Paul Muldowney - an appreciation
FOR over twenty years Paul Muldowney was a tall, handsome, commanding presence on the bridge of the greatest news gathering operation Ireland has ever seen.
He played a central role in managing a network of 70 news reporters in Dublin, across the country and in London and Brussels.
He was a rock of sense and had astute news judgement throughout the awful years of the Troubles when the news desk was manned 24 hours a day to provide a constant supply of fresh copy to The Irish Press, Evening Press and The Sunday Press.
In their heyday, they left the opposition floundering in their wake with combined weekly sales in the region of three million newspapers driven by great news and photographic coverage of shattering events in the north of Ireland from the early civil rights marches up to the Anglo Irish Agreement. Sports coverage, of course, was also a major driver.
Burgh Quay was the Houston of the operation and if NASA had a problem it was often up to Paul as the deputy chief news editor to solve it by getting the best out of the team at his disposal whether it was election coverage, documenting the misadventures of Charlie Haughey’s governments, Bloody Sunday, the Stardust tragedy, the Kerry Babies, or the latest paramilitary atrocity.
He was unflappable, good humoured, kind and encouraged a route into the trade for young freelancers for whom he had great patience and generosity.
Paul was aware of the need for gender balance in the newsroom and several prominent women in Irish journalism paid tribute to him on a private Facebook thread since his death earlier this month.
The Sunday Times columnist and broadcaster, Brenda Power recalled: “Paul was the most gorgeous man, so sad to hear this news, he was a real hero and champion to all of us freelancers in the IP.”
The renowned travel writer Isabel Conway, wrote: “Paul was such a lovely decent man with a great sense of humour who remained calm and composed no matter what.
“A light would always go on arriving on a late shift to find him in situ as I knew all would be well.”
“I hit up a great working relationship with him as a freelancer who focussed a lot on covering cults such as the Moonies who were then setting up shop in Ireland.
“On one occasion I managed to inveigle my way into a full but private audience with an Indian yogi in the National Concert Hall and delivered my breathless prose to Paul as quickly as I could.
“He said that unfortunately it was too late to make the paper.
“I legged it over to The Irish Times where it ended up at the bottom of the front page.
“I was very pleased but apprehensive at Paul’s reaction the next day but he just laughed “ye little fecker” and we continued on as before.”
When Paul decided to abandon the Burgh Quay HQ for a berth covering the High Court, he deployed his superb shorthand to provide the most illuminating and accurate coverage of High Court proceedings.
His friend, golfing companion and boss, Mick O’Kane recalled this week: “He was a fantastic High Court reporter and never once made a mistake.”
Paul earned a memorable appearance in Michael O’ Toole’s classic biography of his life in journalism ‘More Kicks Than Pence’ in a scene where O’ Toole sought out his advice on the day he was to appear as a witness in his own libel trial brought by the late actor and Glenroe star Joe Lynch.
O’ Toole, recalling his own cross-examination, wrote: “I was at that moment occupying what my colleague Paul Muldowney warned me was the loneliest spot in Ireland – the witness box of the number three court in the High Court of Ireland.
“‘ The middle of a Leitrim bog on All Souls Night has nothing on this.’
“Paul had said patting the mahogany railing of the witness box in the empty courtroom that morning. And Paul should know.
“The doyen of the High Court reporting staff has sat through hundreds of trials and observed the majesty and savagery of the law in all its guises.”
Paul advised him: “You know as well as I do that anything can happen in a court.
“You can only give it your best shot. Tell the truth.
“Keep your hands on your lap and look in the direction of the jury.
“Don’t appear to be shifting in the box.
“Above all, don’t let Colm Condon lure you into trying to score points off him.”
Colm Condon SC was the barrister for Joe Lynch.
Paul reported meticulously on his own newspaper’s loss of that trial at a cost of 25,000 pounds as he resumed his role as impartial reporter.
Mary Carolan, Irish Times Courts Correspondent, recalled how cherished he was by staff and journalists in the Four Courts.
“When he retired in 2005 from the courts, a light went out of the press room and the entire building has seemed a lot less brighter since,” she said.
He was a cool, clean unsung hero of Irish journalism during what looks with hindsight like some kind of drink, print and blood soaked Golden Age.
Paul was a home bird dedicated to his wife and soul mate, Bernie, and their children.
He rarely appeared in the Press local, Mulligans, from whence he once had to field a call from an inebriated reporter informing him that he was psychologically unfit for work.
Paul agreed with him but gave him another chance.
He graced a profession that has become somewhat diminished in the age of the internet and the free for all of fake news, free newspapers, strident opinions and celebrity gossip.
Ni beidh a leitheid ann arís.