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Wanted IRA man traced to quiet U.S. home in New Jersey

Irish building worker fled North after murder of Capt Robert Nairac

KENNETH HAYNES,

Irish Central.com

Published Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 5:46 AM

Updated Tuesday, December 22, 2009, 6:00 AM

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Patrick Maguire in New Jersey and Captain Robert Nairac who was killed in 1977

A wanted man in the search for the killers of SAS undercover man Captain Robert Nairac has been traced to a suburban home in New Jersey after a 32-year search.

Patrick Maguire, is alleged to be one of a gang of nine IRA members and sympathisers who kidnapped Nairac, and then tortured and beat him senseless, before coldly shooting in the head.

Others in the murder gang say Maguire played a central part in the bloody fight on May 14, 1977, that ended in Captain Nairac's death. No trace of Nairac's body has ever been found.

Maguire fled to America on a visitor's visa and has since become a U.S. resident.

Even now, the story of what happened to the Oxford educated, SAS-trained Grenadier Guards officer, is still a mystery.

Nairac, 29, who was posthumously awarded the George Cross for his bravery, ventured into the heartland of the Provisional IRA when he posed as a member of the Official IRA at the Three Steps Inn at Drumintee, two miles from the Irish border.

He played his part well, chatting with locals and singing rebel songs but someone knew the truth.

As he walked to his car at closing time a gang of men who had been drinking at the bar, allegedly including Maguire, jumped him.

Nairac was beaten up then driven three miles to Ravensdale forest, across the border in County Louth. He was tortured for several hours as the gang tried to force him to reveal his identity.

When their efforts failed, the group laughed as an IRA gunman shot Nairac in the head.

Maguire, 57, is accused of being one of three men who fled from Northern Ireland in the days after the killing.

Maguire now lives with wife, Mary, 57, and their children, Anne Marie, 26, Christine, 24, Keira, 23 and Patrick junior, 22, in the quiet New Jersey suburb of Dumont.

Speaking to journalists at his home in Dumont, he said he had regrets about the events of that dark night in 1977.

"There's nothing I can say about that night... Of course I have regrets about it... but I'm not going to say any more.

"I'm not going to go back into the past. And if the past catches up with me, then... There's nothing can change things now and I've told you I regret it but that's as far as I can go... There's nothing can change it, it's 30-odd years ago.

"Things have changed in the north now. If they have progress in the north well and good, but they're not going to find the body here."

Maguire - who works as a tiler and building worker in Manhattan - says he would like to return to South Armagh.

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tsullivan1218 | Dec 28, 2009, 08:43 AM EST

I agree with Thomas Coolberth! I have read many accounts of the disappearance of Robert Nairac. He is deified in some and ridiculed as a naive "cowboy" type in others. As a SPY he was going into the lions den and knew the consequences. This was a WAR not a demonstration or insignificant Irish-British period. In WAR spys are reviled. Robert Nairac got his just deserve. If you want to piss and moan about injustice than lets look into the GIBRALTER MURDERS BY THE SAS.

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ThomasCoolberth | Dec 26, 2009, 06:12 PM EST

Under the rules of war spies have no Geneva rights. As an American fighting against invaders I would have done the same thing. Maybe I would have sympathy for a uniformed soldier .. but a spy? No way.

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plasticpaddy | Dec 23, 2009, 10:36 PM EST

and have i got it - NO

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plasticpaddy | Dec 23, 2009, 10:36 PM EST

Once again I urge you to read the coments after mien, they shoudlo give you an idea as to what people who understand the North think, and what IRISH people think.

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plasticpaddy | Dec 23, 2009, 10:30 PM EST

Also your comparisons with other international struggles ilustrate your lack of knowledge on the subject, comparing the hamas/Israel conflict of the Russian v Chechnya conflict, or the Taliban in Afghanistan, you clearly have no idea about the intricacies of the Northern conflict and its incompatibility with any other regional conflict you have spoken of

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plasticpaddy | Dec 23, 2009, 10:28 PM EST

you fail to realise your opinions and ways are far more conducive to violence in the North than anythign I have said. For the record I would say the same for a loyalist act form the same time period, but not an act committed by any arm of the British security forces

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plasticpaddy | Dec 23, 2009, 10:27 PM EST

you see haasny or whatever it is, I am not an extermist, I am a member of Sinn Fein. You do not actually read a single comment I make, you just decide for yourself that I am an extremist without trying to look at things form the point of view of an ACTUAL Irish person. Read the comments that came after yours, are they all extremists? they all make the exact same point I did, he may have been unarmed but he was still military personal engaged in a war, he was a spy who would gladly have turned those brave persons he was trying to fool to be tortured, possibly murdered. You call me a fool while you continue to make points which are completely ludicrous and absolutely incompatible with the experiences and knowledge of ACTUAL Irish people who know what they are talking about. I am for peace, not the dredging uup of the past at every opportunity which only serves to engender further hatred, animosity and murder.

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LiamDavid | Dec 23, 2009, 09:21 PM EST

My relatives lived and suffered under the inhumane and criminal treatment of the English during their 800 year long occupation of all of Ireland. For these centuries, the English enslaved our people, stole our land, raped our women, murdered our children and laughed at the site of our prolonged misery. Try as they might, the English did all in their power attempting to decimate our religion, language, culture and spirit, but could never quite get the job done. Thankfully, due to their ever living greed, the English couldn’t kill all of us, because, who would do all their work? Finally, after all of these black centuries of English terror and the death of millions of Irishmen, Ireland was able to mount a successful resistance, and got these war criminals out of nearly all but the northern counties. Then during the continued war to rid our country of these left over criminals, this English spy is captured and killed. Any death is sad, but when you fight a war, death is always a possibility on all sides. Ireland Forever

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dan Breen | Dec 23, 2009, 05:07 PM EST

He was a spy!! He got what he deserved. How about tracking down the Dublin & Monaghan bombers ? 33 deaths ! Not one person doing time for it!! Here one for the American government, who and where are the solders who shot three nuns in El Salvador ? They are all in Florida USA, Living large. British lobbyist paying off the AMERICAN GOVERNMENT. Gerry Adams and McGuiness sold out......How many spys did they have shot ?

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jimmy12003 | Dec 23, 2009, 04:33 PM EST

yes, one SAS dude bit the bullet! over the 30 to 40 years of the troubles! just how many innocent men, women and chrildren in northern ireland died at the hands of the SAS? i grew up there, the amount of times we were awakened from my sleep, to the screams of innocent people being terroised in there homes in the middle of the night, and kids having there father taken from them by the SAS and never seen again, and the british media covering it up saying it was the UVF or some other crap!

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haasny007 | Dec 23, 2009, 02:06 PM EST

plasticpaddy, your "promoting the Irish peace process" is as much an oxymoron as Hamas seeking peace with Israel. Over and over again you are justifying torture and murder of an unarmed man. British agent or not, it was wrong! Got it?! I know enough about Irish politics to realize that you are a bitter, incorrigible and partisan fool from yesteryear. Allowing you to participate in any type of peace process is nothing more than a recipe for disaster. I was not born on Irish territory, nonetheless I am carrying my Irish passport with pride, and I can assure you that I am a better ambassador for Ireland than the anachronistic and extremist types of your kind.

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deirdreca | Dec 23, 2009, 01:26 PM EST

One question- You are quoting word for word the article in todays British Sun. Any credit given to them? Are you CERTAIN of all of the quotes attributed to Mr. Maguire? Is the Sun truly reliable? I am not arguing what happened or did not happen- merely wondering about the reliability of this article. Please respond Mr. Haynes.

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plasticpaddy | Dec 23, 2009, 12:59 PM EST

Correction - "before coldly shooting in the head." this sentence should have 'him' in between 'shooting' and 'in'

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plasticpaddy | Dec 23, 2009, 12:46 PM EST

because the jews were oppressed, not the oppressor, he was the oppressed not the oppressor. Michaelvona you must put the situation in context, Nairac was the one akin to a nazi murderer, not maguire.

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bostonblakie | Dec 23, 2009, 12:14 PM EST

Very sad story.

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