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USA Today
28-05-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
Rebels, gangsters and presidents animate biography of radical lawyer Paul O'Dwyer
Rebels, gangsters and presidents animate biography of radical lawyer Paul O'Dwyer 'An Irish Passion for Justice: The Life of Rebel New York Attorney Paul O'Dwyer,' takes readers through the civil rights era, Northern Ireland, and post-war New York's machine politics. Show Caption Hide Caption Harvard Law School's Magna Carta revealed as an original Harvard Law School's Magna Carta revealed as an original, the school bought a 1327 copy of the Magna Carta from legal book dealer for $27.50 in 1946. Robert Polner and Michael Tubridy's biography of Paul O'Dwyer examines the clash between purity and pragmatism in public llife. The book includes cameos from presidents including JFK, Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan, Lyndon Johnson, and Franklin Roosevelt. O'Dwyer spent decades fighting for civil rights and desegregation. His elder brother, New York Mayor William O'Dwyer, was dogged by unproven allegations of gangland ties. In the endless dogfight between purity and pragmatism it's never clear who to bet on. It's even harder to know who to love. Radical Irish-American lawyer Paul O'Dwyer was a passionate purist who spent most of the 20th Century fighting – and often winning – for society's losers. O'Dwyer stood up for Irish Republicans, the early Zionists, Blacks in the segregated South, Blacks in the segregated North, gays and lesbians during the AIDS crisis, Kentucky coal miners and, briefly, the entire population of Iran. His elder brother, William O'Dwyer, was the silver-tongued, machine-backed mayor of post-war New York who traveled by chauffeured car and got things done – until creeping scandal pushed him from office, all the way to Mexico City. The intensely loyal but often difficult relationship between these immigrant siblings is only the most attractive of several threads crackling through Robert Polner and Michael Tubridy's excellent biography, 'An Irish Passion for Justice: The Life of Rebel New York Attorney Paul O'Dwyer' (available now from Three Hills Books). The clash of zealotry and conciliation, the question of how best to do the right thing, animates the O'Dwyer story in ways eerie and often striking. Sometimes tilting at windmills and at others slaying dragons, Paul O'Dwyer keeps popping up where the action is, wavy-haired, brogue-talking, and brave. It's 1967: O'Dwyer is in segregated Alligator, Mississippi, watching the local polls to help out civil rights icon Fannie Lou Hamer. It's 1968 and he's manhandled by Chicago cops while trying to save an anti-Vietnam war delegate from a beating at the riotous Democratic National Convention. There he is, sunburned in San Antonio, springing suspected Irish Republican Army sympathizers from federal lock-up. And here he is in 1993, whispering to Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton during the Democratic presidential primaries that the time might be right for the U.S. to get off the sidelines and broker an end to decades of violence and repression in Northern Ireland. O'Dwyer, the youngest of 10, grew up in an impoverished hamlet in Ireland's County Mayo. After graduating from a Dickensian church-run school and completing a year of college – supported by the meager salaries of his schoolteacher sisters – he was summoned at age 17 to New York by his four brothers, who'd already escaped across the Atlantic. There he met Bill, who'd never laid eyes on the baby of the family. Bill was something: A seminary dropout, he'd worked as a barman, riverboat furnace-tender, and laborer before joining the NYPD and becoming a lawyer. He flashed a gold tooth. Unlike his younger brothers, he didn't send money home. He steered Paul into law school, and encouraged him to rise through the patronage and compromises of Tammany Hall – the city's ruling Democratic machine – though Paul chose more difficult means of ascent. Eldest and youngest formed a bond that would survive decades of friction over principles and tactics. Bill was elected district attorney of Brooklyn, where he prosecuted the button-men of Murder Inc., but he was stalked by allegations – never proven – of gangland ties that would later undo his mayoralty. Where Bill sent men to the electric chair, Paul defended accused killers bound for the death house. The contrast is even more striking when the book describes how their brother Frank O'Dwyer was himself shot dead in a hold-up, and his killer executed. Paul O'Dwyer didn't let zealotry fence off the road to common ground. Fiercely anti-British, he refused to condemn IRA violence, and also refused to condemn attacks on Catholics by Northern Ireland's Protestant paramilitaries, reasoning – despite his Catholic allegiance – that he couldn't pit one group of Irishmen against another. In the 1970s he caught hell for reaching out to the violent anti-Catholic bigot Andrew Tyrie, a man with plenty of blood on his hands, in search of a way to unite the poor of Belfast, Protestant and Catholic, against their shared poverty and unemployment in the British north. O'Dwyer influence and compromise While Bill O'Dwyer became mayor in 1945, the highest office Paul achieved was that of city council president, in 1973. He lost primary or general election races for mayor, Congress and the U.S. Senate. Friends and foes "painted Paul as more influential than he actually was" in his brother's administration, the authors write. In retirement, Bill said his younger brother "had little patience for me because of compromises that I may have made." "That's perhaps the difference between a successful politician and one who had to learn some things yet," he added. In a now-familiar swing of the pendulum, the man who defeated O'Dwyer in the 1968 Democratic primary for senator from liberal New York, in a year of riots and tumult, ultimately lost – not to a Republican, but to the Conservative party candidate. Fifty-six years later, at another moment of upheaval, a majority of New Yorkers pulled the lever for Kamala Harris in the 2024 presidential election – but Donald Trump still won 30% of the city, the best GOP showing in three decades. As Polner and Tubridy write, O'Dwyer's life is 'relevant to understanding America's and the world's polarization in the twenty-first century.' Sense and sensibility Back to the brothers: Who to love? Bill O'Dwyer took the world as it was, made his deals, and built airports, housing, transit and sewers in America's biggest city. Paul O'Dwyer tried to make the world a better place, catching where he could those who walked life's high-wire without much of a net. He died in 1998, shortly after the Good Friday Agreement ended decades of open conflict in Northern Ireland. As Polner and Tubridy show, to make a go of things – in a story, a city, a republic – you ultimately need both characters, the pragmatist and the purist.
Washington Post
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
How American guns helped fuel the Irish Troubles
In 1994, Gerry Adams, the former Irish Republican Army militant turned political leader, was controversially given a visa to tour the United States, where he took the opportunity to give a speech announcing that, 'It is our intention to see the gun removed permanently from Irish politics.' The line made sense given the location: He was in the country from which many guns had made their way to Ireland and played a decisive role in its politics.
Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
'Voice of an Irish man told me to do it': sex offender
A man who pretended to be an immigration officer to scare a prostitute into performing a sex act for free, says the voice of an Irish man told him to do it. Shane Christopher Jack, 38, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier pleading guilty to inducing an indecent act. The court heard the defendant had responded to an advertisement and arranged to meet a sex worker. On October 30 about 11am, the defendant went to the 40-year-old Chinese woman's address. Jack claimed he was an immigration officer and demanded to see the woman's passport, which caused the woman "some fright" because of her visa status. The woman showed Jack her passport. She spoke little English, but used props and hand gestures to suggest she was menstruating and could not have intercourse. Jack demanded she perform a sex act on him and she did. The defendant initially told police he paid the woman $60 for her services and denied saying he was an immigration officer. But later, he accepted the facts as police alleged them. The court heard the Probation officer writing the pre-sentence report had difficulty following what Jack was saying. He talked about the Illuminati, grapevine conversations and sex rings. Jack talked about hearing voices and said on this occasion the voice of an Irish man, who he believed was part of the Irish Republican Army, was telling him to induce the sex act. Following the meeting, the defendant was assessed by a forensic nurse, who said he did not have a history of significant mental health issues but had PTSD symptoms. Drug-induced psychosis had resulted in Jack being admitted to hospital before and he admitted heavily using cannabis in the community. Judge Michael Turner noted the offending was not premeditated and there was no suggestion the defendant intended to exploit the woman before arriving at the address. He said the victim was vulnerable and the defendant impersonated an immigration officer to intimidate her. Probation proposed a release condition that Jack surrender his electronic devices to be inspected on request as it said he often searched for sex rings. But Judge Turner did not think that was necessary. "You hold unusual beliefs and it remains unclear to me if these are because of a mental health issue," the judge said. "He's entitled to go down rabbit holes if he likes. It's not an offence in itself." Judge Turner sentenced Jack to 13 months' imprisonment. Because of time spent in custody on remand, the defendant will be released from prison shortly.
Otago Daily Times
14-05-2025
- Otago Daily Times
Pretence to gain free sex act
A man who pretended to be an immigration officer to scare a prostitute into performing a sex act for free, says the voice of an Irish man told him to do it. Shane Christopher Jack, 38, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier pleading guilty to inducing an indecent act. The court heard the defendant had responded to an advertisement and arranged to meet a sex worker. On October 30 about 11am, the defendant went to the 40-year-old Chinese woman's address. Jack claimed he was an immigration officer and demanded to see the woman's passport, which caused the woman "some fright" because of her visa status. The woman showed Jack her passport. She spoke little English, but used props and hand gestures to suggest she was menstruating and could not have intercourse. Jack demanded she perform a sex act on him and she did. The defendant initially told police he paid the woman $60 for her services and denied saying he was an immigration officer. But later, he accepted the facts as police alleged them. The court heard the Probation officer writing the pre-sentence report had difficulty following what Jack was saying. He talked about the Illuminati, grapevine conversations and sex rings. Jack talked about hearing voices and said on this occasion the voice of an Irish man, who he believed was part of the Irish Republican Army, was telling him to induce the sex act. Following the meeting, the defendant was assessed by a forensic nurse, who said he did not have a history of significant mental health issues but had PTSD symptoms. Drug-induced psychosis had resulted in Jack being admitted to hospital before and he admitted heavily using cannabis in the community. Judge Michael Turner noted the offending was not premeditated and there was no suggestion the defendant intended to exploit the woman before arriving at the address. He said the victim was vulnerable and the defendant impersonated an immigration officer to intimidate her. Probation proposed a release condition that Jack surrender his electronic devices to be inspected on request as it said he often searched for sex rings. But Judge Turner did not think that was necessary. "You hold unusual beliefs and it remains unclear to me if these are because of a mental health issue," the judge said. "He's entitled to go down rabbit holes if he likes. It's not an offence in itself." Judge Turner sentenced Jack to 13 months' imprisonment. Because of time spent in custody on remand, the defendant will be released from prison shortly.
Irish Times
08-05-2025
- Business
- Irish Times
Look inside: Redbrick Victorian alive with colour on Marlborough Road for €1.25m
Address : 7 Marlborough Road, North Circular Road, Dublin 7 Price : €1,250,000 Agent : Sherry FitzGerald View this property on Urban legend has it that the plans for Marlborough Barracks in Dublin got mixed up in the war department of London in the 1800s with the designs for a barracks in India . The pitched roofs and long ornate chimneys give the building, which is now known as McKee Barracks, a distinctive colonial character, which isn't in keeping with designs of other former British military buildings around the capital. It's highly unlikely that the war department would allow such an error to go unnoticed, but many locals still enjoy telling the tale. In 1922, the complex was handed over to the Irish Free State, at which point it was renamed after Dick McKee, who was a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army . Today, a disused single-arch stone railway bridge separates the site and the terrace of 13 houses at Marlborough Road. These late-Victorian-era properties were built for the officers of the British army who were stationed at the barracks. The road, just off the North Circular, is now a quiet cul-de-sac that has the Phoenix Park to one side, the barracks behind it and Stoneybatter straight ahead. Number 7, which is situated halfway along the terrace, has come on to the market through Sherry FitzGerald seeking €1.25 million. The four-bedroom redbrick has a floor area of 187sq m (2,013sq ft), and has been upgraded and restored over the years. The current owners, who were looking to trade -up in the area, loved the location of Marlborough Road and the quietness of the cul-de-sac. Number 7 had already been fully renovated and extended in 2018, so it was just a case of redecorating when the owners moved in three years ago. READ MORE Hallway. Photograph: Keith Owens Livingroom. Photograph: Keith Owens Library. Photograph: Keith Owens Piano in library. Photograph: Keith Owens With the help of designer Suzanne Hourican, the couple chose bold, strong colours for the living areas and created an imaginative space in the centre room downstairs, that in now a library with extensive shelving on all walls. The mature wisteria wrapping around the front of the house is a warm and welcoming sign as you walk up the tiled driveway. The entrance hall has retained the original coving, centre rose and arch, with a newly tiled floor leading down to the kitchen. To the left is the livingroom, painted in Reading Room Red by Farrow and Ball, which contrasts with the original deep cornicing in white. Pocket doors from here open into the library where the walls are painted in a rich green with feature wallpaper on one wall behind a piano. This opens out into the kitchen extension which has high ceilings with two light wells. The solid timber kitchen units are by Dillon Kitchens and have recently been painted in Fisherman's Boat green by Curator Paints to match the library walls. Appliances include a fridge-freezer, dishwasher and a Rangemaster oven with gas hob. The original fireplace has been retained and is fitted with a stove, and there is also a small utility space and a larder. Kitchen. Photograph: Keith Owens Main bedroom. Photograph: Keith Owens Garden. Photograph: Keith Owens Garden and back of the house. Photograph: Keith Owens Upstairs, there is a double bedroom on the first-floor return with cast-iron fireplace. On the first floor the principal bedroom has a bay window looking out to the road and original features such as the fireplace, coving and ceiling rose. The en suite bathroom has marble tiling and there is a walk-in wardrobe. There is a third double bedroom on the first floor and the fourth bedroom is on the second floor with an en suite shower room. The landscaped rear garden has a patio area outside the kitchen with granite steps up to a lawn that has been laid with artificial grass with bountiful borders on each side. At the back is a shed that has a children's playhouse on the roof. All the recent upgrades have brought the energy rating of the late 1800s house up to an impressive B1. It uses gas-fired central heating and there is underfloor heating in the extension. The owners are moving to the other side of the city to be closer to family but will miss the convenience of the Dublin 7 location, with Stoneybatter and its cafes, restaurants and pubs only five minutes away on foot via Oxmantown Road, and the Phoenix Park also a five-minute walk down the North Circular.
