John McCarthy - twenty years later

We are doing an event with John McCarthy in early February.  His agent works in the same building as my good friends at Big Time Pictures.  Not sure that factoid is that interesting, or relevant - but it seemed one of those bizarre ‘small world’ coincidences that makes life intriguing, puzzling and navigable.  

John survived 1,943 days held captive in Lebanon by terrorists, spending several years with Irishman Brian Keenan.  He was released on the 8th August 1991.  He is a graduate from Hull University and I spent some of the four years I was at Hull supporting the 'Friends of John McCarthy' campaign to keep John's name in the media spotlight and to keep his plight an issue for the then Government whose avowed public pledge was to do nothing to secure his release (or so it seemed).  We even named the Union Bar after John in 1990 when I was sabbatical Union Officer in Hull.  It's still called the John McCarthy Bar which I think is rather cool.

John was a journalist and his friend Chris Pearson, who opened the Bar with John’s Dad, was also at one time the Editor of the University Newspaper Hullfire.  Since I seemed to spend most of my time at Hull in that smoke-filled newspaper office, there seemed some link even back then.  When he was released in August of the following year there was jubilation in the UK media - but all the people I had known at Hull - well, we were all in different places in the middle of holidays (or in my case starting a job in glamorous Birmingham).  This was just twenty years ago, but it only struck me recently that getting hold of anyone then, just to scream down the phone “have you heard John's out!" was a complete faff.  Now we would twitter, facebook, blog, update the home page, and join three way iChat virtual hugs, or iPhone4 'facetime" wifi sessions in seconds.  

I spoke to John earlier in the week.  He was moved thirteen times in five years.  Always blind-folded, often moved in the boot of a car.  “You don’t know, but you hope that this time you will be released.  Then you think, this time I might be killed.”  

Thirteen times in five years.  Think about it.  Five years.  And he didn’t go mad?  

UPDATE.  11 February 2011.  John McCarthy captivated an audience of 50 hard-nosed professionals.  His is a compelling remarkable story, beautifully told.  His storytelling is imbued with warmth and real humanity.  It was not just his tales of awful captivity that held the audience, but he also offered a perspective on the enormous value of friendship which resonated with all who heard it. There may be opportunities to work again with John in the future.  I hope that happens.