THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION , 1921-1925 .......
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... after about one year spent arguing about what the term " ... in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants .. " actually meant , the Boundary Commission decided ( by a two-thirds majority - ie the two Brit representatives !) that the Free State should cede some of its territory to the Six County 'State' ....... !
Eoin MacNeill , the Free State representative on the Boundary Commission , resigned in disgust : but you would wonder , again , that he found himself in that position at all , on that November day in 1924 ; one of those who had signed the 1921 Treaty of Surrender for the British side , a 'Sir' Lamington Worthington-Evans (who , by the sound of it , must have been a great cricket player !) had let it be known , in practically the same breath with which he signed that Treaty -
- " It was not intended that there should be large transfers of territory . If by any chance the (Boundary) Commissioners felt themselves at liberty to order the transfer of one of these counties , nothing would induce the Ulster (sic) people to accept such a decision and no British Government would be guilty of the supreme folly of trying to enforce such a decision . "
In actual fact , the British Prime Minister , Lloyd George , said much the same thing even before the Boundary Commission had its first meeting and agreed with a resolution passed by the British House of 'Lords' that the Commission "... contemplated nothing more than a re-adjustment of boundaries - no other interpretation is acceptable or could be enforced . " Also , Eoin MacNeill and his colleagues in Leinster House must have known 'the game was up' when , following the refusal of the 'Prime Minister' of the Six County Stormont (British) 'Parliament' , 'Sir' James Craig , to elect a member to the Boundary Commission , Westminster , in turn , refused to establish any such Commission at all and asked one of its own Legal Committees where it stood in relation to such a move .
That British Legal Committee , the ' Judicial Committee of the Privy Council ' , issued its ruling on 31st July 1924 - it stated : " If no appointment is made (ie by 'Sir' Craig) the (Boundary) Commission cannot go on . " What happened next was , in this scribblers opinion , highly dubious and illegal .......
(MORE LATER).
WE FIGHT ON , SAY IRA CHIEFS .......
... and Maggie is still on their hit list .
Twenty years into their campaign against the British Army , the IRA is still as far from victory , or defeat , as ever . Now , its leaders talk exclusinely about their plans .
Margaret Thatcher is still a target , so are some members of the British Royal family , while attacks on British forces in continental Europe will continue . Peace is out , says a spokesman , there is nothing to be gained from a ceasefire .
By Derek Dunne .
First published in 'NOW' magazine , volume 1 , No. 4 , October 1989 , pages 5 and 6 .
Re-published here in 10 parts .
( 5 of 10).
The IRA spokesperson stated -
- " The gains a military strategy creates have to be capitalised on by politics ; by that I mean there is no point in fighting a struggle when the human costs are great , only to hand over the advantage to people who are socially and economically comfortable to begin with . We are fighting an armed struggle from within that area in circumstances which can be described as foreign military occupation and the aim is to improve the lot of the oppressed people and to bring about a radical change in the relationship between Ireland and Britain .
We are aiming to break the British connection and we know that until that is done the loyalist will never integrate with the rest of the Irish people , that we will never be equal with Britain until Britain withdraws and that this country can stand up internationally on equal terms with her . The irony is that we know we will take a lot of flak in the course of the struggle from people who are opportunistic or short-sighted or who are satisfied enough and have settled for partition whilst paying lip-service to independence and that we will be vindicated at the end of it all , just as the people who went into the GPO in 1916 and were repudiated , have since been exulted . ( '1169...' comment - an apt description of those in Leinster House ; those who have "... settled for partition whilst paying lip-service to independence .... ").
But as with previous inquiries as to how long more the war will take , the IRA are unable to quantify it ; they say that "nobody thought it was going to be as long as this " and that " you can't put a time on it " - that is within Britain's remit . We have afforded them more opportunities to honourably withdraw , we have called ceasefires and truces which they abused . At one stage the leadership of the IRA believed the Brits were withdrawing , but they were actually building the H Blocks in Long Kesh . The people who want peace are the Irish Republicans , because they know the price of war .
The people who want war are the British because they know the price of peace - a free Ireland , a free people and the potential to progress ....... "
(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 .
( 13 of 31).
Another FBI memo , dated 29th June 1973 , gives an example of this effect ; FBI agents were investigating New Jersey's Bergen County NORAID Chapter after it had collected $10,000 - a member of that NORAID Chapter was questioned , and he told the FBI that " ... the money they had raised was given with the intention that homeless and poor people in the North of Ireland would receive food and clothing . "
The FBI said that it believed that the money went for other purposes , and that the INAC was being asked to declare its relationship to the IRA . The FBI memo noted that its agents were later informed that ' the membership had been greatly curtailed because members feel that some of the aid given may be used to obtain things to cause destruction . '
Another member of the Bergen County NORAID Chapter told the FBI that controversy had broken out in it because of the investigation . Some members who were against violence wanted to resign ; this man told the FBI agents he would leave NORAID if it was shown to be connected to the IRA - he then volunteered his help to the FBI to " locate terrorists ... "
(MORE LATER).
Thursday, December 30, 2004
THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION , 1921-1925 .......
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... in 1924 , the Boundary Commission became a 'live' issue ; the Stormont 'Minister for Education , 'Lord' Londonderry , reminded both Leinster House and Westminster of the speech he made regarding that issue in December 1921 ....... -
- " 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 (sic - two 'governments' on the one island ?) 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 . "
And here was Eoin MacNeill , the Free State representative on the Boundary Commission , complaining to Leinster House that the Brits were not taking the Commission seriously - would they insist that the Brits should do so , and risk 'a slap on the wrist' from Westminster and a possible armed Loyalist re-action if the Brits did so , or would they turn a 'blind eye' ? The Free Staters in Leinster House took the latter course , and MacNeill went back to the Boundary Commission talks with his tail between his legs , where the argument over the meaning of the words " in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants ... " continued . And continued ...
...until , finally , after about one year of that carry-on (!) , everyone had had enough ; the Boundary Commission decided , by a two-thirds majority (surprise , surprise !) that , in actual fact , the Free State itself should transfer some of its territory to the Six County 'State' ! . Eoin MacNeill was shocked .......
(MORE LATER).
WE FIGHT ON , SAY IRA CHIEFS .......
... and Maggie is still on their hit list .
Twenty years into their campaign against the British Army , the IRA is still as far from victory , or defeat , as ever . Now , its leaders talk exclusinely about their plans .
Margaret Thatcher is still a target , so are some members of the British Royal family , while attacks on British forces in continental Europe will continue . Peace is out , says a spokesman , there is nothing to be gained from a ceasefire .
By Derek Dunne .
First published in 'NOW' magazine , volume 1 , No. 4 , October 1989 , pages 5 and 6 .
Re-published here in 10 parts .
( 4 of 10).
The IRA spokesperson said - " When attacks occur , Britain is unable to escape from the fact that they are directly related to the Irish question and to the fact that after 20 years of persuading the British public that it was on top of the situation , it is actually worse now , in British Army terms . The Continental campaign will remain part of IRA tactics and it will be dictated by such factors as opportunity , surprise , logistics and supplies . It is'nt actually a question of personnel - shortage of personnel is not a problem we have ever come across in 20 years , which is a very healthy position for a guerrilla army to be in . "
He said the IRA still believes that a military campaign can be successful in getting Britain to withdraw from Ireland , although in recent years there has been a change of emphasis .......
(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 .
(12 of 31).
In a well-known Irish pub in San Francisco , an old glass jug sits on the bar : patrons are asked to put money into it for " ... detainees and the internees .... " in Northern Irish jails - on the walls , graffiti proclaims ' UP THE PROVOS ' ; ' BRITS OUT NOW ! ' ; and ' IRA ' . The FBI's investigation concentrated on getting evidence that would force the INAC to register under FARA as an agent of the IRA ; in this way , the U.S. authorities hoped, many supporters of NORAID would be persuaded to leave the organisation because they would not want to be identified with 'a subversive group' .
This course met with some success - " Many INAC members , " an FBI memo from early 1973 said , " have become inactive as a result of the Bureau's investigation ....... "
(MORE LATER).
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... in 1924 , the Boundary Commission became a 'live' issue ; the Stormont 'Minister for Education , 'Lord' Londonderry , reminded both Leinster House and Westminster of the speech he made regarding that issue in December 1921 ....... -
- " 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 (sic - two 'governments' on the one island ?) 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 . "
And here was Eoin MacNeill , the Free State representative on the Boundary Commission , complaining to Leinster House that the Brits were not taking the Commission seriously - would they insist that the Brits should do so , and risk 'a slap on the wrist' from Westminster and a possible armed Loyalist re-action if the Brits did so , or would they turn a 'blind eye' ? The Free Staters in Leinster House took the latter course , and MacNeill went back to the Boundary Commission talks with his tail between his legs , where the argument over the meaning of the words " in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants ... " continued . And continued ...
...until , finally , after about one year of that carry-on (!) , everyone had had enough ; the Boundary Commission decided , by a two-thirds majority (surprise , surprise !) that , in actual fact , the Free State itself should transfer some of its territory to the Six County 'State' ! . Eoin MacNeill was shocked .......
(MORE LATER).
WE FIGHT ON , SAY IRA CHIEFS .......
... and Maggie is still on their hit list .
Twenty years into their campaign against the British Army , the IRA is still as far from victory , or defeat , as ever . Now , its leaders talk exclusinely about their plans .
Margaret Thatcher is still a target , so are some members of the British Royal family , while attacks on British forces in continental Europe will continue . Peace is out , says a spokesman , there is nothing to be gained from a ceasefire .
By Derek Dunne .
First published in 'NOW' magazine , volume 1 , No. 4 , October 1989 , pages 5 and 6 .
Re-published here in 10 parts .
( 4 of 10).
The IRA spokesperson said - " When attacks occur , Britain is unable to escape from the fact that they are directly related to the Irish question and to the fact that after 20 years of persuading the British public that it was on top of the situation , it is actually worse now , in British Army terms . The Continental campaign will remain part of IRA tactics and it will be dictated by such factors as opportunity , surprise , logistics and supplies . It is'nt actually a question of personnel - shortage of personnel is not a problem we have ever come across in 20 years , which is a very healthy position for a guerrilla army to be in . "
He said the IRA still believes that a military campaign can be successful in getting Britain to withdraw from Ireland , although in recent years there has been a change of emphasis .......
(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 .
(12 of 31).
In a well-known Irish pub in San Francisco , an old glass jug sits on the bar : patrons are asked to put money into it for " ... detainees and the internees .... " in Northern Irish jails - on the walls , graffiti proclaims ' UP THE PROVOS ' ; ' BRITS OUT NOW ! ' ; and ' IRA ' . The FBI's investigation concentrated on getting evidence that would force the INAC to register under FARA as an agent of the IRA ; in this way , the U.S. authorities hoped, many supporters of NORAID would be persuaded to leave the organisation because they would not want to be identified with 'a subversive group' .
This course met with some success - " Many INAC members , " an FBI memo from early 1973 said , " have become inactive as a result of the Bureau's investigation ....... "
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION , 1921-1925 .......
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... Eoin MacNeill , the Free State representative on the Boundary Commission , was having no luck convincing the other two Commission members ( J.R. Fisher and Judge Feetham) that the 'border' should be 'adjusted' .......
MacNeill was now being told that the Boundary Commission would NOT reduce the boundaries of the Six County 'State' unless a majority of the people in said (gerrymandered) 'State' wanted it to , regardless of the wishes of area's within that 'State' which had a Nationalist / Republican majority . Eoin MacNeill supposedly argued his corner as best he could ( in a forum that was loaded against him) and reported his concerns to his fellow Free Staters in Leinster House , who more or less said to him - ' Ah , sure , do your best .... '
Those in Leinster House were 'comfortable' by now ; they had status , careers and a bright (personal) future ahead of them ; the 1916 Rising had taken place eight years ago , the Treaty of Surrender had been signed three years ago and now the Stormont 'Prime Minister' , 'Sir' James Craig , was threatening 'to cause more trouble' if the Boundary Commission recommended change - Craig had stated that the Unionists would not accept change and would fight to 'defend their territory' : a definate upset for the Leinster House 'apple-cart' . Craig had warned that " Ulster" (sic) was prepared to fight against anyone who would take away " ... the loved soil of Ulster from any of the Loyalists who want to remain there ... "
Also , the then 'Minister for Education' in the Stormont administration , 'Lord' Londonderry , who had opposed the Boundary Commission from day one , reminded both Leinster House and Westminster of the statement he issued in December 1921 when a Boundary Commission was first mooted ; he practically threatened all and sundry with war if a change to the Six County-area was proposed .......
(MORE LATER).
WE FIGHT ON , SAY IRA CHIEFS .......
... and Maggie is still on their hit list .
Twenty years into their campaign against the British Army , the IRA is still as far from victory , or defeat , as ever . Now , its leaders talk exclusinely about their plans .
Margaret Thatcher is still a target , so are some members of the British Royal family , while attacks on British forces in continental Europe will continue . Peace is out , says a spokesman , there is nothing to be gained from a ceasefire .
By Derek Dunne .
First published in 'NOW' magazine , volume 1 , No. 4 , October 1989 , pages 5 and 6 .
Re-published here in 10 parts .
( 3 of 10).
Asked about the threat to former British Ministers at Stormont , the IRA spokesperson said -
- " There would be no point in attacking these people for revenge sake only . If some of these people were attacked it would have to be on the basis that it was going to advance the struggle . That is , that it would represent a blow to the British establishment . It would undermine their capacity to protect key personnel , even though they no longer had direct association with policy on Ireland .
It would further frighten anyone who would think of taking up such a position in the future . There would be family pressures on them ; that would be the criteria . We'll keep them guessing . "
Asked about recent attacks on British forces on the Continent , the IRA spokesperson was vague about the number of its members involved , but said that the point of the attacks was to demonstrate that the British were not on top of the situation and to reinforce demands in Britain for a withdrawal from Ireland .......
(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 .
(11 of 31).
Prominent politicans like U.S. Congressman Mario Biaggi of the Bronx are frequent guests at the New York NORAID function ; ticket prices for one of the 120-plus tables range from $40 to $400 and are almost always sold out , according to the organisers . All the proceeds , they say , are sent to the Prisoners' Dependents' fund , the Green Cross .
NORAID took root in places as diverse as Butte , Montana , where many of Irish descent work in the copper mines ; Cleveland , Ohio , where Mayo emigrants prepared the ground for its growth ; and on the West Coast in San Francisco , San Diego and Los Angeles , California , with an Irish-American population of about two million , was soon ranking third behind Pennsylvania in amounts contributed to its NORAID Chapter .
In a report in the 'Los Angeles Times' newspaper on 2nd February 1981 , the President of the Los Angeles NORAID Unit , Mike Fitzpatrick , claimed that his group raised as much as $10,000 a year through " house parties " ; then there's the pub collections .......
(MORE LATER).
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... Eoin MacNeill , the Free State representative on the Boundary Commission , was having no luck convincing the other two Commission members ( J.R. Fisher and Judge Feetham) that the 'border' should be 'adjusted' .......
MacNeill was now being told that the Boundary Commission would NOT reduce the boundaries of the Six County 'State' unless a majority of the people in said (gerrymandered) 'State' wanted it to , regardless of the wishes of area's within that 'State' which had a Nationalist / Republican majority . Eoin MacNeill supposedly argued his corner as best he could ( in a forum that was loaded against him) and reported his concerns to his fellow Free Staters in Leinster House , who more or less said to him - ' Ah , sure , do your best .... '
Those in Leinster House were 'comfortable' by now ; they had status , careers and a bright (personal) future ahead of them ; the 1916 Rising had taken place eight years ago , the Treaty of Surrender had been signed three years ago and now the Stormont 'Prime Minister' , 'Sir' James Craig , was threatening 'to cause more trouble' if the Boundary Commission recommended change - Craig had stated that the Unionists would not accept change and would fight to 'defend their territory' : a definate upset for the Leinster House 'apple-cart' . Craig had warned that " Ulster" (sic) was prepared to fight against anyone who would take away " ... the loved soil of Ulster from any of the Loyalists who want to remain there ... "
Also , the then 'Minister for Education' in the Stormont administration , 'Lord' Londonderry , who had opposed the Boundary Commission from day one , reminded both Leinster House and Westminster of the statement he issued in December 1921 when a Boundary Commission was first mooted ; he practically threatened all and sundry with war if a change to the Six County-area was proposed .......
(MORE LATER).
WE FIGHT ON , SAY IRA CHIEFS .......
... and Maggie is still on their hit list .
Twenty years into their campaign against the British Army , the IRA is still as far from victory , or defeat , as ever . Now , its leaders talk exclusinely about their plans .
Margaret Thatcher is still a target , so are some members of the British Royal family , while attacks on British forces in continental Europe will continue . Peace is out , says a spokesman , there is nothing to be gained from a ceasefire .
By Derek Dunne .
First published in 'NOW' magazine , volume 1 , No. 4 , October 1989 , pages 5 and 6 .
Re-published here in 10 parts .
( 3 of 10).
Asked about the threat to former British Ministers at Stormont , the IRA spokesperson said -
- " There would be no point in attacking these people for revenge sake only . If some of these people were attacked it would have to be on the basis that it was going to advance the struggle . That is , that it would represent a blow to the British establishment . It would undermine their capacity to protect key personnel , even though they no longer had direct association with policy on Ireland .
It would further frighten anyone who would think of taking up such a position in the future . There would be family pressures on them ; that would be the criteria . We'll keep them guessing . "
Asked about recent attacks on British forces on the Continent , the IRA spokesperson was vague about the number of its members involved , but said that the point of the attacks was to demonstrate that the British were not on top of the situation and to reinforce demands in Britain for a withdrawal from Ireland .......
(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 .
(11 of 31).
Prominent politicans like U.S. Congressman Mario Biaggi of the Bronx are frequent guests at the New York NORAID function ; ticket prices for one of the 120-plus tables range from $40 to $400 and are almost always sold out , according to the organisers . All the proceeds , they say , are sent to the Prisoners' Dependents' fund , the Green Cross .
NORAID took root in places as diverse as Butte , Montana , where many of Irish descent work in the copper mines ; Cleveland , Ohio , where Mayo emigrants prepared the ground for its growth ; and on the West Coast in San Francisco , San Diego and Los Angeles , California , with an Irish-American population of about two million , was soon ranking third behind Pennsylvania in amounts contributed to its NORAID Chapter .
In a report in the 'Los Angeles Times' newspaper on 2nd February 1981 , the President of the Los Angeles NORAID Unit , Mike Fitzpatrick , claimed that his group raised as much as $10,000 a year through " house parties " ; then there's the pub collections .......
(MORE LATER).
Tuesday, December 28, 2004
THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION , 1921-1925 .......
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... included in the wording of Article 12 of the 1921 Treaty of Surrender (ie the 'Boundary Commission' clause) was a declaration that the border could be 'adjusted' " in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants ... " ; this meant one thing to Eoin MacNeill , the Free State representative on the Commission , and something altogether different to the two British reps on that body.......
J.R. Fisher (the Stormont rep , who was put on the Commission by Westminster !) and Chairperson Feetham told Eoin MacNeill that the term " in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants ... " meant " the inhabitants " of the Six County 'State' itself , not 'individual' parts of it ! Incidentally - ( 'tangent' here !) - the newspaper that J.R. Fisher edited , 'The Northern Whig' , published regularly for 139 years - from 1824 to 1963 !
It was a morning newspaper which , from 1824 to 1858 , was available (I believe) at least for three days out of every week - in 1858 , it published daily . It was in competition with the 'Belfast News Letter' newspaper , which was the market leader , and , to a lesser extent , with the 'Irish News' newspaper . From around the late 1950's , the 'Northern Whig' newspaper was in trouble financially , with losses of about £30,000 , a huge sum in those days and , in July 1963 , the management dismissed five of the journalists to cut costs ; the remaining 20 journalists went on strike that month , in response to their colleagues losing their jobs .
But the other employees on the 'paper , about eighty in all , passed the picket and carried on 'scabbing' . Circulation dropped and advertising revenue all but dried up - in September 1963 , 'The Northern Whig' newspaper closed : one of those who lost his job that month (ie September 1963) was a certain Mr. Wesley Boyd , who was the 'London Editor' for the 'Whig' . He got a job with 'The Irish Times' newspaper , Dublin , as 'Diplomatic Correspondent' and went from there to Radio Telefis Eireann (RTE) as 'Head of News' - which , of course , had no bearing at all (!) on that institutions treatment of how they viewed the Irish Republican struggle (ie Republicans were then , and are now , ignored by the so-called 'National Broadcaster' or , at best , have a 'spin' put on statements etc issued by that branch of the media ) .
[EXAMPLE - this Christmas day , at 12 noon , the '1169...' crew will be going to watch sponsored swimmers in Dublin's Grand Canal at Inchicore , Dublin , as they raise money for the CABHAIR organisation : this is the 28th successive year for this swim (1976 - 2004) and NOT ONCE has RTE sent even a radio reporter , never mind a camera-crew , to cover the event , despite being notified each year of the time , place etc !]
End of that 'tangent' ! ; one would wonder as to what Eoin MacNeill believed would come from the table of the Boundary Commission .......
(MORE LATER).
WE FIGHT ON , SAY IRA CHIEFS .......
... and Maggie is still on their hit list .
Twenty years into their campaign against the British Army , the IRA is still as far from victory , or defeat , as ever . Now , its leaders talk exclusinely about their plans .
Margaret Thatcher is still a target , so are some members of the British Royal family , while attacks on British forces in continental Europe will continue . Peace is out , says a spokesman , there is nothing to be gained from a ceasefire .
By Derek Dunne .
First published in 'NOW' magazine , volume 1 , No. 4 , October 1989 , pages 5 and 6 .
Re-published here in 10 parts .
( 2 of 10).
There has been speculation from time to time about whether or not the British Royal family are targetted , but the IRA spokesman refused to be drawn on this . However , he did say -
- " This question has been put by the British tabloids along the lines of ' Prince Harry in danger from the IRA .. ' . Of course this is nonsense ; the fact is that a number of people active in the British royal family have titular positions as commander-in-chiefs of various British regiments which have been responsible for killing Irish men , Irish women and Irish children .
They have allowed themselves to be paraded over here as morale boosters for British forces and Unionists . They have played a part in trying to degrade the majority of people in Ireland and particularly the nationalist community in the North , who are persecuted in the name of the Crown . As for who is and is'nt a target , why should we make life easier for the British security services by publicly stating which member of their royal family is or is'nt a target ?
Let them protect them all , and let them all be on edge . "
The IRA spokesperson was then asked about British ministers at Stormont .......
(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 .
(10 of 31).
Michael Flannery admits that his Committee preferred to send money in cash with people they trusted - " With cash , " he says , " the government did'nt know how much we sent . " Also according to Flannery , the Committee asks people going to Ireland if they would be prepared " to take a message ... " for them . In one instance in 1985 a prominent member of the Committee on an Irish trip handed over cheques worth £40,000 to the prisoners dependents fund .
In the early days most of the money was collected in bars in the big cities - sometimes more ambitious schemes were employed . A prominent Irish-born bar and restaurant owner in Manhattan organised a fund-raising concert for NORAID at Carnegie Hall in 1972 that realised $21,500 . On another occasion , NORAID raffled off a car and raised $13,000 . Beginning in January 1973 , the Committee held annual fund-raising dinners at the Astoria Manor Ballroom in Queens .
Other 'Testimonial Dinners' were held by different units in Boston and Philidelphia , but the New York event was the biggest .......
(MORE LATER).
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... included in the wording of Article 12 of the 1921 Treaty of Surrender (ie the 'Boundary Commission' clause) was a declaration that the border could be 'adjusted' " in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants ... " ; this meant one thing to Eoin MacNeill , the Free State representative on the Commission , and something altogether different to the two British reps on that body.......
J.R. Fisher (the Stormont rep , who was put on the Commission by Westminster !) and Chairperson Feetham told Eoin MacNeill that the term " in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants ... " meant " the inhabitants " of the Six County 'State' itself , not 'individual' parts of it ! Incidentally - ( 'tangent' here !) - the newspaper that J.R. Fisher edited , 'The Northern Whig' , published regularly for 139 years - from 1824 to 1963 !
It was a morning newspaper which , from 1824 to 1858 , was available (I believe) at least for three days out of every week - in 1858 , it published daily . It was in competition with the 'Belfast News Letter' newspaper , which was the market leader , and , to a lesser extent , with the 'Irish News' newspaper . From around the late 1950's , the 'Northern Whig' newspaper was in trouble financially , with losses of about £30,000 , a huge sum in those days and , in July 1963 , the management dismissed five of the journalists to cut costs ; the remaining 20 journalists went on strike that month , in response to their colleagues losing their jobs .
But the other employees on the 'paper , about eighty in all , passed the picket and carried on 'scabbing' . Circulation dropped and advertising revenue all but dried up - in September 1963 , 'The Northern Whig' newspaper closed : one of those who lost his job that month (ie September 1963) was a certain Mr. Wesley Boyd , who was the 'London Editor' for the 'Whig' . He got a job with 'The Irish Times' newspaper , Dublin , as 'Diplomatic Correspondent' and went from there to Radio Telefis Eireann (RTE) as 'Head of News' - which , of course , had no bearing at all (!) on that institutions treatment of how they viewed the Irish Republican struggle (ie Republicans were then , and are now , ignored by the so-called 'National Broadcaster' or , at best , have a 'spin' put on statements etc issued by that branch of the media ) .
[EXAMPLE - this Christmas day , at 12 noon , the '1169...' crew will be going to watch sponsored swimmers in Dublin's Grand Canal at Inchicore , Dublin , as they raise money for the CABHAIR organisation : this is the 28th successive year for this swim (1976 - 2004) and NOT ONCE has RTE sent even a radio reporter , never mind a camera-crew , to cover the event , despite being notified each year of the time , place etc !]
End of that 'tangent' ! ; one would wonder as to what Eoin MacNeill believed would come from the table of the Boundary Commission .......
(MORE LATER).
WE FIGHT ON , SAY IRA CHIEFS .......
... and Maggie is still on their hit list .
Twenty years into their campaign against the British Army , the IRA is still as far from victory , or defeat , as ever . Now , its leaders talk exclusinely about their plans .
Margaret Thatcher is still a target , so are some members of the British Royal family , while attacks on British forces in continental Europe will continue . Peace is out , says a spokesman , there is nothing to be gained from a ceasefire .
By Derek Dunne .
First published in 'NOW' magazine , volume 1 , No. 4 , October 1989 , pages 5 and 6 .
Re-published here in 10 parts .
( 2 of 10).
There has been speculation from time to time about whether or not the British Royal family are targetted , but the IRA spokesman refused to be drawn on this . However , he did say -
- " This question has been put by the British tabloids along the lines of ' Prince Harry in danger from the IRA .. ' . Of course this is nonsense ; the fact is that a number of people active in the British royal family have titular positions as commander-in-chiefs of various British regiments which have been responsible for killing Irish men , Irish women and Irish children .
They have allowed themselves to be paraded over here as morale boosters for British forces and Unionists . They have played a part in trying to degrade the majority of people in Ireland and particularly the nationalist community in the North , who are persecuted in the name of the Crown . As for who is and is'nt a target , why should we make life easier for the British security services by publicly stating which member of their royal family is or is'nt a target ?
Let them protect them all , and let them all be on edge . "
The IRA spokesperson was then asked about British ministers at Stormont .......
(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 .
(10 of 31).
Michael Flannery admits that his Committee preferred to send money in cash with people they trusted - " With cash , " he says , " the government did'nt know how much we sent . " Also according to Flannery , the Committee asks people going to Ireland if they would be prepared " to take a message ... " for them . In one instance in 1985 a prominent member of the Committee on an Irish trip handed over cheques worth £40,000 to the prisoners dependents fund .
In the early days most of the money was collected in bars in the big cities - sometimes more ambitious schemes were employed . A prominent Irish-born bar and restaurant owner in Manhattan organised a fund-raising concert for NORAID at Carnegie Hall in 1972 that realised $21,500 . On another occasion , NORAID raffled off a car and raised $13,000 . Beginning in January 1973 , the Committee held annual fund-raising dinners at the Astoria Manor Ballroom in Queens .
Other 'Testimonial Dinners' were held by different units in Boston and Philidelphia , but the New York event was the biggest .......
(MORE LATER).
Monday, December 27, 2004
THE BOUNDARY COMMISSION , 1921-1925 .......
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... in 1924 , the Free Staters in Leinster House requested that Westminster set-up the Boundary Commission , as agreed by all sides in the 1921 Treaty of Surrender . The Unionists in Stormont stated that they would have no part in it , so Westminster decided that they would speak on behalf of Stormont ; an action which , in itself , broke that Treaty .......
However - the Brits turned to a friend of 'Sir' James Craig , a Mr. J.R. Fisher , and 'nominated' him as the Stormont representative to the Boundary Commission . Fisher was known by Westminster to be ' a safe pair of hands ' . It should be noted that Chairperson Feetham was also the Westminster nominee to the Boundary Commission !
The Free Staters in Leinster House choose Eoin MacNeill as their representative to that body ; MacNeill was the co-founder of the 'Gaelic League' in 1893 (with Douglas Hyde) , an organisation which grew within thirteen years to a huge size ; at least 100,000 members in 900 branches throughout the island . The same man was , in 1916 , the nominal head of the Rebels and was known as a good organiser - however , he was not known as a good , or aggressive , negotiator .
When Michael Collins and his supporters were attempting to 'sell' the December 1921 Treaty to their own side , they made a big deal of the Boundary Commission clause in that Treaty and in particular the part of it which stated that the 'border' could be adjusted " in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants ... " Now , three years later (on 6th November 1924) , Eoin MacNeill was sitting at the table of the newly-established Boundary Commission at its first meeting , which was held in London .
MacNeill stated that the majority of the inhabitants of Tyrone and Fermanagh , and possibly Derry , South Down and South Armagh would prefer their areas to be incorporated into the Free State rather than remain as they were ie 'on the other side of the border' , under British jurisdiction .
The two other members of the Boundary Commission , J. R. Fisher (a former Editor of 'The Northern Whig' pro-British newspaper) and Chairperson Feetham - both appointed by Westminster - then disputed with Eoin MacNeill what the term " in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants ... " actually meant .......
(MORE LATER).
WE FIGHT ON , SAY IRA CHIEFS .
... and Maggie is still on their hit list .
Twenty years into their campaign against the British Army , the IRA is still as far from victory , or defeat , as ever . Now , its leaders talk exclusinely about their plans .
Margaret Thatcher is still a target , so are some members of the British Royal family , while attacks on British forces in continental Europe will continue . Peace is out , says a spokesman , there is nothing to be gained from a ceasefire .
By Derek Dunne .
First published in 'NOW' magazine , volume 1 , No. 4 , October 1989 , pages 5 and 6 .
Re-published here in 10 parts .
( 1 of 10).
Asked about the prospects of a ceasefire , the IRA spokesman said -
" Nobody is obsessed with the continuation of the armed struggle . The IRA leadership has the authority to call a ceasefire if it so wishes . The fact is that there is no demand and nothing to be gained from a ceasefire . There is no one who is opposed to ceasefires if they are productive , but the IRA is not responsible for the present log-jam , not responsible for the continuing presence of British troops on the streets .
The IRA is not responsible for differences between the nationalist community and the unionist community , and if the IRA was to call a ceasefire things would degenerate . The nationalist community would find themselves in a worse position . People would be demoralised and disillusioned , and the Brits would interpret it as a signal of defeat . So ceasefires don't feature on our agenda . We have already tried them and they have'nt worked .
They have'nt worked because the British were not sincere about wanting peace . Why don't the people who call upon us to have a ceasefire start calling on the British to ceasefire ? "
He said Margaret Thatcher is still an IRA target because of " the role she has played in British policy ; she has all the appearances of ruthlessly pursuing the British policy of occupation in the North and any person who is involved in the British establishment and has responsibility for what is happening in Ireland can consider themselves a target ....... "
(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 .
(9 of 31).
NORAID's returns for the following six months - January 29th 1973 , to July 29th 1973 - show another decline , with only $123,000 reported , and the figures for 1974 show that NORAID collected $211,000 for the entire year , much less than fund-raising for only the first six months of 1972 .
Throughout the rest of the decade the returns filed showed a steady decline ; however , the accuracy of these figures remains a matter of dispute . Initially , the INAC sent the money to Ireland in cash amounts ranging from $1,500 to $11,000 . For instance , in the six-month period after Bloody Sunday , NORAID registered thirty disburseents , twenty-five of them marked as having been hand-delivered in cash to Joe Cahill .
The U.S. Justice Department maintains that such cash payments were only those that NORAID chose to register , and that many more were made that the Committee simply did not report .......
(MORE LATER).
A British 'sleight-of-hand' which caused a mutiny within British forces in Ireland.......
....... in 1924 , the Free Staters in Leinster House requested that Westminster set-up the Boundary Commission , as agreed by all sides in the 1921 Treaty of Surrender . The Unionists in Stormont stated that they would have no part in it , so Westminster decided that they would speak on behalf of Stormont ; an action which , in itself , broke that Treaty .......
However - the Brits turned to a friend of 'Sir' James Craig , a Mr. J.R. Fisher , and 'nominated' him as the Stormont representative to the Boundary Commission . Fisher was known by Westminster to be ' a safe pair of hands ' . It should be noted that Chairperson Feetham was also the Westminster nominee to the Boundary Commission !
The Free Staters in Leinster House choose Eoin MacNeill as their representative to that body ; MacNeill was the co-founder of the 'Gaelic League' in 1893 (with Douglas Hyde) , an organisation which grew within thirteen years to a huge size ; at least 100,000 members in 900 branches throughout the island . The same man was , in 1916 , the nominal head of the Rebels and was known as a good organiser - however , he was not known as a good , or aggressive , negotiator .
When Michael Collins and his supporters were attempting to 'sell' the December 1921 Treaty to their own side , they made a big deal of the Boundary Commission clause in that Treaty and in particular the part of it which stated that the 'border' could be adjusted " in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants ... " Now , three years later (on 6th November 1924) , Eoin MacNeill was sitting at the table of the newly-established Boundary Commission at its first meeting , which was held in London .
MacNeill stated that the majority of the inhabitants of Tyrone and Fermanagh , and possibly Derry , South Down and South Armagh would prefer their areas to be incorporated into the Free State rather than remain as they were ie 'on the other side of the border' , under British jurisdiction .
The two other members of the Boundary Commission , J. R. Fisher (a former Editor of 'The Northern Whig' pro-British newspaper) and Chairperson Feetham - both appointed by Westminster - then disputed with Eoin MacNeill what the term " in accordance with the wishes of the inhabitants ... " actually meant .......
(MORE LATER).
WE FIGHT ON , SAY IRA CHIEFS .
... and Maggie is still on their hit list .
Twenty years into their campaign against the British Army , the IRA is still as far from victory , or defeat , as ever . Now , its leaders talk exclusinely about their plans .
Margaret Thatcher is still a target , so are some members of the British Royal family , while attacks on British forces in continental Europe will continue . Peace is out , says a spokesman , there is nothing to be gained from a ceasefire .
By Derek Dunne .
First published in 'NOW' magazine , volume 1 , No. 4 , October 1989 , pages 5 and 6 .
Re-published here in 10 parts .
( 1 of 10).
Asked about the prospects of a ceasefire , the IRA spokesman said -
" Nobody is obsessed with the continuation of the armed struggle . The IRA leadership has the authority to call a ceasefire if it so wishes . The fact is that there is no demand and nothing to be gained from a ceasefire . There is no one who is opposed to ceasefires if they are productive , but the IRA is not responsible for the present log-jam , not responsible for the continuing presence of British troops on the streets .
The IRA is not responsible for differences between the nationalist community and the unionist community , and if the IRA was to call a ceasefire things would degenerate . The nationalist community would find themselves in a worse position . People would be demoralised and disillusioned , and the Brits would interpret it as a signal of defeat . So ceasefires don't feature on our agenda . We have already tried them and they have'nt worked .
They have'nt worked because the British were not sincere about wanting peace . Why don't the people who call upon us to have a ceasefire start calling on the British to ceasefire ? "
He said Margaret Thatcher is still an IRA target because of " the role she has played in British policy ; she has all the appearances of ruthlessly pursuing the British policy of occupation in the North and any person who is involved in the British establishment and has responsibility for what is happening in Ireland can consider themselves a target ....... "
(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 .
(9 of 31).
NORAID's returns for the following six months - January 29th 1973 , to July 29th 1973 - show another decline , with only $123,000 reported , and the figures for 1974 show that NORAID collected $211,000 for the entire year , much less than fund-raising for only the first six months of 1972 .
Throughout the rest of the decade the returns filed showed a steady decline ; however , the accuracy of these figures remains a matter of dispute . Initially , the INAC sent the money to Ireland in cash amounts ranging from $1,500 to $11,000 . For instance , in the six-month period after Bloody Sunday , NORAID registered thirty disburseents , twenty-five of them marked as having been hand-delivered in cash to Joe Cahill .
The U.S. Justice Department maintains that such cash payments were only those that NORAID chose to register , and that many more were made that the Committee simply did not report .......
(MORE LATER).
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