No reason to differ with Prone, says Reynolds
The former Taoiseach was responding to an interview with the communications consultant on RTÉ’s News at One arising from Ms Prone’s article in yesterday’s Irish Examiner.
The article recounted how she helped Mr Doherty prepare the statement that confirmed Mr Haughey had been aware that the phones of journalists Geraldine Kennedy and Bruce Arnold had been tapped; and moreover, that he had read the transcripts. On the evening of the press conference Ms Prone told her husband, Tom Savage, for the first time about what Mr Doherty was going to say.
She said, Mr Savage, who was close to Mr Reynolds’ campaign to become leader of Fianna Fáil, had told her the revelations would bring down Mr Haughey. At that point, she said, Mr Savage contacted Mr Reynolds.
“What was very interesting was that Mr Reynolds’ first reaction was to tell Tom that he would have to find a way to stop to it,” she said.
“The announcement Sean Doherty was clearly putting whatever plans Mr Reynolds had into jeopardy and it was not something he wanted or approved of.”
Her recollection rebuts a widespread belief that Mr Reynolds put Mr Doherty up to go public on the allegations as part of a heave against Mr Haughey’s leadership.
Mr Reynolds maintained yesterday he was not in favour of Mr Doherty going public with the allegations because he felt it would distract from his campaign.
“I’m not so clear on the details but I have no reason to differ from what Terry Prone has said,” he said.
“No matter what Sean Doherty said at the time, it would not have changed the atmosphere that was around.
“As far as I was reading it, the writing was on the wall.”
Mr Reynolds said he had a clearer recollection of the run-up to Mr Doherty’s interview on RTÉ’s Nighthawks about ten days beforehand, broadcast from Castlerea, Co Roscommon.
“There was a rumour going around the Dáil from early afternoon that Sean Doherty was going to say something about it.
“A couple of my colleagues tried to contact him and did not succeed.”
The former Taoiseach said that, even then, his inclination was that Mr Doherty should not go public with his account of what had happened during his short term as Minister for Justice in 1982.
