James Gogarty died peacefully on 15 September 2005.
Ní bheidh a leithéid ann arís.
This page is dedicated to his memory.
The irrepressible Mr. James Gogarty was the man who blew the whistle on the whole payments for planning affair.
Gogarty
I’m just trying to get at the truth warts and
all, but don’t worry it will all
come out in the washing so it will, warts and all.
One of the most memorable characters ever to grace a witness box in legal history. The man Colm Allen S.C. described as the Tribunal’s star witness.
Gogarty
If you put any more stars on me I’ll be flying so I will. Stars and stripes and feathers.
And the man who - to paraphrase justice Flood
Justice Moriarty
Spent forty days wandering like an Arab in the desert before eventually - like the snail - he eventually reached Jerusalem.
NNow, let's go back to that famous, or should we say, infamous trip to Mr Ray Burke’s house. On that fateful day in June 1989– the date of which no one who was there can remember - but could well be Bloomsday for all we know, there were so many characters wandering around Dublin with brown paper envelopes full of money in their pockets.
Gogarty
I know you solicitors are getting well paid for this – thirteen hundred or thirteen hundred and fifty a day, but would you ever get on with it for God’s sake – you’re giving me a pain in the face, so you are.
All right. Now, Mr Gogarty, who drove the car to the meeting in Swords with Mr Burke?
Gogarty
Mr Bailey. It was a Mercedes, a dark grey Mercedes
Where did Mr Murphy sit?
Gogarty
He sat in the front with Mr Bailey.
And where did you go when you got to Swords?
Gogarty
Well, I sat in the back of the car and Junior was in the front of it, and I had the envelope in my pocket and we were going along, and I don’t think there was a whole lot said, but I said that – I remember saying that – would we get a receipt for the money, and Bailey said: ‘Will we, fuck’.
Later on at the Tribunal when Mr Colm Allen for the Baileys cross-examined Mr Gogarty he brought up the topic and said:
Colm Allen S.C.
You allege that Mister Michael Bailey said, if you excuse the rather rugged language: ‘Will we, fuck’.
Gogarty
That’s right.
Colm Allen S.C.
I presume, Mr Gogarty, that it wasn’t an invitation.
Gogarty
I beg your pardon?
‘A feisty old curmudgeon’ is how the journalist Sam Smyth described James Gogarty, but there was a lot more to him than that. Gogarty had the happy knack of using a few well-chosen words to puncture the great windbag that is the legal system.
One day near the end of his marathon forty days in the witness box, copies of some legal papers were asked for by counsels at the Tribunal. Unfortunately the photocopying machine broke down and there followed one of those tension filled lulls in the proceedings.
People fidgeted in their seats, cleared their throats and felt ill at ease then Gogarty called over one of the Law clerks, held out a glass and said.
Gogarty
Would you ever pour us out a glass of water there like a good girl.
The water was poured, Gogarty took a few sips, looked at the glass. All eyes in the Tribunal hall were on him.
Gogarty
Aaaaah, that’s grand, grand and do you know what? It would be even better if you had a drop of whiskey to go with it.
The public started to laugh and Gogarty took his cue.
Gogarty
Would anyone like to come up here and sing an oul bar of a song for us, to liven the place up. Can anyone sing us an oul song ?
THE T
(With apologies to Percy French)
The Flood Tribunal in Dubbelin Castle
Heard Gogarty’s evidence, warts and all.
How they gave lots of money to Raphael Burke
When out to the minister’s house they did call.
There were two in the car with me, says Gogarty,
Murphy and Bailey on our trip to see Burke.
When I asked would we get a receipt for the money
Bailey turns round and says he ‘Will we fuck!’
Three long years we spent in Dubbelin,
Three long years in pursuit of the truth.
Three long years listening to witnesses
Swearing their oath on God’s Holy Boook.
*
Redmond flew out and Redmond flew back again,
CAB brought him in and CAB let him out again.
Flood took them on but CAB fought back with him,
By refusing to dance at the Tribunal Ball.
Then in July we thought we’d hear something
When man of the match, Ray Burke, took the stand.
He’d tell us about the brown paper parcel
And how he came in for a cool thirty grand.
When he got in the box Ray started to bluster.
The poor man he thought he was back in the Dail.
‘Mr. Chairman, I spent a few grand on elections,
And the rest’s in safe-keeping for Fianna Fail.
Ten long years it’s been in his bank account,
Ten long years it’s been salted away.
Ten long years the Fianna Fail party
Knew nothing about the donation to Ray.
*
Ray stepped in and Ray stepped out again.
Ray grew thin and Ray grew stout again.
Ray should thank his lawyer Joe Finnegan,
Who taught him to dance for the Tribunal Ball.
If you’re looking for lawyers go down to the castle;
You’ll see the bigwigs all milling around.
The best of the bar perform there daily -
And worth every penny of twelve million pound.
There’s Cooney and Cush - not forgetting Dan Herbert -
There’s Alan and Leahy and yer man from Smith Foy,
O’Moore and Callanan with Gerry Sheedy,
And Anthony Harris in Redmond’s employ.
14 hundred each for each Senior Counsel -
60 grand for the doctors of spin.
Twelve million quid and steadily risin’ -
But who gives a damn when the lawyers all win.
*
O’Neill stepped out and Gallagher stepped in again,
Dillon stepped in, Hanratty stepped out again.
Flood had to hear the whole shaggin lot of them
Taking the floor at the Tribunal Ball.
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