The  Arrest

In a work of fiction, particularly crime fiction, the story may include an event, a small, seemingly inconsequential event that leads to unforeseen consequences. And so it is with Don’s story but unfortunately this is no work of fiction and the consequences of this small action would prove to be catastrophic for him. But before telling of what that small action was, now is the right time to add some context. The town in which Don Blaney built his home is called Passage West on the south coast of County Cork. There wasn’t a great deal going for the town when Don bought a plot of land back in 1990, but that meant land was much cheaper there than his preferred choice which was in a town about ten miles away called Ballincollig where two of his uncles lived. Passage West was known for two things: the small docks which unloaded cargo ships; and a reputation for being something of an Irish republican stronghold. In the thirteen years Don lived there before his arrest, he had built a wide circle of friends, ranging from people in the educational and medical professions, to factory managers and labourers, to builders and nightclub doormen. He also got to know a number of Irish republican activists. In a town like Passage West it would be difficult not to; they were neighbours, tradesmen he worked with and people who were related to people he knew. Amongst them was a man called George Hegarty who met Don at a social gathering. George and Don had a lot in common and it turned out that they knew a lot of the same people in the local boxing fraternity. Don had won a Cork County title at light-heavy weight as a young man boxing for the Leeside Club where he was trained by the Cork legend Danzer Nagle; and George had trained his son Colum at the famous Sunnyside club, helping him to win several national titles and box for Ireland at the same weight. George, it was rumoured, had once been a very active member of the IRA during the 1970s and 1980s but following the breakdown of his marriage, and abruptly becoming a lone parent, George’s Irish republican activities were then channelled through the political campaigns of Sinn Fein. In the years that followed, George would call regularly to Don’s home that was situated at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in a tiny estate of only nine houses. Don would supply the tea and George the biscuits and they would happily spend an hour or two with talk of boxing and lively political debate.

The night before Don’s arrest he had dropped his two brothers and their young sons to Cork Airport after they had spent a week with him helping to build a granny flat for their mother. As they drove down the hill to Passage West’s main street Don decided to stop off at the Shamrock store so the boys could take some of their favourite sweets back to England – and it was there the first small event in a chain of small events took place: a tradesman who had worked at Don’s house from time to time was parked outside the store. He looked agitated and he waited until the boys went into the shop before he broke the news that George Hegarty had been arrested at his home with what was rumoured to be a bag load of money from the Northern Bank raid. Don was stunned by what he’d heard but as his nephews tumbled out of the store with handfuls of sweets he had to cut short the conversation and say that they had to get to the airport. Once he’d dropped off his visitors he returned home with many questions about George running through his head but they were to quickly disappear when he received a call from a Community Psychiatric Nurse to ask if he could get to his uncle early the following day, before the Home Help turned up to make breakfast, as he was in a very agitated state. In the morning Don left home early to beat the traffic and headed off with all the doors of his house locked. That’s nothing unusual for most people but as neighbours would attest – leaving his back door unlocked was something Don would normally do, so if friends called while he was out they could make themselves a cup of tea as they waited for him to return. This is the second, seemingly inconsequential, small event which would prove to have disastrous consequences for Don – but he wasn’t to find that out until many years later.