Brendan O' Connor Show

[LadyEloise1]

Did anyone listen to the author of the book on Malcolm Mc Arthur being interviewed by Brendan.

It's my belief MMcA should never have been released. What he did to Bridie Gargan was atrocious and though he killed Donal Dunne the Irish state did not proceed with a murder charge, instead entering a nolle prosequi. Devastating for his family.

I heard it, it was awful. He killed people ffs. Innocent, random people. We was just too posh for people to care.

HE was just too posh!

I'm glad I wasn't the only one appalled. I remember that summer and the shock and fear. McArthur's name should not be spoken - thugs are not celebrities.

I didn't hear any hint of celebrity about the way he was discussed on the show?

Because he pleaded guilty, there was essentially no explanation for what he did. Hence the enduring fascination. Some of these posts are acting like he didn't serve any sentence?

And it was precisely because he was 'posh' that people cared! He was protected by those at the highest level (AG) & that led to various political consequences - and coined the phrase GUBU.

There has never been (and still hasn't been by the account given in the interview) any explanation really for his atrocious crimes.

What enduring fascination? He wanted money, wasn't prepared to work for it, decided to rob a bank, and murdered two people to get the gun and car he needed for his crime.

The kind of sequence of actions many a thug of low intelligence has carried out. Bank robberies happened all the time back then and the robbers weren't regarded as fascinating. Are you equally interested in the people who use diggers to steal ATMs?

But he didn't serve a sentence for killing Donal Dunne as far as I understand it @EarringsandLipstick.
I'm not a lawyer and don't understand why the state entered a nolle prosequi.
If I was family or friend of Donal's I would be so angry and sad at that.

Of course they aren’t, but until we, as a society, stop being so fascinated by ‘true crime’ treated as entertainment for tv, podcasts, books etc, then effectively they are. Things have quietened down somewhat on the Sophie Toscan du Plantier murder cold case at the moment, but not long ago, tourists were flocking to photograph Ian Bailey at west Cork farmers’ markets and there was a traffic jam on the boreen up to her house.

What an odd post.

Did I say I had enduring fascination? I didn't.

However, in the mind of the wider public, there's a lot of interest for varying reasons. He didn't need to kill either of his unfortunate victims. He was from a privileged background but resorted to crime to live. The connections at the top level were never fully examined. That's why there's been, for example, a very well-made radio documentary looking at all elements of this case.

Like or not, this man & his crimes caught & retained the public interest.

@Kilorrery

Do you live in Schull? I visit regularly. I have seen Ian Bailey many times. I have never seen any interest in him, bar the odd surreptitious glance in his direction. He's typically ignored on his weird little stall.

I lived near Ballydehob and used to help out a friend who sold at the Schull, Skib and Bantry markets after the West Cork podcast bumped IB’s profile, and he was selling copies of his poetry book, had that John Wayne State of Mind thing going, and was trying to charge tourists for photos (I mean, I don’t think very successfully).

I know of two different sets of people who came on holiday from the UK who’d been fascinated by the podcast and arrived in Schull with the intention of seeing him at the market, driving up to the house and looking up the various locations mentioned in the podcast.

And you’d see cars turning up the road to the house and coming back down again. My GP went to look at Alfie Lyon’s’ house the first time it was up for sale (I think it was on the market again lately) and said the estate agent was being driven mad by people with no interest in buying it, just wanting a gawk at the ‘murder house’.

I’ ansduming its calmed down a lot now.

Sorry, ‘I’m assuming’.

I suppose there is always a grim fascination with posh layabouts otherwise why would anyone watch Downton Abbey. Which is a crap remake of Upstairs Downstairs.

MacArthur was always clear that money was his motive . But he is ' a smart clown' . Inherited €1m at todays values and rented an expensive flat and started a spending spree. Could have bought a fine house for 6/7k back in 1971.

Speaking of layabouts - wasn't it Brendan O Connor who said ' all the ballsy people are buying now ' - after the Great Crash of 08 left us all fucking penniless. All except Brendans mates who were snapping up properly on the cheap gan dabht.