It’s a cold, wet January day on Liberty Square in Thurles. There are still some piles of melting snow in places on the ground and the Christmas lights are still up. I have driven here via Holycross, the townland in which Michael Lowry lives in a former rector’s house, once refurbished at the expense of businessman Ben Dunne. Nearby is the beautiful 12th-century abbey which is said to keep a relic of the “true cross”. I am here to talk to the people of north Tipperary about the long-standing TD, former minister, former tribunal subject, and a member and key negotiator of the Regional Independent Group.
In 2011, the Moriarty tribunal concluded that when Lowry was minister for communication in the 1990s, he “secured the winning” of the competition for a mobile phone licence for businessman Denis O’Brien’s Esat Digifone and that O’Brien made or facilitated large payments to Lowry. Mr O’Brien said the report was fundamentally flawed and insisted he never made any payment to Mr Lowry. The report describes Lowry’s role as “disgraceful and insidious”. The McCracken tribunal found that Ben Dunne and Dunnes Stores paid Lowry hundreds of thousands of pounds in a manner designed to help Lowry evade tax. In 2018, Lowry and his company, Garuda, were found guilty in the Dublin Criminal court of delivering incorrect corporation tax returns.
The Criminal Assets Bureau only recently sent a file to the DPP based on its examination of the 2011 Moriarty tribunal report. Lowry has always rejected the tribunal findings. Last week he said: “I am fully confident that there is no basis for any liability attaching to me.”
None of this has ended his political career. He resigned from cabinet in 1996. The former Fine Gael man went independent and established “Team Lowry”, a group of like-minded local Independents. In 2011, following the second report of the Moriarty tribunal, the Dáil passed a motion calling on Lowry to resign but he chose not to. Last year he topped the poll in Tipperary North with 12,538 first preference votes. Now, as a member of the Regional Independent Group, he is in the incoming government camp with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Many people in Thurles do not want to talk to a journalist about Michael Lowry. Everyone seems to know him and many seem to feel vaguely protective of him. A man standing outside Mockler’s Pharmacy shakes his head and says: “You won’t get a bad word on him from anyone in this town”, as though getting a bad word on him is my intention. “He’s my first cousin,” he adds, before walking away.
In the GAA offices on Slievenamon Road, I ask two young people sitting behind the counter if anyone would be interested in talking about the 70-year-old. An older woman comes over shaking her head. “No,” she says. “No comment.”
Is there anywhere she’d recommend I go to talk to people about Lowry? “That man is too well-liked around here. I wouldn’t be going anywhere.”
Eithne O’Gorman, who is sitting behind the counter of Flowers R Us, is a retired legal accountant who has known Lowry since they were at school. She says. “He was a very good friend of my late husband.”
While her son David, who is wrangling a little dog named Friday, was a supporter of the Independent candidate Jim Ryan (“He’s the new generation”), Eithne is a loyal Lowry supporter. “Michael Lowry, from day one, has been there for the people,” she says. “It wasn’t just the rich. He was there for the poor. If they couldn’t fill in a form ... He’s been there for everybody. Not that I ever needed him. I didn’t. But I have seen him with people. He was brilliant. And to this day, he’s the very, very same.”
And the controversies? “I personally think there’s a vendetta out there against him to bring that up after 14 years. I really do,” says O’Gorman. “I mean, it’s a bit silly. Some don’t want him there. I always felt Michael was too naive. He was very naive for all the big boys and they used them and Michael just fell into the trap. The people in Thurles have no interest in that. They love him for what he is. He’s a real people’s man.”
What about the tribunal findings? “It’s well forgotten in Thurles ... The people will always vote him in number one ... If they need a hospital. If they need anything. I knew a girl that had got bowel cancer and she couldn’t get a pass for the train and I know Michael paid for it himself. We need someone like that.”
What does he stand for? “Michael stands for everything. You name it. It doesn’t matter. Michael will stand for everything. He’s brilliant for every single person.”
Mary Jordan is behind the counter of the Sue Ryder charity shop on Liberty Square. She’s putting a plaster on as I walk in. (“I sliced it on glass a few minutes ago.”) She says she’s not political but like most people I meet in Thurles she jumps to Michael Lowry’s defence when he’s mentioned. “There isn’t one of them that hasn’t made mistakes,” she says. “I think he’s very good. He’s very good to get anything done. He helps out loads of people, and he’s great for the town.”
Ryder turns to a woman browsing at a rack of clothes. “Is that a fair comment?”
“That’s a fair comment to me,” says the other woman.
Has she sought his help herself? “Relations of mine have. Everybody knows everybody in a small community. He’d be at local events. He’d be well known. He’s always at the core of things.”
He only put a bit of a wing on the house and they made a big song and dance about it. He didn’t deserve all the things that happened to him
— Breda Kennedy
What about the Moriarty and McCracken tribunals? “I don’t know if there’s anything proved.”
I say the tribunals have made their findings. “I wouldn’t comment on that. I don’t know.”
Moira Morrissey, the manager of the Anew charity shop, tells me that Lowry was “at a funeral recently and they were calling him ‘Minister Lowry’ and he was saying ‘Oh no, I’m not going there’.”
Morrissey is very anti-abortion and she warmed to Lowry when he convinced her that he shared her views. “I used to think he was quite aloof but he’s not. He’s very approachable. He’s very much in touch with the people of the local area so he’d know a lot of their backgrounds and everything. I’ve heard now of so many good things he’s done for elderly people who had no bathrooms and had leaks and all this kind of thing.”
And the tribunals? “People maybe do wrong things in the past but, you know, you have to forget about [that] if they turn out to be good people. None of us are perfect ... I suppose people outside of Tipp are mesmerised by all the support that he has but he’s very down to earth. He talks to everybody and he tries to help everybody so.”
Breda Kennedy, behind the counter of The County Bar, is balancing the till when I ask about Lowry. “He’s the only one that does anything for us,” she says. “All the politicians we had over the years never came near Thurles, never did one thing for the town. The beet factory was closed down [in 1989]. Anything we had was closed down and nothing else replaced it.”
What has Michael Lowry done? “If I wanted anything about hospitals or anything. He’ll work for you. He’ll get it.”
What about the controversies? “He’s been very hard done by, I think. They made a big thing about the house” – the McCracken tribunal found that Ben Dunne paid for work done to Lowry’s house – “but sure there’s people since have big mansions and nobody knows where they got the money. He only put a bit of a wing on the house and they made a big song and dance about it. He didn’t deserve all the things that happened to him. He said at the time that he was lucky to survive it.”
A little later I meet an older man who is sitting at the bar. Larry Kiely is a retired army colonel and show jumping champion. He tells me to google his name to see his bona-fides, so I do. “My last big win was in Madison Square Gardens,” he says.
What does he think of Lowry? “He’s a very practical politician with a good analytical brain. He sees the big picture. He’s not a man of myopic vision. He sees what’s good for the constituency and what’s good for Ireland. He’d be a genuine patriot, in my opinion. He’s there for the common good.”
What about the controversies? “Maybe he walked himself into a little bit of controversy, more than a little bit, but don’t we all make mistakes? It would be better had that not happened. We all make mistakes and we must be big enough to admit our guilt.”
Lowry hasn’t admitted any guilt, though. “No, he hasn’t. He’s contested it. So we’ll wait and see. It’s ridiculous to think that’s going on for something like 14 years. Why haven’t they come up with something? It’s alleged he helped Denis O’Brien, which he possibly did, but why has it taken so long to come up with a satisfactory resolution of the thing?”
Lowry supporters generally think that what has happened to him is unfair. Some say they don’t believe the findings against him. Others feel he made forgivable mistakes that are now in the past. Some subscribe to both theories at once. All of his supporters believe the controversies are being raked up unfairly now by his political enemies.
In the Turkish barber shop on Liberty Square, a chorus of people, including a small boy, tell me how well-liked Lowry is but don’t want to go into detail. Two women on the street discuss his tendency to turn up to every funeral. In the Arch Bar a man tells me, “If you meet him one time, he’ll never forget your name.”
I meet a small number of people who are not fans of Lowry. None of them want me to use their real names. One businessman says: “He’s the man to go to, I believe. But I wouldn’t be in total agreement with him.”
Why? “Back to the # tribunal and all that craic. Listen, we have to wait and see what the police will say.”
Did he ever vote for Lowry? “I have never voted for him. But he’s way more popular here than not.”
What’s it like if you don’t like Lowry in this area? He laughs. “I don’t go around broadcasting it.”
What’s his problem with Lowry? “I’m not really a person for going looking for help. If I can paddle my canoe I will. I wouldn’t be as inclined to go to these fellas. Politics is probably too local. People do things for the local population, whereas maybe we need politicians doing things for the country. The Healy-Raes clean up for Kerry and they’re going to get something for Kerry again this time. But is that good for the country?” He sighs. “But if they’re not involved doing these clinics and all this craic, maybe they won’t get elected the next time?”
Nearby, I meet a father and daughter who prefer their real names not to be used so I am calling them John and Ciara. “The only experience I’ve ever had with any politicians, local or otherwise, would have been when we lost the post office from the square,” says Ciara. At that time they attended a public meeting.
“All I remember was Michael Lowry and [former Fianna Fáil TD] Jackie Cahill were there and they went hammer and tongs at each other,” says John.
“It was childish,” says Ciara. “It wasn’t even relevant.”
To what do they attribute Lowry’s continued popularity? “Given his history, I don’t know,” says John.
“If anyone has any problems, he’s apparently very good,” says Ciara.
Do the findings of the tribunals have any effect on people’s view of Lowry? “I think there’s an element of ‘Fair play to him, he got away with it’,” says Ciara.
“And some don’t want to believe it,” says John.
“More ‘fake news’ is it?” says Ciara. “God, let’s build a wall around Tipperary.”
Sheltering from the rain outside Tesco on Liberty Square, I meet two younger Lowry apostates. “I know the whole country laughs at us for voting for him but he has a chokehold on people,” says Mark. “Basically, the whole town has this idea that he does loads for the town.”
“I feel like there’s still a lot of people who think ‘He did me a favour 20 years ago so I have to vote for him for the rest of my life’,” says Michelle.
“People see him as an alternative to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael,” says Mark. “But if you look on the Oireachtas website, you can clearly see the voting records, and you can see that he votes in line with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael for every single vote. So, he’s not an alternative. And then when he’s actually asked to voice his opinions on things he won’t because he’s happy to sit on that fence.”
“On a local level he does help people on a lot of things,” says Michelle.
“But he’s not a councillor, he’s a TD,” says Mark. “Local stuff is a councillor’s problem. People want the Thurles bypass and that’s not coming until the 2040 plan. How hard can he really be fighting? He’s voting in line with the government and not getting anything in turn.”
Do people care about the controversies? “I think a lot of people think it’s a witch hunt,” says Mark. “Or they say, ‘He might have done that but he got me the council house.’”
“And a lot of people say. ‘Ah, sure that’s the way he is’,” says Michelle. “It’s like people are aware he’s dodgy but still want to continue voting for him.”
They don’t want to give their full names. “I just wouldn’t want people talking,” says Michelle. She sighs. “This f**king town!”
Before leaving Thurles I meet two women of middle age who say they are occasional Lowry voters but want to be anonymous so that “we can speak frankly.” I’m calling them Catherine and Jenny.
“People love a rogue,” says Catherine. “Sometimes, when you do something to the tax man, an awful lot of people don’t care.”
“And he’s got a medical card for granny when she couldn’t get it,” says Jenny. “He’s done all that ... He’s done the work, absolutely.”
“He’s superb at it,” says Catherine.
“He just looked after himself as well,” says Jenny. “That isn’t right but there’s more mystery outside of Tipperary as to how people keep electing him than in Tipperary ... I’ve gone to him myself. He makes things happen.”
And the tribunals? “It doesn’t impact,” says Catherine. “It comes down to, ‘It’s only the fecking tax man’. If you’re trying to understand the psyche of people who continue to vote for people who have obviously crossed a line – it’s just that he has been such a superb politician. That’s the appeal.” He is also, at heart, she believes, “a good person”.
And the fact he is now near the heart of government again? “Great for us and bring it on,” says Catherine. “The GAA stadium and those Féiles [the The Trip to Tipp music festivals of the 1990s] – they were all Michael Lowry. And the college – he gets a lot of credit for getting that over the line with [the late John] Bruton. In the days when he could do it, he was effective. I’d say most people in Tipperary want Michael Lowry to be there. And if he’s there, he will get stuff. He is a supreme operator when he needs to get it done.”
“The only day that’s important is today,” says Jenny. “The Moriarty tribunal was 30 years ago.”
“It cost how much and now it goes to the DPP and all the lawyers come in again?” says Catherine. “I don’t think us down here care. I’d prefer that [money] would go into a hospital. If you saw the man, he looks wretched. He has paid the price.”
“And this is killing him now again,” says Jenny. “Absolutely killing him. Move on. Let the man move on. How long do you have to pay a price?”
“He’s taken it all,” says Catherine. “He fought it all. He never disappeared. He still does the work on the ground. He’s complex.”
“If tomorrow there was a chance of him being a minister, north Tipperary would be behind him,” says Jenny. “There’s so much water under the bridge. How many are saints up there?”
Michael Lowry : ‘The judgment for me is in the ballot box’
Michael Lowry spoke to Patrick Freyne. This is an edited version of the interview
To what does he attribute his ongoing electoral success in Tipperary?
“I’m in the Dáil now 37/38 years ... That doesn’t happen by chance. There’s a reason for it, and the reason for it is the ones that I’ve outlined to you that people know me as an individual, they have first-hand knowledge of my character, and in the vast majority of people’s eyes, my character is not the one that’s presented in the public domain.
“12,538 people placed their confidence in me. Everybody knows the stuff that has been floating around over the years. And people are very fair. And I find that contrary to what people in the media think, the public make up their own mind, they are able to balance it out, and they’re able to figure it out and to be fair minded, and they come to their own conclusions and their own judgment. The judgment for me is in the ballot box. Picture 12,538 people. It would fill most sporting stands in the country. To have that number of people behind me.”
Obviously not everyone in the constituency agrees. Some people brought up the tribunals ...
“I would imagine that the people who don’t support me or who give those comments to you probably are unlikely to vote for me anyway, probably never voted for me ... I doubt very much if it’s down to anything in the tribunals. The Moriarty tribunal went on for so long ... I rejected it. I never accepted it. It’s full of inconsistencies ... It’s important to remember that the Moriarty tribunal is the opinion of one man, the chairman of the tribunal.”
The gardaí recently sent a file to the DPP based on their investigation of the Moriarty findings.
“We were told we can’t overturn [the findings] because they’re only opinions, they have no basis in law, and that’s why I didn’t challenge it. I’m actually happy now that 29 years later, the DPP has the opportunity to look at the file and that will be the test of Moriarty findings. Will they stand up? Will this stand up to scrutiny? I’m very confident and very happy that there’s nothing illegal, no interference. There’s nothing in the report that will stand the test of a legal process.”
People who support you would talk about how much you do in the community, and some of the people who don’t support say that TDs should think nationally, not locally.
“I’m after giving the best part of a month negotiating a programme for government, and in that programme to government, 95 per cent of the time that we devoted to that, and that was early morning, late night, every night, tedious, painstaking work, and my concerns, and the concern of my fellow negotiators and our concentration and our focus was in the national interest ... We weren’t looking at them from the narrow microscope or narrow perspective or constituency. We were looking at it in the national interest and what we could do because the interests of the people in North Tipperary are the same as the interests of people in any part of the country.
“I suppose you could also say that the campaign for the past month to undermine my position, to create division within the group, and to try to torpedo me as a negotiator, it failed and failed badly and I proceeded to produce an agreement for my group. I had no vested interest. I was looking for no personal preferment, but I delivered a fantastic deal for the people that I represented.”
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