Edmund Garvey: you can't keep a good man down

So YOU THOUGHT you had heard the end of one Edmund Garvey, former Garda Commmissioner. Well read this tale.

When Mr. Garvey was commissioner he was instruumental in ensuring that any member of the force who was either dismissed from the Gardai or asked to resign would automatically, accordding to club rules, cease to be a member of the Garda Club, which, incidentally, he was largely responsible for foundding.

At a meeting of the commmittee of the Garda Club on Wednesday, April 12, Mr. Garvey showed up, though he

was not a member of the committee and had not been asked formally to attend. There were 20 of the 21 members of the committee in attendance and we have mannaged to glean the names of 15 of those who were present.

These were: Dt. Insp. John Irvine (Special Branch and committee chairman), Dt. Insp. John Murphy (Secreetary, Kevin St.) Dt. Garda Charles Gaffney (Ass. Secreetary, Technical Bureau), Sgt. John 0 Gara (Treasurer, Kevin St.), Garda OIly Nugent (Pearse St.), Sgt. Dan Hanrahan (Store St.), Garda Paddy Harrington (Irishtown), Sgt. Denis Devine (DunLaogghaire), Insp. Frank Barry (Ballyferrnot ), Sgt. Tom O'Grady (Clontarf), Dt. Sgt. John Sexton (Coolock), Sgt. Brian Prendergast (Finglas), Dt. Sgt. Hugh McNulty (CDU), Dt. Sgt. Sean Murphy (Special Branch) and Dt. Garda Jim Collins.

The committee chairman, Dt. Insp. John Irvine, opened the meeting by announcing his resignation and simulltaneously he proposed, forrmer Commissioner Edmund Garvey for the chairmanship. This was agreed to by acclaamation. No vote was taken, though at Ieast one member of the committee observed that Mr. Garvey was inneligible even for' membership of the club, let alone the chairmanship, by virute of his dismissal from the force.

Without hesitation, Mr. Garvey took the chair and beefore long he was involved in an attack on the committee secretary, Dt. .Insp. John Murphy for, as he described it, being' a "turncoat". This 'apparently referred to Insp. Murphy's association with the new assistant commisssioner Doherty, who has benefited from Garvey's downfall.

It is relevant to note that Dt. Insp. Murphy was one of Garvey's closest associates in the force while Garvey was commissioner and indeed before then Murphy, incidenntally, was the Garda officer who removed the slates from the house in Monasterevin where Dr. Herrema was being held hostage.

During the course of the meeting, Dt. Insp. Murphy raised a request by Assistant Commissioner Doherty, that the prize-giving ceremony for the forthcoming "Coiste Siamsa" (sport in the Gardai) be held on a Saturday night rather than a Sunday night as was traditional. Mr. Garvey spoke forcefully against the proposition and it was turned down.

Also during the course of the meeting, Mr. Garvey alleeged that he was still la wfully Garda Commissioner and that he'd "be back". The obserrvation seemed to evoke ennthusiasm from certain memmbers of the committee.

Following the meeting Dt. Insp. Murphy and his assisstant, Dt. Garda Charles Gaffney, resigned from their positions on the committee.