts cab bage from long distance in
as well as being a little on the slight side. Lacks the Wilson of the county, was addressed the market square.
ability to inflate his own sense of self-importance and thus by doctors and nurses from Mr Daly, already in trouble
give himself the necessary stature; but deserved his place in the the hospital who complained . with the local anglers and with
SP poll, coming fifth behind the leader. Score him at thirty -five.
of third world conditions be- the GAA, decided to cut his
ALBERT REYNOLDS will be pleased to find himself near ing created for the sick and losses and drove out of town.
poor in the west of Ireland.
the upper end of the SP scale. He doesn't worry much about
his lack of personal gravitas, preferring to get on with the job Revolutionary
- but then Haughey was a bit like that in the pasto Albert
would say it comes with the job, like the ministerial medal Dev
from the President, and he might be right at that. A potential COULD THE MINOR EARTH
seventy. tremors which have been
GERRY COLLINS scored three per cent in the SP and noticed in the Glasnevin area '
must be pleased with himself: he would expect it after his of late have anything at all
blunt talking to the British. In Limerick they'd call that gravi- to do with the fact that the
tas and they'd score Gerry lOO out of lOO with an extra five colours of the new Iris Press
points for putting the boot in, holding it matched Peter Barry's masthead are red, white and
off-air (as he thought) remark as to what colour Michael Mates blue?
sported , A potential twenty-five.
MARY O'ROURKE isn't her brother Brian but she has the
same sharp Lenihan mind and if there is to be a Thatcher
Stubble
among the women in Irish politics just now, O'Rourke must be
the favourite. When it comes to gravitas, score her at seventy-
Trouble
five because she can develop that, too, to match her stamina GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS
in a tough Ministry. Being a cutter cost her a two per cent were thrown into a terrible
rating in the SP. lather one eveningduring
RORY O'HANLON has too many cominatcha critics to Easter week when a mysteri-
have time to develop a sen se of gravitas, so busy is he fending ous package addressed to
off the constant shower of brickbats coming from all sides. Gerry Collins, the head bottle-
His SP 0.5 rating - half of one per cent - must be ternporary. washer at the Department of
For his application to the job in hand, recognition will come Justice, was delivered to the .
from Haughey. He has time to develop a good sen se of gravitas. civil service canteen nearby
Score him at sixty-five. on St Stepheri's Green. The
BRENDAN DALY's SP score was the same as O'Hanlon's: package was examined by a
0.5. The Irish are a very charitable people, wouldn't you say? number of officials who, after
prodding and probing it for a
while, decided to call in an
A speaker from the GAA army bomb disposal squad.
accused the government of When the suspect parcel was
'atternptng to intimidate the blown up in a controlled ex-
clubs out of attending the plosion it was discovered to
rally by threatening to with-' contain ... a shaving kit, ob-
hold funds from those that viously sent by one of Gerry's
flew their banners on the admirers fromhis days as a
streets of Ennis. But what five-o'clock-shadowed student
really got up the noses of activist,. when his designer
the traditionally loyal Fianna stubble excited only marginal-
Fail CIare folk was the news ly less envy than his prowess
that their Minister had called as a nose-flutist.
a meeting on the previous Asked to comment on this
nght imposing a whip on all close shave for the Justice
Fianna Fail councillors pre- Minister,a government spokes-
venting them from participat- woman said: "We never dis-
ing in the marcho The meeting cuss security matters."

MAGILLMAY 1988 61
 President who recognised
Donnellan talking to friends Tall Story
on the steps of Leinster House. ACTOR RAOUL JULIA WAS
They introduced themselves a worried man when ABC
to the Galwayman, reminded television executives e ast him
him they had an appointment in the part of the late Greek
Sorne survvors of the old with him to dscuss an up- shipping tycoon Aristotle On-
Liam Cosgrave "rump" sur- coming pece of legislation assis for the mini-series based
faced , Kieron Crotty, Michael affecting Union members. on Peter Evans's biography,
Begley , Mickey Joe Cosgrave Donnellan looked quizzi- "Aristotle Onassis was only
and Larry McMahon went up cally at thern and admitted: five foot six. I'm six foot
front, but otherssuch as John "Gentleman, 1 have to tell two," Julia told Evans during
Bruton , Jim Mitchell and Fer- you that 1 know fuck-all the shooting of the series last
gus O'Brien also made it about it." year.
abundantly clear that, while The gentlemen had enough The former Fleet Street
they were forced to publicly presence of mind to press on literary gossip columnist
support the leader, their real into Leinster House where calmed the actor and recalled
sympathies lay, not just with Sheehan encountered a poli- an anecdote from the Greek
Donnellan personally, but tical correspondent, an old sex symbol. "People made a
with his basic assessment of friend , to whom he related mistake aboutme," Onassis
one Alan Dukes. the story, inviting an opinion, told Evans. "They think I'm
only to be told: "Y ou met a little man, but I'm not.
one of the few honest men in When you write this book 1
this House: where others want you to make me six foot
would have spoofed you he two inches."
told you the truth. Count Charlie Haughey is six foot
yourself lucky." six,

FG in the Soup Medjugorje Ha trick"

ALANDUKESAROSEFROM A DEEPENING SPLIT IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN
the shafting of John Donnellan Yugoslavia over the alleged Marian apparitions at Medjugorje
a sadder, if not wiser, mano has attraeted remarkably little attention in the secular press
The vast majority of the FG he re a1though, interestingly , the Iris Catholic devoted a full
troops had dutifully backed page to the controversy in its edition of April 14. The laek of
his demand for the head of interest is surprsing, given that Medjugorje has now replaeed
the quarefella. But ten of them Fatima as the seeond most favoured Marian shrine for Irish
stubbomly refused to toe the pilgrims - after Lourdes. Around 2S ,000 Irish people are
line and many others made it expected to make the journey to the tiny - but rapidly ex-
clear they were only doing so panding - Yugoslav village this year. Over the summer months
because Dukes left them no regular flights willleave Dublin, Cork, Belfast and Shannon for
other choice. Split or Mostar arports.
Theundertaking misfired However, Bishop Pavao Zanie of Mostar-Duvno, the dioeese
from the moment Donnellan in whieh Medjugorje is situated, has denouneed the alleged ap-
paritions in forthright terms. "It is a trick. There is a lot of sly-
growled that he might well
have been out of order in Honest John ness and a lot of exploitation of people going on ... Who can
impugnng his leader's ability say that Mary will appear every day at sueh and su eh an hour?
SOONER OR LA TER JOHN
to survive a soup shower. John They (the pilgrirns) aet like people lining up at a box office."
Donnellan had to pay the price
Bruton signalled his sym- The bishop says that "not one" of his dioeesan priests believes
of blunt speaking. Jack Shee-
pathies by refusing to second in the apparitions.
.han, the Waterford-born Secre-
the leader's expulsion motion; Bishop Zanic had originally adopted an agnostie attitude to
tary of the Irish Postmasters'
Peter Barry abstained on an the claims of the young villagers but ehanged his mind after
Union, fixed an appointment
amendment censurng the the Virgin was alleged to have made a statement in support of
with Donnellan when he had
Galway man; John Kelly and the Franeiseans in relation to a jurisdietional dispute between
special responsbility for
Pat Cooney carne right out the Franciseans and the diocese. One of the "visionaries" later
Posts and Telegraphs in the
and said Dukes was badly wrote to the bishop warning him about the judgment of God if
early '80s. Sheehan arrived in .
over-reacrng. he didn't make a publie statement aeeepting the authentieity
Dail Eireann with the Union of the visions.
Two of the Franeiseans have been suspended by the bishop
but have refused to aceept the ruling. "This is the most dis-
obedient province in the world," Bishop Zanie has complained.
Although Bishop Zanic has pleaded with priests from outside
not to accompany pilgrimages to Medjugorje , lest they seem to
endorse the visions and undermine his authority, and this stand
is officially supported by the Yugoslav bshops' eonferenee,
priests eontinue to come in sufficient numbers to eoneelebrate
Mass every evening in St J ames' s Chureh where the Virgin
Mary is said to appear daily at 6.30 p.m, All pilgrimages from
Ireland appear to be aeeompanied by priests acting as "spiritual
direetors". The Papal Nuncio to Ireland, Dr Alibrandi, was
among Medjugorje pilgrims last year and told Irish pilgrims
there that he had "no doubt" the visions were authentie.
62 MAGILL MAY 1988