Lugs Branigan

Download or read book The Legendary 'Lugs Branigan' – Ireland's Most Famed Garda written by Kevin C. Kearns and published by Gill & Macmillan Ltd. This book was released on 2014-10-03 with total page 614 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Garda and guardian. Protector and punisher. This is 'Lugs' Branigan: the man, the legend. The story of 'Lugs' Branigan is a tale that is long overdue. It is a story of extraordinary courage and compassion, a story of heroism and altruism, a story of crime, punishment and redemption. The legend of 'Lugs''s career as Ireland's most famous garda (police officer), founded on his physical strength and the manner in which he faced up to the criminal gangs of Dublin over the course of fifty years, is part of Dublin's folk history. In The Legendary 'Lugs' Branigan, bestselling historian Kevin C. Kearns presents a revealing and unvarnished portrait of the man and his life, authenticated by the oral testimony of family members, friends and Garda mates who stood with him through the most harrowing and poignant experiences. Born in the Liberties of Dublin in 1910, Jim Branigan was, by his own admission, a shy, scrawny 'sissy' as a lad. Cruelly beaten by bullies in the railway yard where he worked during his teens, he refused to fight back. Yet he went on to become a heavyweight boxing champion and to earn the 'undisputed reputation as the country's toughest and bravest garda'. Chief Superintendent Edmund Doherty proclaimed him 'one of those people who become a legend in his own time'. As a garda he refused to carry a baton, relying upon his fists. He took on the vicious 'animal gangs' of the 1930s and 40s and in the 'Battle of Baldoyle' broke their reign of terror. In the 1950s he quelled the wild 'rock-and-roll riots' and tamed the ruffian Teddy boys with their flick-knives. All the while, he was dealing with Dublin's full array of gurriers and criminals. As a devotee of American Western films and books, Branigan emulated the sheriffs by doling out his unique 'showdown' brand of summary justice to hooligans and thugs on the street. In the 1960s his riot squad with its Garda 'posse' patrolled Dublin's roughest districts in their 'black Maria'. They contended with the most dangerous rows and riots in the streets, dancehalls and pubs. The cry 'Lugs is here!' could instantly scatter a disorderly crowd. Ironically, for all his fame as a tough, fearless garda, he was most beloved for his humanity and compassion. His role as guardian of the battered women of the tenements and as protector and father figure of the city's piteous prostitutes—or 'pavement hostesses', as he called them—was unrecorded in the press and hushed up by the Garda brass. Yet, Garda John Collins vouches, 'Women ... oh, he was God to them!' Upon retirement he entered his 'old gunfighter' years; ageing and vulnerable, he became a target for old foes bent on revenge and for 'young guns' seeking a quick reputation. A man with a reputation powerful enough to echo through generations of Dubliners, the legendary 'Lugs' Branigan finally has a book worthy of his story.

Download or read book The Liberties written by Maurice Curtis and published by The History Press. This book was released on 2013-03-11 with total page 339 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Following the murder of Thomas á Becket, King Henry II came to Ireland. He decreed that an abbey be founded close to the present-day St Catherine's church, Thomas Street, Dublin, in Becket's memory, and the monks that founded it were to be free from city taxes and rates. This 'Liberty' expanded and took in the part of Dublin which today is known as the Liberties, one of Dublin's oldest and most interesting parts of the capital, occupying a unique place in Ireland's social and cultural history. In this book, author Maurice Curtis explores this fascinating history and its significance to the people of Dublin.

Download or read book Policing Twentieth Century Ireland written by Vicky Conway and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2013-08-15 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The twentieth century was a time of rapid social change in Ireland: from colonial rule to independence, civil war and later the Troubles; from poverty to globalisation and the Celtic Tiger; and from the rise to the fall of the Catholic Church. Policing in Ireland has been shaped by all of these changes. This book critically evaluates the creation of the new police force, an Garda Síochána, in the 1920s and analyses how this institution was influenced by and responded to these substantial changes. Beginning with an overview of policing in pre-independence Ireland, this book chronologically charts the history of policing in Ireland. It presents data from oral history interviews with retired gardaí who served between the 1950s and 1990s, giving unique insight into the experience of policing Ireland, the first study of its kind in Ireland. Particular attention is paid to the difficulties of transition, the early encounters with the IRA, the policing of the Blueshirts, the world wars, gangs in Dublin and the growth of drugs and crime. Particularly noteworthy is the analysis of policing the Troubles and the immense difficulties that generated. This book is essential reading for those interested in policing or Irish history, but is equally important for those concerned with the legacy of colonialism and transition.

Download or read book Irish Policing written by Courtney Marsh and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-10-03 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the organisational culture of the Irish police service, speaking in particular to those interested in policing organisations and organisational culture. It is set against a backdrop of considerations such as community policing, police accountability, the management of change in Irish policing, and where the Irish police situates itself in relation to police organisations internationally. An Garda Síochána, the national police service of the Republic of Ireland, has a stated community policing style which focuses on an interactive relationship with the community and results in a largely unarmed policing organisation which makes it different to most police organisations. Yet, the author argues that the organisational culture has prevented them from embodying community policing across the organisation. Exploring the organisation’s historical context and how they are trained, this book draws on new research and data spanning 30 years including tribunals and reports to examine the organisational culture over time including potential misconduct, blame culture, and resistance to change within the organisation, in order to provide a more thorough understanding of a relatively unknown policing organisation.

Download or read book Under Grandad's Cap written by Patrick Behan and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2017-07-13 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Autobiographies are usually the preserve of celebrities or politicians - those who were born great, achieved greatness or had greatness thrust upon them. Patrick Behan falls into none of the above categories. In the 87 years he spent on this planet, he lived an ordinary life, seldom straying from his native Dublin. He was not a witness to momentous events - he simply got on with his life and raised his family as best he could. A popular fallacy is that an ordinary life is, by extension, uninteresting. In this random sequence of tales and reminiscences, we are led through a life full of fascinating memories, combined with recollections of a local history that is fast fading from human memory. Whether it is driving the turf by horse and cart into Dublin city centre, or watching film star Tom Mix ride a white horse up James' Street in full cowboy regalia, the reader is treated to a slice of Dublin life, as seen from the point of view of one of its ordinary citizens.

Download or read book Tales from the Fraud Squad written by Willie McGee and published by Merrion Press. This book was released on 2022-04-20 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tales from the Fraud Squad takes the reader on a journey from Willie McGee’s childhood in Mayo to the mean streets of Dublin as a fresh-faced officer in the late seventies, before rising through the ranks to become Head of the Fraud Squad. This book is packed full of extraordinary stories of elaborate forgeries, outrageous insurance scams and inventive crimes, along with the ingenious and meticulous attention to detail with which officers amassed evidence and brought the perpetrators to court. McGee writes fluidly and incisively, and tells his story with an open-hearted charm and warmth. Whether dealing with a common criminal or a former Taoiseach under the spotlight of a tribunal, McGee was unwavering in his quest for the truth. As he succinctly puts it, ‘money is never free and those who were caught paid a severe price for thinking that it was’. Equally well known for his heroics on the football field, Mayoman Willie ‘Four-goals’ McGee depicts a host of colourful characters – the con artists and tricksters he encountered in the line of duty – and paints a vivid picture of the murky underworld of Ireland in the 1980s and ’90s.

Download or read book Ireland 1963 written by Kevin C. Kearns and published by Gill & Macmillan Ltd. This book was released on 2018-09-21 with total page 512 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: For over 30 years, renowned author and historian Kevin C. Kearns has been recording and publishing the valuable memories and recollections of Dubliners. In his latest book, he revisits the extraordinary year of 1963, bringing to life the voices of the ordinary people who lived through it in a way no conventional history could match.It was a year like no other. Not for any one monumental event, but for an astonishing sequence of occurrences – triumphs and tragedies, joys and sorrows – that spanned all twelve months.Ireland 1963 deftly records the unrelenting roller coaster ride of dramas, traumas and mysteries of that year: a biblical-like flash flood, tenement collapses and victims, the liberating Bingo Craze, and a frightening 'mystery caller' posing as a priest. And, of course, it was the year of President Kennedy's rapturous four-day visit to Ireland.The year reached its climax with fear for thirty Irish passengers aboard the liner Lakonia, "ablaze and sinking" at sea during Christmas week. Yet, a series of happy and frolicsome events throughout the year balanced people's emotions and brought great joy to their lives.Such a bewildering and fascinating year demands a grass-roots type of social history, one that is biographical in nature. Kevin C. Kearns humanises these events by relying on oral history from participants and observers who were on the scene over fifty years ago. Their words and emotions bring a riveting authenticity and immediacy to this wondrous biography of the extraordinary year of 1963.