Celebrating his 80th Birthdayand celebrating decades of journalism.

Des Mullan

Introduction Being the son of a journalist was great. I was a regular for all the Ireland games right up to the Charlton era, thanks to dad’s press card. His press card also got us into quite a number of the big matches at Croke Park. We also had family tickets to the Funderland preview each year at the RDS and we were quite popular if we invited other chldren on our pass. The indications of my dad’s job only ever intruded my life in the 1980s, when his typing would disrupt my favourite television programmes. It is now 15 years since his retirement from the Evening Herald. Quite a number of people have suggested he write a book because he has great stories to tell. He certainly has a lot of great stories to tell. He told many of them at various family occasions over the years and was always entertaining. This booklet shows images and stories and it is in no way an adequate testament to his work. The references from Guss O’ Connell and Fr Tony Byrne indicate the impact of his work covering the war in Biafra in 1968. His reporting elsewhere had similarly significant impact. The relief work in Biafra led to the foundation of Africa Concern, which subsequently became the charity Concern, which has impacted upon millions. This compilation includes articles from his time covering the war in Biafra, Israel’s six day war, Ethiopia’s famine as well as domestic stories. He also reported from the Philippines uprising which overthrew the Marcos dictatorship in 1984. He reported again from the Ethiopian famine in 1984. This small collection of his articles and photos, covering domestic and international issues, show the profile and professionalism of his work and also the courage, dedication and compassion it took to tell those stories.

The Man, The Friend, The JournalistBorn on the October 29th, 1931 in Cork, he grew up in was Ballinasloe, Co Galway. He missed his Leaving Certificate as a result of TB. Coming out of the sanatorium he learned shorthand and typing and made his start in journalism writing notes about local soccer matches. He started out as a journalist with the Midland Tribune in 1952, before the Munster Tribune in 1955. After a stint with the Clare Champion,

he worked in the Irish Press and then both the Evening Herald and Irish Independent from 1964. He was a Deputy Editor in the 70’s then political correspondent in the Dail in the 80’s and 90’s. He covered International events like the Six Days War in Israel in 67, the war in Biafra in 1968 and Ethiopia in 73 and 84-85. He was in the Philippines during the rising in 84 covering the Irish Hostages story. In the 70’s He also wrote news stories from tenant and community campaigns to local and national issues.

Des married Angela on September 7th 1961. They had six children Geraldine, Des, Cathy, Barry, Mary and Garrett, today we celebrate the birthday of the man, the friend and the journalist.

Adventures abroad with John O’Neill

LOCAL NEWS

Interviewing influential

figures

Interview with the leader of the Biafrans Col Odumegwu Ojukwu

I am delighted to have this opportunity to pay tribute to Des Mullan on the occasion of his 80th birthday.Des had a remarkable career stretching through four decades and served with distinction in a number of journalistic posts.However, it was through his role as Political Correspondent of the Evening Herald that I first came to know and admire Des. As a new elected TD in 1989 I soon came to expect an early morning call from Des looking for a quote or a comment, or even an off-the-record reaction on some political story that he was anxious to file for the first edition of the Herald.This was a time when the two evening papers in Dublin, the Herald and the Press, were selling over 200,000 copies between them each day and when those papers took their political coverage very seriously.Des and his great friend and rival, Johnny Wallace, who held the equivalent position in the Evening Press, were highly regarded and respected political correspondents. They both covered the Dail for their papers and it was a common occurrence to see them rushing from the press gallery shortly after 10.30 to file a story about somebody being thrown out on the Order of Business or whatever else would be of interest.Des was a hard-nosed, hard working political correspondent, who broke many major stories – on many occasions stories that political parties and politicians would might have preferred to keep under wraps.But he did this while at the same time managing to be absolutely polite and courteous to everyone he dealt with. This is one of the reasons why he enjoyed such respect around Leinster House.I wish him a memorable 80th birthday.

Eamon GilmoreTánaiste & Minister for Foreign Affairs & Trade | Department of Foreign Affairs

The Journalist Abroad

Not quite the three musketeers!

His version of the ‘Rat Pack”

A tribute to Des MullanBy Fr Tony Byrne CSSp

There are people living today who owe their lives to courageous journalists like Des Mullan who risked their lives to make people acutely aware that as many as 2000 children were dying daily in Biafra. I initiated the illegal Church airlift to Biafra, operated from the small Portuguese island call Sao Tome, off the West African coast. Des flew on our church aircraft from Sao Tome to Uli airstrip in Biafra. He was one of the few journalists who flew into Biafra under fire from the Nigerian ache-ache guns. The Nigerians wanted to shoot down the relief planes. Des not only risked his life by flying into Biafra, he went to very dangerous areas in Biafra, near the war front. He was the most courageous and brave political journalist who covered the Biafra/Nigeria war.There are many stories that could be told about Des and his dangerous ventures in Biafra but I will tell you just two of them.Des went to a parish called Nimo Parish to visit the feeding centres there organised by Fr Peter Nolan, originally from Crumlin. Nimo was at the war front. Fr Peter was showing Des the parish church that had been bombed and shelled by the Nigerian forces. As Des and his camera men from Cabra road were looking at the outside walls of the church, a Nigerian sniper fired some shots near Des and Fr Nolan. Des shouted at Fr Nolan “Father let’s get our arses to hell out of here before we are destroyed”. Des and Fr Nolan together with Des’s camera man ran for cover. It was a lucky escape from death.The second story that comes to my mind is about the journey Des and his camera man travelled to Uli airstrip to catch one of our flights to Sao Tome. He travelled with a Holy Ghost priest from Cork called Fr Tim Kelly (RIP). Des and his camera man were nervous because the Russian Mig jets often bombed and rocketed the roads leading to Uli airstrip. Fr Tim tried to reassure Des and his camera man that they would be OK. “Don’t worry lads” said Fr Tim in his strong Cork accent “This is only a mickey mouse war”. When they arrived at Uli airstrip the Mig jets started bombing the airstrip. It was a horrific air raid. Fr Tim jumped out of the car, into a ditch for cover. Des and his camera man jumped after him into another ditch just behind Fr Tim. Des shouted to Fr Time

“Jesus, Father are you sure that this is a mickey- mouse war?”Des helped to set up the Evening Herald Biafra fund which raised substantial sums of money for the airlift to Biafra. (see newspaper ). I would like to pay tribute to Des as an outstanding professional journalist who had exceptional courage, compassion and dedication. He risked his life so that his readers would be acutely aware of the millions of children at risk in Biafra. Des was an analytical journalist who understood that the root cause of the war was oil. Biafra had copious suppliers of oil. At this time the big powers of UK, France and USA feared that the availability of global oil supplies were terminating. The children of Biafra and the civilian population were

sacrificed on the altar of oil.Des, have a great 80th birthday. You deserved it. We are proud of you and your fantastic contribution to the relief programme in Biafra which saved a million Biafran children. Thank you for your most amazing contribution. You really are a fantastic hero.

Tony Byrne CSSp

Jesus, Father are you sure that this is a mickey-mouse war?

Father let’s get our arses to hell out of here before we are destroyed

Low budget airlines, his transport

Looking for directions?

Close contact with the Rebels

What goes round comes round! I am delighted to be able to offer my very best wishes to Des Mullan as he enters his eight decade!

In the 1960s, long before the international media became as local as it is now, Des was one of the few journalists who came and wrote about the human tragedy that was Biafra. I was one of those who had gone to the region a few years before the war broke out to teach and do development work and when the “hostilities” came down I found myself doing what I could to help the relief and humanitarian effort.

We were very frustrated that the worlds’ media seemed to be ignoring the situation where as each town and village became a war zone, the people moved further inland to the shrinking homeland putting ever more pressure on the meagre food and medical supplies.

Des Mullan risked his life to see for himself at first hand and to write so eloquently about the greatest tragedy to have taken place up to that time in the modern era of Africa as it emerged from colonialism .. He verified and bore independent witness to the need for humanitarian aid and we know how the Irish people responded and indeed continue to respond to other emergency spots as they emerge around the globe.

Des, you laid the ground work of brave and fearless journalism. Thanks to brave and fearless journalists like you we now have first hand information, almost instantly, on tragedies practically as they take place in even the remotest parts of the world.

I wish you a happy birthday and many more years to reap the just rewards of your journalistic labours.

Guss O’ConnellIndependent Community CouncillorSouth Dublin County Council

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