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A Shattered Dream
dublin |
crime and justice |
news report
Thursday October 20, 2005 02:51 by John Scully - John Scully scullyj at iol dot ie 1 Rathmintin Close, Jobstown, Tallaght, Dublin 24. 353 1 4517650
A Family's search for justice in Ireland This is the true story of a family's 30 years search for justice in Ireland. I was born in a council cottage and lived there with my father and mother, my four sisters and my brother. We shared two ten square feet bedrooms. There was no kitchen area or cooking facilities, no running water, no electricity and no form of heating. I walked to school barefoot one mile back and forth each day. I left school at fourteen with no educational facility or job training. My first job was a farm hand feeding pigs, cattle and horses. My dream and ambition since school days was to own a grocery store and I knew that in this type of situation the shop dream looked certain to be an impossible one to achieve. But I was determined that some day I would succeed. Although I had lived in a poverty-stricken era I still loved that little house. It was in the 1960s that I saw the hopelessness of my financial situation and decided that if I were to find a decent job I had no option but to emigrate. After several years in England I longed to return to the place I loved best – Ireland’s famously green shores. I would be returning a little better off than when I had left and I also had my new wife Barbara, who I met in London and our first child Nigel. We returned in the early Seventies and immediately began the search for our dream shop. This is the account of how things went terribly wrong for us in our attempt to set up shop. In June 1972 we finally opened our grocery store in Dublin’s inner city for the first time and we felt completely over the Moon with happiness. We got off to a promising start in Dublin, but soon ran into trouble with the local gangs that vandalised our store and threatened our persons. Our troubles deepened when I tried to interest the local police in our problems. The 1970s was set in that period of current Irish history in a country torn with wars on several levels - international, national and for some on a very personal level. This story is one of the latter, a struggle for survival against gangs and authorities who abuse their power. A tale of an average citizen enmeshed in a web of intrigue - the why of it and its inner workings - we didn't understand. Having to contend with the local gangs was bad enough but when the police who we depended on to protect us began to follow in the gangs footsteps we felt even more terrorised. I had been arrested on several occasions and locked up in foul police station cells for long periods without food or water. They placed various accusations against me, charged me and took me to court where all charges were withdrawn. Our shop and home had been searched and items taken away to the local police station and returned at a later date. We were satisfied the action taken against us was simply because we reported the local police to their headquarters that we were not receiving the required protection for our family, our home and livelihood. In the end we had no option but to leave our home and shop thereby bringing an end to a lifelong dream. It seemed to us that the police were worse than any gang member imaginable in that there was no recourse. We were very disappointed that after our complaints to police headquarters our lives had descended into destitution and desperation and instead of enjoying our new-found venture we spent the next thirty years trying to rectify the wrongs that had been inflicted on us. We had information from the decent people of the area of our shop that the terror the hooligans were subjecting us to would eventually come to an end and we would be allowed to live in peace. The police it seems were not prepared to go down that peaceful road with us and they continued with their harassment of us until they’d finally driven us out of the area for good. In Ireland you've got to have a cheque book, you've got to be well known, otherwise it is no use. Justice for working class people is based on money, if you haven't got it, you have no justice and that’s the stark reality an Irish citizen is faced with. |
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Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6This account I think gives people some idea of the kind of stories that are emerging all over the country and I think it will educate people as to whats really going on in Ireland. i know it must be very difficult for you to talk about all this but I hope that it may work towards improving the position of so many victims of police harassement. Hang in there.
John Scully's book "A Shattered Dream: The True Story of an Irishman's Struggle Against the Irish State" is available from Pen Press Publishers.
http://jscully3.tripod.com/
http://www.penpress.net/
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1900796627/qid%3D1129800234/202-6259969-4324657
Brien,
Thank you very much for the comment. I really appreciate it.
Mark,
Thank you for the information. The book is not for sale with Pen Press. I've had a lot of differences with them, they are UK based POD Publishers. In my initial contact with them in 2000, I understood that apart from reprinting the title they would also be marketing, lining up media reviews and selling copies of A Shattered Dream. But how wrong was I because after publication and almost £5000 out of pocket I learned that the only reason they took on the job was to take my money. They did nothing else except to send me 20 copies.
I had originally self published and distributed the book in Ireland in 1994. I had an interview on Pat Kenny's radio show plus newspapers and magazines. I was doing very well with sales when I had to call it a day as I had taken ill and was forced to abandon any further work. I'm not sure what to think anymore about POD Publishers. I was told to learn from experience and not have anymore dealings with POD Publishers. That was fine, I did learn but I'm sure they should not be allowed to get away with this as It is the next thing to fraud. £5000 seems a lot of money for 20 copies of a 200 page book.
dear john
it happens everywere in this country.
the gardai have to be reigned in. there are people dying in garda custody. because the have gotten away with things for so long. garda corrupt complaints board. is simply like going to the KGB for help .
where in reality your marking your self out for punishment to quiten you.
good luck with your book and keep the new ombudsman in mind
jim
hi john,
i lived in the area where you had your shop, i was a kid of about 9 or 10.
i used to bring your washing to the laundrette for your wife and mind your little boy while she was busy in the shop.
i came across your book in the libeary, i almost cried when i read it.
you and your wife( i wont mention her name) where such good ppl!!
and you helped a lot of ppl who had nothing and some never repayed you.
it made me sad to read what happened to you and your family
i hope you and your wife and both your kids (suppose they are adults now) are doing really well, cause ppl like yourselves deserve be.
stay strong,
and remember, some ppl never forget a kindness.
eileen