John Healy remembers Donogh O'Malley John Reason

Gabriel Byrne Larry Goodman and the Right Stuff

1.05 (incl. VATin Republic of Ireland) 95p Sterling Area MARCH 1988

IRElAND'S CURRENT AFFAIRS

"Since the Gardai

go ever~where
we go,
we can offer an
armed garda
escort for the
movement of
large amounts
of cash."
Volume 11, No.6. March 19~8

DEP ARTMENTS COVER STORY FEATURES

DIARY 4
MEDIA: Maurice Manning begins
a new Magill media watch column
with a look at the shortcomings in
the modern day press coverage of
the Oireachtas 5

UPDATE, including:
A day at the dogfights 6
NO TIME FOR LOVE
New Film Centre for Dublin 8 By Conor Foley
The progress of the Shatter Paul Hillgot married last month,
Bill 9 in a British prison. He is one of the
The Irish contraceptives Guildford Four, never to be
industry 10 released except as an act of mercy
THE WORLD ACCORDING TO on account of great age or
Shoplifting as industry 12 MARTIN CAHILL infirmity 24
An exclusive interview with the
BUSINESS man they call The General. THOMAS MARTIN vs. THE
Tommy Gorman on Larry Good- By Michael O'Higgins STATE
man, the Beef Man from Ardee,
By Colm Keena
and the Bailieboro takeover ... 34
Thomas Martin recently sued the
state for alleged garda brutality -
EDDIE COLLINS - APOLOGY and won 27
IN the September 1986 issue of Magill we
published an investigation into the business
affairs of the the Irish Lamb Exporters
Group of Companies.
The cover of the magazine for that issue
contained a photograph of Mr Collins and
the headline: "the minister, the public's
money and misleading the Dail". In
addition the following words appeared on
the cover: "the Dail was seriously misled
in relation to the involvement of Minister
of State for Industry and Commerce, Eddie
Collins, in a company which got nearly half
a million pounds of state money in the last
five years .... " THE WILD ONE
lt has been pointed out to us that the FADE IN, FADE OUT By John Healy
impression left by this heading and the
accompanying words suggested that Mr Actor Gabriel Byrne writes what Donogh O'Malley is one of the
Collins abused his position as Minister for will henceforth be a regular great legends of Irish politics.
State and that public funds had been
misappropriated.
column in Magill 38 Twenty years after his death, his
We wish to state that no such insinuation friend John Healy writes of his
was intended by us and there was absolutely SPORT colourful life and times 40
no suggestion intended by us that Mr.
Collins in any way abused his position as John Reason on the fate of the
Minister for State or that there had been Irish rugby team 54 THE MIRACLE OF
any abuse of public monies in the case, IRELAND'S OWN
either by Mr. Collins or by anybody else.
We are happy to make this correction VISUAL By Paddy Kehoe
and we are happy to accept that Mr Collins Fintan O'Toole writes about the Tony O'Reilly has described
behaved with integrity and propriety at all
times while holding public office.
reasons for the decline in the Ireland's Own as "the publishing
We therefore wish to apologise unres- standard of Irish political miracle of the century". He says
ervedly for any upset and embarrassment cartoons 56 he wouldn't know how to change
suffered by Mr Collins or his family, arising
out of the publication of the words referred his most unusual publication, even
to above. WIGMORE 60 if he wanted to 51

Editor John Waters; General Manager Eileen Pearson; Advertising Executive Gerry earthy; Layout Pat Pidgeon,
Aidan Dunne; London Representative Garry Hill (London 3530186)
Magill is published by Magill Publications Ltd., 14 Merrion Row, Dublin 2. Tel: 606055. Printed by Richview Browne &
Nolan. Typesetting by Sunday Tribune and Keystrokes. Distributed by Newspread (Ireland), Periodicals in Particular
(London). Magill accepts no responsibility for unsolicited manuscripts.
ISSN 0332-1754
 DIARY John Waters

THE LAUNCH OF THE NEW IRISH Of Stars and Sin he would sell his papers. I have
Star at the Powerscourt Townhouse nightmares about coming home one night
Centre in Dublin on the Sunday before This was obviously due to pressure of and having to curl up in the hallway
the first issue hit the shops made for a space, as the launch had been only because the unread newspapers will
very interesting antropological study. coming down with representatives of both finally have taken over the entire place.
The attendance was decidedly of these newspapers on the previous day. The British quality Sundays are the
upmarket - loads of Beautiful People in Curiously, the Independent, now a sister worst in this respect. Some of them now
designer clothes and so on - which is paper to the Star, managed to fit in a have as many as seven sections, each of
rather surprising when you consider that story about Kevin Sharkey's open letter which is the equivalent of a newspaper in
the newspaper, as far as one can see, is to his real mother, published on the front itself. You buy them every Sunday with
being aimed at the Great Unwashed. The page of that morning's Star. the best of intentions and realise by
publishers don't put it like this, of course I also note that the Indo omitted to Thursday that there is absolutely no
- what they say is that they are credit the source of the story - not very chance of getting through them before the
"targetting at that fifty per cent of the sisterly of them. Can it be that next invasion arrives. The thing about
population who do not purchase a daily Independent House journalists have been these newspapers is that one feels that one
paper.'" Much more polite. instructed not to mention the Star? should read them, in order to better
The guests at the launch party were Perhaps the title of the new newspaper oneself, so if one throws them out
mostly of the A and B variety, the kind has been written into the Independent without reading them one feels a bit of
of people you see folding the Sunday Newspapers' House Style Book, a philistine.
World inside the Sunday Tribune before alongside words like "whilst" and "gay", Surely the Minister for the
leaving the paper shop. There was which are forbidden. "In Independent Environment should be saying something
scarcely a C3 to be seen, never mind any House, 'gay' means happy", the booklet about the rape of the young forests of the
of the large numbers of Ds and Es who cautions. Indo journalists it urges, should world involved in producing these mon-
will be required if the paper is to be a use the word "homosexual" - "when strosities?
success. In fact, the only downmarket
thing at the launch was the food, which
this is what they mean." (It has been said,
in fact - though not, you understand,

ASA MATTER OF FACT, RECENTLY
consisted of a big fry-up which looked too by me - that the Independent House when attempting to safeguard my right of
greasy even for me. Style Book makes for far better reading way to my cot by sorting out the
One thing the new paper does not seem than do their newspapers). mountain of printed matter in my
bedroom, I came across a magazine
entitled America, from 1948, in which
there was an article, 'The Vanishing
Irish', about the incipient dangers to Irish
faith and morals represented by the
increasing emigration of that time. The
article, written from a Catholic
perspective, and extensively quoting
Monsignor Lucey of Maynooth College,
warned that I reland was then" facing the
danger of becoming an extinct nation".
The article urged: "The Catholic world
should focus its attention on that
magnificent bulwark of Catholicism,
Ireland, re-examine its conscience, take
heed and plunge into the task of assisting
the Irish economically', so that they may
regain their demographic strength to the
to be short of is bosses. There were a lot I hear that the editor of the Irish greater glory of God and the cause of
of men in suits on the platform while Gay Independent, Vincent Doyle, received a Mother Church."
Byrne was doing his Paul Daniels bit telegram from the staff of the new paper, This throws into rather sharp relief the
unveiling the paper, all of whom had thanking him for his interest in their recent comments by Dr Dermot Clifford,
complicated titles which I am unable to stories and admiring his good taste. Archbishop Coadjutor of Cashel and
remember. The Star's policy with regard "Imitation is the sincerest form of Emly, who has suggested that we should'
to things topless obviously does not flattery", it said. "Glad to see you begin "ease the passage" of our young
extend to its management department, as you mean to go on". emigrants by giving them four weeks'
where it is considerably well endowed.
One of the men on the platform, who

WHAT BOTHERS ME ABOUT ALL
unemployment assistance when they
emigrate. This view, it seems to me, is not
I am informed was Gerry McGuinness, this is that there is now yet another a million miles removed from that
was smoking a cigar which was at least newspaper which I will feel obliged to expressed by Mr Joe Foyle on the Late
a foot long - without as much as a read every day, and which will confront Late a short time ago when he suggested
smidgin of the sense of irony which is me accusingly at every turn until I do so. that we give each emigrant I ,000 on
required to do this successfully. Already my house is half filled with condition that they not return for five

ON THE

MONDAY MORNING
papers which I have not yet gotten around
to reading. One day, I fear, I will end up
years.
It's interesting that both the hierarchy
when the first issue of the Star hit the like the newsagent, now dead, who used and conservative Catholics like Joe Foyle
streets, there was surprisingly little to transact business up the street from us are now of the view that emigration is
mention of it in any of the other national at home in Castlerea. Even from the first now, if not A Good Thing, then certainly
papers. The Irish Times gave a few staid time I became aware of him his house had an unavoidable reality.
paragraphs to the launch but neither the filled up with old newspapers and he was When I was in school, despair was one
Irish Press nor the Irish Independenr barely able to open his front door enough of the four sins which Cried Out To
succeeded in mentioning it at all. to accomodate a small table from which Heaven For Vengeance.

4 MAGILL MARCH 1988

 MEDIA Maurice Manning

AS FAR BACK AS THE LATE 1880s IT

was common practice in village after
Reporting theatrical or dramatic stories can be
anticipated. By comparison, say, with the
village in Ireland, that at the end of a hard
day's work the local working men would the Oireachtas House of Commons, Irish politics is
notoriously non-confrontational and the
gather in some central place, where the number of dramatic moments in the
schoolmaster would read them detailed annual life of the Dail can be few enough.
verbatim reports of the previous day's Nor do we have the type of investigative
happenings in Westminster from committees which could provide the sort
Freeman's Journal. As a result that of sharp exchanges between politicans
generation of Irishmen, many of them and outside groups which make for good
unschooled in any formal way, had a copy.
grasp of the detail of legislation, the From the public point of view there is
major issues and the personalities of the much that is worrying about this decline
age probably unrivalled since. in detailed parliamentary coverage. It is
This detailed knowledge of politics and ironic in an age of the "global village"
personalities in a pre-telecommunications that the flow of information from
age was made possible because the news- parliament and public knowledge of what
papers of that time thought it proper to goes on there is becoming more restricted.
devote pages each day to the business of Newspapers no longer feel the need or res-
parliament. It is surely ironic that a of Irish journalism is John Healy of the ponsibility to fulfill this function or to
century later, with sixty years of our own Irish Times. For almost a decade Healy's bear the brunt of responsibility for it. The
parliamentary tradition well established daily sketch appeared on the front page nature of newspapers is changing and few
the coverage of parliament in our national of that newspaper. It was at times funny, are prepared to take on the role of the
papers is now infinitely less. It is, of angry, bitchy, infuriating and, above all, Irish Times in being the so-called
course, true that coverage of politics in perceptive. It could sum up in a phrase "newspaper of record" .While politicans
the broad sense is greater today, but the vanities, the political ploys, the have no right to demand extensive
coverage of the actual workings of the deviousness or the genuine concern of a coverage from newspapers many are
Oireachtas has been declining very much politician or party. It could catch the increasingly angry about the way in which
in recent years. changing moods of Leinster House, the their utterances are being ignored or
Of the four national papers only the barbs, the banalities and the genuine relegated to a short paragraph.
Irish Times and the Cork Examiner are warmth and camaraderie of the House. The answer to the question of
consistent in the way in which they cover Healy's nick-names usually hit home with parliamentary coverage, as with so many
parliamentary proceedings. What this devastating accuracy and became part of other questions lies of course with the
means is that each day they give a regular political folklore. Healy knew his people politicians themselves. The most simple
consistent Oireachtas report of the and he knew the parliamentary games. solution is to extend radio coverage at
previous day's proceedings whether the Opinionated, prejudiced, wrong-headed once so that there is live coverage of all
issues were trivial, boring or important. and sentimental as he often was, he was Dail and Senate activities and if necessary
The Irish Independent and the Press have never boring and more than any single have this facility extended to the work of
long since given up this practice and journalist he brought the life of the Dail Committees also. The right of the citizen
increasingly are treating parliamentary close to his readers. to information of the most basic kind -
coverage on the merits of the individual There have been other good sketch what its elected representatives are saying
story rather than on the basis that because writers since then. Bruce Arnold in the and doing in the national parliament is
it happened in the Oireachtas it should be Irish Independent wrote magisterially but so obvious that it is almost impossible to
reported. In addition the Press has with understanding and feeling for his understand why it is not freely available
virtually ceased to cover activities in the subject. Olivia O'Leary probably came especially since all the technological pre-
Senate - something for which it has been closest to Healy in her capacity to convey requisites are in place. Nor should
roundly and repeatedly attacked by the the colour and the sense of the House and extensive televising be far away.
Fianna Fail Leader in that House Senator its personalities and could convey her own Arguments as to how politicians would
Michael Lanigan. sense of mischief and fun - a sense which behave, whether they would clown, play-
It is not just in the volume of coverage was in no way inhibited by any charitable act, attempt to steal the lime-light are all
that changes are taking place but also in concern for the feelings of those she wrote irrelevant. Parliament is meant to be full-
the quality. The parliamentary "sketch" about. blooded and robust; it is meant to be the
has now greatly declined in prominence Maev Kennedy of the Irish Times was place where people fight to get across
and in usage, and this is certainly a great developing very well with her own their point of view. It is not a meeting of
pity. What makes the sketch different to whimsical style when she left the Times the Chamber of Commerce or the
normal reportage is that it attempts to for London. Since then nobody has really Womens' Institute. If the possibility of
transcend the detail and give a picture of had a clear run at the sketch and it rarely broadcasting stimulates politicians to
the mood, character and personality of if ever now makes the front page. behave in a more robust way, then that
a given day in the Dail or Senate. It is a The decline in the quantity of is entirely in accordance with what
tradition as old and robust as the history Oireachtas coverage is now a fact of life parliament should be and would merely
of newspaper coverage of parliament and the trend towards even less coverage be the reviving of an older tradition which
itself. In the early days of the State right is likely to continue. The reasons are not would be all to the good. The present
through the Civil War debate, Paddy just economic but relate to news values mendacious view that because some
Quinn of the Irish Independent provided also. The cost of keeping a team of politicians may behave in a ridiculous way
graphic day by day accounts of the debate reporters in Leinster House is increasingly then the public should not see or hear
with pen pictures of the speakers, noting heavy, especially since days on end can them, hardly stands up to scrutiny.
the shifts in mood, the growing hatreds, fail to produce a real story. One further consequence of direct
the confusion and the passion of that The fact is that much of the work of broadcasting and greater TV coverage
period. the Dail is of a routine and set-piece could allow newspapers more space to be
The man who revived the sketch in nature; the real news is usually funnelled become involved in analysis and in
recent times and made it a major feature through the lobby system while the major providing a background to the issues .

MAGILL MARCH 1988 5

Every Sunday morning
in Ballyfermot, a group
of dog breeders meet to
pit their animals aqainst
one another in what can
often be fights to the
death.
JOHN O'CONNOR
spent a day at the
dogfights.

E
LEVEN O'CLOCK ON A FINE The men slowly leave the vans in ones and get away from it. When an owner, or
Sunday morning, the normally twos. The last men to leave have the dogs "breeder" as they prefer to be known,
quiet Neilstown Road is a hive of on leashes, and would quite easily pass wants a piece of the action they can only
activity. In the space of about three as legitimate dog walkers. That is, until do so if they agree to put their best dog
minutes, eight different vehicles stop near you see them all walk to the same spot into the ring that week. Then you are free
Finch's public house. Three of these are at the perimeter fence of the prison. to watch and gamble on everyone else's
landrovers, two are coal delivery trucks, There are already a number of people dogs until your turn comes around again.
the others are various forms of gathered at this stage, some of whom Today there is an argument developing
commercial vans. There are two men in have also brought dogs. As the gang who between the two groups. The travelling
each vehicle. have travelled from Neilstown approach, gang had brought a Rothweiler for a
A dog, instantly recognisable as an those already gathered form a close-knit battle in that section, but the Ballyfermot
American Pit Bull Terrier, is taken from group hiding their dogs. gang couldn't produce one. Eventually
one vehicle and transferred to the back This is an organised dog fight between they agree to go ahead and stage just two
of a large white Mercedes van. The dog two rival groups of owners. One group fights. These are between the American
is encaged in a wooden box, with wire hails from Clondalkin - one of their dog Pit Bull Terriers, specially-bred fighting
grills on either side. Movement for the owners is from Carlow - and the other dogs, which have been bred by the mixing
dog is totally restricted. A second dog of group are from Ballyfermot. of breeds and bloodlines interbreeding in
the same breed is lifted from one of the For the next few hours, these people America over a great number of years.
land rovers and also placed in the van. The will force their dogs to fight each other, They are an extremely vicious breed of
van immediately speeds off. A third dog, possibly to the death. This is what they dog and must not be confused with the
a Rothweiler, is revealed when another call "a bit of Sunday sport." It involves ordinary passive bulldogs and terriers.
van is opened, the dog is chained inside. vast amounts of gambling, sometimes They are fed on plenty of raw lean red
Into this van the rest of the men get and running into thousands of pounds. The meat and sometimes live kittens, to
it too drives away. Both vehicles drive "sport" is illegal but is becoming strengthen their jaws. They can weigh
towards Ballyfermot, leaving the rest of widespread throughout the country at anything up to fourteen stones. Because
the vans and trucks parked near the ferocious speed. of their inbreeding etc, they are not
public house. recognised as pedigree dogs by the

T
At the very top of Ballyfermot, there's WO PEOPLE FROM EACH American or Irish Kennel clubs. They are
a place known as the 'back lands' . These gang approach each other, while probably the only non-pedigree dog
are a number of fields which join together the others keep watch for gardai which can sell for 600 for a single male
to cover an area of approximately thirty- or unwanted spectators. The two arrange pup in Ireland.
five acres. The, as yet unoccupied which dogs will fight one another. All the
Wheatfield prison complex is at the rear people present are also dog owners but,
of the fields, it takes up almost thirteen
acres. The two vans drive as close to this
site as possible and then come to a halt.
For a time nothing happens.
After a few minutes, a couple of men
due to the seriousness of the injuries often
received by the dogs - if they are not
killed outright, that is - they only fight
a small number of dogs each week,
generally six.
T HE COMMENCEMENT
the fight, which takes place
OF

between two walls in an area about

twenty feet square, is signalled by four
men setting up observation posts at the
get out and walk around the fields, they It's a bit like joining a religious cult - best vantage points, to keep a look out.
then signal to the others to follow them. once embroiled it's almost impossible to Once the fight starts and the dogs get to

h MAl.1LL MARCH 1988

grips with one another, it is next to crushing blows to the dog's head. This is guys are deadly, they are far more
impossible to separate them quickly, so the only way the other dog will release a dangerous than all the drug pushers and
the look-out men will keep unwanted hold. There is a penalty for doing this: shotgun merchants around here.
visitors away at whatever cost. the owner must then allow the owner of Everyone knows who they are but fear
People around the area are aware of the victorious dog to keep the injured grips the community. The money these
the activity. They warn: "these guys are animal and nurse it back to health for guys gamble each week is enormous and
not to be messed around. There's no way breeding purposes. anyone who tries to stop them is simply
anyone in their right mind would go to At the end of the day's event, which asking for trouble."
the gardai or try to get a look at the fights. takes approximately two hours, many
There's too much money at stake." thousands of pounds will have changed

T
HE DUBLIN SOCIETY FOR
From as close as one hundred yards to hands. The ring which operates in this the Prevention of Cruelty to
the action, all that is visi ble is the two area is reputed to be one of the biggest Animals are fully aware of the
different groupings on each side of the in Dublin and is believed to be organised illegal dog fighting rings operating
fight area. The shouts and cheers of the by a number of well known criminals. throughout the country. They believe
spectators is, however, clearly audible. Cautiously, the dogs, lifeless - whether Limerick to be the "Croke Park of this
The dogs themselves cannot be heard. from injuries, death or sheer exhaustion barbaric sport." As yet the society have
Almost forty minutes later, the first - are carried back to the vehicles. Some had little luck, however, in attaining any
fight ends. The men on the observation of the dogs will never fight again and are substantial evidence on which they could
posts are relieved by four others. One simply used for breeding; others will be act.
man carries something, presumably a soon back in the pit, engaged in battle Therese Cunningham, spokesperson
dog, under a blanket to a van; he remains again. Some dogs will simply be taken for the society said: "you can walk along
with the van. The cheers go up once away and shot, for the sake of putting Smithfield Market on a Sunday morning
again, the second battle of the day has them out of their misery. and these American Pit Bull Terriers are
begun. This one is to continue for nearly Most owners of these breeds of dog in being shown off and sold. There's no
ninety minutes. During this time the the country will admit to knowing that shortage of buyers either and I'm sure
vigilance of the gangs remains intent. An this activity takes place. In Dublin, many they're paying big money. There's
attempt to get slightly closer results in one will have been approached about the nothing illegal in the selling of these
of them, armed with an iron bar making prospect of entering their animal. One animals, but you can be certain that some
swift downward motions into his hand, man from Ballyfermot told how he'd of them are ending up in fighting rings.
giving enough warning for one not to recently been asked to enter his dogs. We recognise a countrywide problem,
want to get any further. When he refused and said he would report which we think originated along the
There is another reason for the carrying these guys, he was advised quite forcibly border. We've actually had people
of the iron bars. I f one dog is being in the interest of the safety of himself and telephoning us offering information for
severely ripped apart, the owner has the his family, not to say a word. lie kept cash. Although we'd dearly love to solve
option of saving its life by knocking it quiet. this great problem, we're simply not in
unconscious. Even this takes a number of Speaking to Magill, he said: "these a position to go about it in this way.";
 After much procrastination, hopes for an Irish national film centre may be
realised in the near future. SUSAN O'KEEFE reports.

T
HE ESTABLISHMENT OF A
national film centre is the
brainchild of the Irish Film In-
stitute (lFI). People in the industry point
out that the nation already benefits from
a national library, national art gallery,
national theatre and national museum.
Indeed they believe that a film centre
would be neither an innovation nor a
luxury, but rather an integral and
necessary part of the arts in Ireland.
Already the notion of such a centre has
received recognition and support from
people like the Chairman of the Arts
Council, Mairtin McCullough, and the
Chairman of the now defunct Film
Board, Muiris MacConghail. Quakers' Meeting Hall in Eustace Street fair to say that the IFI would not have
Support of a verbal nature, however, in Dublin which will be converted and got it without us. Also we wanted to
is never difficult to find. Those who work partially rebuilt to include all the above safeguard it. I f the IFI plans do not work
in the arts in Ireland know how hard it facilities. The new design for the building out, we have the building and that
is to translate words into money and this recently earned the architect Sheila safeguards the public's interest. Of course
is particularly true of Government O'Donnell the Downes Memorial Award it could be turned to cash if needed and,
funding. While the Department of the from the Architectural Association of technically, we could turn the building to
Taoiseach and the Department of Ireland. another use if the IFI's plans were not
Education, among others, have made Actual conversion work has yet to start adhered to. We are hopeful that they will
direct contributions to the development as the problem of funding the get the centre up and running."
of the arts, it is the Arts Council which development has not been resolved. The Council will not get involved in the
is the main source of funding for the arts. Indeed the funding for the purchase of renovation costs. Kavanagh says that they
In fact, cinema was not considered in the the Quakers' premises provided more have given nothing towards the
"list of arts" until the 1973 Arts Act. In than enough headaches for the IF!. The renovation and he doubts if they will.
1985 the Arts Council budget was 5.9 sum paid for the buildings in 1986 is "They feel that a substantial grant was
million, of which 105,000 (or 1.8070)was estimated at 0.25m and IFI director already given towards the purchase of
paid out to film-related activities. The Dave Kavanagh explains that this led to Eustace Street. They will continue with
abolition of the Film Board last year was severe financial difficulties. "We raised our recurrent grant." This recurrent grant
seen by many as further evidence of the money from the Arts Council, the Film has stood at 41,500 since 1986 and is the
Government's disregard for the role of Board and the sale of our own former Institute's main form of revenue. Its
film in the arts. premises in Harcourt Street. That sale was existing activities, which are mainly in the
As a result of this shortage of funding, extremely difficult and we got less than hiring and selling of educational films and
many projects rely on locating private we anticipated. We had been given eight videos, are not moneyspinners and this
sponsorship. "Begging" letters now form months by the Quakers to raise the money resulted in serious debt problems for the
a large part of the post received by and close the deal." As a result of the Institute in the middle of last year.
marketing managers of banks, large Arts Council's intervention, the premises Kavanagh explains that the Institute
public companies and successful private is actually held by a separate company, has substantial debts. "We had an
concerns. Such expenditure is treated as the Irish Film Centre Building Ltd. accumulated deficit on our activities since
part of the advertising budget but such Kavanagh explains that this company lets 1982 and these almost dou bled with our
is the plethora of deserving concerns that the building to the IFI for free, provided involvement in Eustace Street." He
many requests inevitably end up in the that it is renovated to provide a film stresses that most of these
dustbin. centre. difficulties have now been resolved and
It is against this background that the Film officer at the Arts Council, John that a long term agreement has been
lFI seeks to develop its proposal to Hunt, points out that "the Arts Council reached with the Revenue Commission to
establish a "national institution for the is not in the business of holding property, cover outstanding PA YE and PRSI
art of the cinema." The film centre will but every rule is made to be broken and payments.
house two cinemas, a national archive, there is an exception to every pattern. It The IFI must now raise almost 0.5m
educational facilities, a book library, was the Council's decision to have a role to turn Eustace Street into a film centre.
bookshop, video facility and restaurant. in the ownership of the building and The renovation will be on a phased basis,
The centre will be housed in the former therefore to assist in the purchase. It is with the main cinema and restaurant due

8 MAGILL MARCH 1988

to be completed first. This schedule has
already missed its original target date.
The IFI's promotional brochure,
produced in 1986, promised that phased
renovation work would begin in early
1987: "opening the main cinema and the
restaurant in autumn 1987 and the other
facilities in early 1988." The I FI is
currently negotiating with builders and KATHLEEN O'MEARA reports on the progress
with the Department of Labour with a
view to some of the renovation work through the Oireachtas of Alan Shatter's Bill
being done through the TEAMWORK dealing with marriage breakdown. If passed,
scheme. However the Department often
insists that if a project is approved for the Bill will provide for "everythinq short of
TEAMWORK, then all the work must be divorce and the right to remarry".
completed by them with no other builders
on site. Since the TEAMWORK scheme
is primarily designed to provide on-the- , 'REALPOLITIK" RATHER Labour Whip Brendan Howlin who
job training, any work it undertakes, than "glasnost" was how with the Progressive Democrats and the
while cheaper, takes much longer to Labour's Mervyn Taylor des- Workers Party Whips finds himself
complete. cribed the rationale behind Fianna Fail's fighting what is very often a losing battle
decision to lend support to Fine Gael's for more Dail time against the combined

A LL THOSE INVOLVED WITH Private Members Bill, the Judicial force of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael, is
the film centre agree on two Separation and Family Law Reform Bill, more blunt about Fianna Fail motives.
things: that is a precious oppor- which passed Second Stage in the Dail on "Supporting a Fine Gael Bill has given
tunity and one which must be taken up, February 10th last without even a vote. them latitude to attract a category of voter
and that it is "a substantial risk." What The Bill is a fairly substantial piece of which they alienated in large numbers
remains for the implementation of the work with 34 sections in all and it during the divorce referendum", he says.
plans is the negotiation of some kind of proposes to fundamentally amend the law "Secondly, and much more importantly,
sponsorship. There are several options relating to marital separation. It reflects it tied up Private Members Time for two
open to the IF!. The most obvious is very closely the recommendations of the consecutive weeks, at a time when Private
private sponsorship and Dave Kavanagh Joint Oireachtas Committee on Marriage Members Time is becoming more and
has expressed the desire to see a single Breakdown. I f passed, it would allow the more dangerous for the government - and
sponsor. Some major companies have court to grant a decree of separation on indeed for Fine Gael".
already turned down the opportunity but grounds of irretrievable breakdown and, Alan Shatter is less cynical about
Kavanagh says that finding this kind of in doing so, to make a number of orders Fianna Fail motives and declares himself
finance is still a priority. regarding property, custody of children, hopeful that the Bill will be back in the
The National Lottery is another option maintenance and inheritance. Dail by the end of April, and on the
which the Institute is considering. Their If passed, it would bring this area of statute books by the summer recess. "I
first application was unsuccessful but family law into the twentieth century. It believe that if Fianna Fail called a vote at
Kavanagh is hopeful that an application would be everything short of divorce and the end of Second Stage, they would have
this year will yield 200,000. Another the right to remarry. But it remains, lost it. Nor do I expect them to be
possible source of money is the EEC, as despite Fianna Fail's declaration of obstructive at Committee stage. I don't
1988 has been designated European Year support in principle, a Private Members think they would gain politically by doing
of Film and Television. Ironically, the Bill. And it is thirty years since a Private so, nor would we, or I think the other
Government White Paper on Cultural Members Bill passed all stages and into opposition parties, allow them".
Policy entitled Access and Opportunity law. There are however, signs of future
(1987) states that the "Government will This Bill, sponsored by Alan Shatter, trouble in the opening speech delivered by
seek to establish under the aegis of Bord still faces its biggest hurdles, when it goes the Minister for Social Welfare, Dr
Scannan na hEireann an Irish National into committee and attempts are made to Michael Woods in the absence of Justice
Committee to organise a programme of amend it, attempts which will reveal all Minister Gerry Collins who was attending
activities and projects to celebrate the the fundamental differences of attitude to a meeting of the Anglo-Irish Conference
European Year of Film and Television in marriage breakdown, some of which that day. "I have reservations concerning
1988." surfaced during the Second Stage debate, irretrievable breakdown being the sole
Kavanagh has one other idea up his but most of which have already been ground on which a decree of judicial
sleeve. He promises that a trust will be fought and refought by the members of separation should be granted, despite the
established in the near future but refuses the Joint Oireachtas Committee on fact that a similiar recommendation was
to disclose details until the trustees have Marriage Breakdown - most notably made by the Joint Committee on
been confirmed. He promises "f'amous during the bitter and divisive weeks Marriage Breakdown", said Dr Woods in
names" and says that this will help to leading up to the referendum vote on the Dail. (Dr Woods was a member of the
raise finance because the "trustees will be divorce in June 1986. same Committee, which reported
responsible for all the expenditure of Mary Harney of the PDs hopes that unanimously. Mr Gerry Collins was not.)
money raised through the trust." Fianna Fail are serious about amending "My first objection is a conceptual one.
In its forty year history the family law, and is anxious to see the Bill Judicial separation does not put an end
establishment of such a centre is easily the pursued into committee and passed. She to the marriage ... Irretrievable
most controversial and most difficult task agrees that Fianna Fail support for the Bill breakdown, if the phrase means anything,
ever undertaken by the Irish Film was a "trade-off" in return for Fine Gael does not therefore appear to be an
Institute. Problems have dogged its support, or at least absence of opposition, appropriate concept to use in the context
progress; planning permission has yet to on other matters. "The sheer political of judicial separation", he said.
be confirmed and the staff of six has more reality of Fianna Fail's position in the Dail "If proof of irretrievable breakdown
than enough work to keep it busy. is the reason behind their support for this were to be insisted on as well (as existing
Keep buying the lottery tickets. Bill", she says. facts i.e. adultery or cruelty) the result

MAGILL MARCH 1988 9

would be that decrees might not be
avoidable in circumstances where they
could be under the present law. Of course,
it could be argued against this point that
once one of the other facts were proved,
acceptance by the court that the marriage
was, in fact, irretrievably broken down
would, in practice, become a formality -
as it has become in England, in relation
to divorce, where there is a smaller
requirement to prove breakdown in
addition to one or more facts, such as
adultery or separation", he said.
He went on: "I am inclined to the view
that it might be preferable to follow more
closely the recommendations of the Law The Minister
Reform Commission in this matter:'
The Joint Committee on Marriage for Health has
Breakdown, which heard many public
submissions, agreed that the Law Reform provided for the use
Commission Report which preceded it did
not go far enough. The Whips of the
by the Irish people
opposition parties and a spokesman for of 100 condoms
the Workers Party said that the position
adopted by the minister was not one every minute, though
which they could agree with. However, it
is consistent with the position adopted by
it is too early yet
members of Fianna Fail in opposing the to say if we live up
introduction of divorce based on
irretrievable breakdown. to his expectations.
Other areas of contention include the
minister's argument that desertion by one JOHN O'CONNOR
spouse would constitute an absolute bar
on maintenance and inheritance. The
reports on the
opposition parties point to the situation usage of contraception
where a spouse, for instance a woman who
is being assaulted, is forced to leave. in Ireland.
The procedure for the establishment of
the Committee of the Dail, which will sit

I
outside the Chamber, is a complex one. FTHE MINISTER FOR HEALTH Mates, for example, only have their
Under the rules, in the present has got his sums right between now . licence for a couple of months, so they
circumstances, in a committee of and when you have finished reading are unable to estimate what percentage of
seventeen, Fianna Fail would have eight this article in about fifteen minutes time their allowance they will sell. So far,
members; in a committee of fifteen, the Irish public will have used up 1,500 however, they have sold over half a
Fianna Fail would have seven. It is condoms. million. Durex sales are known to have
expected that the order to establish the In 1987, the Minister for Health Dr. topped the 5.5 million mark, while the
committee will be moved soon, and a date Rory O'Hanlon, granted licences for the Red Stripe brand boast over three million
set for its first meeting after each party importation of over fifty three million sales to-date. Each of the importers admit
has nominated its members. This is condoms, which works out at over a they are happy with sales figures and see
normally done by the party leader. The million per week. Broken down still the demand improving greatly as the year
Chairperson is then elected by the further the total possible availability of goes on.
members. The speed of the work and condoms in a year looks like this: I year Veronica O'Leary points out, however,
ultimately the return of the Bill to the Dail - 53,503,264, I month - 5,586,053, I day that as the minister stressed a specific
for final stages and approval will depend - 146,584, I hour - 6,107, and in 15 importation figure, then each of the
on the motivation of the members of the minutes 1,527. The fact that these figures importers would try to meet that amount.
committee and the level of consensus are importation allowances and not actual Failure to do this would mean that when
reached. sales figures means this amount is still an the figure is reviewed, the next allowance
If the view expressed by Michael Woods estimation of needs. It is too early to say would be reduced to the previous year's
in the Dail on behalf of Gerry Collins and if it is realistic. Veronica O'Leary, the average intake.
the Department of Justice is brought into only woman importing condoms into

T
the Committee as the position of the Ireland says that she doubts if the number HE MOST POPULAR
Fianna Fail group, consensus will not be of actual sales is anywhere near this methods of contraception in
reached quickly, and the tortuous debates figure. Ireland are; the Pill, the condom,
which went on during the final There are three brands of condoms the diaphragm and the IUD - in that
deliberations of the Committee on now on general sale in this country: order.
Marriage Breakdown will be re-enacted. Veronica 0' Leary's "Red Stripe", The Pill has remained the most popular
And while not all the Fianna Fail speakers Richard Branson's "Mates", which are form of contraception in Ireland for quite
on the Bill during its Second Stage shared being sold at Virgin record store outlets, some time, despite the ever increasing
the views expressed by the minister, the and the old reliable, Durex. onslaught by the condom. It is greatly
reality, as any government backbencher Actual sales of condoms in the past year favoured by women under the age of
knows, is that the minister, with his cannot be guaged exactly because each of thirty-five and is the second safest form
departmental officials, is the one who the importers yearly licences run over of contraception, after sterilisation. It's
wields power at the end of the day. di r 11 periods T' nev 0' -rand failure rate is as low as two per cent. The

10 MAGILL MARCH 1988

 company two years ago, when its previous Staunton's, Main Street, Athboy
owner, Pat Moylett, moved on to other While Staunton's sell contraceptives, they
interests. Veronica imports her condoms do not display them. "Customers have to
from Germany, unwrapped or boxed in ask for them to be got out of the back
bulk. They are then clinically tested and room. This is a very small town and
packaged and boxed in Ireland. She says people could be easily offended by a
"business is brisk, despite competition display. Besides, we get a lot of children
from the two other importers of coming in here with their mothers and it's
condoms, who hold the Mates and Durex not the sort of thing you display along
licences" with glucose sticks, now is it?"
Although the giant Durex company can
afford to keep undercutting her prices, CahiIIs, Main St, Gorey:
she still makes quite a comfortable living Mrs Una Cahill will only supply
out of the business. Veronica has seen contraceptives, including condoms to
great growth in the industry over the past people with a doctor's prescription.
three years. She puts this down to "the "Although I know they've been
change in law, which allowed for regulated, I remain very conservative
condoms to be sold and displayed in about these matters. It is the right of the
chemists and also the growing number of individual chemists to supply
AIDS-related cases which we constantly contraceptives by whatever means they
hear of. People are turning to the condom choose." Doesn't she think that this is
as an alternative method, or an very unfair to people to the area when
accompanying method during sex. I can there are record shops in Dublin which
safely say that I'll make a tidy sum of even sell condoms over the counter? "I've
money out of this game in the space of had no complaints, and besides there's
a couple of years." nothing stopping them from going to
Although Veronica understands people Dublin." The demand in Gorey is very
who can't accept the open sale of small.
condoms on moral grounds, she herself
feels glad to be able to help in the fight O'Donohoues, Main Street, Killarney
against AIDS and in assisting family This shop will provide contraceptives but
planning. She employs six people in nothing is displayed. A shop assistant
various capacities and has all her boxes explained: "We have a lot of people from
printed in Coolock, in Dublin. She feels the religious orders using this chemist and
bitter about the fact that Durex, who they would certaintiy be offended by a
simply bring the finished product into the display of this sort. Out demand is quite
country, are allowed to have a strangle- big. "
hold over the sales end of things.
Irish Family Planning Association, in John Harnett's, Abbeyfeale

T
researching their own largest Dublin HERE ARE, HOWEVER, Mr Harnett refused to discuss the subject;
clinics, discovered that thirty-six per cent some areas of the country where "I've better things to be doing than
of all their clients chose this method. contraceptives can still not be discussing this sort of thing with you."
Condoms are the second most popular openly purchased from chemist shops. In
.method. Referred to affectinately in a random survey of chemists A spokesperson for chemists in the
Ireland as the "rubber johnnie", countrywide, this is what we found. Wicklow/Bray/ Arklow area said that "in
"frenchie" or "rubber", usage of this Wicklow town, two out of four chemists,
method increases as the incidence of CootehiII Pharmacy, Market Square, stock and display condoms. The other
STD rises. Approximately fifteen per cent CootehiII. two don't sell them at all. In Bray, seven
of all contraception users choose this "We certainly sell contraceptives of the eight chemists sell condoms, most
method. The condom has an average although not in any great quantity. We of whom also display them. In Arklow,
failure rate of almost ten per cent. only sell to those whom we know are over only one out of four chemists sell any
The Diaphragm or Cap is the third most eighteen years and we only stock one form of non-medical, contraception."
popular method. It captures almost brand, which is Durex." This spokesperson said, in relation to
twelve per cent of the market. The failure stocking contraceptives in his own shop,
rate of this method can be fifteen per "I see it as my own personal choice. If
cent. Dolan's Pharmacy, Glaslough St, people want to have sex safely then they
IUDs are the next most popular form Monaghan. have that right also. !t never really
with a market share of nine per cent. When we phoned this shop we were told; mattered what the church or politicians
Vasectomy is favoured by males over "!t's my day off, so I don't wish to said - people still did and continue to do
the age of thirty-five, who generally have comment on anything like that." their own thing. !t is my experience that
a family already. most of the sales of condoms in my shop
Although there are no official Fair Green Pharmacy, H Williams are to married couples and not unmarried
nationwide statistics for usuage of Shopping Centre, MuIIingar. youngsters. The reason I provide an open
contraceptives, these figures represent This chemist is owned by the O'Farrell display is that I see it as being the only
good averages, being taken from the pharmacy chain. Mr 0' Farrell way around the stigma attached to buying
country's two largest clinics. commented; "We have non-medical contraceptives in this country that you are
contraceptives on sale in all of our shops. actually doing something wrong. All the

V
ERONICA O'LEARY RUNS the They are openly displayed because we feel fumbling about under the counter and
Frederick Trading Company in this saves a lot of embarrassment on the producing the product away from the
Ireland, who are the sole im- customer's side." Surprisingly the public eye, safely enclosed in a brown
porters of "Red Stripe" condoms into the demand in Mullingar is far greater than paper bag, implies that there is something
country. She gained control of the that in any of his Dublin shops. almost sordid going on."

MAGILL MARCH 1988 11

 Dublin city centre stores spent an estimated 19 million on security last
year but shoplifters still managed to relieve them of 13 million worth of
I

goods during the same period. TOM KELLY reports.

"T HERE ARE SOME DAYS

when I'd go into town
and I'd get nothing at all - if
taken in on a warrant and sent away -
the judges are all just dying to do me
because they know 1 have been getting
I was out for the whole week, I might get away with it for so long."
300 worth of stuff which I could sell for
100." Sarah (not her real name) is one
of the estimated 150 full-time shoplifters HERE ARE NO STATISTICS
in Dublin. She is just sixteen, comes from available regarding city
the North inner city, and has been making T centre stores' annual losses
a living from shoplifting since she was through shoplifting. Estimates by
expelled from school five years ago for, in Switzers' Group Security Manager,
her own words, "answering back and Shane O'Leary, however, indicate that
hitting teachers". Sarah's weekly take of goods worth 300
She used to make 100 a day when she may not be typical of other professional
started but she says her average earnings shoplifters, who can slip through the
are now down to 100 a week. In recent security net more easily because they are
years, the increased use by city-centre not so well known. O'Leary reckons that
shops of plain-clothes store detectives city centre stores are losing 13m every
and uniformed security guards, all year through shoplifting. He arrives at
equipped with two-way radios, has meant this figure by assuming conservatively
that the odds are now firmly stacked there are 100 professional shoplifters in
against the shoplifters. All the full-time the city, each of whom steals 2,500
operators are known to the security staff worth of goods every week. "The
of the various stores who are in constant Above ana oPPoSlte-page: the security shoplifters now, if they do a good lift they
radio contact with one another. The monitoring system at Switzer's of Grafton could steal anything between 600 and
shops' main line of defence is to spot the Street, Dublin. 2.000 worth of goods in one go. If they
professionals at the store entrance and into my bra or down the sleeves of my are lucky and do four or five lifts a week
stop them getting in. coat. You can also take off your jacket they are making big money." He
The new order of things has meant that and put it in a bag and then tryon a size estimates that ninety percent of the
there are no longer any easy pickings for ten coat and put on a size twelve over it shoplifters are professionals and says that
Sarah. "Everything has changed - with and just walk out. I usually go out all the thc majority are female in the fifteen to
the walkie-talkies they really get you. If back ways and jump into a taxi to get t weruy-Iivc age group. Women's clothing
you're seen walking down one end of the home. are the most frequently stolen items.
street, the other end knows what you're "It's exciting when you get something I ndividual stores a re reluctant to reveal
wearing and all and what colour hair - you walk back up the street and you their losses but t he manager of one large
you have - I usually wear a wig and just start laughing." Henry Street store, who would not agree
glasses and lots of make-up. It's gone this Sarah sells the clothes she steals to to being named, revealed that his store
way now that if I went into Mirror Mirror people living in her own locality and was losing goods with a retail value of
the fella from the record shop opposite reckons that for a 100 coat she would get 8.000 every week through theft - most
would come over and throw me out - 50. She prefers to operate in the bigger of this was accounted for by shoplifting.
they're all butt in' in for each other now. department stores in Grafton Street with the rest relating to internal theft.
Years ago it wasn't like that - if you went because they have several entrances and Store security managers contacted by
into Arnotts and took something, the exits, not all of which are covered Magill maintained that practically all
fella across the road wouldn't regard it as by security sta ff. She reckons she has been shoplifters who are caught in the act are
his business. caught about forty times since she started prosecuted. In some cases, such as ones
shoplifting - mainly by plain-clothes involving obvious senility, or where there
"THE SECURITY AREN'T gardai who came upon her on the street is evidence of severe emotional distress
always on the doors, and searched her for stolen property. She before the offence was committed, the
sometimes they walk around says she has amassed 600 in fines and case is not pursued.
the store - you just sneak in behind them adds, "the fines man never comes near my Padraic Cafferty, managing director of
and try to get what you can and get back door". Securiforce. one oft he leading companies
out. I mainly take ladies' coats, blouses, She says she has avoided prison so far in the area. explains the techniques his
dresses and skirts - I could take seven because she is still a juvenile but expects staff are instructed to use with shoplifters:
skirts in one lift. I take them off the that her charmed life will come to an end "We instruct our people not to confront
hangers and put them under my arms or when she reaches seventeen. "I"Il be them until they are outside the store. The

---- 1" MA.r.n.L MA.Rr.H 1988

security officer must be one hundred
percent certain that the person has
something they have not paid for. He asks
the person to come back inside - he has
to use his best communicative skills to get
reported incidents with 1375 people being
charged. Practically all the reported
cases related to people who were caught
red-handed leaving a shop with stolen
goods and most resulted in convictions.
T HERE IS NOSPECIFIC LEGAL
statute dealing with shoplifting.
Prosecutions for theft from shops
have to be pursued under the terms of the
1916 Larceny Act which store managers
them back in. If they refuse, he has to Jordan points out that there is some say is inadequate to deal with today's
physically bring them back and if they try evidence this year that the upward trend shoplifters. They claim that the Act,
to get away he tries to restrain them." is being reversed - some fifty-four framed as it was over seventy years ago, is
The general practice is that. once inside, people were charged in January 1988 incapable of addressing the problem of
the person is detained until the gardai compared to 110 for the same month in theft in modern department stores and
arrive and take over the matter. 1987. results in the situation where security
Detective Superintendent Pat Jordan The penalties for shoplifting are not staff have to confront shoplifters outside
who is attached to Store Street severe. The Probation Act is generally the store on the pavement. According to
Garda station in the North inner city, applied to first-time offenders and the Act, "A person steals who, without
confirms that security staff are entitled to subsequent offences generally result in the consent of the owner, fraudulently
detain shoplifters. "They have a power of fines of between 10 and 20. Persistent and without a claim of right made in good
faith, takes and carries away anything
capable of being stolen with intent, at the
time of taking, permanently to deprive
the owner thereof."
The interpretation of the phrase
"permanently to deprive" is a ca use of
confusion to security staff, especially to
those in department stores who are
unsure whether or not they are entitled to
detain a person who, for example, takes
goods from the record department and is
subsequently found in the shoe
department with the unpaid for goods.
Some stores have a policy of detaining
people in these circumstances and have
secured convictions when the person in
question had not left the precincts of the
store at all. The usual practice, however,
is that the shoplifter is only confronted at
the store exit, having passed all the cash
registers, or outside on the pavement.
The phrase "without the consent of the
owner" in the 1916 Act has also given rise
to controversy in that in modern stores
the customer is invited, with the consent
of the owner, to take into his possesesion
for inspection an item from a rack or
display stand, thus it has been argued that
in these circumstances larcen y cannot
occur. In a submission to the Director of
Public Prosecutions in 1978, Eoghan
Fitzsimons SC, wrote: " ... my view is
that a person ... who takes goods and
tries to leave without paying, has not been
guilty of the offence of larceny as defined
by Section I of the Larceny Act, 1916. I
arrest - it's a citizen's arrest. They shoplifters with previous convictions are consider that, in fact, such a person has
cannot arrest for attempted larceny so the dealt with more harshly - if caught they committed no offence known to our law.
person must be caught in the act. It is can expect a prison sentence of between Clearly, a most serious defect exists here
preferable that they are outside the door six months and twelve months, which can only be remedied by an Act of
and at that stage a garda is called and depending on the amount of property the Oireachtas."
they are handed over." involved. Tom Coffey of the Dublin City Centre
The annual crime report issued by the Jordan has his own ideas about what Businesses Association is in no doubt that
Garda Siochana makes no distinction happens to the stolen goods. "It's sold new legislation is needed to combat
between larcenies from shops and other door to door along the balconies of the shoplifting. "The 1916 Act must be
larcenies, thus there are no official various complexes of flats around here. amended to enable stores to deal with
statistics on the annual incidence of On a Saturday morning there is an open organised criminals who are shoplifters."
shoplifting. Figures cited by market in Cumberland Street and you Coffey maintains that there is a new spirit
Superintendent Jordan, however, which can buy anything at it, including TV sets of cooperation between the security
relate to the Garda 'C' district, covering and bicycles. A lot of it is marketed managers of city centre stores, who now
the area between Capel Street and Sean there." He points out that the plain- meet once a month to collate information
MacDermott Street, give some idea of the clothes gardai attached to the Crime about security issues. "These meetings
scale of the problem. In 1986 there were Prevention Unit, whose job is to deal with have improved the level of intelligence the
1287 reported larcenies from shops in this shoplifters, pickpockets and car thieves business community has about criminals
district resulting in 1214 people being on the streets, have an excellent - our profile of the criminal is becoming
charged. In 1987 the figure rose to 1418 relationship with the stores' security staff. clearer."

MAGILL MARCH 1988 13

The following article is based on a litter. The detective threw a penny at Cahill. Cahill picked the
series of four interviews with Martin penny up and put it in his pocket.
He continued walking up the road. At the next bus stop there
Cahill, otherwise known as "The was another litter bin and a queue waiting. Cahill looked into
General", conducted throughout the the litter bin and began rooting inside. Another coin was thrown
final week of February. Much of it by the detective. Cahill picked that one up as well and put it
in his pocket. He was now only a couple of hundred yards from
consists of a paraphrased version of the house in Cowper Downs. He figured putting the money
what was related by Martin Cahill. which the gardai had thrown at him into his pocket must be
Quotes directly attributed to Cahill are annoying them.
the result of extensive notes written Cahill turned off the Rathmines Road Upper onto Cowper
Road. Another coin dropped on the pavement. This one landed
directly afterwards on the basis of brief behind him. He ignored it. To have picked it up would have
notes taken while the interviews were in meant turning around and looking in the direction of the
progress using key words and phrases. detectives following him. Martin Cahill has developed a
psychology for dealing with the gardai. You must never, ever
Where the narrative is based on sources look at them. Their presence must never be acknowledged.
other than Cahill, this is indicated in Cahill is "fastidious" on this point, he says. He has even gone
the text. to the trouble of removing the wing mirrors from his car.
Otherwise the gardai would assume he was watching them
through the mirrors: "The gardai must never be allowed to see
they are getting a reaction", he says.
Another part of his psychology is to always behave in exactly
the opposite way to that which the gardai expect. When the
Misuse of Drugs Act was introduced, the gardai used to stop
him on the street, he says, take him to the police station and
strip-search him. Cahill is adamant that he has never been
_ ARTINCAHILL TELLS involved in drugs. The gardai, he says, were taking him to the
HIS OWN STORY. HE WAS STROLLING THROUGH station as a tactic to humiliate and degrade him. On four
Rathmines on the way back to his house in Cowper Downs. occasions - three in Rathmines, one in St Stephens Green -
He had just reached Rathmines Road Upper, coming out of when the gardai stopped him, he peeled off his clothes there
the village. He stopped and started to rummage in a litter bin and then. While a crowd gathered he complained loudly that
attached to a bus stop. A unmarked garda car which was the gardai were harassing him. He felt there was a marked
following him at a snail's pace stopped also. One of the detectivs decline in attempts by the gardai to stop and question him under
in the car rolled down the window and shouted: "Dirt bird" . the powers of the Act.
Martin Cahill ignored him and continued rummaging in the Martin Cahill was rooting in the rubbish bins that day because
he knew it was the last thing the gardai expected him to do.
Half an hour earlier he had been driving along in his car when
he braked and the gardai had crashed into him. It was the second
time in as many months that this had occurred. A photographer

14 MAGILL MARCH 1988

from the Evening Herald was on hand to witness the ensuing that if this didn't happen the gardai had an alternative course
verbal confrontation between Cahill and detectives after the of action prepared. Martin Cahill refuses to admit that he was
crash. The picture appeared on the front page of the Evening involved in either of these robberies. He denies any involvement
Herald later that day under a large banner headline: "No hiding in any crimes other than those of which he has been convicted.
place". Cahill was described as Ireland's most wanted man. As "I will admit to nothing under the alias of the General, Mickey
usual, you couldn't see very much of him, his hand was covering Mouse or anybody else. If the gardai have evidence to connect
his face. It was Thursday February 4 and the intense garda me with robberies they should charge me" he says.
surveillance which had started in earnest in the first week of Two weeks before the associate of Martin Cahill was stopped
the New Year had become national news. on the street the new garda Commissioner Eamon Doherty had
Just outside the house in Cowper Downs the detectives who set up a new surveillance squad comprising of sixty young
were following him threw another coin - this time a twopence detectives. During Eamon Doherty's days as a detective he
piece - which landed on the road. As Cahill went to pick it favoured an up-and-at-them approach, confronting criminals
up the car rolled gently forward with the intention of covering on their own terms. Part of his training included secondment
the coin with its wheel. It missed. Cahill bent down to pick it to the FBI. The brief of the new surveillance squad was to break
up. A detective wearing runners got out of the car. His foot the supremacy enjoyed by a small number of well organised
covered the coin a second before Cahill could get his hand to criminal gangs working in Dublin. The sixty detectives were
it. Martin Cahill straightened up, making sure not to look at chosen not for their experience but for the fact they were hard-
the detectives, and walked into the house. nosed and ambitious. Martin Cahill is the prime target of their
operation.

" Round the clock surveillance began in the first week of the
New Year. Martin Cahill noticed an intensification
Christmas itself. On Christmas night he was driving from the
over

80,000 house in Cowper Downs which is in his wife's name

to a corporation house in Swan Grove where, he says, he lives.
His wife and children were in the car with him. As they drove
HE MOST IMPORTANT down Palmerstown Road an unmarked police car with two
THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT THE SURVEILLANCE", detectives followed. The police car drew up alongside on a
according to Martin Cahill, "is that it's all a game". He uses couple of occasions, Cahill says. The gardai were in a festive
the word "game" in this connection again and again, with humour. They were laughing and pointing at him. Cahill says
emphasis. they were leering and shouting abuse. "Normally", he says,
Up to now, at least, Martin Cahill has refused to take the "nothing affects me. But today was Christmas. I was with my
"game" seriously. He tells us he has formed a new company, wife and family. 1 thought I was entitled to a day off". He was
McGill securities. The inspiration for the company arises from peeved. At that moment he saw - or thought he saw, it was
the present intense surveillance which the gardai have placed dark and he couldn't be sure - a cat crossing the road. He
on him. He proposes to go into the security business: "Since jammed on the brakes without warning. The garda car behind
everwhere we go the gardai go, McGill securities can offer an crashed into him.
armed garda escort for the movement of large amounts of Cahill insisted an ambulance be called. He wanted to be
cash". A circular has already been printed to target potential admitted to hospital. He says that he suspected he was suffering
customers. These include any busines firms who pay wages in from whiplash. The ambulance took him to St. Vincent's
cash or anyone else who transfers valuables that would normally Hospital, from where he was later discharged. Meanwhile the
require an armed escort. Martin Cahill and a number of others gardai confiscated his car which they took to Terenure garda
who are associates of his propose to drop the circular into a station. His wife and children walked the remaining couple of
number of firms who they know are in need of such a service. yards to Swan Grove. Subsequently Martin Cahill made a
The first place they will drop a circular off, says Cahill, is formal complaint to the newly established Garda Complaints
Rathmines garda station:"We wouldn't like to be arrested and Commission alleging harassment and complaining that gardai
accused of "casing" any factory or business". had taken away his car without permission. When the car was
Martin Cahill is well used to garda surveillance. He claims returned the tail-light indicator was broken, he claims.
it first started in December of 1974, a couple of weeks after Subsequently he was convicted in the District Court on a careless
90,000 (worth 250,000 in today's terms) was taken in a driving charge for making a turn without giving a hand signal.
robbery at a Quinnsworth branch in Rosemount Shopping He has since appealed the conviction to the Circuit Court. The
centre in Rathfarnham. Cahill denies any involvement. Except twenty-four hour surveillance on the houses on Cowper Downs
for periods when he was in jailor in garda custody the police and Swan Grove, insofar as it has attempted to curtail the
have monitored his movements without remit ever since. The movements of Martin Cahill, appears to be a failure. Between
only difference now is that the surveillance is more intense, more February Sunday 21 and the following Friday, Martin Cahill
prolonged. He had an inkling something was going to happen made himself available for interview to Magill at an agreed
after a senior detective stopped a close associate of his on the location, every other afternoon. On each occasion he arrived
street just before Christmas. The detective told the man that he claimed he had not been followed by the gardai. Martin
the stolen paintings worth over 30 million belonging to the Beit Cahill and several of his associates have been wearing hooded
collection taken from Russborogh House, and 145 legal files anoraks and putting their hands to their faces for years as he
removed from the offices of the Director of Public Prosecutions explains, there are advantages to this: if a car draws up to the
(DPP), were to be returned forthwith. The stolen property was door of Martin Cahill's house and three men shuttle quickly
to be dumped at a location where the gardai could pick it up. in, it is difficult if not impossible for the gardai to tell if it is
Martin Cahill's associate was left with the distinct impression the same three men who come back out and drive off.

16 MAGILL MARCH 1988

 On the occasion of the first interview with Magill, however, eighteen golfing greens were dug up. The damage ran into tens
Martin Cahill had dispensed with the hooded anorak. Instead of thousands of pounds. The matter did not end there.
he wore a black suit and coller and tie. He also wore black Subsequently, in the small hours of Sunday night and Monday
leather gloves. He doesn't look much like a general. In Morning, the tyres of Martin Cahill's car were also slashed and
appearence he bears a close resemblace to the part played by the windows broken. The same thing happened to one of his
Bob Hoskins in "The long Good Friday" or to the character friends, whose wife heard the sound of breaking glass and went
of Del Boy in "Only Fools and Horses". When he laughs - to the window. She saw a car drive off. Within a minute she
which he frequently does, at the expense of the gardai - he saw a patrol car drive up to the car, pause and drive off again.
throws his head back in an almost exaggerated way, chuckling She noted the number of the patrol car and rang Terenure garda
softly. He speaks with a pronounced Dublin accent. He is very station. She complained to the gardai that her husband's car
demonstrative with his hands. When talking about putting an had been attacked by the gardai in full view of a patrol car.
incident or an event in his past behind him, he spreads both Minutes later the patrol car returned. They gave her the
his arms out, pushing them backwards to illustrate his point. registration number of the car that had driven away. Martin
He explains himself patiently, tapping out points with the back Cahill says the car registration is the same number as one of
of one hand against the other. In the course of our conversation the unmarked police cars that have been sitting outside his
he never raised his voice but often lowered it almost to a whisper house. This retaliatory attack was cohesive and well organised,
when concluding a story, invariably with his face set in a smile. according to Cahill.
He likes to articulate his views by a series of rhetorical questions The attack on Martin Cahill's car and the attack on garda
- often getting the interviewer to answer the questions, other cars and golfing greens were carried consecutively on the main
times answering them himself - in the way a teacher would 1.30 news bulletin on RTE the following day, Monday February
explain a complicated situation to a pupil. When asked specific 22. The bulletin made no attempt to establish a connection
questions, such as whether he has been responsible for between the two events. Shortly afterwards Martin Cahill made
threatening the lives of gardai or to respond to the charge that himself available for interview to Magill once again. He had
his reputation is based on fear an intimidation, his face quickly not heard any news bulletin that day, nor had he been home,
contorts into an expression of innocent denial and pained so he was unaware of the attacks on his own car or on any of
surprise. If he feels that you don't believe the answer to a his friends. On hearing of the damage caused to his car, far
question he looks at you gravely and says "Seriously". from being annoyed, he reacted as though he found it hilarious.
During the course of the first interview Martin Cahill stressed Martin Cahill is not easily fazed. Referring back to the
that he was "quite comfortable" with the way in which the conversation the previous evening, he asked: "Do you see what
police surveillance was going: "The gardai have come down to I mean about the gardai breaking the law?" Several times in
my level. They are now breaking the law". the course of the interview, which lasted over three hours, he
smiled and said: "I can't get over them smashing up my car".
Martin Cahill might well laugh off the damage caused to his
car. But someone was keeping the score. On Saturday, according
to Cahill, two of the cars of his friends had been damaged. On
Saturday night over twenty cars belonging to gardai had been
slashed. The following night (Sunday) his own car, as well as
those of three of his friends, had been wrecked. On Friday night
___ HAT WEEKEND HAD BEEN the tyres of 197cars, mostly in the Dublin six area, were slashed.
HECTIC. ON FRIDAY MORNING FEBRUARY 19, Ninety of the cars were in Cowper Downs itself.
a close associate of Martin Cahill was being At eleven o'clock on Saturday morning, February 27 Martin
followed by three unmarked garda cars. According to Cahill, Cahill was arrested at the flat of a relative. He was arrested
he says that there was one in front, one behind and one under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act, under
abreast when the car in front jammed on the brakes. He ran suspicion of being in possession of a firearm on the Naas Road
into the back of the car. He was taken to James Street two days previously when two of his associates were arrested.
Hospital where he had a surgical coller fitted to his neck. A In a fourth interview with Magill, after his release, Martin
large number of gardai gathered at the hospital. According to Cahill gave the following account 'of his weekend.
Martin Cahill, a number of the gardai taunted him. A fracas He was taken to the Bridewell for questioning. Before the
developed. questioning started he was examined by a doctor. His request
There was more trouble for Martin Cahill's friends on the for a solicitor was immediately granted. He was questioned by
next day, Saturday. Cars belonging to two of his associates had detectives working in relays until midnight. There were short
their tyres slashed. It was not the first occasion that this occurred breaks for meals. Questioning continued all day Sunday, but
says Cahill. Martin Cahill wasn't answering. He kept chanting "I have
One of these men drank regularly in the Rathmines Inn. He nothing to say to you men - BOOMl" over and over again.
has frequently been breathalysed on leaving the premises. One According to Cahill the gardai joined in the chanting on a
night over the Christmas period he was leaving the pub and number of occasions. He has no complaints about the way he
noticed gardai parked nearby. He took a taxi home. The was treated.
following morning he returned for his car. The tyres had been He found sleep difficult. The gardai on night duty called him
slashed. Martin Cahill believes that the gardai were the culprits. every half hour to see that he was alright. He intended to
Now, on Saturday, February 20 the car tyres were slashed a complain about this until it was explained to him that gardai
second time. were obliged to follow this procedure because of the large
That Saturday night the tyres of twenty-three cars parked in number of people committing suicide in custody in the
the Garda Golf Club at Stackstown were slashed. Eight of the Bridewell.

MAGILL MARCH 1988 17

 During questioning the detectives questioned him about the say he didn't know. The teacher would then turn to the class
stolen Beit paintings and the files from the DPP's office which, and warn them that they too would turn out like Martin Cahill
he says, they insisted must be returned. They also questioned if they didn't come to school. Martin Cahill decided that he
him about the damage done to 197 cars on the previous night. would learn nothing, to spite them all. There was a large GAA
His clothes were confiscated for forensic examination, he football pitch behind his house. In the summertime the grass
claims. New clothes were provided in their place. As he was would be cut and gathered into haystacks. Then it would be
leaving the station, the gardai opened the door for him to leave. baled. Martin Cahill and a few of his friends cut a couple of
Outside were numerous photographers and a TV crew waiting bales up and remade it into a haystack. They reassembled it
for him "like I was going out on stage". But the waiting up under a wall and were jumping from the wall onto the
entourage was to be disappointed. Martin Cahill had torn the haystack. The gardai arrived. They were all arrested and
sleeve of the new jumper bought for him by the gardai and mad~ charged. On conviction Cahill was fined five shillings. It was
it into a mask. a fortune. He was aged about nine years of age. When he was
On his release he returned to Cowper Downs. His own car eleven he was convicted for housebreaking. He got the
remains with the windscreen smashed and the tyres deflated. Probation Act.
Several other cars on the estate were in a similar condition. The Martin Cahill was into petty crime. The meagre income his
cement block which was used to smash his car - was in his father earned as a lighthouse keeper often didn't even extend
kitchen. Cahill denied to Magill that he had played any part to putting food on the table. Martin and his brothers robbed
on the attack on his neighbours. to supplement the family income. There was no sense of guilt
attaching to what they did.
At that time, a number of custodial centres were in operation
based on the workhouse system. The Children's Act 1908
provided for reformatory and industrial schools - "schools
for youthful offenders in which they are lodged, clothed and
fed as well as taught". Originally there were ten industrial
schools designed to cater for those convicted of petty offences.
ARTIN CAHILL WAS They were also used as a dumping ground for orphans and
BORN IN CRUMLIN IN 1949. HIS MOTHER WAS illigitimate children. There were just two reformatory schools:
pregnant eighteen times in all. On six occasions she miscarried St Joseph's in Limerick, run by Sisters of Good Shepherd, took
or the child was stillborn. He attended the local national school young girl offenders, and St Conleths, in Daingean, County
in Kimmage. At first he enjoyed school immensely. One day Offa1y was used to incarcerate boys from the age of twelve
after school he was messing around at the dump where used upwards, convicted of housebreaking, assaults and the more
jotters and equipment were thrown out. A nun came along and serious larceny offences.
demanded to know what he was doing. He gave her cheek and In 1965 Martin Cahill was sentenced to two years in St
told her it was none of her business as he wasn't even a pupil Conleths, Daingean, for housebreaking. Two years was the
of hers. A couple of days after the nun came into Cahill's class. minimum sentence. The regime at Daingean was harsh and
Her own class was too small and she was going to take a few draconian but Cahill himself found it quite bearable. He already
boys from his class. Cahill just knew he was going to be one had his own system worked out for when he was locked up.
of them. She walked around the class, but past him - He recognized that those who where responsible for keeping
deliberately, he says. On her way back she picked him as one him locked up were only doing a job and it was in the interests
of the boys to join her class. It took half an hour, and lots of of everybody to ensure they did their work with as little hassle
roaring and crying, before he was prised from the classroom. as possible.
He hated his new class. . He refers to an incident involving his elder brother Eddie who
"The new teacher had it in for me", he says. He started was in St. Patrick's institution at the same time as Martin was
mitching. He was up before the juvenille courts dozens of times in Daingean. Cahill's says that his brother Eddie was dissatisfied
under the School Attendance Acts. When he was in class and with the food and confronted the Governor to complain. He
the School Inspectors arrived around he was always picked out pointed out that the meat was too tough to eat. The Governor
to read a passage from the book in front of the rest of the classs. disagreed and told Cahill he had sampled the meat himself. At
Rather than make an effort at it and risk being wrong he would this Eddie Cahill threw his dinner over the Governor. He spent

18 MAGILL MARCH 1988

the next month in a strait jacket. Martin Cahill sees such Goodbodys in 1969 is the last time he was ever employed.
behaviour as "negative". Eddie is the sort of person, he says, People in Hollyfield didn't have much money. A friend asked
that if a warden asked him to pick up a bit of paper he would Martin for the loan of 10. He asked what he would give him
tell him to pick it up himself. This would inevitabley lead to for it. The friend gave him a suit. The friend returned a second
confrontation. Martin, on the other hand, would premept either time looking for a fiver. This time he gave him a bracelet. The
confrontation or the humiliation of being told what to do by suit went into the wardrobe and was forgotten about. The
picking up the bit of paper before being told anything. bracelet was unworn. Martin Cahill had no interest in either.
Corporal punishment was rife. Punishments were usually A couple of young lads told him about a warehouse up the road
meted out just before lights out. Boys were taken in their nighties where there were hundreds of thousands of cigarettes stored.
to the marble steps leading up to the dormitory. There they Martin Cahill wasn't interested. He had been wathcing the
would be told to bend over and they would be hit on the bottom warehouse. He had seen the police watching him while he was
with a strap about two feet long. A special strap, known as the doing his own watching, he says. The young lads were insistent.
impurity strap, was used on those suspected of being involved He told them to go down and bang the doors of the warehouse
in homsexual acts. Martin Cahill claims he never received either and see did anybody come out. They banged. Nobody did. He
strap. He fell foul of the authorities on only one occasion. Then, was still unconvinced. They returned a third time with cigarettes
as now, he says he had a policy of never making eye contact that they had stolen from the warehouse. Cahill was finally
with any of the brothers or priests attached to the order. One convinced. He told his wife he would be back in a few minutes.
day he was walking down the corridor when a brother passed His calculation was optimistic: he wouldn't be coming back for
by. As usual he made sure not to look at him. The reason he four years. No sooner was he in the warehouse than the gardai
did this was that if you didn't look at them you didn't say hello. appeared. In a follow-up search of his flat the gardai confiscated
That way you made sure never to form any relationship with the forgotten suit and the unworn bracelet. These items, too,.
your captors. The brother burst his jaw and beat him down the were stolen property.
corridor. He claimed Cahill had been sniggering at him. He was convicted of receiving the suit, bracelet and stolen
In 1967 the late Donagh O'Malley, who was then Minister cigarettes. The trial judge asked how long he had been out of
for Education with responsibilty for the running of reformatory Daingean. On being told two years he decided to give Cahill
and industrial schools, set up a Dail comnittee of inquiry chaired two years for every charge before the court. Two of the sentences
by the late District Justice Eileen Kennedy. The Kennedy report ran concurrently. The total sentence to be served amounted to
was completed two years later. The report was scathing. The four years.
system of custodial care it noted had evolved in "a bapazard
and amateurish way and has not altered radically down through
the years". There was no professional training. The schools were
inadequately staffed. Some of the children had so little contact
with the outside world they were unaware that food had to be
paid for, or letters stamped.
A survey carried out by the Department of Psychology in _ ARTIN CAHILL HAD
UCD showed those at Daingean to be educationally sub-normal. o DIFFICULTY ADJUSTING TO MOUNTJOY. He
The education offered at Daingean was up to national school reckons his time in Daingean left him partly institutionalised.
level. The report was careful to exonerate the Oblate fathers When you go into jail, he says, it is essential to leave everything
who ran the school. Many had given their lives to the running on the outside world behind. One way or the other you have
of the establishment and got nothing in return. The Order was to do your time. You can fight it in your head or you can use
obliged to cover all the running costs, including maintenance it to do something positive. He learned to read. It was in prison,
of the building, accomodation, footwear, food and general he says, that he got his only real education. He took Dale
medical and dental care for the children. For this they received Carnegie courses in self confidence and read his book, 'How
4.32 a week from the State for each child in their care. Martin to win friends and Influence People'. He enjoyed the solitariness
Cahill was discharged from Daingean in the same year as the of his cell. It gave him an opportunity to think.
report was commissioned. He could barely read or write. He got on exceptionally well with the wardens, he says. He
was considered an exemplary prisoner. In prison the smallest
of pleasures take on a new significance. His closest friend was
Noel Lynch. Lynch was the private investigator featured on the
recent "Today Tonight" programme who told the Beit
Foundation he might be able to secure the return of the stolen
paintings in return for a percentage of their value.
Cahill thought Lynch was the brightest prisoner he ever met.
_ HILEMARTINCAHILL He tells the story of how Lynch pioneered a device for making
HAD BEEN IN DAINGEAN HIS PARENTS HAD BEEN "coffee in your cell. One end of a live wire was connected to
evicted from their home in Crumlin for failing to pay the rent. the light socket. The other was connected to a spoon. The spoon
They were rehoused in Hollyfield Buildings in Rathmines. went through a stick with a hole in it. The stick was then placed
Hollyfield Buildings was used by Dublin Corporation as a across a beaker, partly immersing the spoon in water. When
dumping ground for tenents who couldn't or wouldn't pay their the light switch was turned on, the electric current heated the
rent, or who were otherwise troublesome. It was a closed, tight spoon, which boiled the water.
community. The gardai were distrusted, though not all families It was also Noel Lynch who applied to the Department of
were involved in crime, Martin Cahill stresses. The Cahills, with Justice for permission to have transistor radios in the cell. Lynch
their surviving twelve children lived in numbers nine and ten and Cahill were the first two prisoners to be allowed the
Hollyfield buildings. privilege.
Martin Cahill married Francis Lawless, who also lived in Martin Cahill got a job in the prison as a painter. Little by
Hollyfield, within a year of his release from Daingean. They little he was allowed greater freedom. Freedoms were based on
took a flat in number fifteen, a few doors away from his parents. conduct. It was, he says, a form of corrective training. Towards
He got a job in a Smurfit's factory in Walkinstown, making the end of his sentence he was even allowed out each day to
cardboard boxes. The job didn't last long. He got another job paint the houses belonging to the warden situated beside the
in the same line of work in Goodbody's making sacks, but that prison. During the last three months of his sentence he and a
didn't last long either. His wife was pregnant. The job at warden left the prison each day so that he could look for a job.

MAGILL MARCH 1988 19

Despite several interviews, nobody employed him. He was court it then, in his view, becomes an additional burden to
released in 1973. contest the damaging admisions if the statement contains other
innocuous but detailed references to an accused's family or
background which the gardai would not know without the
accused telling them. He refused to answer any questions about
the Quinnsworth robbery or anything else. This was the era of
the 'Heavy Gang', says Cahill, "when it was normal to get
'battered' by the police." What's more, it didn't even occur
to you to lodge a complaint. It wasn't until the publicity
HIS RECENT surrounding the treatment of IRA and INLA members in
INTERVIEW WITH 'TODAY Tonight' outside Werburgh custody broke that it occurred to him that there was anything
Street Labour Exchange Martin Cahill told the reporter that wrong with his being treated this way.
he thought the police were very clever. It sounded like a smartass While he was waiting to be questioned Cahill claims he could
remark. In the course of interviewing Cahill, however, it hear his brother-in-law being beaten up in the room above.
emerged again and again that he meant the remark in all Delaney was alleged to have made verbal admissions about being
sincerity. "Never underestimate the cleverness of the gardai", involved in the robbery. Martin Cahill said nothing. He claims
Cahill says. he refused at the end of the day's questioning to go into a cell
And there is one member of the force he regards as more unless he was charged with the robbery. Instead he sat in a chair
clever than anyone else. That man is Ned Ryan. Ryan is for two days. At the end of the two days the gardai did charge
presently a detective superintendent. He is the officer mentioned, him. When he was being led to the cell it was night time. His
though not named, in the 'Today Tonight' programme, who story is that he knew the gardai would turn off the lights in
is currently receiving a twenty four hour armed guard. an attempt to disorient him. As he was going into the cell, he
According to the 'Today Tonight' programme garda intelligence told the guard to turn off the light. The guard shouted at him
heard Martin Cahill had hired hitmen to assasinate Ryan. Cahill and left the light on. A few minutes later the guard returned.
dismisses the allegation as unfounded. He had realised why Cahill had told him to turn off the light.
Ned Ryan joined the garda in 1955 aged twenty four. He made He was taken to another cell with no light and which also housed
a steady progress through the ranks. In April 1963 he was a dirty stray dog which was there awaiting a transfer to the Cats
promoted to the rank of sergeant and was made detective and Dogs Home. Cahill curled up cheerfully beside the dog.
sergeant within eight months. When he was promoted to the Even in 1974 he had decided that it was important never to show
rank of detective inspector in 1973, he was transferred to gardai a reaction.
Rathmines. Two years later, in 1975, he was transferred to the The three men appeared the next day in Rathfarnham District
Central Detective Unit, then working out of Dublin Castle. He Court where they were charged with stealing the 90,000 in the
continued to play a significant role in the investigation robbery. All three covered their faces in court.
of serious crime in Rathmines and other parts of Dublin. In The charges against Cahill and his brother were later dropped
1980 Ned Ryan was promoted to the rank of detective for lack of evidence. 'Hugh Delaney's arrest was ruled illegal
superintendent and stationed in Sundrive police station. Martin at his trial. The verbal admission was ruled inadmissible. The
Cahill was on hand to welcome Ryan. He was to the fore on jury was directed to acquit.
a prisoners Rights Organisation picket which was placed on the Within weeks of the Quinnsworth robbery, says Cahill, he
station over the treatment suspects were getting in garda custody. found himself the subject of twenty four hour police
Ryan was a familiar figure in the witness box in the Special surveillance. The gardai now classed him as a major criminal.
Criminal Court and Circuit Criminal giving evidence in cases He was aged twenty four.
of alleged confessions taken in garda custody. In a report on
the Sallins train robbery trial Hibernia magazine described him
thus: "Ryan was nothing less than superb in the box; he looks
and sounds like a slightly lisping but lugubrious Edward G.
Robinson: pudgy, balding, heavy lidded and jug-eared."
Martin Cahill first met Ned Ryan in 1973 when he was
released from Mountjoy prison. There is a deep and abiding
animosity between the two. They met when Cahill was in garda N MAY OF 1977 THERE WAS A
custody in Rathmines police station. Ryan was doing the talking. ROBBERY AT THE'SEMPERIT TYRE FACTORY IN
recalls Cahill. He was questioning Martin Cahill about his Ballyfermot. Five men wearing hoods took over a house behind
alleged involvement in a robbery that had taken in Jack Reston's the factory on the night before the robbery. When they arrived
sign-making factory in Rathgar. Martin Cahill was listening. the woman in the house started screaming. She was told that
Ryan was telling him that the gardai were going to put the she would be alright if she stayed quiet. The husband and wife
squeeze on petty criminals like himself. According to Cahill, and their five children were tied up. Just before eleven o'clock
Ryan told him that he would "be reduced to robbing grannies' four members of the gang left the house and headed for the
handbags". factory. They took the payroll which amounted to 53,000 in
But Ned Ryan's and the gardai's estimation of Cahill as a cash. They returned to the house in a quarter of an hour to
petty criminal was shortly afterwards to be revised. On pick up the remaining gang member. A security man who had
November 18, 1974 there was a hold-up at Quinnsworth in pursued the gang was shot in the shoulder. The gang disappeared
Rathfarnham Shopping Centre. A security guard was coshed without trace.
on the head. The gang got away with 90,000 in cash. Martin The gardai suspected Martin Cahill of the robbery. They
and Eddie Cahill and their brother-in-law, Hugh Delaney, were believed that the money from the robbery was buried some-
taken by the gardai into custody for questioning. where. They were following Martin Cahill everywhere he went.
There is one thing that Martin Cahill is adamant about and Cahill says he decided to take the gardai out for a drive to
that is the danger of making a statement - any kind of Killiney. When he reached Killiney Hill he parked his car and
statement - in custody. Frequently, he says, the gardai will decided to stretch his legs. He walked up to the top of the hill
engage suspects in informal conversations about their family, and surveyed the view. The gardai were following up the hill
the weather or other general matters. He believes these are then on foot. Suddenly he said to himself: "How could I have been
incorporated into statements which include other incriminating so stupid?". One of the detectives approaching him was
statements allegedly made by an accused while in custody. In brandishing a stick, he claims. One of them approached him

20 MAGILL MARCH 1988

and said: "Now Martin, we are not going from here until you were interrupted when a BMW pulled up and the driver started
tell us where the money from Semperit is, and everything else waving at them and honking the horn. It was Martin Cahill,
that you know". According to Cahill's account he was then and the gardai were perplexed, as he was supposed to be in :
beaten up by the police. They then threatened to dangle him Mountjoy jail. Once Cahill succeeded in securing their attention
over the cliff. In the course of the struggle he managed to break he quickly drove off.
free and set off running down the hill, barely touching the Checks with the prison revealed that Martin Cahill was on
ground. He hid down by the railway line for several hours, day release to take lessons as an articulated lorry driver. Half
literally licking his wounds. His jacket was gone, his shirt was of the cost was being met by the Department of Justice, the
torn. balance was paid for by Cahill himself from money he had
He had a fractured shoulder. When he came out of hiding earned from prison work. He duly passed the test. During one
he rang for his solicitor. He was afraid to go back to his car of his visits to the Irish School of Motoring learning centre he
in case the police were waiting. His solicitor came out and found a wallet which he gave to the porter. The wallet belonged
collected him and drove to hospital. Before dropping Cahill off to a journalist in the Evening Herald who subsequently
he lent him five pounds. Subsequently, through his solicitor, published a snippet in the paper thanking the prisoner, who he
he made an official complaint to the Garda Commissioner did not know, for his honesty. The irony is not lost on martin
against named gardai, who attacked him on Killiney Hill. The Cahill, who points out that it is the Evening Herald which is
Commissioner replied that his complaint had been thoroughly now calling most loudly for his head on a platter.
investigated and found to be "without substance". When Martin Cahill was released from jail he returned to
Later in the year there was a robbery going down. He wasn't Hollyfield buildings. The corporation now wanted to demolish
involved in the robbery but as a favour he agreed to supply a the scheme. Martin Cahill says he had other ideas. He refused
car. The car was stolen and kept in a lock-up garage. It had to budge. The corporation offered alternative accommodation
been put there late the previous night. An alert neighbour to all affected families. But the house they were offering Martin
noticed the fresh tracks of the car leading into the garage. She Cahill - directly across the road from Kevin Street police
called the gardai. When Martin Cahill arrived at the garage and station - he said, was "unsuitable". The Corporation served
got into the car he was arrested. He was charged with receiving eviction orders on all the remaining families in the block. The
a stolen car. He got four years. evictions were enforced by a large number of gardai. Cahill
The first thing he did when he went back to prison was to claims they wrecked his flat. He still refused to move. For three
tell authorities that he wanted to get a driving licence that would weeks the three families all remained in Cahill's flat. Eventually
qualify him to drive articulated lorries. He told them that he his wife accepted the offer of the house in Kevin Street.
would then be able to work as a long distance lorry driver. He Stubborn to the last, Martin Cahill remained on until the flat
was giving plenty of notice, so that when his sentence was was burnt out in a mysterious fire. Relucantly he joined his wife
nearing completion, and he was eligible for training, they would in Kevin Street. From there they arranged a swop with a family
take his request seriously. in Swan Grove, Rathmines, where he now lives.
Once again, he says, he was a model prisoner. When the
Department of Justice introduced a pilot scheme under which
selected prisoners were granted temporary release for Christmas,
Martin Cahill was one of a small group chosen. He was called
in beforehand to see the Governor. The Governor told him that
they had very bad reports from people outside. He emphasised
to Cahill that if he did not return the whole scheme would be
placed in jeopardy. His release was unexpected, and he says
it was "the best Christmas ever." He returned to the prison HE O'CONNOR'S JEWELLERY RAID
half an hour early. WAS CARRIED OUT EARLY ON THE MORNING OF
July 27, 1983. The raid had been meticulously planned.
Normally a hundred staff would have been on duty. But because
of holidays there were only twenty-five. The raiders had taken
up a vantage point the previous night in a boilerhouse. As staff
reported for duty they were stopped by the gang and herded
into the toilet. There were nine raiders in all. When one of the
staff was being locked into the toilet some money dropped from
N LATE 1980 GARDA! WERE his pocket. One of the gang members picked it up and handed
SEARCHING GARDENS ON PALMERSTOWN ROAD IN it back to him. There was one awkward moment when one
Rathmines. A bank official had been murdered during a female member refused to be locked up in the men's toilet. It
burglarly of one of the flats on the road and the gardai were took half an hour to load the waiting van with the contents of
now looking for the murder weapon. As it happened the prime the strongroom. The value of the haul was estimated to be
suspect was Martin Cahill's brother Anthony, who was already between 1.3 million and 2 million.
in custody. Cahill and a co-accused admitted the burglary, but Within minutes of the robbery, the gardai named Martin Cahill
both opted for separate trials. They were acquitted as there was as the prime suspect.
no evidence to show which man had done the stabbing. But the gardai weren't the only people taking an interest in
Subsequently Anthony Cahill was convicted of taking part in Martin Cahill. The Provisional IRA decided they wanted the
an armed robbery and was sent to the Curragh military camp proceeds of the robbery for themselves. On March 1I 1984 the
which was then being used for "difficult" prisoners. In prison, IRA kidnapped Tommy Gaffney as he left the Park Inn pub
Cahill repeatedly alleged that he was regularly beaten up. He in Harold's Cross. At the time the Concerned Parents were
died in his cell from a drugs overdose. active against suspected drugs pushers. Sinn Fein had a high
Meanwhile, Cahill recalls, the gardai searching the gardens profile in the movement. Gaffney had already clashed with

MAGILL MARCH 1988 21

-
members of the Concerned Parents. He resented their prior to the trip to England. It had been recovered by the gardai
suggestions that he was involved in drug dealing. The a couple of hours later outside an intinerant camp. There had
kidnapping of Gaffney at the time was wrongly assumed to be been no damage to the car except for the fact that the door
connected with the ongoing war against drugs. panels had been removed and were thrown on the back seat.
Tommy Gaffney was held by the IRA for eleven days in all. However, it was the driver of the car who had removed the
During the initial stages of his capture he was beaten up. gold from the car. When the car had been returned to him by
Gaffney and Cahill knew each other from their childhood. It the man who had asked him to drive to England he noticed the
was for this reason he was kidnapped, there is no evidence to doors were heavier than usual. After he took the gold out he
suggest he was involved in the robbery.They were both in arranged for his car to be dumped outside the itinerant camp.
Daingean reformatory school together. Though he had remained His plan was that the itinerants would take the car and strip
in close contact with Martin Cahill over the years, it became it down for parts. In that way blame for the stealing of the
clear-to the I RA that he could not supply the kind of detailed jewellery would point towards the itinerants in the camp.
information about Martin Cahill that they needed.They turned To date the gardai have failed to link Martin Cahill with
their attention to Martin Foley another friend of Cahill's. major crime. The last occasion when Cahill was before the
Likewise, there is no evidence to suggest any involvement on courts was on an armed robbery charge. On that occasion the
his part in the robbery. He was kidnapped early on the morning Offices of the District Court were broken into and papers
of March 22. Immediately after his abduction, his wife rang relating to the case were stolen. There was also a fire at the
the police. As luck would have it there was a patrol car in the office.
area at the time. They tailed the kidnappers' van until Cahill was also accused of an armed robbery in a factory at
reinforcements arrived. Martin Foley was released after a shoot- Clondalkin. Cahill denies involvement. The trial against
out in the Phoenix Park. The four IRA men who abducted him Cahill opened in June 1984 under Judge Frank Martin in the
were arrested. (Subsequently they received sentences of between Circuit Criminal Court. At one point, during the trial two men
five and nine years on conviction in the Special Criminal Court). in the public gallery got up and started shouting abuse at Cahill.
The IRA decided to cut their losses. Tommy Gaffney was Judge Martin summarily committed them to Mountjoy for
released later the same day. Before he was released, according contempt of court and told the jury to ignore the outburst.
to Cahill, the IRA told him they would not bother kidnapping Cahill denied to Magill that he engineered the move because
Martin Cahill: Instead, they "would stiff him on the street." things weren't going his way.
As it happened over 100,000 worth of jewellery was stolen The prosecution took a week to present the evidence. After
from the gang who pulled off the robbery at O'Connors. The they had closed their case, defence counsel rose and applied that
perpetrators of the crime against the criminals were not the judge direct the jury to acquit. He outlined the facts of the
pararnilitaries , or rivals, but solid young middle class citizens, case, how the two men had entered the office in the factory,
whose parents work in professional occupations. The operation riped the phones out of the wall and forced the only occupant
was an elaborate sting which went wrong and resulted in one - a woman - to hand over the contents of the safe. The charge
individual being nailed to the floor in retribution. 50,000 worth was armed robbery, not theft, he went on. It was necessary to
of jewellery in a sock was dug up in the back garden of a house prove the woman who was robbed was in fear of violence being
in Terenure by an inquisitive dog. According to one garda source used. When the woman was in the box she had not been asked
the contents of the sock were part of a larger amount which whether she was in fear. The application succeeded. The judge
was stolen from the gang who had robbed O'Connors in the directed the jury to acquit. Outside the court Cahill shouted
first place. The gardai suspect Cahill of having been behind the over at detectives who were gathered in a group. When they
robbery. Cahill denies this. turned around, he gave them two fingers and shouted "Get up
According to the same garda source, a fringe member of the - see you again", and walked out.
gang was asked to arrange for a car to smuggle 100,000 worth
of the jewellery over to England. The man in question then
asked an acquaintance if he would drive to England to collect
a parcel. The man comes from a middle class background and
has no criminal record. The parcel he was to collect in England
contained nothing illegal. A couple of days before he was due
to go to England the man who commissioned him to make the
journey borrowed his car. He filled the cavaties in the car with ARTIN CAHILL
over 100,000 worth of gold and returned the car. The driver REMAINS AN ENIGMA. HE HAS A TOTALLY
of the car was to know nothing. This meant that when he went unostentatious style of living. He doesn't smoke or drink. He
through the customs he would be perfectly relaxed. has never had a holiday in his life. He was never been out of
Everything seemed to go according to plan. The young man Ireland, nor does he have any desire to leave the country. He
took the ferry to England as instructed. Waiting there was the doesn't even have a passport. One of the reasons is that he
man who had put the gold in the car, and a senior member of doesn't trust foreigners.
the gang. The only problem was that when they opened up the When it comes down to what he likes to do with his time he
panels of the door the gold was gone. is vague. He enjoys being with people, loves pubs, even though
A row ensued. The senior gang member returned to Dublin he drinks only Club Orange. He has half a dozen motorbikes
to report to other gang members. The man who had put the and says he is an enthusiast. One of the bikes is a I200cc Harley
gold into the door panels swore he hadn't told anybody the gold Davidson. He doesn't however admit to actually owning them.
was there. When he remained behind in England for two weeks If he did, the Social Welfare might tell him to sell them to
the suspicions of the gang intensified. He returned home when support himself. .
he was flat broke. He was then taken by gang members and The house in Cowper Downs valued at 80,000, is in his wife's
interrogated for several hours. He was beaten up, had his fingers name and paid for in full by bank draft in 1985. The purchase
broken and was nailed to the floor. Still he refused to admit of the house, however, is not a concession to middle class
he had robbed the jewellery for himself. respectability. He is unconcerned what his neighbours might
Notwithstanding the lengths to which the gang went to extract think of the twenty-four hour police presence outside his door: .
information from the man whom they suspected, it is not "It would be different if I were respectable" he says. He doesn't
surprising he told them nothing. He had not been involved in give a damn what they think. He and his neighbours have
robbing the robbers. The driver of the car in the meantime had nothing in common with each other. All his friends are people
volunteered the information that his car had been stolen just he met in jail. He knows people who aren't involved in

22 MAGILL MARCH 1988

crime will find it difficult to understand
the people who are his friends are the
most genuine people he has ever met.
Martin Cahill thinks it is important not
to forget where you came from. He cites
the Dunne family. When they acquired
new wealth they started to live above
themselves. The people they had known
all through the early years felt shunned.
People they had in the past relied upon
turned against them.
The Dunnes, at their peak, used to
fantasise about building a village in the
mountains and calling it Dunnesville.
Martin Cahill is currently under
investigation by the Department of Social
Welfare. He couldn't admit to being
involved in anything that involves the
investment of capital, but in conversation
the sort of things he admits to aspiring
to are setting up people in business selling
hamburgers from a van or giving
unemployed youths money for a horse
and cart to get a coal round going.
He says he is nothing like as wealthy
as the newspapers make him out to be,
though he wishes he was. He was greatly
amused he says, by a recent report that
he had been interested in buying the
Ormond Hotel for 450,000.
He pointedly refuses to answer
questions on the rights and wrongs of
armed robbery in the first person. He
thinks it is wrong to go out on armed
robbery and be prepared as a matter of
course to kill people for money. But if in
the heat of the moment robbers have
weapons they should use them: "the
robber can get shot too, remember".
He claims to be unaffected by all the
media coverage in recent weaks. During
the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis, Taoiseach
Charlie Haughey in his presidential
address reaffirmed the party's
commitment to law and order. In a direct
reference to Martin Cahill he mentioned
the new steps being taken by the gardai
against "ruthless criminals". Martin
Cahill refers to that as "bullshit".
Despite his chequered career, Martin
Cahill claims that if any of his children
ever turned to crime he would be
"shocked". He doesn't believe they have
been adversely affected by the attention
he has received from the gardai and in the
media. "They are used to it" , he believes.
He would be very surprised if they follow
in their father's footsteps.
For the moment, the "game", as
Martin Cahill insists on calling the
surveillance, continues. He believes that
because the gardai have not got evidence
against him that they will try to entrap
him.
Martin Cahill remains defiant, "I am
afraid of nobody", he says. "You get
nervous but that does not stop you doing
anything. The gardai want to get me.
They want to 'give' me a robbery so that
they can be there waiting for me. There,
they will shoot me dead."
 Marion had flown over from the l ~:\
three weeks beforehand to est.i hlish her
residency requirements. Then. <1I1 the day
that the guest list had been aureed with
the prison a ut lu u it ic-; Paul \\.1, abruptly
moved to Long Lartin. Marion had only
been given a limited time off work. It was
Last Month, Paul Hill married Marion Serravalli in too late to alter the arrangements and she
had to fly home disappointed.
a British prison. There was no alcohol or music at That was the forty-sixth prison shift
the wedding. Paul Hill is one of the Guildford that Hill had been through. His refusal to
meekly serve a sentence for a crime that
Four, sentenced to spend the rst of his life behind he did not commit has led to a constant
bars. eONOR F"OLEY, a guest at the wedding, writes. battle of wills with the authorities. He has
spent almost one and a half thousand
days in solitary confinement. The terms

I TWAS A SHORT WEDDING SER- They began to correspond regularly. She

have ranged up to nine months in
vice. In his sermon, the priest spoke visited him in prison and they fell in love.
duration.
of the God-centred nature of The wedding is the result of a three year
The toll it is taking on him shows. His
marriage. He hoped that in years to come relationship.
pale and thin body looks slightly
the bride and groom would look on each The only hitch in the service came
incongruous in a wedding suit. There are
other as true friends. Only his reference to during the exchanging of rings. The
worries about his health if the ordeal
their "slightly unusual circumstances" couple fumbled nervously. Marion had a
continues much longer. But the laughter
reminded us where we were. fit of giggles which interrupted her
in his eyes shows his spirit at least is still
The wedding took place in Long Lartin wedding vows. Paul nudged her in the
strong.
Prison on Friday 12 February, 1988. It ribs as she recovered her composure.

H
was held in maximum security We all smiled in sympathy. It was a EHAS BEEN IN PRISON FOR
conditions. The groom, thirty-one year small congregation. Our numbers were over thirteen years now. He was
old Paul Hill, is one of the four people reduced by the inaccessibility of the arrested in 1974, at the height of
convicted of the Guilford pub bombings prison. Most of the guests had travelled the IRA bombing campaign in Britain.
which took place in 1974. All four still across from Ireland or up from London The Prevention of Terrorism Act had just
maintain their innocence, a claim to attend. All had required security been rushed through Parliament, in the
supported by a growing body of people clearance from the Home Office. wake of the Birmingham pub bombings.
and evidence. Members of the Special Branch mingled Paul was the first person to be detained
His bride, Marion Serravalli, is a amongst the warders who lined the back under the Act.
thirty-one year old American of Italian of the church. Hill was put on trial along with Patrick
extraction. Their first contact took place The wedding had originally been Armstrong, Gerard Conlon and Carole
three years ago, when she wrote to inform scheduled to take place last November in Richardson. They were charged with the
him of the death of one of his friends. London's Wormwood Scrubs prison. bombing of public houses in Guildford,

24 MAGILL MARCH 1988

the previous October. These had resulted demonstrated the use of a clever counter- Avon and Somerset police force. It was
in the deaths of five people and the interrogation technique developed by the ordered by the Home Secretary, Douglas
injuring of fifty more. IRA. Hurd, in response to a top-level
All four had been arrested under the At the end of the trial, the four received delegation last July. This consisted of
Prevention of Terrorism Act. The powers some of the longest sentences in legal Cardinal Hume, Lord Devlin and Lord
that the PTA give to the police were such history. Carole Richardson is being Scarman, and two former Home
that the Home Secretary at the time, Roy detained at Her Majesty's pleasure; Gerry Secretaries, Merlyn Rees and Roy
Jenkins, described them as "unprece- Conlon is serving life, not less than thirty Jenkins. Hurd is insisting that he needs
dented in peacetime". He assured the years; Patrick Armstrong is serving life, new evidence before he re-opens the case.'
House of Commons that it would only be not less than thirty-five years; Paul Hill is However, the Criminal Justice Act
a temporary piece of legislation. serving natural life. He is never to be specifies tha t new evidence is not required
Under Section Twelve of the Act released except as an act of mercy on and the case can be re-opened entirely at
people can be detained on "reasonable account of great age or infirmity. Home Secretary's discretion.
suspicion" for up to seven days before The IRA bombing campaign was not Nevertheless, new evidence has been
they need to be charged. The rights of affected by these arrests and convictions. produced confirming Paul Hill's and
detainees in custody are extremely limited It did, however, stop abruptly in Carole Richardson's alibis. This has been
and quite loosely defined. The National December 1975 when four members of forwarded to the police investigation.
Council for Civil Liberties has brought a the IRA were arrested following the Hurd is waiting for the result of this
test case against the British government before deciding whether or not to refer
in the European Court. It will probably the case to the Court of Appeal.
show that this section of the Act is a Last November, an all Party delegation
further breach by Britain of the European from Ireland, headed by Peter Barry,
Convention on Human Rights. lobbied Hurd about the case. Concern
After several days of gruelling about it was one of the factors making the
interrogation, solitary confinement and Irish government reluctant to ratify the
beatings, all four confessed to carrying extradition treaty. This was assured that
out the bombings. They had been denied the investigation would be finished by
access to a solicitor and were Christmas. The earliest date now given
disorientated by the deprivation of food for its completion is April. A similar
and sleep. Their confessions, which police investigation into the Birmingham
contained numerous inconsistencies, Six case took two years to complete. An
were all retracted in court. This was the appeal hearing would probably take a
only evidence presented against them by further year and, if a retrial was ordered it
the prosecution. None of the four were would probably not take place until well
picked out in identity parades. Two of into the 1990s.
them were able to produce witnesses to
prove that they were elsewhere at the time
of the bombings.
Carole Richardson's defence makes
her conviction appear totally grotesque.
She had attended a rock concert with a
T HE CAMPAIGN

however,
Campaigners
gaining
FOR THE RE-
lease of the Guildford Four is,
momentum.
have despaired of the
ability of the British legal and judicial
friend on the evening in question. This "Balcorne Street siege". Three of these system to own up to its own miscarriages
was confirmed by officers at the concert immediately confessed to the detective of justice - the police investigating the
hall and members of the group playing superintendent who arrested them, Peter Birmingham Six case seemed more
that night. She had another witness, Imbert, that they had carried out the interested in discrediting witnesses for the
Frank Johnson, who made a statement to Guildford bombings. They were able to appellants than assessing their evidence.
the police verifying that she could not provide detailed, accurate and Representatives of the campaign have
have been in Guildford when the independent statements describing how toured the USA, met the influential
bombings were carried out. His statement they had carried them out. A police Friends of Ireland group and lobbied the
led to him being detained himself under forensic expert uncovered evidence to European Parliament. There is currently
the PTA. After three days of threats and show that the bombings fitted the same a motion tabled in Strasbourg, by John
beatings from the police he agreed to alter pattern as other operations carried out by Hume MEP, urging the British
the time that he claimed to have met her. this IRA unit. He was told to drop in the government to re-open the case.
He has since stated that by then he would matter. Amongst the guests at Hill's wedding
have even agreed to confessing he had On the basis of this new evidence, the was the British Labour MP Jeremy
carried out the bombings himself if the Guildford Four applied for a retrial. Corbyn. He doubled as the photographer
police had asked him. Their case was referred instead to the for a while, leading to a few suggestions
The case against Richardson Court of Appeal where three judges that he might be training for a new job in
rested on the claim that she had upheld the original convictions. The case he lost his seat. He is staking his
participated in the bombings in reluctance by judges in the Court of political credibility on Paul's innocence.
Guildford and then driven back to central Appeal to believe that the police might Hill's new wife, Marion, also has a lot
London in forty-five minutes. The police ever overstep the law in order to obtain to lose. She had to return to the United
proved this was just about possible in a convictions is notorious. It was States a week after the wedding. She will
squad car driven at break-neck speed. demonstrated again in their recent not be able to visit her husband again
The prosecuting counsel, Michael judgement in the case of the Birmingham until the autumn. After the service and
Havens, warned the jury that Carole had Six. Thisjudgement hung ominously over the wedding photos, the couple cut the
lied in her statement. He said that she had Paul Hill's wedding celebrations. cake. There was very little time for small
claimed to have carried out two talk as Paul had to be back in his cell by

T
bombings when in fact she had only HERE IS CURRENTLY AN 11.45am. As the time approached, the
carried out one. This contradiction in the investigation into the ease of the warders shuffled uncomfortably. Up
statement that formcd the only evidence Guildford Four being undertaken until then they had kept discreetly in the
presented against her. he explained. by the Deputy Chief Constable of the background. Eventually. they had to

MAGILL MARCH 1988 2S

 interrupt the proceedings to lead Hill sa me ncwspa per had earlier commented that day's issue, he blanched and
awa~. It had cost the family an extra on the failure of the Birmingham Six retreated.
00.00 to pay for this escort. appeal "if we had our way we would have We drove to a hotel in the nearest town,
The wedding guests and Marion Hill strung 'em up years ago". Evesham, to wait until 1.30pm when Hill
were escorted out in the other direction. When we walked out the prison gate, would be allowed out of his cell again to
the cameras homed in on us. Marion resume the reception. There was no
We passed through the series of double draped a scarf over her head. Hill's alcohol or music allowed. But dozens of
doors and locks which lead to the mother, his uncle and aunt and the rest of cards from other prisoners had already
reception area. Outside the prison, the his family tried to remain .calrn as arrived. During the wedding speeches
photographers of the tabloid press questions were shouted at them and there were impassioned pleas for Paul's
gathered. microphones shoved in their faces. One release. Some of the .warders nodded
The hysteria induced by the media unidentified journalist sidled over to a sympathetically. The Branchmen looked
around the Guildford Four's original member of the family to solicit a at their shoes.
trial played a large part in ensuring their comment. He claimed to represent the At 4pm the guests, including Marion
convictions. The Sun greeted the news of Guardian, a paper which, so far, has given Hill, had to say their good byes and leave.
Paul's wedding with the ftont page the case sympathetic coverage. On being Hill. returned to his cell for his wedding
headline: "IRA PIG TO MARRY". The informed that there was already a story in n~t.
T HOMAS and Bridie Martin live in a modern bungalow
up a narrow pot-holed road off the main Kingscourt-
Shercock road, in County Cavan. Beside the bungalow
is a large iron shed which dwarfs the family home, and it is here
that Thomas, a mechanic, fixes tractors and large farm
O N A COLD MORNING
Monday, December 6th 1982, a
0

garda car called to the Martin

home at around 9am. Bridie Martin
answered the door to the gardai, who told
her they wanted to speak with her
husband. Sergeant Finnegan, from Navan
machinery, earning the money to supports his family. The couple garda station, took Thomas Martin
have two children, a girl almost sixteen, and a boy of thirteen outside, and said he was arresting him
years. The children are now afraid to live in the Kingscourt area, under Section 30 of the Offences Against
the State Act and was bringing him to
and instead live on the other side of the country. They are afraid
Kingscourt garda station. Thomas Martin
of the local gardai. got into the back of the garda car and it
On February 12, a High Court jury awarded Thomas Martin was driven off toward, Kingscourt.
24,360 in damages. The case arose out of allegations by Martin "There's a lot of holes on your road,
Tom", said one of the gardai.
that he had been subjected to and threatened with physical The car stopped briefly in Kingscourt,
violence by the gardai. and then drove off again to Navan. The
The following narrative account of the incidents which gave arrested man was taken into Navan garda
station, and was put standing in the hall,
rise to the action is based on the Martins' evidence to the court. between two detectives. After five to ten
minutes, he \I as taken by the detective,
to the interview room, a room with a table

By Calm Keena and chairs, an opaque window, book-

shelves and an electric clock. The clock
was put lying on its face. The detectives

MAGILL MARCH 1988 27

were strangers and, as yet, Thomas both from Navan. In evidence Martin seen in the area, and that he had had to
Martin did not know why he had been said that they sat at the table in the room, get it pushed to get it started. Martin
arrested. and asked him about the same robberies. denied it all. Then, after a time, he said
Detective Garda Jordan came Martin was given a meal. He ignored their that he had, in fact, been in the area that
into the room, carrying a briefcase. He questions and asked for a doctor, a night. He had gone to a bar in Bally-
took the suspect's fingerprints and left. solicitor, and that he could make a phone jamesduff and had a drink of orange.
Two men, detective Garda Niall Leinster call to his wife. They continued to ask There were some women in the bar, and
and detective Garda Mark Kerrigan, both questions, and he continued to ignore one, who drinking Pims Number One,
from the investigation section of the them. On occasion Sgt Finnegan banged was a little drunk. He bought her a drink
Garda Technical Bureau, Dublin, began the table roughly with his fist, and moved or two and later they left the bar and went
to ask questions. The two gardai, and the close to Martin, but there was no abuse, . to a restaurant in the town, where he
suspect, were seated around the table. It and no violence. Martin said nothing of bought her chicken and chips. They then
was around lOam. his treatment earlier by the two detectives. drove off in his car, stopped by a woods,
The gardai began to ask Martin about At roughly 5.lOpm, the interview with the and had sex. Later he drove her to near
a number of bank robberies, a post office two sergeants ended, and they left the her home, and dropped her off. He did
robbery, and the theft of a quantity of room. Sergeant O'Neill looked back in, not know her name or who she was. She
firearms and ammunition from an arms and told Martin that there had been was a stranger. He then drove along the
dealer in Oldcastle, Co Meath. Martin contact with his wife. OldcastIe road, but pulled into a side road
alleged in court that after only a short After sergeants Finnegan and O'Neill to urinate. After urinating, he found that
period they grew angry and got up from left the interview room they were replaced his car would not start, and he had to wail
their chairs and approached Martin. They by another two detectives, Tadgh Foley, until two men came along who gave his
were shouting. They grabbed him up from the investigation section, Garda car a push to get it started.
from his seat and began pushing him by Technical Bureau, Dublin, and Gerard The gardai took note of his statement,
his shoulders, back and forth from garda Murray, from Trim garda station. bUI said they did not believe it was true.
to garda. Big men, they pushed him hard Martin's evidence in court of this

B
and fast. He grew dizzy but was unable episode is as follows: RIDIE MARTIN GAVE EVI-
to stop the gardai pushing him back and Martin was given some tea and salad. dence in court that when her
forth, back and forth. Then one of the detectives ordered him husband had not returned by
Martin was saying nothing. He wanted up off the chair and began to shake him lunchtime, she decided to make a
to see a solicitor. Detective Garda by the shoulders. He was again accused telephone call to Kingscourt garda
Leinster, grabbed Martin by the hair on of the robberies. The detectives said that station. However, the gardai there did not
the sides of his temples. Applying they were fresh, and that if he thought he know of her husband's arrest and said he
pressure to each side of his skull, he drew had had a hard day, he was wrong - he was not in their station. She began to ring
Martin up until he was a number of inches was starting into one. Detective Murray other garda stations in the area, in
off the floor. said he was going to throw Martin Bailieboro, Carrickmacross, Dundalk,
Leinster was in a rage. According to through the window. He pushed him Monaghan, Cavan, Kells. No one knew
Martin's evidence, he took a blood towards it, Martin tripped, fell, and of her husband's arrest, or where he was.
donor's pin from Martin's jacket, and banged his head off a radiator. However, Frantic, she decided to ring a local
asked did he give blood. When Martin he still ignored their accusations and politician, Dr Rory O'HanIon, who was
said he did, the detective shouted he asked for a doctor and a solicitor. then a minister of state. He was at a
would not like to be "the cunt given your Martin claimed in court that the two meeting in Coolshanaghan, Co.
blood". The detective was in a rage, and detectives were pushing him around the Monaghan, and she contacted him there.
Martin felt that Leinster was going to beat room, and occasionally administering He said he would make a few enquiries
him to a pulp. He had no chance of punches to his shoulders and sides. and call her back. At about 5pm, he
escaping from the small room. All the Detective Murray twisted his left arm a telephoned and told her that her husband
time, the detective was roaring at Martin, number of times and knocked him to the was in Navan garda station.
asking him about two bank robberies and ground. They shouted at Martin that he She telephoned a solicitor in Bailie-
a post office raid in OIdcastle, a bank knew where the stolen arms were hidden, boro, Mel Kilrane. Kilrane could not
robbery in Virginia and the raid on the and that they would make him take them travel to Navan, but he arranged for a
gun dealers. He took out the contents of to the dump. At one stage detective solicitor there, Andrew Donnelly, to act
Martin's jacket pockets, which included Murray asked Martin if he knew the on his behalf. She made her way to
a rosary beads, and threw them in the rhyme about the mongrel dog. The Navan, along with her sister and her
firegrate. He grabbed Martin's ears and detective took a bullet from his pocket. brother-in-law. They arrived at the station
pulled him close to his own face, roaring Martin was made turn around towards and there met up with solicitor Andrew
at him to admit to the robberies, or he the window and the detective pushed the Donnelly. They were brought in to see
would kill him. Calling Martin a bastard, bullet into the back of his neck. The Thomas Martin. It was a little after
he grabbed his left arm, and twisted it and detective said if he was not shown where 8.I5pm.
knocked Martin to the floor. He stood the arms dump was, he had a gun and he Bridie was shocked by the look of her
over him, twisting his arm, and shouting would use it. husband. His face was red and flushed
down at him. They pushed him from one The gardai were asking Martin to agree and he looked and felt hot despite the
to the other, lifted him by his temples, with a particular role in the robbery at the coldness. There was a lump on the side
punched him in the stomach, twisted him Oldcastle gun dealer's. They said he had of his head, over his left ear. He looked
by the arm and knocked him to the floor. acted as a scout for the raiders, and that distressed. His hair was tossed and there
All the while they shouted at him to admit he had promised to lead them over a was a cut on top of his head. His dark
to the robberies. by the time they left the mountain, through back roads, and help trousers were white and dusty. She had
room. them escape the scene of the crime. All brought a packet of Anadin with her and
the time Martin denied that what they some tea in a flask, and she gave him

T
HE TWO DETECTIVES WERE were saying was true. Detectives Murray these. He took four of the tablets and
replaced by two sergeants: the and Foley were continually asking him washed them down with tea. After
arresting sergeant, Michael was it not true that he had acted as a scout twenty-five minutes, she was asked to
Finnegan, and sergeant William O'Neill, for the raiders. They said his car had been leave. The solicitor agreed with her that

28 MAGILL MARCH 1988

it would be a good idea to get a doctor was travelling to Navan in the afternoon went to the Special Criminal Court, in
to go in and have a look at her husband, and would call to the station. At around Dublin, she would hear what charges were
so she went to a friend's house on the 11.00, she headed off once more for being brought against her husband. Being
Nobber road to use the telephone there. Navan garda station. At the station she told the court closed at five, she decided
The attempt to get a doctor to go to the was refused permission to see her she did not have time. She then went
station failed. The first three attempts met husband. home.
with a failure to even contact the GPs According to her account given in

T
concerned. A fourth had left a message court, she had called solicitor Andrew HE PREVIOUS EVENING,
saying he would return at 1O.30pm, but Donnelly and asked him to call to the after meeting his wife and soli-
when they rang him at that time he said station. He arrived soon after midday, citor, Thomas Martin was brought
he did not want to get involved. A doctor and he too was refused permission to see back to the interview room where he was
contacted after that refusal said she did Martin. He said he would be back some- joined by detectives Leinster and
Kerrigan. In the High Court Martin gave
the following evidence:
The detectives began again to shout at
him that he had taken part in the
robberies. They pushed him from one to
the other, punched him, and detective
Leinster began again to lift him up by his
temples. They insisted again and again
that he make a statement. At around
Ilpm detectives Foley and Murray
returned. He was told that more of what
he had experienced that day was in store
for him the next. At one stage, Murray
started to roar at him that he had shot a
schoolteacher in Newry, in front of a
classroom of schoolchildren.
The Anadin tablets Martin had taken
during his meeting with his wife had
stopped the pain in his head for a time,
but soon after detectives Murray and
Foley had returned to the room to inter-
rogate him, the pain returned. Martin
took the Anadin box from his pocket and
was putting one of the pills into his mouth
when Murray shouted at him, threw the
pills into the fire grate.
Just before he was put into the cell that
night, Detective Murray took Martin's
rosary beads from the fire grate and, after
making Martin kneel, bless himself and
hold the cruci fix in front of his face, told
him to repeat the names of all the banks
and other places robbed, and told him to
go into his cell and pray that he would
confess in the morning. Detective Murray
was roaring loudly at Martin, who saw
not want to travel to Navan. It was time after 2pm, and he left. Bridie Martin Detective Foley sniggering in the back-
approaching 11.30pm and Mrs. Martin and her sister-in-law remained in the ground.
decided to return to Navan garda station, station, occasionally asking if they could Martin was put in the cell where he
to tell her husband of their efforts. see Thomas. At around 2pm, they were stayed until 8.30am the next morning.
Bridie Martin travelled back to Navan, allowed in to see him. Bridie was again The cell smelled of stale urine and vomit
but did not get to see her husband. She shocked by his appearance. He was very and Martin lay on the mattress on the
returned to her home in Corlea and drawn, and his eyes were sunken into concrete base and tried to sleep. He had
telephoned Dr Rory 0 Hanlon. It was their sockets. He looked exhausted and a bad headache. Occasionally during the
after twelve midnight. Dr O'Hanlon complained of a terrible pain in his left night, the garda on duty came to check
advised her to ring his practice in Car- arm, going down into his little finger. him, and would shout in asking if he was
rickmacross the next morning, and ask They were allowed stay together for an alright. He did not get any sleep.
one of the doctors there to go to Navan hour. Fr Moorehead came for a brief In the morning he was brought to a
to examine her husband. visit. The solicitor came and spoke with room where he could wash his face and
At 7am the next morning, she rang his client. At about 3pm they were asked wash out his mouth. He had been sick
Navan garda station, and was told that to leave, with the solicitor remaining during the night. He was then brought
her husband was still there and was doing behind. Andrew Donnelly came down down to the interview room again. An
fine. Later she rang Dr O'Hanlon's prac- later and they discussed their difficulty extention order providing for a further
tice but none of the doctors there would with getting a doctor. Then a uniformed twenty-four hours detention had been
travel to the garda station in Navan. Dr garda came down the stairs, and told the read to him. He sat with sergeant
McMahon, from Kingscourt, said he solicitor that his client wanted to see him Finnegan in the room and the two of
would travel to see her husband in Navan again. After some minutes Bridie Martin them had a conversation for some time.
at 1.30, when his clinic ended. She called went back into the station and asked what At one stage another garda came in and
a local priest, Fr Moorehead. He said he was happening. She was told that if she question Martin about a man he had

MAGILL MARCH 1988 29

given a lift to, two months previously, in at Ipm that day. He found there were started and he went home. In the state-
the Dundalk area. Martin was asked for injuries consistent with Martin's claims of ment, Martin, a mechanic, refers to a
his passenger's name but said he did not assault, but recommended that Martin "Bedford or a Transit van". It was a
know who the man was, he had just given have a second examination if released on Bedford that was used.
him a lift. Then the garda returned to the bail. He said the conditions under which Martin's brother, who lives in England,
subject of the robberies. the examination had been carried out had had left a blue Ford Escort in Corlea
This man left at about 10.30, and not been ideal, and that Martin had when he had returned to England fol-
Martin and Sergeant Finnegan were shown signs of being afraid of him. lowing a holiday that summer, and
joined by Sergeant O'Neill. Martin was Martin had feared he might be another Martin had been asked to sell it. The night
told that they would not let the "rough garda, and was afraid to let him near him. of the raid on Anderson's, two men
men" back in if he made a statement. Martin was released on I0,000 bail returning home came across a car stopped
They put it to him that he had acted as that afternoon, and travelled home to in the middle of a small road, blocking
a scout for the gang which had raided Corlea, Co. Cavan, two-and-a-half days the way. They helped the man start his
Anderson's, but he denied it. They put after the Monday morning call by the car and he sped off. They considered his
the details of his alleged movements that gardai. behaviour strange, and one of them noted
the registration number XAI 997. This is
the same registration number as the car
which Martin sold some time after his
brother's return to England, and after the
Anderson robbery. Martin denies he was
out in the Ford Escort that night. He has
his own car.
A statement from the two men who
had seen the car was taken by the gardaf
on January 7, almost a month after the
arrest of Thomas Martin. Whether the
gardaf knew what these men had seen
when they arrested Martin on December
6 is unknown. The two men gave
descriptions of the man with the blue
Ford Escort. One said he was about thirty
one!thirty three years old, with a tanned
complexion, and about 5'9". The other
said the man was about twenty seven!
thirty slim, dark haired, 5 '9", and with
a dark moustache. One noted the regis-
tration number of the car as XAI 997, the
registration number of the Martin car.
However, the other said the registration
number of the car was OAI 788 or OAI
night. to him, but he denied that what The next day he was again examined, 887. Martin is smaller than 5 '9", is slim,
they were saying was true. by Dr Robert Hayes, Cavan, who again dark-haired, but does not, and did not
found injuries consistent with his claims. have a moustache. He is now forty seven

A T 2pm MARTIN WAS AL- years old.

K
lowed out to see his solicitor and ENNETH ANDERSON'S No attempt was made by the gardaf
his wife. His wife and his soli- premises had been robbed by a preparing the prosecution of Thomas
citor left at around 3pm and he was then number of men on motorcycles Martin, for involvement in the robbery
served with a charge sheet and told that and in a Bedford van, in August of 1982. of guns and ammunition, to have the two
he was going to be brought to the Special According to the statement which was men who allegedly saw him that night
Criminal Court in Dulbin that afternoon, initialled in four places by Thomas identify him. The witnesses were not
to be charged with the robbery of Martin, he had been approached and called during the Special Criminal Court
firearms, ammunition and cash from the asked to assist the raiders, one week hearing.
premises of the gun dealer, Kenneth before the raid took place. This he agreed Included in the book of evidence
Anderson, at Oldcastle, Co. Meath, the to do. He was to scout the area for Gardai prepared for Martin's trial, were a
previous August. during the raid and escort them through number of statements from gardai who
Martin was rushed to Dublin, and back roads across a mountain afterwards. where part of the team which discovered
charged at the Special Criminal Court. He On the day of the raid he drove to the- guns and ammunition stolen from
was then taken in a van, handcuffed to Kingscourt where he met up with the Anderson's, hidden in a stone-walled shed
a prison warder, and with other prison raiders and drove towards the Anderson at Mullantlavan, Carrickmacross. The
warders and prisoners, down to Port- residence. He turned into a laneway off find was made at 12.30pm, on December
laoise prison. He was strip-searched, the main road while the raiders continued 11, four days after Martin was charged
given a change of clothing and brought towards their destination. Martin was to in the Special Criminal Court. In their
to a single cell. The next morning he was wait there until the raiders returned, and statements the gardaf state what they
awake at 7am, and brought back up to was then to lead them through the back- witnessed du ring Martin's arrest and
Dublin, for a bail application. roads across the mountain. When he detention and then carryon to state that
At the Special Criminal Court, solicitor heard them come speeding up behind him they were part of the team which went to
Mel Kilraine asked for an adjournment he went to start his car, but it would not the Mullantlavan shed, and uncovered the
until the afternoon, to allow him arrange start. The raiders sped past him and that, stolen guns. What the connection is
for a medical examination. 'A Dublin according to his signed statement, was the between the two events is not stated. This
doctor, Kevin Gallagher, examined last he ever saw 0 f them. La ter , two men issue was never raised in court, and the
Martin in the basement under the court, came along and gave his car a push. It Martin family are still confused as to how

30 MAGILL MARCH 1988

the gardai intended linking Thomas previously given of mistreatment and so, questioned and had their car searched.
Martin's arrest, and alleged part in the physical abuse. Detective Leinster said he In October of last year, Bridie Martin, on
raid, with the finding of the stolen guns. had not lifted Martin up in the air, and her way to the west of Ireland, was fol-
There has never been any allegation - said that he had progressive arthritis since lowed by the Bailieboro gardai from
apart from that inherent in the matter's his twenties, and was incapable of such Killashee to Athleague, on the other side
inclusion in the book of evidence - that acts. of Roscommon. At Athleague, she was
Martin's arrest had any connection with All the other gardai involved in the trial stopped by special branch detectives from
the subsequent arms find. denied Martin's account of events. They Roscommon who said they were carrying
The case was heard in the Special were adamant no mistreatment had taken out routine checks.
Criminal Court in July of 1983. Having place and anything said by Martin in On the night of January 26, 1984, the
heard the medical evidence, the court custody was written down. gardai raided the home of Bridie Martin's
decided it would be dangerous to admit A man was arrested in Dundalk a brother, which is less than a mile from her
the alleged statement as evidence. The number of years ago for the raid at own. It was just a routine search, the
state said it had no other evidence and the Oldcastle. He pleaded guilty and received gardai said. The occupants of the house,
case was dismissed. (Martin said from the a number of years imprisonment. He is including the Martins' daughter, then
witness box during the case that he had the only member of the gang to be con- eleven years old, were taken to an
made up the statement about the woman victed so far. An enquiry into the events outhouse and held at gunpoint while the
in the bar in Ballyjamesduff, as he had in Navan garda station on December 6 house was searched. Nothing was found.
thought that by doing so he could stop and 7 was carried out by a local The young girl and her younger brother
the gardai "beating and abusing me". It superintendent, but the outcome has not are now attending school far from
is accepted by all involved in the case that been made known to the Martin family. Corlea, as they have developed a fear of
the Ballyjamesduff story is untrue.) All of the gardai alleged to have assaulted the gardai in that area.
Thomas Martin - and the High Court The Martin family believe they are
found that he was assaulted by gardai in being harassed because Thomas Martin

A
FTER THE CASE WAS DIS- avan garda station - are still working sued the gardai for beating him up.
missed, Martin sued Ireland and as gardai. Two of the men, Mark As we go to press, the latest garda visit
the Attorney General. On Feb- Kerrigan and Tadgh Foley, have been to the Martin home was on Wednesday,
ruary 12 last, after a lengthy trial in the promoted to the rank of sergeant. February 24 last. Three gardai arrived at
High Court, a jury found that he had The family say that they still do not 9.30am, accompanied by eleven soldiers.
been subjected to and threatened with know exactly what it was that led to the Some of the soldiers were carrying guns,
violence during his interrogation in Navan gardai's arresting Thomas Martin. It the others were equipped with metal
garda station. He was awarded damages might be the case that the gardai were detectors. The soldiers searched the
of 24,360. operating on "information received". Martin garage, and yard, as well as some
After the trial, Martin said that he On several occasions since the incidents surrounding land belonging to the Martin
would not wish such a "terrifying of December 1982, the Martin home in family and two neighbours. The gardai
experience" on anyone. His wife said that :Corlea has been searched by gardai, with searched the Martin home. According to
she did not want people to think all gardai warrants, carrying out "routine Bridie Martin, the soldiers drew a sketch
were bad, but that there were "problems searches". Bridie Martin keeps a journal, of the family buildings. The search party
everywhere" . in which she records the details of these left at 12.30pm. They had a warrant,
During the trial, Detectives Leinster, visits. On several occasions they have authorising a search "in connection with
Kerrigan, Foley and Murray denied been stopped while travelling in their car an offence". The gardai would not tell
Martin's allegations and account as and held for periods of thirty minutes or the Martin family what that offence was.

MAGILL MARCH 1988 31

THE OASIS ... TAKE ONE coffers weren't so flush and attitudes were
changing accordingly. The principle of

O UR BACKS ARE TO THE subsidising poorer member states in

wall . . . The rocks are order to create greater equality
perilously close ... Unless throughout the community was fast
we take the rope thrown to us by the losing the unlimited support of its
lifeboat it will go away and leave us. backers. Benevolence was being replaced
Those are the stark facts." by the instinct to look after one's own.
Joe Hannon was a worried man. It was Butter mountains and wine and milk
the night of Tuesday, March II 1986. lakes were no longer acceptable features
He was sitting at a table on the stage of of the European landscape: their growth
the Oasis Ballroom outside would have to be curtailed. For Ireland
Carrickmacross, Co Monaghan and he this meant that its farmers would no
was struggling to convince almost 1,300 longer be paid to keep expanding their
angry men and women that they really was one of the sectors which prospered. dairy herds and milk output indefinitely.
had no choice but to accept his difficult And Bailieboro, under a dynamic boss, Each co-op would be restricted on its
advice. Paddy O'Brien, began to blossom too. milk intake: a Superlevy, penalising the
Joe Hannon was Chairman of The most influential catalyst was production of surplus amounts, was
Bailieboro Co-operative. His audience Ireland's accession to the European introduced. Paddy O'Brien anticipated
were some of its confused shareholders: Economic Community in 1973: the switch in emphasis and acted.
unknown ~o them all, the Co-op had Bailicboro's throughput of milk that year Diversification, he believed, was the best
become deeply enrooted in the manure was seven million litres - ten years later road to survival and growth. He quickly
business. it had grown more than twenty times to drew up a list of new activities for the co-
Twenty years before, Bailieboro Co- 160 million litres. op: a plant to process 20 million of cheese
operative was nothing more than a By the early 1980s the EEC each year for the Middle East market; a
crossroads creamery. With the rising gravy train was slowing down. As a result mushroom growing and processing
tide of Ireland in the Sixties, agriculture of worldwide recession the community's venture at Arva, to be undertaken with

34 MAGILL MARCH 1988

Ranks, Hovis, McDougall; the purchase Paddy O'Brien. A former deputy general with the main contact, an army general.
of Owen's Dairies at Beaupark, Navan. as manager and financial controller of Hannon knew that the co-op was in a
the passport into the Dublin liquid milk Waterford Co-op, Kelly had also nursed very weak position. He felt that one of
market; an Equestrian Centre, the finest Irish Leather through difficult times and Bailieboro's few strong points was its
in the country ... he was widely regarded as someone who processing equipment and the
O'Brien's imaginative response was could help restore some order to the problematic cheese plant with its
widely acclaimed: in 1985 he won the chaos in Cavan. Kelly and Hannon rolled undelivered potential. I n 1986 and early
Agribusinessman of the Year Award up their sleeves and started shovelling. 1987, during meetings with his
sponsored by the Farmers Journal and I n December of that year they were counterparts from co-ops in the North
was named Cavanman of the Year by the able to announce the figures for 1985. The East he occasionally mentioned the
Anglo-Celt newspaper. statistics were fully accurate but made possibility of "sharing resources, like
Twelve months later the empire was depressing reading: milk and machinery. without loss of
collapsing around him. The root of the *the company had debts of 15.67 identity." Killeshandra, which didn't get
problem was that Bailieboro didn't have million and in a 1985 loss of almost 5 involved in poaching Bailieboro's
the cash now to match the many million. suppliers, listened attentively to Hannon.
commitments brought on by * the cheese plant had lost 2.8 million. The patient stayed alive through the
diversification. The alarm bells were first * Owen Dairies, after a I m loss, had been winter and spring of 1987 but the life-
sounded when Bailieboro tried to raise 4 sold off to Avonmore. support machine was beginning to
million cash in a hurry by selling off a - the aborted Bradys Marts deal cost a splutter. The busy summer time, with
stake in its highly-profitable subsidiary 200,000 write off. milk throughput at its peak, is when co-
joint venture, Rand J Emmet Ltd, *stocks, once valued at 1.2 million, ops make money. The summer of'87 was
manufacturers of a cream liqueur. The fetched only 500,000 when sold off. when Bailieboro was forced to recognise
money was needed for the Dec 31 The list went on and on ... the inevitability of change. One of the
deadline of the co-op's 1985 accounts, Bailieboro Co-op was being cut to the banks was holding back on committing
but the deal got fouled up. The Bailieboro quick in a desperate bid to survive. The its signature to important financial
turned its sights nearer home and sought cheese factory, where there was constant restructuring proposals. This, in turn,
to buy a number of marts owned by the dissatisfaction with the equipment, was was making some of the other banks
Brady family - cash now imperatives closed and the workforce dropped from windy. Foir Teo was doing its best to tie
were a major incentive. But again snags seventy to just three, on maintenance up affairs but its clout was limited. Some
arose. The first two months of 1986 were of Bailieboro's key personnel were
traumatic in East Cavan as the problems frustrated by the behaviour of the banks.
of I reland's eighth largest co-op became They muttered how, on the Continent,
common knowledge. Paddy O'Brien's the bank which was owed the largest
resignation was accepted by the amount in a similar situation would "take
Bailieboro board on February 13. the lead" and make the other financial
Politicians, Foir Teo and the banks were institutions fall into line. But there was no
trying to cobble together a rescue such action to help Bailieboro. With the
package. bank's package on ice, and cash now
At the subsequent famous cnsis problems looming, Bailieboro was on
meeting in the Oasis Ballroom on course for the rocks once more. In August
Tuesday, March II, Joe Hannon spelt of 1987, Killeshandra sought and got
it out for shareholders. "The body is permission from Bailieboro to research
rotten but we have a good engine." The its finances. This time around the men in
duties. I n the engineering subsidiary the
package put to them, like a gun to the the lifeboat would be claiming salvers'
staff was pruned from over seventy to
head, involved farmers taking a cut of2.- fifty, with thirty of those on a week- rights.
head, involved farmers taking a cut of 2.5 on/week-off basis. Overall the staff fell
pence for every gallon of milk supplied from 650 to 500 to 310. The 2.5 pence per
and a wide range of cost cuts and stafflay-
gallon cut commitment entered into by THE OASIS ... TAKE TWO
offs in the hope that Bailieboro's debtsof
suppliers at the Oasis meeting of March
almost 20 million could be trimmed to

A
1986 was changed within a year. The new LOT OF EMOTIONAL
9 million by 1987. sacrifice agreed was a I p per gallon nonsense has been voiced and
Larry Goodman's suitability to written about Killeshandra's first
pledge for a five year period. Rival co-
Bailieboro's shareholders dates back to bid for Bailieboro early last December.
ops. like Lough Egish, saw that
that Tuesday night at the Oasis. Bailieboro was vulnerable and, in the It's the very best of business practice to
very best of co-op rivalry traditions, buy something for the lowest offer
"milk poaching" ensued on a grand scale. acceptable. Killeshandra was attempting
GOING ... GOING ... Bailieboro's throughput fell from fifty to take Bailieboro's bankers for the
million gallons to thirty million. shortest walk possible. Their main error

I N THOSE TRYING DAYS Back at that emotional meeting in was their inability to nail down the deal
during the Spring of 1986 Joe Carrickmacross shareholders had before Larry Goodman got involved.
Hannon had every reason to feel sorry learned that the co-op had borrowings From the time there were two parties in
for himself. A dairy farmer from Navan from eleven different banks and that only the contest, the outcome was never in
and husband of former ICA President, three of those were based in the Republic. doubt. Goodman International could
Camilla Hannon, he had been elected Subsequently Kelly and Hannon spent boast of an annual turnover of 600
Chairman of Bailieboro Co-op just a few much of their time negotiating, often million, 2,000 Irish employees, forty per
months before. It was showing profits of pleading with the different financial cent of our total beef exports, a record of
1.7 million for 1984 and the 1985 institutions for time and terms to allow taking over eighteen Irish beef-processing
projections suggested a 2 million them sort out their problems. There were plants and ownership of five more in
surplus. But then the real truth emerged borrowings from the First National Bank England and Scotland, fifteen grain
- Hannon was installed in the middle of of Chicago, and with Barclay's, and a operations and the largest producer of
a minefield. With the blessing of the bank in Paris. One of the most testing malt in Ireland, and very definite plans to
banks and Foir Teo, Michael Kelly commitments was to a Swiss bank where get involved in pork and lamb processing.
became acting chief executive in place of there was often difficulty communicating Killeshandra Co-op has a turnoverof71

MAGILL MARCH 1988 35

million, 200 employees, no borrowings, a his Cavan accent - he is a science Flanagan won the speeches but each
track record of ninety one solid years in graduate with a PhD in Dairy Science. man fielded twenty minutes of questions
business and the reputation of being a On the night before the vote, Flanagan after his address and Goodman won that
well-run organisation. and Goodman met for the first time. They contest, hands down. As the votes were
The bitter, practical experience of were to record a short debate for counted, the rival factions stayed apart.
Bailieboro shareholders with the co- 'Morning Ireland' on RTE Radio One. When Goodman was told that he was
operative system and the strength of the Flanagan was ten minutes early, seemed winning by a two to one margin, his
Goodman organisation meant that nervous and wanted tea. Pat Keating and instinct was to leave. "Larry, Larry, they
Killeshandra were on a hiding to nothing. another media advisor, Aidan Meade, want to hear you," he was told.
The campaign, though, in the run-up to accompanied him. Goodman came ten Eventually he was led in. The crowd
the voting, was a sight to behold. minutes late along with Declan McPartlin waited for the victory speech. He had it
Larry Goodman, the patron saint of and Fianna Fail TD, Liam Lawlor. He over in two sentences. A quick press
eleventh hour interventions, hates to lose, declined the offer of tea. The radio conference followed.
so just days after the Killeshandral contest showed no clear winner: the rivals I n a different corner of the Oasis,
Bailieboro engagement announcement he posed for a snapshot and departed. Frank Flanagan sat, devastated.
entered with guns blazing. Killeshandra, The following afternoon they
whose chief executive Frank Flanagan addressed the shareholders separately.
had seen a number of deals slip through Goodman won the toss and sent THE BEEF MAN FROM
his fingers before, had no choice but to Flanagan in to speak. He had been ARDEE
call up his firepower. A co-op with big coached through the night and Meade

L
financial problems overnight became an had a considerable input in what was a ARRY GOODMAN DOESN'T
attraction because two parties wanted it well-scripted address: give interviews. During the
- Christmas came early for the "In co-ops the majority does rule. run-up to the vote by Bailieboro
shareholders of Bailieboro. As the Public When the people have decided, their shareholders, he was advised by aides
Relations machines were let loose, Cavan decision is final. In the new amalgamated that he should address public meetings
became transformed. Goodman's media business, no one will be in doubt about and make himself available to journal ists.
man is Declan McPartlin, a polished who will own the assets. All the Once victory was achieved, Larry became
professional who once got T J Maher shareholders will own all the assets ... a loof once more. Several journalists from
elected to the European Parliament and Today, please, vote for control of your national newspapers have since lodged
frequently lets you know how he once own future. Vote for retaining real power requests for appointments but all were
played hurling with Dublin. (McPartlin's politely refused. There were overtures
other PR customers include Golden Vale when the woman from the
and North Connacht Farmers Co-op - Economist was researching her diatribe
maybe they were surprised to learn how against Ireland, its ways and its leaders,
he sat at the top table of Goodman but then, too, the answer was no. In the
International public meetings, with the survey of the Republic of Ireland,
tag "Declan McPartlin - Dairying subsequently published by the Economist.
Division' displayed prominently Goodman International was said to be on
alongside.) Killeshandra let Pat Keating "on its way to become one of the top ten
look after their image. A native of Co companies in the world's agribusiness,"
Tipperary, he trained in the intense heat and Larry Goodman was described as
of the Joe Murray PR stable and then left "the best meat trader in the world" and
to become a partner in Foreman-Dove. in the farm. Vote for people being equal "one of the finest Europeans of his
Keating strives to keep at least one leg in powerbethey bigfarmerorsmall. Vote generation." If that's what happens when
outside the Pale. Goodman's arrival for the money that is earned going 100 per you shy away from journalists, who
forced K illeshandra to improve its terms: cent back to your area. Vote for bringing needs interviews?
the offers were identical so the the best in Bailieboro out with the best in The offices of Goodman International
importance of packaging increased. Killeshandra." are located between the premises of John
During the week leading up to Goodman, it was rumoured, dispensed Kiran, Solicitor, and Liscoe's bar in
shareholders' decision day, January 19, with the script provided by the Castle Street, Ardee. The waiting room is
daftness took over. The rival camps professionals, and relied on his own on the left inside the main door, a small,
hired hotels on opposite sides of notes, mainly handwritten. The speech functional area. Callers are sometimes
Bailieboro's main street: Bord Telecom had its ups and downs ... offered coffee - served in a mug. The
men rushed around installing telephone "I'd just like to now make a few other final layer of protection shielding Larry
lines: money flowed. Larry Goodman, points, if I may. Some of them may crop Goodman from the outside world is Mary
normally shy, was let loose on the voters. up in relation to question and answer his secretary, a blonde woman in her
He sometimes created the impression of a sessions but I would, as I say, prefer to thirties. The handful who get inside his
child given the freedom of a sweets hop. deal with this situation vis a vis a office can be offered coffee - this time in
After public meetings, he'd mingle with comparison to prove what competition a white cup, with a saucer.
small farmers, chatting, listening, will do ... " Maybe it's all coincidence, but
participating in small talk. Frank (Re some co-ops): "As far as we can Goodman and the lieutenants close to
Flanagan ofKilleshandra was sometimes see, and we have assessed it, there is him all have a trim, fit-looking
travelling in the opposite direction. He managers, there is managers' managers appearance. He runs to clear out the
was in television studios, making and there is managers' assistant managers cobwebs - up to ten miles. three time a
commercials for the first time in his life. . . . when it comes to talking about week. He drives a Mercedes and
To stay between the ditches, he'd often be efficiency and comparisons." sometimes uses a helicopter to get about.
driven by a larger than life character, (Timekeeper: "Larry you have one Brian, his pilot, knows that versatility is
Sean Brady, his deputy at Killeshandra. minute to go.") important. At a meeting of Bailieboro
They'd rattle through the endless maze of "One minute ... O.K. I'd like to make shareholders in the Kilmore Hotel,
twisty roads together, wooing support. it clear in our company there is no frills. Cavan, on January 13, Brian was at the
Brady would be the ideal candidate for You can drive a Mini or you can drive a entrance, smiling and giving out
those I DA posters of the Young Merc. But there is no company cars and Goodman leaflets.
Europeans. You'd need a chainsaw to cut you pay for your own petrol ... " The night in Carrickmacross when his

36 MAGILL MARCH 1988

victory was confirmed, Larry Goodman in Cavan/Monaghan at small, family Dollars, with Deutschmarks or maybe
had new locks put on the Bailieboro Co- farm level, in mushroom and chicken Yen. A ten per cent fluctuation on the
op premises in case attempts were made production schemes. He feels a cultural dollar in a deal for ten thousand tons of
to shift stock. The following morning a affinity when cuteness with money blends beef, at three and a half thousand dollars
handful of executives from Goodman with an ability to innovate. All this may a ton, can mean THREE AND A HALF
International began rummaging through fit in with Goodman International's MILLION DOLLARS. Goodman has
the books. Their work is not yet complete plans to develop into sheep and pig buried some weighty competitors by
but a number of deductions have been processing - Bailieboro's shareholders manipulating currency opt ions to his
reached. The unit cost of production is could get involved in the wintering of advantage.
excessively high and the whole operation sheep and the fattening of pigs, using low- He blames management for many of
is top-heavy with administration. Larry cost modern units on family farms, the the problems of Irish industry. If
asked for examples and got some - he company would co-ordinate procure- companies aren't able to face the more
was told that a docket for as little as fifty ment, production, processing and competitive market place of the Eighties,
pence would be issued and would go marketing. it is because when things were good, they
through four people before leaving a co- Goodman loathes middlemen. He has got fat and sloppy or gave in to union
op store. It would then go to a company policy that at least two thirds negotiators when they shouldn't have. He
headquarters and be handled by maybe of production is committed to sale in feels there are not many I rish managers
three more people and maybe by a further Europe - at present the figure is seventy- who maintain a lean and hungry
five before ultimately it could be paid. two per cent. In Middle East a nd African approach to their work and their
Not typical but certainly not acceptable. business deals, his approach is to attitudes to company expenses. Some,
Goodman wants the minimum amount of negotiate only with governments. Long- who were good at a particular stage in
administration between A and B, term credit deals are not acceptable: cash their lives have become complacent as
consistent with being able to keep control on the nail is sought: Goodman they progressed up the earnings and
of all operations. International says it has never been badly promotions ladder. He believes that if
H is policy is to get the foundations burned in a transact ion and never Ireland is to be successful it must export
right, cutting the unit cost of production caught at all in the Middle East. more. To do so it must be competitive-
and dispensing with every unnecessary He insists on being involved in all with quality, price and production right.
overhead. No major decision will be major contract negotiations and gets There's the accusation that successive
taken until that is achieved. He is far from visibly excited when describing them. Governments have attracted industry in
enthusiastic about the operation of the Timing is the most important part of any here but failed to get the basics right -
nine Bailieboro Co-op stores - top deal. It is a question of knowing who you the environment for the right people to
heavy and selling everything from nails to are up against, getting the negotiations to produce competitively must be improved.
cookers. The future of the cheese milk a particular point, and then nailing down Infrastructural weaknesses - roads,
collection is already contracted out so for the deal before anyone present has a transport, telecommunications, power
the immediate future that will remain: chance to get back to outside competitors costs. He believes a start has been made ..
marketing strategy will be reconsidered; and return with another price. There are . but rues the times when Ireland was
if the unit costs and overheads are taking normally four factors involved in any considered the poor child of the EEC
shape, the question of more milk may deal: the supply price, the sale price, EEC family, but failed to make full use of the
arise. The future of the cheese plant won't subsidies and finance. It is how you Brussels sympathy and money to improve
even be considered until Goodman says handle all four that makes or breaks you. its infrastructure.
the foundations of his acquisition are in Currency fluctuations get considerable Larry Goodman is totally caught up
order. There will be no rushing into half- attention - Goodman gets the very best in pursuit of being the world's best.
cocked schemes, throwing money at of advice on trends. He stitches in options
people. when negotiating; the timing when this Tommie Gorman is north-west
He is impressed by the proven expertise matter is broached is also crucial. correspondent for RTE.

MAGILL MARCH 1988 37

 pictures for the first time. We stood for tray of sweets and we bought two
minutes watching the swans on the lake, but Toblerones, and granny kept one for after
I was impatient to be away, for the thrill of and we split the other between us, for she
the picture house was greater than any was a martyr to a sweet tooth, the granny.
swan. And now the curtain of trees was going
We waited for the doors to open behind a up to the roof again, and the lights faded till
sign on the pavement which said one I could see only the outlines of things and
shilling. Soon a man dressed in a red then nothing at all. And then it began - the
uniform came out and beckoned us and the first picture I ever saw - 'Darby O'GiII
other people to a glass box. My granny and the Little People'. Time has dimmed
opened her purse and carefully counted out the memory of the plot, but I remember the
the coins and received a ticket with a hole in fairies and Jimmy 0' Dea and the Banshee
it which she gave to another man who stood changing white and terrifying over a hill
like a soldier in front of two doors. He took and somebody throwing a lantern at the
by Gabriel Byrne the tickets and tore them and gave us back dreaded thing and, as it burst into names,
one half and kept the other and looped it the gasps and screams of the few people

Reel onto a piece of string. From inside the

doors I could hear loud voices, but not like
the voices of real people, and I started to
who were in the audience. But above all I
remember a smiling man and a girl sitting
on the edge of a swaying haycart talking as

Memories feel afraid and she looked at me and smiled

and took my hand tightly again and said
"Whist Alana, there's nothing to be afraid
of. It's only the pictures."
the music played. Nothing more, but the
memory of those scenes have stayed with
me forever.

I
TIS AN EVENING IN SUMMER All around the foyer, there were painted
many years ago. I am at my grand- photographs of men with thin black
mother's house, sitting opposite her in a moustaches and women with bright red
huge winged chair, listening as she plays lipstick like my mother's. Then the sentry
the button-key accordion, introducing each pulled back the door and we were in
tune to me as if I was an audience of darkness with the noise of those strange
thousands at Carnegie Hall. Her white hair voices all around us. We edged our way
is tied into a bun, and ash falls from her along by a wall like blind people, me
Gold Flake onto her black dress and holding onto her coat for fear till suddenly
between the folds of the instrument. The in an explosion of blinding colour I saw
window is open and the lovely sound spills before me the bluest sea I could ever
out into the darkening street, making imagine, and on it a huge boat with sails,
people stop to listen and sometimes to sailing under a vast blueness of sky. I
smile. And as she coaxes the wheezing box turned my head in terror into her body and
to music, her eyes close in a kind of happy for an eternity of moments dared not look
dream. again. When I opened my eyes I saw a light
And when finished she sighs and fastens beam in the darkness and a voice asked for
the worn straps and talks to me her our tickets as it came towards us, and with
wandering talk of the old times in her arm around me we followed the dancing
Roscommon when she was a girl and makes light as it lit our way along the steps, till we
me read to her from books with found our seats and I sat down
goosefeather markers and spell out words I overwhelmed by the fear and the mystery
don't understand and tells me what they and the magic of it all. But, as the wonder
mean. She loved Dickens and Robbie Burns grew the terror died, and so I came to know
and Canon Sheehan and poor old Oscar, the lovely dark womb of the picture house
and speaks of them as she would of old for the first time.
friends. ow the lights came slowly on from red
Looking back to an evening in the half- stars of glass set high above us on a blue
light of that room, filled with the smell of roof and around the walls from nickering
lilac from her garden, among the faded lamps, and a snowy curtain that folded into
photos and framed jig-saw puzzles and silver trees as it slowly fell, covered the sea
stuffed owls, I know that memory has made and the boat and the white writing and the
all the evenings I spent there become as voices.
one. And I know that this was my first "Was that a picture granny?"
theatre, the beginning of my love for "No, that was only an ould trailer," she

W
darkened rooms where words and image said. HEN WE CAME OUT, IT
and music had power to move the soul in Then she gave me a marshmallow mouse was raining and the lights from
transports of delight, as the poet says. She and a Trigger bar which I broke in two over the shops shone in the wet
loved talking and telling stories, and books my knee, and she said she hoped I wouldn't pavements, but now I looked at everything
and music, but most of all my granny loved be afraid of the next picture because the as if for the first time, for I knew that
the pictures. Banshee was in it, but so was Jimmy O'Dea something had been born within me and
I remember so well crossing the park, my and he was great gas. A girl in a yellow coat that the world outside the picture house
hand in her hand as she took me to the came up the steps between the seats with a would never be quite the same again.

38 MAGILL MARCH 1988

 That evening she played the accordion as was heard no more in the streets of
usual, but the tune she played from under Walkinstown.
her fingers was the music from the picture.

A
And as she sang: PROCESSION OF LONG
'0 for the days of the Kerry dancing limousines with their blacked out
o for the call of the piper's tune' ... windows sleeked to a halt outside
I made of my winged chair a swaying the Broadway cinema for the New York
haycart and that night I slept dreaming of premiere of Brian de Palma's film about AI
lanterns and silver stars and Jimmy O'Dea Capone and Eliot Ness - 'The
sailing the biggest of ships on the bluest of Untouchables'. A score of spotlights lit the
seas. sky over the tall buildings and crowds
There have been a thousand and one pushed against the police barriers straining
magical nights and days spent in to catch a glimpse of the stars as they
picturehouses all over the world since that arrived. A long red carpet stretched from
day. On holliers on Sunday nights waiting the sidewalk to the foyer, and each of the
under the town clock in Bally tore for a man celebrities stood for a second, smiled and
on a bicycle bringing silver cans of film waved to the cheering crowds before
from Athy. The cinema a galvanised dance disappearing into the cinema.
hall, the screen a white bedsheet stretched The star who was last to arrive, smiling,
between two poles, theseats were benches graceful, and now many years older, was
and kitchen chairs and sofas (sixpence unmistakable. The man from the swaying
extra). But there I saw Ford and Hawks haycart all those years ago in 'Darby
and Sturgis, and once an upside-down ten O'GiII and the Little People', Sean
minutes version of 'North by Northwest'. Connery. And amongst the flashbulbs and
I was one of these kids forced at strap- the screams and the honking horns of
point into hired buses by the Brothers to see Broadway as he walked away, I stood
'Mise Eire' at the Regal. And as an eight among the crowds remembering a distant
. year old altar boy was moved to tears by day in Dublin, sitting beside my granny
'Marcelino', a dreadful Spanish film about with her child's eyes and her child's heart,
a young orphan adopted by the Friars who, chewing Toblerones as she shared with me
upon giving the crucified Christ some bread her love of the pictures.
and wine, is rewarded with the miracle of Most of those cinemas are gone now,
the Saviour's hand reaching down from the those magic factories of our childhood -
cross to accept his offering. This The Rialto, The Star, The Leinster, The
experience prompted myself and another Tivoli. Forever silent. Last Christmas I
altar boy addicted to drinking altar wine passed the Apollo for the first time in years.
and eating congealed candle grease to It was closed and boarded over, the roof
purchase a batch loaf and, having removed torn off and its skeleton of rafters showing
the heels, leave it overnight on the altar in in the sky.
the hope of duplicating Marcelino's But the memories remain forever.
wondrous feat. Alas, we were disappointed. Memories of happier more innocent days
I have rowdied in lines of bedlam on before we came to know the world. They
Saturday afternoons outside picturehouses are always with us, running parallel to the
all over Dublin for the sixpenny rush, and present, shining like stars in a cup of water,
remember standing with my two jam jars, as some poet said, lighting up no path, but
the price of admission to the Tivoli in never going out.
Francis Street. I have reined in my horse at
the Apollo in Walkinstown, and galloped up
Bunting Road Dan-Daring at any dorgone
gunslinging critter who crossed my path.
Have watched with envy the linking lovers
pass under the streetlights on their way to
the forbidden evening shows. The cocksure
hairoiled boys in their grougers' shoes and
Elvis suits and their mots click-clacking in
slingbacks always just a step behind,
leaving the sinful smell of their perfumes on
the air for a glorious second. Sat behind
them on the balcony and watched and
listened in the dark to the sounds of their
waring, and tapped them on the shoulders
to ask them for a fag. Till I got myself a mot
of my own, a frail dark-haired convent girl
who loved Fabian, Billy Fury, Sal Mineo
and me in that order, and hung up my
gunbelt forever and my whinnying horse

MAGILL MARCH 1988 39

 In the history of modern Irish politics, Donogh O'Malley has few
peers. In the Ireland of the 1960s he wrought a revolution which
was to alter fundamentally the destinies of future generations. He
opened the doors of secondary schools to all Irish children,
irrespective of means, and provided free transport for those with
long distances to travel to school. He was energetic, dynamic,
charismatic, tempestuous, handsome and stylish. He was a man in
a hurry, perhaps because his time was running out. Twenty years
after his death his name is still spoken with awe and affection.

I T WAS 1.30 P.M. ON SUNDAY, with great conviction. I, who spent a lot of
March 10, 1968 when the phone rang. time in his company every week, could not
My friend, Arthur Noonan asked ifI had see it. O'Malley, living the charmed life,
heard anything about Donogh O'Malley. He seemed indestructible. True, he did joke
sounded strangely thoughtful. I made some about not having time to grow old: he would
offhanded comment about him being "out at never comb the thin grey locks by an ageing
Sixmilebridge". Very carefully Arthur fire.
stopped me: had I not heard that he had Today, looking back on what we mistook
taken bad? But he was in great form last at the time for an enormous vitality, one
night: I was talking to him just after wonders if O'Malley was making the most of
midnight. A long pause and Noonan stressed the time he felt was allotted to him. He
it was "very serious". I could only listen. begrudged the time he had to spend sleeping.
Very slowly, Arthur said: "I'm afraid he's Yet he had signalled to me, in a most
dead, John." personal way, that his going would be swift.
The news stunned me as it was to stun the On my birthday the previous year - April
entire nation. It did not seem possible that 22, 1967 - he gave me, as a gift, his bound
a man with O'Malley's vitality could be copies of the Dail debates covering his career
snatched by a massive heart attack. A in Leinster House.
series of them over a period, yes, but not one. "You'll find some use for them" he said
Yet that was the way Donogh O'Malley gruffly that night. "The hoorin' things are no
knew it was going to be. In his Limerick use to me."
home at the weekend, when he returned He did not mention that they contained all
from the Dail week in Dublin, he would his speeches in the Dail from Day One. The
sometimes ignore his daughter, Susanne or old people who know the end is not far away,
son, Daragh, when they would call him on signal it by insisting on your having some
Saturday morning. He would lie still in the piece of furniture or trinket which was close
bed, pretending to be dead. When they to them and because you know precisely
shook him and he could no longer keep up what they are doing, you are reluctant to
the pretence he'd spring up and say: "Ah-ha, take the item, promising to take it later, in a
ye'll come up some morning and ye won't be few years time maybe ...
able to wake me - I'll be gone." He signalled to the rest of his friends his
After his death there were a number of sense of time fleeing when he sat for Irene
people who claimed they knew he was not a Broe, the sculptor. "Sat" is an exaggeration:
well man. Gus Healy of Cork, to whom he the man couldn't sit still for three minutes on
confided he did not feel well, advised him to end. If ever an artist had to snatch a head, it
see a specialist. Two months before, Evelyn, was Irene Broe. She had to work on him as
my wife, saw him at the top of the stairs he worked in his Dail office, seeing
welcoming guests to a reception at Iveagh constituents and deputations. It is no
House and was shocked at how he looked; accident that Broe caught the back of his
"Donogh O'Malley is a sick man" she said, noble head perfectly. If the facial features are

by John Healy
MAGILL MARCH 1988 41
not as heroic the artist is not to blame. She going to die in a month's time. On my way to
would drape her day's work and leave it a boardroom meeting I told the Chief Sub
ready for working the following day. The the story was for Page One "where people
boyish O'Malley would invite his closest pals can see it". I was still in the Board Room
- Charlie Haughey and Brian Lenihan - when the first edition came off the press. The
and others in to see the progress. They'd sit case was the "splash lead" and our own
O'Malley down, whip the drape from over impending demise a single column. The
the moulded clay, and then proceed to work reverse might have been the more correct
the eyebrows or the chin, with O'Malley thing. Rarely did a paper ever make a lead of
himself the biggest messer of all. Irene had to a drunken driving case and even the
put up with it and like it and ifthere were too circumstances of a "secret" court hearing
many "changes" and she was especially didn't justify the splash treatment. It
mad, O'Malley could use the old charm to annoyed the hell out of me: it was bloody
disarm her anger. wrong, for openers. Unprofessional and
I had ordered the first cast and had fixed a unfair. For another thing it seemed we were
price with Broe, so as to short-circuit an anxious to drag down a man with us in our
O'Malley gift of it later. O'Malley used to death throes. It was the end of the Mail and
joke about who was to get one of the eight of Charlie's secret courts.
copies and who would not. A week or so later I was in Aras an
Charlie Haughey took over the Uachtarain and the shadow of a tall man
commission after his death and a very came up behind me, tapped me on the
heartbroken Broe finished the head at a very shoulder and I spun around to come face to
great emotional cost. None of us who were face with Donogh O'Malley.
his friends and lived close to him escaped the "Is your name Healy?"
same cost. "That's right."
"Are you the fucker that crucified me in

Y ET I SHOULD BE THE LAST the Mail?"

man in Ireland to have been "That's basically right, yes."
his friend. The origin of our "Will you have dinner with me tomorrow
friendship was typical of O'Malley, the fine night?"
human being who had no time for holding I accepted straightaway.
grudges. On March 13, 1962, a garda The incident changed both our lives for
stopped a car at the junction of Upper the next six years. He had got so much
O'Connell Street and Cavendish Row. It was sympathy from his colleagues over the
driven by O'Malley who was "under the exposure that he vowed "no bastard in a
influence". This is believed to be the incident newspaper will ever get that chance again"
which gave birth to the story of O'Malley and overnight stopped drinking. A few close
being stopped and asked ifhe hadn't seen the friends gathered round him each night.
arrow direction sign to which he was said to Desmond McGreevey, the engineer, Arthur
have replied "What arrow? - I didn't even Gibney ("Little Arthur" as O'Malley called
see the bloody indians." him), Brian Lenihan,Noel Mulcahy and
What was said, or not said, did not go on myself. At first it was to have a late dinner in
the court record on the June evening in the Martello Tower in the Intercontinental.
1962 when he appeared before one of the O'Malley was Parliamentary Secretary to
famous Haughey Courts. Those were courts the Minister for Finance.
which sat in the early morning, before He had charge of the Board of Works, his
reporters turned up on the job, or held late in first foot on the power ladder, and from Day
the evening when reporters rose with the One he created hell in the Board. The civil
daily sitting and were not aware that the servants could well take umbrage: they had
justice of the day would return from grown accustomed to a "Yes, Minister"
chambers and, without benefit of press; relationship with a series of politicians whc
proceed to hear one more case. The drill was had no administrative experience, less
always the same. The charge of driving ambition, and who were happy enough to lei
under the influence was never contested. The the civil servants write the formula letter!
garda gave his brief evidence, the justice and present them for the blank signature 0
pronounced "guilty" and named the penalty the political head of the day.
- in O'Malley's case a 25 fine and his O'Malley's first decision was stark am
licence suspended for twelve months, and simple: no one speaks for O'Malley. AI
that was that. letters going out from the Board of Work
There was no publicity the following would be read and signed personally by hirr
morning. Charlie Haughey, Minister for
Justice, has outwitted the press again, as it
seemed to the newsmen. The later hostility
towards Haughey by the press in general
may well spring from this period when a
number of prominent Fianna Fail
T HE CIVIL SERVICE DID NO'
like the free-wheeling of O'Malle
and we always assumed it was one (
the Knights who took the issue to Oliver
Flanagan, TO who had been in the Boa:
supporters were "facilitated" by such himself and had let the senior men sil
hearings. letters without troubling him. Flanag:
I was editing the ailing Evening Mail at the issued O'Malley with an ultimatum: eith
time and got the word the following he restored the status quo or Flanag:
morning. If a reporter got a look at the would take appropriate action. O'Mall
charge sheet and the verdict we could still said he was running the Board ofW orks ar
print it. It was a crisis day in the paper which while he was there, he'd decide on issues
would, that same afternoon, announce it was Flanagan responded by flooding t
 Order Paper with constituency questions enormous, its stock of housing badly
which O'Malley had to answer in the House. depleted and the building industry, now
They were trivial queries about bog drains manned at the highest level by Irishmen who
and the like which, heretofore, had been had clambered up the business ladder from
dealt with by a Board of Works letter from the hard graft days of digging "footings" to
Oliver J. Neither man would give way and their own company boardroom, had money
Question Time and the Flanagan monopoly to invest and valuable expertise. They had
of the Order Paper disrupted the smooth gone into the office block development
flow of business and it lasted until O'Malley business and it was on this facet of the
left the Board and got his first full Ministry building industry Lemass would concentrate
in Health. to break the old boom-slump cycle.
Jim Ryan had been his "Boss" as Minister O'Malley, on the dry, was beavering away
for Finance and the Wexfordman, now in the Board of Works. The first National
getting on in years, cared little for schools were by now unsanitary buildings
international junkets. O'Malley, on the and O'Malley fell to work replacing them. In
other hand, loved the travel and the prestige the first year alone he had burst the budget.
of representing Ireland at financial In those days budgets were almost always a
conferences. The first of the O'Malley year beh ind and to legitimise the expenditure
legends was born in the Board of Works. the Minister concerned would bring in a,
When he got the inside track in the Board he token 10 Estimate which gave Dail Eireann
used it. River drainage was, after grants for the opportunity also of having a debate on
piers and harbours, the great political perk the Department's work. But as often as not,
to be dispensed and O'Malley was never a Departmental expenditure was being
man to shortchange Limerick. The M ulcair approved a year after the event. No one,
River shot up the priority list of thirty rivers knowing O'Malley's exuberance, was
and O'Malley himself went down to press the surprised at the overrun. O'Malley, the big
handle to set off the first charge of dynamite private spender, was now in his element:
to mark the start of the drainage of the every public penny he spent pleased
Mulcair. He was already famous in Limerick someone and, in most instances, whole
for upsetting several of the local hostelries communities. He'd coach Fianna Fail
and, in one, a night porter who sought to deputies, and favoured Fine Gael deputies as
show him the door had his ear bitten off. well, to bring a small deputation up to him
He was famous in That cost O'Malley a few hundred quid. So asking for a project to be sanctioned. They'd
Limerick for did the redecoration of several bars be told how he was very familiar with the
upsetting several of including the one he was later to buy, the whole project because "Denis here told me
Brazen Head. It was the common knowledge about the whole scheme: as a matter of fact
the local hostelries. of this kind of social track record which he has me annoyed since I came in here to
In one, a night made the Fianna Fail party quake when this job." And then the promise: "I'll do the
porter who had Sean Lemass reached into the back benches best I can for ye." A week later a letter would
sought to show him to pull out O'Malley to give him his first issue to the favoured TO or TDs. Naturally
the door had his political appointment, Parliamentary all TDs from the constituency would have
Secretary to the Minister for Finance which made representations of one sort or another
ear bitten off. translated as The Boss of The Board of but O'Malley would give the inside track to
Works. his favourite (who might be a FineGael man
For the party, Lemass taking a chance on like Henry Kenny of Mayo). In which case,
O'Malley - gambling that responsibility he'd type all the letters and sign them and put
would make him pull out of the drinking them in the out tray for posting, holding
habit and settle down to hard work - back Kenny's letter and giving it to him that
seemed far too risky. More than one said afternoon so that he could phone home and
he'd live to rue the day when, in one wild be first with the news. Whoever had the first
night,"O'Malley will let him down". When news of the goodies was the man in the
the drunken driving story broke the constituency. There'd be murder when,
wiseacres all nodded their heads sagely: they thirty-six hours later the Fianna Fail men
had warned Lemass. found Kenny had beaten them with the
. But Lemass had already warmed to this news. Once the row went as far as accusing
impetuous Limerickman rather as Dev had. the local postman of holding up the letters to
Lemass, as Minister for Industry and the two Fianna Fail men in one constituency
Commerce for the major portion of his so that the Labour man (in that instance) got
political career, had very little to learn about the credit.
the Irish economy, being all too well aware All of a sudden O'Malley started talking
of the hump-back pattern of booms and new office blocks. The civil service was badly
slumps. When Irish interest rates went up, housed. The government could be put down
British monies flowed in and we had a small by the Department of Health for unsanitary
economy, so small that the movement often and unsuitable accommodation. He was
or twenty millions in Trust Funds would greatly worried about this. You could see
have us awash in prosperity and, next O'Malley coming a mile away and now I was
morning when France or Germany sent up being conditioned for some new play.
its interest rates a point above ours, the O'Malley bleeding for the civil service was
funds evaporated and fled overnight leaving only too funny for words when you
us with a dire crisis. All building remembered the wordage he had left on the
programmes would grind to a halt and the record of the Dail and outside it. The new
skilled men would head for Camden Town office blocks we had to build would be leased
and Cricklewood in booming Britain. by the Government so that the Government
Britain's bomb damage had been would have a claw back between rent and

MAGILL MARCH 1988 43

 taxes and the good well-paid employment national delegation pledged milIions to the
would help the tax position as well. fund. It was a colourful meeting with Third
Today we condemn the egg box World delegates seated in their national
architecture of those offices and how they costumes. O'Malley watched the Nigerians
despoiled the old Dub, in landscape, but and North Africans stump up so that when it
when the building boom started everyone came to Ireland's turn, O'MalIey sprang up
was delighted with the rising prosperity. and shouted "Two millions from Ireland."
Homes in the suburban estates which had Tasked afterwards by the accompanying
been abandoned in the late 1950s as civil servants for his rashness, O'Malley fired
thousands boarded doors and windows up back: "No buck nigger in a fuckin' football
with corrugated iron and the Coalition jersey is going to put I reland in the shade."
boasted it had solved the housing problem (Jim Ryan, the Minister, on hearing the story
for once and for alI in the capital, were to be is supposed to have said "Good man,
re-opened and re-alIocated as thousands of O'MalIey" ..)
plasterers, carpenters and tradesmen took

H
the boat back to Dublin. Now interest rates EALTH WAS HIS FIRST FULL
varied but the shock waves of the movement Ministry. In the days while
of large sums of money into and out of the Sean Lemass was picking the
Cabinet, O'Malley went about hamming it
up: he hated the sight of blood, he'd assure
those of us who drank tea on the poll corrs
table in Leinster House. You didn't know
whether he was signalIing that Lemass was
giving him the Department of Health or that
he was using us to convey to Lemass he'd
prefer another posting.
In the event he became the most accessible
Minister for Health in modern times. You
could reach O'MalIey with a threepenny
stamp and many nurses did. After they
became used to his open style, individual
nurses and doctors wrote directly to him at
the department. Again he was his own boss.
He would open all letters marked
"personal" instead of leaving the job to his
officials. More than one Dublin nurse was
flabbergasted to find - two days after she
posted a letter - a strange voice on the
hospital phone asking her name, and giving
his as "I'm Donogh O'Malley, the Minister:
this letter you wrote." Nine times out often
economy has less effect. For one thing the writers thought it was a confidence trick.
O'Malley had "sold the Insurance Funds" As often as not, with a real doubting
on "the good thing in Dublin", investing in Tomasina he'd offer to meet her in Bewley's
building office blocks with guaranteed for coffee!
lettings underwritten by the Irish Today the nurses who march in protest at
Government. If it wasn't money for old rope cuts in Limerick and Dublin and the rest,
it was great guaranteed money for new like the parents, who must now pay to
buildings with a sure pay tenant. The boom- educate their children, will regret again we
slump pattern in the building trade was live in the times of puny men with puny plans
ended and today and to this day, the building and no vision. He gave the nurses ofIreland
trade is regarded as a "Fianna Fail lobby" the first Nurses' Charter as Minister for
and a Fianna Fail industry. It would be Health and they idolised him for it. The
almost three decades before the galvanised handicapped found a new champion. The
went up again but the BalIyfermot disease number of cases where a letter brought a
would have moved to the new location of hard luck story from someone physically
Tallaght. handicapped often resulted in O'Malley
Lemass and O'Malley worked closely. dipping into his private pocket to provide a
O'Malley had the stature and style - the vital piece of equipment. Like the student
panache - to move in monied circles in nurses, the junior doctors were recognised
london and encourage investment in the and given a decent salary.
renewal of Dublin City. He met, dined and He was prodigal in his spending and the
wined, Jewish packmen who made their first softest touch' in Limerick if not Ireland. He
shilling in the backstreets of Dublin and took the best part of his Dail allowance and
were now millionaires looking for a good changed it into silent ten-shilling notes and
home for the investment pound. one pound notes before opening his "clinic"
Jim Ryan had his own admiration for in Limerick of a Saturday. A constituent's
O'Malley; Ryan had had his share offoreign son, a seaman, died abroad and the family
travel in his earlier days so that when he was hadn't the money to bring the body home:
invited to Tokyo for a meeting of the World O'Malley stepped in and picked up the tab.
Bank he sent O'Malley. He grew another six He was impulsively generous and once it
foot. A fund was to be created and it came to landed him in trouble.
pledging time. The old Russell Hotel on the corner of
One after another he watched as each Stephen's Green is now gone. It was perhaps

44 MAGILL MARCH 1988

the most elegant dining room of its time and while Lenihan would play along for the
O'Malley, Lenihan and Haughey ("The laugh and then upstage O'Malley by letting
Three Musketeers") used to take a corner him check the bill he had snatched to find it
table there regularly. They had finished dinner was paid by one of the two of us, whosever
one evening when O'Malley's attention was turn it was.
drawn by the music oftwo buskers playing out- He knew all the tricks of the trade, having
side the window. The pair, a woman harpist and his own pub/restaurant in Limerick City.
a male violinist, shared a big dog between them. The night he opened he was standing at the
On an impulse, O'Malley invited them in to din- bar with his wife, Hilda, looking at the new
ner, and before Haughey or Lenihan knew, he decor. He turned to her and said: "Y'know,
was marching the startled buskers and their dog Hilda - this is the second time I decorated
into thediningroom tositthem down between the this place," the smile of remembering
Ministers, shushing the dog under the table breaking around the corners of his mouth.
before calling out "Waiter". It might have The first time was a wild O'Malley night
passed off as an eccentric evening if it wasn't when, a bit the worse the wear for drink, he
for the dog. It started to growl, then bark grabbed a fire extinguisher, hopped it off the
and all eyes swung on O'Malley's table. bar counter to activate it and then proceeded
O'Malley was to claim afterwards that it was to spray the bottles and end wall of the bar.
Lenihan who did the damage by kicking the

W
dog under the table so that he bolted, E SAY MOST OF THE
ploughed his way through the sweet buffet, Limerick O'Malleys have
misjudging his jump so that he landed in the short fuses and are quick to take
middle of the lower rung of the trolley, umbrage. Donogh in his first years in the
sending chocolate mousse and pineapples in Dail filled the bill. Whiskey was a drink he
kirsch all over the carpet. One American in a couldn't handle: he could be lethal in
corner of the diningroom watched with not a insulting everyone, friends and foe alike,
little amusement. O'Malley was asked by the when in his cups and the next morning he'd
management to pay the bill and leave. A break your heart being so contrite.
letter followed him from the smooth Not that he went into one famous de
manager suggesting he forsook the pleasures Valera dressing-down session with a contrite
of the Russell which he did. heart. He worshipped Dev and what Dev
As always, of course, O'Malley was to fall said and what Dev did.
on his feet. The American observer who had De Valera's attitude to the big boned
watched the episode was a staffer from the Limerickman was that of a fa ther keeping an
prestige American magazine the New Yorker eye on a wayward but lovable son. He could
who wrote a very, very funny piece indulge O'Malley and O'Malley exploited
with O'Malley as the generous hero who gets that. Dev was worried about O'Malley's
put down for a dog's dinner job on the fruit drinking habits and never more worried than
trolley. The hotel manager who would have the day there was a critical vote on the
given his eye-teeth for a three line par in the greyhound coursing bill and every vote was
New Yorker knew when he owed. He rushed needed. O'Malley was in the bar when the
a letter to O'Malley saying all was forgiven, division bells rang. His comrades headed for
please return, bring your friends and be my the chamber while O'Malley comforted
guest. himself he had so many minutes before the
For all the prodigality O'Malley never doors to the chamber were closed, after
paid a dinner or lunch bill without totting it. which no one was admitted. He misjudged
As often as not he'd do it under the waiter's the timing and arrived at the chamber door
nose. If it didn't add up he'd brandish a hand nearest to the Taoiseach. He rattled the door
"C'rnere: add that up, you" or "What's that with a bull-like charge but it held. Everyone
item there?" knew it was O'Malley. Anothercharge: open
In the half dark with a feeble candle light this fuckin' door and the House looked
on the table, there might be a flustered apprehensively at the Taoiseach, a model of
moment when the "item" was one we didn't correctness. Mr de Valera was mustering a
have. The manager hurries to the rescue, dry smile of sorts. The Ceann Comhairle
takes away the offending bill and comes rang the bell and the deputies filed through
back later to explain he's very sorry about the division lobbies as the sounds subsided.
that Mr O'Malley, there's a mix up, the bill The Taoiseach carpeted him. His opening
actually belongs on the corner table". And sentence was: "They tell me you are drinking
O'Malley would smile and say: "Doll-die- again, Donogh." The famous "they" was his
dee". It meant he, or you, were on the ball: let-out. O'Malley cut in on theTaoiseach: "I
dead right! Then, after "pulling" a waiter for wouldn't mind them, Taoiseach - sure
a wrong tot, he'd leave a tip which could be jaysus they told me you used to sleep with
more than the wrong tot by a 1 or two. Mary MacSwiney and I never believed
Trying to keep your end up with O'Malley them."
was an impossible task: the only way to It worked a dream. De Valera hadn't
ensure you got the bill was to ask the heard that story before and, in case this
manager on the way to the table to keep it for wayward favourite of his would believe it,
you, irrespective of the bullying tactics of the Taoiseach went into one of his habitual
O'Malley. When Brian Lenihan tried for the long dissertations on his exact relationship
bill and O'Malley had snatched it yet again with Mary MacSwiney, forgetting entirely
he'd say: "Watch, Lenihan there, Healy - the purpose of the meeting which was to dress
watch him pulling out that battered fiver down O'Malley for being dnlnk and
again." Lenihan had to put up with it: it was disorderly in the House. O'Malley, to
actually a weather-beaten tenner but after a everyone's amazement, came out of the

MAGILL MARCH 1988 45

 Taoiseach's room, hjs face beaming broadly wheel ie-out) dustbins. There would be an
at colleagues who expected he would have international seminar on dustbins, to discuss
been taken to pieces. One inquired what had the social role they played in making Ireland
happened, he was so happy looking, and the tidiest country in the world. When you
what was it Dev said to him? O'Malley were O'Malley you aimed high all the time.
replied impishly: "The Chief told me he So it was when Lemass gave him the
never slept with Mary MacSwiney" and Department of Health. He was following, in
walked on, leaving his man trying to figure Sean MacEntee, a man who seemed to be so
out the import of it all. long in the job as to be almost part of the
Years later, while he was Minister for Custom House.
Education, he had given a talk in Trinity. He MacEntee was a gift to follow and
had no time for formal scripts when talking O'Malley knew it. Like all ministers who
to the young especially. He did take the' stay in the one department too long,
precaution of asking if he was going to be MacEntee, to whom we referred as The
reported: he could not see any of the regular Velvet Thorn, was such a fixture he had, it
media people in the room. He was assured it seemed, alienated every caring group in the
would be private. After which he launched country, but especially the IMA. A cartoon
into a eulogy of de Valera but came down of the time in the Sunday Review, which filled
like a ton of bricks on Dev's advisors, saying an August Weekend issue with a six-page
"Dev is up there in Aras an Uachtarain supplement futuristic look at Ireland 1990
surrounded by an aurora borealis of had a gossip column paragraph saying the
chancers. " IMA had finally made peace with the ageing
The following Sunday it appeared in the doyen of the Dail, Health Minister Sean
Observer. He rang me in a sweat from MacEntee, and would present him with his
Limerick: what was he going to do about it? favourite instrument, a silver scalpel, the
Four times he rang and finally he decided he instrument with which he ran the Health
was coming to Dublin that night rather than services over half a century!
the usual Monday afternoon: would I meet Throwing the Custom House door open
him in the Shelbourne? As far as I was to the IMA and the nurses' organisations
concerned it was a typical O'Malley flourish and re-establishing contact gave him an
and rang true. "I'll deny it" he said, pale now immediate plus. Individually and in groups
in the excitementofwhat was for him a crisis. the medical people wilted under the charm of
"You will not: everyone knows that's the O'Malley persona.
authentic O'Malley." "I was tolt it was a By now most of the regulars who had
private meeting: there was no press there. I supported him in the first months after he
have to deny it - I have to." had gone on the dry felt he was not in need of
I argued no one would give a damn, but he support to the extent I found myself, more
was already running ahead of himself. He and more, dining with him three or four
could see questions in the Dail next week. nights a week. Sometimes I would excuse
Oliver Flanagan would be worried about myself: I had a column to do for the
this insult to the good people, y'see, who morning. I might be in. bed. The phone
look after, y'see, the President. Then it'll be would ring: it would be after one. It was
on 'Today in the Dail' and the news bulletins always the same: "I have the kettle on -
and Dev would hear it. I offered the Chair come on down." Then, bang - the
would disallow the question in the first place connection was broken and next thing you
- and there was hardly any chance that the got was the engaged tone: he made sure I
aurora borealis people would read Dev the couldn't ring back, blind him and tell him I
Observer paragraph in the first place, seeing wasn't stirring out.
it didn't reflect well on them. For the best You dressed and went down to the big flat
part of that week he did really live in fear of at 12 Eglinton Road which, for all of
the story being reprinted or cast up to him in O'Malley's size, was lonesomely big for him.
the House but like a lot of other things, it The tea would be drunk from a set of elegant
drifted like a thin cloud on a warm day and china cups and a tray immaculately set. Now
evaporated. and again he would go to the drinks cabinet,
That incident is small but it is important. pull out a bottle of Hennessy brandy, uncork
O'Malley was afraid that in the highest it and sniff it. Always he made the offer of a
house in the land, the home of his hero, there drink: it was always refused. He would
would be people who, because of the remark, return the bottle and pour another cup of1
would hold him in low esteem if not open tea. We talked and talked until it was just
contempt. And he wanted to be loved by the after three. It didn't matter how good the
highest and the lowest in the land. It was all arguments were or the exchanges, when it
he lived for, worked for and, in the end, died came to five past three or so he'd end it
for. Doll-die-dee, as he'd say himself. abruptly: "Go on home." Some way that

I
F A T AOISEACH MADE DONOGH was the witching hour to be passed. Three in
O'Malley Minister for Dustbins he the morning: he could sleep then.
would make it the most exciting ministry He was up at half six and by seven or so h
in the Cabinet. For one thing he'd ensure was in the Shelbourne with the three city
that everyone had a dustbin; it made him editions of the morning papers, ripping them,
more relevant and his department more apart so that, in two minutes flat, he had
relevant. He would talk up dustbins so that finished his first "read" of them. On a
the national consciousness would be raised "normal" O'Malley night, whether we ha
to the point where you would feel unclean spent the night in the Martello Tower, the E
without the most basic dustbin. In large Greco in Dun Laoghaire or the Quo Vadi
cities he would have a choice of carry-out (or around by Andrew Street Post Office

46 MAGILL MARCH 1988

O'Malley couldn't go to bed without getting would visit him every night. The first week
the country editions of the morning papers. there was no sweat. Then one night he
The paper seller at The Green Rooster would wondered how would Fianna Fail hold
have the three folded and ready. Back in the Mick's seat? Already he wanted the
flat he'd go through them slowly, pouncing excitement of a by-election. Was Mick that.
on anything they had printed about bad? He doesn't look at all well, he confided.
O'Malley. If his speech got short shrift he'd By the second week O'Malley had Mick
growl: "Bollixes: they don't know noos "looking very bad" on Monday night. On
when they see it." Like many Limerick men Tuesday night the Matron had assured him
he couldn't say "news": it was "noos" - they were very concerned about Mr Davern
any noos? and such a nice man (as he was: Mick was
Some nights he'd tell me to take a route to one of nature's gentlemen). On Wednesday
the flat which would take us through a few night O'Malley came out and over dinner
streets where "I'll show you a few of the said "they" didn't think "poor Mick would
brassnails on the job." "Brassnails" was his last to the weekend". On Thursday night
euphemism for the generous, commercial O'Malley had him annointed: he wasn't
girls of the night and the first time he gave me "going to last until morning time."
the guided tour it was like an experienced Then, on Friday night, he rang me from
city-wise cousin showing his larrikin relation Limerick. He had been in to see "Davern".
up from the snipe grass the secret side of the Not Mick, or "poor Mick": Davern.
city. One night I was very tired and when he "How is he Donogh?"
proposed the brass nail circuit I just "How is he? How is he? The hoor sat up
exploded. "For Christ sake O'Malley will today and downed a bloody great T-bone
you grow up." He chuckled but said steak." That, indignantly.
"Alright: go home so." It is a matter of record that Mick Davern
There were times he was like a young did "recover" and the terrible irony of his
schoolboy. He would hear stories of other life (and indeed of the family) was that his
schoolboys who had raided the Canon's son, Don Davern, who took his father's seat
Garden for the sweet and forbidden apples at the next general election was to die
and though he would never have the courage tragically and suddenly before his father.
to actually break in and fill his pockets, he Dan Desmond did die in Cork causing a
loved the next best thing: walking the by-election in which his wife, Eileen
perimeter of the forbidden garden and Desmond contested. This time O'Malley had
looking at the ripening apples at the top of "the bible" out - the official record of
the trees. On one famous occasion while we constituency polling in the last election- and
were looking at a couple just about to pair there was a fair chance of Labour holding
off, O'Malley was ambushed by a knock on the seat. That cute old fox Lemass knew it
his window. He turned and saw, more than was time to move. A Desmond win would
heard, a mouthed invitation and he roared at have him call a snap election. I wrote it.
me: "Will you for Jaysus sake drive the car Lemass confirmed it by denying my forecast.
and get out of this place." It was a bit too Eileen won and Lemass dissolved the Dail.
close for comfort. Safely on Eglington Road He would come back and so would
he could chuckle. O'Malley and there would be eighteen
months left to Donogh to make the

L EMASS
bluntness,
LOVED O'MALLEY'S
his eagerness, the
zest with which he tackled a job. It
was coming near time for The Last Lemass
revolution and change, for two decades, the
social history of the Republic. Eighteen
short, God-blessed months!

I
Hurrah. NMY W ALTER MITTY MOMENTS,
O'Malley was impatient now for change. when someone asked me what
He wanted change and a General Election portfolio would I like to have, if I had
was an exhilarating challenge for O'Malley. been in politics, I have never hesitated: I
He loved it in a fearful way, rather like wanted Education. There is the Ministry
driving the brassnail circuit. which really shapes the nation and if you
At the end of the day he would know have ambitions to be a nation shaper you
whether Limerick loved him more for what reach for the Department of Education and
he had done or whether they loved him less. go to work. Not every politician of my time
Before the election was called he was sure would agree. Most see Finance as The
he'd pull more votes out of "The Island creative Ministry and certainly Charles
Field" but once the reality was upon him, Haughey in his day demonstrated what a
Jaysus a man doesn't know; they could man with an imaginative turn of mind could
screw you, too! They could, Donogh and do.
they could hoist you to the top of the poll. One of the great legends ofLeinster House
The smile. And then: "Doll-die-dee." Once concerns the first 1948 Coalition when the
again you were reading it right. parties met to discuss who should have
O'Malley couldn't wait for Lemass to which Ministries. The Fine Gael Party
announce an election. Like more than one in included General Dick Mulcahy and when it
Leinster House, no TD ever fell sick and was suggested he might take a certain
absented himself for a fortnight but the Ministry he is said to have observed: "I have
Rumour Factory went to work. A straight done enough in my time for Ireland - I'll
dose of flu became "the Big C" and a touch take Education."
of angina became a "massive heart attack". O'Malley lusted after the portfolio and
Mick Davern went into a private ward in with Lemass back strong and confident,
Dublin for a routine check and O'Malley O'Malley would have his heart's wish being

MAGILL MARCH 1988 47

 one of "The Three Musketeers" on whom it wish to go? It was a reflective speech of a
Lemass had depended in his previous years man who had primed the pumps and was
as Taoiseach. witnessing not just a rising of all the boats on
O'Malley knew what he wanted long the new flood-tide but was watching also the
before he went to Marlborough Street with rise of the consumer society with its "I'm-
his Education brief. He had led the Dail alright-J ack" philosophy. He got no serious
campaign for a university for Limerick City debate: the living she was good and it was
and if in the end it only got a third level drive on, McCarthy ...
institution in the NIHE, it was something. Now in these hours in which we killed
As far back as 1960 O'Malley thought nights in various eateries or in the flat with
there should be a merger of the Dublin pots of tea, jhe talk was all of education.
colleges, Trinity and UCD, and said so in a McGahern's book "The Dark" was
seminar in Dublin and drew down clerical published and it struck a responsive chord
condemnation for it. with me, as well as O'Malley. Donogh didn't
have to worry about school fees or college

E IGHTEEN
astonishingly,
MONTHS -
is the length
THAT,

time Donogh O'Malley was Minister

for Education. Given the ferment which he
of
fees, and the scholarships or the iniquity of
the scholarship never worried him. He was
one of the few; I was one of the many.
It was said afterwards that I was
created in Irish society and the social responsible for influencing him to bring in
patterns he changed, anyone looking back the new regime for free secondary education.
today would have said he must have served It is true I argued the toss with him many a
at least one full four-year period in office. long night. He'd question me on the social
He didn't even get as long in the job as he and economic consequences a scheme of
did in his first Ministry, Health. But unlike secondary education might have and the
his Health posting, he knew what he wanted political consequences. The fact remains, as
to do in Education and with the portfolio. anyone who reads O'Malley's contribution
O'Malley never worried about the down the years as a deputy will know, his
paternity of any thought, any project, any concern for education and the disadvantage
scheme: all that mattered was that, if it was at which it placed children who did not
right and he had the power to make it a proceed to second level was such that he
reality, or use it, he was away. He had told a needed no prompting to move or act.
young Paddy Hillery not to get mired down Haughey and Lenihan were supportive
and to move and act while he was still and O'Malley decided to sound out The
inexperienced. Now, reading himself into his Boss. Lemass was immediately interested:
new Department of Education he had to like Haughey, Lenihan and O'Malley
come across a proposal for universal himself, he had thought the scheme would
secondary education on a means test basis. It have been prohibitively costly. Lemass told
was one of the studies organised under him to give him a paper on it. He did. Lemass
Hillery's direction. It had lain there during now knew it was more than possible.
the time of Hillery's successor, Mr George The task now was how to get the Cabinet
Colley, whose time in the Department was behind the scheme. O'Malley, after all, was a
taken up with the rationalisation of one and comparatively junior Minister with men up
two-teacher schools in rural Ireland, a ahead of him in years and Cabinet
campaign marked in the public recollection experience. They were men who had
by the memory of the clash between Mr programmes of their own to fight for or,
Colley and the Bishop of Galway, Michael more correctly, had civil servants pressing
Browne. them to carry policies to the Cabinet table
O'Malley got wildly excited at the for financing and implementing.
discovery. What astonished him was that the Lemass seems to have decided against
scheme was comparatively economic: he had putting the proposal to the Cabinet
thought a project like universal secondary formally. He fell back on an old ploy: he
education would, in today's argot, have would let O'Malley fly the kite by breaking
"cost a hand and a leg". Over the lunches the news. The Cabinet, after all, was well
with Charlie Haughey and Brian Lenihan, used to O'Malley flying kites. The trouble
he enthused them and lined them up on his was that, lately, the cabinet members could
side as allies so that when he went to the not be sure whether O'Malley was flying the
Cabinet to have the project adopted, he kite to influence Lemass - or whether he
would have support. was flying the kite at the behest of the
It was a swinging scene, the mid-years of Taoiseach. Everyone knew Lemass was
the Swinging Sixties. Lemass had made his susceptible to media stories and the trouble
visit to Northern Prime Minister, Terence most of us writing politics at that time had
O'N eill and supped tea in the anti-christ was to distinguish whether the kite-fliers -
house of the Stormont Hill and returned Lenihan, O'Malley, and Haughey - were
home to say, drily, that "Nothing will be the using the device to promote their own
same." Nor was it. The grassroots of the policies, using the media to influence
Republican Party, which had heard and Lemass, or genuinely sounding out an idea
uttered ritual denunciations of Stormont for Lemass. A good example of the period
and the Unionist Party, now cheered as if was Brian Lenihan giving an interview to the
united with long lost cousins. Daily Telegraph wondering aloud if it might
The economy was booming and Lemass not be a good thing for Ireland to return to
was asking Irish society to stop and think of the Commonwealth. (That positively soared
what kind of a future Ireland should have, to earth, punctured by derisive laughter.)
what was it the nation needed and where did Brian, as usual, picked himself up, dusted

48 MAGILL MARCH 1988

 Sunday - and the daily papers would carry
the speech and the reaction on Monday
morning. Then he could face the Cabinet
music on Tuesday ...
On Thursday afternoon he brought the
script into the Taoiseach's office. He
whipped through it at speed. On page five of
the script there was the crucial paragraph
announcing the setting up of universal
secondary education which would be subject
to a means test. Lemass took his pen and
drove it through the means test phrase,
saying to O'Malley: "This is 1966, the
anniversary of the Proclamation: it's about
time we started to treat all the children of the
Nation equally." O'Malley couldn't believe
it! He had spent many hours regretting it
would have to have a means test but "it's a
start, Toro, it's a start". He called me and
asked me to meet him in the Intercontinental
inside an hour: there had been "a major
development". He was dancing on feet when
he pulled out the script and showed me the
deletion. "The Boss Man" he said
exultantly. We drank a pot of coffee and he
headed home for Limerick, a day ahead of
schedule. He was actually afraid that Lemass
might reflect on what he had done, go
hunting O'Malley to say he had changed his
mind, and O'Malley wasn't going to be
found until Saturday night.
On the phone he was worrying again
about FitzGerald and a leakage and he
was smoking like a trooper. Saturday
morning came and there was no leak, no hint
of it in any of the political columns which
had started to flourish by then.

down his jacket and got on with the job. No

A SEMINAL
nature
delivered
SPEECH OF THIS
might be more correctly
before a gathering
teaching profesionals. O'Malley knew that
of

problem. He must smile now in 1988 when - and knew that there would be plenty of
he sees Young Fine Gael solemnly discuss time, once the initial speech was made, to
and reject the same proposal. speak to teachers' organisations and trade
The first week of September, O'Malley unions. For now, the idea had to be sold
started to live on edge. He was drafting his quickly and massively and for that you
speech which was no great trouble. The needed the media. Thus he picked the
Cabinet - beyond the Musketeers and gathering of the National Union of
Lemass - knew nothing of the coup which Journalists.
was afoot. O'Malley had always enjoyed good
That wasn't O'Malley's worry. He had relations with the newspapers for most of his
gone throught the Department like a career'. He had had a few rows, mostly with
whirlwind and, no doubt, bruised a few egos his local Limerick papers. He complained
and showed a lack of sensitivity to men loudly in Limerick that the Leader was
whose years of experience called for a boycotting him and failing to print his
minimum of ministerial respect. speeches. Another time at an important
"Some hoor is going to leak it to Garret professional meeting he apologised for being
FitzGerald" he'd say. Garret FitzGerald twenty minutes late. It was due to the fact,
was Shadow Minister for Everything in he said, he was waiting for the scripts of his
thoes years, though his nominal brief was speech because he wanted to be sure the
Finance, and all it needed was one civil reporters "put it down right". The press
servant, worried about the expenditure corps present got huffed and walked out in
involved and knowing there was no Cabinet protest.
approval for it, to pass the news on, But he could use the Limerick Leader to
encouraging Fine Gael to come out and advantage, too. On one occasion he was
jump the gun and steal O'Malley's thunder. attacked by an opposition deputy in the
On Wednesday, September 7 O'Malley Dail: it got a little personal between them.
had finished the draft speech. He had found Inevitably O'Malley's Limerick forays got
his venue. He would deliver the speech to the an airing including the incident in which he
National Union of Journalists in Dun bit the ear of an hotel porter. Again
Laoghaire on Saturday night. In this way he O'Malley got the sympathy of the House and
would "catch" the mass circulating Sunday Fine Gael people came to apologise as well
papers and the broadcasting media on as Labour: the deputy had gone too far and

MAGILL MARCH 1988 49

 had got too personal. The sympathy get half of it." Shortly afterwards the first
impressed O'Malley to the point where he editions came out: the forecast was spot on.
got the official verbatim report of the debate, He wasn't pleased: he thought he should
cut out the ear-biting accusation and sent it have blacked out any other news. Then I
down to the editor with a note: "Put this on consoled him when I forecast that all three
the front page in black type." When Dublin dailies would make the story the
Limerick read the story in the Limerick lead and all would have glowing editorials
Leader the consensus was that the exchange on Monday morning.
didn't reflect well on the city or its He wanted to order champagne: we settled
representatives "an' always didn't Dunnick for a bottle of red wine and O'Malley
pay for it after?" ordered up another pot of coffee for himself.
It did Dunnick no damage. In the Island I drove him back to the flat later. He put the
Field where the barges heard a knock on the kettle on and while he waited for it to boil,
door and challenged the caller to identify the excitement of the night still hyping
himself, Donogh would answer: "Tis him, he said, "You know what I did tonight,
O'Malley, ma'am." Toro?' ,
Now since there was a solicitor O'Malley "Yes I do: you've just finished sixteen
who used to serve civil bills, there would be a years of Fianna Fail rule." The big smile.
further challenge: "Is that The Wild One?" And then "Doll-die-dee".
"Tis, maam." At which the door was open "Unless, of course, Fianna Fail meets the
with alacrity, Dunnick was welcomed and challenge of a young educated electorate."
half a dozen requests heaped on his head. He swung around from the boiling kettle:
In Limerick he was "Dunnick". The "Doll-die-dee again". The speech was not
Limerick Leader story as he suspected, did six hours old but both of us knew that a great
him no harm. His majority soared and his new Ireland was born that night. He went to
opponent has not seen the inside of the Dail the drinks cabinet and uncorked a bottle of
since. brandy, sniffed it as usual, and offered me a
After that momentous speech in Dun glass "to celebrate".
Laoghaire that September night, I joined "We'll do with the tea, Dum-Dum, we'll
him in the EI Greco as arranged. Seamus do with the tea."
Brady who did PR work at this stage after a He put the brandy back and we toasted the
long career with the Daily Express, was with night and the future with two cups of tea in
him. "Well?" was his greeting. I had read the elegant delicate china teacups.
speech before going to Dun Laoghaire: the
question behind the "Well?" was to evaluate
the media impact it would make.
Concluded next month: how O'Malley
"The Sunday Press will lead with it: the scuppered Charles Haughey's chances of
Sunday Indo will have a split lead - you'll succeeding Lemass.

50 MAGILL MARCH 1988

A Publishing Miracle

W ITHIN MINUTES OF the character you will find in every pub in

sitting down at editor Ireland, the pub philosopher with views
Ronan Dodd's desk the on 'everything under the sun'. Ireland's
telephone was ringing. There was a Own (henceforth known as 1.0.) once
gentleman at the other end of the line received a letter from a fellow saying that
talking about a piece he was sending in. his brother worked in Limerick and he
He is a regular contributor to Ireland's knew a guy who always wore a cloth cap
Own on matters of historical interest. called Cassidy and would the Cassidy
This seems to be his first conversation who wrote in I. O. be your man's brother?
with the new twenty-eight-year-old Take Miss Flanagan, also, the female
editor. Has Ronan not heard of his PI. A guy had been broken into a number
novels? All nineteen of them published. of times down the country; the gardai
Has he not heard of 'The Rajah of were not able to discover who the culprit
Tipperary', for example. "No, I'm afraid was and the writer wanted to know would
I haven't," Ronan pleads, slightly the 1.0. send down Miss Flanagan? On
bemused. He wasn't hanging up there making contact with the local Parish
either. Ronan patiently explains his name Priest, the then editor, John McDonnell,
and lineage. "From Shropshire," he says. (now deceased), was able to ascertain that
"Protestant stock, originally." A gentle office, desiring him to be a witness to their the letter would have been genuine.
familiarity was being nudged. will! He signed it, too, thinking 'I must Austin Channing is manager of 1.0. A
This is the sort of milieu Ireland's Own have a nice face'. And he does have dapper man in white trench coat, he looks
exists in, quite different and unique, "honest, trustworthy features", though the part of a seasoned journalist:
vastly distinct from the ambit of other he jokes about them himself. He suggests Orwellian moustache and looks, with
magazines published in Ireland. "Apart that the Ireland catered for in Ireland's gentle manners. Hestarted in 1935, when
from the fact that it's a family magazine, O\\'n is "unreal, in one sense". For the 1.0. had a Dublin office. Like Ronan, a
it's also like a big family," says Ronan. readers, however, it is very real. Dubliner, he too has a city background,
"Everybody who reads it wants to write Take Cassidy, for example. Cassidy is which is most curious, given the rural
in it." entrenchment of the weekly. Starting as a
Not long ago, an old couple who had
some stories to give Ronan - hand-
written of course - appeared in his
by Paddy Kehoe messenger boy, he soon graduated to the
ledgers, the books and accounts, and then
began to spend a lot of time travelling the

MAGILL MARCH 1988 51

country, doing county specials, for the threepence. (Once, they put the price of in the same capacity, with the same
1.0. 1.0. up a penny, and had to put itback paper.) Unlike previous editors, and
down again, the following issue!) The unlike Ronan, he wrote in the magazine,
y 1901, front and back page are a complete bright

B
IRELAND HAD as well as editing. Ronan says of John:
reached a point where ninety green. Interestingly, when Clondalkin "H e had something I will never have, a
per cent of the people were Paper Mills folded, 1.0. had to scrap the rural feel, a real sense of what people
literate. There were, in fact, possibly even green cover idea; Clondalkin had been want to read."
more people reading than there are now. their only suppliers of green paper. Current circulation stands at a little
Consequent to this, there was a flood of Naturally, the letters flooded in: "When over 60.000. The breakdown is as follows:
magazines at the time, trying to avail of are you bringing back the green .cover?' 48,500 in the Republic and the six
this reading public. Magazines with People will still look for the green cover, counties (eight thousand in the North)
names like The Shamrock. The Emerald. so they always feature even a bit of green and, as previously mentioned. 10 -
The Dublin Penny Journal. magazines with somewhere on the cover. "A bit of red 12,000 in England. Six or seven hundred
a nationalist aspiration. 1. O. was just one would probably throw them off - they're copies are sent to America and
more of these. By the early I92 Os I. O. was all colour blind and can only see green!" subscriptions also come from Australia.
the only pebble left on the beach, jokes Ronan. Recently, they published a special
probably because it never became I nside the 1955 edition, there is also a Australian edition, price three dollars.
political and remained, as it is today, a story by the late Maura Laverty; obscure 20,000 issues were shipped 'Down
magazine of general interest and adverts on how to be taller by sending for Under'. This international dimension to
information. As Austin Channing says: details to a London address. "Be Taller", the magazine is interesting. "A nun in
"If Ireland's Own was to drop out in the it urges: "Quickly! Safely! Privately! Timbuctu is as likely to read it as the
morning, there would really be no rival to Clients gain One to Eight Inches." There granny in the corner," says Austin.
it. There is a special market for it alone. It are prize essays: "A Little Irish Mother" Because it is never known how many
has a wholesome, though not a pious and "Selected Verses" include copies are sent out casually to foreign
theme. It is bought mainly by women, but relatives and friends. it is hard to talk
not readby just women - you can't edit it accurately about foreign readership. Th;
towards a woman's bias either." magazine regularly receives letters from
I was shown a copy of the first edition, the Philippines, Japan and South
Nov. 26 1902, price one penny. It was America, even places as unlikely as
amazing to see much the same format and Finland. Austin recently read a letter
content as now, though one remarks on from a young I ranian boy in connection
how connotations of language change. with a penfriend. A French couple who
Being seasonal, it featured Christmas wanted to do some kind of exchange with
recipes: "How to skin, stuff and mount a an I rish couple recently wrote also.
bird." There were short snippets on a The 'pen friends' page' seems coyly so
"Queer betrothal ceremony", and "The called. Not quite a pen pals' page, as
big men of New Zealand". One article usually understood, it seems closer to the
announced: "Another unparalleled classified section of In Dublin or HOI
operation performed", six stitches put Press. though hardly exactly comparable,
into a woman's heart. Crime and given the type of request. (An interesting
detection featured, as always: one story sociological study lies in the contrast
called "Tracked by his own crime". There therein.) The 'pen friends' page' is a
was a news item called "Ballooning in a readers' service, and many people who
thunderstorm". The crests of the four began corresponding with each other
provinces were set around the "Ireland's through I.O. end up marrying each other.
Own" at the top of the page. There are plenty of letters testifying to
By the First World War, 1.0. had a "Moonlight in Mayo" and "Sunrise in this. Austin Channing was once
circulation of 28,000. It always appeared County Down". The verses and ballads in challenged by a young American priest
as a weekly, except during war-time. 1.0. have always remained staidly about the use of the term "Separated
Then, due to the shortage of paper, it neutral, non-violent. Another ad tells lady" in a personal advert. "I could
appeared fortnightly. By the Thirties, how hair can be regained at home hardly have called her "Lonely widow
however, circulation began to dwindle. through Mr Christy's method, this time a from Cork," " countered Austin,
Compulsory Irish and de Valera's Dublin address. Another ad pushes "thereby misleading hundreds of
rampant nationalism turned lots of Slimcream, for reducing bust size! Henry unsuspecting bachelors, unaware of her
people, particularly young city people, J Rivers can End the torture of Weak marital state." The same priest then went
against the magazine. (Nowadays, people Nerves. on to complain about the use of the sign
with an interest in the Irish language Sales grew steadily throughout the of the Zodiac. Did Austin not know that
feature heavily among readers.) Fifties, though the coming of television in Masonic rites involved the use of the sign
Austin Channing was as bored with 1961 had a marked effect on sales along of the Zodiac? I. O. frequently advertise
hearing about 19I 6 as anybody else. He the east coast. By 1971/72, the circulation under denominations like 'Sagittarius
wryly remarks that the GPO couldn't was about 42,000. Editors like Mike Wall, male' or indeed, 'Cancer lady'. Austin,
have held half the people who claimed fifteen years editor, had maintained an nevertheless, did not change this,
they were there on that fateful Easter excellent holding operation in the face of believing that hardly one reader in 10,000
Monday. "We were too Irish for our own these difficulties. would know about that. (This is not to
good," says Austin. suggest that many of the readers of 1.0.
At the end of the Second World War,
I. O. was selling 24,000 issues per week.
Emigration in the Fifties led to a steady
circulation in England, which currently
J OHN McDONNELL

the Louth man's

IS A NAME
dear to the heart of I. O. Under
editorship,
circulation went up to 69,000 in 1979/80,
are not learned and erudite. Many are
very interested in genealogy,
history, etc.) A nd again, an example of
how real I. O. can be for readers. An old
local

runs there at 10-12,000 weekly. an increase of fifty per cent since his Donegal man once wrote to John
The January issue of 1955 features an arrival in 1971. He had been a playwright McDonnell saying he was travelling
advert for 'Player's Navy Cut' on the in Belfast, and a sub-editor for the Irish down from there and would he please
cover. The price of the magazine was now Press. (Ronan Dodd has spent some years have some of the pen friends there to meet

52 MAGILL MARCH 1988

him? Another woman arrived "roaring won't find 'The Bold Fenian Men' in the in: "Drop that or I'll drop Ireland's
and screaming" - her husband had ballads page," Austin assures me, though Own!" Divorce and abortion are thorny
begun writing to a penfriend and bitterly-phrased letters sometimes subjects, obviously, and not frequently
subsequently had run off with her! demand same. referred to. An anti-divorce article,
Both Austin and Ronan, being Most musically-oriented requests, nevertheless, was printed recently, taken
realistic, suggest that maybe all the however, are non-political. Some time from the Economist and based on a
marriages don't necessarily work out. ago, Ronan received a letter from two Knights of Columbanus survey. Austin
They really only hear about the good Newry girls who wrote: "We love defends: "It was not really takingsides. It
ones. A couple arrived in the office in Madonna and Wet Wet Wet, but we offered perhaps the only cogent reason
1980, looking for a particular issue of always buy I.O. for the ballads, and wesit against divorce, based as it was on the
1950. The husband had faltering English, together and sing them." statistics of people who divorce again
being German. Working in a British army "We do the classic sitting-on-the- after remarrying."
canteen, he had seen I. O. and had taken it fence-job," says Ronan. Nevertheless, I n earlier years, writers on the Catholic
home to brush up on his English. despite their neutral stance, I. O. are no church's banned list were never pu blished
Spotting one advertisement, he had strangers to a quirky, colourful type of in I.O. - for example, the short stories of
contacted the woman. They continued to controversy. I. O. differs again from other Sean 0 Faolain, which they now often
correspond, and later married. To find magazines in that, while it has eight to ten reprint. William Trevor's stories are also
that particular issue was their means of people who are regular contributors, featured, as are stories by Ita Daly and
celebrating thirty years of matrimony. many short stories are sent in by readers. David Marcus. Austin became oddly
There are fifty to sixty requests a week They run a yearly short story competition' vituperative about Edna O'Brien's
on the pen friends' page. An average of and possibly fifty good stories can be stories, betraying one significant slip in
600 replies come in each week to these. taken from the entries. the liberal, Orwellian mien: "Sex is
Over 20,000 requests have appeared over (Incidentally, a pound was offered for hanging out of everyone of them ! You'd
the last forty years. A code number get sick of them after five minutes!"
system is used to catalogue - after a They both seem very careful not to
while the 'Lonely Johnnys' and the 'Hot offend, Ronan and Austin: "Would
Toddys' and the 'Loose boots' become 'fecking' be alright in a story?" I heard
repetitive. Ronan ask Austin about a contribution.
An occasional column called' Absent
Friends' has more poignant overtones.
People write in trying to trace their true
father or mother, or a brother or sister.
People who had been fostered out as
T HE ADVANTAGES
rural-based
OF BEING
are fairly obvious
- I. O. remains in touch with the
nerve centre of their readership. One of
children, to complete strangers. English their regular new contributors, however,
newspapers recently carried a story of is associated with the Royal Hospital and
how a brother and sister met after fifty based in Dublin. A Millennium issue is
years through 1.0. He had flown over now being planned also. Ronan is
from America, they had met at the realistic about I. 0.: "The fifteen, sixteen
airport. Sadly, three days later he was age-group wouldn't be caught dead with
dead. A soldier who had been stationed at 1.0. We will have to evolve and pay more
Queenstown (Cobh) during the war than lip-service to that age-group. The
married a local girl. He was posted away present music column 'Folk-beat' is too
at twenty-one and later taken prisoner by restrictive. "
the Japanese. He survived the war but, Austin pessimistically' believes that
despite contacting 1.0.. sadly never they haven't a hope of gaining that
caught up with his wife. particular market. "Overall, we're not
the best short story in the very first too good on the east coast," he says.

A PPARENTLY,
often asked
A QUESTION
concerns
appeal of the magazine north of
the border. "We might deny it, but no
matter how hard we try, the ethos of the
the
edition back in 1902.) John McDonnell,
as editor, once twisted the ending of a
short story to give it a happy ending. It
concerned a woman who had left her
Their main appeal lies to the West of
Ireland.
Given his long experience
national newspaper, Ronan
with a
is often
cruel husband. The writer contacted the tempted to deal with hard news, and has
magazine would be nationalist, with a nation's confidante, Gaybo. His to pull the reins on himself. "It's tempting
natural tendency to lean towards the researcher rang Austin Channing to tell to cover Stalker," he says. He doesn't
Catholic ethos," according to Austin. him that he would be on the air in half an miss the 'bad vibes' of the city, and
"Catholic with a lower-case 'c"," hour to explain the change. Channing commutes every weekend to Nenagh,
interjects Ronan, at this point, tellingly had to think fast - McDonnell was away where his wife works, their home base. He
revealing a certain difference of intent. - and to Gay's haranguing replied that it likes the fact that there is no bad news
Until the troubles of the late Sixties, a lot was supposed to have been a story of covered in I. O. - there are enough of
of the readers were non-Catholic. Articles romantic interest, and those stories by other magazines like Magill, to deal with
about the Dissenters and Henry Joy their nature must have a happy ending. social issues. He admits a definite slant
McCracken went down very well. The He also apologised to the lady and said it towards the unreal in I. O. Con Houlihan
polarisation of the two sides which has was the first time it had ever occurred. No dubbed it, 'the only good newspaper', in
become so distinct now must mean that sooner than this was said when a woman the sense of only publishing 'good' news.
the overriding majority of northern rang up from Belfast claiming the same Tony O'Reilly is indirectly the boss of
readers must now be Catholic. thing had happened to one of her stories. the whole operation, being head of the
Nonetheless, when Armagh came to be The controversy continued for weeks Independent group, to which The People
covered in the county specials, attention with Gaybo eventually offering a prize newspapers - of which Ireland's Own is a
was equally given to Lough Gall and the for the best alternative ending. part - are affiliated. O'Reilly has called
founding of the Orange Order, as it was to Fifteen or sixteen years ago, I. O. Ireland's Own "the publishing miracle of
items of nationalist interest. Not to tread displayed an advert for a Honda the century." He says he wouldn't try to
on political toes, to remain non-partisan, motorbike, featuring a young model change it and admits he wouldn't know
has always been 1.0.' s stance. "You wearing a bikini. A lot of letters flooded how if he wanted to.

MAGILL MARCH 1988 53

 JOHN REASON on Ireland's chances of picking up the pieces.

T HE POWER OF POSITIVE said afterwards that he expected more Ireland went badly short of ball.
thinking may move mountains, from Ireland. So did Ireland. They were Lenihan and Anderson cannot dominate
but it has not helped Ireland to short of legs. They were short of muscle. so Ireland were under pressure from the
move the French serum very far in recent They were short of spirit. They sank beginning, and in the end they were
seasons, or anybody else come to that. without so much as a bubble. My word, annihilated and spared only by France's
The man who did the positive thinking Ireland have suffered from the loss of poor goalkicking.
for the Irish front row was Syd Millar, Nigel Carr. The question is: Will the re-shuffled
and he is one of the best two coaches of Even the video saw nothing of the Irish Irish pack be any better against Wales?
the serum mage in the world. In the run- back row all day, and that left the French The chances are that they will, if only for
up to the World Cup, Syd never missed backs in the mouth-watering situation of the fact that Wales have been highly
a chance to tell everybody, and especially playing behind a totally dominant nervous about their forwards all season,
his front row, just how strong the Irish scrummage with nothing more to worry and as England and Scotland have shown,
props were. about than running one on one. No cover. they have every cause to.
It was a classic exercise in psyching-up, No nothing. Ireland's loose forwards It may be a slight exaggeration to say
but it cut no ice across the water. Mike never challenged the French midfield. that Wales are a one-man pack, and that
Burton and Fran Cotton, the two As if that was not appetising enough without Bob Norster, God help them, but
England tight heads who did so much for for the French backs, Ireland had chosen there is enough truth in that at least to
Syd Millar on the 1974 Lions tour of to play Trevor Ringland far too soon give Ireland some hope.
South Africa, and who think so much of after injury. Now Pare des Princes on a Certainly, the Welsh front row has
him, shook their heads and grinned from fine Spring day is not exactly the place nothing like the clout, in every sense of
ear to ear. that first springs to mind when choosing the word, that the French have and Willy
"Syd can tell Des Fitzgerald he's King a rugby rehabilitation centre, and Anderson will have a happy time playing
Kong," said Burton, "and coming from Lagisquet stripped Ringland to the bone. alongside Phil May. Only Norster of the
Syd, the lad will probably believe him, but He beat him on the inside. He beat him Welsh tight forwards, will be in a class
when he has to get down against the on the outside. Two French tries. Game, of his own.
French front row, he'll find out the set and match. Whether Tom Clancy will be any better
truth. " It was foolish to expose Ringlend in at loose head remains to be seen. He is
Fitzgerald found out the truth two that way. Fully fit, he is good enough and big enough to look the part, but my
years ago, when he had to serum mage strong enough to bustle a wing like scouts tell me that his work rate about the
against England at Twickenham, and Lagisquet and to give Ireland a badly field is marginal, and his body strength
spent most of his time in the car park. If, needed plus. Instead, that particular is such, or un-such, that after twenty
subsequently, he was in any doubt about confrontation left Ireland with a distinctly minutes in an international serum, his
one of life's eternal verities, he had it avoidable minus. Minus a lot of points. work rate will become a minus quantity.
dispersed when he scrummaged against They think that Langbrook would have
France in Paris. been a better bet, simply because he never

T
Ireland were shafted in the first serum, HERE IS NOTHING OF stops competing.
just as they were in Paris two years ago, Frank Whittle's jet about his But if the threat from the Welsh
and from that moment, they never looked namesake. Don Whittle was scrummage is not nearly as great as that
forward. picked as a tank trap. He is a fifteen yard from France, the Welsh lineout, with
France still started hesitantly, as they player. But as soon as France saw that Norster jumping and Watkins throwing
had every right to. They should have lost they could move the ball wide and not in, will give Ireland a lot of problems in
to England and they did lose to Scotland. have to worry about their own back row, the one area where they had a small
They had dropped a third of their team, they climbed out of their tanks and used success against France.
including their best scrummager, and they motor-bikes instead. Whittle was flamed It was a small success, too. The lineout
had cobbled together a back row which out. Hors de combat. He needed what ball Ireland won was not clean. It was not
was all number eights and muscle and no mobility he had to keep up with the developed. Paul Dean defended well, but
pace. retreat of his serum. his use of the ball was not significant. He
They clearly feared a run-around, just Life was made even more difficult for kept challenging the tackle line, which left
as Wales did when they played England Ireland by the chances they gave France Michael Kiernan with no option but to
at Twickenham, but after twenty minutes, to counter-attack. With the fast pitches kick.
the French found to their most enormous provided by this non-winter, more tries France are still searching as hard for
relief that Ireland did not have a scrurn have been scored from counter-attack a fly-half as they have done for the last
and they did not have a back row either. than from any other source. Blanco made twenty years and they are still searching
Daniel Dubroca, the French captain, the most of the chances he was given. for locks, but they were faster thinking

54 MAGILL MARCH 1988

W HEN THE NEW DUBLIN Guardian strip If . . . or Le Canard
Opinion starts using The decline of Enchaine.
cartoons from the old Dublin
Opinion, under the heading 'Ring in the
Irish political Even of those honourable exceptions,
only Littleman at his best, as in, for
old', you know that all is not well with the
state of Irish political cartooning. The
cartooning instance his famous portrait of Charles
Haughey as a dyspeptic vulture, comes
lacklustre attempt to revive the one really near the scabrous distortions which are the
successful vehicle for political cartoons in
Ireland has served only to highlight the
BY essence of caricature. In an original and
idiosyncratic way, Littleman follows the
gaping dearth of serious practitioners of an
art that has 400 years of history behind it.
FINTAN O'TOOLE approach of the great English caricaturists
like Ralph Steadman and Gerald Scarfe
With a few obvious and honourable who in turn follow the advice of the 17th
exceptions - Martyn Turner in the Irish in 'Dog Collars' - Irish politicians have century artistic commentator Balinducci,
Times, Littleman's savage caricatures in had little to fear when compared to the who defined the task of the caricaturist as
Magill and elsewhere, Fortnight's easy- ferocity of the lampooning of their British being to "disproportionately increase and
going mockery of Northern clerical bigotry or French counterparts in, say, Steve Bell's emphasise the defects of the features that

AGILL MARCH 1988

they copy." Martyn Turner, on the other
hand, though himself English in origin,
could be placed more in an American
tradition than an English one - witty,
ironic, and given to verbal jokes and puns as
much as to purely visual effects.
Turner's caricatures of Irish politicians,
indeed, are relatively gentle, even when
compared to his own images of foreign
politicians. Like all caricaturists, he picks
on individual features of his subjects and
emphasises them: Charlie Haughey's
beaky nose, Garret FitzGerald's wavy hair
and rotund face, Alan Dukes' rubbery, fag-
bedecked lips and thick glasses, Dick
Spring's long streak-of-misery face. But
his cool draughtsmanship precludes the
violent strokes of which grotesque
caricatures are made. Only when dealing
with obvious monsters like Richard Nixon,
Idi Amin, or Joe Stalin, has he come up
with anything that might be called hideous.
Turner's work gives the impression of being
undertaken more in sorrow than in anger-
a man shaking his head at the folly of the
politicians rather than his fist in their faces.
Turner's greatest strength, indeed, lies in
his ability to turn verbal humour into a would be complete without mentioning Clockwise from top left: "If only-"
visual joke. Many of his most memorable Northern Ireland ... Hello, Northern Mother Ireland brings Collins and Dev
together (From Dublin Opinion, August
cartoons depend on words, either in the Ireland"; a fisherman reflecting on the 1922); Littleman's depiction of Charlie
captions or built in to the drawings value of Sellafield: "Real fish fingers"; Haughey as a vulture (Magill, 1981);
themselves: Enoch Powell beset by a DUP Oliver J. Flanagan, having been appointed Martyn Turner's welcome for Ronald
picketer whose placard carries the legend Minister for Defence, bearing a shield with Reagan and his response to the
"Immigrants Out"; the Queen making her the words "M ake War not Love". In this, Haughey/Thatcher teapot diplomacy.
(Turner cartoons from his books
speech to parliament: "My government as in his ironic rather than indignant 'lIIiminations' and 'Martyn Turner, The
feels that no programme of legislation posture, Turner's work is not unlike the Book'.)
best of \\ hat Dub/in Opinion in its he~ da~ stance \\ as that "We hcliev c that humour is The Bell accurately described in 19U as
\\as capable of. the safet~ valve of a nation and that a "overdone sob vtuff" - scntiment alised
nation \\ hich has its \ alurs right \\ ill al\\ays images of picturesque poverty.

T
ilE FACT TIIAT TilE be able to laugh at itself. We hal c al a~ s So stable \\as Irish vocietv and its
original Dub/in Opinion is had an unfailing belief in Ireland. all of it. concerns that \'i\ ian Mercier, \Hiting in
,till remembered wa rrnlv morethan and in the people of Ireland, all of The Bell, w av able to identify si:-. jokes
t wcntv years after its demise i, part I~ a them ... "The laughter which it intended to which, through m~ riad \ ariat ions , made up
result of the failure of anythim; else to fill provoke wav a reassurance that the nation the entire content of the magazine 0\ er the
the need for good political cartooning, had its values right. not an attack on those decades. Joke 1\ umber I \\ as the Cil il
partly a result of its own considerable e ..t ablishcd \ alucs. Accordinulv , in time' of Sen icc J okc, a \ ariation of hich \\ as the
merits. Those merits, though, were of a cri.,i." the figure of "Ireland", a willow, Cork Joke. The classic of the genre,
\ er~ part icular ki nd and \\ ere \ er~ closl'l~ v ivion .,traight from romantic nationalivt publivhcd in 192.t. and captioned "The
related to the small, parochial nature of m~tholog~. would appear in the page ..of :\ight the Trcatv Was Signed". ,ho\\' a
lr ish socictv before the l.emasv revolution. the magazine. making de \' alcra and horde of men running nat out in the middle
Then' is at least a s~ mbolic significance in ( ollins shake hands in the Civil \\ ar day-, of the night. many still in their pyjarnas on
the fact that the ruagazinc \\ as founded of Augu.,t 1922. or herself slHlking hands the road from Cork to Dublin, there.
with the new state in 1922, and closed down with de \ aler:1 who vt ands in front of a cvidcntlv. to take up civil sen icc job"
in the mid-Sixties when the simple vcr iucs radio microphone hal ing just made his Icrcier remarked that "At times one
of that state were beginning to fall apart. famous rcplv to Churchill during the would be tempted to sa~ of Dublin Opinion
Dub/in Opinion depended on a kind of Second World \\ ar. accompanied b~ the that it \\a, written of civ il sen ants. for civ il
political humour \\ hich assumed a highl~ caption "Thank you, Dcv": \\ hen things sen ants, b~ civil 'en ants". and there is a
stable society and a lack of serious were threatening, political humour \\ as sense in which this has remained true of
di\ iviuns. One earl~ joke gil ing the Traffic replaced with patriotic high-rnindcdncsv. much of I rish polit ical cartooning. its
I. ighh II istor~ of I rebind \\ as capt ioncd as In the first four years of the magazine, lampooning of politicians being more the
follows: "1. The Red goes. 2. The 0 range before the death of its founding editor indignation of the civil servant at his
gOl'S. 3. The Green comes ... and stayv". Arthur Booth. Dub/in Opinion did make incompetent political boss rather than 'the
and that banishment of rev olutionaries and strong efforts to suggest that all might not wrath of the outsider directed against the
Protestants in a Catholic state \\ as be for the best in the new Free State, with institutions of power.
reflected in the magazine's sense of hal ing many strong cartoons on unemployment Dublin Opinion's five other jokes were:
a single "in" audience to whom it could and pov crtv. \\ hen Charles Kell~. \\ ho The Where Were You In 1916 Joke (the
address its political jokes. drew many of the magazine's most famous best being the one which has a politician
Dub/in Opinion m av hal c hccn cartoons over the years. took over as addressing a crow d in a \ illage square,
irreverent. but it alw avs assumed that its editor, the social comment was diminished through \\ hich four men are \\ ading. each
humour was a support (rather than a and the sharp depict ions of pov ert~ holding one leg of a large bed. Politician:
danger) to the status quo. Its editorial replaced by the \\ ork of W.l1. Conn \\ hich What's this? Men: It', the bed you were
under in 1916; the Irish Na\'y .Ioke: The
New Ireland Joke (ceilidhes in the Kildare
Street Cluh etc): the Ourselves-As-
Others-Sec-Us .Iokc (pigs in kitchens,
Americans and leprechauns); and the
Farmer .lokc, ("The gro\\ing middle-class
of Ireland" Mercier remarked "have left
the farm behind (we hope) and can afford to
laugb at it. ").
And if all of these jokes were essentially
harmless. so too were the depictions of
politicians, There \\ as no personal attack in
either the jokes or the caricatures, which
were st raightforw ard and innocent of
grotesquer~. Dub/in Opinion 's attacks on
the Public Safety Act in the last days of the
Cosgrave gO\ernmenl were popular and
influential, and were e'en credited b~ some
w ith helping to bring dow n that
gO\ernment. But once de Valera was safely
in power, the magazine's designs on
political influence were replaced with
gentle leasing of those in PO\\ cr. The
strongest attack on de Valera is a gentle but
effect i\'c1~ mocking caricatu rc \\ hich
shows him ,1\ a female fashion model, the
accompany ing description of his outfit
sending up hi, puritanical asceticism: "A
slim and simple frock of angclskin,
matching hat with halo effect."

T
HE POINT ABOUT DUBLIN
Opinion is that it represents
the only real tradition in Irish
political cartooning, and that tradition is
one of coping \\ ith consensus and stability.
not \\ ith division and change. Charles
Kelly, the magazine's editor once did a

~n .. r-. ... ll.....

nr"LI 1000
cartoon complaining that l rish politics
were "as nat as a child's nose against a
sweet shop window' and suggesting a few
scnsatlons \1 hich might make the life of the
cartoonist easier. Among them II ere: "A
minister might openly contradict the
Taoiscach": "The Taoise ach might
suddenly adopt a nell st~ le of \Iearing
apparel": "Deputy Otivcr .I, Flanagan
might ask a question which would
embarrass even Deputy Otivcr Flanagan:'
That these 1\l'H' the high points of
imaginar~ cvcitcmcnt with which an Irish
political cartoonist could cope \Ias proved
hy Ihe fact that II hen real crises a rri\ I'd. the
cartoonists took refuge in pious and
humourless tableau- ..
Compare this to the tradition of the
political cartoon in Britain. While there
has been a great deal of complaint about
the falling off in the standards of the art.
those complaints are made in relation to
recent and vibrant exemplars of cartooning
at its best - Sir David 1.0\1 and the
incomparable Vicky II ho, driv en into nile
b~ the Nazis. \Ias enorrnouvly influential in
creating a taste for polit lcally pungent and
partisan cartoons. (Some of Vicky's jokes
still turn up: his comment on British
nuclear policy show ing the then Minister
for Defence facing the Russian bear.
holding a pistol to his ow n head and
threatening "One step. and I shoot!" w as
used by Martyn Turner during the UWC
strike in the North when he had a Unionist
pointing a gun at himself and threatening
James Callaghan - "This is a stick
up , , , ": and Nicholas Garland of the
London Independent says that he thanks
"Vicky's shades for the thousands of times
I have made usc of his powers of
observation.")
Britain produced. and continues to day. the political thought has to be glance. must be something that is already
produce. a large number of good political struggled with in order to lind the right common currency. Cartoonists may be
cartoonists because its politics have been image to convey it:' And these images have admired for their originality of expression.
defined on a left/right axis. creating and to be ones \1 hich your readers are able to . but originality in their ideas is a hindrance
allow ing for expressions of absolute recognise in an inst ant. He lists some II hich to effective communication. "The idea
opposition and vitriolic hatred. The art of he believes would be "inst antlv understood contained in a political cartoon must not
the caricature and of the lampoon is one of by' any reasonably well-educated person": only be easily understood but must even be
the fell arts \1 hich thrives on absolute Alice ill Wonderland in all its details. many already widely established before the
oppositions and violent passions: it is at its Victorian paim lngs, most of Shakespeare. cartoonist uses it. It could reasonably be
best \1 hen it i~ least fair and .rnost Gulnncss posters. children's books argued that political cartoons are merely
unbalanced. Because cartoonists like Vicky (probably English classics such as The telling people what they already know in a
reintroduced this partisan tradition. and Wind ill the Willows or Winnie the Pooh) highly simplified form:' On this criterion.
because British politics after the war and "much of Kipling", Ireland is a very tough place for the
became increasingly polarised. the superb What is significant is that not only would political cartoonist. In a political system in
savagery of a Steadman. a Scarfo. or a none of these be "instantly understood" by which ideas arc anathema and self-
Steve Bell has a place in the political an I rish audience. hut that it is impossible contradiction is the order of the day. it is
culture. In Ireland. where left and right arc to think of an equivalent list of Irish virtually impossible for a cartoonist to
moveable feasts and political passions are references \1 hich would be immediately assume that he is mer ely presenting in a
hazy and contradictory. a passionate recognisable to most I rish readers, even of simplified and visually attractive form an
assailant of politicians. like Littlcrnan, is a a paper like the Irish Times, Irish culture is idea which is already generally accepted.
marginal. uncomfortable. figure. so discontinuous. so fractured and so And so we have the wetness and
But there is another reason. too. for the lacking in coherence that no cartoonist weakness of II hat arc meant to be the
problems which the political cartoon could work on the assumption that all of his bastions of the political cartoon in Ireland:
continues to have in Ireland. Nicholas readers would grasp a reference to Joyce or the revived Dub/ill Opinion and The
Garland. in a recent article in The Yeats in two seconds. I rish cartoonists Phoenix, \1 hose attempts at the form have
Spectator, revealed the extent to which his can't draw on a common culture which been a consistent embarrassment. A
0\1 n work as a cartoonist depends on they share \1 ith their readers, tradition bred on stability and
assumptions which he can be sure that he And the same is even more st riklngly true predictability faces a society which is
shares with his audience, Some of these of political assumptions. Garland makes contradictory. unformed and unpredic-
assumptions are cultural. others political. the interesting point that the message of a table. The result. for the most part. is an
Garland pointed out that "On a difficult political cartoon. because it is read at a inadequate mess.
 thing but this kind of result
FINGAL FROLICS would need a more organised
campaign than on their last
THERE IS SUCH AN ABUN- outing. Helen Keogh for the
dance of talent among the PDs would fancy her chances -
unemployed of Swords Co she had more first preference
Dublin that a recent competition Only the begrudgers around stituencies and in West Mayo it votes last time than either of the
for the position of caretaker at Swords are likely to complain is Flynn and The Fisherman, FF candidates, Ed McDonald
Fingal Community College that all is not as it seems in the Denis Gallagher of Achill, who and Richard Conroy. Ambitious
attracted many over-qualified area - which of course is pol- are returned comfortably. In Betty Coffey would be looking
applicants. Among them was itically dominated by the for- politics there is no such thing as for the other FF seat too. Any
the temporary caretaker, Bill midable organisation of Ray a comfortable seat. But you of these would want to watch
Barry, who had been employed Burke TO and Minister for beat any surprise swings if you Eamonn Gilmore who polled
at the school in that capacity Energy and Communications. are Padraig of the Knives and well for the Workers Party last
from September 1987 until you know that The Fisherman time out and who by all
January of this year when the Gallagher is heading for the accounts is working very hard
position was filled. European contest in June 1989, out there to retain his support.
Mr Barry did not get the full- as a replacement candidate in Fine Gael would be looking to
time job despite a glowing Connacht/Ulster for retiring hold onto Monica Barnes and
reference from the school Sean Flanagan who is finally Sean Barrett and would find it
principal who praised his hanging up his political football almost impossible to add a third
aptitude for painting, garden- boots after a fine innings as seat. Of course Liam Cosgrave
ing, plumbing, carpentry, clean- deputy, minister and MEP. might just oust one of these two.
ing and security, all grist to the The football vote gave That leaves Barry Desmond
mill of a good caretaker. His six Flanagan the edge over Neil T who has been in the Dail since
years in the army, ten years work Blaney last time. Blaney was 1969 and is likely to hang in
experience with juvenile delin- regarded as a certainty after his there unless the middle-class
quents, ten years with the New trouble-free run in 1979 when squeeze Earuonn Gilmore and
Ray Burke:formidable organisation
York telephone company, Leav- Lynch's Fianna Fail failed to the falling support for the
ing Cert, diploma in childcare, John Mulvihill is the son of challenge him and virtually Labour party combine to force
and training in physical educ- Larry Mulvihill who replaced handed him the seat as an him out.
ation, building maintenance and Burke as councillor when the Independent. Haughey stormed
gardening were not enough to latter was elevated to higher the Blaney fortress right into
secure him the position. A office. Mulvihill senior is a Letterkenny and with the GAA
GARRET WHO?
married man, Mr Barry has now member of the Co Dublin VEC vote coming out for Flanagan in
FINE GAEL SUPPORTERS
returned to the dole queue while and a member of the board of Cavan/Monaghgan, the once
notice that, more and more,
the job at Fingal Community management of Fingal Com- Mayo All-Ireland captain
Alan Dukes tends to invoke the
College has been given to a munity College, and a key figure shaded Blaney, the previous
single man who had been in Mr Burke's party machine, poll-topper in a sharp contest. name of Liam Cosgrave when
working at the local hardware while his party colleague and Former GAA opponents like he is reminding the party of its
store for the past eight years. interview committee chairman Mick Higgins of Cavan, Sean great past and promising it a
Although not as obviously John Gilbride is also on the Stockwell and Frankie Purcell, great future.
qualified or experienced as Mr board of the school. not all of the FF persuasion, But then Charles J. Haughey
Barry, the successful young No one is arguing that the came out for Flanagan. doesn't exactly bore his
applicant must have greatly relatives of public represent- With Gallagher, former followers with the greatness of
impressed the interview atives should be excluded from member of the GAA Central a Corkman called Jack Lynch.
committee made up of public employment once the Council and great Mayo mentor
Councillors John Gilbride, FF proper procedures are adhered and legislator, the GAA-FF link EURO TRAIL
chairman, Cathal Boland (FG), to, as is the case here. Only the should operate in Connachtl
Owen Curley (FF) and S Lyons usual whingers will cry about Ulster. THE SEARCH FOR CANDI-
(lnd FF). political patronage and graft. Denis Gallagher's translation dates in the European elections
John Mulvihill, who got the But, as one Labour councillor to Europe means Flynn is the in 1989 is hotting up but no-
much sought-after job ahead of put it, it really says something veteran FF man in what was where more keenly than in the
Mr Barry and a number of other for the quality of the West Mayo, which he will then Labour Party.
applicants, is known to have umemployed in the Swords area. have all to himself - apart from Dick Spring and his col-
passed his Inter Cert, and eight "If the successful candidate is a token FF runner to gather the leagues nurse painful memories
years in a hardware shop has no better than Mr Barry then all I Achill/Belmullet vote. of the European contest in 1984
doubt equipped him with some can say is that the VEC and the As Flynn himself says at when the party failed to win a
knowledge of implements and school are very fortunate", Sean times: I like, I like it, I Like it. single seat. Rumours that the
building materials. Dunne told Wigmore. party is looking beyond its own
None of the interview com- ranks were circulating last week.
mittee were prepared to com- IN LIKE FLYNN KINGSTOWN Moves are being considered to
bring Mary Robinson back intc
ment on the reasons for the
appointment which has since TAKE BETS ON THE MIN-
CARVE-UP? the Labour Party fold with I
been cleared by the County ister for The Carve-up, DUN LAOGHAIRE IS AN- view to running her as the onl;
Dublin committee of the VEC otherwise the Environment, other ideal constituency for a condidate in the Dublin con
on the recommendation of the wrapping the two Mayos into carve up. Fianna Fail would stituency. Mrs Robinson left thl
chief executive officer Mr one five-seater for the next desperately like to have two seats party in 1985 over the Anglo
Gerard Cronin who in turn General Election. here, if for no other reason than Irish Agreement.
received notice of the successful If we are right about this, that David Andrews currently Approaches are alread
candidature from the local guess who it insulates perfectly? holds their only seat here. Now, understood to have been mad
committee. Everything has been Why none other than our two three-seaters would give to Senator Brendan Ryan. He j
done according to procedure Minister for the Environment. Fianna Fail more than a strong thought to be a certainty for
and John Mulvihill can rest Here's why. chance of lifting one seat in socialist seat in the Munsts
happy now that the competition Fianna Fail take four out of each. With the extra seat in there constituency if he can be pel
is all over. six seats in the two Mayo con- the PDs would be after the same suaded to run.
 outlook for 1989 is far from
BIRMINGHAM promising.
SIX MacSharry shrugs this inter-
pretation off: what else would
CONSPIRACY? the opposition say?
But Barry Desmond is stoutly
WHILE WITNESSES AT THE door? It was none other than Garret didn't think of sending maintaining that if the govern-
appeal of the Birmingham Six Frank Skuse. Frank Skuse was the Fine Gael overdraft of a cool ment moves to close Barring-
were not supposed to discuss there in George Reade's house million to UCD as well, being an ton's, or otherwise to provoke
evidence with each other or any- while the appeal was being integral part of Garret's legacy a confrontation, his deepest
one else while the case was heard. Skuse and Reade are the to the party. suspicions will have been con-
proceeding Labour MP Chris villains of this terrible affair", firmed.
Mullin recently claimed in the Chris Mullin told the House.
House of Commons that [he Skuse and Reade live 80 miles WATCH WILLIE
two chief witnesses for the apart. PADRAIG
Crown were in regular contact
with each other throughout.
THIS WILLIE O'DEA BUSI-
ness is most interesting. When o b-ANNRACHAIN
Mr Mullin said that while Dr you think about it, the whole
Frank Skuse and Superinten-
LORD DENNING affair couldn't have worked out
RTE DIDN'T EXACTLY
cover itself in glory with its
dent George Reade had never AND REALITY much better for the Soldiers of coverage of the death and burial
met before the night the six were Destiny, what with Willie prom- of Padraig Ovh.Annrachain, the
arrested they have kept in close LABOUR MP CHRIS MULLE ising not to rock the boat any Clare man who served five
contact since. He told the House was rather bemused to find further and all. If Fianna Fail Taoisigh from Eamon de Valera
the Dr Skuse had conspired over himself sharing a taxi with the had dreamed up the whole thing to Charles J Haughey. He pre-
a long period with Supt Reade former Master of the Rolls, Lord to upstage the PDs in Dessie's dated The National Handlers
to rearrange the timing of events Denning on the day of the own stomping ground, they and was himself a one-man
in Morecambe police station to Birmingham Six judgement. The couldn't have managed it any team. Unlike the Handlers,
cover up the fact that the West two men were being ferried better. Willie would be a sound Padraig was merely heard and
Midlands detectives had access together between the BBC studios bet to top the poll down in rarely seen: he stayed in his
and RTE studio in London as Limerick next time out, and we office in the Government In-
journalists awaited their various wouldn't be a bit surprised if he formation Bureau and when a
reactions to the pronouncements had a few votes left over to help reporter checking a wild story
of the Appeal Judges. another Fianna Fail man up was told by Padraig "That's the
The author of Error of Judge- behind him. daftest thing I've heard all day",
ment was taken aback when Lord And it's interesting that, al- you dropped it. Charles J. gave
Denning casually remarked that though the parliamentary party the graveside oration and was
he didn't know why they wished wasted no time in giving Willie more than modest when he said,
to speak to him as he didn't know the bum's rush out of the party looking down at the open grave,
much about it. after the Barrington's vote that a very large slice of his own
Lord Denning, who said on a (twenty-four hours must be life was there with Padraig.
recent TV interview that it was something of a record), his local Modest, because there lay also
preferable that some innocent Fianna Fail organisation were in a very rich vein of modern Irish
men remain in jail than the no hurry about demanding history, stretching back to
integrity of the British judicial Willie's party card back. Eamon de Valera whom he
system be impugned seemed ow isn't that a funny thing? idolised: Padraig accompanied
impressed with Mr Mullin's de Valera on many of his foreign
knowledge of the case. "You seem trips, especially to America.
to know a lot about it. You
possibly know even more than the AND ANOTHER He build up a unique rela-
tionship with Sean Lemass
Appeal Judges;' he told THING .... during his reign as Taoiseach:
him. When Mr Mullin agreed they treated as equals and the
that that was possible, Lord IN THE WAKE OF THE professionalism of Padraig's
to prisoners several hours earli- Denning remarked: "if I was you Barrington's vote, all kinds of advice was rarely rejected.
er than has been admitted by I should write a book about it". rumours were to-ing and fro-ing His working relationship with
them and that during that time Chris Mullin recalled at a in the nation's corridors of Jack Lynch, towards the end of
"they commenced a ferocious public meeting organised by the power. One was that despite the the Lynch era, was not quite a!
programme of violence which anti-extradition committee in united front of the Fianna Fail cordial. He would refer to hirr
led to the extraction of false Dublin recently that when the cabinet on the question of as "Our Taoiseach" to some
con fessions" television interviews were over the journalists who did not alway'
soldiering on with the present
Mr Mullin claimed that not former Master of the Rolls bade catch the inflections: witl
minority set-up (for the sake of
only did the two men keep in him farewell, saying, "Going back 'the country, of course), Minis- buddy-buddies the usage wa
regular contact by telephone to Ireland now, Mr. Mullin?" "our Jack-o".
ters MacSharry, Reynolds,
while the appeal was proceeding Flynn and O'Hanlon had He wasn't merely Haughey;
but Frank Skuse was in Supt's behind the scenes all made best advisor on whom Charli
Reade's home during the appeal. GARRET'S sterling efforts to persuade The relied heavily: he was his greatel
"On Sunday November 29
shortly after Skuse and Reade
LEGACY Leader to cut and run. political friend and he coulc
Fine Gael's John Bruton and and did, "chaw off' Chari)
had completed their evidence, Labour's Barry Desmond have whenever that job was necessai
but while the ease was still be- IN TIME DR GARRET FITZ- been stirring it up by suggesting - Charlie listened. The lege
ing heard and they were both Gerald will probably leave his that the reason for this is that that Charlie only tolerated "ye
technically witnesses, liable to be State papers to his old alma the leading FF ministers, despite men" round him could never I
recalled at any time, an ITN mater to rest with those of his all their bravado and posturing laid while Padraig was alive. I-
journalist, Chris Jameson, father for the benefit of students about how they have success- was a one-man kitchen Cabin
called unannounced at Reade's exploring political dynasties. fully grasped the nettle, are very There won't be his likes in
door. Who should open the Alan Dukes'only regret is that much afraid that the economic again in our lifetime .