I was running late but was to be in no danger of missing the start due to the volume of people getting books signed and posing for pictures with the author.
The event commenced with John reading an excerpt from the book which began with him in exhausted sleep aboard the Marita Ann and ended with him wide awake, in a Garda vehicle, enroute to the Bridewell in Cork. I found this passage from the book to be both compelling and well-written.
There then followed an extensive question and answer session where John fielded a range of questions from a crowd of over one hundred people from across Tyrone and beyond. A number of the questions appeared to carry the insight of experience and the manner of response made for a rewarding and educational experience. The level of honesty and integrity on display was a welcome change from the usual evasive and self-serving behavior of elected, so-called, representatives.
The inevitable Jim Bulger question arose and I have no reason to doubt John’s assertion of unknowing in regard to the true nature of Whitey. I worked in a South Boston bar with the sister of two of Bulger’s victims and I knew many people who had associations with him. The legend of Whitey Bulger was part of the Federal and State narratives. Bulger was a protected FBI asset and his brother Billy was the President of the Massachusetts Senate, before and long after John Crawley interacted with him. Bulger’s true nature would not be revealed until 1999 when two of his accomplices became cooperating witnesses. To retroactively expect John Crawley to uniquely have been able to see through Bulger’s carefully-maintained persona is ludicrous in my opinion.
The evening concluded with further book signing and photographs with the author. I managed to get a quick conversation with John but unfortunately too brief given the demands on his time.
The event commenced with John reading an excerpt from the book which began with him in exhausted sleep aboard the Marita Ann and ended with him wide awake, in a Garda vehicle, enroute to the Bridewell in Cork. I found this passage from the book to be both compelling and well-written.
There then followed an extensive question and answer session where John fielded a range of questions from a crowd of over one hundred people from across Tyrone and beyond. A number of the questions appeared to carry the insight of experience and the manner of response made for a rewarding and educational experience. The level of honesty and integrity on display was a welcome change from the usual evasive and self-serving behavior of elected, so-called, representatives.
The inevitable Jim Bulger question arose and I have no reason to doubt John’s assertion of unknowing in regard to the true nature of Whitey. I worked in a South Boston bar with the sister of two of Bulger’s victims and I knew many people who had associations with him. The legend of Whitey Bulger was part of the Federal and State narratives. Bulger was a protected FBI asset and his brother Billy was the President of the Massachusetts Senate, before and long after John Crawley interacted with him. Bulger’s true nature would not be revealed until 1999 when two of his accomplices became cooperating witnesses. To retroactively expect John Crawley to uniquely have been able to see through Bulger’s carefully-maintained persona is ludicrous in my opinion.
The evening concluded with further book signing and photographs with the author. I managed to get a quick conversation with John but unfortunately too brief given the demands on his time.
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| Gavin Casey is an independent Republican from County Tyrone who has also lived in the USA and Asia. |
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