KATHY O'BEIRNE vs HERMANN KELLY

I've Heard of Book Wars but I Didn't Expect To Be Thumped
by Hermann Kelly, Irish Daily Mail, Wednesday, 7 November 2007

The Battle of the Books is truly here. What can I say and where do I start? That was one hell of a barney yesterday morning.

I was on a high on Monday night. I had just launched my first book; so getting a thump on the back and batted with papers on national television, all served up by Kathy O'Beirne, was quite a wake up call on a cold Tuesday morning.

I thought the show would be contentious all right but I had no idea it would ever come to this! But does it surprise me how it panned out? Not at all.

Before the programme yesterday morning, Michael Sheridan had a few choice words for me at the studio reception, saying I had better get ready for a bun fight.

I was quite happy to do my best and keep it at the level of a rational discussion about the evidence that each party has to back up their statements.The standard of witnesses and evidence that I have amassed for my book is of the highest quality, so I am very confident that everything I say can be backed up. I can stand over every statement in "Kathy's Real Story". I don't need to start calling people names or making allegations against anybody. I've got the gear in my book and I'm happy to talk about anything that is in it.

However, in their Hammer House of Horror book of false allegations, Kathy O'Beirne and Michael Sheridan have preferred to the public something without any valid evidence to back it up. As the programme yesterday showed, they are willing to talk about anything except what is in the book. They did not want to talk about the witnesses I had for "Kathy's Real Story".

In my book I bring forth the evidence to uncover an incredible train of events. I make it clear that Kathy O'Beirne is not an abused, put-upon victim but the perpetrator of false allegations against perfectly good and innocent people.

It is not just her family who have suffered allegations. I've shown there is a raft of people who have been falsely accused. The allegations she has made have been investigated by third parties and shown to be without foundation.

This was the real start of the commotion on yesterday's Ireland AM show; when I started to talk about the hard evidence that is available and can be looked at or listened to by anybody.

I proferred to presenter Mark Cagney, a copy of the lady's birth certificate, showing that she was not 45 years of age and adopted, but 51 and the natural child of Oliver and Anne O'Beirne, then her school records showing that - except for a short six-week period - she had attended her local national school at Clondalkin and then the extract of her meeting with Dublin Children Protection services in which she made allegations against those involved in Sherrard House. Miss O'Beirne went mad at this. These documents are like sunlight to the vampire, signalling and bringing to an end her wild allegations.

She then turned to me, and called me something that was incredible, false and outrageously defamatory. Mark Cagney immediately jumped in, saying she was not to repeat anything like that again and threatened (quite rightly) to terminate the interview.

At this, things went rapidly downhill and he, as I thought, signalled that the interview was over. Kathy O'Beirne was looking at the documents and made a move towards them, so I stood up and moved towards the table where my documents were. As I picked up the documents that I had handed over, the melee started. Kathy O'Beirne made a lunge from behind and grabbed a whole load of sheets. I specifically grabbed one of the documents I had given to Cagney back out of her hand.

She started shouting and finally I got a slap with a load of papers from behind. Welcome to prime-time television! It suddenly felt like a Jerry Springer show. Now I haven't seen a recording of the show, so my running order of the highlights could be a bit wonky but I eventually got all my papers.

And as for the legal threats of suing myself and suing the Daily Mail, well this is all make-believe. She threatens to sue virtually anyone who crosses her. I take these threats with a pinch of salt. Kathy's Real Story will not be silenced and neither will I.