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THE GARDA REPRESENTATIVE ASSOCIATION (GRA) said it wants to distance itself from any criticism of a garda who was subject to a disciplinary investigation in the 80s after she became pregnant.
Majella Moynihan almost lost her job because she had pre-marital sex with another garda and gave birth to a child outside marriage. She has said she felt pressured by the force into giving her baby David up for adoption.
Her story was featured in RTÉ’s Documentary on One on Saturday.
The documentary also included audio from radio programme Day by Day in 1985 on the day Moynihan’s story (without her name) was covered in the newspapers.
Jack Marrinan, then general secretary of the Garda Representative Association (GRA), was interviewed by the programme. He was critical of Moynihan, who, as a rank-and-file officer, was represented by his association:
“The Association wouldn’t like it to go out, I wouldn’t like it to go out – because I am a father of young ladies myself and there are other young ladies who may be listening from time to time – I would not like anybody to think that this would be regarded as the normal condition or appropriate behaviour,” he said.
The Garda Siochana has within it a relatively small number of bangardaí, only a few hundred, and by and large they are an extremely highly moral group of ladies.
“I see the Garda Siochana as people who should be giving a lead and I think the rules which our society – up until now anyway – expect us to obey should generally speaking be obeyed by gardaí as well.”
In a statement to TheJournal.ie, current GRA President Jim Mulligan said the GRA of today “distances itself from any implication that Majella had done anything wrong”.
He said the GRA wanted to express its “highest admiration for the dignity and bravery” of Moynihan in speaking out about her treatment.
“In speaking publicly about her ordeal as a pregnant single woman, Majella laid bare a litany of shocking and disgraceful behaviours on the part of the Garda Siochána – including some of her colleagues,” he said.
Majella’s experience was a product of a time in which people in a position of power were influenced by social values which had profound disregard for women.
Mulligan said the GRA is seeking a full recording of the 1985 Day by Day interview with Jack Marrinan that was broadcast as part of the documentary.
“The GRA of today distances itself from any implication that Majella had done anything wrong and would robustly defend any attempt to victimise a woman on the grounds that led to the disciplinary hearing against her.
“We also note the child’s father was subject to a disciplinary hearing in which Majella was called as a witness, which is another disgraceful aspect of this shocking episode,” Mulligan said.
This morning Moynihan told RTE’s Today with Seán O’Rourke that she was “shunned by a lot of other members of the force” at the time. However she said many of her garda colleagues have apologised to her since the documentary came out.
“What I’d like to say to them is that they were the best they could. I hold every one of them in the height of esteem. It was the system. It was the officers. From inspector rank upwards,” she said.
The Garda Commissioner, who issued a public apology to Moynihan over the weekend, has now sought a meeting with her so he can personally apologise for how she was treated by the organisation.
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Are they not??? We were thought in school.
If not, why aren’t they???
@⚡ Seánie ⚡: yeah I don’t think they are. I’m in my mid 30′s and we were never taught it. Bizzare really that a lot of kids and adults don’t know the words.
@⚡ Seánie ⚡: yes, but you weren’t “thought” to spell!
We were taught the words in school.
Happy bank holiday, everyone!
@Chin Feeyin: pernickety this morning aren’t you?
@⚡ Seánie ⚡: really????? I’m handing out free question marks today ?????? Here have another one ??????
@Chin Feeyin: I thought I taught a puddytat!!!
Sometimes it is us and sometimes it is a US spell checker and sometimes it is autocorrect at it worst and sum times it is just to early and the letters typed do not add up to any known word.
If we understand has the author not just achieved their goal?
@⚡ Seánie ⚡: I was taught it in the late 70s at primary school. Part of me would like a new national anthem. But God knows what they’d come up with. Ours and God Save the Queen must be the two most lacklustre ones I can think of.
@Ger: once it’s not Ireland’s Call. It’s a dreadful dirge.
@James Wallace: yeah I can’t stand it.
@J: thank you
@Gareth Keenan: but gareth did you not grow up in Slough
@⚡ Seánie ⚡: I thought we were just taught how to spell.
@Ger: Have you not heard the American one?? Embarrassing.
Yes. Shouldn’t it be taught during Irish lessons and the song lyrics can not only be memorized but also understood.
@Mushy Peas: Look at you with your bright ideas. Makes perfect sense.
Irish teachers should show the prelim to a 6 Nations final in Dublin or an all Ireland final and then say to the kids, “Today we’re going to have some fun and learn the National Anthem!” I’d have loved that at school. Alas I still don’t know the words.
Schools are for education in life skills, not indoctrinating to religious or nationalist traditions. If parents feel so passionately towards their children understanding the lyrics of a song then they could maybe take 15 minutes out of their day to teach them.
@Rochelle: I taught both of my children the anthem at home because they didn’t learn it at school.
Pride in your country and knowledge of its history is a life skill in my opinion. There isn’t a country in the world that doesn’t teach it’s kids the anthem and history of their country.
The reason I feel that it should be taught in school is to give children a sense of national identity and solidarity. Something which is lacking today sadly.
@Rochelle: nationalistic traditions? It’s the national anthem not ra songs
@Rochelle: you sound like you’ve been indoctrinated yourself.
@Red Hen: National identity and solidarity won’t fix the global problems we face today, we need to be nurturing a global identity, a human identity. Nationalism while being fantastic to get a population to work together cohesively also creates division between us by creating in/out groups. If we could only get past this tribalism the world would be a better place.
@Seamus Mac: Thanks, the irony of that comment gave me a giggle.
@Diarmuid Hunt: haha pot kettle indeed!
@Rochelle: “Breathes there a man with soul so dead, Who never to himself hath said, This is mine own, my native land”
@Diarmuid Hunt: I disagree Diarmuid. I don’t believe that a global identity is possible or ideal. There will always be a dominant culture that won’t accept other ways or traditions. Unless every race buys into “global identity” it’s unobtainable.
Ireland is a young country still, I still remember my Grandfather telling me about the struggle with the British. I for one am not ready to give up my national identity for someone’s ideal of a globalist ideology that will never be achieved.
@Red Hen: I agree with you that I don’t think it’s possible, humans by nature are tribal. I would like to point out though that you already have your local, regional and national identity, what makes a global identity the incompatible one?
@Diarmuid Hunt: incompatible with what?
If you mean why do I think it would be impossible to achieve then my answer is as I stated above, ie. Not everyone buys into a global identity. This is very evident from shootings in churches and mosques amongst other things. While there are radicals pushing their own agendas you will always have one side compromising and losing all of themselves while you have another side pushing all of themselves.
It’s an impossibility, and totally undesirable, IMO. Diversity is what makes the world interesting. This is what makes traveling so appealing.
@Red Hen: You don’t have to have one or the other is my point. You don’t have to forsake diversity to recognise you are part of a global species, you don’t have to forsake culture or identity. You view the problem as not all races can work together whereas I view the solution as all humans can work together, by pitting human vs human through race, religion, nationality, gender or sexual orientation we make life harder not better. You recognise that your locality is part of your region and that your region is part of your nation, why can’t we recognise that our nation is part of something bigger?
Change the anthem. It’s a tongue twisting dirge whatever language it’s in
@Danny Mcn: Go back to sleep Danny, good lad.
@Porter Paddy: why? Do you like the tune? It’s a rubbish anthem. Just my opinion
@Danny Mcn: …what a comment !, maybe you’d prefer something like this to teach our kids , because they are not able to learn Irish gift-
God Save Miggeldy
God save our gracious Miggeldy,
Long live our noble Miggeldy,
God save Miggeldy Higgins;…
@Danny Mcn: are you drunk?
@Danny Mcn: Research the meaning and the words first and why its important
@Danny Mcn: Westbrit
@Leadóg: my my my.
And you know what they’re thinking..more of a projection of you own thoughts I feel.
@Danny Mcn: leave my country please
@Danny Mcn: You probably love that awful Ireland’s call
@Rebecca De Stanleigh: your country?
@Frank Scanlon: nothing wrong with that, someone has to be
@Frank Scanlon: West Brit ,Provo speak gutter vocabulary
@Fergus O’Connor: It’s better than the official one
@Darius Guppy: yeah..?
@Danny Mcn: keep the tune but change the words. ‘Shoving Connie around the field’ is a bit dated.
People love to give the schools jobs that have nothing to do with education. You are not going to be asked to sing it at a job interview. The only time you might need it at an all-Ireland final. Maybe the GAA should teach it.
@@at: Sorry for being the most dumbest. I blame the teachers.
@Breda Jennings: Whoosh.. most dumbest.
@Diarmuid Hunt: oh so it is all about the mis-typo so. Glad to know that is what stands out for you and nothing else
@@at: There was no substance to your reply. It was just an insult and the typo was the only thing interesting about it because it was funny. So I laughed.
@@at:
You made a comment solely to insult somebody and ended up botching the whole thing with hilariously bad language skills.
Why wouldn’t it stand out?
@HenryWindlehand: how could anyone provide a reply with substance to a dumb comment like that. I was not out to insult you. I basically said what a lot of people are thinking about your comment which is that it is one of the most daft comments ever posted on here. It really is pure daft, don’t take it personally. Break it down for sec, your logic is that if it is not asked in a future job interview it should not be taught to kids. My 5 yr old is in baby infants in school and they are been thought about personal safety with regards talking and engaging with strangers etc etc. I think this is brilliant but by your logic they should never be taught about this because they will never be asked that in a job interview. Now do you see how dumb your comment is.
@Stu Kent: My God, I say you are a barrel of laughs to go socialising with if you find a mis-typo so hilarious. What a dry sense of humour you have. I bet you must be the centre of attention when you go out with your wit. NOT
@@at: Well yes it is, you didn’t argue the point, gave no positive contribution and failed horribly in trying to mock the comment.
@Diarmuid Hunt: so sorry Diarmuid, I did not realise that the stupidity of the comment would have needed to be broken down into bite size digestible chunks for you. Anyways since you and the original poster above are having difficulty in seeing the daftness of the comment I have broken it down for both of you above. I will assume everyone else can see the silliness in the comment for themselves.
@@at: I do see something but it’s not in my comment which you have either wilfully misread or simply don’t understand. Giving one example of where knowing the anthem would not be useful does not imply that such a circumstance should be the sole criteria for judging the usefulness of learning anything. You are arguing with your own imagination. If anything it shows how we do need to focus on basics like English comprehension. Not just because it is useful for work but because it leads to better communication in life.
@@at: The comment itself mentioning a job interview is quite narrow but it is part of the skillset that children should be coming out of school with. The end goal of education is to have a skillset that will get you a job and to learn to think critically. Social skills are learned along the way and some necessary life skills (health and hygiene) are taught aswell. Religion, nationalism and politics (aside from their historical aspects) have no place in any classroom.
@HenryWindlehand: you clearly stated that you would not be asked to sing in a job interview. You cannot take that back, it is there in black and white. The poll asks if national anthem should be taught in school and in that context you stated that you would not be asked to sing at an interview therefore it should not be taught.
@Diarmuid Hunt: how can you classify the mention of ‘job interview’ as narrow when that is the whole basis of his argument
@@at: Your attachment to your misunderstanding makes you unworthy of my time.
@@at: His argument was incorrect, I classified it as narrow compared to the rest of what should be taught, which I then explained, originally I was only commenting on the irony of you calling his comment the ‘most dumbest’. Do you think learning ‘Amhrán na bhFiann’ is as important as learning personal safety skills?
@HenryWindlehand: haha Good man, great comeback with you were called out on your comment
@Diarmuid Hunt: thank you Diarmuid, indeed it was totally incorrect which he cannot admit to. Regards the national anthem, I agree it is not in any ways necessary to ones life skills but personally I would like to see it taught. In my opinion it’s good to have national identity and the national anthem is part of that. Personally I think we should never lose our identity
@HenryWindlehand: sad
I thought this was already the case. It should also be a requirement for the national sports teams to actually sing it. It looks so bad when they’re just standing there with their mouths closed. I always commend CJ Stander as he is one of the few that does sing it which is a huge testament to him and his dedication to the team given he’s South African.
While we are on the subject of school, I think a drivers ed course like the one in America should also be an option.
Definitely a top priority for our society. Congratulations Leo. It’s been a year and a half now of a lack of substance and a failure to publicly address critical issues in public statements. Nice attempt to appeal to patriotism to distract from that though.
Of course they should be it’s the country’s national anthem and everyone should know it , would say their is very few country’s around the world if any that the people don’t know their own anthem say its unheard of
Mandatory for what purpose? To drunkenly sing along to before a match in the pub? Will it make us more Irish? Learn it if you wish but don’t make it obligatory.
Although it’s not jingoistic in and of itself, things like this only serve to step up nationalistic fervour.
“Nationalism is an infantile disease. It is the measles of mankind”
@Declan Fitzsimons: Trotsky is dead. Globalism is dead. Tell your corporate bosses we’re no longer commodities.
Éire Abú!
@Battaz: unfortunately globalism is alive and well and consuming all in its path like never before. Trotsky is fairly dead though alright.
@Declan Fitzsimons: I thought Measles was the Measles of mankind?
@Bruce van der Gutschmitzer: I don’t think globalism specifically is the problem, the version of globalism we see today is fairly unfortunate though.
@Battaz: Eire Abu , shit talk
@Declan Fitzsimons: More like the AIDS of mankind.
Why should they learn it they won’t be needing it when they emigrate
@John Murt: But they’ll need it when they return, as most do. You’d also notice that people who leave for a while value things Irish a lot more.
@MiseBean: good point
@MiseBean: Why will they need it when they return? In fact they will never, ever need it.
@MiseBean: most don’t return, I didn’t
Will most likely have to teach the teachers first!
@✨Barbara Christopher: Very true! I never learned it on school but had to teach it for proclamation day in 2016, so I finally learned it myself too by default.
We also should have more pride in our flag.
@Eddie Mc Keown: the shinners hijacked our flag years ago.
It’s going to be changed shortly to “A Nation Once Again”, so what’s the point ?
@Tommy Roche: tell us more….
@Tommy Roche: I’ll emigrate if that happens
@John Opel: Close the door on the way out. And take the “craft” beer with you.
@Rob Cahill: You’d need more than craft beer to nullify that load of drivel
I can’t remember the word to most songs. I’m doin’ fine.
@Davis Payne: are you still in school?
Yes they should. Anyone representing Ireland in any capacity, sports or otherwise should also know every word. It should be belted out and sung with pride and passion as are other anthems.
Let’s stir it.. learn it in the language in which it was written… Bite our tongues when it says “we are children of a fighting race” and glorify “cannon” and “rifle” – and I read that only the chorus is the national anthem.
Seriously, it was a song of a time that is past, and I would never wish to disrespect that, but I think we need to move forward with something positive that reflects the Ireland on the 21st century, the days of the global world, instead of focusing on a fight for freedom from a tyrant… I think our anthem does not reflect the Ireland of today.
So let’s sort out the anthem and then teach it, rather then glorifying the tools of war.
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: maybe it is just as well we sing it in Irish and not the original language in which it was written. Then not many understand it
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: you are absolutely correct, it’s from another era.
@Niall Ó Cofaigh: It would be very divisive to propose changing it’s this point. I hope that if we ever do see a united Ireland we can make a fresh start with a peaceful unifying anthem and flag. Bright side of the road by Van Morrison for example.
No harm in teaching it.
But making it compulsory?
We know how well that worked for Irish.
There used to be an app but it doesn’t seem to be available anymore. Lack of interest?
https://www.gaelchultur.com/en/newsletters/NewsletterArticle.aspx?id=286
Cut out the violent tending bits. Guide it to a peaceful way ahead.
@Tim Oleary: I agree, and the reference to glorify the weapons of war and killing, remove the reference to us being a fighting race.
Yes. But sing it in English the native tongue of the majority.
@prop joe: And has been pointed out before wasn’t ot was written originally in English anyway.
I’m a 60 year old sports fan and I still don’t know the words. I mumble through it to try and join in. Never thought it at school.
No matter the content or the language it is our National Anthem and we should all know the words and sing it proudly
@Ciaran Daly: So, learn it. Don’t demand other people learn it if you aren’t willing to.
Learned in school when I was a kid. Didn’t get me a job when I said I could sing it. Big fuss over nothing.
Can the journal not ask him something relevant like the state of our health services overcrowded classrooms our housing crisis etc
NO. They should be thought by their parents.
@sean o’dhubhghaill: I’d say their parents think of them all the time.
Directions to the dept of housing would be more beneficial
Regarding Brexit. What happens if there’s a United Ireland. We might have to change flag and anthem ti facilitate people in the north to join with the south. I’m not I want to but it’s something that could happen.
@Maurice Connors: Don’t hold your breath That wont happen anytime soon
@Ben: I hope not but the politics we have now I wouldn’t be surprised.
@Maurice Connors: We would have to change the flag and anthem
@Maurice Connors: The orange on the flag represents them already.
Yes in English and Irish
I think every child should be though Irish in school
@Billy Walsh: Wat is though Irish?
Oh the Irony. What was the results on the poll should Irish be compulsory in school. Very high percentage saying it shouldnt be. Lot of hypocrites about…..
Leo,s PR stand again. They do learn it.
I think it should be up to the individual school and the parents. The government should have no say what parents or schools teach
No one should be compelled to do anything. Irish in particular was compulsory in my school days
Failed it in leaving cert so I couldn’t go to university despite getting 7 honours in the exam. Ruined my choices of career
Why does it seem wrong, feedback would be appreciated
Mary Lyons Dublin
No.. Do we want to turn into Americans altogther?? With a flag and anthem fetish?? F00k that!.
Great, we need more nationalism!
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