RIP Liam Coughlan

I saw a question on quora.com today that piqued my interest so I answered it: it concerned the British view of Irish people. Since I have worked and admired several Irish people over the years, I responded to say so. Following on from there I thought I would try to find the Irishmen I worked with by way of a google search and was saddened by what I found. I read a story online about my old Irish friend Liam Coughlan. We met and worked together in Yeravan then Tblisi and then as I was posted to Bishkek, Liam was posted to Tashkent: we both still worked for the same organisation in the same project but we were countries apart. We met briefly in Croatia when Liam invited me to run a one weekcourse for him there a while after we had finished our Central Asian gig. We lost touch after that! Liam was one of the smartest men I have ever known: highly qualified in his field; holding high level positions in a variety of organisations. Liam was generous, friendly, open, talkative, informative, supportive, helpful, down to earth, very well read on Ireland and Irish history and politics. Liam was also politically very astute. Liam also had a fantastic sense of humour and any time spent with him was bound to entail his endless blarney and endless anecdotes. He knew or had met countless people: honest johns and downright rogues and he had stories about them all. Liam was educated by the Christian Brothers in Ireland and what they did to him and to others is beyond the pale. Stories of brutality, sexual activity, paedophilia and possibly murder seemed to haunt every waking hour of anyone who was in the throes of anything to do with that outfit. I was transfixed by his stories but never doubted them. Strories in newspapers, books and online match what Liam told me. He regaled me with stories of when he stood for Parliament in Ireland and how he realised how stupid he might have been to try. He was certainly clever and honest enough but maybe a little idealistic. In any case, at or around that time he gave a lift on the back of his motorbike to Charles Haughey, now the late and unlamented Taoiseach whom Liam branded a cheat, liar, thieving arse. At the time I knew Liam I reviewed every book I read on my web site and he not only read my reviews but he commented on them: normally constructive and supportive … apart from the book I reviewed on Haughey. Let me confess that Liam lent me the book and I didn’t read all of it so my review was a little short of proper insight. I got an email from Liam setting me straight and I never admitted my shortcomings but I published Liam’s correction without hesitation! Of the two of us, I was the qualified teacher but Liam was by far the better educator. Because of his intelligence and diligence, he took subjects apart and rebuilt them. He had a learner’s insight and a teacher’s gift and his students were definitely the better for it. He had two women ACCA students in Tblisi and they both sailed through every exam because of Liam and they became qualified accountants in double quick time. If ever a beggar or a hawker came anywhere near Liam or the people he was with, he would be the first or the only one to buy what they were selling or to give them something to eat or just to hand over a few coins or notes. I have known no one else like that. In terms of the question on quora.com, Liam was very clear about that: he liked and respected British people and if anyone tried to say there was hatred between the two nations, he would easily strip out the rumour and gossip and explain who the haters were, where they were, what they wanted and how few of them there were! He could have been an ambassador for Ireland. The story I read about Liam online this morning said that he had died from natural causes in Austria, as testified by the Austrian police: aged 51. I knew his partner had had a baby shortly after we went our separate ways but it seems there was another one after that. The crux of the story I read today concerned the woman who passed herself off as Liam’s first wife who claimed no knowledge of the second wife. Let it be known, I knew about both women and I met the second one several times as she was in Tblisi and elsewhere with him. I never met the first wife but I heard a lot about her and their son. Liam never hid from his responsibilites and I imagine he was a fantastic father but he has died tragiccally very young and I wish his children well. One of the last times we met face to face was in Ireland. At the end of our Central Asian work I said I was looking for somewhere to go on holiday and he suggested Ireland so that’s where I went. From South Wales to Waterford by car ferry and then a week doing a grand tour of Ireland, ending up in Belfast. Liam met me in Waterford and we had a jar or two of Porter there. Grand craic was had during that week and Ireland is a place well worth visiting: Waterford to Cobh, Limerick, Kerry, Knock (Liam had a story about that, too!), Galway and across to Belfast. Excellent drivers in Ireland I have to say: very corteous. I noted the speed signs on the roads as I went from the ferry to the hotel where I met Liam and I asked him, are those signs in miles per hour or kilometers …he replied, you decide! Typical Irish, typical Liam. I am sorry I lost touch but these things happen and I am very sorry to hear that he has died: by the way, no surprise as he smoked like a chimney and eschewed just about every form of exercise known to man! I shoud say, I don’t know what killed him but he did smoke a lot and I know he was treated from time to time for possible skin cancer given the type of skin he had. Nevertheless, ave atque vale Liam. It really was a pleasure and a privilege to have known you. Duncan October 2017