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A reader and author from Ireland recalls the protest marches of the 60s and praises the Guardian's tradition of asking searching questions
I've read the Guardian off and on since the late 1950s; my mother favoured the Guardian because of its stance on British policies in Ireland in the 20s. Although she couldn't get the paper in the wilds of Tipperary, she liked it as it favoured Irish independence.
I got involved in "ban the bomb" protests in the 60s, and went to the 1963 CND Aldermaston march. In court after being arrested I had a copy of the Daily Worker and the Guardian. The lawyer came up to me and said, "Don't let the beak see you with the Worker and the Guardian – you'll go down." In the end he gave me a fine, but I refused to pay it, so I did a month in Brixton prison. They were stirring times in the 60s, with the threat of nuclear war and Vietnam, but the Guardian was always consistent in its coverage, and it still is – the News of the World investigation and the uncovering of the death of Ian Tomlinson carry on that tradition.
The news is my favourite bit, but I read the sport first. I really admire the sports journalists. I like the scrutiny of the Grand Prix, particularly – it has become such a corrupt and commercial sport. I've always been interested in speed – as a child I raced a push bike for my country, and as an adult I have raced in Formula Ford.
After that I worked as a freelance journalist, and I went travelling, in Thailand and then the Philippines, where I met my wife. I've written six books, on subjects including motor racing and pioneering aviation. I hope my next book, about Bohemian Dublin, will be out in time for Bloomsday – it's called Memories of Baggotonia.
My wife and I moved back to Dublin in 1996, and married in '97. She is studying to become a pharmacist. She's too busy to read the Guardian, but we cut out the chess section and send it to her brother – so 7,000 miles away, in Manila, there is someone poring over the Guardian's chess corner.
