A pre-invasion row over Russian naval drills turned fishermen into unlikely diplomats
Cork, IRELAND – Standing on Cork’s quays, where the River Lee widens into the harbour before meeting the Celtic Sea, Patrick Murphy recalls the winter when Russia planned military exercises 240 kilometres off Ireland’s southwest coast. He takes credit for ensuring they never happened.
A native of the tiny island of Heir, Murphy is the chief of the Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation. He divides his time between making a living at sea and denouncing the demise of an industry on land.
With seagulls circling overhead, he recounts the chain of events that took him to a meeting with Russia’s ambassador in Dublin.
Russia came calling
