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ADVANCE PRAISE FOR IN THE NAME OF THE SON
‘As fond as O’Rawe is of Gerry Conlon, this is not a hagiography. Conlon is shown in all his imperfect splendor, his contradictions and complexities, as both a victim of the conflict in Northern Ireland and ultimately a survivor whose inherent humanity and decency rise above ancient animosities and modern human failings. Written by someone who emerged from the same cauldron that swallowed so many of their generation, O’Rawe’s unsparingly honest account does many things, none more so than make us fervently wish that Gerry Conlon lived much longer, because he had so much more to teach us.’
–Kevin Cullen, columnist and former Ireland correspondent for The Boston Globe
‘A vivid, bracing, often funny account of the wild and tragic but ultimately inspiring life of Gerry Conlon. With great affection and compassion for his subject, Ricky O’Rawe has written a biography that captures Conlon’s self-destructive demons, but also his infectious lust for life.’
–Patrick Keefe, The New Yorker
‘Rick O’Rawe has written a searingly honest, deeply moving and all encompassing account of the life of Gerry Conlon. Gerry’s lust for life was only matched by his unquenchable thirst for justice not just for the Guildford 4 but for all those who have fallen foul of an often corrupt and politically loaded judicial system. The author deserves praise for refusing to allow his lifelong, deep friendship with Conlon to whitewash many of Gerry’s own personal failings. Yet in the end O’Rawe still does justice himself to the memory of a remarkable, courageous and lovable character.’
–Henry McDonald, The Guardian
‘Gerry Conlon’s remarkable life deserves the honest integrity O’Rawe brings to his task. It is a labour of love but without being a hagiography of his friend … [and] contributes to the ongoing quest for truth – how the State got it so wrong and why no one has been brought to justice for the Guildford Pub Bombings … These are questions Gerry Conlon fought to have answered and which O’Rawe lays out with forensic detail.’
–Kevin R. Winters, international human rights lawyer
Richard O’Rawe and Gerry Conlon grew up together in Belfast’s Lower Falls area – they were life-long best friends and confidantes. O’Rawe is a former Irish republican prisoner and was a leading figure in the 1981 Hunger Strike in the H Blocks of the Maze prison. He is the author of the best-selling book Blanketmen: An Untold Story of the H-Block Hunger Strike (2005) and Afterlives: The Hunger Strike and the Secret Offer that Changed Irish History (2010).
In the name of
the son
In the name of
the son
THE GERRY CONLON STORY
RICHARD O’RAWE
First published in 2017 by
Merrion Press
10 George’s Street
Newbridge
Co. Kildare
Ireland
© Richard O’Rawe, 2017
9781785371387 (Paper)
9781785371394 (Kindle)
9781785371400 (Epub)
9781785371417 (PDF)
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
An entry can be found on request
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
An entry can be found on request
All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved
alone, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or
introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any
means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise)
without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the
above publisher of this book.
Interior design by www.jminfotechindia.com
Typeset in 11.5/14.5 Adobe Caslon Pro
Cover design by www.phoenix-graphicdesign.com
Cover front: Gerry Conlon in New York, 1990. Photo courtesy of the Conlon family.
Cover back: Courtesy of Hugh Russell/The Irish News
Contents
