I’m not much interested in crime, so the vast literature – and screen dramas – on ‘true crime’, and the even vaster canon on fictitious murder and gangsterism – have mostly passed me by.
So I have only recently become aware of the existence of Daniel Kinahan, widely described as the boss of ‘the Kinahan cartel’.
A London friend even sent me an exclamatory email about the fame of this Irishman, now charged with “directing the activities of an organised crime group”.
Impressed
She was impressed that Mr Kinahan had been specially flown back to Dublin from Dubai in the €53 million Irish Government Dassault jet. It was the first item on the BBC news – how important! And the US had offered a $5 million reward for information about this “cartel”, trading in drugs and firearms in Europe, the Middle East and South America.
Some evidently consider Daniel Kinahan (and his kin) as a kind of ‘celebrity’
A tabloid newspaper compared the Irish “cartel” to Italy’s Camorra, Japan’s Yakuza and Mexico’s Los Zetas – all big crime organisations.
You could even call these developments a form of ‘globalisation’. Some evidently consider Daniel Kinahan (and his kin) as a kind of ‘celebrity’.
The victims of crime and the Gardaí certainly want to see justice done when it comes to apprehending those responsible for homicides and racketeering.
It is part of the moral order that those suspected should be charged – and, if found guilty, penalised (though every accused person is legally innocent until proved guilty).
Extraordinary
But the global dimension of criminal activities today is extraordinary. And successful criminals evidently lead the life of Riley in a number of sunny locations, complete with staff, swimming pools and security protection.
This emerges dramatically in the best-selling book London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe. Ostensibly, this is an investigation into the apparent suicide of a London teenager, but what it really reveals is the complex matrix of criminal activity which underpins London high life.
Russians, Indians, Arabs, Jews, Greeks, Kazakhs, Irish and Brits provide a rich multi-cultural mix of dealers involved in dodgy enterprises, often involving millions, even billions, protected both by violent means, and expensive lawyers.
And because of modern communications, everything can move so quickly. In a perverse way, there’s admiration for this type of corporate activity – and, with such a global cast, a striking absence of racism!
Once crime was local. Now it’s international. And according to the headlines, Ireland is playing its full part in this aspect of global affairs.
***
Sir Anthony Kenny – no relation – was a distinguished professor of philosophy and Master of Oxford’s famous Balliol College who began his career as a Catholic priest.
Born in Liverpool in 1931 into a family of Irish heritage, he felt called to be a priest from the age of 12. And so he pursued his vocation, even though he struggled as a student with the somewhat hidebound seminarian courses of pre-Vatican II.
This was also a time – absurd to us now – when Pius XII instructed Catholics not to vote for Socialists, which seemed to rule out the moderate Labour party of Clem Attlee.
Sir Anthony, who has died aged 95, served as a priest in Liverpool for four years, but finally, he was overcome by doubts around Acquinas’s five proofs of the existence of God, and chose to be laicised. He was also in trouble with the hierarchy for being vehemently against nuclear weapons.
Yet his priestly training proved a fitting apprenticeship for professional philosophy, and he went on to produce many distinguished works on Western philosophy, Aristotelian ethics and the legacy of Wittgenstein. He was knighted in 1992 for his contributions to philosophy scholarship.
His attitude to the Catholic faith remained respectful, and he still sometimes attended Mass.
I met him just once, among a group of people. We exchanged cordialities about our common surname, and he said he was sometimes asked if I was his wife! In fact, his wife was the American-born Nancy Gayley, and they had two sons.
***
A different tune
Many people have hoped, even prayed, for a united Ireland, and many lives have been lost in pursuit of the cherished goal. But now, it seems, we may have an answer to such prayers. Maybe divine guidance is pointing to the right path: that the best means to a unified Ireland can be – music. And dancing.
The huge success of the Belfast Fleadh Cheoil, with so much joy and merriment in the streets, was a wonder to behold. So much genuine inclusiveness, with people of all traditions – and generations – joining in with the rhythm of the jig and the reel, the fiddle and the flute.
It’s very sad that there’s still a minority of individuals who feel moved to carry explosives across the border with a view of re-igniting “the armed struggle”. The evidence is before their eyes that there’s a better way to bring this island together.
Globalisation has now shaped international crime
I’m not much interested in crime, so the vast literature – and screen dramas – on ‘true crime’, and the even vaster canon on fictitious murder and gangsterism – have mostly passed me by.
So I have only recently become aware of the existence of Daniel Kinahan, widely described as the boss of ‘the Kinahan cartel’.
A London friend even sent me an exclamatory email about the fame of this Irishman, now charged with “directing the activities of an organised crime group”.
Impressed
She was impressed that Mr Kinahan had been specially flown back to Dublin from Dubai in the €53 million Irish Government Dassault jet. It was the first item on the BBC news – how important! And the US had offered a $5 million reward for information about this “cartel”, trading in drugs and firearms in Europe, the Middle East and South America.
A tabloid newspaper compared the Irish “cartel” to Italy’s Camorra, Japan’s Yakuza and Mexico’s Los Zetas – all big crime organisations.
You could even call these developments a form of ‘globalisation’. Some evidently consider Daniel Kinahan (and his kin) as a kind of ‘celebrity’.
The victims of crime and the Gardaí certainly want to see justice done when it comes to apprehending those responsible for homicides and racketeering.
It is part of the moral order that those suspected should be charged – and, if found guilty, penalised (though every accused person is legally innocent until proved guilty).
Extraordinary
But the global dimension of criminal activities today is extraordinary. And successful criminals evidently lead the life of Riley in a number of sunny locations, complete with staff, swimming pools and security protection.
This emerges dramatically in the best-selling book London Falling, by Patrick Radden Keefe. Ostensibly, this is an investigation into the apparent suicide of a London teenager, but what it really reveals is the complex matrix of criminal activity which underpins London high life.
Russians, Indians, Arabs, Jews, Greeks, Kazakhs, Irish and Brits provide a rich multi-cultural mix of dealers involved in dodgy enterprises, often involving millions, even billions, protected both by violent means, and expensive lawyers.
And because of modern communications, everything can move so quickly. In a perverse way, there’s admiration for this type of corporate activity – and, with such a global cast, a striking absence of racism!
Once crime was local. Now it’s international. And according to the headlines, Ireland is playing its full part in this aspect of global affairs.
***
Sir Anthony Kenny – no relation – was a distinguished professor of philosophy and Master of Oxford’s famous Balliol College who began his career as a Catholic priest.
Born in Liverpool in 1931 into a family of Irish heritage, he felt called to be a priest from the age of 12. And so he pursued his vocation, even though he struggled as a student with the somewhat hidebound seminarian courses of pre-Vatican II.
This was also a time – absurd to us now – when Pius XII instructed Catholics not to vote for Socialists, which seemed to rule out the moderate Labour party of Clem Attlee.
Sir Anthony, who has died aged 95, served as a priest in Liverpool for four years, but finally, he was overcome by doubts around Acquinas’s five proofs of the existence of God, and chose to be laicised. He was also in trouble with the hierarchy for being vehemently against nuclear weapons.
Yet his priestly training proved a fitting apprenticeship for professional philosophy, and he went on to produce many distinguished works on Western philosophy, Aristotelian ethics and the legacy of Wittgenstein. He was knighted in 1992 for his contributions to philosophy scholarship.
His attitude to the Catholic faith remained respectful, and he still sometimes attended Mass.
I met him just once, among a group of people. We exchanged cordialities about our common surname, and he said he was sometimes asked if I was his wife! In fact, his wife was the American-born Nancy Gayley, and they had two sons.
***
A different tune
Many people have hoped, even prayed, for a united Ireland, and many lives have been lost in pursuit of the cherished goal. But now, it seems, we may have an answer to such prayers. Maybe divine guidance is pointing to the right path: that the best means to a unified Ireland can be – music. And dancing.
The huge success of the Belfast Fleadh Cheoil, with so much joy and merriment in the streets, was a wonder to behold. So much genuine inclusiveness, with people of all traditions – and generations – joining in with the rhythm of the jig and the reel, the fiddle and the flute.
It’s very sad that there’s still a minority of individuals who feel moved to carry explosives across the border with a view of re-igniting “the armed struggle”. The evidence is before their eyes that there’s a better way to bring this island together.
Bishop McGuckian urges Belfast City hall to reconsider illumination in support of abortion
Songs of true love
Insightful words from an old friend
A highly suitable present: our Brendanian gift to President Trump
Top TOPICS
We have seen it so many times – a law gets liberalised to the extent
A woman drives a truck along a deserted road. There’s a dog in the middle
A return to the Church and a thank you to Irish clergy and friends Dear
You know the story, three times, on the shore of lake Galilee after the resurrection,