Cahal Daly

When Cahal Daly died in the closing days of last year I felt a formless sense of something. It was not emptiness, just something indefinable. While unable to put my finger on the nebulous sensation, it was related to the fact that one of the fellow passengers who had travelled with us on the not so good ship conflict, had finally disembarked. For long enough it seemed that wherever we went Cahal Daly went too, although for entirely different reasons; ours for armed activity, his for admonishment of such actions.

While having no time for Catholicism, its myths and rituals, I have been struck positively over the years by certain figures within the Catholic Church structure who for one reason or another made me sit up and take notice. Denis Faul was one, Des Wilson another. There were Tom O Fiaich and Raymond Murray as well. Such was my respect for Denis Faul that at the time of his funeral I wrote I felt we had come to bury an old comrade. Denis was not an old comrade in the truest sense of the word but he proved himself more loyal to the prisoners than many who technically could call themselves comrades. Cahal Daly did not fit into any mould that would allow me to describe him in terms comparable to Denis. Yet there was something about him that roused my curiosity.

It was many years ago that I met Cahal Daly for the first and only time. It was around 1984 or ’85 and he was on a visit to the H Blocks of Long Kesh. The prisoners assembled in the canteen circled around him as he took his seat to discuss matters with us. Then the Catholic Church was in much healthier shape than it was today. Certainly, not morally better as there were so many child rapists within its ranks who were sodomising their way to hell on a handcart. They just had not been exposed to the same degree of scrutiny that exists today. That lack of public awareness of the crimes of the Church combined with outrage gave Cathal Daly a status and authority today’s bishops certainly do not have.

At the time of his visit to the prison Cahal Daly had a well established reputation as the leading church critic of the IRA. Many of us despised him, although sans good reason, because of it. He was erudite and could make his case very strongly, always able to sound emphatic without spitting out his words. A doctor of divinity who had also lectured in scholastic philosophy his philosophical bent made him an engaging conversationalist and the most formidable of intellectual adversaries for those inclined to take him on. Such was his influence that it has been suggested that he wrote the pope’s 1979 Drogheda speech which was widely interpreted as a strong rebuke for the IRA from the Vatican boss.

Moreover, he seemed not to bring the arrogance of his colleagues to the table. There is not much that I can recall from our exchanges other than his insistence that the British presence we wished to expunge through military means was nothing other than the Protestants of the North. He assured us that our task was unachievable. Only once was there a flash of anger from him and it was when someone either cited or referred to a unionist politician who was promoting himself as the champion of the unionist downtrodden. Cahal Daly with considerable passion informed us that the man was a bigot. Great, we thought, that can go to the press. The IRA leadership in the jail however, made it clear that whatever was said was on the basis of Chatham House Rules. The story stayed where it was.

I found him a puzzling man. Around September 1976 while bishop of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise, he had commented that the Provisional IRA leaders were honourable men. Coming from a prominent leader of what a 1973 edition of Republican News termed a nest of ecclesiastical vipers this seemed to be a remarkably generous statement although it seemed not to have been repeated. Needless to say it drove the unionists mad. But he would also argue that the leaders of the Provisional movement had dragged republicanism into the gutter and had made it a ‘synonym of shame'.

Even before he began questioning the morality of the IRA he was known as one of the Irish Catholic Church’s leading intellectuals. The Irish Times referred to him ‘producing addresses on subjects as varied as emigration, industrial disputes, socialism, abortion, education and the gap between rich and poor.’ In these matters he took the side of conservative Catholic orthodoxy.

In November 1994 when the child abuse issue was escaping the suffocating smoke of Vatican incense Cahal Daly spoke of a painful, worrying and distressing time. ‘We feel the hurt of all those who have suffered, who have been hurt, and all those whose trust in priests or religious has been abused.’ Although he did push for the case of the child rapist Brendan Smyth to be fast tracked to the RUC, it appears he had no idea of what lay ahead for the Church in Ireland, predicting only that it would experience 2 or 3 difficult years. It has now stretched into almost 2 decades and shows little sign of abating. While there is nothing to suggest he was a devious scheming chancer a la the current pope he like so many other was out of sync with the public mood on matters of Catholic clerics raping children. An appearance of the Late Late show saw him hissed and hackled by some members of the audience because of a failure to convincingly respond to criticisms made by Brain Darcy.

With the Church under justifiable scrutiny like never before it seems almost certain that the role of Cahal Daly will be revisited and revised. His successor as the leader of the Church in Ireland has not escaped such probing. What has been unearthed has been deeply unpleasant for Cardinal Brady. Unfortunately, child rape by Catholic clerics and the deviously planned cover ups long predates the current cardinal. It seems unlikely that Cahal Daly, along with his colleagues of the time, will escape unscathed when history passes a more settled judgement on how the Church in both its entirety and longevity handled the protection of those raped by the priests within its midst.

That said, ET, as he was jokingly referred to, completed his earthly sojourn as a dignified figure. Unfortunately, for the Church there seems no one in his wake with enough cerebral strength to lift the blazing intellectual torch he sought to pass on to his flock.

26 comments:

  1. Met E.T. on the boards in '88. I was surprised when the door opened+in he came surrounded by a few big screws. I'm vertically challenged but I was lookin down into his face dispite his platform shoes.
    He asked me to pray with him+ i ended up scundered sayin 3 hail mary's + an our fa' just so as not to show him up in front of the huns.
    His church doin a great job in that department now isn't it???
    i'm popping up here so frequent coz ur blogg is a welcome relief btween exam study lol..cheers!

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  2. keep er lit Larry as for that wee mouth Daly I shed no tears in his passing and many a time I,d gladly helped him on his way,fff,s Anthony ya be joining buckey beard in Clonard next,

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  3. Hi Larry remember ,it aint the size of the dog in a fight,but the size of the fight in the dog

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  4. ya ony need 2 inches 1 to insert 1 to come and go on.

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  5. I read this obituary on the night it was published, and then while trawling around today decided to read again. As I got more into it I think and I mean think maybe combined with the comments, that the whole story is one of grudgingly respect for the man himself and his standing within Christianity .I would believe that behind the thin veil of “fuck the paodo’s” that AM just might still believe that there is a god could be wrong but then its only my opinion. I am glad that there is such a diverse blog to read.
    Have a nice day

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  6. Well all I can say is god forgive you for having such thoughts interested,go wash your mouth out with soapy water.

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  7. Interested - you are winding me up! That is almost like accusing me of believing there will be a united Ireland in 2016!!!

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  8. Marty and AM
    Both responses are amazing one wants me to get forgiveness from GOD and the other believes that the great leader Gerry is correct when he says united by 2016.
    Come on lads don’t be shy we all know that the chances of being United by 2016 are getting closer than we are being told, why else would the Shinners and DUP be getting so close, couldn’t be just a power trip could it .And there is a GOD that is a fact because Gerry said so, so there now do you believe it, and may god forgive you for not believing.

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  9. Interested a cara one wee tiny mistake in your last post, that is Gerry is god or so he would have us believe,as for a united Ireland care of psf/dup 20016 more chance of Nuala,s Albert counting up to nine

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  10. Marty, you have really got it in for Albert! He said "Marie has got a toy boy and you are taking it out on him." and Big Gerry and Big Bob of course.
    Really never knew much about Cahal Daly, but he always give me the creeps. Never really figured out why some religious people speak in those raspy voices, but they always managed to make my skin crawl.
    Could not believe they had him practically lying in state.
    Thank God, he was not here to face the accusations against him, could not have listened to his denials, not in that raspy voice of his, would have been even worse than listening to Big G's denials, well maybe not that bad.

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  11. I think Interested got it right - it is a diverse blog. There is certainly no line promoted and people can agree and disagree with each other as the issues come up. And Marty will pin us by our collar if we get above our station.!! My views on Cahal Daly - would not be the dominant sentiment here!!

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  12. How very dare you Nuala and Albert, my Marie has no toy boy they all have a pulse,(well untill she,s finished)you are so right about e.t. Do you know how we knew E.T was a priest, he looked like one.as for the cowboys from Thatcher house hopefully after another smack in the mouth in the elections,they will all fuck off to their luxury holiday homes to lick their wounds and we can then enjoy the rest of this recession in pieces

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  13. Mackers, apart from Larry who met Cahal Daly in prison, none of the rest of us knew him. What I said was pure prejudice based on a very stereotypical view, I never met the man and did not know anyone else who did. I just have a real thing about those raspy, pious sanctimonious voices. Always reminds me of sitting petrefied in the confessional as a child. Petrified as I was I always lied, I never told the truth, number one I did not want the priest to think badly of me and number two I hated getting a long penance, so I would make it up and leave out the bad stuff, stole sixpence, instead of the truth that it was a half crown.
    So maybe Mackers I disliked him because the sound of his voice give me bad reminders. I really don't think we all have the ability to see past the crap,but you try.
    Marty, Albert said Marie definitely has a toy boy?

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  14. Nuala I never met Cromwell but I still know he was a bastard,I take the overview of people like Daly i.e what they say and do, as Anthony says the wee fucker was a very well educated and outspoken in his role as a mouthpiece for the establishment, I remember getting pissed with a priest many years ago, we recited Dark Roision to each other ,(his brother was shot dead by the black an tans as he walked along the road) I give him gip about the church and reminded him that his church was more people orientated before they were given Maynooth, he agreed and called the bishops and cardinals bastards, he was ok, anyway look at the role the church,s have played in every insurrection since they have condemed the men and women of the 20,s then when partial independence was granted they cuddled up to Dev and that motley crew and gained unlimited power, we now have the same happening , were a few years ago reps were something to scrape of your shoe now we have the spectacle of psf and priests working together to control these communities.if Cromwell had just stuck to wipeing out the clergy then he may have been more kindly looked upon.Nuala have you thought of getting Albert a painting by numbers kit it,l keep his mind of sex

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  15. Marty, the bad news is not the toyboy but more the fact that he is 65!

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  16. Nuala,

    I was not a great fan of the man by any stretch. He was very hostile to republicanism but he was entitled to his viewpoint. I mind him less than those who castigated him and are now saying and doing everything he said and did.

    If we were not prejudiced we would not we human. At the end of the day who does not carry some prejudice?

    Tales of the confessional. Will never set foot in one again.

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  17. Oh gawd Anthony, that comment has caused pandemonium here, its been taken as an agesist remark, what have ya done mo cara,first its the psf, now its the wrinklies,they are gathering as we speak to march on your home. led of course by the head wrinklie none other than the bold Albert, you can expect to see them around Wednesday zimmer frames holding up that is of course, as for Marie she dont mind what age as long as the money is left behind the clock

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  18. At the time I was very defensive about everything he said about us. I really disliked his anti-IRA stance. In hindsight, we weren't exactly open to debate and discussion ourselves, in any real sense. I think it is easier now, with the passage of time, to assess things in a more considered, and neutral way, than would have been possible in the mid-80s. One wee thing about Daly's visits that riled me was not actually Daly himself, it was the handpicking of certain republicans to meet him and engage with him, unless the rest of us mere plebes embarrassed ourselves and the 'movement'.

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  19. Mackers, you must of hit a raw nerve with Marty! Hope the toy or sugar isn't a shinner, that would be catastrophic, bet Marty will never get to heaven for all he has said about Cahal.

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  20. Seán Mór,

    I remember thinking that about other meetings. My recollection of the Daly one was that we all assembled in the canteen, or at least anyone who wanted to be there. Don't recall it being a handpicked team. Suppose it depended on what block you were in

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  21. Marty, the only place Albert marches to on the Lords Day is the pub. The pint has more appeal these days, so you cannot put him in the frame zimmer or other.
    Which means you are well off the mark in relation to the lovely Marie, Albert said the man in question is a Yank and that he was introduced to him? He said he was introduced as your eldest, but Big Al suspects foul play.

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  22. Marty, I agree Cromwell was a bastard amongst other things!
    My da was excommunicated at the time of his trial, never took it under his notice though he just done his own thing. Not quite sure if I would agree with the murder and torture of priests, Smyth maybe and all the other paedos.
    The only thing Cromwell hated more than the Irish was Catholics.

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  23. reckon cromwell got a bad press, he was only neutralising what were essentially English catholic royalists in Ireland. He used the exagerated 1641 killings of prod planters as an excuse to put the catholics in order and confiscate land. O' Neill gave him and his new model army 'what for' at Clonmel.
    The Irish may have been better in hinsight to go along wif Enery the eigth...looking at the RC debacle and all the striff for zero down the centuries.

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  24. Ithink Sean Mor would be correct in what he said about who really would be allowed to meet the likes of Daly, can you imagine a member of the citizens army meeting that waster,nuff said, Now as far as No No,s dad was concerned what a guy I have always wanted to be publicly excommunicated, just to be able to give that famous one finger reply, I must admit at this point how fond of the church I was, because without it and the free candles we nicked(borowed in Maries terms) we would have been camping in the dark when we were young, and you wouldnt want that with so many priests on the loose. I think Albert looks like najinksy ya know the guy in tights

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  25. Never dull moment here for sure Laughed me guts out at some comments... Re Daly perhaps he was intriguing to you Anthony because he intellectually had honed synapses but nevertheless he still operated within the vortex and chains of the chains of Vatican vomit.
    “For God's sake, rid our hearts of this poison. Evil must be rejected totally and unequivocally. There must be no ambivalence, no double standards, no selective indignation.” Daly's reponse to the IRA's abduction and shooting dead of two British soldiers in '88Shame he never applied the same fervour to the Beast he served. I always heard of Daly but never bothered listening... The cracked record of subservience dressed as God has played in a loop on Ireland since Catholicism chained us Irish. He may have had some qualities Daly who knows? Only God ahaha Aside to Fionnuala yeah the old confessional box number u described well. Btw i am a believer in God but not religion Does that make me special or just special needs category - no answer necessary. I will be the token God believer making random comments from time to time (insert manic, cackle here)

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  26. Larry, think you are wrong about Cromwell. I think history has actually been kind to a man who was a murdering, Irish hating psycho.
    He did a lot more than neutralize the Irish Royalists, he murdered anything Irish or Catholic he encountered men, women and children.

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