REPUBLICAN LAW AND ORDER ; THE COURT SYSTEM 1920-1922.......



.....the Irish Republican Police , the Republican Law Courts and Legal System and the [also British-outlawed] Republican Administration were all operating successfully ; the IRA was winning the war on the military front . The British responded by recruiting mercenaries in England for use in Ireland ; the Black and Tans and The Auxiliaries .......


The 'Tan's ' consisted of unemployed (and unemployable) ex-British servicemen and convicts , who were given guns and a 'uniform' of a 'Khaki' outfit with a black RIC-type cap and belt , while the brutal and equally undisciplined actions of the other gang of rabble , the Auxiliaries , actually led to its Commanding Officer in Ireland , a Brigadier F. P. Crozier , resigning in protest at their conduct in this country !

Both groups of thugs were in Ireland between 1920 and 1922 ; more than seven-thousand Black and Tans and approximately one-thousand-five-hundred Auxiliaries . The Republican Police faced a new enemy - gun-battles were now more common between the IRA and the Tans....... (MORE LATER).




WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.


1917-- A NOCTURNAL EXPEDITION .......


".......my uncle explained to the lecturer from IRA Brigade H Q that we were aware of lead coffins in the local churchyard and were prepared to use same in our war effort ....... "


" "But," my uncle added , " it is neither fear of ghosts nor fairies , or superstition , which keeps us away , but respect for the dead ." The lecturer made no further comment . He walked to the door and , opening it , looked out at the night . " It is a fine night with a full moon ," he said . He turned back to the room and , looking straight at my uncle , said , meaningly , - " There is no time like the present . "

It was a challenge to Dan, who got to his feet , and said : " It is indeed the witching hour . Get a few tools , lads , a spade or two and a shovel . I suppose we would want a bar or a pick also , and yes , bedammed , a sledge . " Most of the tools were found in the car-house underneath the meeting room . Soon seven of us were on our way to the churchyard at the other end of the village . The rest of the Company had been sent home , but, before going , had nearly all volunteered to stay and help .

As it was so late there were no lights in the houses as we passed through the village . The moon shone with full brilliance . We passed silently through the small side gate of the graveyard , and were soon among the shadows cast by the rugged elms ......." (MORE LATER).




AMERICA , ARROGANCE AND ALLENDE ---->

[from ' The Sunday Tribune ' newspaper , 24th August , 1986 , page 11]


<---- " I don't see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irresponsibility of its own people . "

--- the chilling words of Henry Kissinger , in relation to Chile , and Salvador Allende in particular .

In 1964 , four million dollars was a huge amount of money ; that was the year , and that was the amount , that the CIA spent in securing the election of the 'Christian Democrats' in Chile . However , six years later , it looked like a change of leadership was on the way -- the socialist , Salvador Allende was ahead in the polls , prompting the above-mentioned quote from Henry Kissinger .

American interests in Chile were worried , as was the CIA ; two US multi-national firms , I T T and Anaconda Copper offered the CIA $1,500,000 to stop Allende - the CIA told them to start an " anti-Allende " campaign themselves with that money , as the Agency had its own 'war-chest' .

However , US money and propaganda against him or not , on 4th September 1970 , Salvador Allende won the election ; his victory was to be verified by the Chilean Congress on 24th October 1970 - the CIA upped their campaign . They tried to bribe the Chilean Congress with $250,000 , but failed ; they knew that the head of the Chilean Armed Forces , a General Rene Schneider , would not support " unconstitutional " means to remove Salvador Allende from the scene , so the CIA supplied the guns , which were sent to Chile in a diplomatic bag - and Schneider himself was removed from the scene !

Three years later , and after spending $8 million dollars , the CIA were successful - Allende and thousands of his supporters were tortured and killed and a (U S friendly) military junta was installed in Chile . Salvador Allende is gone but , to this writers mind , U S arrogance is alive and well . It's too late now for George Bush Junior , but perhaps future Office holders will take heed of the words of American poet , Maya Angelou --


" History , despite its wrenching pain
Cannot be unlived ,
But , if faced with courage
need not be lived again . "

NOTE -

The lay-out of this site has been changed - ie the introduction , links , guestbook , stat-counters etc have been placed at the bottom of the site by person(s) unknown to the site administrator and operating elsewhere . Copy (text/graphic) may be published on this site in the near future from the above-mentioned source . I am attempting to remedy the situation before that happens . Watch this space.......

---

REPUBLICAN LAW AND ORDER ; THE COURT SYSTEM 1920-1922.......



.......depending on the severity of the crime , the Republican Police would exile the offender on a small , uninhabited island to serve their sentence .......



Not all offenders were banished for a few months to 'rough-it' on a deserted lump of clay in the Atlantic Ocean ; depending on the circumstances , the offender could be instructed to return the stolen money or items plus ordered to pay the victim back twice the value of said items .

Another method employed was to physically remove the perpetrator from the county where the crime took place , under instruction that he/she not return or , again depending on the situation , the offender might only be tasked to repair the property damage caused by his/her action . The Republican Administration had secured the allegiance of practically all the local councils since the elections (1918 and 1920) and the law courts , legal system and police force operated by the Irish Republican Administration had now virtually supplanted those of the Crown ; the IRA was also winning its guerrilla war .

The British Government opened the floodgates ; mercenaries were recruited in England for two groups to be dispatched to Ireland to " return control " to Westminster - the 'Black and Tans' and The Auxiliaries....... (MORE LATER).



WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.


1917-- A NOCTURNAL EXPEDITION .......



".......the IRA Brigade HQ lecturer was told by my uncle that our Company had an abundance of lead ; he wanted to know more , so my uncle told him that it was being kept in safe-keeping by " the rude forefathers of the hamlet ......." "


" We laughed . We knew my uncle was planning to strip the lead from the roofs of the 'Big Houses' in our district . " I don't see the joke , " said the lecturer . " Well , I'll tell you , " said my uncle . " Over in the churchyard is a tomb with lead coffins in it . That is the reserve I was referring to . " " I see , " said our lecturer , and paused for a while . He spoke again - " I think you ought to get that lead , " he said .

" I would not think so at all , " said my uncle , and added - " We do not want it at present , and very likely may never want it . In the meantime , it is safer where it is . Where could you get a safer hiding place for anything ? Besides , we have no ambition to emulate Jerry Cruncher , the body-snatcher in the 'Tale of Two Cities' , until it is absolutely necessary . " " I always heard , " said the lecturer , " that country people were very superstitious , and afraid of ghosts and fairies . " My uncle laughed .

" There are not many in this room , " he said , " who would baulk at going at midnight to the churchyard , and even at visiting the 'Old Captain' . " The 'Old Captain' was one of those of the landlord class who rested in the vault . Indeed , it was known as " the Captain's Tomb ." (MORE LATER).




NOT RONNIE , NANCY , OR THE ASTROLOGER : part three of three .......

[from ' MAGILL ' magazine , May 1989 , page 37]

GUESS WHO.......?

(Answer at bottom of column ...)


" And you know , you look at the amount of people recommitting crimes with a gun - I looked up the gun registration , which I oppose . I went down - I told you or you heard me say this ; bet I had the guy doing up a file today . "

--- Clarifying his position on gun control during the 1988 Presidential Campaign .



" ...make sure that anybody who has a job wants a job . "

--- Announcing the top goal of his Presidency .



" I kind of think I'm a scintillating kind of a fellow . I think I'm a charismatic son of a gun . "

--- Speaking to reporters in May 1988 .



" Yeah , I think there's some social changes going on ...AID , for example , uh , is a , is a , uh , disease for , disease of poverty in a sense . It's where the hopelessness is . It's bigger than that of course . "

--- In answer to the question of why people use drugs .


And the spokesperson -? None other than George Bush (Senior)!

And if he did indeed " have sex " with Ronnie Reagan , then he has definately caught something - and I don't think its "AID" .......!!

---

REPUBLICAN LAW AND ORDER ; THE COURT SYSTEM 1920-1922.......


.......the Republican Police provided security for the Republican Courts , as well as more mundane matters - pub opening and closing times , house-robberies , street patrols etc . They were accepted by the vast majority of the population .......


At that time (ie 1920) the writ of the newly-established Republican Police Force encompassed twenty-one of the thirty-two counties on the island , and newspaper reports stated that more than eighty arrests , by the Republican Police , had taken place during the months of May and June that year .

However , due to the presence of the British forces of occupation , the Republican Police had no jails or prisons in which to confine offenders ; also , the British Police (RIC) were continually attempting to shoot or arrest members of the Republican Police and release those arrested by same back into the community which they had offended against .

A partial solution was found in that some of those convicted of crimes against the community were exiled to small , unpopulated and , in today's terms , 'non-user friendly' islands off the West Coast of Ireland .......! (MORE LATER).



WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.


1917-- A NOCTURNAL EXPEDITION .......


".......the lecturer from IRA Brigade HQ advised us to acquire as much lead as we could to make our own bullets . We knew what my uncle was thinking - the roofs of the 'Big Houses' in our district would soon be made fit into the barrel of a gun ......."


" The lecturer continued , with the emphasis on the lead . At last my uncle again interrupted to remark that we had an abundance of lead , that with us it was a redundant commodity , while every other material was in short supply . The lecturer retaliated by saying : " You could not have enough lead . "

Here my uncle smiled , as his great sense of humour asserted itself . " We have plenty of it , " he repeated , and after a pause he added in an undertone - " We have a reserve supply as well . " The lecturer heard all and eagerly asked - " A reserve supply ; where is it ? " Here we craned our necks to study more carefully the expressions on both men's faces . We guessed my uncle had something in mind which would make us laugh at any rate . He feigned reluctance to answer , then , at length , said : " Ah well , it is in safe keeping . "

Then came the query - " In safe keeping ! What kind of people are minding it ? " " Oh , quite inoffensive people , " answered my uncle . " Who are they ? , " asked the lecturer . " The rude forefathers of the hamlet , " was the reply . A roar of laughter followed . Most of the Volunteers knew or guessed what he meant . Gray's 'Elegy' some had read in their schoolbooks , while others had heard my uncle recite it ....... " (MORE LATER).



NOT RONNIE , NANCY , OR THE ASTROLOGER : part two of three .......

[from ' MAGILL ' magazine , May 1989 , page 37]

GUESS WHO.......?

(Answer after Part 3 ...)



" For seven and a half years I have worked alongside him (Ronald Reagan) and I am proud to be his partner . We have had triumphs , we have made our mistakes , we have had sex...."

--- Describing his relationship with the then President during a U S Republican rally in May 1988 .



" I'd like to see us open up the Alaska refuge and this is important , because it was said once , remember when they built the pipeline , 'don't build the pipeline , you get rid of the caribou ' . The caribou love it . They rub up against it . There are more caribou in Alaska than you can shake a stick at ! "

--- Discussing the Alaska pipeline at a GOP dinner in New Hampshire in February 1988 .



" I was shot down and I was floating around in a little yellow raft setting a record for paddling . I thought of my family , my mom and dad and the strength I got from them . I thought of my faith , the separation of church and state . "

--- Relating his experiences and thoughts as a fighter pilot in ' World War Two' when he was shot down over Japanese waters - during a speech in Iowa in December 1987 .



" You judge on the record . How does it look in a programme he called 'phony' or one of those marvellous Boston adjectives up there about Angola ? "

--- Attacking his opponent , Dukakis , during the first Presidential Debate , 25th September , 1988 .


(Answer after part 3....)

---

REPUBLICAN LAW AND ORDER ; THE COURT SYSTEM 1920-1922.......


.......the Irish Rebels had established their own Court system and Police Force ; the imposed British system and the RIC were under constant attack from the IRA .......


House-robberies , muggings , fights , land disputes etc - the RIC ignored the criminals ; in any event , the population were reluctant to involve the RIC in such issues as , for the most part , they recognised the 'police' as another arm of British oppression .

The Republican Police wore no uniform and received no wage ; they were IRA Volunteers and were motivated not by money , pension or career , but by a sense of duty . The British Administration were aware of the inherent 'danger' , as they viewed it , of such a system taking root , in that it would further undermine their 'authority' throughout the island .

And it did -- as well as policing the streets , the Republican Police provided security at each sitting of the Republican Courts and were an integral part of the Republican justice system - ensuring that , for example , respectable hours were kept for pub opening and closing times ( to the extent that illicit stills were closed down !) , burglars and thieves were located and arrested , and street-drunkenness , rows and riots were curtailed .

Their influence was by now well established and they were accepted by the majority of the population ....... (MORE LATER).



WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.


1917-- A NOCTURNAL EXPEDITION .......


".......a Company meeting was held in Den Buckley's barn loft , at which an Organiser from Brigade H Q was present ......."


" Our lecturer dwelt at length on the importance of acquiring arms . This irritated my uncle who was patient only up to a certain point . He interrupted to state that damn well we all realised that , and that having tried all sources , we had come to the conclusion that the only way to get them was to take them from the enemy .

Permission to take them was all we wanted . The lecturer explained that he himself had no say in the granting of such permission . In the meantime , every effort should be made to augment our supplies of shotgun ammunition . Cartridges should be loaded with slugs , and , of course, to make slugs , lead was necessary . Lead should be acquired by any and every means . Here there were hardly suppressed smiles as the lecturer's eyes ranged along the class .

The ways and means for providing lead in our district were indeed varied , and unscrupulous if judged by peacetime standards . Peace reigned in the land , according to our oppressors , or ought to reign , according to the supporters of our oppressors . These partisans we made pay a heavy toll ; unwillingly , they supplied us with lead , even from the roof valley-gutters of their unoccupied mansions ......." (MORE LATER).



NOT RONNIE , NANCY , OR THE ASTROLOGER : part one of three .......

[from ' MAGILL ' magazine , May 1989 , page 37]

GUESS WHO.......?

(Answer after Part 3 ...)



" Boy , they were big on crematoriums , were'nt they ? "

--- Comment during his tour of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz on 28th September , 1987 .


" Comme ci , comme ca...."

--- Said while he was talking to a nine-years-young Hispanic student at a Harlem school .


" When I'm the Education President , you'll be able to send your college to children . "

--- His promise during the 1988 Presidential campaign .



" It's no exaggeration to say , the undecideds could go one way or another . "

--- Again , during the 1988 campaign .



" Tell me , General - how dead is the Dead Sea ? "

--- His question to a Jordanian Army General .


Part 2 tomorrow .......

---

REPUBLICAN LAW AND ORDER ; THE COURT SYSTEM 1920-1922.......



....... Ireland 1919 - with the British occupation of Ireland came Britsh 'law and order' . Irish Republicans had won a major victory in the 1918 elections and had established a Republican Administration - now was the time to implement an Irish legal system .......


By the middle of 1920 , the 'Republican Courts' were up and running - if the issue could not be resolved at a local level in the Parish Court it was moved for re-hearing at the District Court ; a High Court and Supreme Court were also operational . Around the same time (ie between April and June 1920) the Ministry for Home Affairs established the means by which the decree of the Republican Courts could be enforced - a Republican Police Force .

The members of the British Police Force in Ireland , the 'Royal Irish Constabulary' (RIC) were under daily attack from the IRA at the time , and had concentrated their efforts , literally , into just staying alive - they no longer had the time or interest to deal with 'street-crime' ....... (MORE LATER).



WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.


1917-- A NOCTURNAL EXPEDITION .......


".......we had only two .38 revolvers with which to arm our Company . One day , I met my uncle on the road and went over to him - he presented me with a .45 police revolver , which was worth more to me than all the riches of the world ......."


" It seems he had helped a neighbour in some way , and this man , whom we all knew but never suspected of keeping a gun , went home without a word and returned with this fine weapon . He well knew what would most please my uncle .

One fine evening in early summer , the Company was assembled by special notice . The time was late , about half-past nine , and the place of assembly was Den Buckley's barn loft , in the village . Two oil-gas lamps gave us light . Presently our Captain entered , accompanied by a stranger . The newcomer was evidently a city man . My brother called us to attention and introduced him .

He was an Organiser from Brigade H Q . First he spoke in Irish , then continued in English . Having dealt generally with routine work , drilling etc , he concentrated on armaments . When the address assumed the character of a lecture , my brother directed us to fall out and be seated . We made ourselves comfortable on bags of grain along the wall , and some, seating themselves on the floor , reclined luxuriously against the sides of the bags . Thus fortified , we listened......." (MORE LATER).



NANCY , THE VENTRILOQUIST , AND THE DUMMY ---->

[from ' The Sunday Tribune ' newspaper , 15th May , 1988 , page 8]


<---- At a press conference in 1984 , Charles Bierbauer of CNN asked President Ronald Reagan how he was going to get the Russians back to the negotiating table at Geneva .

Ronnie was standing behind the speakers lectern , with Nancy by his side . The hall was packed when Bierbauer asked the question ; Ronnie looked at the CNN man , but said nothing . Ten seconds passed - Ronnie said nothing ; everyone feeling uncomfortable by now .

Still silence from Mr. President . Then Nancy tilted her head down , as if looking at her shoes ; then a murmer - " Doing everything we can " , she whispered , but loud enough for Ronnie to hear and , unfortunately for her , loud enough for the microphones on the lectern to broadcast her whisper to the wall-speakers !

The man himself , apparently , failed to grasp the fact that the game was up : he smiled at the CNN man and the other journalists and leaned into the microphones and said , loudly - " Doing everything we can ! "

And all without having to make a 'phone-call .......

---

REPUBLICAN LAW AND ORDER ; THE COURT SYSTEM 1920-1922.



In mid-1919 in Ireland , Arthur Griffith was the Head of the Ministry for Home Affairs in the First (All-Ireland) Dail Eireann and had established a 'Courts System' to settle disputes on the island .

Not to have set-up such a system was unthinkable , as the British system of 'justice' and their courts apparatus was still in operation in the country and could not be availed of , or recommended for use , by the Republican Administration as the British claim of jurisdiction in Ireland was itself being challenged by those same Irish Republicans .

Within twelve months , the Republican Courts , as they became known , were up and running ....... (MORE LATER).



WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.


1917-- A NOCTURNAL EXPEDITION .......


".......we had no option except to make our own munitions , which we 'field-tested' beside my uncle's house- he watched proceedings with interest......."


" " Well , Dan , what do you think of them ? ", someone asked . " Well bedammed , they may have some moral effect , " he answered .

Another waste of time and energy was the manufacture of the shotgun bayonet . We got a pattern , complete with clip , and were directed to make some dozens . We made them . They never did any harm to the enemy , but they nearly killed some of us who were engaged in their manufacture . Some day soon , they will be found at the bottom of a bog-hole and will be classified by archaeologists as Spears , Early Iron , Offset Socket .......

At this time , we had not a single service rifle in our Company . Neither had we pistols nor revolvers . One evening , my brother , Pat , returning from Cork city , brought with him two new .38 revolvers . Unanimously , one was presented to my uncle , while my brother , now our Company Captain , got the other . My uncle must have correctly interpreted my thoughts , as I examined his revolver , for he directed me to erect a target , and we had a few shots .

A short time afterwards I met him on the road . He put his hand in his coat pocket and drew forth a .45 police revolver which he handed to me . If , instead , he had handed me the riches of the world , they would not have been more welcome ........" (MORE LATER).



HONESTY IS .......

[from ' The Sunday Tribune ' , 20th July , 1997 , page 16]


The then Archbishop of Dublin , Richard Whately , wrote the phase - " Honesty is the best policy , but he who is governed by this maxim is not an honest man . "

Where , then , one wonders, would that leave Clive of India who , when summoned to present himself before a British 'House of Commons' committee in 1772 , accused of pillage , responded --

-- " When I consider the opportunities that were open to me , Sir , I stand astonished at my own moderation . " !!



.......NOT ENOUGH ---->

[from ' The Sunday Tribune ' , 13th july , 1997 , page 8]


<---- Margaret Griffin , once Governor of Georgia(USA), stated-- " The only thing tainted about money is t'aint mine and t'aint enough ! "


Or , as Oscar Wilde put it -- " There is only one class in the community that thinks more about money than the rich , and that is the poor . The poor can think of nothing else . That is the misery of being poor . "

---

A REBEL PRIEST - Fr. James O'Coigly ; 1762 - 1798 .......


.......on 7th June , 1798 , Fr. James O'Coigly was removed from his cell in Maidstone Jail in Kent , England , and taken to Pennenden Heath to be executed .......



.......he was placed on the gallows and gave his last speech , which was a firm confirmation of his Irish Republican ideals which contained no apology ; there was no attempt to bargain the information he held , for his life . The British hung him and then beheaded him , and callously burnt his remains at the foot of the gallows .


Through misty eyes I see my land
and hunger for her future grand ,
What greater hunger can there be
I hunger still, to see her free .


Fr. James O'Coigly , and hundreds more men and women like him , are not spoke about today , save in some Irish Republican circles ; you would be hard-pressed to find a reference or , indeed , even a mention of their names , in history books .

They are the forgotten heroes and warriors of their time , and ours . But not everyone will forget them.......


[END].



WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :

war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.

By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.


1917-- A NOCTURNAL EXPEDITION .......


".......we had to fashion our own weapons - tins were used , as were pig troughs......."


" .......cast iron pots , with any suggestion of a crack , were helped by the hammer to their final dissolution . A like fate overtook the ancient kettle .

This was our method of grenade making : A layer of viscous concrete was first poured into a tin . Then followed a judicious arrangement of scrap . Another layer of concrete , then more scrap , and so on . A wooden core , to provide space for the explosive , and the tin was put aside to set . When required , the explosive was inserted with its detonator and a suitable length of fuse .

Having made a large number of these things , we were anxious to test them . The testing ground was a field next to my uncle's house - we arranged targets standing around , to intercept the shrapnel . From the fence we threw our grenades , and then stooped in its shelter . After each explosion we inspected the targets . We tried all our types of grenade and bombs . My uncle had been a keen observer at the tests ......." (MORE LATER).



GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER.......

[from ' SAOIRSE ' , February 1988 , page 1]


....... Tomas MacCurtain , Lord Mayor of Cork , was murdered in his own home by British agents on the 20th March , 1920 ; on the 18th April 1920 , the Inquest Jury returned the following verdict ---


--- " We find.....that the murder was organised and carried out by the British Government and we return a verdict of wilful murder against David Lloyd George , Prime Minister of England ; Lord French , Lord Lieutenant of Ireland ; Ian MacPherson , late Chief Secretary of Ireland ; Acting Inspector General Smith of the RIC ; Divisional Inspector Clayton of the RIC ; District Inspector Swanzy and some unknown members of the RIC . "

That Jury verdict was never , as far as I am aware , officially overturned or , unfortunately , enforced in full .* However , it remains a matter of record that a properly constituted Irish Jury found a British Prime Minister guilty of " wilful murder " -- 'statute of limitations' or no , that verdict still stands.......


(* - RIC Inspector Swanzy was immediately transferred to an RIC Barracks in County Antrim for his own safety - on Sunday , 22nd August , 1920 , he was shot dead in Lisburn , County Antrim .).

---