Gary Murphy

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Our old pal Gary Murphy wrote it.

Yeah.

And there's a scene in it, a scene or a passage in it where he describes the meetings between Cowan and Haughey in the late 80s about Howie Cowan encouraging Howie to go into power with the PDs which was like crackers at the time like nobody thought this would happen but Howie was so desperate to hold on to power that he would do anything even though he'd fallen out with the PDs like the PDs broke up with Fianna Fáil because of Howie and but like Gary Murphy he interviewed Cowan 16 times for the book but it's not an autobiography or it's not ghosted it was just for reference and there's great in his prologue he says he tells Cowan there's going to be a lot of it that he'll be very uncomfortable with and Cowan says I fucking hope so because nobody will be interested in reading it otherwise but that was great the account

of when you get up to the stuff with the trike that's where I'd be most interested and

I listened to an interview with Gary I'm going to try and get Gary on because he has fascinating coverage of the 1984 by-election where Cowan won the seat and our old pal John Whelan is quoted in and his coverage of the by-election is quoted and I would have looked it up recently but anyway Tyrell Zand so this came up about Tyrell Zand and paddle courts and well Catherine forgot about the paddle courts more or less so And John Joe Fennelly, our Fianna Fáil colleague, agreed with her, but it was demonstrated in the discussion about the plan and permission refused.

Now, Councillor Paddy Buggy said he had read the report and said it was sort of flimsy reasons.

Now, I later read the report and they were strong enough in their language like that...

But there was two interesting pieces that caught my mind.

Number one was Gary Murphy's piece in The Times where he was kind of, I suppose, reminiscing about the old Fianna Fáil days and Bertie Hearn and how Bertie would never let this get so far.

Hearn would have

avoided these strikes.

He took over from Bertie Ahern just as the economic storm clouds were gathering in 2008, and by the time he stepped down nearly three years later, Ireland was dependent on the kindness of strangers.

But what was his legacy? Brian Cowen: Anatomy of a Taoiseach is written by Professor Gary Murphy from DCU, and it offers a detailed and digestible insight into the man and the politician, his time, and I suppose it might be fair to say, his unfulfilled promise.

Gary joins me now.

Gary, you're very welcome.

But also, there is a human story to it.

And, uh, for that reason, I have to say, I think it is a serious addition to recent history and politics in the country.

Brian Cowen, Anatomy of a Taoiseach, and it's written by Gary Murphy.

Gary, thanks very much for talking to us today.

And I completely agree.

Gary Murphy in the Sunday Times as well today is writing his column about all of this.

And he is saying that Eamon Ryan was one of Ireland's last serious ideologues in public life and were much the poorer for his loss.

I'd really agree with that.

bit more.

Written by Gary Murphy.

He is a fucking sap as well.

He's a real fucking stupid idiot.

Oh, I seen-

The, the Gary Murphy, yeah

...

Gary Murphy talking on-

Ah, he's been everywhere

... was it this Ireland AM maybe?

Yeah.

You know, so it don't-

Máiría Cahill is a Northern Irish author and columnist.

Laura Bambrick is social policy officer with ITU and Gary Murphy is professor of politics at DCU.

Good morning, everyone.

Good morning, Brendan.

We'll take a break.

Dan O'Brien, Maria Cattle, Laura

Bambrick and Gary Murphy staying with us.

Welcome back.