Rural Ireland was naive about Charlie Haughey

In this country, Charlie Haughey was God, particularly in rural Ireland.

I remember, in one of our local pubs here in Glenties, in the 1980s, when I was on one of my youthful drinking sessions, there was a discussion about Charlie. Naively, I said that he was “a bit of a gangster”.

Suddenly, the silence in the pub was deafening — and a bit scary.

Afterwards, I was in no doubt it was the end of that particular session for me.

I left the pub quietly and went home to my lovely wife a little earlier than I had anticipated.

Brian McDevitt,

Ardconnaill,

Glenties,

Co Donegal