Working within British 'law' with a vow NOT to use force against the British....... :
DANIEL O'CONNELL -1843 ;
THE PROVISIONALS -1994 TO DATE .
.......Daniel O'Connell had been 'slapped-down' by the British , who had cancelled relief efforts for the Irish . As he sat , dejected , in his mansion 'Derrynane House' , overlooking Kenmare Bay in County Kerry , he must have pondered his decision to work within British 'law' and use "moral force" only .......
Today , 161 years after Daniel O'Connell and the 'Loyal National Repeal Association' made that mistake , the Provisional Sinn Fein political party (formed in 1986 when they left the Republican Movement) has done the same . They , too , will be 'slapped down' (...and not for the first time since 1986) by the Brits , who will allow them to go so far but no further . They will receive as little 'freedom' as Westminster decides to give them .
In the words of a celebrated Irish man , born in Dublin in 1854 , one Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde - " Experience was of no ethical value . It was merely the name men gave to their mistakes . " Not to admit the mistake is bad enough , but to repeat it is worse .......
[END of ' Working within British 'law' with a vow NOT to use force against the British....... :
DANIEL O'CONNELL -1843 ;
THE PROVISIONALS -1994 TO DATE ].
(Tomorrow - 'TAN WAR' REPUBLICAN NEWSPAPER : 'An tOglach' , 1918-1921.)
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
SHOOTINGS.......
" .....we buried IRA Volunteer Liam Hegarty in Kilgarvan Graveyard , Kerry ; the Brits did'nt show their face for that day . In Ballyvourney , two of our men had been taken by surprise by the British Auxies as they were attempting to burn down the Black and Tan Barracks ......."
" The two had escaped under fire from the Auxies after setting the building ablaze ; the Auxies had returned to Macroom , and now , in the twilight , they reappeared in the village . One of their number entered a house , called out a married man named Jim Lehane , a man who would not hurt a fly , and , taking him across the road , shot him dead .
Nine days later we lost Christy Lucey , one of our best men , at Tuirin Dubh , Ballingeary ; a native of Cork City , he had stayed with his friends and comrades , the Twomeys of Tuirin Dubh , during the summer months . Having taken part in all the activities of the local IRA Company , he had decided to remain and fight with them in the coming struggle . Since the house at Tuirin Dubh was practically on the roadside and well known to the enemy , he did not sleep there at night .
Instead , he had sleeping quarters at the opposite side of the road , high up the hillside . He had established a routine of coming downhill each morning , crossing the road and entering the house . An enemy agent taking note of his movements could have reported that he crossed the road at the same time each morning ; possibly no such agent existed - the coincidence of events leading to his death might have accounted for the tragedy as it happened ......."
(MORE LATER).
THE CIA : REAGAN'S SECRET ARMY .......
Since 1947 , the CIA has been a powerful force in covertly executing American internal and foreign policy . A major book detailing the workings , methods and sometimes incompetence of the secret service - 'The Agency ; The Rise and Decline of The CIA ' , by John Ranelagh , has recently been published .
Gene Kerrigan examines the books findings and assesses the importance of 'The Agency' and the role it has played over the last 39 years .
First published in 'The Sunday Tribune' newspaper , Dublin , 24th August 1986 , page 11.
Re-produced here in 21 parts .
(19 of 21).
The 'Phoenix Programme' was run by Robert Komer , ex-CIA agent , and while not formally a CIA operation it was supported on the ground by the CIA ; William Colby , later to be CIA Director , was seconded to 'Phoenix' by the Agency .
'Phoenix' killed 20,000 Vietnamese ; Robert Komer earned the nickname 'Blowtorch' as a result of his 'work' . 'Phoenix' was designed to root out supporters of the Viet Cong in the South - thousands were assassinated : 'Phoenix' went out of control . You could settle old vendettas by pointing a finger ...
...in Kontum Province one man was reported for 'irregular activities' ; he was assassinated . Only then did Barton Osborne , the American in charge of the 'Phoenix' programme in that area , discover that the man was 'acting irregularly' because he was a 'Phoenix' agent ....!
" When he was assassinated I had quite a problem covering that up in the paperwork , " , added Mr. Osborne ...
(MORE LATER).
