Crimes That Changed Ireland- Malcolm MacArthur

Malcolm MacArthur. [Black and white image of man outside court in a light suit with a bowtie.

‘Grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented’ was a phrase coined by journalist Conor Cruise O’Brien when Charlie Haughey was asked about one of the many scandals his party would be involved in. A uniquely Irish phrase used to talk about all manner of scandals, it pops up every now and then on the front cover of a newspaper. At a time when acronyms have such an important place in our lives, ‘BRB, NATO and FOMO’, ‘GUBU’ feels just as at home with any of them but this is far from a modern phrase with much more nefarious roots.

Malcolm MacArthur was a socialite, an eccentric and heir to a Scottish farm. Born in Co.Meath in 1945 and studied in the US, receiving his Bachelor of the Arts in 1967. In 1974, his father died and MacArthur received €70,000 inheritance. Well accepted in the upper class social scene, he was seen as an eccentric intellectual.

By 1982, he had spent most of what he had on living the high life, spending outside of his means whilst living with his wife, Brenda Little, and their child in the Canaries. The money quickly ran out after 6 weeks and he fled back to Ireland, abandoning his family. Brenda believed that he would return as soon as he could when he could afford to.

27 year old Bridie Gargan was sunbathing near her Renault in Phoenix Park on the 22nd of July. MacArthur needed a car and he would do anything to get one. Approaching Bridie, he shouted at her and she ran towards her vehicle, he hit her with a hammer and pushed her into the car. 

A witness, Paddy Byrne, tried to help but couldn’t because MacArthur pulled a gun on him. It was a replica but he didn’t know that at the time and before he could do anything more, the car sped off. Byrne flagged a friend’s car down and they gave chase but quickly lost them. A little while later, the pair were stopped by an ambulance driver who thought MacAthur was a doctor because of the sticker on the windshield. He followed the ambulance to the hospital but left Bridie in the laneway where she wasn’t discovered until hours later. Sadly, Bridie Gargan could not be saved and she died a few days later from her injuries.

Bridie Gargan [Image of a black and white photo of woman in a nurse’s uniform, she has short, dark hair and she’s smiling at the camera]

MacArthur fled to Co.Offaly with plans to buy a real gun. On the 25th of July, he asked Donal Dunne, a farmer in Edenderry, if he could buy his shotgun. While inspecting it, he turned it on Donal and shot him. He then stole his car.

Gardaí were investigating what happened to Bridie and now they had another murder several counties across. Nobody knew if they were connected or not but the Guards had already started a manhunt for a killer.

No longer in Offaly, MacArthur tried to rob Harry Biehling, an American Diplomat but he escaped. Now staying at Dalkey at an apartment belonging to the Attorney General, Patrick Connolly, who was friends with MacArthur; he then called the local Guards and told them the attempted robbery was just a prank. Malcolm MacArthur used his own name. He was arrested at the apartment on the 13th of August. 

Former AG Patrick Connolly [Black and white image of an middle aged man with grey hair in a dark suit.]

People were shocked that the Attorney General, the chief law officer of Ireland was housing a killer. Connolly insisted he didn’t know what MacArthur had done.  It was revealed that both were seen days after the murder at a game in Croke Park. The two of them even spoke about the killings with the Garda Commissioner.  The day after questioning, Connolly took off on holiday, continuing on the tradition of Irish politicians running away when shit hits the fan. 

He didn’t spend long in the US however as he was forced to return home, running to Charlie Haughey, the Taoiseach and after a brief conversation, Connolly resigned. MacArthur was tried for the murder of Bridie Gargan but not for Dunne where he pled guilty. The public was outraged and started a petition which got 10,000 signatures but it didn’t work. MacArthur received a life sentence for only one murder.

He was released in 2012. 

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Sources:

• ‘The original GUBU: How the Malcolm MacArthur killings rocked Ireland’ – The Journal Darah Brophy (http://www.thejournal.ie/malcolm-macarthur-killings-gubu-3243563-Feb2017/)
• ‘The killer, the will, and the €500k GUBU legacy’ – Independent.ie (https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/politics/the-killer-the-will-and-the-500k-gubu-legacy-35522619.html)
• ‘Witness breaks 30-year silence as killer is released’ – Irish Examiner Dan Buckley (https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/icrime/witness-breaks-30-year-silence-as-killer-is-released-174864.html)
• ‘Then & Now: Malcolm Macarthur’ – Irish Times Connor Lalley (https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/then-now-malcolm-macarthur-1.600688)