Certain all of them assume you’re on the run. Mrs Henderson thinks it, Tommy Owens thinks it, Mrs an’ Mr Grigson assume it, an’ Minnie Powell thinks it too.
The Shadow of a Gunman by Seán O’Casey
Any individual shot up Uncle Jimmy’s home.
The finger of blame was pointed at his nephew, Jonathan Dowdall.
The house of Dowdall’s uncle on the Howth Street in Raheny on Dublin’s northside was shot at in late March 2011. Gardaí investigated the incident, taking forensic proof and witness statements, however no one was ever charged.
Dowdall’s title was frequently linked with the capturing, each instantly and not directly, amid ideas of IRA involvement in finishing up the assault. Additionally from that interval, there are tales about Dowdall beating up his completely harmless uncle at a household wedding ceremony.
The gunshots fired on the home are actually key as to whether Mary Lou McDonald had any data of her protégé’s involvement in criminality after the Particular Legal Courtroom heard proof Sinn Féin really questioned him concerning the episode.
Branded a “confirmed liar” and “a grasp manipulator”, Dowdall managed to wangle his solution to the best ranks of Sinn Féin, apparently with out anybody realising he was a gangland prison.
In her ruling yesterday, Ms Justice Tara Burns didn’t maintain again on Dowdall’s character, describing him as a “ruthless, base, callous prison” and stated he instructed “lie after lie” to the gardaí. Eviscerating his reliability as a witness, she additionally stated he was a “suspected member of the IRA”. She referred to his relationship with Pearse McAuley: “an notorious and harmful terrorist of long-standing”. McAuley was one of many IRA males convicted of killing Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in Co Limerick in June 1996 and was collected from jail on his launch in 2009 by then Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris. McAuley is again in jail for a frenzied assault on his estranged spouse, now Sinn Féin TD Pauline Tully, in her house. Dowdall visited McAuley 14 occasions when he was in jail too after which went to him to contact dissident republicans to intervene within the Kinahan-Hutch feud. All of it provides to the thriller about how Sinn Féin missed that McDonald’s rising star was so deeply concerned in criminality.
It’s 100 years since Seán O’Casey wrote the primary of his Dublin trilogy of performs. The Shadow of a Gunman, a tragi-comedy, centres on a hapless poet being mistaken for an on-the-run IRA gunman through the Struggle of Independence. Satirically, a century afterward those self same streets, a gangland prison thug with ties to dissident terrorism was mistaken for a decent public consultant.
Jonathan Dowdall has forged a shadow over Mary Lou McDonald’s judgment, management and instincts.
Now Dowdall is a convicted prison, with a rap sheet together with torture and involvement in homicide. He’s heading for the witness safety programme after turning into the chief prosecution witness within the trial of Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch for the homicide of David Byrne on the Regency Lodge – the homicide which sparked the bloody Kinahan-Hutch gangland feud that has resulted within the deaths of 18 individuals.
Mary Lou McDonald (proper) takes a drink of water whereas Jonathan Dowdall does push ups (left) at coaching for a Sinn Féin occasion in Corinthians Boxing Membership, based by Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch. Pic: Sinn Féin An Phoblacht
A decade in the past subsequent month, Mary Lou McDonald was coaching with Jonathan Dowdall for a white-collar boxing occasion at a health club based by and funded for a number of years by Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch.
The coaches at Corinthians boxing membership do nice work with youngsters within the north interior metropolis, a neighborhood ravaged by medication and deprivation. A Sinn Féin video reveals Dowdall doing push-ups whereas McDonald takes a break and sips water within the membership synonymous for a lot of 12 months with ‘The Monk’. As photo-ops go, the picture didn’t age too properly.
Dowdall would turn out to be a Sinn Féin councillor a 12 months later, within the 2014 native elections, nevertheless it was a short-lived and fractious stint. The final time the pair have been seen collectively was in late 2014 when McDonald was answering questions on Mairia Cahill’s revelations about Sinn Féin’s data of a cover-up of rape, sexual abuse and grooming by members of the Provisional IRA. Lurking within the background, providing his help to his mentor, was Dowdall.
It’s unusual as a result of 5 weeks earlier, McDonald introduced the “hard-working and revered councillor” was stepping down from elected politics for “well being causes” and lavished reward on Dowdall. “Jonathan is a highly regarded and revered member of his neighborhood and he can be missed in his elected function by me, the native social gathering organisation and by native constituents,” she stated in an announcement to ‘The Journal’. “I’d ask to the media to respect Jonathan and his household’s privateness at the moment.”
However Dowdall was not silent. He was saying it wasn’t simply well being causes and was claiming social gathering members had been “spreading rumours” about him. He ended up rejoining Sinn Féin a couple of weeks later after talks with social gathering figures and McDonald’s “whole help”.
Sinn Féin has all the time sung dumb about any “damaging rumours”, despite the fact that it now seems there have been sturdy mutterings about Dowdall’s hyperlinks to criminality. McDonald’s rising star was as much as his neck in crime. A number of weeks following that look by McDonald’s facet, and whereas nonetheless a Sinn Féin councillor, Dowdall waterboarded, tortured and threatened to kill a person at his house, saying he was a senior determine within the IRA and mates with Gerry Adams and Mary Lou McDonald. Dowdall would in the end be sentenced to 10 years in jail for the crime.
Gardaí found a cell phone recording of Dowdall sporting a balaclava and holding a tea-towel to the person’s face earlier than pouring water over his head, a torture approach often called waterboarding, when looking his home within the wake of the Regency Lodge homicide.
Mary Lou McDonald with Sinn Féin councillor Jonathan Dowdall at The 5 Lamps for the north interior metropolis water costs protest on November 1, 2014. Pic: Impartial.ie
Dowdall was initially charged with homicide, however the State dropped that after Dowdall admitted the lesser cost of facilitating the homicide as he booked a resort room for the gang. Not solely was Dowdall concerned within the Regency homicide in February 2016, he then drove Gerry ‘The Monk’ Hutch to satisfy with dissident republican terrorists to attempt to dealer a peace cope with the rival Kinahan cartel.
Only a 12 months earlier, Dowdall was a Sinn Féin public consultant. Then he’s arranging conferences between a gangland crime boss and dissident republicans to get them to mediate in a lethal feud.
Dowdall quietly departed from Sinn Féin and Dublin Metropolis Council in March 2015, to little fanfare. McDonald is now telling the nation she and her social gathering had no clue Dowdall was a prison.
“Had we identified that he was concerned in any type of criminality – and I’ve to say I used to be profoundly shocked, as have been many, many others to find his prison exercise – he wouldn’t have been wherever close to Sinn Féin… he wouldn’t have been wherever close to me or anyone else,” she stated in latest months.
Right here’s the place the plot takes a twist that drags Sinn Féin again into the highlight. The journey to Strabane in Co Tyrone, as Dowdall drives ‘The Monk’ to satisfy the republicans, is bugged by the gardaí. The Particular Legal Courtroom hears the pair discuss concerning the “three yokes”, AK-47 machine weapons apparently used within the Regency hit; a forged of dodgy characters together with “Fish”, “Wee” and “Fluff”; and the Kinahans eager to be the “largest gang in Europe”.
Have in mind this journey takes place on March 7, 2016, simply over 4 weeks after the Regency homicide on February 5, 2016. Till February 13, 2015, Dowdall was a Sinn Féin councillor.
The Garda bugging gadget additionally captures loads of political chatter following the final election 10 days earlier, with feedback like Hutch saying, “It seems like Fianna Fáil and Superb Gael.”
In proof on the trial of The Monk, Dowdall is heard criticising McDonald for not attending the funeral of Hutch’s murdered brother, Neddy, who was killed in retaliation for the Regency homicide, saying “she stayed away on goal”. “However youze have been ok, Gerard, to make use of for votes. Youze have been ok to make use of for cash,” Dowdall says.
Gardai search the house of Jonathan Dowdall on the Navan Street in March 2016. Pic: Steve Humphreys
Nonetheless, there may be additionally a dialog that provides to the intrigue round McDonald’s declare no one knew of Dowdall’s prison involvement. On the Garda tapes, Dowdall tells Hutch he was questioned by Sinn Féin concerning the gun assault on his uncle’s house. Within the proof, performed within the Particular Legal Courtroom, Dowdall paints an in depth image a few assembly simply earlier than the 2014 native elections. He says he was driving again from a job in Shannon and heading to a canvass for “Emma” in Cabra. Dowdall says he was summoned to an interview by two Sinn Féin officers, Brian Keane and Stephen McCormick, whom he refers to as “DOE over Dublin”, “election adviser” and “foremost organiser in Dublin”. Dowdall tells Hutch that Keane was “after ringing me continuous, he arrived at my gaff thrice” and that through the assembly: “Brian Keane is doing all of the speaking”. “He says to me, ‘I used to be driving by your home…’, he says ‘ya riddled your uncle’s home’,” Dowdall says. “He says ‘that is my job to ask this in case it comes out within the media’,” he provides. Dowdall replies: “I stated, ‘There’s nothing in my previous that I did that I’m ashamed of’. He stated, ‘It’s my job to ask this’.”
Dowdall stated he wished to know the title of who was “feeding it into Sinn Féin, making an attempt to f**okay me up” after which there’s a remark that “Mary pulled a couple of of them that was Sinn Féin individuals”. Dowdall additionally makes some cryptic reference to the IRA. “He didn’t do his homework earlier than he got here to me,” he says on the tape.
Mary Lou McDonald checking tallies with Sinn Féin director of elections Brian Keane on the RDS rely centre for the 2014 native elections, when Jonathan Dowdall was elected as a councillor. Picture: Sinn Féin An Phoblacht
Even by Dowdall’s requirements of droning on incessantly, there are particulars in there that tally with actuality.
When he says he was heading to canvass with “Emma”: Emma Murphy was the Sinn Féin candidate in Cabra-Finglas within the native elections, Dowdall was dwelling in that space and did some campaigning there. A canvass a couple of weeks out from the native elections is recalled with amusement by a celebration activist current that night. The massive Sinn Féin canvassing crew, which included Dowdall, Murphy and European election candidate Lynn Boylan, entered an property between the Navan Street and Blackhorse Avenue, close to the Cabra finish of the Phoenix Park. They arrive throughout a small group of Fianna Fáil canvassers, who beat a hasty retreat as the conventional canvassing protocol is that two events don’t canvass a avenue on the identical time.
When he refers to Brian Keane doing all of the speaking, Brian Keane was, certainly, the Sinn Féin director of elections for Dublin within the 2014 native elections, placing him answerable for all of the candidates. Though he now lives in north Co Dublin, Keane grew up in Donaghmede on Dublin’s northside, simply down the highway from the place Dowdall’s uncle lives in Raheny, so would have native data. Keane is a extremely skilled and well-liked member of the Sinn Féin backroom crew. The 39-year-old is a trusted Sinn Féin workers member who got here up by means of the social gathering ranks. He’s good mates with Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire, from his days in Ógra Shinn Féin, and Pearse Doherty, who was a visitor at his wedding ceremony. Appointed as nationwide administrator on the tender age of 25, he has served on the social gathering’s Ard Comhairle and labored in Leinster Home.
When he cites the assault on his uncle’s house: This did occur. A Garda with data of the investigation says to say the home was “riddled” could be an exaggeration, nevertheless it was a critical incident with no clarification. The assault and the Sinn Féin inquiries got here up on quite a few events within the trial in November and December of final 12 months. Throughout cross-examination, defence counsel for ‘The Monk’, Brendan Grehan, claimed Dowdall had a falling out along with his uncle and investigating gardaí have been instructed he was the one particular person the sufferer of the assault had any bother with. However the prosecution stated this wasn’t correct and another person was suspected. “Sorry, Mr Grehan, Jimmy has stated it was not me,” an more and more agitated Dowdall responded from the witness field.
Sinn Féin official Brian Keane talking with the social gathering management, together with Mary Lou McDonald and Gerry Adams at a parliamentary social gathering assembly in Co Meath on September 6, 2017. Picture: Trevor Ó Clochartaigh on Fb
For the previous 4 months, for the reason that tapes have been heard in a packed Courtroom 17 of the Courts of Legal Justice, Sinn Féin has declined to reply to the allegations that social gathering officers questioned Dowdall.
However there was no scarcity of McDonald saying she had no thought Dowdall was a prison.
McDonald has made haphazard makes an attempt to distance herself from her former apprentice. When Dowdall pleaded responsible in April 2017 to the false imprisonment and torturing of his sufferer, at his Cabra house, McDonald posted an image of him alongside constituency rival Christy Burke, saying it “clarifies political allegiances”. Burke, himself a former Sinn Féin councillor, was having none of it and fired again accusing McDonald of “stooping to a brand new low”. He stated Dowdall attended one assembly however had no additional involvement with him.
Then there was the weird saga with the cheque. Dowdall popped up on the radar when he gave a €1,000 donation to McDonald in 2011, the 12 months of the economic-crash common election, the place she lastly obtained elected as a TD. McDonald declared the donation the next 12 months, as required, itemizing the fee as a cheque from Dowdall along with his tackle. All above board.
Out of the blue, after the Sinn Féin ard fheis final November, and simply days earlier than ‘The Monk’ trial started, McDonald provides a distinct model to Newstalk: “Effectively, the donation was made to the Dublin Central constituency.” The identical line was repeated by Sinn Féin front-bench members and spokespersons. Satirically, if Dowdall’s donation had certainly gone to “Dublin Central Sinn Féin”, its existence wouldn’t have been made public in any respect as it might have been beneath the declaration threshold.
After a lot highlighting of the factual inaccuracy, together with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar mentioning it within the Dáil, McDonald lastly corrected the file. “Mr Dowdall made one contribution to me, to my political donations account, a decade or extra in the past, which was declared totally, legally, and in step with Sipo laws,” she stated on RTÉ Radio 1’s This Week programme three months later.
Mary Lou McDonald’s tweet linking Jonathan Dowdall to her rival Christy Burke after Dowdall was convicted. Picture: Twitter
Past the €1,000 cheque, Dowdall made additional donations to Sinn Féin by buying tickets for social gathering fundraisers, together with a dinner dance and an area occasion, the place a desk price as much as €1,000. The profitable businessman was pictured with McDonald and Gerry Adams at a celebration fundraiser within the Gresham Lodge in 2013.
Instances have been good for Dowdall. {The electrical} contracting firm he arrange in 2007, simply earlier than the Celtic Tiger crash, was buying and selling properly, profitable contracts from prestigious corporations. Abco Electrical was using 14 workers by 2012 and had constructed up €218,000 in shareholders’ funds.
Reared within the north interior metropolis space of Ballybough, Dowdall now owned a large home on the Navan Street, the place he lived along with his spouse, Patricia, and 4 youngsters, and he drove a white BMW.
Rising up on the North Strand, he knew the Hutch household, by means of his mom, grandmother and sister. Patsy Hutch’s youngsters labored on Dowdall’s mom’s garments stall on Henry Road. He knew Patsy’s youthful brother, Gerard, higher often called ‘The Monk’, from calling to the home and seeing him at Corinthians Boxing Membership. Patrick Hutch Jr turned an apprentice in Dowdall’s agency. When Dowdall was caught for cashflow, he would borrow €5,000 from Patsy Hutch and pay it again later. Dowdall paid for rooms, flights and holidays on bank cards for Patsy Hutch, in addition to taxing his van by means of his electrical firm. Dowdall and the Hutch household have been intertwined. Therefore when Hutch wished Dowdall to e book a resort room within the Regency Lodge for a buddy of his on the evening of February 4, 2016, this was nothing uncommon.
Jonathan Dowdall marching with Gerry Adams on Easter Sunday 2014. Picture: Michael Debets/Alamy Dwell Information
Past giving cash, Dowdall obtained concerned with Sinn Féin, turning into an area space consultant in 2013, a precursor to turning into a candidate. By early 2014, he was dropping leaflets within the north interior metropolis as a Sinn Féin candidate. Within the run in to the native elections, the social gathering rolled out the heavy-hitters to spice up his profile regionally, marching with Gerry Adams on Easter Sunday and campaigning with the European election candidate Lynn Boylan.
Dowdall was elected to Dublin Metropolis Council for the north interior metropolis, however the Sinn Féin councillor was really a gangland prison with hyperlinks to dissident republican terrorists.
Mary Lou McDonald says she didn’t find out about his double life.
Jonathan Dowdall campaigning with Lynn Boylan within the native and European elections 2014. Picture: Lynn Boylan on Fb
And what hazard can there be within the being within the shadow of a gunman?
Donal Davoren
The Shadow of a Gunman by Seán O’Casey
- With extra reporting by Andrew Phelan, Robin Schiller, Nicola Tallant and Paul Williams.
