Exclusive: Croydon education chief quits over terrorist past
by Ian Austen
ian.austen@essnmedia.co.uk
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DRAMATIC PAST: Maria Gatland has sensationally quit after her IRA past was revealed
Croydon's education chief has dramatically quit after she admitted to close associations with the IRA Provisional in the 1970s.
It is understood Maria Gatland was sentenced to death after revealing her role in the Irish terror organisation in a kiss and tell book published in the 1970s.
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This morning, she admitted she was the author of To Take Arms: My Year with the IRA Provisional in 1972 under her maiden name, Maria McGuire, and she resigned as the council's cabinet member for education.
She has also been suspended from the council's Conservative group pending an investigation.
Speaking to the Advertiser, she said: "I have resigned. I am not prepared to say anything more at this stage."
Council leader, Mike Fisher said Cllr Gatland had offered her resignation at her meeting with him and he had decided immediately to suspend her from the group while an investigation was carried out.
Croydon Council this afternoon confirmed the news.
A spokesman said: "The council has been advised that Maria Gatland has resigned as cabinet member for children, young people and learners.
"This follows emerging news of her connection to the Provisional IRA – which has come as a complete shock to Croydon.
"Officers understand she has been urged to resign from the council. "It is also understood that urgent steps are being taken to replace her as cabinet member.
"The council wants to make it emphatically clear that it had no prior knowledge of her background."
Cllr Gatland's book was described in a review in Time magazine in 1973 as a kiss and tell story about her relationships with the IRA leadership, written after she fell out with the Provisionals.
During her time with the IRA splinter group, she went on an arms-buying trip, which ended in disaster when their cover was blown in Amsterdam.
After becoming disillusioned, she fled to England with a British journalist in 1972, dumpintg her automatic pistol into an airport trash can en route.
It is understood she was court martialled by the IRA in her absence and sentenced to death.
Cllr Gatland's confession has apparently come as a complete surprise to the ruling Conservatives leadership who are admitting to not having a clue about her background until this morning.
Cryptic clues to Cllr Gatland's past were given at Monday's council meeting by Dr Peter Latham, one of the leaders of the trade union backed, Save Our Schools campaign.
Following up a written question on academies answered by Cllr Gatland, Dr Latham referred to her as Cllr McGuire.
Apologising quickly and suggesting he was a bit mixed up he said he was a devotee of Irish history and had been reading a book about a year with the provisional IRA which "you Cllr Gatland might have heard about as your are Irish."
Comments
by Phil, Shropshire
Monday, January 19 2009, 5:31PM
“Hand her back to the IRA. No one likes a traitor.”
by Croybanned, Croydon
Thursday, December 18 2008, 10:34AM
“Hi, Connie. I've responded to your posts already - but see my explanation to "Arfur" below.
Yes, as you say, the definition of "the United Kingdom of Great Britain" so often seems to come down to a matter of "opinion".
One thing you mentioned which I'd like to comment on is the matter of "If Scotland decides to go independent...".
It would be refreshing if the people of England could decide if we wanted to be independent of Scotland, thereby getting rid of most of our useless government at a stroke. I wonder why we only ever hear of people in Scotland having a say on the matter? Furthermore - and this is nothing personal, Connie - Northern Ireland along with the rest of that island, has also been nothing but a pain all of my life (This present affair in Croydon being a good example!), and I feel we'd be better off without that, too.
Still, I suppose I'm merely hankering after genuine democracy for the English, so dream on!”
by Connie James, Northern Ireland
Sunday, December 07 2008, 1:12AM
“WHAT LIES BENEATH ¿ ¿THE PERFECT SPY¿
The people of Croydon may be interested in the following, relating to one of their elected representatives:
1. Dave O¿Connell, Maria McGuire as translator, who subsequently defected from the Movement, kept one step ahead of a variety of police forces on the continent when one large scale attempt collapsed. It would appear that in several cases the arms source was, in fact, British intelligence or agents thereof. (¿The Secret Army. The IRA¿ by J Bowyer Bell).
2. Maria Maguire, the glamour face of Provisionalism, a middle-class girl from Dublin¿she not merely left the Movement, but also spilled the beans to British intelligence. (¿The Independent¿. Kevin Myers. 5 December 2008).
3. She described (in her book) how, on a trip to Amsterdam with David O¿Connell, the IRA¿s one-time chief of staff, their ¿cover¿ was blown before they could buy Czech-made bazookas, rocket launchers and hand grenades. The pair were then forced to flee before police could arrest them. (¿The Daily Mail¿. Christian Gysin and Emily Andrews. 4 December 2008).
I wonder is Maguire still spilling the beans on her colleagues and that is why Dr Peter Latham had a lapsed moment of indiscretion and blew her cover. Hardly just academic!”
by David Ellwand, preston uk
Friday, December 05 2008, 5:19PM
“does ruth kelly not have close links with the IRA”
by Arfur Towcrate, Staffycher
Thursday, December 04 2008, 8:59PM
“Points of order, NDK - "Northern Island" is not part of the UK - Northern Ireland is. Cllr Gatland came from the Republic of Ireland.”
by jane, Britain
Thursday, December 04 2008, 7:08PM
“Ok she did what she did in the past. Wouldn't you want to leave the past behind and get on with life? I wonder what Dr Peter Laitham's motives were given his 'political' beliefs. Is she to continue to be prejudiced against for her past and her Irish connection? Of course, Croydon would not want to support her even though the discrimination act includes irish people as ethnic minorities - so stand down all you other Cllrs with Irish connections, Dr Latham might target you next for something yer granny did in the 1920's!! God bless De Valera”
by tim, croydon
Thursday, December 04 2008, 11:33AM
“Had Ms Gatland revealed her long past misdemeanour to the conservatives at an earlier stage, and had it accepted, the basis for the present furore would have been much weaker. I guess she may well now regret her failure to have done so - and her misjudgement in committing that aspect of her past to paper.
She must now be properly protected, especially in the short term, against possible retribution by dissident republicans still intent on revenge for 'disloyalty' and/or disrupting the Norther Ireland Peace Agreement.
The possibility that the revelation may have been motivated by political spite, on the part of the labour and/or communist parties is also distasteful.”
by Eddy, croydon
Thursday, December 04 2008, 7:53AM
“Saw Latham on tv Not a nice thing to do for one who obviously holds himself in such high regard!”
by Bobby Sands MP, Milltown Cemetery, Belfast
Wednesday, December 03 2008, 1:10PM
“Oh the shame of it. Fancy Maria Gatland being mixed up in an extremist organisation like Croydon Conservatives.”
by Malachi O'Doherty, Belfast
Wednesday, December 03 2008, 10:55AM
“Maria Gatland was wise to be discreet about her past. She had the integrity to admit to her misjudgment of the IRA and to recount her experiences in her book. That book is a hugely important contribution to the history of the IRA, though it is sneered at as 'kiss and tell'.
And she has a right to be safe. Can those who outed her be relied on to judge best whether she is now safe from an attack by old republicans who were betrayed by her? I doubt it.
She will have to take security advice now on whether it is safe for her to retain her present identity and to live where she does.
This is a dreadful burden to inflict on someone.”