Jim Cusack's Fantasy Island

THE colourful scribblings of Sindo scribe Jim Cusack plumbed new depths in the past few days when the ever-imaginative Jim quoted an unidentified 'retired senior Garda source' “who outlined a few years ago what he thought the Provisionals' plans for assuming absolute power in Ireland would entail”.

“A few years ago” – and no one told us, Jim? Anyway, back to what Jim said now . . .

“They [the IRA], he said,” Jim claims on 30 August, “will bring down the power-sharing government in the North, precipitating a crisis and, in parallel, undermining and replacing the existing party political structure in the '26 Counties'.

“With power in the South and a crisis on its doorstep, this garda – who was held in very high esteem by colleagues – thought the Provos would then institute some form of 'emergency' government in the Republic, doing away with the need for elections and democracy and the establishment of a single-party state.” [Our emphasis.]

How the IRA would actually transition this 'emergency' government to seize power and 'do away with elections and democracy' isn't explained at all but editors at the Indo let the story run anyway.

Also, it cannot be determined if this eminent Garda intelligence source was retired on health grounds. We must all trust Jim that his writings are not based on the hallucinations of a deranged or malicious individual.

Moving on to drop another red herring into the muddying waters of his conspiracy that a recent bomb attack on Palace Barracks, Belfast, by anti-Peace Process republicans was, in fact, carried out by the IRA, Jim then continues:

“A republican source saw another incident as significant during the Queen's visit in May 2011. 

“A very large bomb contained in three old aluminium milk churns was placed on an island in the little pond opposite the gates of Farmleigh House, where the Queen and Prince Phillip were staying.

“The planting of the device had entailed a considerable amount of logistical work, moving the heavy churns over the pond undetected under the noses of the Garda and Defence Forces, who both have their headquarters nearby.

“It would appear the bomb was not designed to go off but was some kind of message to both states that the organisation capable of carrying out such an operation was still around. Gardaí speculated it was probably the Provos. The matter was played down.”

But the Garda didn't speculate that it was the IRA.

The Irish Independent headline about the find said: “Dissidents believed to be behind Phoenix Park bomb.” 

And that headline came a full 12 months after the visit of Queen Elizabeth!

Queen Elizabeth visited Ireland in May 2011; the bomb find was made in May 2012.

And if Jim hadn't already got a key fact totally wrong, the bomb was actually found in the wooded marsh known as Quarry Lake, by the US Ambassador's residence, not the Farmleigh lake by the State Guesthouse residence. Doh!

Security Editor Tom Brady wrote in 2012 that the bomb find was being connected to another Garda operation that weekend in May 2012 – no mention at all of the queen's visit a year earlier by Tom or, indeed, Jim Cusack himself.

Tom Brady wrote:

“Dissident republican group, the self-styled Óglaigh na hÉireann, is believed to be responsible for the milk-churn bomb found on an island in the Phoenix Park.

“Anti-terrorist officers believe the bomb was hidden there in a panic as gardaí carried out a major search and disrupt operation at the weekend in the wake of the discovery of a 600lb bomb packed into a van in Newry.”

Jim might reply: 'But it could have been left there from a year previously and missed by Garda and Defence Forces search teams.' Er, no.

Tom Brady reported (again this is a year after the queen's visit):

“Anti-terrorist officers confirmed last night that it was in very good condition and had not been left long on the island.”

Boom! That's another hole in your tale, Jim Cusack – from your own newspaper.

One more Indo splash that just doesn't wash.