IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... on 29th December 1920 , in Midleton , County Cork , three RIC/Tan members were killed in a gunfight with the IRA ; on 3rd January 1921 , 'The Cork Examiner' newspaper printed a statement from the Brits , outlining their position , and intentions , regarding that IRA attack .......
That British statement declared that the " Authorities " were going to destroy some nearby houses " ... as the inhabitants were bound to have known of the ambush and attack , and they neglected to give any information either to the military or police authorities . "
Seven houses were chosen ; the families in them were given one hour to remove any money or valuables , but not furniture . The houses were then destroyed . Four months before those January 1921 'reprisals' in Cork (ie in September [20th] 1920) , four pubs in Balbriggan , County Dublin , were looted and then burned-down by the Black and Tans who , for good measure , raided and wrecked 49 houses in the neighbourhood and , before withdrawing , bayoneted two 'suspects' to death .
Those armed thugs and ruffians had no political motivation - in an interview with author Taylor Downing , in 1980 , a Black and Tan told him the following :
: " I came back from the First War and I thought that anything was better that standing in a queue . There were so many millions out of work . And then I saw this advertisement for the Royal Irish Constabulary and it said apply to Scotland Yard and I joined , and then I had to do down to Chelsea to pass a test which I did . The next night I caught the train from Euston and I was in Dublin the next morning .
I had a flare for a little adventure , and I was about to join the (French) Foreign Legion . But on enquiring , I found that the pay was only ten centimes a day ......."
(MORE LATER).
RELEASE NICKY KELLY .......
By Vincent Browne .
First published in 'Magill' magazine , April 1982 , pages 4 and 5 .
Re-published here in 8 parts .
(7 of 8).
Nicky Kelly's appeal was turned down by the Court of Criminal Appeal ; the technical grounds for his appeal differed from those in the cases of Osgur Breathnach and Brian McNally , and he was returned to Portlaoise Prison . The Appeal Court have allowed an appeal to the Supreme Court on a technicality but it will be possible there to argue the point whether the Appeal Court should examine the basis for the admission of statements in evidence - the point at the heart of the Nicky Kelly case , which was entirely ruled out of contention by established practice by the Court of Criminal Appeal .
The entire Sallins robbery case had proved to be a major national scandal - at one point Gerry Collins , then spokesperson on 'Justice' for Fianna Fail , demanded an enquiry into the actions of the Gardai in the case but when he became Minister he not alone did'nt institute an enquiry but promoted several Gardai who were prominent in the affair .......
(MORE LATER).
THE EXTRADITION FIASCO .......
By Derek Dunne .
First published in 'Magill' magazine , October 1985 , pages 9,10 and 11.
Re-published here in 13 parts.
(9 of 13).
In the weeks following the release of John Patrick Quinn , the ' London Evening Standard ' newspaper said that he " had been on the point of giving valuable information about bombings and assassinations , and appeared to be about to turn informer . Now he has fled to Dublin and what he could have told about the INLA and its organisation will never be known . He flew to Dublin where he is now staying at a secret address .... " Quinn was living openly in Ballina , County Mayo , and had not been interviewed by Special Branch detectives since his arrival in London .
His solicitor , Michael Fisher , says that " following his release , Scotland Yard tried to cover-up their embarrassment by blaming the Magistrate and alleged that he was on the point of giving information to the Special Branch about INLA activities . This was a lie and black propaganda and dangerous to Quinn ." Fisher further added that the case " was dismissed because the police lied in court , both orally and in a witness statement . I had no doubt that Quinn's case was selected by lawyers in both countries in order to change the extradition laws without anyone realising what was happening . This squalid manouvre deserves to fail ....... "
(MORE LATER).
