The Border Fox

“War brings circumstances with it that changes our normal concepts of morality. It's a tough, dirty business, caused in the first instance by the filth of corruption.” - Dessie O Hare

Dessie ‘The Border Fox’ O’ Hare was for a time the most wanted man in Ireland. The media bestowed him with this moniker. Earned by O’ Hare for successfully evading arrest by the Gardai and the PSNI by crossing the border undetected for years. He was so pleased with his title that in later years during interviews he would refer to himself in the 3rd person by the nickname. A protagonist during the Troubles and known for violence, O’ Hare was a Republican and staunchly on the armed struggle side of the fence. Which would lead to a fall out between O’ Hare and the IRA in later life as the movement and Sinn Féin progressed towards political means to unify the country. Born in Keady, Co. Armagh into a republican stronghold O’ Hare joined the IRA aged 16, he was from a dedicated and active Republican family. His grandmother served time in a British jail for housing Republicans and his father and 6 uncles were interned in the 1940s, one of his uncles died while a Republican prisoner in an Isle of Mann jail. In the 1970s due to disciplinary issues, Dessie left the IRA and joined the Irish, National, Liberation, Army the INLA and soon found himself in a senor position. Again, years later O’ Hare found himself in constant turmoil with other leaders within the INLA so decided to disband and create his own group, the Irish Revolutionary Brigade, some of his most loyal followers joined him. Raising funds for the armed struggle as well as for personal reasons became The Border Foxe’s main priority and violence came naturally to O’ Hare. It was this pursuit of funds and his penchant for evading capture that gave O’ Hare a reputation However, it was one event that made him a household name during the Troubles.

On October 13th, 1987, O’Hare led the INLA kidnapping of dentist Dr. John O’Grady that would make him infamous and result in the longest fixed-term prison sentence ever handed down in the Republic for a non-capital murder offence. The gang kidnapped O'Grady from his home in Cabinteely, Dublin, having gone there looking for the victim's millionaire father-in-law medical doctor Dr. Austin Darragh. However, Dr. Darragh had moved out, and John O'Grady and his family took up residence in the house a number of years earlier. The intention was to hold Austin Darragh hostage until a £1.5 million ransom was paid. In the end John O’Grady was held for 23 days, during which time the whole country watched in horror as the kidnap gang managed to evade gardaí and remain at large with their hostage. At the time Austin Darragh was a well-known doctor, appearing on radio shows such as the Gay Byrne Show, and was also a major shareholder in a leading pharmaceutical company. He was initially imprisoned in a Dublin basement before being moved to Cork, where he was imprisoned in a cargo container. Gardaí happened on the site, but O'Hare and his gang escaped after opening fire on the Gardaí and getting away by hijacking a car. The car was later found burnt out in Dundalk, but O'Hare had moved O'Grady to a house in Cabra, North Dublin. After ransom demands were not met O'Hare cut off the little finger from each of O'Grady's hands with a hammer and chisel and sent them to Carlow Cathedral.

Garda detectives traced the gang to the Cabra house and a shootout ensued. A Garda detective was seriously wounded and O'Grady was rescued but O'Hare and his gang escaped. O'Hare became the most wanted man in Ireland with the Gardaí offering a IR£100,000 reward for information on his whereabouts. Two of the gang were arrested near Cahir, County Tipperary. Three weeks later on 27th November O'Hare was arrested after his car drove through an Irish Defence Forces check point in Urlingford, County Kilkenny. O'Hare was shot eight times during the arrest which was effected after a fire-fight, and the driver of the car, Martin Bryan, was killed. An Irish Army soldier was wounded in the affray. At his trial at the Special Criminal Court, O'Hare was convicted of false imprisonment, wounding with intent and possession of firearms, and received a 40-year sentence. After receiving his sentence, he made a speech in which he called for support for the Irish Revolutionary Brigade and called for republicans to turn their guns on the Irish judiciary, Prison service, Defence Forces and Gardaí. He concluded by declaring, ‘May all my deeds reverberate until bloody war is waged against the British and their southern allies’. He was sent to the maximum security Portlaoise Prison, where he was isolated by former IRA and INLA associates who accused him of bringing republicanism into disrepute. In December 1987, the INLA's political wing issued a statement disassociating themselves from the kidnapping and stating that O'Hare was no longer a member of the INLA and was removed from his position.

In 2008 Dessie O’ Hare was released under the Terms of the Good Friday Agreement. However, upon his release he continued with his old ways and took up work collecting debts for individuals. In 2019 he was sentenced to seven years in prison for assaulting John Roche, at The Towers, Garter Lane, Saggart, Co Dublin, on 9 June 2015. He also pleaded guilty to falsely imprisoning Martin Byrne at Rathcoole and Saggart on the same date. It is believed that he was employed by Dublin businessman Jim Mansfield Jr to evict Mr. Byrne from his home. Dessie O’ Hare turned up at the home with convicted murderer and former INLA member Declan Duffy. The judge remarked that O’ Hare and Duffy would have been known to Martin Byrne and that their reputation would have preceded them and that is the reason they were employed to do the job. Both men are still in prison.