Beginner’s Pluck: Harry McGee revisits gruesome events of 1982

“Then I moved to the newsroom. I stayed for three years, and in 1998 I moved to the Sunday Tribune.”

He edited Magill for a while, then, in 2003, he moved to the Irish Examiner, spending five years as political correspondent. From there, he went to The Irish Times, and had the opportunity to travel and cover conflicts.

“I’ve been a political correspondent for the past 20 years,” he says.

He has long been fascinated by the events of summer 1982 — and the political links between Malcolm Macarthur and the government.

“I was a teenager when it happened, but I followed politics and read Magill. When the 40th anniversary of GUBU coming up, I revisited the events in a seven-part podcast. I spoke to people who had been centrally involved.” It was then that someone suggested a book.

“I wrote it in five months. The process was very intense.”

Who is Harry McGee?

Date/place of birth: 1965/Galway.

Education: Coláiste Iognáid, Galway; University of Galway, Irish English and law; Higher Diploma in journalism; LLB, (Bachelor of Laws.) King’s Inns, Barrister at Law.

Home: Dublin.

Family: Wife Fiona, daughter Sadhbh, 13.

The day job: Political Correspondent with The Irish Times.

In another life: “I’m interested in mountaineering, so perhaps a professional mountaineer.”

Favourite writers: Ernest Hemingway; Jonathan Franklin; E Annie Proulx; Robert Harris; Patrick Radden Keefe; Martin Amis (for non-fiction).

Second book: “I abandoned a novel set in Ireland in the late 1980s. I think I’ll return to it.”

Top tip: “Examine the style and mode of writing of the authors you admire and use what you learn.”

Twitter: @harrymcgee.

The debut

The Murderer and the Taoiseach
Hachette Books Ireland, €18.43/ Kindle, €10.11

This thorough, clever account of Malcolm Macarthur’s bizarre killing spree in 1982 examines his background and looks at the bigger picture, comparing the characters of Macarthur and Charlie Haughey.

The verdict: Utterly compelling, reads like a thriller.