The Boston College IRA tapes controversy -- A reply to Niall O’Dowd

There is clear evidence that Niall O’Dowd does not know ‘full well’ the background to Boston College’s Belfast Project

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Editor’s Note: Niall O’Dowd’s Periscope column recently criticized the handling of the IRA interviews for the Boston College  archives which are now being sought by Northern Ireland authorities. Here, journalist Ed Moloney and academic and activiist Anthony McIntyre who conducted those interviews, give their side of the story.

There is clear evidence that Niall O’Dowd does not know ‘full well’ the background to Boston College’s Belfast Project. And on the basis of not knowing ‘full well’ he pumps out a piece riddled with errors. What evidence O’Dowd has found is as clear as the mud he seeks to sling.

This is somewhat unfortunate because for a while Niall O’Dowd strongly opposed the British government’s efforts to invade Boston College’s oral history archive. Now he has opted to say nothing about the British and instead seeks to exonerate Boston College and the American courts. All in the dubious service of blaming the researcher and project director.

Quoting from a ‘Boston College affidavit’, which was not in fact a Boston College affidavit, O’Dowd writes:

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“Prior to the commencement of the project, Robert K. O’Neill, the Burns librarian (where the tapes were to be housed) cautioned Moloney that although he had not spoken yet with Boston College’s counsel, the library could not guarantee the confidentiality of the interviews in the face of a court order.”

The striking aspect of this and other parts of his May 2000 fax to Ed Moloney - which O’Dowd fails to cite - is that it is clearly O’Neill’s preliminary judgement of the legal situation. For instance, he went on to say: “Nevertheless, the First Amendment to our Constitution is greatly cherished here, and I suspect the courts would look upon these interviews as privileged information.” Our need for firm guarantees was one reason why the project was not started in the summer of 2000 but was delayed a further eight months. We required very specific assurances and we waited until we got them. When Boston College finally came back with those assurances, which it later provided separately to the loyalist side of the project, the green light was given.

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