Some people of my advanced years may remember reading the testimony of the then Minister of Defence that citizens of Derry had been given nine days’ training in handling of firearms, in Irish Army camps, without having been sworn into the Defence Forces. Mr Gibbons explained that it was to give moral support to communities which had been under attack from Orangemen, Armed RUC and Specials and feared their recurrence. Mr Gibbons was supported in his story by Des O’Malley, Minister for Justice. Both men pooh-poohed the idea that there was any intention to provide the threatened community with weapons to defend themselves. The jury pooh-poohed the testimony of the witnesses,
Other witnesses refused to perjure themselves, and Captain James Kelly won substantial damages from Garret Fitzgerald who maintained that he had been correctly charged with criminality and acquitted by an intimidated jury.
Des O’Malley is, not quite up in arms, but having his son protest that he acted correctly in 1970.
Checking in Wikipedia, I read that at one time Des O’Malley was threatened by the IRA and carried a gun to defend himself.
Surely, his colleague, Jim Gibbons should have directed the Army to train him in the use of arms, but denied him the privilege of carrying them?What’s sauce for the Derry Geese is sauce for Limerick Ganders?
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