*****
As an academic researcher with a strong interest in the
current political situation in Ireland, north and south, I have had the
incredible good fortune to have developed a network of contacts within all organisations who were involved in the conflict in Northern Ireland. These include former members of the British and Irish governments, former
members of the British Army, former members of the Royal Ulster
Constabulary - including ex-Special Branch officers, former members of the Ulster
Defence Regiment as well as current and ex-members of the various loyalist
and republican organisations that have existed and fought their own
versions of the "war" in recent decades.
Without wanting to delve too deeply into historiography, or
at least my own view of it, I believe that it is absolutely essential that
we - those of us who seek answers about the troubled past - prioritise the
need to understand what happened and to try to explain why it
happened. I have made no secret of my view that too many contemporary
inquiries into the past go too far down the "what" road and not far
enough down the "why" road. Given its
relevance, collusion is but one controversial aspect of Northern Ireland's past where the "why" question
is left hanging, at what I believe to be a significant cost.
In our book Times of Troubles: Britain's War in
Northern Ireland, Ian S. Wood and I attempted to engage the issue of "why"
as far as was possible. We pursued former
soldiers and asked them questions about highly controversial issues.
Without their honesty and perspective, our book would have been considerably less valuable than I believe it
to be. Future generations can read the views of those interviewed and make
an attempt to understand the situations that individuals found themselves
in and why they acted in the way that they did.
There has long been a culture of finger pointing in Irish
history, it is not unique to Ireland of course, but it is never more
relevant than the "what-about-ery" that raises its head every time a
controversial issue from the past is brought up.
I believe this to be a symptom of people's unwillingness to at least try to understand why other people
acted as they did. I make an
attempt to offer explanation of why people acted as they did in everything I write.
It may not necessarily heal any wounds, but if it furthers our understanding of something, then I believe
my research has done the job that I intended it to do.
It would not be possible to offer this perspective without
the people I have spoken to since I began seriously researching in
2004. At a guess, I would say that I have spoken to something in the region of
100 people since then. One of those
people is Gerard Hodgins. It was thanks
to Richard O'Rawe that I first met Gerard in 2010.
Often, your first interview with a new contact is held on
"neutral" territory, but occasionally, people will invite you to their
homes to talk to them. Gerard is
one such source. He is unfailingly
generous with his time and hospitality.
You will not be more than ten seconds through the door of his flat in West Belfast before you are offered a
cup of tea. He is also unfailingly helpful.
As Richard O'Rawe had done to enable me to meet Gerard, so too did Gerard help me meet other people who
had an interesting perspective on the recent past. Indeed, it was through Gerard's recommendation that I was able to meet and talk to
Marian Price, who gave me what I consider to have been the most
interesting interview of my career.
The research I have produced since 2010 has only been
enhanced by my contact with Gerard Hodgins.
I believe him to be a person of integrity who has shared with me his views on a number of issues relevant
to the current political situation in Ireland, as well as the recent past,
and that by sharing his views on these issues he has contributed to
future understanding of it.
In the Sunday World on 15th December, journalist Paula Mackin
suggested that Gerard was the finance officer for the Continuity IRA
who was now a front for "dissident" groups in council
elections. I have to ask: if "dissident" groups are fighting council elections
with the encouragement of Gerard Hodgins, that's a good thing, surely? Much better than planting car bombs in the city centre, anyway.
I never felt, in any of our meetings, that Gerard Hodgins
was being dishonest about either his view of the political history of
Ireland or, significantly, his role in the Provisional IRA. It's a real shame, from the perspective of history, that others within republicanism
are not as willing.
I think anyone who knows him or has worked with him on the recent prison campaigns know that integrity quite well.
ReplyDeleteThere are few people who devoted the time and energy to prisoners and their families that Gerard Hodgins has.
Andrew
ReplyDeletethanks for the vote of confidence and defending my integrity my friend.
to the numerous people, especially those in the media world, who have contacted me to express their best wishes and revulsion at the sunday world article: thank-you. it is good to know the tabloid press is seen through by so many.
happy Christmas everybody..
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteI think it took a fair amount of moral courage to write this piece and side with those who have been villified. Thanks for publishing here.
When Republicans the caliber of Hodgies speaks out people sit up and listen. They want to hear what he/they have to say.
ReplyDeleteThe problem is that others want him/them silenced and will go to any length to see that this happens.
gerard hodgins said...
ReplyDelete"happy Christmas everybody"
--------------------
Gerard
A happy Christmas to you comrade.
Mick Hall
Gerard,
ReplyDeleteI don't know you, but I would be honoured to meet you.
Happy christmas