Charles Haughey shown in all guises at Farrell exhibition

An exhibition featuring photographs of Charles Haughey during some of the most dramatic moments of his extraordinary political career opened in Dublin last night at the Gallery of Photography in Temple Bar.

The exhibition of photographs by Eamonn Farrell, who has covered most of the major political events of the past four decades, is entitled Charles Haughey: Power, Politics and Public Image.

Some of the photographs capture the driving ambition of Haughey at his most aggressive, while others reveal the private man in the lavish surroundings of his Kinsealy home.

Haughey always liked photographers far more than reporters. He made himself available to them in an effort to use them to his advantage, but the process worked both ways.

The pictures taken by press photographers often provided an insight into the complex character of the man, and this was particularly true of Eamon Farrell, who used his access to capture some of the most revealing images of Haughey that we have.

Political animal

A political animal himself, Farrell had a keen eye for catching the telling moments that showed Haughey in all his poses, from statesman to political streetfighter.

The photographs from the time of the heaves against Haughey’s leadership convey the intensity and the passion of the struggle for the soul of Fianna Fáil that gripped the country at the time.

Other pictures display the deference that was paid to Haughey by some of the most senior people in his party, as well as the adoration in which he was held by some of the party faithful who thronged the Fianna Fáil ardfheiseanna during his leadership.

The exhibition also features the cast of supporting characters who surrounded Haughey during his time at the top, including Bertie Ahern, Brian Lenihan, Pádraig Flynn and Mary O’Rourke.

There is a revealing photograph of Haughey’s friend and media adviser PJ Mara as he tries to calm “the Boss” down before a radio interview.

Another picture, from 1986, features Haughey with Ben Dunne, whose subsequent actions led to Haughey’s financial affairs being exposed in the McCracken tribunal.

Revealing photograph

There is also a revealing photograph featuring two people who played a key role in Haughey’s career – election agent Pat O’Connor and businessman Dermot Desmond – in conversation at the annual Cáirde Fáil dinner.

There are pictures, too, of journalist Geraldine Kennedy, who took a courageous stand against Haughey, and of Haughey’s first cabinet meeting after the 1987 general election, showing the taoiseach in conversation with the photographer himself, urging Farrell to “give up that old socialism stuff”.

The exhibition, which continues until November 22nd, is billed as neither hatchet job nor hagiography, and it is fitting that it is taking place in Temple Bar, one of Haughey’s major legacies.