Sinn Féin political manager Nicky Kehoe has told the High Court his arrest during a shootout with gardaí in a foiled kidnapping attempt in 1983 had to be seen “in the historical context” of the IRA hunger strikes of the time.
Mr Kehoe (62) said he had spent 26 years since his release from a 12 year sentence for his involvement in that crime building up his reputation again.
However, he said that was taken away from him in "one swipe" because of comments made during the RTÉ radio programme Saturday with Claire Byrne on October 24th, 2015.
Mr Kehoe was being cross examined in his civil action against RTÉ claiming he was defamed when he was falsely described by former Labour TD Joe Costello as a former chief of staff of the IRA who was controlling how Sinn Féin councillors on Dublin City Council voted. RTÉ denies his claims.
When Cian Ferriter SC, for RTÉ, suggested he could not now pick and choose which parts of the IRA campaign of violence he supported and which were OK, Mr Kehoe replied: “I would say most or all the campaign was wrong for violence, it was wrong that people were killed”.
He agreed that while he saw his activities in the historical context, the vast majority would see it as as criminal.
Happiest moment
Mr Kehoe agreed that the 1,196 people killed by the IRA during that campaign never got to do things he had, such as obtain a BA in History from Trinity College eight years ago, which he said was the happiest moment of his life.
Counsel said reasonable people would not believe he had a reputation when it comes to the IRA.
He replied that while he could see that he had “served my time and I came out changed. The reputation I have now is different from what I had but I had to work hard to get that reputation.”
Asked was he proud of his activities in the IRA, he said: “No. I would not be proud”.
When counsel asked: “Are you ashamed?”, he replied: “I would be, in a context”.
Mr Kehoe, who was also sentenced to three years imprisonment in 1974 for possession of explosives, said he took part in a 35 day hunger strike for political recognition in Portlaoise Prison where he served that sentence. He denied he was a commander of one of the prison wings at that time. He said he was not in Portlaoise at the time chief prison officer, Brian Stack, was murdered and did not support that murder
Asked did he agree he was regularly referred to as an IRA gunman, he said: “In the media”.
Earlier, Mr Ferritter put to him, despite the fact it was Mr Costello who made the comments on the radio show, he had not taken a case against him and had not said a word to him him “good, bad or indifferent”.
‘250,000 listeners’
Mr Kehoe replied that he had acted on the advice of his lawyers. It was not Mr Costello who broadcast the matter, but RTÉ “to 250,000 listeners”.
He agreed Ms Byrne did her job as presenter on the day in a fair and balanced way but said not so when it came to him.
When Ms Byrne asked Mr Costello was he saying Mr Kehoe “is” a member of the army council, she was “confirming what Joe Costello was saying”, he said.
Mr Ferritter said Ms Byrne will give evidence her mindset at the time was that another panel member, Sinn Féin’s Eoin Ó Broin, was doing a very good job of demolishing what Mr Costello had said.
Earlier, Mr Kehoe told his counsel Declan Doyle SC he was shocked when he was told by people who heard the programme what had been said.
"I thought is this Monty Python or some sort of stuff, I couldn't believe it."
The case continues.