Gogarty outlines career in building and engineering

As part of his evidence to the tribunal yesterday, Mr James Gogarty outlined details of his life. He said he was born in Kells, Co Meath, on May 20th, 1917. In 1939 he joined the Garda and after two years sat the university matriculation exam. When the war broke out the Army and the Garda were recruiting and he decided to apply for membership of the Garda. He got his degree in engineering in 1958 and went to work with an architectural firm, Higginbottom and Stafford, and stayed there for 10 years. It was during this time that Mr Gogarty was introduced to the firm of O'Shea and Shannon which was acquiring sites for development.

"The two bosses were Bat O'Shea and Tom Shanahan and they were located in a place called Buckingham Street.

"I found out that Bat O'Shea was a particular friend of Joe Murphy snr; he was a neighbour of his at home. I think they were at school together, grew up together, but anyway O'Shea and Shannon used to take a few sites from us and this was mainly in Ballymun.

"They came to some arrangement with him (Mr Joe Murphy Senior) and he took a 50 per cent equity in their company. I think at the time he paid £40,000 in cash for it.

According to Mr Gogarty both parties to the deal prospered, with Mr Murphy buying land and O'Shea and Shannon doing the building.

"Anyway I came along in the '60s - I think '67 or '68. Pat O'Shea approached me to say that Senior [Joe Murphy snr] had bought a company in Dublin - he said by accident. The company was George Millner and Sons Structural Engineers. They were an old firm . . . but it was the second generation; the father I think had died and the sons were running it. It was a bit of a mess and Bat O'Shea recommended that he would talk to me and that's when he talked to me and encouraged me to join him but I was 51 at that time you know and it is a big step to take when you get to that age."

Ultimately Mr Gogarty took the position with Mr Joe Murphy snr's new company. Shortly afterwards Mr Murphy changed the name from George Millner and Sons Structural Engineers to Joe Murphy Structural Engineers, better known as JMSE.