.......continued from Friday , 16th July last .........Great to be back - FAILTE !
JULY-DECEMBER 1921 : Revenge Attacks on Republicans During The 'Truce' .......
.......ordered not to take military action against the IRA while the 'Truce' was in effect , British troops , the Black and Tans , the Auxiliaries and the RIC/RUC were 'chomping at the bit'; they wanted revenge on Irish Republicans , but could not take it 'Officially' or 'Legitimately'.......
The Brits took to assaulting civilians in the hope that the IRA would , at least in a local area , break the 'Truce' - when this tactic failed , the British forces in Ireland went 'underground' ie revenge attacks on known IRA Volunteers , with no claim of responsibility .
In Limerick , on 15th August 1921 , IRA Volunteer John Pigget was shot dead by British forces ; on 31st October 1921 , IRA Volunteer Walter Coen was shot dead in Ballinrobe , County Mayo and , on 26th December 1921 , IRA Volunteer James Hickey was shot dead in Knocknagoshel in County Kerry . In less clandestine operations , that is, when the Brits could'nt be bothered setting-up covert assassinations , they broke the 'Truce' quite openly and gun-battles ensued ...
...a number of IRA Volunteers died in those shoot-outs :
(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.
THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......
".......we were going to set fire to a pro-Brit loyalists house near the Castle in order to draw the enemy out ; the Auxiliaries partied in that same house almost every night , so the owner had it coming ......."
"............we hoped that a strong group would leave the Castle to try and save the house - in that event we would take action ; if a large party left , and conditions looked favourable , we would try to seize the Castle itself . Let the party be large or small - we would seize the gate in any case , and hold it against them on their return . At the same time we would keep the garrison of the Castle indoors .
Arrangements had been made for the Macroom men and a section of our IRA Column to attack outside the gates . For hours we waited motionless , watching for that glow in the sky : it never appeared . Midnight came and with it the order to retire . We were never nearer mutiny ....
....we all wanted to take action of some sort against the enemy ......."
(MORE LATER).
' COLONEL OLIVER NORTH WOULD'NT DO ANYTHING THAT REAGAN DID'NT APPROVE ' .......
'The chain of events that has become known as IRANGATE is circling ever tighter around President Reagan . Sean Cronin draws together some of the links in the bizarre story'
First published in 'The Irish Times' newspaper , Tuesday , February 10th , 1987 , page 14 .
Re-produced here in 12 parts.
10 of 12.
From March to May 1986 , arrangements were made for a high-level meeting of American and Iranian Officials . This was the one led by Robert McFarlane , who carried an Irish passport bearing the name 'Sean Devlin' . Iran now wanted Harpoon and Phoenix missiles but America was not willing to sell . Manucher Ghorbanifar , the Iranian arms dealer , as the 'go-between' , asked for spare parts for the Hawk missile system , promising that when the delegation arrived in Tehran with them , all the hostages would be released .
At one of these meetings the Americans discussed with Ghorbanifar what passports they would carry . It was also arranged how payment would be made and where it would go ; Iran would pay $17 million into an Israeli account , of which $15 million would be moved into " a private U S corporation account ." Of that amount , $3.65 million would go to the CIA to cover the Hawk missile parts .
Several hours after the arrival of the American delegation in Tehran , the hostages would be released ; eight hours later , the Hawk parts would be delivered ........
(MORE LATER).
