Charlie Haughey ‘totally wronged’ by Jack Lynch, son believes
The TD son of former Taoiseach Charlie Haughey has said his father was “totally wronged” by then Taoiseach Jack Lynch who sacked him over the Arms crisis, 50 years ago this week.
The current Fianna Fáil TD is adamant his father and Neil Blaney acted on the authority of the wider cabinet to import arms into Ireland to protect northern nationalists from unionist attacks in Derry.
Mr Blaney’s nephew, Fianna Fáil Senator Niall Blaney says Mr Lynch had full knowledge of the plan and his uncle and Mr Haughey were sacrificed.
Speaking to the Irish Examiner as part of a special report on the Arms Crisis published today, Mr Haughey says the two ministers, sacked by Mr Lynch on May 5 1970, were “scapegoated”, that the events were authorised by the highest levels of Government and it was not an illegal plot to import arms.
Mr Haughey said he is “very surprised” his current party leader, Micheál Martin, named Mr Lynch as his political idol: “I suppose that is a Cork thing."
He makes clear his father felt “totally betrayed” by Mr Lynch and his supporters at Cabinet and reveals in the years afterwards, he and his siblings were forbidden from mentioning the Cork Taoiseach’s name in their mansion home of Abbeyville, Kinsealy.
Mr Haughey reveals that on the day detectives arrived at the sprawling mansion, a then leading member of the judiciary “had to hide upstairs” as his father was arrested and led away for questioning.
High Court Judge Brian Walsh was there to offer advice to his friend who “obviously had been given notice something was about to happen,” Mr Haughey revealed.
Mr Blaney is also adamant Mr Lynch knew well what was going on: “I believe that Jack Lynch was fully aware of it. He played things to his own advantage. And Neil and Haughey were told where to get to.”
He defended his uncle’s actions which he said were driven by a desire to aid a community under attack from unionist mobs since the summer of 1969. Mr Blaney said his uncle, Lynch and Haughey all chose not to ever speak to protect Fianna Fáil.
“They never came out to tell the truth of what happened. The intention was to get over the border to create a United Nations situation, that was the thinking behind that. There was an effort to bring in arms, that is my belief,” he said.
