O’Dea in row over IRA book
Friday November 17 2006
The minister was to officially launch the book about fellow Limerickman Sean South, of Garryowen, next Saturday and invitations announcing his involvement had been printed and distributed.
The minister explained his sudden withdrawal of his consent to launch the book by claiming he did not real-ise the book was about the famed local IRA man who was immortalised in a well-known ballad.
Mr O’Dea’s explanation that he did not know what the book was about has caused some bewilderment and raised eye-brows as the book’s title is ‘Sean South of Garryowen.’
The ballad, also entitled ‘Sean South of Garryowen,’ has been sung for decades since he received fatal bullet wounds while leading an IRA attack on Brookborough RUC barracks in 1957.
Today, Owen South, a nephew of Sean South, said that the family had been very pleased that the minister had agreed to launch the book and were then disappointed at his withdrawal.
“I have great respect for the minister and I know him personally. We were happy a person of his standing was going to launch the book. But it is very weird that he has given the excuse that he didn’t know what the book was about,” said Mr South today.
“I think everyone would prefer if he just said that he had received instructions to cancel his involvement because the situation in the North is a bit dicey,” he said.
He believed the minister came under pressure to pull out.
Minister O’Dea rejected claims that he was pressured to withdraw from the launch of the book. He said he thought the book was “about somebody else.”
Alan O’Keeffe
