Come Here To Me!

I was so taken with this book cover I thought it worth scanning up! It depicts a rather famous character in the history of this city, ears and all. It comes from Bernard Neary’s biography of Dublin’s most famous police-officer, Jim ‘Lugs’ Brannigan. James Brannigan was, as Neary states in his introduction, better known as Jim or Branno and The Bran to colleagues, but is known to generations of Dubliners by one name and one name only: Lugs.

The book’s forward is written by none other than Charles J. Haughey, who remarks that the book ‘chronicles the career of a great Dubliner and a great officer whom the members of the Garda Siochána will always remember with pride and affection.’

A great article from the time of the retirement of Lugs can be found digitalised here:

He is known as ” Lugs” throughout the city because of his ears. They are large and unwieldy. For years he was a heavyweight international boxer and after that an international referee. But hitting people in the ring was only a pastime; his joy for thirty years has been that of leader of what is popularly known as the Riot Squad. They are called” Red Cars” officially and can be called to any part of the city where there is trouble. The red cars actually consist of one car and one van. The van carries two members of the Riot Squad and a few British-trained Alsatians to pacify difficult members of the public. The car carries Lugs and two or three other members of the squad. Every night of the week they tour the city seeking to quell trouble

Lugs will undoubtedly be discussed this coming Thursday at the History Ireland Hedge School on the Animal Gangs, which takes place at the National Library of Ireland. I’m one of the panelists for what promises to be an interesting discussion.