The Padre : The True Story of the Irish Priest who armed the IRA with Gaddafi’s Money

The Padre sets out to explain how Patrick Ryan, a Pallottine priest from Rossmore in Co Tipperary, became involved with the Provisional IRA. Jennifer O'Leary built the book on extensive interviews she held with Ryan himself, so much of the account comes from his own testimony. Reviewers say it follows his work as a link between the IRA and Colonel Gaddafi's Libya, moving money and sourcing bomb components across Europe.

Ryan was accused of IRA activity in 1988 and was the subject of two unsuccessful extradition requests in the Republic of Ireland. The Irish News reports that he was never charged or convicted, and Margaret Thatcher called him a very dangerous man. He had denied involvement, but in a 2019 BBC interview he said he'd had a hand in most of the attacks Thatcher accused him of. The Irish Times review links components Ryan supplied, as set out in the book, to attacks including Brighton in 1984, Hyde Park and Regent's Park.

Jennifer O'Leary is an award winning investigative journalist best known for BBC Northern Ireland's Spotlight, and she lives in Belfast. After a source pointed her to Ryan, she interviewed him on camera for Spotlight, and many more interviews became the book. Speaking about The Padre book, she said she treated Ryan like any other source and that readers should judge him for themselves.

Freya McClements of The Irish Times found the account chilling, noting that one chapter opens with the daughter of a Hyde Park victim. Jack Power in the Irish Examiner praised its research and found it frightening, but warned it may confirm the views of readers who admire Ryan. It's for readers interested in how the IRA's bombing campaign relied on overseas money and supply networks, including Libya.