JULY-DECEMBER 1921 : Revenge Attacks on Republicans During The 'Truce' .
Ireland 1921 - the 'Irish Bond' drive was into its second year (having started in January 1920) and was doing well ; certificates were sold on a guarantee of exchange for Irish Republican Bonds after the Irish Republic (all 32 Counties) was recognised .
Approximately $5.5 million dollars was in the kitty already from sales in America alone ; unfortunately , also in America , the fact that a Truce between the Brits and Irish Republican forces had come into effect in July that year (1921) sent a wrong signal to Irish Republican supporters ...
... they were led to believe that the 'Irish Question' had been settled .......
(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 .......
"....... the British Auxiliaries were known to be blackguards ; to kill even if for no reason . One evening in 1920 , my brother and I went home - it was dusk , and we considered ourselves safe from a British rading party ; we were wrong ......."
" It was one short screech from brake drums that gave us warning - the Auxies had inaugurated a new technique to take us by surprise . Coming over the hill from the north , they had cut off the engines and slipped downhill noiselessly to our gate ; they had already tried this method , but on the night in question they had improved on it . Stopping the lorries further uphill they had dropped a number of men who , passing through the school grounds , had surrounded the house on the west and north sides .
We were now in a trap since the south side was completely blocked by the high and blind wall of a neighbouring house . The noise of the brake drums had found us in the kitchen talking to our mother ; a bright lamp , just lighted, stood on the table . Very swiftly but silently we passed from the kitchen to the hallway , closing the door behind us to cut off the light . Guns in hand we went through the front door which was open and , turning right , we were soon at the corner of the house and in a small garden . Here we stopped . North of us we could hear men trying to get over the school wall which had a coping of rough and pointed stones .
To the west , and facing us , others were trying to scale an earth fence with a strong whitethorn hedge on top . We listened and narrowly watched the intervening ground where gooseberry bushes and small apple trees grew . Then we heard a loud whisper from the gate ......."
(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.
2 of 12.
President Reagan says he has told the country all he knows of the 'Irangate' affair and is as anxious as everyone else to find out what really happened . But his public statements are contradictory and most people suspect that he is lying . He keeps playing down the scandal and says the country should drop it - or at least put it in the past .
Last month (ie January 1987) the outgoing Senate Intelligence Committee summoned witnesses to private hearings to tell what they knew of the case . Three key figures refused to talk least they incriminate themselves ; they are Vice Admiral John Poindexter , the Presidents National Security Adviser until November 25th 1986 /
Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North , a staff officer of the National Security Council staff / and Major General Richard Secord (retired) who organised the Contra-supply airlift which became public last October (1986) when a plane was shot down over Nicaragua , three of the crew were killed , and a fourth , Eugene Hasenfus , was captured , tried and sent home for Christmas by the Sandinistas .......
(MORE LATER).
