GUBU
Encyclopedia
GUBU is an acronym standing for grotesque, unbelievable, bizarre and unprecedented.
The phrase was paraphrased from a comment by then Taoiseach
(prime minister) of Ireland
, Charles Haughey
, while describing a strange series of incidents in the summer of 1982 that led to a double-murderer being apprehended in the house of the Irish Attorney General
.
The corresponding acronym was coined by Conor Cruise O'Brien
, and both it and the phrase are still occasionally used in Irish political discourse to describe notorious scandals. In January 2011 some ministerial resignations from the Government
were described by its opponent Michael Noonan
as "...bizarre, grotesque and to some extent unbelievable."
, County Offaly
who had a shotgun
for sale. However, having no transport and needing to get from Dublin to Edenderry, he decided to steal a car.
On 22 July 1982, a nurse named Bridie Gargan (aged 27) had been sunbathing in the Phoenix Park
in Dublin during her time off work. MacArthur, intending to steal her car, bludgeoned her with a hammer. In the ensuing confusion, MacArthur drove off leaving the dying Gargan on the back seat.
At this point a passing ambulance became involved and escorted MacArthur to the hospital, as the driver mistook him for a doctor because of a windscreen sticker which Gargan had. MacArthur later abandoned the car nearby. Three days later, having found alternative means to get to Edenderry, MacArthur visited the farmer Dónal Dunne and murdered him with his own shotgun after examining it. MacArthur then stole Dunne's car and drove it to Dublin. These two violent murders created a sensation, as unmotivated murder in Ireland, coupled with the youth and respectability of the nurse and farmer, was an unusual set of circumstances.
The Garda Síochána
(Irish police) soon had a description of the person they wanted.
, the then Attorney General
, who was the chief legal advisor to the Irish Government
. Both attended a match in Croke Park
, several days after the murder, and this led to a discussion between Connolly and the then Garda Commissioner, Patrick McLoughlin, in the presence of MacArthur regarding the murder. On 13 August 1982, MacArthur was arrested on the private property of Connolly, and had been staying in the property for some time as a guest. Connolly, who had been getting ready for holiday, continued on his journey to the United States
and did not give any interview to the Gardaí
on the matter.
A serious effort was made to prevent the relationship with Connolly and MacArthur becoming public and indeed it was claimed that this was homosexual, something that was later discounted. Connolly was promptly requested to return to Ireland where he then resigned on 16 August. Haughey attempted to distance himself from the fiasco and described the event as "a bizarre happening, an unprecedented situation, a grotesque situation, an almost unbelievable mischance."
MacArthur admitted his guilt of the murder of the nurse. Because of this, he was not tried for Dunne's murder as the state entered a plea of nolle prosequi
. This led to a petition of 10,000 signatures to ensure MacArthur would be tried for his murder. This was unsuccessful and MacArthur received a life sentence for just one murder.
, the then Minister for Justice, who was also a member of MacArthur's defence team in the murder trial, decided that he would take no part in the decision for fear of a conflict of interest.
In July 2004 it was decided to keep MacArthur in prison, as relatives — including his mother — considered him dangerous.
MacArthur was allowed to spend Christmas Day, 2005 with a relative outside prison and was also allowed a five-hour Christmas parole in 2006.
MacArthur was recently granted temporary release in November 2011 and is being considered for permanent release however no decision has yet been made by either the Irish parole board or current Minister for Justice.
's 1989 novel, The Book of Evidence
.
RTÉ
Commentator Marty Morrissey
used the phrase to describe a famous victory by Fermanagh over Armagh at Croke Park
in the All-Ireland football quarter final in August 2004
The phrase was paraphrased from a comment by then Taoiseach
Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is...
(prime minister) of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
, Charles Haughey
Charles Haughey
Charles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
, while describing a strange series of incidents in the summer of 1982 that led to a double-murderer being apprehended in the house of the Irish Attorney General
Attorney General of Ireland
The Attorney General is a constitutional officer who is the official adviser to the Government of Ireland in matters of law. He is in effect the chief law officer in Ireland. The Attorney General is not a member of the Government but does participate in cabinet meetings when invited and attends...
.
The corresponding acronym was coined by Conor Cruise O'Brien
Conor Cruise O'Brien
Conor Cruise O'Brien often nicknamed "The Cruiser", was an Irish politician, writer, historian and academic. Although his opinion on the role of Britain in Northern Ireland changed over the course of the 1970s and 1980s, he always acknowledge values of, as he saw, the two irreconcilable traditions...
, and both it and the phrase are still occasionally used in Irish political discourse to describe notorious scandals. In January 2011 some ministerial resignations from the Government
Government of the 30th Dáil
The 30th Dáil was elected at the 2007 general election on 24 May 2007 and first met on 14 June when President Mary McAleese appointed Bertie Ahern as Taoiseach, on the nomination of Dáil Éireann...
were described by its opponent Michael Noonan
Michael Noonan
Michael Noonan is an Irish Fine Gael politician and has been the Minister for Finance since March 2011. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Limerick East and later Limerick City constituencies since 1981....
as "...bizarre, grotesque and to some extent unbelievable."
Background
The murderer, Malcolm Edward MacArthur (born April 1946), was a well-known eccentric character in Dublin social circles and never held a job, as he lived off a modest inheritance. However, as his money ran out, MacArthur decided to fund his lifestyle by robbery. First he decided to purchase a gun and responded to an advertisement by Dónal Dunne, a farmer in EdenderryEdenderry, County Offaly
Edenderry is a town in the north of County Offaly, Ireland. It is near the borders with Counties Kildare, Meath and Westmeath. The Grand Canal passes immediately south of the town through the Bog of Allen and there is a short spur to the town centre....
, County Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
who had a shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
for sale. However, having no transport and needing to get from Dublin to Edenderry, he decided to steal a car.
On 22 July 1982, a nurse named Bridie Gargan (aged 27) had been sunbathing in the Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park
Phoenix Park is an urban park in Dublin, Ireland, lying 2–4 km west of the city centre, north of the River Liffey. Its 16 km perimeter wall encloses , one of the largest walled city parks in Europe. It includes large areas of grassland and tree-lined avenues, and since the seventeenth...
in Dublin during her time off work. MacArthur, intending to steal her car, bludgeoned her with a hammer. In the ensuing confusion, MacArthur drove off leaving the dying Gargan on the back seat.
At this point a passing ambulance became involved and escorted MacArthur to the hospital, as the driver mistook him for a doctor because of a windscreen sticker which Gargan had. MacArthur later abandoned the car nearby. Three days later, having found alternative means to get to Edenderry, MacArthur visited the farmer Dónal Dunne and murdered him with his own shotgun after examining it. MacArthur then stole Dunne's car and drove it to Dublin. These two violent murders created a sensation, as unmotivated murder in Ireland, coupled with the youth and respectability of the nurse and farmer, was an unusual set of circumstances.
The Garda Síochána
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
(Irish police) soon had a description of the person they wanted.
Fallout
MacArthur was acquainted with Patrick ConnollyPatrick Connolly
Patrick Connolly is a former Attorney General of Ireland who was appointed by Charles Haughey. Connolly resigned after Malcolm McArthur, who had been a house-guest of Connolly's, was later convicted of the murder of a nurse, Bridie Gargan ....
, the then Attorney General
Attorney General of Ireland
The Attorney General is a constitutional officer who is the official adviser to the Government of Ireland in matters of law. He is in effect the chief law officer in Ireland. The Attorney General is not a member of the Government but does participate in cabinet meetings when invited and attends...
, who was the chief legal advisor to the Irish Government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
. Both attended a match in Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
, several days after the murder, and this led to a discussion between Connolly and the then Garda Commissioner, Patrick McLoughlin, in the presence of MacArthur regarding the murder. On 13 August 1982, MacArthur was arrested on the private property of Connolly, and had been staying in the property for some time as a guest. Connolly, who had been getting ready for holiday, continued on his journey to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and did not give any interview to the Gardaí
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
on the matter.
A serious effort was made to prevent the relationship with Connolly and MacArthur becoming public and indeed it was claimed that this was homosexual, something that was later discounted. Connolly was promptly requested to return to Ireland where he then resigned on 16 August. Haughey attempted to distance himself from the fiasco and described the event as "a bizarre happening, an unprecedented situation, a grotesque situation, an almost unbelievable mischance."
MacArthur admitted his guilt of the murder of the nurse. Because of this, he was not tried for Dunne's murder as the state entered a plea of nolle prosequi
Nolle prosequi
Nolle prosequi is legal term of art and a Latin legal phrase meaning "to be unwilling to pursue", a phrase amounting to "please do not prosecute". It is a phrase used in many common law criminal prosecution contexts to describe a prosecutor's decision to voluntarily discontinue criminal charges...
. This led to a petition of 10,000 signatures to ensure MacArthur would be tried for his murder. This was unsuccessful and MacArthur received a life sentence for just one murder.
Recent news
In 2003 the parole board recommended that MacArthur be put on a temporary release program which would eventually lead to his release. Michael McDowellMichael McDowell
Michael McDowell is a Senior Counsel in the Bar Council of Ireland and a former politician. A grandson of Irish revolutionary Eoin MacNeill, McDowell was a founding member of the Progressive Democrats political party in the mid-1980s...
, the then Minister for Justice, who was also a member of MacArthur's defence team in the murder trial, decided that he would take no part in the decision for fear of a conflict of interest.
In July 2004 it was decided to keep MacArthur in prison, as relatives — including his mother — considered him dangerous.
MacArthur was allowed to spend Christmas Day, 2005 with a relative outside prison and was also allowed a five-hour Christmas parole in 2006.
MacArthur was recently granted temporary release in November 2011 and is being considered for permanent release however no decision has yet been made by either the Irish parole board or current Minister for Justice.
In popular culture
MacArthur's story inspired John BanvilleJohn Banville
John Banville is an Irish novelist and screenwriter.Banville's breakthrough novel The Book of Evidence was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and won the Guinness Peat Aviation award. His eighteenth novel, The Sea, won the Man Booker Prize in 2005. He was awarded the Franz Kafka Prize in 2011...
's 1989 novel, The Book of Evidence
The Book of Evidence
The Book of Evidence is a 1989 novel by the Irish author John Banville. The book is narrated by Freddie Montgomery, a 38-year-old scientist, who murders a servant girl during an attempt to steal a painting from a neighbour...
.
RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
Commentator Marty Morrissey
Marty Morrissey
Marty Morrissey is a commentator and with the sports department of Ireland's national broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann. Morrissey was born in Mallow, County Cork but the family returned to their then home of the Bronx, New York shortly afterwards...
used the phrase to describe a famous victory by Fermanagh over Armagh at Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
in the All-Ireland football quarter final in August 2004
External links
- McArthur's bizarre courtroom chat with detectives
- BBC World Update entry explaining the term
- http://www.oireachtas-debates.gov.ie:80/plweb-cgi/fastweb?query3=&query7=&query8=&query6=&stday=&stmonth=&styear1=&styear2=&endday=&endmonth=&endyear1=&endyear2=&query5=&query4=&query=GUBU&query_rule=%28%28%24query1%29.le.DATE.le.%28%24query2%29%29%20AND%20%28%28%24query4%29%29%3ASPEAKER%20AND%20%28%28%24query5%29%29%3Aheading%20AND%20%28%28%24query6%29%29%3ACATEGORY%20AND%20%28%28%24query3%29%29%3Ahouse%20AND%20%28%28%24query7%29%29%3Avolume%20AND%20%28%28%24query8%29%29%3Acolnumber%20AND%20%28%28%24query%29%29&operator=and&sorting=none&TemplateName=prehit.tmpl&view=oho-view&dbname=Debates&query1=&query2=&numresults=25&simplesearch.x=42&simplesearch.y=14Irish Parliamentary Debates] — usage of the term "GUBU" in Dáil and Seanad debates
- Dictionary definition of GUBU — includes citations