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Eamon Dunphy is brought to tears in a telling interview on TV3’s ‘Midweek’.
Eamon speaks candidly about Republic of Ireland caretaker Manager and U21’s boss Noel King, former Ireland captain Roy Keane and Taoiseach Enda Kenny.
He talks about how he almost became the victim of a sexual predator.
Dunphy is brought to tears, as he describes how his father was the victim of what he calls “the most ruthless electoral machine in Europe”.
And he admits that he was selfish and should’ve “got on the bandwagon and joined the party” at Italia ’90.
Don’t miss Eamon Dunphy on Midweek this Wednesday 23rd October at 10pm on TV3.
A video link to view the full interview is available on request.
Part 1 contains quotes regarding Noel King, Roy Keane, Enda Kenny.
Part 2 contains quotes regarding the sexual predator incident, Italia 90, and his parents.
Sports pundit Eamon Dunphy talks frankly about the recent controversy surrounding Noel King during his spell as Ireland manager, his fallout with former Republic of Ireland international Roy Keane, the Irish banking crisis, and his new book ‘The Rocky Road’, in a no-holds-barred interview with Colette Fitzpatrick on Midweek this Wednesday 23rd October at 10pm on TV3.
Speaking about the recent controversy surrounding Noel King, and about being accused in one paper of engaging in a blood sport, Dunphy said:
“I think it was a media ready-up.”
Colette: “You were stitched up by other journalists?”
Dunphy: “Yes, that’s what I think.”
Colette: “Can I ask which journalists?”
Dunphy: “Well they hunt in packs, the sports guys hunt in packs, and I think probably what they resent would be what they perceive, and they’ve written this, that the influence of the RTE panel, the fact that it sometimes sets the agenda, I think that’s resented, because they feel that it’s undue influence on peoples’ perceptions.”
Colette: “Undue influence on who? The FAI?”
Dunphy: “Well the FAI but I think more importantly the public debate. I think there’s resentment there. I mean, one columnist said that we couldn’t have been unaware that we had a lot of clout; therefore we should have backed off Noel King, to tender to Noel King’s feelings. I don’t think that’s the job.”
Colette: “Have you spoken to him since?”
Dunphy: “No, I haven’t spoken to him since; I haven’t spoken to him in 40 years.”
Talking about his fall out with Roy Keane, Dunphy reveals:
“He asked me, through his solicitor, Michael Kennedy, to write his autobiography. I said ok it’ll cost you X and it’ll be a good book. We did it. He was brilliant, Keane, very good to work with, the book was a success and then I went back to my day job and he was managing Sunderland and I wrote something critical about the way he was managing Sunderland, criticising players as it happened, which isn’t a good idea in public for a manager. I got a phone call from Michael Kennedy saying: ‘What’s going on here Eamon? You’re criticising Roy.’ I said, ‘Well I’m a sports writer, Michael!’ Michael: ‘Yea but we hired you’, I said ‘but you didn’t hire me for life! Are you gonna pay me now? ‘Cause if you are, I’ll give up the sports writing and go work for Roy as a PR man!’”
Speaking about the Irish banking levy and Taoiseach Enda Kenny, Dunphy remarks:
“I don’t think Enda Kenny would understand what’s going on, I don’t think he would understand the dynamics of the banking, intellectually he wouldn’t understand. I mean some economists understand the consequences of disciplining our major banks, perhaps revoking their licences, giving their licences to someone else. It isn’t just the Irish banks; it’s the British, French, German banks.”
“I think you need to have a fully functioning intellect to get your head around all of this and not to be servants of the banks. It think in Ireland and in England, politicians are servants of the financial institutions, not just banks. In the United States of America, I think if you look at who the Treasury Secretary is, it’s often a former Wall Street banker.”
Colette: “Do you think Enda Kenny doesn’t understand the maths, he doesn’t know how to finish the numbers?”
Dunphy: “No, I don’t think he does”
Colette: “Our Taoiseach?”
Dunphy: “Yea, I don’t think he has a clue, of the dynamics of the banks.”
Dunphy is brought to tears, as he describes how his father was the victim of what he calls “the most ruthless electoral machine in Europe”:
“Yea Fianna Fáil was the most successful and ruthless electoral machine in Europe and his foreman, who was also his best friend, Larry Gaynor, was a head of the Fianna Fáil common up there in Drumcondra, Fianna Fáil were out of power in the 50s and there was a recession, which there always was, and they were gonna have to lay off men and he said ‘Paddy [Dunphy’s father] I’m gonna have to lay men off and if you join Fianna Fáil and campaign in the election that’s coming, you’ll be alright, if you don’t I can’t guarantee you [won’t be laid off]’ and my dad said he wouldn’t and he was laid off. That was the phrase ‘You’re laid off’. He went home, told my mother, I’ll never forget that night and that was it for three years”
“Now that’s happening to people now, every week, every day of every week. And that’s the way it was, he didn’t whinge, he didn’t fall out with Larry, we still went to the matches with him. That was the way they worked and that’s the way they were. That’s the way the cronyism that destroyed this country actually happened. Guys, nods, winks, do this, do that, didn’t see that, didn’t see [this]. There is an endemic corruption here and that’s a little, y’know vignette if you like, of how it works and how it oppresses people and how someone with integrity, which is priceless has to endure.”
“The problem with Ireland, maybe people [would] say the problem with every country is, that they’re [people with integrity] never sighted, they have no power. There’s a different kind of animal that gets elected, there’s a different kind of animal that runs the justice system, the courts, the banks, different from us. They’re not decent, they’re indecent. It’s not the power that corrupts; it’s the attempt to acquire power, all the little shabby compromises every step of the way. By the time they get to where they wanted to go, they’re rotten.”
Talking about how he almost became the victim of a sexual predator, Dunphy recalls:
“I was about 4 or 5 and he [a neighbour] attempted to abuse me orally. It didn’t leave a mark Colette, that I’m aware of.”
“This particular neighbour did it, we reported it, we went to the garda station. He gave me an apple and it was frightening. I got away from him, but with some difficulty. It was very close to our house, it was about 25 yards, in a dump. I got away from him and my mother was shocked of course but we went to the guards and nothing happened and he was there. I suppose what could the guards do, it was a child’s word against an adults, but what child could dream up that”
Don’t miss Eamon Dunphy on Midweek this Wednesday 23rd October at 10pm on TV3.
Images have been sent to your picturedesks.
ENDS
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