THE WALLACE AND HOLROYD FILE .......These files are now coming under the scrutiny of the 'authorities' . Heads will role . But whose ?
From 'New Hibernia' magazine , April 1987 .
Chief Supt. Hubert Reynolds of the Murder Squad at Garda HQ wants to know why 'Commandant P' was never interviewed by the gardai about his involvement in the Wallace/Holroyd File . Reynolds heads a team which has been told to get to the bottom of the affair - and quick .
He has taken statements from 'Commandant P' and other (State) Army Officers , serving and retired , who might throw light on the subject . But that is only one of the curious things which have been thrown up by the persistent claim made by Fred Holroyd and Colin Wallace on TV , radio and in the press in Britain and Ireland . Their allegations divide neatly into two , but are complementary .
Fred Holroyd was a Captain in the 'Special Military Intelligence Unit' in the North of Ireland and served as a Military Intelligence Officer in the RUC's 'Juliet' Division of Mid Ulster (sic) between 1974 and 1976 . As a bearded undercover man , often operating in disguise , he was well placed to discover what was going on in the RUC Special Branch , local military intelligence , the SAS (who had a troop based at Castledillon near his patch) and MI6 for who he worked secretly as their eyes and ears in that part of the British Army command structure.......
(MORE LATER).
THE HEAVY HAND OF THE LAW .......Allegations of Garda brutality only hit the headlines intermittently . But the problem may be much more widespread than most people imagine . Last year out-of-court settlements of cases involving members of the Garda cost the taxpayer over €1 million . What's going on ?
From 'MAGILL' magazine , April 2003 .
By Mairead Carey.
Grainne Walsh (35) readily admits that she and her sister , Ciara , were the perfect plaintiffs :
" For us , taking the case was a huge risk . The District Court case cost us thousands of pounds , and we faced the possibility of losing tens of thousands in the High Court . But we knew we were innocent and we were in a position to fight it . If you don't have the finances , or the witnesses , or if you have a record or a drug problem , you have to drop it . "
Peter Mullen's clients are more likely to fit into the latter category - " I receive complaints on a regular basis from clients who say they have been assaulted by the gardai ," says the Dublin solicitor . He rarely advises anyone to go to the Garda Complaints Board : " I don't have a huge amount of confidence in the Garda complaints procedure , nor do my clients . " Normally , Peter Mullen would'nt advise clients to take a civil case , either , but he had good reasons for advising the Walsh sisters to do so on this occasion.......
(MORE LATER).
VINCENT BROWNE : PILLARS OF SOCIETY .......
Vincent Browne is the nearest thing to Robert Maxwell that Ireland has got - in style , if not in scale .
From 'PHOENIX' magazine , 1985.
Vincent Browne owes the Revenue Commissioners £110,000 to last July , with probably the same amount piling up since then , Tony Ryan is still owed another £500,000 and journalists may take cold comfort from the fact that their own paltry debt of £15,000 in owed wages is by far the smallest of Browne's debts . These figures may explain why some of Browne's closest allies are thinking of ratting .
Vincent Browne is presently looking for a consortium of investors to put in £100,000 each , but whether or not the larger-than-life journalist manages to hang in there and become the country's most flamboyant publisher remains to be seen . If he does fail to get an investor , or investors , it will not be for the want of trying .
At one stage in the last ten months , Browne approached people close to Fianna Fail leader Charles Haughey , looking for funds . Possessed of an astute political brain and a manic energy , Vincent Browne himself will survive even if 'The Sunday Tribune' does not !
[END of 'VINCENT BROWNE : PILLARS OF SOCIETY']
(Next - ' THE STRANGE STATE KILLING OF MAURICE O' NEILL' - from 1999.)
Annual Eve-Of-All-Ireland Rally -DATE - Saturday 16th September 2006 .
Assemble at the Garden Of Remembrance at 2pm , for parade to the GPO .
Also , on this same Saturday (16th) , Republicans will be holding a 12-hour fast at the GPO in support of Irish Republican political prisoners , from 9AM to 9PM .
