TRACKING OUR VIOLENT HISTORY - FREE DOWNLOADS
- JOHN OBRIEN
- 1 day ago
- 3 min read
In recent years, I have authored numerous articles and books about the security situation in Ireland and the role of policing both here and in Northern Ireland. I have always been deeply interested in how politics influences policing and how often the victims have been failed.
I am pleased to share this information with you and welcome your comments. While discussions on this topic have not been widespread, I hope to encourage lively debate and deeper understanding.
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Government Appointed Judge Barron (2003) observed with classic judicial understatement:
Notwithstanding the information supplied in the course of these meetings, there appears to have been no follow through by any of those who became aware of it. Nothing was apparently raised at the meeting. Names were not sought, nor the evidence which justified the internment, nor the allegation that they had been responsible for the Dublin bombing.
Following the meetings, there is no evidence that the information was passed, either to the Minister for Justice or any of his officials, or indeed to the Garda Commissioner or any other Garda officer. Certainly, Patrick Cooney, the then Minister for Justice was never made aware of it, nor is there any record of such information being passed to An Garda Síochána.
This absence of apparent interest in those interned, and in whatever evidence there was which indicated that some of them were involved in the Dublin bombings, strongly suggests that the Irish Government made no efforts to assist the investigation into the Dublin and Monaghan bombings at a political level6. It is also surprising that they did not convey this information to An Garda Síochána. One can imagine the impetus this would have given the Garda Investigation. Much could have been achieved with Government support
The Great Deception
Could the Doomsday Plot have precipitated the Dublin Monaghan Massacre 1974?
FAILED TO UNDERSTAND - EXPLANATIONS ARE EXPLORED HERE
I failed to understand the failure of the Irish government to follow up on the critical information supplied by the British Prime Minister Harold Wilson to Liam Cosgrave Taoiseach in 1974.
The precursor events in Belfast immediately before the Bombings may well provide the clue to this inaction. Dublin had bought the British Line on the so called PIRA Doomsday Plot. Hence the title below. This doc is fully interactive with link enabled table of contents.
The Troubles Come South - From 1969
There are several themes in this work. In the first instance I recall the events encountered during my policing career from 1968 to 2006 and subsequently to the present time. There are many different stories some are humorous, and more are deadly serious. The overwhelming context is the enduring set of circumstances which arose for the Troubles era, as the Northern conflict spread its malign influence into the Republic. The Troubles changed the profile of policing in a negative manner which forever altered a normal progression and evolution of policing. The greatest demands were made at the political level where the response was often inadequate and counter productive.
The Garda Síochána has retained significant public support, outranking international comparators significantly. The members of the force have a significant history of volunteerism and self-help. There is a deep and enduring connection with the community which is often exemplified by close connections with organisations like the GAA. Additionally, there are personal and family ties with all levels of society. The Garda interaction with the community during the Corona Virus Pandemic has been exceedingly positive and typical of the community connection.
I have included some personal stories from those years.......
Securing the Irish State 1922-2022
The book is dedicated to the men and women of An Garda Síochána who have protected this State for 100 years. Many colleagues have made the supreme sacrifice.
Centenary Year of the Civic Guard/An Garda Síochána was in 2022. Historically it is well established that a functioning acceptable police force is an essential enabler for stable democracy . This is the lesson learned from our own national independence struggle.
The main purpose of this work is to share and explore factual information regarding the history of policing in Ireland from 1922 to 2022. The primary focus of the book is on the role of the AGS in protecting the State. Up to 1998 the threat was posed primarily by militant republicans and briefly by other elements. This was an existential danger to the very existence of the State. During the last decade this threat was supplanted by the threat from Organised Crime and Drug barons.
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