DYING BY THE SWORD .......
By Emer Woodful .
The murder of LVF leader BILLY WRIGHT has ignited the most violent spell in the North's recent history and threatened the peace process . He may well have considered it an appropriate legacy .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , February 1998 , pages 30,31,34 and 35 .
Re-published here in 17 parts .
(10 of 17).
Billy Wright's involvement in violence started , he told me , because he saw his neighbours being " systematically murdered " : three of his own family were killed - his uncle , who was a member of the Salvation Army , his father-in-law and his brother-in-law .
" You know , " he said , " when you've looked into the coffins of the ones you love , and you've heard the feeble excuses coming from nationalists , words were'nt good enough ... " . He would never condemn any loyalist paramilitary killings ; he always tried to justify them by arguing that all the people killed by the loyalists were involved with the IRA .
But that simply was not the truth ; many ordinary Catholics were among the 41 people killed by the brutal hand of the UVF's Mid-Ulster Brigade .......
(MORE LATER).
WOMEN IN IRELAND'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM .......
By the late Cork Republican , Gearoid MacCarthaigh .
" (... barred from their meeting rooms in Cork's Thomas Ashe Hall , by Cathal Goulding , Cumann na mBan managed to gain entrance when the IRA guard was absent ..) .. As soon as the men in the Hall realised what had happened they tried to force open the door ; they failed to do this and the women continued their meeting until their business was finished , when they took down the barricades and marched in a body from the Hall past the red-faced men whom they had defeated .
The following Easter they sold their Easter Lilies as always only now they were abused by both the Special Branch and by their former male comrades who were still claiming to be the IRA .
Cumann na mBan attended Bodenstown , in uniform , in 1969 , not to take part in the parade but to distribute a leaflet which they had got printed specially for the occasion ; it was headed - ' Why We Fell Out Of The Parade Last Year ' and , in it , they told the full story of the moves that were going on in the IRA .
They gave full details of what has become known as the 10 Commandments which were the resolutions passed a few years before at an Extraordinary General Army Convention which called for entry to the Free State Dail , looking for permits for sale of Easter Lilies , recognition of Free State Courts , and applying for permission to the Free Staters and the RUC to hold parades and meetings . ('1169....' Comment - .. much the same as the Provisional 'movement' does today : including applying to the 'authorities' for a 'permit' to sell Easter Lilies , which are distributed in honour of the men and women that those same 'authorities' have executed ! The Republican Sinn Fein 'permit' , on the other hand , was 'taken out' in 1916 .... ! ).
I always say Cumann na mBan were the first Provos : after the Provisional Army Council was elected in December 1969 , Cumann na mBan issued a public statement giving their allegiance to it ....... "
(MORE LATER).
SINN FEIN RALLY IN DUBLIN .......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper , Aibrean [April] 1957 , page 3.
(IML. IX. UIMHIR 4 - price Tri Pingin [Three Pennies].
Thanks to my late friends Christy and Theresa L. for giving me this 48-year-old newspaper ; this thread published in memory of those two old Fenians ! - John.
' On behalf of the Sinn Fein candidate for Dublin North-East - Tomas Misteil - Miceal Treinfir was the next speaker ; he put the policy of Sinn Fein to the meeting , and said - " We stand for Ireland ; we in Sinn Fein do not and will not appeal to your emotion but to your reason and we are convinced that when you read and understand the 'National Unity and Social and Economic Programme' of Sinn Fein , you will have no option but to vote Sinn Fein . "
Commenting on the Educational Programme of Sinn Fein , Miceal Treinfir quoted Terence McSwiney -
- " When Ireland was wholly free , Ireland was wholly Gaelic ; when Ireland was wholly Gaelic , Ireland was wholly free . "
Mr. Sean Lafferty , from Chicago , who is at present on holiday in Ireland , assured those present that the Irish exiles in Chicago and Philadelphia gave their full support to Sinn Fein ....... '
(MORE LATER).
READERS PLEASE NOTE - We are moving with the times here in '1169 Towers' ; as such , you have read one of the last printed versions of '1169 And Counting' - we will shortly be 'broadcasting' only on DVD format in the very near future . More details on Monday , 4th April .......).
Thursday, March 31, 2005
DYING BY THE SWORD .......
By Emer Woodful .
The murder of LVF leader BILLY WRIGHT has ignited the most violent spell in the North's recent history and threatened the peace process . He may well have considered it an appropriate legacy .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , February 1998 , pages 30,31,34 and 35 .
Re-published here in 17 parts .
(9 of 17).
Two of Billy Wright's sisters were married to Catholics ; he had no problem with Catholics per se , he said - " I lived among nationalist people , I grew up with them . I'd no difficulty with them . If only the IRA and Sinn Fein would recognise our right to exist , to be British , then I believe the two communities could come together , and a new form of life within a British context could evolve . " ( '1169...' Comment - "...life within a British context... " in the Six Counties is not an 'offer' ; it is that which is the cause of the conflict , and always has been in Ireland).
Indeed , Wright had grown up mixing with Catholics in South Armagh . Although he was born in England , he had returned to the North of Ireland at the age of four and settled in the mainly Protestant village of Mountnorris . He played Gaelic football with Catholics in nearby Whitecross and , unusually , also learned Irish history .
He moved to Portadown and , when he was 15 , was jailed for six years for possession of a firearm and hijacking .......
(MORE LATER).
WOMEN IN IRELAND'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM .......
By the late Cork Republican , Gearoid MacCarthaigh .
" It had always been the practice that only flags and banners of Republican organisations be allowed to be carried in the Parade at Bodenstown ; in 1968 , it had been widely rumoured beforehand that the Communist Party of Ireland proposed to march behind their flag in Bodenstown . Officers of Cumann na mBan met Cathal Goulding in the Assembly Field and got a guarantee from him that only flags of Republican organisations would be carried in the parade .
The women did not trust Goulding and made arrangements to be enforced along the road if the flag of the Communist Party of Ireland was being carried in the parade behind their backs . On being informed about a mile out the road that that flag was being carried , they at once fell out of the parade . The following week Cathal Goulding declared that Cumann na mBan were no longer members of the Republican Movement ; he had bitten off more than he could chew .
The women continued as always ; in Cork City they were forcibly evicted from their meeting place in the Thomas Ashe Hall and warned not to come back again . A guard was placed on the main door to prevent them from entering and , for a few weeks , they held their meetings down 'The Boggey Road' until one day , while on her way to a meeting , the Cumann na mBan Officer Commanding spotted that the guard was missing from the main door .
She quickly collected all her members and they entered the Hall and barricaded themselves into their regular meeting room ....... "
(MORE LATER).
SINN FEIN RALLY IN DUBLIN .
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper , Aibrean [April] 1957 , page 3.
(IML. IX. UIMHIR 4 - price Tri Pingin [Three Pennies].
Thanks to my late friends Christy and Theresa L. for giving me this 48-year-old newspaper ; this thread published in memory of those two old Fenians ! - John.
' " This gathering is an effective answer to the people who denied publicity to Sinn Fein in this election " - so said Tomas O'Dubhghaill , addressing one of the biggest Sinn Fein rallies in recent years , at Dublin's GPO , on Saturday night , March 2 , 1957 . 15,000 people filled Ireland's main thoroughfare and they were indeed an answer to those who imposed the ban on Republican news and activities during the past months .
From the very beginning the enthusiasm of the crowd was marked ; three parades arrived simultaneously - one from each of the Dublin constituencies which was being contested by Sinn Fein . Banners and slogans carried by the marchers were greeted with cheers as they drew near the platform . Fianna Eireann scouts and the Emerald Girl Pipers Band headed the parade .
Saoirse Dearle opened the meeting by reading the 1916 Proclamation , following which a recording of the Last Post was played and two minutes silence observed . Tomas O'Dubhghaill , the candidate for Dublin South Central , was the first speaker to be introduced by Sean O'Suilleabhain , Director of Elections for Tom Misteil .
Tomas appealed to the electorate to vote for the Sinn Fein candidates and endorse the stand made by our 152,000 fellow-countrymen in the North ....... '
(MORE LATER).
By Emer Woodful .
The murder of LVF leader BILLY WRIGHT has ignited the most violent spell in the North's recent history and threatened the peace process . He may well have considered it an appropriate legacy .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , February 1998 , pages 30,31,34 and 35 .
Re-published here in 17 parts .
(9 of 17).
Two of Billy Wright's sisters were married to Catholics ; he had no problem with Catholics per se , he said - " I lived among nationalist people , I grew up with them . I'd no difficulty with them . If only the IRA and Sinn Fein would recognise our right to exist , to be British , then I believe the two communities could come together , and a new form of life within a British context could evolve . " ( '1169...' Comment - "...life within a British context... " in the Six Counties is not an 'offer' ; it is that which is the cause of the conflict , and always has been in Ireland).
Indeed , Wright had grown up mixing with Catholics in South Armagh . Although he was born in England , he had returned to the North of Ireland at the age of four and settled in the mainly Protestant village of Mountnorris . He played Gaelic football with Catholics in nearby Whitecross and , unusually , also learned Irish history .
He moved to Portadown and , when he was 15 , was jailed for six years for possession of a firearm and hijacking .......
(MORE LATER).
WOMEN IN IRELAND'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM .......
By the late Cork Republican , Gearoid MacCarthaigh .
" It had always been the practice that only flags and banners of Republican organisations be allowed to be carried in the Parade at Bodenstown ; in 1968 , it had been widely rumoured beforehand that the Communist Party of Ireland proposed to march behind their flag in Bodenstown . Officers of Cumann na mBan met Cathal Goulding in the Assembly Field and got a guarantee from him that only flags of Republican organisations would be carried in the parade .
The women did not trust Goulding and made arrangements to be enforced along the road if the flag of the Communist Party of Ireland was being carried in the parade behind their backs . On being informed about a mile out the road that that flag was being carried , they at once fell out of the parade . The following week Cathal Goulding declared that Cumann na mBan were no longer members of the Republican Movement ; he had bitten off more than he could chew .
The women continued as always ; in Cork City they were forcibly evicted from their meeting place in the Thomas Ashe Hall and warned not to come back again . A guard was placed on the main door to prevent them from entering and , for a few weeks , they held their meetings down 'The Boggey Road' until one day , while on her way to a meeting , the Cumann na mBan Officer Commanding spotted that the guard was missing from the main door .
She quickly collected all her members and they entered the Hall and barricaded themselves into their regular meeting room ....... "
(MORE LATER).
SINN FEIN RALLY IN DUBLIN .
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper , Aibrean [April] 1957 , page 3.
(IML. IX. UIMHIR 4 - price Tri Pingin [Three Pennies].
Thanks to my late friends Christy and Theresa L. for giving me this 48-year-old newspaper ; this thread published in memory of those two old Fenians ! - John.
' " This gathering is an effective answer to the people who denied publicity to Sinn Fein in this election " - so said Tomas O'Dubhghaill , addressing one of the biggest Sinn Fein rallies in recent years , at Dublin's GPO , on Saturday night , March 2 , 1957 . 15,000 people filled Ireland's main thoroughfare and they were indeed an answer to those who imposed the ban on Republican news and activities during the past months .
From the very beginning the enthusiasm of the crowd was marked ; three parades arrived simultaneously - one from each of the Dublin constituencies which was being contested by Sinn Fein . Banners and slogans carried by the marchers were greeted with cheers as they drew near the platform . Fianna Eireann scouts and the Emerald Girl Pipers Band headed the parade .
Saoirse Dearle opened the meeting by reading the 1916 Proclamation , following which a recording of the Last Post was played and two minutes silence observed . Tomas O'Dubhghaill , the candidate for Dublin South Central , was the first speaker to be introduced by Sean O'Suilleabhain , Director of Elections for Tom Misteil .
Tomas appealed to the electorate to vote for the Sinn Fein candidates and endorse the stand made by our 152,000 fellow-countrymen in the North ....... '
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
DYING BY THE SWORD .......
By Emer Woodful .
The murder of LVF leader BILLY WRIGHT has ignited the most violent spell in the North's recent history and threatened the peace process . He may well have considered it an appropriate legacy .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , February 1998 , pages 30,31,34 and 35 .
Re-published here in 17 parts .
(8 of 17).
The S.D.L.P. accused David Trimble of ".. breathtaking hypocrisy .. " , and Bob McCartney of the 'UK Unionists' said the meeting was " ...questionable.. " . Wright himself said David Trimble had asked him to intervene to prevent any violence .
When asked why he was at Drumcree if he was'nt even a member of the Orange Order , Billy Wright replied - " How dare you , dear , how dare you ! My family's buried at Drumcree . I will not let you tell me where I can or cannot go , or that I cannot speak to my MP at a time when your government is speaking to the IRA . "
It was difficult to try and figure out Billy Wright , the man who described the ceasefire as "... the happiest day of my life .. " , who had worked in the past as a religious preacher , but who had abandoned practising his beloved religion because of the dilemma he saw in his support for violence . He told me -
- " I believe that true Protestantism is about faith in the Lord Jesus Christ . You're quite right to say that if you were practising that faith then you could'nt align it to your other beliefs ....... "
(MORE LATER).
WOMEN IN IRELAND'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM .......
By the late Cork Republican , Gearoid MacCarthaigh .
" In 1939 , when the English bombing campaign started , women again played an active part ; the late Mrs. Charlie Woods , Miss Rita McSwiney (now Mrs. Paddy McGlynn ) and Miss Mary Glynn (now Mrs. Dick Mullready ) served long years in English prisons for their part in the Campaign . Many other Irish women were deported from England for the same reason .
In the 1940's , the women of Cumann na mBan and the girls of Clann na Gael were the ones not in gaol or internment camps and managed to keep the Republican position before the public . They held regular protest marches and meetings in Dublin , and were often battoned by the Free State Guards . On one such occasion the late Commandant Katie O'Connor of Clann na Gael was knocked unconscious in the middle of O'Connell Street , Dublin , by the blow of a baton welded by one of the so-called 'Guardians of the Peace' .
On many occasions during the 1940's the women provided Guards of Honour at funerals of dead Republicans ; many women were interned in Mountjoy Gaol in the 1940's and I know of no case of any of them 'signing out' .
It had always been the practice that only flags and banners of Republican organisations be allowed to be carried in the Parade at Bodenstown but , in 1968 , it had been widely rumoured beforehand that the Communist Party of Ireland proposed to march behind their own flag in Bodenstown ....... "
(MORE LATER).
SURVIVORS , SERVERS , AND SAVIOURS.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper , Aibrean [April] 1957 , page 2.
(IML. IX. UIMHIR 4 - price Tri Pingin [Three Pennies].
Thanks to my late friends Christy and Theresa L. for giving me this 48-year-old newspaper ; this thread published in memory of those two old Fenians ! - John.
' At present , outside agencies artifically alter the value of money by regulating the supply of credit so that the Irish farming community , for example , is doomed to experience a period of depression after every period of prosperity . But a farm cannot flourish under such a system ; we require a monetary system designed to maintain a state of equilibrium within our country , and not a fixed relationship between an Irish pound and an external unit of currency .
There is not lacking in Ireland sufficient intelligence to solve our problems : what is wanting lies in the sphere of the will . We are are a Nation of survivors and have been deficient in the use of our will-power . But that weakness , thanks be to God , appears to be leaving us now .
Ireland's survivors are becoming her servers ; and Ireland's servers shall be her saviours . '
[END of ' SURVIVORS , SERVERS , AND SAVIOURS....... '].
(Tomorrow - ' SINN FEIN RALLY IN DUBLIN ' ; from the same 1957 source.)
By Emer Woodful .
The murder of LVF leader BILLY WRIGHT has ignited the most violent spell in the North's recent history and threatened the peace process . He may well have considered it an appropriate legacy .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , February 1998 , pages 30,31,34 and 35 .
Re-published here in 17 parts .
(8 of 17).
The S.D.L.P. accused David Trimble of ".. breathtaking hypocrisy .. " , and Bob McCartney of the 'UK Unionists' said the meeting was " ...questionable.. " . Wright himself said David Trimble had asked him to intervene to prevent any violence .
When asked why he was at Drumcree if he was'nt even a member of the Orange Order , Billy Wright replied - " How dare you , dear , how dare you ! My family's buried at Drumcree . I will not let you tell me where I can or cannot go , or that I cannot speak to my MP at a time when your government is speaking to the IRA . "
It was difficult to try and figure out Billy Wright , the man who described the ceasefire as "... the happiest day of my life .. " , who had worked in the past as a religious preacher , but who had abandoned practising his beloved religion because of the dilemma he saw in his support for violence . He told me -
- " I believe that true Protestantism is about faith in the Lord Jesus Christ . You're quite right to say that if you were practising that faith then you could'nt align it to your other beliefs ....... "
(MORE LATER).
WOMEN IN IRELAND'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM .......
By the late Cork Republican , Gearoid MacCarthaigh .
" In 1939 , when the English bombing campaign started , women again played an active part ; the late Mrs. Charlie Woods , Miss Rita McSwiney (now Mrs. Paddy McGlynn ) and Miss Mary Glynn (now Mrs. Dick Mullready ) served long years in English prisons for their part in the Campaign . Many other Irish women were deported from England for the same reason .
In the 1940's , the women of Cumann na mBan and the girls of Clann na Gael were the ones not in gaol or internment camps and managed to keep the Republican position before the public . They held regular protest marches and meetings in Dublin , and were often battoned by the Free State Guards . On one such occasion the late Commandant Katie O'Connor of Clann na Gael was knocked unconscious in the middle of O'Connell Street , Dublin , by the blow of a baton welded by one of the so-called 'Guardians of the Peace' .
On many occasions during the 1940's the women provided Guards of Honour at funerals of dead Republicans ; many women were interned in Mountjoy Gaol in the 1940's and I know of no case of any of them 'signing out' .
It had always been the practice that only flags and banners of Republican organisations be allowed to be carried in the Parade at Bodenstown but , in 1968 , it had been widely rumoured beforehand that the Communist Party of Ireland proposed to march behind their own flag in Bodenstown ....... "
(MORE LATER).
SURVIVORS , SERVERS , AND SAVIOURS.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper , Aibrean [April] 1957 , page 2.
(IML. IX. UIMHIR 4 - price Tri Pingin [Three Pennies].
Thanks to my late friends Christy and Theresa L. for giving me this 48-year-old newspaper ; this thread published in memory of those two old Fenians ! - John.
' At present , outside agencies artifically alter the value of money by regulating the supply of credit so that the Irish farming community , for example , is doomed to experience a period of depression after every period of prosperity . But a farm cannot flourish under such a system ; we require a monetary system designed to maintain a state of equilibrium within our country , and not a fixed relationship between an Irish pound and an external unit of currency .
There is not lacking in Ireland sufficient intelligence to solve our problems : what is wanting lies in the sphere of the will . We are are a Nation of survivors and have been deficient in the use of our will-power . But that weakness , thanks be to God , appears to be leaving us now .
Ireland's survivors are becoming her servers ; and Ireland's servers shall be her saviours . '
[END of ' SURVIVORS , SERVERS , AND SAVIOURS....... '].
(Tomorrow - ' SINN FEIN RALLY IN DUBLIN ' ; from the same 1957 source.)
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
DYING BY THE SWORD .......
By Emer Woodful .
The murder of LVF leader BILLY WRIGHT has ignited the most violent spell in the North's recent history and threatened the peace process . He may well have considered it an appropriate legacy .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , February 1998 , pages 30,31,34 and 35 .
Re-published here in 17 parts .
(7 of 17).
In August 1996 , the UVF 'stood down' one of its Units in Portadown ; it is believed that Billy Wright and Alex Kerr then set-up the Loyalist Volunteer Force , which led to their being issued with the Combined Loyalist Military Command's death threat . The CLMC's statement read -
- " Failure to comply with this directive (ie to leave the Six Counties within 72 hours) will result in summary justice for your treasonable and subversive activities . " At the time , support for Wright and Kerr came from the DUP's Ian Paisley junior , who said that "... any death threat on any individual by any organisation is contemptible and reprehensible , and I condemn it with every ounce of strength I have . "
There was quite a fuss about Billy Wright having met the UUP leader David Trimble at Drumcree ; Wright had manned the barricades , fortified with a mechanical digger and a slurry tank filled with petrol that could have been sprayed over the British security forces in the event of any battle developing .
The newspaper headlines barked banners like ' Mallon Accuses Trimble of Breaking the Law ' and ' Trimble's Talk with Wright Raises Queries about his Refusal to Meet Garvaghy Group ..... '
(MORE LATER).
WOMEN IN IRELAND'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM .......
By the late Cork Republican , Gearoid MacCarthaigh .
" On December 8th 1936 , Na Fianna Eireann were holding a Four Martyrs Commemoration Concert in Cork City Hall ; the late Mary McSwiney , one of the last survivors of the Second All-Ireland Dail Eireann , was the speaker . At the outset of her speech she declared as follows :
: " Republicans in this city are wary of using this Hall as it has never been properly opened . Since no-one is more entitled to use it than Republicans I now declare this City Hall officially opened in the name of the Irish Republic . "
In 1936 , Cumann na mBan was declared an 'illegal organisation' by the Fianna Fail Free State government and their Head Office in Dublin was locked and sealed-up by the Broy Harriers ; they were never again to gain admission to their Head Office but this did not stop them from fighting on .
In 1939 , when the English bombing campaign started , women again played an active part ....... "
(MORE LATER).
SURVIVORS , SERVERS , AND SAVIOURS.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper , Aibrean [April] 1957 , page 1.
(IML. IX. UIMHIR 4 - price Tri Pingin [Three Pennies].
Thanks to my late friends Christy and Theresa L. for giving me this 48-year-old newspaper ; this thread published in memory of those two old Fenians ! - John.
' At the 1955 Annual Dinner of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland , Sir George Erskine , President of the Institute of Bankers in England , listened to a speech made by the Minister of Finance ; afterwards , he made a speech himself - he said that , as he listened to the Minister , he thought that if only he closed his eyes he might have been listening to the (British) Chancellor of the Exchequer -
- " To my mind , " he said , " from what the Minister said , your problem is the same as ours . "
Sinn Fein believes that the problems are dissimilar , and that financial independence is essential to political independence and , for the prosperity and growth of the population of Ireland we must control our national resources . At present we make use of a foreign currency , the circulation of which is controlled by foreign financiers .
With a national currency , the volume in circulation could be regulated to provide stability of prices , full employment and the stoppage of emigration . At present , outside agencies artifically alter the value of money by regulating the supply of credit ....... '
(MORE LATER).
By Emer Woodful .
The murder of LVF leader BILLY WRIGHT has ignited the most violent spell in the North's recent history and threatened the peace process . He may well have considered it an appropriate legacy .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , February 1998 , pages 30,31,34 and 35 .
Re-published here in 17 parts .
(7 of 17).
In August 1996 , the UVF 'stood down' one of its Units in Portadown ; it is believed that Billy Wright and Alex Kerr then set-up the Loyalist Volunteer Force , which led to their being issued with the Combined Loyalist Military Command's death threat . The CLMC's statement read -
- " Failure to comply with this directive (ie to leave the Six Counties within 72 hours) will result in summary justice for your treasonable and subversive activities . " At the time , support for Wright and Kerr came from the DUP's Ian Paisley junior , who said that "... any death threat on any individual by any organisation is contemptible and reprehensible , and I condemn it with every ounce of strength I have . "
There was quite a fuss about Billy Wright having met the UUP leader David Trimble at Drumcree ; Wright had manned the barricades , fortified with a mechanical digger and a slurry tank filled with petrol that could have been sprayed over the British security forces in the event of any battle developing .
The newspaper headlines barked banners like ' Mallon Accuses Trimble of Breaking the Law ' and ' Trimble's Talk with Wright Raises Queries about his Refusal to Meet Garvaghy Group ..... '
(MORE LATER).
WOMEN IN IRELAND'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM .......
By the late Cork Republican , Gearoid MacCarthaigh .
" On December 8th 1936 , Na Fianna Eireann were holding a Four Martyrs Commemoration Concert in Cork City Hall ; the late Mary McSwiney , one of the last survivors of the Second All-Ireland Dail Eireann , was the speaker . At the outset of her speech she declared as follows :
: " Republicans in this city are wary of using this Hall as it has never been properly opened . Since no-one is more entitled to use it than Republicans I now declare this City Hall officially opened in the name of the Irish Republic . "
In 1936 , Cumann na mBan was declared an 'illegal organisation' by the Fianna Fail Free State government and their Head Office in Dublin was locked and sealed-up by the Broy Harriers ; they were never again to gain admission to their Head Office but this did not stop them from fighting on .
In 1939 , when the English bombing campaign started , women again played an active part ....... "
(MORE LATER).
SURVIVORS , SERVERS , AND SAVIOURS.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper , Aibrean [April] 1957 , page 1.
(IML. IX. UIMHIR 4 - price Tri Pingin [Three Pennies].
Thanks to my late friends Christy and Theresa L. for giving me this 48-year-old newspaper ; this thread published in memory of those two old Fenians ! - John.
' At the 1955 Annual Dinner of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland , Sir George Erskine , President of the Institute of Bankers in England , listened to a speech made by the Minister of Finance ; afterwards , he made a speech himself - he said that , as he listened to the Minister , he thought that if only he closed his eyes he might have been listening to the (British) Chancellor of the Exchequer -
- " To my mind , " he said , " from what the Minister said , your problem is the same as ours . "
Sinn Fein believes that the problems are dissimilar , and that financial independence is essential to political independence and , for the prosperity and growth of the population of Ireland we must control our national resources . At present we make use of a foreign currency , the circulation of which is controlled by foreign financiers .
With a national currency , the volume in circulation could be regulated to provide stability of prices , full employment and the stoppage of emigration . At present , outside agencies artifically alter the value of money by regulating the supply of credit ....... '
(MORE LATER).
Monday, March 28, 2005
DYING BY THE SWORD .......
By Emer Woodful .
The murder of LVF leader BILLY WRIGHT has ignited the most violent spell in the North's recent history and threatened the peace process . He may well have considered it an appropriate legacy .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , February 1998 , pages 30,31,34 and 35 .
Re-published here in 17 parts .
(6 of 17).
Billy Wright denied having had anything to do with the death of Lurgan taxi driver Eddie McGoldrick ; he said that he had been " ... arrested for public consumption .. " and knew of no loyalist involvement in the killing . The UVF and the UDA also denied any involvement , and Wright offered the completely unfounded suggestion that it may have been a drug-related killing .
That killing is said to have added to the rift between Billy Wright and the 'Combined Loyalist Military Command' , who were backing the cease-fire ; there had been growing unease among Wright and his supporters , and the UVF , which was said to be angry about the violence at Drumcree , the McGoldrick killing and the moving further away from any dialogue . As a result , in August 1996 , after Drumcree , the UVF issued a statement saying it had stood down one of its Units in Portadown .......
(MORE LATER).
WOMEN IN IRELAND'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM .......
By the late Cork Republican , Gearoid MacCarthaigh .
" Eamonn de Valera was due to visit Cork ; security was tight . Passes were issued by the Free State authorities , six of which ended up with the local IRA . The Brits , of course , did not know this . Six members of Cumann na mBan were selected , a prepared speech was drawn up and each of the six women had to learn it off by heart .
de Valera was visiting Cork to open the new City Hall ; on the opening day , the six women presented themselves at the entrance to the City Hall one or two at a time and were admitted when they produced their passes . When they entered the Hall they took up widely scattered positions around the stage . When de Valera got up and started his speech , the first woman got up and started her speech ; Dev sat down and remained sitting until the Broy Harriers had removed the woman protestor from the room .
When de Valera got to his feet again , the second woman got up and continued from where the first woman was forced to leave off ; six times this happened that day . The women , when they were dragged from the main room , were held for a number of hours in a separate room in the building and questioned as to how they had gained admission .
Needless to say they did not tell ....... "
(MORE LATER).
SURVIVORS , SERVERS , AND SAVIOURS.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper , Aibrean [April] 1957 , page 1.
(IML. IX. UIMHIR 4 - price Tri Pingin [Three Pennies].
Thanks to my late friends Christy and Theresa L. for giving me this 48-year-old newspaper ; this thread published in memory of those two old Fenians ! - John.
' After the British butchery of 1798 , the Orangeman was made to fear the Catholic and , fearing him , to oppress him . The Catholic was taught that he needed a friend to defend him against Protestant oppression and Orange violence .
The maintenance of a so-called United Kingdom necessitated the dis-union of Ireland , and a new 'pale' was formed around Belfast . We must teach our Northern brethren that they have lost much in the last 150 years ; and that it is in London and not in Dublin that they will eventually recognise their enemies .
The first duty of Irishmen , then , is to unite and save our country ; our second duty is to make it reasonably prosperous , provide full employment and stop emigration . The key to these economic problems is monetary reform - the State must assume the responsibility of controlling the supply of credit , or money , and of feeding a sufficiency of this into our economy for real wealth to be produced and all people to be employed ....... '
(MORE LATER).
Beannachtai na Casca oraibh ; Tiocfaidh Ar La ! Happy Easter ; Our Day Will Come !
By Emer Woodful .
The murder of LVF leader BILLY WRIGHT has ignited the most violent spell in the North's recent history and threatened the peace process . He may well have considered it an appropriate legacy .
First published in 'MAGILL' magazine , February 1998 , pages 30,31,34 and 35 .
Re-published here in 17 parts .
(6 of 17).
Billy Wright denied having had anything to do with the death of Lurgan taxi driver Eddie McGoldrick ; he said that he had been " ... arrested for public consumption .. " and knew of no loyalist involvement in the killing . The UVF and the UDA also denied any involvement , and Wright offered the completely unfounded suggestion that it may have been a drug-related killing .
That killing is said to have added to the rift between Billy Wright and the 'Combined Loyalist Military Command' , who were backing the cease-fire ; there had been growing unease among Wright and his supporters , and the UVF , which was said to be angry about the violence at Drumcree , the McGoldrick killing and the moving further away from any dialogue . As a result , in August 1996 , after Drumcree , the UVF issued a statement saying it had stood down one of its Units in Portadown .......
(MORE LATER).
WOMEN IN IRELAND'S FIGHT FOR FREEDOM .......
By the late Cork Republican , Gearoid MacCarthaigh .
" Eamonn de Valera was due to visit Cork ; security was tight . Passes were issued by the Free State authorities , six of which ended up with the local IRA . The Brits , of course , did not know this . Six members of Cumann na mBan were selected , a prepared speech was drawn up and each of the six women had to learn it off by heart .
de Valera was visiting Cork to open the new City Hall ; on the opening day , the six women presented themselves at the entrance to the City Hall one or two at a time and were admitted when they produced their passes . When they entered the Hall they took up widely scattered positions around the stage . When de Valera got up and started his speech , the first woman got up and started her speech ; Dev sat down and remained sitting until the Broy Harriers had removed the woman protestor from the room .
When de Valera got to his feet again , the second woman got up and continued from where the first woman was forced to leave off ; six times this happened that day . The women , when they were dragged from the main room , were held for a number of hours in a separate room in the building and questioned as to how they had gained admission .
Needless to say they did not tell ....... "
(MORE LATER).
SURVIVORS , SERVERS , AND SAVIOURS.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper , Aibrean [April] 1957 , page 1.
(IML. IX. UIMHIR 4 - price Tri Pingin [Three Pennies].
Thanks to my late friends Christy and Theresa L. for giving me this 48-year-old newspaper ; this thread published in memory of those two old Fenians ! - John.
' After the British butchery of 1798 , the Orangeman was made to fear the Catholic and , fearing him , to oppress him . The Catholic was taught that he needed a friend to defend him against Protestant oppression and Orange violence .
The maintenance of a so-called United Kingdom necessitated the dis-union of Ireland , and a new 'pale' was formed around Belfast . We must teach our Northern brethren that they have lost much in the last 150 years ; and that it is in London and not in Dublin that they will eventually recognise their enemies .
The first duty of Irishmen , then , is to unite and save our country ; our second duty is to make it reasonably prosperous , provide full employment and stop emigration . The key to these economic problems is monetary reform - the State must assume the responsibility of controlling the supply of credit , or money , and of feeding a sufficiency of this into our economy for real wealth to be produced and all people to be employed ....... '
(MORE LATER).
Beannachtai na Casca oraibh ; Tiocfaidh Ar La ! Happy Easter ; Our Day Will Come !
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