GERRY Hutch has been hailed as “polite and funny” by a sketcher who drew a series of portraits of the notorious mob boss.
‘The Monk’ sat for artist Mike O’Donnell at his home in Clontarf, Dublin, in September, after he had been cleared of the murder of Kinahan cartel thug David Byrne.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
Clik here to view.
The artist, who had captured moments from the Special Criminal Court trial, brought Hutch a tart before inking a dozen sketches that will go on display in an art exhibition early next year.
And he told how the pair laughed and joked over cups of tea in the house in The Paddocks.
Mike said the pair never discussed Byrne’s murder at Dublin’s Regency Hotel in February, 2016, nor the violence with the Kinahan cartel that followed, which ultimately claimed 18 lives.
The artist said: “I wanted him very relaxed, so we never spoke about serious matters.
POLITE HUTCH
“He was very polite and hospitable. We drank copious amounts of tea and joked like old friends.
“He was very hospitable but very charismatic and gave out a certain positive energy that was hard not to get sucked in by.
“He’s very intelligent, very erudite, I would say, and I enjoyed my time with him.”
Hutch, 60, was acquitted by three judges at the Special Criminal Court last April for the high-profile assassination of Byrne.
He was accused of organising the hit and, during his trial, State witness Jonathan Dowdall claimed that the ‘The Monk’ had told him he was one of the gunmen.
During the three-month hearing, Mike attended the court to draw Hutch for various news outlets, and the gang boss was quite impressed with his work.
Mike, from Tralee, Co Kerry, said: “It was communicated to me that he liked my work and could he have one of the pictures.
“At the time I was unable to give him any, but I was able to send him a signed picture after the hearing ended, before the verdict.
SKETCH CONVERSATION
“I was too unwell to attend the verdict but I was interested in drawing him properly.
“It doesn’t matter what you think of him, and every one has different views and that’s fine, but he is someone of note.
“I can’t say how we were put in contact, but he invited me to his house and I was happy to attend. I brought a tart from Kerry as a gift and he appreciated that.
“I usually draw people in my studio, so this was the first time I had ever done a house call.
“We spoke a lot about family and community. I’m a big GAA fan. We had a bit of banter about the Dubs and Kerry.
“I got that sense that community is so important to him and he’s very proud of where he’s from.
“He was, honestly, really lovely, polite and very funny. I got the impression he doesn’t invite too many strangers into his home.”
Clik here to view.
