The night they killed Declan Flynn  1 April 1983

 Maggie O'Kane Maggie O'Kane talks to the Fairview Killers. Tony Maher didn't go to work that day. It was his foot, his mother thought it was gangrene, but the doctor said it was a rash from the heavy duty army socks. He went out later though, down to East Wall to see his girl and then to Fairview Park. It's not far from Mahers to Fairview Park; just a short walk down Poplar Row, over Annesley Bridge where you can see the prams and mattresses stuck in the silt at low tide, past the Presbyterian Hall built long before the flats. Down to Fairview Cinema which faces the park and where Tony and the lads got in free sometimes because they knew the fella on the door. Tony Maher went down to the park since he was a kid. They used to sit at the monument under the stone statue of a man with a book in his hand - they didn't know who he was - they'd never looked really, some fella with his name in Irish. When he was young he used to play football there, they still did sometimes, or else they'd take their girls for a go on one of the benches on the railway path. Sometimes if they had a bit of money they'd bring cider with them. Tony didn't like drink much, it made his stomach sick. Other times they'd rob a few cars and bring them down to the flats or go into Barney's on O'Connell Street to play Space Invaders or a new game called Defender which was even better. The night they killed Dec1an Flynn the girls had gone home. The girls always went home when they went queer bashing or bashing people they thought were queers. Sometimes it didn't really matter if they were or not but it was better if they were because queers used to molest young kids and stuff like that in the park. Robert Armstrong just didn't like queers. One of the lads thought it would be a good way of getting a few bob - robbing a few queers like. In the beginning it was just a chase; then they started to get sticks from the trees. A few of them had been queer bashing for six weeks before and had battered 20 steamers. Steamers, they called them. They used to grab them and if they hit back they would give it to them. There were six of them that night; Tony Maher and Robert Armstrong with their crew cuts because they were in the army. Robert Armstrong used to live in Finglas until his Ma threw him out for causing trouble. Tony's Ma said he could stay with them and let him live in their flat for six months. Colm Donovan was 17 and didn't have a job, neither did Patrick Kavanagh who lived over the bridge in St Brigid's Ave and used to be on the Dublin Minor team. Little Keegan came along on his bike from the East Wall. They called him little because he was only 14 and small. Curley was there as well, but he was smart, they say, didn't get himself into trouble. It was a warm night for September and Kavanagh, Donovan and Maher all had their girls so they went into the park to see if there was any crack, that's where everyone went at night. Robert Armstrong wasn't in work that day. He was up in the park with his bird from the East Wall. The girls left about eleven and walked home to East Wall. Tony Maher's girl Catherine always says now that she should have made him walk her home. Sometimes he did but usually he'd stay in the park with the lads. The first man they'd chased had got away out onto the North Strand Road so they didn't bother going after him. Declan Flynn was their second victim. They say he sat down on the bench beside Kavanagh and they hid behind the trees with the sticks. It was easy to get good sticks because there was plenty of trees with low branches. They watched. Armstrong said he saw the two starting to scuffle on the bench. Kavanagh shouted "get the bastard". Dec1an Flynn began to run; across the grass and down by the playground hedge towards the lights and noise of the North Strand. He almost made it. They got him just ten yards from the gate and the main road where the Fairview Grill is open until four. They began to beat and kick him. When they had finished Dec1an Flynn lay on the path choking on his own blood. Tony Maher knew he was dying, he opened his shirt button, his hands were trembling, he felt all panicky. Robert Armstrong went to get the ambulance, the others just stood there and looked. They turned him on his side and then they legged it. They legged it back past the Presbyterian Hall where youth activities were held every Saturday between six and eight. Over Annesley Bridge and back up to the flats. It was very quiet, there were no kids hitting balls off the balcony walls or prams being pulled up the stairs. "Jasus, maybe we roughed him up a bit much", said Donovan. But Armstrong knew he would die. He had seen the blood coming out of his mouth and it wasn't just running out, it was pumping.