James Kearney ✒ When I arrived into H1 from Crumlin Road Prison, I was introduced to the Wing OC, Bobby Sands, who gave me a run- down on the situation prevailing at that time. 

I also met for the first time, Tom McElwee from South Derry and Kevin Lynch from Dungiven in North Derry. All three men would later die on hunger strike four years later in the Prison hospital.
 
The wing we were in also contained Loyalist remand prisoners like ourselves, a mixture of UDA and UVF men. But one Loyalist stood out among the rest,  a ruggedly handsome fellow called Lenny Murphy, who was in charge of the UVF prisoners. He was quite the charmer and wouldn't allow any of us Republicans to walk by him without saying hello.

At the dinner table in the wing canteen I sat facing Bobby Sands and Gerard Hanratty, while to my right sat Sean McClenaghan (Sam Foot). During our meals Bobby would be talkative, asking about who was coming up to see me on the visits, enquiring about whether my mother was going to send up more of her delicious pork and onion roll etc. He was always rather cautious about discussing politics because of the Loyalists in the canteen with us and was more inclined to talk about football results, or continue the search for the lyrics of a song he had heard on the radio.

I remember vividly one afternoon in the canteen, after Bobby returned from a visit with his wife Geraldine, the look of sadness on his strained face as he sat down facing me. When Sean McClenaghan -  who was Bobby's cell mate at the time, inquired about the visit, Bobby replied: "She said she is not coming back and that the marriage is over! " There was an immediate silence from around the table. As I looked into Bobby's eyes and saw the look of despair in them, I felt an incredible sense of sadness for him and thanked the Gods that I was single and unattached.

One afternoon while Bobby, Sean and myself walked in circles around the exercise yard we were joined by Lenny Murphy, who greeted Bobby in a friendly manner and began complaining about the lack of discipline among his own men. He went on:

I can't knock this rabble of mine into shape, these so called Loyalists of mine are a disgrace and an embarrassment, unlike the Republicans under your command Bobby. Now, they are soldiers who respond to discipline.

When I glanced at Bobby I was surprised to see him empathise with Lenny and nod his head in agreement.

The discussion then turned to the subject of the Shankill Butchers and the identity of "Mister X ", the mastermind behind the gruesome operation. However, Lenny went on to castigate those responsible and described the Butchers as pure animals and psychopaths, and we all agreed. It was only years later that the identity of "Mister X " was revealed, leading to the execution of the Master Butcher, Lenny Murphy, by the Provisional IRA in November 1982.


As the summer of 1977 wore on, the days became warmer and the nights even more so. In August the
"King of Rock and Roll", Elvis Presley, died of a heart attack and left all of us music lovers, including Bobby Sands, devastated. 

As we contemplated the death of Elvis, little did we know the death and horror which awaited us on the road ahead. As we lay on our backs listening to Bobby strumming his guitar, I for one thought of home and the loved ones I had left behind. I am certain Bobby felt the same.


⏩ James Kearney is a former Blanketman.

Strange Encounters ➖ H Block 1 ➖ Long Kesh Prison Camp ➖ June / July 1977

James Kearney ✒ When I arrived into H1 from Crumlin Road Prison, I was introduced to the Wing OC, Bobby Sands, who gave me a run- down on the situation prevailing at that time. 

I also met for the first time, Tom McElwee from South Derry and Kevin Lynch from Dungiven in North Derry. All three men would later die on hunger strike four years later in the Prison hospital.
 
The wing we were in also contained Loyalist remand prisoners like ourselves, a mixture of UDA and UVF men. But one Loyalist stood out among the rest,  a ruggedly handsome fellow called Lenny Murphy, who was in charge of the UVF prisoners. He was quite the charmer and wouldn't allow any of us Republicans to walk by him without saying hello.

At the dinner table in the wing canteen I sat facing Bobby Sands and Gerard Hanratty, while to my right sat Sean McClenaghan (Sam Foot). During our meals Bobby would be talkative, asking about who was coming up to see me on the visits, enquiring about whether my mother was going to send up more of her delicious pork and onion roll etc. He was always rather cautious about discussing politics because of the Loyalists in the canteen with us and was more inclined to talk about football results, or continue the search for the lyrics of a song he had heard on the radio.

I remember vividly one afternoon in the canteen, after Bobby returned from a visit with his wife Geraldine, the look of sadness on his strained face as he sat down facing me. When Sean McClenaghan -  who was Bobby's cell mate at the time, inquired about the visit, Bobby replied: "She said she is not coming back and that the marriage is over! " There was an immediate silence from around the table. As I looked into Bobby's eyes and saw the look of despair in them, I felt an incredible sense of sadness for him and thanked the Gods that I was single and unattached.

One afternoon while Bobby, Sean and myself walked in circles around the exercise yard we were joined by Lenny Murphy, who greeted Bobby in a friendly manner and began complaining about the lack of discipline among his own men. He went on:

I can't knock this rabble of mine into shape, these so called Loyalists of mine are a disgrace and an embarrassment, unlike the Republicans under your command Bobby. Now, they are soldiers who respond to discipline.

When I glanced at Bobby I was surprised to see him empathise with Lenny and nod his head in agreement.

The discussion then turned to the subject of the Shankill Butchers and the identity of "Mister X ", the mastermind behind the gruesome operation. However, Lenny went on to castigate those responsible and described the Butchers as pure animals and psychopaths, and we all agreed. It was only years later that the identity of "Mister X " was revealed, leading to the execution of the Master Butcher, Lenny Murphy, by the Provisional IRA in November 1982.


As the summer of 1977 wore on, the days became warmer and the nights even more so. In August the
"King of Rock and Roll", Elvis Presley, died of a heart attack and left all of us music lovers, including Bobby Sands, devastated. 

As we contemplated the death of Elvis, little did we know the death and horror which awaited us on the road ahead. As we lay on our backs listening to Bobby strumming his guitar, I for one thought of home and the loved ones I had left behind. I am certain Bobby felt the same.


⏩ James Kearney is a former Blanketman.

10 comments:

  1. some good historical gems here James - Bobby walking the yard with Lenny Murphy is a great nugget you have retrieved.

    ReplyDelete
  2. That is pure gold. Great article.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Not that odd, Basher Bates apparently thought highly of The Dark.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Did this really happen? It’s an incredible anecdote. From what I’ve read previously I was of the impression Murphy cared little for military discipline…

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. MattyBhoy,

      Murphy was a psychopathic scumbag that needed taking out, hardly surprising the Loyalists set him for the Provos.

      Delete
  5. In Roy Garland's book about Gusty Spence, Lenny Murphy (and 'Basher' Bates) were mentioned as being referred to Spence as not adhering to discipline. I believe that this was in Long Kesh compound where discipline was quite expansive.

    Murphy, and Bates, both attained leadership positions whilst in HMP Maze Cellular. I can quite imagine that Murphy's force of personality led to him having a similar stature among remand prisoners in the Crum.

    This anecdote refers to

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Brandon it appears your response has been partially lost. Appreciate it was a while ago now but a shame as I was interested to know more.

      Delete
  6. @ Matt Bhoy

    I can't quite recall the point I was going to make, but I find Kearney's account absolutely plausible.

    I have heard that the story about Murphy giving Martin Meehan a leather UVF wallet is incorrect in one important detail - it wasn't Murphy, it was a different UVF prisoner. Often which account is more believable will come down to who you trust more. I believe that a UVF prisoner DID give Meehan a wallet, but that over time, the identity of the UVF man became muddled.

    I have heard from a republican source that Murphy talked with IRA prisoners in the Crum and Long Kesh, and have read that he was variably charming and charismatic with republican prisoners.

    In 1977, Murphy would have not long began a 12 year sentence (sadly he was released in 1982), and would be serving his time in the H Blocks, away from Gusty Spence's regime in Long Kesh. He'd have been able to influence, charm, and intimidate loyalists and prison staff to create conditions to his liking, I am sure. I doubt it was military pride that led to Murphy saying what he said to Sands, probably more flattery and cajoling.

    It's maybe important to understand that Murphy really only became infamous in Belfast circles, as far as I know, during the Butchers' trial in 1979 when he was named in open court as part of that sordid. Certainly by 1982, his name was well-known across the city to those interested in such things.

    An anecdote you may or may not be familiar with concerns Lenny Murphy receiving a phone call in Autumn 1982. The caller simply said "we are coming to get you, Leonard." Murphy called RUC Detective Alan Simpson to report this threat to his life, and was given short shrift. Simpson gave that account in his book, Duplicity and Deception.

    The myth of Murphy really began with the publican of Martin Dillon's book in 1989. Dillon, in my opinion, got a lot of things correct, but a number of other things incorrect. But he is a gifted writer, and opened up a murky, disturbing world to the general public. It made Lenny Murphy an object of fascination for many, though, which is something I'm sure the egotistical murderer would have enjoyed.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Yes, as far as I’ve read into it Martin Dillon makes some glaring errors e.g. getting the high school he attended wrong; suggesting that his father was amiable to the Catholic community when he was a member of the reconstituted UVF and insisting on the ‘Murph the Mick’ angle which was far less of a factor than is portrayed.

    Would someone be so kind as to enlighten me as to the differences between Long Kesh and the H-Blocks? I’m assuming it denotes the huts that were already on the former RAF airfield from the newly-built H-Blocks to accomodate the influx of prisoners in the early 70s. But were they not all at the same plot of land that now makes up Balmoral Showgrounds?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The state titles were Maze Compound and Maze Cellular. To the prisoners it was Long Kesh. Maze Cellular was the H Blocks. Maze Compound was the cages. Cages (huts were in cages) and compounds were all on the same plot of land. The cages were used for internees and special category prisoners and the H Blocks were used for people convicted of acts that took place after February 76. The complex is on one plot of land but I don't know if it is now called the Balmoral Showgrounds.

      Delete