Mary Mc Cleary, Author, Betrayal.
Mary Mc Cleary, author, 13 Glenview Heights, Monaghan Town, County Monaghan has written a novel ‘Betrayals’, the novel has not sold well and has only been picked up the curious, however, we must ask, who is Mary Mc Cleary and why did some national media try and flog Betrayals for Mary, when so much is unknown about Mary Mc Cleary.
Mary McCleary lived in Dungannon in County Tyrone with her Mother Annie Hughes, in 1956 Mary became pregnant and moved to Monaghan Town where she married a local heavy weight amateur boxer, Seamus ‘The Bull’ McCleary. Soon after they were married Mary gave birth to the first child Tom Mc Cleary.
When Mary and Seamus were first married they lived in a council housing estate in Monaghan Town known as Tully. Seamus Mc Cleary worked as a butcher in a local slaughter house.
Seamus ‘The Bull’ Mc Cleary also worked as a bouncer/doorman at the Four Seasons Hotel Monaghan and he had a fearsome reputation for beating up young lads, it was due to one such assault on a young lad that Seamus Mc Cleary found himself the subject of a savage assault that left him with serious injuries. Seamus Mc Cleary was rarely seen on the streets of Monaghan following this assault and on occasion men had called to his house to sort him out.
In 1979 Mary’s first son Tom got a young girl pregnant and he left Ireland to live in Algeria where he met and married a black native who could not speak English. Then it was the turn of their son Stephen Mc Cleary who got a young girl from Armagh pregnant, Stephen would marry Patrica Reilly and they would have several children one of whom had a child when she was 14 years old. In 1981 as Mary and Seamus were preparing to celebrate their 25th Wedding anniversary, their second eldest daughter Fiona became pregnant, immediately Mary and Seamus wanted Fiona to travel to England and terminate the baby’s life, however, Fiona’s 16 year old boyfriend refused to allow that to happen.
Mary Mc Cleary insisted that she and Seamus could not afford to pay for Fiona’s wedding as they had their 25th wedding anniversary coming up in June 1981; however, Fiona’s 16 year old boyfriend insisted that they were getting married with or without Mary and Seamus supporting them. Mary and Seamus Mc Cleary met with the 16 year old boy’s mother and father to try and get them to put pressure on their son to terminate the child’s life, this was to no avail and the 16 year old boy married Fiona on the 12th June 1981 and their daughter Sorcha was born in November 1981.
Mary and Seamus had their 25th Wedding anniversary, however, it did not go off without incident as Seamus was caught in a sexual act with another man’s wife in the car park of the Westenra Hotel on the night of the Silver wedding celebration, guests including local garda detective Christy Mc Namee had to break up the fight that ensued.
Shortly following the 25th wedding anniversary celebrations, Mary’s eldest daughter Ann became pregnant, immediately Mary and Seamus Mc Cleary confronted Martin Skinnider from Emyvale in north Monaghan. Mary and Seamus accused Martin of getting Ann pregnant and they wanted him to pay for Ann to go to England for an abortion. Martin denied that the child was his and Mary and Seamus Mc Cleary then went to martin’s brother-in-law Seamus Mc Kenna, Mc Kenna’s pub, Dublin Street, Monaghan Town and demanded that Seamus pay for the abortion, Seamus told the Mc Clearys in no uncertain terms where to go.
Eventually, Ann travelled to England and the baby was no more. Ann would later marry a local man from Clara in north Monaghan.
In 1986 Mary’s youngest daughter Geraldine would become pregnant at the tender age of 13, while Mary and Seamus again wanted to send a daughter to England to terminate the life of an unborn baby; Fiona’s husband stepped in and warned them not to kill the unborn child. Mary then took her daughter Geraldine down to CURA in Dublin where Geraldine gave birth to her baby boy and was forced to give that child up to the Catholic Church, Geraldine was forced to sign away all rights to that child.
Ciaran Mc Cleary, Mary’s youngest son who would live at home with his Mammy until he was in his 30s got a young girl called Lisa pregnant, and secretly she was put on the boat to England and her baby’s life was ended.
In 2004 Mary and Seamus Mc Cleary found themselves the subject of a major Garda investigation into child abuse allegations, that investigation was led by Supt Tom Flannery of Monaghan Garda Station, the Mc Clearys refused to cooperate with that investigation and the DPP decided not to prosecute on the basis of the age and alleged ‘ill-health’ of Mary and Seamus Mc Cleary.
However, Mary McCleary has now published a book called ‘Betrayal’ and that is very fitting, for if anyone knows about betrayal it is Mary Mc Cleary. Some media including The Northern Standard in Monaghan, The Guardian newspaper continue to give Mary Mc Cleary favourable coverage, one wonders why? Indeed Mary Mc Cleary is often invited by Monaghan VEC to speak to an audience of children; I wonder what she tells them?
For further information contact: Patrick Tierney Tel: 088-279 0051
