'THE PRESS' Newspaper , October 1797 - March 1798 .
Too Radical for the Radicals .
In January 1792 , the 'United Irishmen' organisation published the first edition of their newspaper , ' The Northern Star ' ; it was published in Belfast , and edited by Samuel Neilson .
It is believed to be the first instance of an Irish newspaper being 'controlled' by what was , in effect , a 'Board of Directors' which , in turn , appointed a 'sub-committee' to oversee the running of the newspaper .
However - within one year of its start-up , the Brits attempted to close it down ; but they failed . They then began a campaign of harassment against those that worked on 'The Northern Star' newspaper and eventually extended that campaign to include those that bought it , too !
It took the Brits five years but , in 1797 , they got their way - a gang of 'bully-boys' was sent in to deal with the 'problem' .......
(MORE LATER).
HOW THE GAY LIFE KILLED MOUNTBATTEN.......
Encounters with youths exposed him to IRA.
BY FRANK DOHERTY.
First published in 'NOW' magazine , Volume 1 , No. 4 , October 1989 , page 37 .
Re-published here in 5 parts .
(4 of 5).
The IRA bomb which killed 'Lord' Mountbatten was detonated from a car parked on the shore ; a pulse-coded transmitter of a type not used before was brought in from South Armagh because the IRA believed that British security officers may have fitted ECM (Electronic Counter-Measure) equipment in Classiebawn Castle which would have prematurely detonated any radio-bomb they attempted to plant .
The IRA spent nearly two months setting-up the assassination , relying on information from 'Lord' Mountbatten's homosexual contacts to track his movements . Mountbatten was an uncle of both (British) 'Queen' Elizabeth and her husband , 'Prince' Phillip , and was interested in what homosexuals call " the rough trade " and liked to have 'contacts' with 'working-class' youths .
He was particularly attracted to boys in their early teens .......
(MORE LATER).
DE VALERA AND THE AMERICAN CONNECTION .......
By Micheal MacGiolla Phadraig .
From 'NOW' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 4, October 1989 , pages 28 and 29 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
[6 of 6].
In 1925 , the 'Republican Daily Press Fund' was set-up , with Austin Stack as Chairperson and Molly Childers , widow of Erskine , as Treasurer .
During de Valera's fund-raising visits to the U.S. in 1922 , 1927 , and 1929 , when he solicited money for the organisation which was known at various times as 'Cumann na Poblachta' , 'The Republican Party' and then 'Fianna Fail- The Republican Party' , it was made clear that the funds being raised were for the setting up of a party newspaper - 'The Irish Press' .
The question must then be asked : who are the real owners of 'Irish Press Plc' ? That's one that may be answered eventually either in Dublin or in the United States , one way or another .
[END of ' DE VALERA AND THE AMERICAN CONNECTION '] .
(Tomorrow : ' Hammer and Tongs - Survivors' ; from 'Magill' magazine , December 1980 ).
