A FASCINATING radio documentary tracing the story of a Mayo woman, who orchestrated the bombing of a community dancehall, has an East Clare twist, it has emerged.
RTÉ’s Doc on One production, ‘Dancing Nancy’ by John Corless and Ronan Kelly, details the bombing in the 1970s of Claremorris Community Centre. While a paramilitary motive was at first suspected, Cong businesswoman Nancy Murphy, who ran a rival dancehall, was found to be responsible.
Since the documentary aired last August, RTÉ’s Ronan Kelly has updated the piece with an interview broadcast earlier this week featuring Scariff’s James Treacy.
The original documentary had revealed that Ms Murphy had found romance, but little was known of her mystery man until the piece was broadcast.
James Treacy, recognising himself, in the description of the couple checking into Ashford Castle, contacted RTÉ. He told the station that he had been a long-time companion of the late Ms Murphy, and the revelation prompted Mr Kelly to visit East Clare at the end of last year.
After a brief tour of Scariff and an outline of his roles as pilgrimage organiser, farmer and photographer, Mr Treacy explained how he met Nancy in 2010. Calling herself ‘Anne’, she had replied to Mr Treacy’s personal ad in the Sunday World newspaper in 2010. While Mr Treacy was in his mid-30s and Nancy in her mid-60s, the age gap was no barrier to their relationship.
His impressions, he told RTÉ, were that she looked “fairly good,” when he saw her on their first date in Cong.
He outlined how Nancy had given him a painting for his birthday, as well as cash. Mr Treacy was a student in Limerick and was supported financially by Nancy, he also told RTÉ, as he worked to achieve several degrees in Ireland and the UK.
The follow-up interview, broadcast on January 2, detailed how, on one occasion at Ashford Castle, Mr Treacy had wanted to buy a cigar. Reluctant to break a €20 note, he asked Nancy for change. She reputedly presented him with €200 and told him to buy as many as he wanted. He told RTÉ he estimated that Nancy carried around €20,000 in cash in her handbag.
The relationship was described as one of companionship rather than a romance. When asked by Mr Kelly what Nancy was getting from the relationship, Mr Treacy surmised: “my company, I suppose”.
Their phone calls once included details of a prosecution against Nancy for the sale of cigarettes to minors.
“The guards couldn’t pin it on her, because the witness they had in the case, they couldn’t pin on the day,” he said. According to Mr Treacy, Nancy was unapologetic and said she would have a problem with the sale of alcohol to minors, rather than cigarettes.
Nancy’s actions in hiring two men to bomb the Claremorris hall were not revealed to Mr Treacy. He told RTÉ the first he had heard about the crimes, for which Nancy served a custodial sentence, was when the ‘Dancing Nancy’ documentary aired on RTÉ Radio One. “She was hungry for money,” Mr Treacy said.
Mr Treacy’s brother, Bridie, was also interviewed for the follow-up production. She described Nancy as “a great woman to do things” and said that she liked her as a person, but thought she was too old for her son.
The relationship faded away after Mr Treacy went to college in Liverpool. When he returned, he learned that Nancy had passed away in March of 2011.
“It was an experience,” Mr Treacy said. “I enjoyed my time with her when I was there”.
The documentary, narrated by Seán O’Rourke was painstakingly researched by Mayo man John Corless, who had been documenting the 50th anniversary of Claremorris Town Hall in 2019.
The documentary includes witness accounts of two bombings, as well as the clear-up and re-opening of the local hall. John also went through the RTE archives for news reports of the time and set about getting a sense of the eccentric Nancy.
The documentary and follow-up interview with Mr Treacy is available online at Rte.ie/radio/doconone/.