This is excellent analysis and insight into Ian Bailey. It all makes sense. Re his Northern English sarcasm: Irish people have exactly the same kind of wit. For example my mother's friend, an elderly Dublin woman, would compliment her on looking glam, adding: "Bitch!" This is the equivalent of "You jammy bastard!" I'm surprised Dubliner Jim Sheridan thought this kind of dark sarcasm was uniquely English. Re the French: they do understand sarcasm, though like Sheridan they regard it as an English peculiarity. Of course, as you pointed out, Bailey's use of sarcasm while talking about a shocking murder was inappropriate. His biggest vulnerability was that he was what Gen Zs would call "tone deaf".
Thanks for this - the Irish perspective is something I cannot do myself! I want to do a piece on Bailey's mental health. It comes up in passing now and again. On "West Cork" his sister says he was a "bit different" in the episode that focuses on his time in England. His friends there are clear that there was some kind of breakdown or disconnection that preceded his flight to Ireland.
I honestly don't find him as odd as other Irish people do - actually he would be quite normal in Ireland, whether urban or rural.
I was just talking about him with a friend who knew him for a few years when he was working on a farm in Co Wicklow, and my friend said Ian reminded him of another man, Irish, who lived in a small village in neighbouring Wexford - and was scapegoated for the abduction of a child.
Every community in Ireland has a resident tone-deaf braggart, usually a self-styled bohemian
I think these men are just neurodiverse. If they are lucky enough to have the means to live in cities they tend to blend in better. But they are usually drawn to the countryside for aesthetic and financial reasons (it's still possible for a single person to rent cheaply for cash in the country).
These are our poets and barstool philosopher. 4,000 years ago they would be revered as wise bards... Today they are tragic eccentrics, the "misfits" who make other people feel smug.
The TV soap Fair City has one such character, Tyler, an interloper in a close-knit suburban community, who is being blamed for the murder of a young woman. He reminds me so much of Ian Bailey.
Yes I think you're right and this does fit my interpretation of Ian's character. I find it striking that nobody really seems to properly analyse this in the documentaries or books. There is frequent reference to 'what would you do' or 'what would a normal person do' if they became a suspect without seeming to accept that nobody ever described Ian as normal, in the sense of ordinary. It seems everything he did was larger than life, his successes and his failures.
Another aspect of Ian worth speculating about is the trajectory of his life had he not been branded a murder suspect. I made an attempt in my book. His alcohol addiction was already causing problems (domestic violence, volatility in his personality) and his relationship with Jules would have ended sooner (she said publicly she only tolerated him towards the end because she felt sorry for him, and he had nowhere else to go...Jules gave him money to move out and even offered to buy him a caravan). I feel a lot of compassion for both of them; they were stuck in an awful situation. His parents probably dodged a bullet - imagine Ian Bailey as a boomerang baby and live-in carer...
I took a little dip into the Suzy Lamplugh case earlier, just tidying up a little bit. If you ever feel like a break from this case, I can recommend digging into the way John Cannan was labelled a prime suspect by Suzy's mother, years after the fact in 1999... a dodgy lead that the police held onto like a life raft. There are many similarities, including the narcissism!
I'm very interested in that case. I think what makes it so compelling is the fact that she wasn't living on the margins like, say, the victims of the the classic serial killer - Ripper type of psychopath; she was a sensible young woman with a comfortable upbringing and a good job, friends, etc. And she was beautiful (I know it's unfair but beautiful victims get more attention). Much like Sophie. The man blamed for murdering her sounds interesting too - I'm fascinated by narcissism, especially the vulnerable neurodiverse type.
Another similar case is Rachel Nickell and the man wrongly blamed for raping and killing her: Colin Stagg, the classic loner who was completely innocent but had his life ruined. If the real killer hadn't attacked another woman he Colin Stagg would have done life. The psychiatrist who profiled the killer said the police misused the info he gave them and jumped to a conclusion he wouldn't have reached. The female officer who was used to do a "sting" on him was psychologically traumatised.
I think Ian Bailey was already on a slippery alcoholic slope when he arrived in Ireland and the drinking culture there enabled him in his addiction. He was just getting into a stable relationship and back into writing when the murder happened. Jules Thomas seems to have been codependent with the drinking and so when, after having a big scoop land in his lap, he ended up a suspect, their drinking and fighting escalated further. I really think a lot of his behaviour is tied up with alcohol. The sheer injustice of being accused of a horrific crime with zero evidence other than his drunken tendency to violence, would have accelerated his decline. Yet in the face of all that he managed to complete law degrees which requires a truckload of reading and memory. Without the alcohol he could have been very successful in his life. The Gardai and the local community have a lot to answer for here. Thank you for your rational take on this, there’s so much misinformation around this case it’s great to read something that sticks to the truth.
This is excellent analysis and insight into Ian Bailey. It all makes sense. Re his Northern English sarcasm: Irish people have exactly the same kind of wit. For example my mother's friend, an elderly Dublin woman, would compliment her on looking glam, adding: "Bitch!" This is the equivalent of "You jammy bastard!" I'm surprised Dubliner Jim Sheridan thought this kind of dark sarcasm was uniquely English. Re the French: they do understand sarcasm, though like Sheridan they regard it as an English peculiarity. Of course, as you pointed out, Bailey's use of sarcasm while talking about a shocking murder was inappropriate. His biggest vulnerability was that he was what Gen Zs would call "tone deaf".
Thanks for this - the Irish perspective is something I cannot do myself! I want to do a piece on Bailey's mental health. It comes up in passing now and again. On "West Cork" his sister says he was a "bit different" in the episode that focuses on his time in England. His friends there are clear that there was some kind of breakdown or disconnection that preceded his flight to Ireland.
I honestly don't find him as odd as other Irish people do - actually he would be quite normal in Ireland, whether urban or rural.
I was just talking about him with a friend who knew him for a few years when he was working on a farm in Co Wicklow, and my friend said Ian reminded him of another man, Irish, who lived in a small village in neighbouring Wexford - and was scapegoated for the abduction of a child.
Every community in Ireland has a resident tone-deaf braggart, usually a self-styled bohemian
I think these men are just neurodiverse. If they are lucky enough to have the means to live in cities they tend to blend in better. But they are usually drawn to the countryside for aesthetic and financial reasons (it's still possible for a single person to rent cheaply for cash in the country).
These are our poets and barstool philosopher. 4,000 years ago they would be revered as wise bards... Today they are tragic eccentrics, the "misfits" who make other people feel smug.
The TV soap Fair City has one such character, Tyler, an interloper in a close-knit suburban community, who is being blamed for the murder of a young woman. He reminds me so much of Ian Bailey.
Yes I think you're right and this does fit my interpretation of Ian's character. I find it striking that nobody really seems to properly analyse this in the documentaries or books. There is frequent reference to 'what would you do' or 'what would a normal person do' if they became a suspect without seeming to accept that nobody ever described Ian as normal, in the sense of ordinary. It seems everything he did was larger than life, his successes and his failures.
Another aspect of Ian worth speculating about is the trajectory of his life had he not been branded a murder suspect. I made an attempt in my book. His alcohol addiction was already causing problems (domestic violence, volatility in his personality) and his relationship with Jules would have ended sooner (she said publicly she only tolerated him towards the end because she felt sorry for him, and he had nowhere else to go...Jules gave him money to move out and even offered to buy him a caravan). I feel a lot of compassion for both of them; they were stuck in an awful situation. His parents probably dodged a bullet - imagine Ian Bailey as a boomerang baby and live-in carer...
I took a little dip into the Suzy Lamplugh case earlier, just tidying up a little bit. If you ever feel like a break from this case, I can recommend digging into the way John Cannan was labelled a prime suspect by Suzy's mother, years after the fact in 1999... a dodgy lead that the police held onto like a life raft. There are many similarities, including the narcissism!
I'm very interested in that case. I think what makes it so compelling is the fact that she wasn't living on the margins like, say, the victims of the the classic serial killer - Ripper type of psychopath; she was a sensible young woman with a comfortable upbringing and a good job, friends, etc. And she was beautiful (I know it's unfair but beautiful victims get more attention). Much like Sophie. The man blamed for murdering her sounds interesting too - I'm fascinated by narcissism, especially the vulnerable neurodiverse type.
Another similar case is Rachel Nickell and the man wrongly blamed for raping and killing her: Colin Stagg, the classic loner who was completely innocent but had his life ruined. If the real killer hadn't attacked another woman he Colin Stagg would have done life. The psychiatrist who profiled the killer said the police misused the info he gave them and jumped to a conclusion he wouldn't have reached. The female officer who was used to do a "sting" on him was psychologically traumatised.
I think Ian Bailey was already on a slippery alcoholic slope when he arrived in Ireland and the drinking culture there enabled him in his addiction. He was just getting into a stable relationship and back into writing when the murder happened. Jules Thomas seems to have been codependent with the drinking and so when, after having a big scoop land in his lap, he ended up a suspect, their drinking and fighting escalated further. I really think a lot of his behaviour is tied up with alcohol. The sheer injustice of being accused of a horrific crime with zero evidence other than his drunken tendency to violence, would have accelerated his decline. Yet in the face of all that he managed to complete law degrees which requires a truckload of reading and memory. Without the alcohol he could have been very successful in his life. The Gardai and the local community have a lot to answer for here. Thank you for your rational take on this, there’s so much misinformation around this case it’s great to read something that sticks to the truth.
Thanks for commenting - I agree with this. More to come on Friday!