The Priest Who Made Bombs for the IRA: A Review of ‘The Padre’

“I long for the day when we shake free from the shackles of liberal Ireland, when our people are no longer ashamed of our past”

Contempt for Catholicism 

Prior to purchasing this book, I was aware that the author, Jennifer O’Leary, worked for the BBC. Consequently, I expected her to stress the hypocrisy of the protagonist, Father Patrick Ryan, for his vocation as an Irish Catholic priest and concomitant arming of the IRA via the generosity of Óglach Muammar Gaddafi.

Although O’Leary does display ample contempt towards Catholicism, the book doesn’t suffer from her own analysis (thank God), instead allowing Fr. Ryan to recount his story in a free flowing manner. From my impressions of his character, I’d wager that his tolerance would’ve waned had she tried to force her liberal opinions upon him.

The prologue sets the tone for the snarky tone adopted toward Catholicism and its mores throughout. According to O’Leary, the Church “limited almost every aspect of people's lives” and had a “monopoly on morality”. 

A truly horrifying thought for Liberals - an Ireland without abortion and sodomy! She further states that “the new Republic became a highly conservative state where the Catholic church came to be the dominant force in social life”, as if Ireland hadn't been Catholic for the past 1,500 years!

It has become typical of the liberal mind, however, to show disdain and disrespect to the Faith of their ancestors; a Faith many generations risked life and limb for. We come from a people that chose not to take the soup. 

The character of Fr. Patrick Ryan

Adventurous, creative and principled - apt describe the character of Fr. Ryan. The following is illustrative of Fr. Ryan’s character.

Before Fr. Ryan's involvement in the IRA, he was putting his innovative mind to great use as a missionary in Africa by becoming a qualified pilot in order to fly doctors between dispensaries and hospitals, even digging out his own airstrip near where he was based. 

However, he quickly realised his talents were wasted in Africa and came back to Ireland to help the IRA. His time in Africa allowed him to see through one of the great scams of foreign aid, choosing instead to send the collection money destined for Africa to the IRA. 


Fr. Ryan revolutionised bomb-making for the IRA. During  his travels through Switzerland, where he deposited money into a bank account on behalf of the ‘RA, he came across small Swiss timers named ‘Memo Parks’. 

They were called this as they were a small device used to remind someone that their car had been parked for one hour and that they needed to renew their ticket. Fr. Ryan re-engineered the devices so that they could replace the unreliable modified alarm clocks which had been the accidental cause of death for many bomb planters.

Eamon McGuire was the man who further developed the IRA’s bombing technology. He was invited to Libya to train not just Libyans, but soldiers from all over the Middle East. Gaddafi and his men were highly impressed with his work. So much so that they handed a bundle of cash to Fr. Ryan to  give directly to McGuire. 

When Martin McGuinness was informed of this, he demanded the money be handed to him as, according to him, it was IRA money. Fr. Ryan, being a man of principle, refused to do so, reiterating that this money was to be given to McGuire directly and not the IRA.

The Liberal/Normie Reaction

Having read through some of the reviews left by buyers of this book on Amazon.com, questions that arose consistently from liberals/normies were: “why did he do it?” and “what were his real motives?”.

Of course, to us Nationalists, his motivation is obvious, but even to those readers who have read this purely out of hatred for the IRA, it should be glaringly evident. In chapter two, we are introduced to Fr. Ryan's mother, Mary Ann, who, when she was only twelve years old, kept watch for the Black and Tans not too far from her home in County Tipperary. Ms. Ryan instilled her nationalistic ethos in Fr. Ryan from an early age. 

When nationalists come to power in Ireland, one of our main tasks will be overturning the anti-Irish narratives which blur our perception of the troubles. Currently the media in the 26 counties trots out the post-GFA line that the IRA were unilaterally responsible for the violence in the north. Rarely do we hear of the atrocities the loyalists committed. Oftentimes, normies are shocked when I tell them that Loyalists killed more civilians than Republicans. The Irish must break free from our self-hatred, embrace our past, and stop apologising.

Conclusion 

Father Patrick Ryan's story should serve as inspiration for what one man can do, especially as he worked in the shadows and was never officially on the IRA’s books. To this day, he remains unapologetic and unwavering for his past - the following quote, reminiscent of sentiments expressed by Dan Breen in his winter years, is a testament to this:


“The only regret that I have was that I wasn't more effective; that the bombs made with the components I supplied, didn't kill more. That is my one regret.”

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The Return of the Cairo Gang: Britain’s Plan for Ireland

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‘Erin’s Flag’ by Fr. Abram Ryan