A farmer who is suing the Sun- day Times for alleged libel told the High Court yesterday that he had never been a member of the IRA and there was "no way" he approved of violence in furthering political or any other objectives.
Mr Thomas Murphy said evidence from two former IRA men - Mr Sean O'Callaghan and Mr Eamon Collins - that he was a senior member of the IRA was "total lies".
Mr Murphy (47), single, of Ballybinaby, Hackballscross, Co Louth told his counsel, Mr Eamon Leahy SC, that he was devastated by a Sunday Times article of June 30th, 1985. He stopped going to marts in the North and only went to the odd one in the South. For a long time after the article, he had not socialised at all. It was a bad period of his life.
Cross-examined by Mr Paul Gallagher SC, for the defence, Mr Murphy said he did not know Mr Collins and never met him until he saw him yesterday.
Asked was there was any reason why Mr Collins would have said he met him, Mr Murphy said he guessed it was for money. He said he did not even know the public house in Dundalk where Mr Collins had said he met him at an IRA social. He added that he had never met Mr O'Callaghan.
Mr Gallagher said evidence had been given that a false passport, in the name of Jim Faughey, had been found in Mr Murphy's possession.
Mr Murphy said he had given an explanation about that. He had got the false passport in mid-1989 from a Mr Peter Murray whom he believed had worked in the Passport Office. He had been talking to a number of people to get a new identity because he was thinking of leaving the country. He said he had made trips to Spain, the US, perhaps Portugal and France, and Athens. He thought he went to Athens once on holiday for two or three weeks. He imagined it was a coincidence that the Faughey passport also had stamps for trips to Athens.
Mr Gallagher said the height and colour of eyes on the Faughey passport was the same as Mr Murphy's height and eye colour. It "seems so", Mr Murphy replied.
Mr Gallagher asked Mr Murphy to examine three passports, two in Mr Murphy's own name and one in the name of Mr Faughey. Counsel suggested one of Mr Murphy's passports had stamps suggesting he entered and exited Athens on August 6th and 7th, 1987 and on July 17th and 18th, 1987.
Mr Murphy said it seemed like that. He said he might have taken a day trip to a Greek island.
Mr Gallagher said he would not be leaving Greece if he took a day trip. Mr Murphy said he could not give any explanation.
Counsel said the Faughey passport showed a person entered and exited Athens on April 19th, 1986 and other stamps indicated other brief trips to Greece. Mr Murphy said he did not use that passport to enter Greece. Asked if he went to Greece on IRA business or to buy arms for the IRA, he said he had not. He denied he had gone to Yugoslavia as an IRA general to buy arms. Counsel said a hand-writing expert had said the handwritten details on the Faughey passport were the same as on two passports confiscated in Holland and asked Mr Murphy if he had an explanation for that. Mr Murphy said he had not.
The hearing resumes on Tuesday.