Antecedents with a prison record are not only par for the course but a bit of a virtue in Fianna Fail. Not so in Fine Gael. Consequently it comes as a shock to read that Joseph Bruton, father of party leader John, "came within a hair's breath of being a guest of the state in Mountjoy Prison. This arose from his part in the roads blockade where he commanded the obstruction of five bridges of the River Boyne".
Milestones and Memories, The Life and Times of Joseph Bruton, by Larry Sheedy, published by the Irish Farmers' Journal tells the story of the former Taoiseach's father. A cattle dealer who was born beside Dublin's Phoenix Park, he was active in the IFA and other farming organisations and wrote a weekly column in the Journal for 25 years. Sheedy said he read the treasure chest of articles and found "gems in abundance laced with good humour and good sense but always conscious of defending the role and rights of his fellow farmers". There was considerable surprise in the family when two sons, John and Richard, entered politics and rose so high, as the Brutons were not party political.