THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION , 1921-1925 .......
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... the (pro-British) Unionists in the Six Occupied North-Eastern Counties of Ireland were threatening all manner of retribution on Westminster if the Boundary Commission ( Article 12 of the 1921 'Treaty of Surrender') was established as agreed in that 'Treaty' .......
On 2nd February 1922 , a meeting was held between Michael Collins and the Stormont 'Prime Minister' , 'Sir' James Craig . Voices were raised over the issue / structure / terms of reference of the Boundary Commission , and the meeting ended abruptly over the matter . However , 'spin' and 'PR' (media manipulation) was immediately employed by both sides -
- at a press conference following that failed meeting , 'Sir' James Craig (Stormont 'PM') claimed that the British Prime Minister , Lloyd George , had assured him that the Boundary Commission " ... would deal only with minor rectifications of the boundary ... " ; in effect , that the Boundary Commission was a useless 'talking-shop' which had only been set-up to help the Free Staters to 'sell' the 'Six County idea' to other Free Staters .
However - Michael Collins claimed that he had left that same meeting with a promise , from the Brits , " ... of almost half of Northern Ireland (sic) including the counties of Fermanagh and Tyrone , large parts of Antrim and Down , Derry City , Enniskillen and Newry . " !
Obviously , both men could not have been right ; it is straightforward to state that the Boundary Commission was a 'sweetener' , if you like , to be used by both sides to convince their respective 'flock' that the Brits were really on their side .......
(MORE LATER).
PLASTIC BULLETS.......
First published in 'IRIS' Magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 .
In April 1981, 1,955 plastic bullets were fired - a rate of one every 20 minutes over the month . This was more than in the whole of 1980 .
Plastic bullets do not arouse the indignation that normal bullets excite . Over 7,000 have been fired since the death of Bobby Sands (ie May 1981 - November 1981) .
The intent of the British is that the mass protests can be shot off the streets without international opinion responding , as it would to news of large numbers of civilians being shot-up with buck shot or live rounds in , for example , South Africa .
Cases since April 1981 ; ' * ' denotes plastic bullet death .
Re-published here in 11 parts .
(6 of 11).
May 23rd , 1981 . Paul Fitzsimmons , 15 years of age , New Lodge , Belfast . Shot by RUC . Paul was hit on his eye and requires extensive skin grafts .
May 24th , 1981 . Thomas Torney , 17 years of age , Ballymurphy , Belfast . Shot by British soldiers . Thomas suffered a fractured left arm , bruising to his groin , and a torn muscle in the same area .
May 30th , 1981 . Sean Tumelty , 26 years of age , Divis Flats , Belfast . Shot at point-blank range by British soldiers . Sean was first shot in the stomach following which he was dragged into an alley-way and shot point-blank in the head . Sean is paralysed down his right side .
June 4th , 1981 . Desmond Linden , 50 years of age , Divis Flats , Belfast . Shot at point-blank range by British soldiers . He was struck just below his left ribs while standing outside his own flat . While on the ground he was kicked repeatedly . The ambulance which collected him was detained on two occasions by British troops leading to a complaint being lodged by the ambulance-mens trade union .
(MORE LATER).
NORAID'S UNTOLD MILLIONS .......
Irish-Americans have long had complex and contradictory relations with Ireland and the 'Irish Question' . On Saint Patrick's Day , all the ambiguities are apparent .
This year (ie 1987) , on Saint Patrick's Day , the latest book by Irish writer , Jack Holland was published in New York , exploring the tangled web of links between Irish-Americans and the Irish in Ireland , the IRA and the Irish government .
' The American Connection ' describes the activities of leading Irish-American politicians , of romanticising writers and of gun-runners .
In this edited extract , the author tells how Noraid was set up and how it has resisted pressures to disclose all the sources and uses of its funds .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , April 1987 .
Re-published here in 31 parts .
(3 of 31).
The 'Irish Action Committee' already existed and could form the basis of the kind of organisation which Daithi O Conaill had in mind . O Conaill foresaw that as the IRA grew and became more active , it would lose more of its Volunteers to jail ; since traditionally the IRA supported the families of jailed IRA men , this would put a great financial strain on the organisation .
Irish-American money would help alleviate that strain . As they discussed the nature of the proposed organisation , it was decided that the name of the 'Irish Action Committee' would have to be changed . Michael Flannery was anxious that there be no connotations of violence associated with it - that is , it should be recognised as a benevolent organisation . They considered calling it " The Dependents Fund " , but this was rejected as too vague .
Finally they chose ' The Irish Northern Aid Committee ' (INAC) - or NORAID , as it has become popularly known . The founding members were Michael Flannery and two other old IRA men of that generation : Jack McGowan and Jack McCarthy . McGowan had fought in the IRA's Clare Brigade fifty years before , while McCarthy had been a member of the Cork Brigade . Like Michael Flannery , they had come to America in the 1920's after the Irish Republican cause suffered defeat in the Civil War .
And also like Michael Flannery , both men were active in the Irish-American community , with wide contacts in its various organisations and in the labour movement .......
(MORE LATER).
Thursday, December 16, 2004
THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION , 1921-1925 .......
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... the British Prime Minister , Lloyd George , stated (in December 1921) that the Boundary Commission might very well find that two of the partitioned Six Counties in Ireland , Fermanagh and Tyrone , should join the Free State ; the Unionists were outraged . The brother of the Stormont 'Prime Minister' replied to Lloyd George .......
... " Our Northern area will be so cut-up and mutilated that we shall no longer be masters in our own house . The decision of that Commission may be a matter of life and death to us . I submit to the Prime Minister that he had no right to do that and that he was in honour-bound not to allow such a Commission to appear in this document by the promise he had given to the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland . "
The Stormont ' Minister for Education ' , British 'Lord' Londonderry , the 'Marquis of Londonderry' (a 'landowner', who was also involved with coal-mines [as an owner , not a worker!] in Durham , England : he was later to become 'Leader' of the British 'House of Lords') stated (in the 'House of Lords') -
- " All that I would say now is that it may be necessary for the government of Northern Ireland (sic) to refuse to nominate a representative on the proposed Boundary Commission and that , if by its findings any part of the territory transferred to us under the Act of 1920 is placed under the Free State , we may have to consider very carefully and very anxiously the measures which we shall have to adopt , as a government , for the purpose of assisting Loyalists whom your Commission may propose to transfer to the Free State but who may wish to remain with us , with Great Britain and the Empire . "
At a meeting between Michael Collins and the Stormont 'Prime Minister' , British 'Sir' James Craig , on 2nd February 1922 , voices were raised over this issue .......
(MORE LATER).
PLASTIC BULLETS.......
First published in 'IRIS' Magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 .
In April 1981, 1,955 plastic bullets were fired - a rate of one every 20 minutes over the month . This was more than in the whole of 1980 .
Plastic bullets do not arouse the indignation that normal bullets excite . Over 7,000 have been fired since the death of Bobby Sands (ie May 1981 - November 1981) .
The intent of the British is that the mass protests can be shot off the streets without international opinion responding , as it would to news of large numbers of civilians being shot-up with buck shot or live rounds in , for example , South Africa .
Cases since April 1981 ; ' * ' denotes plastic bullet death .
Re-published here in 11 parts .
(5 of 11).
May 21st , 1981 . Day of deaths of Patsy O'Hara and Ray McCreesh ; Margaret McElorum , 15 years of age , New Lodge , Belfast . Shot by British soldier . Wounded in small of back . Margaret was just approaching an open-air prayer meeting when shot .
May 21st , 1981 . Marie McKernan , 15 years of age , Markets , Belfast , and Kathleen Hanna , 24 years of age , mother of two - both shot by British soldiers in same incident . Marie suffered bruising to her chest , Kathleen received twelve stitches to her head .
May 21st , 1981 * . Harry Duffy , 45 years of age , Creggan , Derry . Hit by two bullets fired by British soldiers while coming home from local bar . His skull was split wide open by the second bullet . He suffered a massive coronary due to the loss of most of his blood . Harry was buried on the day his three youngest children made their holy communion .
May 22nd , 1981 . Tommy Cupples , 32 years of age , Short Strand , Belfast . Shot three times by RUC . Wounded in eyes , arms , thighs and buttocks . Thirty stitches in head . Suffered subsequent epileptic fits .
May 22nd , 1981 . Rosaleen McGee , mother of three , Grosvenor Road , Belfast . Shot by RUC . Her right arm was shattered . Rosaleen was taking part in a peaceful protest when shot .
May 22nd , 1981 . Margaret McDonald , Falls , Belfast . Shot from two yards by RUC . She was wounded in her stomach and will require a skin graft .
May 22nd , 1981 . Brendan McNally , Markets , Belfast . Arrested after bullets were fired through the door of his home . The next night his wife and children were threatened by British Army soldiers armed with riot guns .
(MORE LATER).
NORAID'S UNTOLD MILLIONS .......
Irish-Americans have long had complex and contradictory relations with Ireland and the 'Irish Question' . On Saint Patrick's Day , all the ambiguities are apparent .
This year (ie 1987) , on Saint Patrick's Day , the latest book by Irish writer , Jack Holland was published in New York , exploring the tangled web of links between Irish-Americans and the Irish in Ireland , the IRA and the Irish government .
' The American Connection ' describes the activities of leading Irish-American politicians , of romanticising writers and of gun-runners .
In this edited extract , the author tells how Noraid was set up and how it has resisted pressures to disclose all the sources and uses of its funds .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , April 1987 .
Re-published here in 31 parts .
(2 of 31).
Daithi O Conaill arrived in New York in late 1969 / early 1970 ; his history of IRA involvement went back to 1955 , when , at the age of fifteen , he first joined the Republican Movement . As with Joe Cahill , there was no doubt about which course O Conaill would take when the choice had to be made between preparing for an active military campaign or following the political road .
The aims of building a support network and re-activating the arms supply were kept separate ; they had to be - fund-raising is a public activity , for it needs to appeal to as broad a base of support as possible . The IRA men had in mind an organisation rather like the 'Friends of Irish Freedom' , which had collected money and gathered support for the IRA during its war against the British from 1919 to 1921 . When Daithi O Conaill came to New York in the spring of 1970 he wanted to meet Irish Americans who would be able to help build such an organisation .
One of the first he spoke with was Michael Flannery .......
(MORE LATER).
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... the British Prime Minister , Lloyd George , stated (in December 1921) that the Boundary Commission might very well find that two of the partitioned Six Counties in Ireland , Fermanagh and Tyrone , should join the Free State ; the Unionists were outraged . The brother of the Stormont 'Prime Minister' replied to Lloyd George .......
... " Our Northern area will be so cut-up and mutilated that we shall no longer be masters in our own house . The decision of that Commission may be a matter of life and death to us . I submit to the Prime Minister that he had no right to do that and that he was in honour-bound not to allow such a Commission to appear in this document by the promise he had given to the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland . "
The Stormont ' Minister for Education ' , British 'Lord' Londonderry , the 'Marquis of Londonderry' (a 'landowner', who was also involved with coal-mines [as an owner , not a worker!] in Durham , England : he was later to become 'Leader' of the British 'House of Lords') stated (in the 'House of Lords') -
- " All that I would say now is that it may be necessary for the government of Northern Ireland (sic) to refuse to nominate a representative on the proposed Boundary Commission and that , if by its findings any part of the territory transferred to us under the Act of 1920 is placed under the Free State , we may have to consider very carefully and very anxiously the measures which we shall have to adopt , as a government , for the purpose of assisting Loyalists whom your Commission may propose to transfer to the Free State but who may wish to remain with us , with Great Britain and the Empire . "
At a meeting between Michael Collins and the Stormont 'Prime Minister' , British 'Sir' James Craig , on 2nd February 1922 , voices were raised over this issue .......
(MORE LATER).
PLASTIC BULLETS.......
First published in 'IRIS' Magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 .
In April 1981, 1,955 plastic bullets were fired - a rate of one every 20 minutes over the month . This was more than in the whole of 1980 .
Plastic bullets do not arouse the indignation that normal bullets excite . Over 7,000 have been fired since the death of Bobby Sands (ie May 1981 - November 1981) .
The intent of the British is that the mass protests can be shot off the streets without international opinion responding , as it would to news of large numbers of civilians being shot-up with buck shot or live rounds in , for example , South Africa .
Cases since April 1981 ; ' * ' denotes plastic bullet death .
Re-published here in 11 parts .
(5 of 11).
May 21st , 1981 . Day of deaths of Patsy O'Hara and Ray McCreesh ; Margaret McElorum , 15 years of age , New Lodge , Belfast . Shot by British soldier . Wounded in small of back . Margaret was just approaching an open-air prayer meeting when shot .
May 21st , 1981 . Marie McKernan , 15 years of age , Markets , Belfast , and Kathleen Hanna , 24 years of age , mother of two - both shot by British soldiers in same incident . Marie suffered bruising to her chest , Kathleen received twelve stitches to her head .
May 21st , 1981 * . Harry Duffy , 45 years of age , Creggan , Derry . Hit by two bullets fired by British soldiers while coming home from local bar . His skull was split wide open by the second bullet . He suffered a massive coronary due to the loss of most of his blood . Harry was buried on the day his three youngest children made their holy communion .
May 22nd , 1981 . Tommy Cupples , 32 years of age , Short Strand , Belfast . Shot three times by RUC . Wounded in eyes , arms , thighs and buttocks . Thirty stitches in head . Suffered subsequent epileptic fits .
May 22nd , 1981 . Rosaleen McGee , mother of three , Grosvenor Road , Belfast . Shot by RUC . Her right arm was shattered . Rosaleen was taking part in a peaceful protest when shot .
May 22nd , 1981 . Margaret McDonald , Falls , Belfast . Shot from two yards by RUC . She was wounded in her stomach and will require a skin graft .
May 22nd , 1981 . Brendan McNally , Markets , Belfast . Arrested after bullets were fired through the door of his home . The next night his wife and children were threatened by British Army soldiers armed with riot guns .
(MORE LATER).
NORAID'S UNTOLD MILLIONS .......
Irish-Americans have long had complex and contradictory relations with Ireland and the 'Irish Question' . On Saint Patrick's Day , all the ambiguities are apparent .
This year (ie 1987) , on Saint Patrick's Day , the latest book by Irish writer , Jack Holland was published in New York , exploring the tangled web of links between Irish-Americans and the Irish in Ireland , the IRA and the Irish government .
' The American Connection ' describes the activities of leading Irish-American politicians , of romanticising writers and of gun-runners .
In this edited extract , the author tells how Noraid was set up and how it has resisted pressures to disclose all the sources and uses of its funds .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , April 1987 .
Re-published here in 31 parts .
(2 of 31).
Daithi O Conaill arrived in New York in late 1969 / early 1970 ; his history of IRA involvement went back to 1955 , when , at the age of fifteen , he first joined the Republican Movement . As with Joe Cahill , there was no doubt about which course O Conaill would take when the choice had to be made between preparing for an active military campaign or following the political road .
The aims of building a support network and re-activating the arms supply were kept separate ; they had to be - fund-raising is a public activity , for it needs to appeal to as broad a base of support as possible . The IRA men had in mind an organisation rather like the 'Friends of Irish Freedom' , which had collected money and gathered support for the IRA during its war against the British from 1919 to 1921 . When Daithi O Conaill came to New York in the spring of 1970 he wanted to meet Irish Americans who would be able to help build such an organisation .
One of the first he spoke with was Michael Flannery .......
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION , 1921-1925 .......
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... the Boundary Commission was to consist of three members - one from each Administration ; Dublin , Stormont and Westminster .......
The Westminster representative was to be the Chairperson of the Boundary Commission and , because of this and its circumscribed ' terms of reference ' it was a 'toothless' body but , even so , the Unionists were incensed - the (pro-British) Stormont 'Prime Minister' , 'Sir' James Craig (a 'landowner' and shareholder in the family whiskey business , ' Dunvilles Distillery ') wrote to the British Prime Minister , Lloyd George , on 14th December 1921 , completely rejecting any notion of a Boundary Commission as said body might judge that two of the Six partitioned Counties , Fermanagh and Tyrone " ... might be lost to the North.." due to a strong 'headcount' of Republicans / Nationalists in those two counties .
Lloyd George defended the Boundary Commission , saying - " There is no doubt , certainly since the Act of 1920 [ ie the so-called 'Government of Ireland Act' - two 'Home Rule Parliaments' for Ireland] that the majority of the people of the two counties prefer being with their Southern neighbours to being in the Northern parliament . Take it either by constituency or by poor law union or , if you like , by counting heads , and you will find that the majority in these two counties prefer to be with their Southern neighbours .
If Ulster (sic) is to remain a separate community , you can only by means of coercion keep them there and , although I am against the coercion of Ulster , (sic) I do not believe in Ulster (sic) coercing other units . "
That set 'the cat among the pigeons' ; the Unionist leadership were outraged at Lloyd Georges' comments , no doubt seeing them as Westminster preparing to 'wash its hands' of the 'troublesome Irish' or at least sending a signal (to the Free Staters) that it was of a mind to do so : the brother of the Stormont 'Prime Minister' was first with a reply to that statement by Lloyd George -
- and , in his reply , he spoke of a " matter of life and death " and challenged the authority of Westminster to do as it apparently intended to do .......
(MORE LATER).
PLASTIC BULLETS.......
First published in 'IRIS' Magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 .
In April 1981, 1,955 plastic bullets were fired - a rate of one every 20 minutes over the month . This was more than in the whole of 1980 .
Plastic bullets do not arouse the indignation that normal bullets excite . Over 7,000 have been fired since the death of Bobby Sands (ie May 1981 - November 1981) .
The intent of the British is that the mass protests can be shot off the streets without international opinion responding , as it would to news of large numbers of civilians being shot-up with buck shot or live rounds in , for example , South Africa .
Cases since April 1981 ; ' * ' denotes plastic bullet death .
Re-published here in 11 parts .
(4 of 11).
May 15th , 1981 . Paul Lavelle , 15 years of age , Ardoyne , Belfast . Shot at point-blank range in the head after being dragged up a side street by British soldiers . Serious head injuries .
May 15th , 1981 . Joseph Mullan , 11 years of age , Ballymurphy , Belfast . Shot from rear of British armoured car .
May 15th , 1981 . Damien McKenna , 19 years of age , Beechmount , Belfast . Shot by British soldier , received ten stitches in right ear . No riot was going on in the area .
May 17th , 1981 . Sarah Wildy , grandmother , St. James , Belfast . Shot by British soldier from armoured car . Severe bruising to stomach .
May 19th , 1981 . Kevin McLoughlin , 13 years of age , Whiterock , Belfast . Shot from British armoured car . Suffered severe head injuries . Kevin was sitting on a fence near his home when shot .
May 19th , 1981 * . Carol-Ann Kelly , 12 years of age , Twinbrook , Belfast . Shot by British soldiers from rear of jeeps . Carol-Ann was knocked unconscious by the plastic bullet . The British Army delayed the arrival of an ambulance for fifteen minutes ; due to the resultant loss of blood Carol-Ann died three days later in hospital . She was shot while carrying messages home for her mother . A neighbour , Kathleen Robinson , said - " This young child was shot for absolutely no reason . There was no trouble in the area at the time . "
(MORE LATER).
NORAID'S UNTOLD MILLIONS .
Irish-Americans have long had complex and contradictory relations with Ireland and the 'Irish Question' . On Saint Patrick's Day , all the ambiguities are apparent .
This year (ie 1987) , on Saint Patrick's Day , the latest book by Irish writer , Jack Holland was published in New York , exploring the tangled web of links between Irish-Americans and the Irish in Ireland , the IRA and the Irish government .
' The American Connection ' describes the activities of leading Irish-American politicians , of romanticising writers and of gun-runners .
In this edited extract , the author tells how Noraid was set up and how it has resisted pressures to disclose all the sources and uses of its funds .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , April 1987 .
Re-published here in 31 parts .
(1 of 31).
The only hint of vanity about Michael Flannery is the rather incongruous slick of sandy hair that curls above his forehead . He is set very much in the mould of a Catholic stoic . He neither drinks nor smokes , and he attends mass every morning at eight in his local church in Jackson Heights , Queens , in New York .
A former life-insurance salesman , Michael Flannery goes about his business in a quiet and undemonstrative way ; when ideological troubles shook James Heaney's organisation , the 'American Congress for Irish Freedom ' in the late 1960's , Flannery left to form his own organisation , the ' Irish Action Committee ' . Like many similar Irish-American organisations preceding it , this committee set out to raise support for the increasingly embattled Irish nationalists .
In late 1969 , both factions of the IRA wanted to win support in America ; it was the leaders of the Provisional wing which made the greatest inroads , however , and utilised the potential energy beginning to emerge among Irish Americans anxious and angry at the course of events . In late 1969 and early 1970 two leading IRA men came to America - they had two aims : to meet with influential Irish Americans who were sympathetic to the Cause and who would help raise money for it , and to re-activate the arms network that had atrophied since the 1950's . Daithi O'Conaill and Joe Cahill were veterans of the IRA's struggle ; Cahill , a Belfast man , was the older , with an IRA record going back to the late 1930's .......
(MORE LATER).
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... the Boundary Commission was to consist of three members - one from each Administration ; Dublin , Stormont and Westminster .......
The Westminster representative was to be the Chairperson of the Boundary Commission and , because of this and its circumscribed ' terms of reference ' it was a 'toothless' body but , even so , the Unionists were incensed - the (pro-British) Stormont 'Prime Minister' , 'Sir' James Craig (a 'landowner' and shareholder in the family whiskey business , ' Dunvilles Distillery ') wrote to the British Prime Minister , Lloyd George , on 14th December 1921 , completely rejecting any notion of a Boundary Commission as said body might judge that two of the Six partitioned Counties , Fermanagh and Tyrone " ... might be lost to the North.." due to a strong 'headcount' of Republicans / Nationalists in those two counties .
Lloyd George defended the Boundary Commission , saying - " There is no doubt , certainly since the Act of 1920 [ ie the so-called 'Government of Ireland Act' - two 'Home Rule Parliaments' for Ireland] that the majority of the people of the two counties prefer being with their Southern neighbours to being in the Northern parliament . Take it either by constituency or by poor law union or , if you like , by counting heads , and you will find that the majority in these two counties prefer to be with their Southern neighbours .
If Ulster (sic) is to remain a separate community , you can only by means of coercion keep them there and , although I am against the coercion of Ulster , (sic) I do not believe in Ulster (sic) coercing other units . "
That set 'the cat among the pigeons' ; the Unionist leadership were outraged at Lloyd Georges' comments , no doubt seeing them as Westminster preparing to 'wash its hands' of the 'troublesome Irish' or at least sending a signal (to the Free Staters) that it was of a mind to do so : the brother of the Stormont 'Prime Minister' was first with a reply to that statement by Lloyd George -
- and , in his reply , he spoke of a " matter of life and death " and challenged the authority of Westminster to do as it apparently intended to do .......
(MORE LATER).
PLASTIC BULLETS.......
First published in 'IRIS' Magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 .
In April 1981, 1,955 plastic bullets were fired - a rate of one every 20 minutes over the month . This was more than in the whole of 1980 .
Plastic bullets do not arouse the indignation that normal bullets excite . Over 7,000 have been fired since the death of Bobby Sands (ie May 1981 - November 1981) .
The intent of the British is that the mass protests can be shot off the streets without international opinion responding , as it would to news of large numbers of civilians being shot-up with buck shot or live rounds in , for example , South Africa .
Cases since April 1981 ; ' * ' denotes plastic bullet death .
Re-published here in 11 parts .
(4 of 11).
May 15th , 1981 . Paul Lavelle , 15 years of age , Ardoyne , Belfast . Shot at point-blank range in the head after being dragged up a side street by British soldiers . Serious head injuries .
May 15th , 1981 . Joseph Mullan , 11 years of age , Ballymurphy , Belfast . Shot from rear of British armoured car .
May 15th , 1981 . Damien McKenna , 19 years of age , Beechmount , Belfast . Shot by British soldier , received ten stitches in right ear . No riot was going on in the area .
May 17th , 1981 . Sarah Wildy , grandmother , St. James , Belfast . Shot by British soldier from armoured car . Severe bruising to stomach .
May 19th , 1981 . Kevin McLoughlin , 13 years of age , Whiterock , Belfast . Shot from British armoured car . Suffered severe head injuries . Kevin was sitting on a fence near his home when shot .
May 19th , 1981 * . Carol-Ann Kelly , 12 years of age , Twinbrook , Belfast . Shot by British soldiers from rear of jeeps . Carol-Ann was knocked unconscious by the plastic bullet . The British Army delayed the arrival of an ambulance for fifteen minutes ; due to the resultant loss of blood Carol-Ann died three days later in hospital . She was shot while carrying messages home for her mother . A neighbour , Kathleen Robinson , said - " This young child was shot for absolutely no reason . There was no trouble in the area at the time . "
(MORE LATER).
NORAID'S UNTOLD MILLIONS .
Irish-Americans have long had complex and contradictory relations with Ireland and the 'Irish Question' . On Saint Patrick's Day , all the ambiguities are apparent .
This year (ie 1987) , on Saint Patrick's Day , the latest book by Irish writer , Jack Holland was published in New York , exploring the tangled web of links between Irish-Americans and the Irish in Ireland , the IRA and the Irish government .
' The American Connection ' describes the activities of leading Irish-American politicians , of romanticising writers and of gun-runners .
In this edited extract , the author tells how Noraid was set up and how it has resisted pressures to disclose all the sources and uses of its funds .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , April 1987 .
Re-published here in 31 parts .
(1 of 31).
The only hint of vanity about Michael Flannery is the rather incongruous slick of sandy hair that curls above his forehead . He is set very much in the mould of a Catholic stoic . He neither drinks nor smokes , and he attends mass every morning at eight in his local church in Jackson Heights , Queens , in New York .
A former life-insurance salesman , Michael Flannery goes about his business in a quiet and undemonstrative way ; when ideological troubles shook James Heaney's organisation , the 'American Congress for Irish Freedom ' in the late 1960's , Flannery left to form his own organisation , the ' Irish Action Committee ' . Like many similar Irish-American organisations preceding it , this committee set out to raise support for the increasingly embattled Irish nationalists .
In late 1969 , both factions of the IRA wanted to win support in America ; it was the leaders of the Provisional wing which made the greatest inroads , however , and utilised the potential energy beginning to emerge among Irish Americans anxious and angry at the course of events . In late 1969 and early 1970 two leading IRA men came to America - they had two aims : to meet with influential Irish Americans who were sympathetic to the Cause and who would help raise money for it , and to re-activate the arms network that had atrophied since the 1950's . Daithi O'Conaill and Joe Cahill were veterans of the IRA's struggle ; Cahill , a Belfast man , was the older , with an IRA record going back to the late 1930's .......
(MORE LATER).
Tuesday, December 14, 2004
THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION , 1921-1925 .
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.
On 6th December 1921 , the 'Treaty of Surrender' was signed in London ; included in that 'Treaty' was the establishment of a 'Boundary Commission' (Article 12 of said Treaty) to determine the boundaries between the partitioned 6 and 26-County 'States' .
Those who favoured the Six County 'Ulster' (sic) remaining as " part of the United Kingdom " were outraged - the British Administration in the Six Counties , which operated from Stormont , dis-agreed with the 'terms of reference' of the Boundary Commission , which were -
- " To determine in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants so far as may be compatible with economic and geographic conditions , the boundaries between Northern Ireland (sic) and the rest of Ireland ....... " .
This was later 'tweaked' to prevent any of the Administrations (ie Dublin , Stormont or Westminster) from giving ' privileges to , or imposing disabilities on , anyone because of religion ....' . This Boundary Commission was to consist of three members .......
(MORE LATER).
PLASTIC BULLETS.......
First published in 'IRIS' Magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 .
In April 1981, 1,955 plastic bullets were fired - a rate of one every 20 minutes over the month . This was more than in the whole of 1980 .
Plastic bullets do not arouse the indignation that normal bullets excite . Over 7,000 have been fired since the death of Bobby Sands (ie May 1981 - November 1981) .
The intent of the British is that the mass protests can be shot off the streets without international opinion responding , as it would to news of large numbers of civilians being shot-up with buck shot or live rounds in , for example , South Africa .
Cases since April 1981 ; ' * ' denotes plastic bullet death .
Re-published here in 11 parts .
(3 of 11).
May 9th , 1981 . Dominic Marron , 15 years of age , Falls , Belfast . Shot by RUC , severely injured , many days in intensive care , suffered brain damage .
May 11th , 1981 . * (Day of Francis Hughes' death.) Julie Livingstone , 14 years of age , Lenadoon , Belfast . Shot from rear of British armoured car : Julie had two brothers in H-Block . She died in hospital May 13th , 1981 . Julie was walking home with a bottle of milk from a local shop - there was no riot in the area .
May 12th , 1981 . Pauline Donnelly , 21 years of age , Falls , Belfast . Mother of five-month-old child . Shot at point-blank range from rear of RUC landrover . Badly bruised behind left ear . Two men , Frankie Short and Victor Angels , who came to her assistance , were also hit .
May 13th , 1981 . David Madden , four-and-a-half years of age , Turf Lodge , Belfast . Shot by RUC while leaving school . Other children were fired at but not hit . David received six stitches to his head .
May 13th , 1981 . Neil Lynash , 5 years of age , Grosvenor Road , Belfast . Shot by RUC . A skin graft over serious burn wounds was ripped-off by the bullet . He was sitting outside Lappin's sweet shop when shot .
(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.
[13 of 13].
Then came the case of Seamus Shannon , wanted for killing eighty-six year-old 'Sir' Norman Stronge and his son , James ; it is felt that these were particularly "emotive" cases , not likely to benefit from the political exception from extradition . Philip McMahon's extradition was turned down ; one of the reasons for this was that four of McMahon's co-accused had appeared in court in the Republic (sic) nine years previously , had asserted that the offence of escaping from Newry Courthouse was political , and were not extradited .
The latter case of John Patrick Quinn turned completely on its head the traditional assumption of a " political offence " . Senior Counsel and President of the Irish Bar Council , Paddy MacEntee , says that the case of John Patrick Quinn " presents a most disquieting set of facts " and that " it needs to be looked into in all its aspects as a matter of urgency . " John Patrick Quinn faced three years of High and Supreme Court battles without any legal aid .
Both the Irish Attorney General , John Rodgers , and his British counterpart , Michael Havers , have refused to comment .
[END of ' THE EXTRADITION FIASCO .....' ].
(Tomorrow - 'Noraid's Untold Millions' ; from 1987.)
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.
On 6th December 1921 , the 'Treaty of Surrender' was signed in London ; included in that 'Treaty' was the establishment of a 'Boundary Commission' (Article 12 of said Treaty) to determine the boundaries between the partitioned 6 and 26-County 'States' .
Those who favoured the Six County 'Ulster' (sic) remaining as " part of the United Kingdom " were outraged - the British Administration in the Six Counties , which operated from Stormont , dis-agreed with the 'terms of reference' of the Boundary Commission , which were -
- " To determine in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants so far as may be compatible with economic and geographic conditions , the boundaries between Northern Ireland (sic) and the rest of Ireland ....... " .
This was later 'tweaked' to prevent any of the Administrations (ie Dublin , Stormont or Westminster) from giving ' privileges to , or imposing disabilities on , anyone because of religion ....' . This Boundary Commission was to consist of three members .......
(MORE LATER).
PLASTIC BULLETS.......
First published in 'IRIS' Magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 .
In April 1981, 1,955 plastic bullets were fired - a rate of one every 20 minutes over the month . This was more than in the whole of 1980 .
Plastic bullets do not arouse the indignation that normal bullets excite . Over 7,000 have been fired since the death of Bobby Sands (ie May 1981 - November 1981) .
The intent of the British is that the mass protests can be shot off the streets without international opinion responding , as it would to news of large numbers of civilians being shot-up with buck shot or live rounds in , for example , South Africa .
Cases since April 1981 ; ' * ' denotes plastic bullet death .
Re-published here in 11 parts .
(3 of 11).
May 9th , 1981 . Dominic Marron , 15 years of age , Falls , Belfast . Shot by RUC , severely injured , many days in intensive care , suffered brain damage .
May 11th , 1981 . * (Day of Francis Hughes' death.) Julie Livingstone , 14 years of age , Lenadoon , Belfast . Shot from rear of British armoured car : Julie had two brothers in H-Block . She died in hospital May 13th , 1981 . Julie was walking home with a bottle of milk from a local shop - there was no riot in the area .
May 12th , 1981 . Pauline Donnelly , 21 years of age , Falls , Belfast . Mother of five-month-old child . Shot at point-blank range from rear of RUC landrover . Badly bruised behind left ear . Two men , Frankie Short and Victor Angels , who came to her assistance , were also hit .
May 13th , 1981 . David Madden , four-and-a-half years of age , Turf Lodge , Belfast . Shot by RUC while leaving school . Other children were fired at but not hit . David received six stitches to his head .
May 13th , 1981 . Neil Lynash , 5 years of age , Grosvenor Road , Belfast . Shot by RUC . A skin graft over serious burn wounds was ripped-off by the bullet . He was sitting outside Lappin's sweet shop when shot .
(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.
[13 of 13].
Then came the case of Seamus Shannon , wanted for killing eighty-six year-old 'Sir' Norman Stronge and his son , James ; it is felt that these were particularly "emotive" cases , not likely to benefit from the political exception from extradition . Philip McMahon's extradition was turned down ; one of the reasons for this was that four of McMahon's co-accused had appeared in court in the Republic (sic) nine years previously , had asserted that the offence of escaping from Newry Courthouse was political , and were not extradited .
The latter case of John Patrick Quinn turned completely on its head the traditional assumption of a " political offence " . Senior Counsel and President of the Irish Bar Council , Paddy MacEntee , says that the case of John Patrick Quinn " presents a most disquieting set of facts " and that " it needs to be looked into in all its aspects as a matter of urgency . " John Patrick Quinn faced three years of High and Supreme Court battles without any legal aid .
Both the Irish Attorney General , John Rodgers , and his British counterpart , Michael Havers , have refused to comment .
[END of ' THE EXTRADITION FIASCO .....' ].
(Tomorrow - 'Noraid's Untold Millions' ; from 1987.)
Monday, December 13, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... on 24th May 1921 , British General 'Sir' Nevil Macready informed Westminster that the IRA could not be militarily defeated ; on 22nd June 1921 , British 'King' George V , in coded language , offered the Irish Rebels the opportunity to talk and , on 9th July 1921 , Eamon de Valera led an Irish Republican delegation to meet the Brits .......
On 11th July 1921 , in Dublin , a 'Truce' was signed between the Crown Forces and the IRA and then , in London on 6th December 1921 , the 'Treaty of Surrender' was signed , bringing this cursed Free State into being .
We have had other 'Treaty's ' since then : 1973 (Sunningdale) , 1985 (Hillsborough) and 1998 (Stormont) - and no doubt we will suffer more of them in the future . But until such time as a Treaty contains a date for British military and political withdrawal from Ireland , it will not 'solve the Irish problem' ; we have not endured an 835-years long struggle for freedom only to now say to Westminster , as the Provos and others in the Free State 'parliament' , and system , have said - ' Stay if you want , just treat us better .....' .
Likewise , we have had dozens of elections (both 'local' and 'general') since that election of 15th January 1920 , and the Provisional political party have done well out of them ; they went in to local Councils , Leinster House , Stormont , Westminster (currently abstaining from their seats in the latter institution) and Brussels , to " change the system ..." ; but the system changed them .
In order to keep their seats (and win new ones) they will have to "look after things" ie acquire / inquire after medical cards , street lighting , grass verges to be cut , representation re social welfare claims etc etc - all laudable pursuits , right enough , but ... .. what about that which we Irish Republicans consider to be 'the big picture' ? - the British political and military presence in our country , and their continuing claim of jurisdiction over part of this island ?
No votes in it for the Provisionals . For Irish Republicans there does'nt have to be .......
[END of ' IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......'].
(Tomorrow - 'THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION , 1921 - 1925 : A BRITISH 'SLEIGHT-OF-HAND' WHICH CAUSED A MUTINY WITHIN BRITISH FORCES IN IRELAND .' )
PLASTIC BULLETS.......
First published in 'IRIS' Magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 .
In April 1981, 1,955 plastic bullets were fired - a rate of one every 20 minutes over the month . This was more than in the whole of 1980 .
Plastic bullets do not arouse the indignation that normal bullets excite . Over 7,000 have been fired since the death of Bobby Sands (ie May 1981 - November 1981) .
The intent of the British is that the mass protests can be shot off the streets without international opinion responding , as it would to news of large numbers of civilians being shot-up with buck shot or live rounds in , for example , South Africa .
Cases since April 1981 ; ' * ' denotes plastic bullet death .
Re-published here in 11 parts .
(2 of 11).
May 6th , 1981 . Bridget Maguire , mother of six , Belfast . Shot by RUC . Received twenty-six stitches to face . She was kneeling at an open-air prayer meeting when shot .
May 7th , 1981 . Paul Logue , 16 years of age , Waterside , Derry . Shot by RUC . Received six stitches to forehead .
May 8th , 1981 . Patrick Doherty , 68 years of age , Shantallow , Derry . Shot at close range by British soldier . Kicked on ground after shooting , suffered fractured skull . Shot near home , no rioting in area .
May 8th , 1981 . Derry man , 21 years of age , Creggan , Derry . Shot at point-blank range by RUC . Lost an eye , which was completely shattered , despite two-and-a-half hours in surgery . He was returning home from a night out with two friends . No rioting in area .
May 8th , 1981 . John Wasson , 22 years of age , Ardoyne , Belfast . Shot with two bullets . Injured in head and chest . Paralysed down one side . No riot in area .
May 8th , 1981 . Alfred Parker , 36 years of age , Whiterock , Belfast . Shot in head , received sixteen stitches .
(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.
(12 of 13).
The second case coming before the High Court is that of Brendan Burns ; he was arrested on foot of fifteen warrants from the North , five relating to the killing of five British soldiers at Camlough , County Down , in May 1981 . Another warrant relates to the killing of a British soldier at Crossmaglen in October 1982 .
The remaining nine warrants relate to explosions , possession and control of explosives and conspiracy ; it is claimed that the offences are political and thus exempt from extradition . What is significant about both the Robert Russell and Brendan Burns cases is that no evidence need ever be produced in a court in the Republic ( ie the Free State) linking either of the men to the alleged offences .
The normally conservative senior and junior counsel who work the High and Supreme Courts are now saying that the entire Extradition issue was carefully engineered from the start . First , there was Dominic McGlinchey , extradited for the killing of a sixty-seven year-old woman , Hester McMullan ; it later emerged that there was much more evidence linking him with other killings than there was with Hester McMullan .......
(MORE LATER).
....... on 24th May 1921 , British General 'Sir' Nevil Macready informed Westminster that the IRA could not be militarily defeated ; on 22nd June 1921 , British 'King' George V , in coded language , offered the Irish Rebels the opportunity to talk and , on 9th July 1921 , Eamon de Valera led an Irish Republican delegation to meet the Brits .......
On 11th July 1921 , in Dublin , a 'Truce' was signed between the Crown Forces and the IRA and then , in London on 6th December 1921 , the 'Treaty of Surrender' was signed , bringing this cursed Free State into being .
We have had other 'Treaty's ' since then : 1973 (Sunningdale) , 1985 (Hillsborough) and 1998 (Stormont) - and no doubt we will suffer more of them in the future . But until such time as a Treaty contains a date for British military and political withdrawal from Ireland , it will not 'solve the Irish problem' ; we have not endured an 835-years long struggle for freedom only to now say to Westminster , as the Provos and others in the Free State 'parliament' , and system , have said - ' Stay if you want , just treat us better .....' .
Likewise , we have had dozens of elections (both 'local' and 'general') since that election of 15th January 1920 , and the Provisional political party have done well out of them ; they went in to local Councils , Leinster House , Stormont , Westminster (currently abstaining from their seats in the latter institution) and Brussels , to " change the system ..." ; but the system changed them .
In order to keep their seats (and win new ones) they will have to "look after things" ie acquire / inquire after medical cards , street lighting , grass verges to be cut , representation re social welfare claims etc etc - all laudable pursuits , right enough , but ... .. what about that which we Irish Republicans consider to be 'the big picture' ? - the British political and military presence in our country , and their continuing claim of jurisdiction over part of this island ?
No votes in it for the Provisionals . For Irish Republicans there does'nt have to be .......
[END of ' IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......'].
(Tomorrow - 'THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION , 1921 - 1925 : A BRITISH 'SLEIGHT-OF-HAND' WHICH CAUSED A MUTINY WITHIN BRITISH FORCES IN IRELAND .' )
PLASTIC BULLETS.......
First published in 'IRIS' Magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 .
In April 1981, 1,955 plastic bullets were fired - a rate of one every 20 minutes over the month . This was more than in the whole of 1980 .
Plastic bullets do not arouse the indignation that normal bullets excite . Over 7,000 have been fired since the death of Bobby Sands (ie May 1981 - November 1981) .
The intent of the British is that the mass protests can be shot off the streets without international opinion responding , as it would to news of large numbers of civilians being shot-up with buck shot or live rounds in , for example , South Africa .
Cases since April 1981 ; ' * ' denotes plastic bullet death .
Re-published here in 11 parts .
(2 of 11).
May 6th , 1981 . Bridget Maguire , mother of six , Belfast . Shot by RUC . Received twenty-six stitches to face . She was kneeling at an open-air prayer meeting when shot .
May 7th , 1981 . Paul Logue , 16 years of age , Waterside , Derry . Shot by RUC . Received six stitches to forehead .
May 8th , 1981 . Patrick Doherty , 68 years of age , Shantallow , Derry . Shot at close range by British soldier . Kicked on ground after shooting , suffered fractured skull . Shot near home , no rioting in area .
May 8th , 1981 . Derry man , 21 years of age , Creggan , Derry . Shot at point-blank range by RUC . Lost an eye , which was completely shattered , despite two-and-a-half hours in surgery . He was returning home from a night out with two friends . No rioting in area .
May 8th , 1981 . John Wasson , 22 years of age , Ardoyne , Belfast . Shot with two bullets . Injured in head and chest . Paralysed down one side . No riot in area .
May 8th , 1981 . Alfred Parker , 36 years of age , Whiterock , Belfast . Shot in head , received sixteen stitches .
(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.
(12 of 13).
The second case coming before the High Court is that of Brendan Burns ; he was arrested on foot of fifteen warrants from the North , five relating to the killing of five British soldiers at Camlough , County Down , in May 1981 . Another warrant relates to the killing of a British soldier at Crossmaglen in October 1982 .
The remaining nine warrants relate to explosions , possession and control of explosives and conspiracy ; it is claimed that the offences are political and thus exempt from extradition . What is significant about both the Robert Russell and Brendan Burns cases is that no evidence need ever be produced in a court in the Republic ( ie the Free State) linking either of the men to the alleged offences .
The normally conservative senior and junior counsel who work the High and Supreme Courts are now saying that the entire Extradition issue was carefully engineered from the start . First , there was Dominic McGlinchey , extradited for the killing of a sixty-seven year-old woman , Hester McMullan ; it later emerged that there was much more evidence linking him with other killings than there was with Hester McMullan .......
(MORE LATER).
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