Some very sad news.
I am extremely sorry to report that John Mallon, spokesman for Forest Ireland since its launch in 2010, died on Thursday following a long battle with illness.
I saw John in November when I flew to Cork, where he lived, and we had lunch in the Panorama restaurant at the Montenotte Hotel which stands on a hill overlooking the harbour.
We were joined by three mutual friends. John was in good form and held court in his usual (well informed!) fashion.
To say John was affable is an understatement, which is why people couldn’t help but like him. But he also had a stubborn streak, and it was the combination of the two that made him such a dogged and engaging campaigner.
Over the years he became a frequent interviewee on Newstalk, Ireland’s leading independent radio station. He also appeared on RTE and Today FM.
He was a familiar voice too on many local radio stations and each year (before Covid struck), he would embark on a two-week media tour - starting (and finishing) in Cork, with stops in Limerick, Tipperary, Galway, Kilkenny, and Waterford, to name a few.
Once or twice a year he would also venture up to Dublin for a Forest event or some other work-related reason.
Each October, for example, he would stay overnight at Buswells Hotel opposite the Irish Parliament and make himself available to the broadcasters who were covering the annual Budget announcement.
On more than one occasion he persuaded RTE to invite him on their live programme, broadcast from Buswells, so he could comment on the latest tobacco tax hike.
It was noticeable, though, that wherever he was - be it Dublin, Galway, or London - John couldn’t wait to return home to Cork.
But let’s rewind.
When Forest Ireland was founded in 2010 there was only one person in the frame to be our spokesman.
Before and after the introduction of the public smoking ban in Ireland, in March 2004, the name John Mallon would appear on the letters pages of several national newspapers.
He wrote about various subjects but the one he returned to again and again was the negative impact of the smoking ban, and it’s a tribute to his determination and strongly held beliefs about individual freedom that he didn’t abandon the issue - as many did - after the ban was introduced.
It wasn’t until 2010, however, that we finally met in person. Thereafter, until Covid broke the pattern, we would meet two or three times a year.
This would include an annual meeting in Cork, usually before Christmas, that would start with a formal debrief in a nondescript hotel room, continue in a local restaurant, and finish in a noisy pub.
Meetings in Dublin usually revolved around Forest events. For a while, as a networking exercise, we hosted a series of small, private dinners to which we invited guest speakers such as Claire Fox (now Baroness Fox), Chris Snowdon, and Ella Whelan.
Other guests would include journalists and like-minded campaigners.
In 2017 and 2018 John also co-hosted our Farewell to Freedom Dinner & Awards, which were a huge success.
On the three occasions I remember him coming to London it was for a Save Our Pubs & Clubs reception on the terrace of the House of Commons (2011), the Forest Freedom Dinner at Boisdale of Canary Wharf (2016), and our 40th Anniversary Gala Dinner (2019).
At the second of those events we presented John with a ‘Voices of Freedom’ award which I introduced as follows:
Our next award winner first came to our attention in 2003, before the introduction of the smoking ban in Ireland. After the ban was introduced in 2004 we noticed he continued to write letters to the newspapers, pointing out the negative impact of the ban, and for several years he appeared to be the sole voice of reason in Ireland on this thorny subject.
In 2010, when we launched Forest Ireland, he was the obvious choice to represent smokers in Ireland. He has done that job now for six years, impressing everyone he meets with his charm and common sense. In an extremely hostile climate – the media in Ireland are far more hostile to smoking and the concept of smokers’ rights than their counterparts in the UK – he appears regularly on radio and, occasionally, TV.
At times it’s been a lonely and thankless task but I’m delighted to say he’s here tonight … Ladies and gentleman, in recognition of grace under fire, we present our international award to ... John Mallon.
Apart from keeping the flame of freedom alive in Ireland for 20 years, John’s greatest moment was arguably appearing before a parliamentary committee in February 2013.
We were a bit nervous about the outcome but John charmed the committee to such an extent that after the meeting several members approached him for a convivial chat.
I’ve witnessed and given oral evidence to a few parliamentary committees in my time and, believe me, that rarely happens to anyone on ‘our’ side.
In recent years John has suffered increasingly from poor health but he remained remarkably stoic and resilient.
He gave his last radio interview just two weeks ago, informing me that his voice was ‘weak’ but refusing to pass up the request.
Our physical meetings may have been limited, but we corresponded frequently (4,183 emails since 2013), and I shall miss him enormously.
My commiserations to John’s wife Phil, his two children (Michelle and Des), and the rest of his family.
But I would like to finish by quoting from the last and typically generous email I received from John. Sent on Christmas Eve, he wrote:
It has been a misfortunate year for me but that does not mean I cannot wish others well.
So my best wishes over the Christmas Holiday to you and your family and I hope 2024 brings you good luck and good fortune.
Thank you, John. I feel privileged to have known you.
PS. The funeral will be streamed via this link (churchservices.tv/mayfield) on Wednesday, January 3, at 11.00am GMT.
Update: There's a nice tribute to John by Grandad on his blog, Head Rambles – 'click here'.
John Mallon: born March 25, 1956, died December 28, 2023. Below: at the River Lee Hotel in Cork, November 2022
