RICHIE GOSS : 1915-1941 --- A REVOLUTIONARY IRISHMAN .......
.......Shot dead by a Free State firing-squad in Portlaoise Prison on 9th August 1941 , the 26 years young Richie Goss was re-interred in Dowdallshill Cemetery in Dundalk , County Louth , in September 1948 . Brian O'Higgins wrote , in the 1950 edition of 'The Wolfe Tone Annual'.......
" On September 18 , 1948 , the bodies of Patrick McGrath , Thomas Harte , George Plant , Richard Goss , Maurice O'Neill and Charles Kerins were disinterred in prison yards and given to their comrades and relatives for re-burial among their own . These men were condemned to death and put to death as criminals , as outlaws , as enemies of Ireland . Today , that judgement and verdict is reversed , even by those who were and are their opponents , and they are acknowledged to be what we have always claimed them to have been - true comrades of Tone , of Emmet , of Mitchel , of the Fenians , and of all the heroic dead of our own day and generation .
There was no bitterness in their hearts towards any man or group of men , no meanness in their minds , no pettiness or brutality in their actions . They were , and are , worthy to rank with the greatest and noblest of our dead , and the younger men we salute and pray for and do homage to today are worthy to be their comrades . The only shame to be thought of in connection with those Republicans is that Irishmen slew them and slandered them , as Irishmen had slain and slandered the men of 1922 , for the 'crime' of being faithful soldiers of the Republic of Ireland .
Let us remember that shame only as an incentive to action and conduct that will make recurrence of it impossible ever again . Wolfe Tone built his plan for true indepdence on the resistance tradition of all the centuries from the beginning of the conquest to his own day , and these men who were his faithful followers , knew no plan but his would ever end English domination in 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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .....
".......The twelve of us had left our bicycles outside Ben Shorten's pub , near the RIC Barracks . A Black and Tan eventually strolled out at his leisure from the barracks but , on noticing the bicycles , walked quickly back inside ......."
" Now , we said , the cat is out of the bag . We wondered what the result would be . It might be very favourable for us . If the Tans wanted to allay their thirst , they would doubtless cross the road to do so . Or if they wanted to satisfy their curiosity they might do likewise . We expected them to come and made preparations for their reception . Scarcely had the Black-and-Tan time to tell his comrades of the plague of bicycles when we saw the reaction to his announcement . Faces peered cautiously from behind every window opening . We took good care that they would see nothing . We had instructed Ben to clear out immediately we would tell him of their coming .
We had hoped that the more venturous among them would prevail , and that a strong party would dash across and enter the bar-room through the wide-opened door . After all , they were a poor-spirited lot . As the time wore on our contempt for them increased . We tried a number of tricks to draw them out . These were largely based on showing them that we were a harmless party , unarmed and out for amusement only . Some sang songs , others went out in their shirt sleeves to check their bicycles , leaving their coats and guns inside . It was no use . Finally , Jer Carthy came up the street on a bicycle and came in . After a consultation with Jer it was decided to try another ruse ....... "
(MORE LATER).
(NOTE- we will be publishing tomorrow [SUNDAY 29th] and then 'closing down' for about a week for ..eh.."necessary maintenance"...yeah.......)
Friday, February 27, 2004
RICHIE GOSS : 1915-1941 --- A REVOLUTIONARY IRISHMAN .......
....... Ireland 1939 ; 'State of Emergency' declared , 'Emergency Powers Bill' enacted , new Free State 'Justice' Minister appointed . Republicans were rounded-up and imprisoned but , on 1st December 1939 , due to a writ of 'habeas corpus', Richie Goss and fifty-two other Irish Republican prisoners were released from Mountjoy Jail .......
The men reported back to their IRA Unit's and continued the fight - Richie Goss was promoted to the position of Divisional Officer Commanding of the North-Leinster/South Ulster IRA . In July 1941 , Richie Goss was staying in the house of a family named Casey in Longford when it was surrounded by Free State troops and Gardai ; a shoot-out ended in the capture of the then twenty-six years young Richie Goss and the wounding of a Free State Army Lieutenant, resulting in a charge of attempted murder against Goss.
A Free State Military Tribunal returned a "guilty" verdict on Richie Goss and he was sentenced to death . That was in July , 1941 ; on the 8th August 1941 , Richie Goss was taken , under armed guard , from Mountjoy Jail in Dublin and put in the back of a truck . He was forced to sit on his own coffin on the journey from Dublin to Portlaoise Jail . On 9th August 1941 , Richie Goss , 26 years young, was shot dead by a Free State firing squad and buried in Portlaoise Prison yard . In September 1948 - seven years after his execution- his remains were released and re-interred in Dowdallshill Cemetery in Dundalk , County Louth .
A well-known Irish Republican of the time (and still remembered by the Movement to this day) Brian O'Higgins , wrote in the 1950 edition of 'The Wolfe Tone Annual'.......
(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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .....
".......The twelve of us had picked a bad day for our operation ; it was Saint Gobnaits day and Ballingeary would be deserted - we would stand-out too much ......."
" Had we arrived some four or five hours later , we would have passed as a party returning home after the day . We then discussed the value of making a detour and coming into the village from the west . It would look all right just now about midday , we decided, but afterwards we should wait at Shorten's Pub for two hours or more before the time for action . It would do no good now at any rate . What then was to be done ? Postpone the job until next Sunday , go back to the Cingcis at Ballyvourney and enjoy ourselves for the evening ? What do ye say to that ? Would it not be the wise thing to do ? Of course it would , but everytime we had been over-wise we had gained nothing .
Soon we were mounted and speeding down the winding road . Turning right when we met the main Macroom-Bantry road , we crossed the bridge parallel to the gable of the RIC Barracks and fifty yards distant from it . Turning left and in single file , we ran down the short incline and pulled up in front of Ben Shorten's Pub . Leaning our bicycles against its long front wall , we entered . There was no sign of life around the barracks across the way , and despite the warm day , the bar was deserted . Presently , Ben himself appeared . We gave him greeting and while some ordered soft drinks , other of us scanned the windows of the barracks from the depths of the shadows of the bar-room . For a quarter of an hour we saw nothing . Then a Black and Tan strolled out to the gate .
From the moment he had appeared at the doorway he became the object of an intensive study . He carried no arms and appeared wholly at his ease . He bore all the appearance of a person who had just had a good lunch and had walked aimlessly out to idle in the sunshine . He was bareheaded , a big man , young and not ill-looking . Sauntering to the gate , he stopped and stared straight in front of him into vacancy . Then his eyes ranged slowly up and down the road under his feet . Raising his head slightly his gaze appeared to become fascinated ...
We knew what interested him . It was our array of bicycles . He stiffened , rubbed his eyes , half turned , looked again and , completing the turn, walked quickly back and disappeared through the door of the barracks . Now , we said, the cat is out of the bag ......."
(MORE LATER).
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(16 of 16).
After Lennie Murphy's execution by the then IRA , 'The Belfast Telegraph' newspaper carried 87 death notices , including ones from William Moore , Robert 'Basher' Bates and other gang members in the Maze Prison . His Aunt Agnes penned the following tribute to Murphy :
: " Nothing could be more beautiful than the memories we have of you . To us , you were very special and God must have thought so too . "
His mother told reporters : " My Lennie would not have hurt a fly ....."
(As Oscar Wilde put it - " If one tells the truth , one is sure , sooner or later , to be found out .").
[END OF ' THE BUTCHER BOYS '].
(NOTE - this site/blog will be winding itself down over the next few days -temporarily- as the '1169...' crew have mutinied ! They tell me they have'nt had a holiday since July 2003 , and are now insisting on a week off . Ya just can't get good help these days......)
....... Ireland 1939 ; 'State of Emergency' declared , 'Emergency Powers Bill' enacted , new Free State 'Justice' Minister appointed . Republicans were rounded-up and imprisoned but , on 1st December 1939 , due to a writ of 'habeas corpus', Richie Goss and fifty-two other Irish Republican prisoners were released from Mountjoy Jail .......
The men reported back to their IRA Unit's and continued the fight - Richie Goss was promoted to the position of Divisional Officer Commanding of the North-Leinster/South Ulster IRA . In July 1941 , Richie Goss was staying in the house of a family named Casey in Longford when it was surrounded by Free State troops and Gardai ; a shoot-out ended in the capture of the then twenty-six years young Richie Goss and the wounding of a Free State Army Lieutenant, resulting in a charge of attempted murder against Goss.
A Free State Military Tribunal returned a "guilty" verdict on Richie Goss and he was sentenced to death . That was in July , 1941 ; on the 8th August 1941 , Richie Goss was taken , under armed guard , from Mountjoy Jail in Dublin and put in the back of a truck . He was forced to sit on his own coffin on the journey from Dublin to Portlaoise Jail . On 9th August 1941 , Richie Goss , 26 years young, was shot dead by a Free State firing squad and buried in Portlaoise Prison yard . In September 1948 - seven years after his execution- his remains were released and re-interred in Dowdallshill Cemetery in Dundalk , County Louth .
A well-known Irish Republican of the time (and still remembered by the Movement to this day) Brian O'Higgins , wrote in the 1950 edition of 'The Wolfe Tone Annual'.......
(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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .....
".......The twelve of us had picked a bad day for our operation ; it was Saint Gobnaits day and Ballingeary would be deserted - we would stand-out too much ......."
" Had we arrived some four or five hours later , we would have passed as a party returning home after the day . We then discussed the value of making a detour and coming into the village from the west . It would look all right just now about midday , we decided, but afterwards we should wait at Shorten's Pub for two hours or more before the time for action . It would do no good now at any rate . What then was to be done ? Postpone the job until next Sunday , go back to the Cingcis at Ballyvourney and enjoy ourselves for the evening ? What do ye say to that ? Would it not be the wise thing to do ? Of course it would , but everytime we had been over-wise we had gained nothing .
Soon we were mounted and speeding down the winding road . Turning right when we met the main Macroom-Bantry road , we crossed the bridge parallel to the gable of the RIC Barracks and fifty yards distant from it . Turning left and in single file , we ran down the short incline and pulled up in front of Ben Shorten's Pub . Leaning our bicycles against its long front wall , we entered . There was no sign of life around the barracks across the way , and despite the warm day , the bar was deserted . Presently , Ben himself appeared . We gave him greeting and while some ordered soft drinks , other of us scanned the windows of the barracks from the depths of the shadows of the bar-room . For a quarter of an hour we saw nothing . Then a Black and Tan strolled out to the gate .
From the moment he had appeared at the doorway he became the object of an intensive study . He carried no arms and appeared wholly at his ease . He bore all the appearance of a person who had just had a good lunch and had walked aimlessly out to idle in the sunshine . He was bareheaded , a big man , young and not ill-looking . Sauntering to the gate , he stopped and stared straight in front of him into vacancy . Then his eyes ranged slowly up and down the road under his feet . Raising his head slightly his gaze appeared to become fascinated ...
We knew what interested him . It was our array of bicycles . He stiffened , rubbed his eyes , half turned , looked again and , completing the turn, walked quickly back and disappeared through the door of the barracks . Now , we said, the cat is out of the bag ......."
(MORE LATER).
THE BUTCHER BOYS .
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(16 of 16).
After Lennie Murphy's execution by the then IRA , 'The Belfast Telegraph' newspaper carried 87 death notices , including ones from William Moore , Robert 'Basher' Bates and other gang members in the Maze Prison . His Aunt Agnes penned the following tribute to Murphy :
: " Nothing could be more beautiful than the memories we have of you . To us , you were very special and God must have thought so too . "
His mother told reporters : " My Lennie would not have hurt a fly ....."
(As Oscar Wilde put it - " If one tells the truth , one is sure , sooner or later , to be found out .").
[END OF ' THE BUTCHER BOYS '].
(NOTE - this site/blog will be winding itself down over the next few days -temporarily- as the '1169...' crew have mutinied ! They tell me they have'nt had a holiday since July 2003 , and are now insisting on a week off . Ya just can't get good help these days......)
Thursday, February 26, 2004
RICHIE GOSS : 1915-1941 --- A REVOLUTIONARY IRISHMAN .......
.......In early 1938 , the then IRA Chief of Staff , Sean Russell , ordered Richie Goss to go to Dublin ; preparations were underway for a bombing campaign in England .......
Within months , Richie Goss was in England , helping to organise IRA Units , safe-houses etc for the campaign ; he was arrested in Liverpool in May 1939 for refusing to account for £20 in his possession (!) and was sentenced to seven-days in Walton Jail - when released , he reported back to the IRA in London .
About two months later , he returned to Ireland but was unlucky enough to be grabbed by the Free Staters in their round-up of known and suspected IRA members and supporters , in September that year (1939) ; on 2nd September 1939 , the Leinster House Administration (Free Staters) had issued a statement saying that , because of " the armed conflict now taking place in Europe , a National(sic) emergency exists affecting the vital interests of the State . "
On the following day (3rd September 1939) , the 'Emergency Powers Bill' was enacted (ie to all intent and purpose - 'martial law'). Days later (on 8th September 1939) a new Free State Minister for 'Justice' was appointed - the ferociously Anti-Republican Gerald Boland . All known or suspected Irish Republicans were rounded-up , but a Republican-minded lawyer , Sean MacBride (whose parents had fought alongside the IRA) supported the Republican prisoners and , on 1st December 1939 , due to a 'habeas corpus' application , Richie Goss and fifty-two other Republican prisoners were reeased from Mountjoy Jail .
(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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .....
".......We were on our way to Ballingeary ; we passed through all the old historical places which we knew well , especially Atha Bhuadh which , according to tradition , will one day be the scene of our ultimate triumph ......."
" Crossing Atha Bhuadh by the little bridge , we were soon climbing the steep and wooded slope of Gort-an-Imill . Reaching the top , we paused to regain our breath and to view a most unusual and beautiful extent of rugged scenery . Mounting , we cycled down into Renanirree , on the road from Macroom to Beal a' Ghleanna and Ballingeary . Three further miles of a stiff uniform climb , on the bicycles , brought us to Beal a' Ghleanna . Here we rested and discussed the final arrangements for our project . When we mounted again it would be all a downhill three-mile run to the village of Ballingeary and , barring accidents , a non-stop one .
But now a serious question was raised , a question which should , there and then , have put a stop to our visit for that day . We had , we all admitted reluctantly , picked out the worst possible day in the year for the job . Why the devil had we not thought of that last night ? Most of the young people of Ballingeary and district had just passed by the RIC Barracks on their way north to Ballyvourney . So had people from places as far distant as Bantry . The enemy had just seen the last of them pass an hour ago . The RIC knew well where they were heading for . The village would be almost deserted .
Then twelve young men on bicycles would come from the north ........"
(MORE LATER).
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(15 of 16).
Some gang members , however , will be due for release in the coming decade (ie -the 1990's). One is already out and , of course , many of those involved in the murders were never brought to justice and are still walking the streets of Northern Ireland (sic).
At least 17 people who were implicated in some of the killings were never brought before the courts , mostly due to insufficient evidence against them . Lenny Murphy , who walked out of prison in July 1982 , three years after the jailing of his gang , had killed again within 24 hours . He met his own death at the hands of a Republican assassination squad , as he parked behind his girlfriends house one evening that Autumn (1982).
Enemies within the Loyalist camp , it is thought , may have helped to set him up .
(MORE LATER).
(NOTE - this site/blog will be winding itself down over the next few days -temporarily- as the '1169...' crew have mutinied ! They tell me they have'nt had a holiday since July 2003 , and are now insisting on a week off . Ya just can't get good help these days......)
.......In early 1938 , the then IRA Chief of Staff , Sean Russell , ordered Richie Goss to go to Dublin ; preparations were underway for a bombing campaign in England .......
Within months , Richie Goss was in England , helping to organise IRA Units , safe-houses etc for the campaign ; he was arrested in Liverpool in May 1939 for refusing to account for £20 in his possession (!) and was sentenced to seven-days in Walton Jail - when released , he reported back to the IRA in London .
About two months later , he returned to Ireland but was unlucky enough to be grabbed by the Free Staters in their round-up of known and suspected IRA members and supporters , in September that year (1939) ; on 2nd September 1939 , the Leinster House Administration (Free Staters) had issued a statement saying that , because of " the armed conflict now taking place in Europe , a National(sic) emergency exists affecting the vital interests of the State . "
On the following day (3rd September 1939) , the 'Emergency Powers Bill' was enacted (ie to all intent and purpose - 'martial law'). Days later (on 8th September 1939) a new Free State Minister for 'Justice' was appointed - the ferociously Anti-Republican Gerald Boland . All known or suspected Irish Republicans were rounded-up , but a Republican-minded lawyer , Sean MacBride (whose parents had fought alongside the IRA) supported the Republican prisoners and , on 1st December 1939 , due to a 'habeas corpus' application , Richie Goss and fifty-two other Republican prisoners were reeased from Mountjoy Jail .
(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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .....
".......We were on our way to Ballingeary ; we passed through all the old historical places which we knew well , especially Atha Bhuadh which , according to tradition , will one day be the scene of our ultimate triumph ......."
" Crossing Atha Bhuadh by the little bridge , we were soon climbing the steep and wooded slope of Gort-an-Imill . Reaching the top , we paused to regain our breath and to view a most unusual and beautiful extent of rugged scenery . Mounting , we cycled down into Renanirree , on the road from Macroom to Beal a' Ghleanna and Ballingeary . Three further miles of a stiff uniform climb , on the bicycles , brought us to Beal a' Ghleanna . Here we rested and discussed the final arrangements for our project . When we mounted again it would be all a downhill three-mile run to the village of Ballingeary and , barring accidents , a non-stop one .
But now a serious question was raised , a question which should , there and then , have put a stop to our visit for that day . We had , we all admitted reluctantly , picked out the worst possible day in the year for the job . Why the devil had we not thought of that last night ? Most of the young people of Ballingeary and district had just passed by the RIC Barracks on their way north to Ballyvourney . So had people from places as far distant as Bantry . The enemy had just seen the last of them pass an hour ago . The RIC knew well where they were heading for . The village would be almost deserted .
Then twelve young men on bicycles would come from the north ........"
(MORE LATER).
THE BUTCHER BOYS .
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(15 of 16).
Some gang members , however , will be due for release in the coming decade (ie -the 1990's). One is already out and , of course , many of those involved in the murders were never brought to justice and are still walking the streets of Northern Ireland (sic).
At least 17 people who were implicated in some of the killings were never brought before the courts , mostly due to insufficient evidence against them . Lenny Murphy , who walked out of prison in July 1982 , three years after the jailing of his gang , had killed again within 24 hours . He met his own death at the hands of a Republican assassination squad , as he parked behind his girlfriends house one evening that Autumn (1982).
Enemies within the Loyalist camp , it is thought , may have helped to set him up .
(MORE LATER).
(NOTE - this site/blog will be winding itself down over the next few days -temporarily- as the '1169...' crew have mutinied ! They tell me they have'nt had a holiday since July 2003 , and are now insisting on a week off . Ya just can't get good help these days......)
Wednesday, February 25, 2004
RICHIE GOSS : 1915-1941 --- A REVOLUTIONARY IRISHMAN .......
.......In January 1934 , a Mr. Joseph McGrory from Dundalk assisted the Free State Gardai in their inquiries into a hold-up ; two IRA men were arrested as a result and , in February 1934 , McGrory's house was bombed - his wife died in the explosion . Richie Goss and two others were sentenced to three months (in March 1934) for refusing to explain their whereabouts on that February night .......
Then , in early July 1935 ,four IRA men were arrested and charged with the death of Mrs. McGrory - those men were Richie Goss , Eamon Coffey , Thomas Walsh and Bernard Murphy(all from Dundalk). The Free Staters had received information from an informer that five men were responsible for 'The McGrory Incident' - the four men named above , and one other ; James Finnigan . However , Finnigan was already in jail again , this time serving fifteen months for possession of weapons .
The informer was Matt McCrystal , an IRA man and , on his evidence, the first-ever 'murder trial' before a Free State Military Tribunal went ahead . But it was not successful - on 20th July , 1935 , after a five-day hearing , all the accused were acquitted .
Richie Goss was ordered to go to Dublin by Sean Russell , the then IRA Chief of Staff, in early 1938 , as his expertise in explosives was needed to prepare for the up-coming bombing campaign in England .......
(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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .....
".......At short notice , we had assembled twelve IRA men - most of us were poorly armed , but we were all determined to attack Ballingeary Barracks . We had intended to base ourselves opposite the Barracks, in Shorten's Pub . But there was trouble ahead ......."
" We settled on reaching Ballingeary Village at about a quarter to two on Whitsunday . We left Ballyvourney just after noon , cycling away in twos and threes . People were still coming towards the place while we were going away from it . That in itself was not a good start , but would do no harm , since there was no means of quick communication between the two places at that time , and the people we met would mind their own business .
We cycled southward over the bridge of the Sullane and , turning east , we wound around the base of the Curragh Hill to Cathair Cearnach (the Fort of the Champion) in the valley of the Dubh-Glaise (the Dark Stream). Our road led us upstream and westward for a mile along the only placid stretch of the Dubh-Glaise , until we reached Atha-Bhuadh (the Ford of Victory). On either side of us the little green fields showed bravely on the steep slopes they had conquered from the Curragh and Rahoona Hills .
In front of us rose Gort-Ui-Rathaille , its foot-hills covered with stunted oak , birch , hazel and holly . Above us , in a clear sky , the noonday sun of May shone brightly . Within us were the thoughts of youth , stimulated by the legendary associations of our surroundings - Cathair Cearnach of ancient victories and Atha Bhuadh which , according to local tradition , will one day be the scene of our ultimate triumph ......."
(MORE LATER).
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(14 of 16).
Sentencing eleven gang members , including William Moore , 'Big Sam' McAllister and Robert 'Basher' Bates , for their parts in nineteen murders , Mr. Justice Turlough O'Donnell talked of this " catalogue of horror " , and told William Moore - " You pleaded guilty to eleven murders carried out in a manner so cruel and revolting as to be beyond the comprehension of any normal human being . I see no reason whatever why you should ever be released . The facts speak for themseves and will remain forever a lasting monument to blind sectarian bigotry , " he told the court .
In all , the Shankill Butchers were given 2,000 years imprisonment , to run in concurrent sentences . British legal history was made with the 42 life sentences handed down , the largest number ever given out in one sitting .
(MORE LATER).
(NOTE - this site/blog will be winding itself down over the next few days -temporarily- as the '1169...' crew have mutinied ! They tell me they have'nt had a holiday since July 2003 , and are now insisting on a week off . Ya just can't get good help these days......)
.......In January 1934 , a Mr. Joseph McGrory from Dundalk assisted the Free State Gardai in their inquiries into a hold-up ; two IRA men were arrested as a result and , in February 1934 , McGrory's house was bombed - his wife died in the explosion . Richie Goss and two others were sentenced to three months (in March 1934) for refusing to explain their whereabouts on that February night .......
Then , in early July 1935 ,four IRA men were arrested and charged with the death of Mrs. McGrory - those men were Richie Goss , Eamon Coffey , Thomas Walsh and Bernard Murphy(all from Dundalk). The Free Staters had received information from an informer that five men were responsible for 'The McGrory Incident' - the four men named above , and one other ; James Finnigan . However , Finnigan was already in jail again , this time serving fifteen months for possession of weapons .
The informer was Matt McCrystal , an IRA man and , on his evidence, the first-ever 'murder trial' before a Free State Military Tribunal went ahead . But it was not successful - on 20th July , 1935 , after a five-day hearing , all the accused were acquitted .
Richie Goss was ordered to go to Dublin by Sean Russell , the then IRA Chief of Staff, in early 1938 , as his expertise in explosives was needed to prepare for the up-coming bombing campaign in England .......
(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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .....
".......At short notice , we had assembled twelve IRA men - most of us were poorly armed , but we were all determined to attack Ballingeary Barracks . We had intended to base ourselves opposite the Barracks, in Shorten's Pub . But there was trouble ahead ......."
" We settled on reaching Ballingeary Village at about a quarter to two on Whitsunday . We left Ballyvourney just after noon , cycling away in twos and threes . People were still coming towards the place while we were going away from it . That in itself was not a good start , but would do no harm , since there was no means of quick communication between the two places at that time , and the people we met would mind their own business .
We cycled southward over the bridge of the Sullane and , turning east , we wound around the base of the Curragh Hill to Cathair Cearnach (the Fort of the Champion) in the valley of the Dubh-Glaise (the Dark Stream). Our road led us upstream and westward for a mile along the only placid stretch of the Dubh-Glaise , until we reached Atha-Bhuadh (the Ford of Victory). On either side of us the little green fields showed bravely on the steep slopes they had conquered from the Curragh and Rahoona Hills .
In front of us rose Gort-Ui-Rathaille , its foot-hills covered with stunted oak , birch , hazel and holly . Above us , in a clear sky , the noonday sun of May shone brightly . Within us were the thoughts of youth , stimulated by the legendary associations of our surroundings - Cathair Cearnach of ancient victories and Atha Bhuadh which , according to local tradition , will one day be the scene of our ultimate triumph ......."
(MORE LATER).
THE BUTCHER BOYS .
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(14 of 16).
Sentencing eleven gang members , including William Moore , 'Big Sam' McAllister and Robert 'Basher' Bates , for their parts in nineteen murders , Mr. Justice Turlough O'Donnell talked of this " catalogue of horror " , and told William Moore - " You pleaded guilty to eleven murders carried out in a manner so cruel and revolting as to be beyond the comprehension of any normal human being . I see no reason whatever why you should ever be released . The facts speak for themseves and will remain forever a lasting monument to blind sectarian bigotry , " he told the court .
In all , the Shankill Butchers were given 2,000 years imprisonment , to run in concurrent sentences . British legal history was made with the 42 life sentences handed down , the largest number ever given out in one sitting .
(MORE LATER).
(NOTE - this site/blog will be winding itself down over the next few days -temporarily- as the '1169...' crew have mutinied ! They tell me they have'nt had a holiday since July 2003 , and are now insisting on a week off . Ya just can't get good help these days......)
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
RICHIE GOSS : 1915-1941 --- A REVOLUTIONARY IRISHMAN .......
.......at 19 years young in 1934 , Richie Goss was picked up by the Free State Special Branch and asked to account for his movements ; he refused .......
He was brought before a Free State Military Tribunal and sentenced to three months in prison ! The prison sentence was related , according to the ' Court' , to what became known as ' The McGrory Incident ' :
: In Dundalk , County Louth , on 9th January 1934 , a debt-collector (who was also said to be a member of the right-wing 'Blueshirt'[Fine Gael] party) was held-up by armed men and his bag of cash was taken . In making inquiries in the area about the robbery , the Free State Gardai(police) were assisted by a local man , a Mr. Joseph McGrory , from Chapel Street , Dundalk : two IRA men were jailed as a result of the evidence given by McGrory .
On the night of 11th February 1934 , a bomb was thrown through the front window of the McGrory house ; the explosion killed Joseph McGrory's wife . On 23rd March 1934 , Richie Goss and two others (James Finnigan and Matt McCrystal) were sentenced to three months in jail because they refused to " enter into recognisances " ie 'explain their whereabouts' on the night of the McGrory incident .
Then , in early July 1935 , four IRA men were arrested and charged with the death of Mrs McGrory .......
(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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .....
"....... Volunteer Jer Carthy had been busy ; he had got the measure of the local RIC Barracks , which also housed a Black and Tan Unit . Fourteen armed men in all......."
" Jer had noticed how , for the past three or four Sunday's since the weather had got fine , a number of the Black and Tans regularly sat on the wall after lunch . The number varied , but on one occasion as many as ten were there together . At least seven or eight had always come out . What did we think of it ? Very few of them had ever come out armed . They sat on the wall talking and joking and commenting on the people who passed them by . They did not appear to be anticipating any attack , in the daylight at any rate . The only caution they displayed was that they did not go far afield from their barracks .
We decided to get in touch with all the Volunteers who possessed revolvers . These weapons were very scarce at the time , as were all other types of firearm . Before midnight we had mustered twelve men . Of these , only four carried service revolvers . Six were armed with smaller bore guns , while two could almost truthfully be said to be unarmed with miserable pocket revolvers . Little planning was necessary . To get into Shorten's Pub without attracting the attention of the enemy across the road was the first and most vital part of the operation .
It should also have been the easiest . Yet it was that which thwarted our scheme ....... "
(MORE LATER).
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(13 of 16).
It was only , finally , in 1977 , that the Butchers made a fatal 'mistake' - they left a victim alive . 20-year-old Gerard McLaverty , dumped in an alleyway after being beaten and tortured with a knife , identified key gang members , including 'Big Sam' McAllister . The RUC searched McAllister's home and found a butcher's knife sticking out of the floorboards beside the bed , another knife under the bed , plus two butchers knives and a sharpening steel in the kitchen .
The knives ranged in size from six to ten inches , and the sharpener showed signs of heavy use . The breakthrough had been made . Most of the gang broke down under police questioning , some " crying like babies ."
(MORE LATER).
.......at 19 years young in 1934 , Richie Goss was picked up by the Free State Special Branch and asked to account for his movements ; he refused .......
He was brought before a Free State Military Tribunal and sentenced to three months in prison ! The prison sentence was related , according to the ' Court' , to what became known as ' The McGrory Incident ' :
: In Dundalk , County Louth , on 9th January 1934 , a debt-collector (who was also said to be a member of the right-wing 'Blueshirt'[Fine Gael] party) was held-up by armed men and his bag of cash was taken . In making inquiries in the area about the robbery , the Free State Gardai(police) were assisted by a local man , a Mr. Joseph McGrory , from Chapel Street , Dundalk : two IRA men were jailed as a result of the evidence given by McGrory .
On the night of 11th February 1934 , a bomb was thrown through the front window of the McGrory house ; the explosion killed Joseph McGrory's wife . On 23rd March 1934 , Richie Goss and two others (James Finnigan and Matt McCrystal) were sentenced to three months in jail because they refused to " enter into recognisances " ie 'explain their whereabouts' on the night of the McGrory incident .
Then , in early July 1935 , four IRA men were arrested and charged with the death of Mrs McGrory .......
(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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .....
"....... Volunteer Jer Carthy had been busy ; he had got the measure of the local RIC Barracks , which also housed a Black and Tan Unit . Fourteen armed men in all......."
" Jer had noticed how , for the past three or four Sunday's since the weather had got fine , a number of the Black and Tans regularly sat on the wall after lunch . The number varied , but on one occasion as many as ten were there together . At least seven or eight had always come out . What did we think of it ? Very few of them had ever come out armed . They sat on the wall talking and joking and commenting on the people who passed them by . They did not appear to be anticipating any attack , in the daylight at any rate . The only caution they displayed was that they did not go far afield from their barracks .
We decided to get in touch with all the Volunteers who possessed revolvers . These weapons were very scarce at the time , as were all other types of firearm . Before midnight we had mustered twelve men . Of these , only four carried service revolvers . Six were armed with smaller bore guns , while two could almost truthfully be said to be unarmed with miserable pocket revolvers . Little planning was necessary . To get into Shorten's Pub without attracting the attention of the enemy across the road was the first and most vital part of the operation .
It should also have been the easiest . Yet it was that which thwarted our scheme ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE BUTCHER BOYS .
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(13 of 16).
It was only , finally , in 1977 , that the Butchers made a fatal 'mistake' - they left a victim alive . 20-year-old Gerard McLaverty , dumped in an alleyway after being beaten and tortured with a knife , identified key gang members , including 'Big Sam' McAllister . The RUC searched McAllister's home and found a butcher's knife sticking out of the floorboards beside the bed , another knife under the bed , plus two butchers knives and a sharpening steel in the kitchen .
The knives ranged in size from six to ten inches , and the sharpener showed signs of heavy use . The breakthrough had been made . Most of the gang broke down under police questioning , some " crying like babies ."
(MORE LATER).
Monday, February 23, 2004
RICHIE GOSS : 1915-1941 --- A REVOLUTIONARY IRISHMAN .......
....... Ireland , 1933 ; Richie Goss had joined the IRA - he was 18 years young . The Nationalist population in the Six Counties was under seige .......
The then 'Grand Master' of the anti-Nationalist 'Orange Order' , a (British Senator) 'Sir' Joseph Davison , stated - " When will the Protestant employers of Northern Ireland (sic) recognise their duty to their Protestant brothers and sisters and employ them to the exclusion of Roman Catholics ? It is time Protestant employers realised that whenever a Roman Catholic is brought into their employment it means one Protestant vote less . It is our duty to pass the word along - Protestants employ Protestants . " !
That was the sentiment of those times - the blatant sectarianism that existed , and which Richie Goss , amongst others , hoped to bring to an end .
He was 18 years young , an IRA member and learning to use explosives - in early 1934 , at 19 years of age , Richie Goss was picked-up by the Free State Special Branch(political police) and asked to account for his movements ; he refused .......
(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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .....
".......My brother Pat and myself were in Ballyvourney for the Whitsunday celebrations ; we met another Volunteer , Jer Carthy from Ballingeary , our Intelligence Officer . He told us of a possible plan of attack on the enemy ......."
" For some time past , Jer had been closely watching the movements of the RIC and the Black and Tans in Ballingeary . The RIC had recently been reinforced by Black and Tans , and their combined strength was now fourteen men . They all lived together in the RIC Barracks in the middle of the village , across the street from Shorten's public house .
The road proper between the Barracks and Shorten's Pub was not a very wide one . Three cars abreast would fill it . The RIC Barracks was an ordinary two-storey house with a door in the middle . About fifteen feet in front of the building a wall ran along the edge of the roadway . It was breached by a small gateway straight opposite the front door . The wall was about three feet high . On a fine sunny day it would be an inviting and not uncomfortable seat for an active and leisurely young man .
Seated on it , his legs dangling , he would have a close view of everyone who passed by on the highway , or passed through the doorway of the pub across the road . The pub , like the Barracks , stood back from the roadway but had no wall or other obstruction in front . Like the poles of a magnet , one building attracted while the other repelled ......."
(MORE LATER).
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(12 of 16).
An excerpt from a confession by one of the Shankill Butchers , 'Big Sam' McAllister , illustrates how the gang had used their knowledge of the law -
--" I was out in a car with another fellow who I don't wish to say ....we were looking for a Taig (a Catholic) for a kicking . There was a hatchet in the car and I took it with me and got out of the car . As this man walked by me on his own , I hit him over the head with the wooden part of the hatchet . I hit him about twice . It was only meant to give him a digging . He was not meant to be killed . I think drink was the biggest cause of this . "
In fact , neither of the gang members were drunk on this occasion , and the ill-fated "taig" , 49-year-old Cornelius Neeson , died from a fractured skull , a broken leg and multiple lacerations to the head , face , shoulder and hand .
The pathologist concluded that all the blows were delivered with considerable severity from the hatchet , and from fists and feet ....
(MORE LATER).
....... Ireland , 1933 ; Richie Goss had joined the IRA - he was 18 years young . The Nationalist population in the Six Counties was under seige .......
The then 'Grand Master' of the anti-Nationalist 'Orange Order' , a (British Senator) 'Sir' Joseph Davison , stated - " When will the Protestant employers of Northern Ireland (sic) recognise their duty to their Protestant brothers and sisters and employ them to the exclusion of Roman Catholics ? It is time Protestant employers realised that whenever a Roman Catholic is brought into their employment it means one Protestant vote less . It is our duty to pass the word along - Protestants employ Protestants . " !
That was the sentiment of those times - the blatant sectarianism that existed , and which Richie Goss , amongst others , hoped to bring to an end .
He was 18 years young , an IRA member and learning to use explosives - in early 1934 , at 19 years of age , Richie Goss was picked-up by the Free State Special Branch(political police) and asked to account for his movements ; he refused .......
(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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .....
".......My brother Pat and myself were in Ballyvourney for the Whitsunday celebrations ; we met another Volunteer , Jer Carthy from Ballingeary , our Intelligence Officer . He told us of a possible plan of attack on the enemy ......."
" For some time past , Jer had been closely watching the movements of the RIC and the Black and Tans in Ballingeary . The RIC had recently been reinforced by Black and Tans , and their combined strength was now fourteen men . They all lived together in the RIC Barracks in the middle of the village , across the street from Shorten's public house .
The road proper between the Barracks and Shorten's Pub was not a very wide one . Three cars abreast would fill it . The RIC Barracks was an ordinary two-storey house with a door in the middle . About fifteen feet in front of the building a wall ran along the edge of the roadway . It was breached by a small gateway straight opposite the front door . The wall was about three feet high . On a fine sunny day it would be an inviting and not uncomfortable seat for an active and leisurely young man .
Seated on it , his legs dangling , he would have a close view of everyone who passed by on the highway , or passed through the doorway of the pub across the road . The pub , like the Barracks , stood back from the roadway but had no wall or other obstruction in front . Like the poles of a magnet , one building attracted while the other repelled ......."
(MORE LATER).
THE BUTCHER BOYS .
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(12 of 16).
An excerpt from a confession by one of the Shankill Butchers , 'Big Sam' McAllister , illustrates how the gang had used their knowledge of the law -
--" I was out in a car with another fellow who I don't wish to say ....we were looking for a Taig (a Catholic) for a kicking . There was a hatchet in the car and I took it with me and got out of the car . As this man walked by me on his own , I hit him over the head with the wooden part of the hatchet . I hit him about twice . It was only meant to give him a digging . He was not meant to be killed . I think drink was the biggest cause of this . "
In fact , neither of the gang members were drunk on this occasion , and the ill-fated "taig" , 49-year-old Cornelius Neeson , died from a fractured skull , a broken leg and multiple lacerations to the head , face , shoulder and hand .
The pathologist concluded that all the blows were delivered with considerable severity from the hatchet , and from fists and feet ....
(MORE LATER).
Sunday, February 22, 2004
RICHIE GOSS : 1915-1941 --- A REVOLUTIONARY IRISHMAN .......
....... Richie Goss was 18 years young in 1933 , when he joined the North Louth Battalion of the IRA ; he began to train in the use of explosives .......
At that time in Ireland(which , by then , had been partitioned), the anti-Catholic bigots of the then two-year-old ' Ulster Protestant League ' were in full swing ; Nationalists all over the Six Counties were being hammered . British political leaders were voicing support for the Unionists - indeed , 'Sir' Basil Brooke actually boasted that he " had not a Roman Catholic about my own place " !
Also , the then British Stormont Minister for Labour, a Mr. J. M. Andrews , spoke out about what he termed " a foul smear " - that of " another allegation made against the (British) government , which is untrue : that , out of 31 porters at Stormont , 28 are Roman Catholic . I have investigated the matter and I have found that there are 30 Protestants and only one Roman Catholic , there only temporarily . "
The British Loyalists , too , in the form of the Orange Order , were putting pressure on the Nationalists in the Six Counties ....... (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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .
" Whitsunday , ' Domhnach Cingcise ,' was always a big day in Ballyvourney and will be so forever , if fourteen centuries be taken as an indication of established custom . The day is not the feast of Saint Gobnait , but is a second day set apart in each year to do her honour . Starting on the eve of Whitsun , a stream of patrons visit her shrine to pray . Some keep vigil there all through the night .
The many crutches abandoned there give striking proof that prayers to Saint Gobnait are effective . Having visited the shrine and prayed , the people come down to the village to refresh and enjoy themselves . I am not going to pretend that the primary object of this great influx of people to Ballyvourney is always solely to honour Saint Gobnait by prayer alone . Certainly , it is the aim of many of them . But the young people and children seek amusement as well . And who can blame them ?
The sound of their merry laughter and the sight of their happy faces must be appreciated as much in heaven as on earth . Old people become young again as they watch the young enjoy themselves . The passage of half-a-century is ignored and once again they are children who have come to the ' Cingcis ' for the day .
It was Whit-Saturday night in 1920 . My brother Pat and I had come to Ballyvourney and were strolling along the village street . We met Jer Carthy . He was a Volunteer from Ballingeary , our Intelligence Officer for that district , and a good man he was . We drew aside to a quiet spot and Jer gave us the news ....... "
(MORE LATER).
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(11 of 16).
By watching forensic evidence being produced in different court cases , Lennie Murphy learned how to remove lead residue from his hands and clothing , where it accumulates when a gun is fired in close proximity to a person . He discovered how to ruin an identification parade . And he learned never to give an alibi in case the RUC could break it - answering RUC questions by stating simply that they would have to prove any allegations they wished to make .
Murphy , McAllister , Moore and Bates , in fact , were so well versed in the law that they repeatedly refused , even while confessing , to avoid making admissions of premeditated killing - suggesting that only the beating , not the death , of the victim , was intended , and that alcohol had played a large part in their actions .
(MORE LATER).
....... Richie Goss was 18 years young in 1933 , when he joined the North Louth Battalion of the IRA ; he began to train in the use of explosives .......
At that time in Ireland(which , by then , had been partitioned), the anti-Catholic bigots of the then two-year-old ' Ulster Protestant League ' were in full swing ; Nationalists all over the Six Counties were being hammered . British political leaders were voicing support for the Unionists - indeed , 'Sir' Basil Brooke actually boasted that he " had not a Roman Catholic about my own place " !
Also , the then British Stormont Minister for Labour, a Mr. J. M. Andrews , spoke out about what he termed " a foul smear " - that of " another allegation made against the (British) government , which is untrue : that , out of 31 porters at Stormont , 28 are Roman Catholic . I have investigated the matter and I have found that there are 30 Protestants and only one Roman Catholic , there only temporarily . "
The British Loyalists , too , in the form of the Orange Order , were putting pressure on the Nationalists in the Six Counties ....... (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.
BALLINGEARY BARRACKS .
" Whitsunday , ' Domhnach Cingcise ,' was always a big day in Ballyvourney and will be so forever , if fourteen centuries be taken as an indication of established custom . The day is not the feast of Saint Gobnait , but is a second day set apart in each year to do her honour . Starting on the eve of Whitsun , a stream of patrons visit her shrine to pray . Some keep vigil there all through the night .
The many crutches abandoned there give striking proof that prayers to Saint Gobnait are effective . Having visited the shrine and prayed , the people come down to the village to refresh and enjoy themselves . I am not going to pretend that the primary object of this great influx of people to Ballyvourney is always solely to honour Saint Gobnait by prayer alone . Certainly , it is the aim of many of them . But the young people and children seek amusement as well . And who can blame them ?
The sound of their merry laughter and the sight of their happy faces must be appreciated as much in heaven as on earth . Old people become young again as they watch the young enjoy themselves . The passage of half-a-century is ignored and once again they are children who have come to the ' Cingcis ' for the day .
It was Whit-Saturday night in 1920 . My brother Pat and I had come to Ballyvourney and were strolling along the village street . We met Jer Carthy . He was a Volunteer from Ballingeary , our Intelligence Officer for that district , and a good man he was . We drew aside to a quiet spot and Jer gave us the news ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE BUTCHER BOYS .
FROM THE BOOK ' The Shankill Butchers : A Case Study of Mass Murder ' , by Martin Dillon . Published by HUTCHINSON .
(Reviewed by Niall O'Flynn , and published in ' The Evening Press ' newspaper , Tuesday , 1st August , 1989 , page 6 ).
(11 of 16).
By watching forensic evidence being produced in different court cases , Lennie Murphy learned how to remove lead residue from his hands and clothing , where it accumulates when a gun is fired in close proximity to a person . He discovered how to ruin an identification parade . And he learned never to give an alibi in case the RUC could break it - answering RUC questions by stating simply that they would have to prove any allegations they wished to make .
Murphy , McAllister , Moore and Bates , in fact , were so well versed in the law that they repeatedly refused , even while confessing , to avoid making admissions of premeditated killing - suggesting that only the beating , not the death , of the victim , was intended , and that alcohol had played a large part in their actions .
(MORE LATER).
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