Michael Heney

This book derives from Heney's detailed PhD research. Clearly a sceptic of the conventional narrative that Lynch saved the country from a plot and a potential coup he delves deeper and demonstrates clear instances where Attorney General Condon, then Minister of Defence Cronin and even Cosgrave in removing Gibbons' name from his list of Arms Trial suspects misled the Dáil and subsequent Committees. Heney also demonstrates that Berry became extremely suspicious of Lynch during this whole period who had information much sooner than the sackings and only acted when forced by Cosgrave. Rewarding Gibbons for committing, in effect perjury, is a strange sort of political promotion. In my personal opinion the only two who emerge with any dignity from this period are Captain Kelly and Colonel Hefferon who were both badly maligned as a result in political and media circles.… (mais)

Very good. Based on an examination of documents some of which were not released until 2001. The result of the arms trial - not guilty - always implied that the jury thought that the attempted importation had been legal. This book seems to establish that, despite Blaney's irredentist talk, he and Haughey were not a group acting against government policy, but Jack Lynch not only knew what they were up to but agreed with it, and it was only when the secret was leaked to Liam Cosgrave that Lynch, to save himself, sacrificed Haughey and Blaney and the others. Gibbons, as appeared in the trial, was as much implicated as the others, but Lynch's strategy of disclaiming all responsibility required a pretence that Gibbons had not known. In other words, Irish democracy had not been under threat.… (mais)