Tony Geraghty
Encyclopedia
Tony Geraghty is a British-Irish writer and journalist. He served in the Parachute Regiment, and was awarded the Joint Service Commendation Medal for his work as a military liaison officer with U.S. forces during the Gulf War
. He has been a journalist for The Boston Globe
and was the Sunday Times Defence Correspondent in the 1970s.
Geraghty was born in Liverpool
to an Irish Catholic
family. He was educated at the London Oratory
.
During the Falls Curfew
in July 1970, while on assignment for the Sunday Times, Geraghty was arrested at gunpoint by a British soldier and charged with impeding the army by being on the street against a military order, which carried an automatic prison sentence on conviction. In September 1970 a magistrate ruled he had no case to answer, and acquitted him.
His 1998 book The Irish War: The Hidden Conflict Between the IRA and British Intelligence was written following research which included interviews with members of British Intelligence
, the security forces, and the Provisional Irish Republican Army
. It describes the various tactics, both military and political, used by the protagonists in the Troubles
in Northern Ireland
.
Publisher's Weekly called the book "highly opinionated" but praised "its attention to detail and its direct, potent writing." Library Journal said "[t]he role of British Intelligence in Ulster has never been so deeply explored".
On 3 December 1998 Geraghty's house was searched and he was interviewed by the Ministry of Defence Police
and in May 1999, he was charged with breaching section 5 of the Official Secrets Act 1989
on the basis that he quoted from classified army documents in the book. The army was concerned that in mentioning their Caister/Crucible computer intelligence databases for tracking the population of Northern Ireland, and the Vengeful-Glutton number plate recognition and vehicle tracking system, he might have been in possession of copies of the documents.
The case was dropped in November 2000.
He has written several books on the Special Air Service
. The Bullet Catchers is a history of close protection bodyguard
s.
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
. He has been a journalist for The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
and was the Sunday Times Defence Correspondent in the 1970s.
Geraghty was born in Liverpool
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...
to an Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholic is a term used to describe people who are both Roman Catholic and Irish .Note: the term is not used to describe a variant of Catholicism. More particularly, it is not a separate creed or sect in the sense that "Anglo-Catholic", "Old Catholic", "Eastern Orthodox Catholic" might be...
family. He was educated at the London Oratory
London Oratory School
The London Oratory School is a Catholic secondary comprehensive school in Fulham, London. The Headmaster is David McFadden. It has around 1,365 pupils. It is not to be confused with The Oratory School, a Catholic boarding school...
.
During the Falls Curfew
Falls Curfew
The Falls Curfew was a British Army operation during 3–5 July 1970 in an area along the Falls Road in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The operation started with a weapons search but quickly developed into rioting and gun battles between British soldiers and the Official Irish Republican Army...
in July 1970, while on assignment for the Sunday Times, Geraghty was arrested at gunpoint by a British soldier and charged with impeding the army by being on the street against a military order, which carried an automatic prison sentence on conviction. In September 1970 a magistrate ruled he had no case to answer, and acquitted him.
His 1998 book The Irish War: The Hidden Conflict Between the IRA and British Intelligence was written following research which included interviews with members of British Intelligence
MI5
The Security Service, commonly known as MI5 , is the United Kingdom's internal counter-intelligence and security agency and is part of its core intelligence machinery alongside the Secret Intelligence Service focused on foreign threats, Government Communications Headquarters and the Defence...
, the security forces, and the Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
. It describes the various tactics, both military and political, used by the protagonists in the Troubles
The Troubles
The Troubles was a period of ethno-political conflict in Northern Ireland which spilled over at various times into England, the Republic of Ireland, and mainland Europe. The duration of the Troubles is conventionally dated from the late 1960s and considered by many to have ended with the Belfast...
in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
.
Publisher's Weekly called the book "highly opinionated" but praised "its attention to detail and its direct, potent writing." Library Journal said "[t]he role of British Intelligence in Ulster has never been so deeply explored".
On 3 December 1998 Geraghty's house was searched and he was interviewed by the Ministry of Defence Police
Ministry of Defence Police
The Ministry of Defence Police is a civilian police force which is part of the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence. The force is part of the larger government agency, the Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency , together with the Ministry of Defence Guard Service...
and in May 1999, he was charged with breaching section 5 of the Official Secrets Act 1989
Official Secrets Act 1989
The Official Secrets Act 1989 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It repeals and replaces section 2 of the Official Secrets Act 1911. It is said to have removed the public interest defence created by that section....
on the basis that he quoted from classified army documents in the book. The army was concerned that in mentioning their Caister/Crucible computer intelligence databases for tracking the population of Northern Ireland, and the Vengeful-Glutton number plate recognition and vehicle tracking system, he might have been in possession of copies of the documents.
The case was dropped in November 2000.
He has written several books on the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
. The Bullet Catchers is a history of close protection bodyguard
Bodyguard
A bodyguard is a type of security operative or government agent who protects a person—usually a famous, wealthy, or politically important figure—from assault, kidnapping, assassination, stalking, loss of confidential information, terrorist attack or other threats.Most important public figures such...
s.
Books
- Who Dares Wins: The Story of the Special Air Service, 1950-1980, 1980, (ISBN 085368457X)
- March or Die: A New History of the French Foreign Legion, 1987, (ISBN 0816017948)
- The Bullet Catchers, 1989, (ISBN 0586206221)
- Brixmis: The Untold Exploits of Britain's Most Daring Cold War Spy Mission, 1997, (ISBN 0006386733)
- The Irish War: The Hidden Conflict Between the IRA and British Intelligence, 1998, (ISBN 0801864569)
- Guns for Hire: The Inside Story of Freelance Soldiering, 2007, (ISBN 978-0-7499-2873-5)