Haughey's Mayo birthplace faced bulldozer in 1986

By Tom Gillespie

THIRTY-SEVEN years ago next month members of the then Castlebar Urban Council gave the ‘thumbs down’ to a proposal to have the house where the former Fianna Fáil leader, Charles Haughey, was born at Mountain View in the town preserved as an historic building.

Six years earlier a plaque was unveiled on the building marking its historical significance.

The preservation plan had been mooted by his Fianna Fáil followers in the chamber.

But by a single vote the idea was rejected, placing a serious threat on the building which, at the time, was believed to stand in the line of a £2 million road project.

There was a long-standing plan to have an inner relief road constructed which would have cut right through the street where the Haughey home stood.

There had been conflicting views expressed on the suitability of the path chosen, which we know now did not proceed.

But if the link, as outlined by Mayo County Council engineers was approved, the premises where Haughey was born would fall victim to the bulldozer.

Five members of the council - Frank Durcan, Paddy McGuinness, Eanya Egan, whose solicitor’s offices is just doors away from the Haughey birthplace, Johnny Mee and the late Liam Coady - did not see any merit in the preservation order being ratified.

Their combined voting strength was sufficient to silence the FF councillors, the late Jude Ainsworth, Eamonn Joyce, the late Sean Bourke and the late George O’Malley, who also resided on Mountain View.

There were two formal objections lodged against the plan, one of them submitted by Miss Egan. The other was tendered by Mayo county engineer Paddy McMyler. His view was that the house was in the line of the proposed inner relief road and even the Department of the Environment wanted the building, owned by Dr. Paul Carney, demolished.

Miss Egan felt the council had other more important things to consider than the preservation of what she termed the ‘alleged’ birthplace of Mr. Haughey.

Mr. Durcan said the historical status to the building would delay the process of demolition in the future, if it was decided the new roadway should take that line.

Mr. Joyce said it seemed strange there were only two objections to the proposal. One was from the county engineer who seemed to have some distaste for the idea. The other was from Miss Egan who, he claimed, personally disliked Mr. Haughey and the Fianna Fáil party.

Councillor Joyce said: “If those were the only lousy objections, then I will not stomach them.”

Miss Egan said Ireland was still a democratic country and she was entitled to her views and objections.

She declared if it was dynamite, Mr. Joyce would not have sufficient to blow his nose.

Mr. McGuinness said he would not have any objection but for the fact that the proposal would interfere with the inner relief road.

Mr. Haughey, he claimed, had stated that he did not want his home to stand in the way of progress in the town.

The procedure being adopted was a cynical exercise to delay approval of the inner relief road until after a review of the National Road Plan when the Castlebar project might proceed.

Councillor McGuinness said: “The town will be choked with traffic and will slowly die. I cannot understand why this road proposal has not unanimous support.”

Councillor Mee objected to the ‘outlandish and slanderous’ remarks made about the county engineer and said Miss Egan had the right to object.

Councillor Joyce remarked it was a good job it was not Dick Spring’s house.

Councillor Mee retorted: “Unlike Fianna Fáil I do not have to lick any politician’s arse.

“The people of Castlebar would not thank them if they shouted down the development in the town. The road would help progress and for that reason it should go ahead.”

As we know now the route of that proposed inner relief did not go ahead and a commemorative plaque was erected on Haughey's birthplace building.

However, the eventual route chosen, through the Lawn, did not go without much controversy, but that is a story for another day.

Charles Haughey, who died on June 13, 2006, served as Taoiseach for three terms - from December 1979 to June 1981, March 1982 to December 1982, and March 1987 to February 1992. He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil (1979 until 1992).

As Taoiseach he attended in Castlebar when the plaque was unveiled on his birthplace. In attendance the same Sunday was Monsignor James Horan, parish priest of Knock Shrine, who sold the idea of developing Knock Airport, for which he received Haughey’s backing.

That was on Sunday, September, 28, 1980, and the plaque was unveiled by Monsignor Horan.

Mr. Haughey and his wife were greeted by crowds as they walked through Castlebar accompanied by a pipe band.

I recall when Haughey was first elected Taoiseach in December 1979. I was dispatched as a young reporter to establish his Castlebar roots.

Haughey, I knew, was born in Castlebar on September 16, 1925, so my first port of call was to the late Pat Jordan who was sacristan at the Church of the Holy Rosary in the town. Pat produced the baptismal records from the large safe in the sacristy and we eventually came upon Charlie’s details.