In 1981 the IRA prisoner Bobby Sands died after a long hunger strike. It was, Rowland thought, another nail in the coffin of British Imperialism.
Rowland’s political position on Northern Ireland at the time was one of complete support for the IRA. It was a position that often led him to heated arguments with some of his less radical Labour Party colleagues. But he never wavered.
Two years later he went on holiday to Ireland with Jan Watson, May Chipulina and me. Ironically we gave the north a miss, had a few Guinness in Dublin and spent most of our time on the south west coast well away from all the troubles.
The famous race horse Sherga had recently disappeared and it was rumoured that the IRA had kidnapped him. We looked out for him but never found him.