1169 And Counting.....: 04/23/2006

Friday, April 28, 2006

Hunger Strike Rally , GPO , Dublin , Saturday May 6th 2006 .
Remembering the Hunger-Strikers 25 years on.
A rally to commemorate the heroic struggle of the ten hunger-strikers : Bobby Sands, Francis Hughes, Ray McCreesh, Patsy O'Hara, Joe McDonnell, Martin Hurson, Kevin Lynch, Kieran Doherty, Thomas McElwee, Michael Devine - who gave their lives in 1981- will be held in Dublin on Saturday May 6 2006 . Assemble at the Garden of Remembrance at 2pm for march to GPO on O'Connell Street.
"They will not criminalise us, rob us of our true identity, steal our individualism, depoliticise us, churn us out as systemised, institutionalised, decent law-abiding robots. Never will they label our liberation struggle as criminal."
- Bobby Sands.
Twenty-two Irish political prisoners died on hunger-strike between 1917 and 1981 . The Dublin Rally is being held to commemorate all those Irishmen .

ORANGE JUDGE EXECUTED.
From 'IRIS' magazine , March 1983 .
No 'By-Line' .

The IRA's execution of Judge William Doyle , a 'token Catholic' in the corrupt Orange judiciary in the North of Ireland , sent shock waves of anguish and anger through the pro-British establishment in the North , and through the Catholic middle class ad Catholic hierarchy who objectively assist the British presence .

Two days after the killing , Bishop Cathal Daly , who had been rather more circumspect in his criticism of recent RUC shoot-to-kill murders of nationalists , was prompted to describe those in the Irish republican tradition as representing - " ...the gravest danger which has been created for Belfast Catholicism for half a century . "

Responding to Bishop Daly's denunciation at the time , the IRA said - " Two weeks ago , we asked Bishop Daly to rule on a number of questions which we posed , and he refused to answer because he could not answer without exposing his pro-British sympathies ....... "
(MORE LATER).

Thursday, April 27, 2006

MacGIOLLA's GUERRILLAS .......
Fifteen years ago , the leadership of the 'Official Republican Movement' (now 'The Workers' Party') stated that their armed wing , the 'Official IRA' , went out of existence .
Today , the 'Official IRA' is alive and well and living mainly in Belfast and Newry . In the days when both organisations were operating in an overt way , the leadership of 'The Workers' Party' and the 'Official IRA' overlapped to a certain degree .
Tomas MacGiolla , the man who led the 'Official IRA' for the last twenty-five years has always maintained the position that the 'Official IRA' went out of existence in 1972 . But the 'Official IRA' still march on , not an army fighting the British , but as a fund-collecting agency .
DEREK DUNNE traces the roots of the 'Official IRA' and 'The Workers' Party' .
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , October 1987 .

The Army Council of the Official IRA was elected from the OIRA Army Convention , and the Council in turn appointed the OIRA Executive . The Army Council were party to and conscious of all policy decisions taken . OIRA Officers Commanding from all command areas attended meetings from time to time - Belfast , County Derry , Derry City , Newry South , Armagh , Donegal , Dublin , Waterford , Cork and Limerick .

Between 1969 and mid-1972 , when the Official IRA called its ceasefire , they actively engaged the British Army : this is today presented by members of the Workers' Party as some kind of 'aberration' . By 1972 , the Official IRA had about 150 active members in Derry ; they were arranged into companies and battalions and had an assortment of old weapons - MI's , Winchesters , M3 Grease guns , Garrand rifles and some 303's : they were all bolt action weapons .

On at least three separate occasions , Tomas MacGiolla made his way to Derry to talk with the Official IRA Command Staff there ; one occasion was when OIRA member Joe McCann was killed in action . The OIRA Command meeting was called to discuss what retaliation should take place as a result of the killing but , by the time MacGiolla arrived in Derry , the Official IRA had already shot dead two British soldiers . The OIRA Derry Command also consulted with other members of the Workers' Party in those days , such as Sean Garland , Andy Smith and Larry Malone .
(MORE LATER).

LIAM MELLOWS AND THE IRISH CIVIL WAR .......
This is the bulk of a public lecture given at University College , Galway , by Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle member and Deputy General Secretary of the 'Local Government and Public Services Union' , Phil Flynn , on December 8th 1982 , the 60th Anniversary of the Free State's execution of Liam Mellows .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , March 1983 .

In an article published two weeks after his execution , Liam Mellows wrote -
" In its 'Programme of Democratic Policy' , Dail Eireann laid down that the soil of Ireland and all that grew upon it and lay under it , as well as all the wealth and wealth-producing processes in the country , should belong to the people .

In the last analysis , the fight between the Irish people and the British government is not alone one between two nations : it is more than that - it is a struggle between two systems of civilisation , between the feudal system of England under its present guise of industrialism and the democratic system upon which the old civilisation of Ireland was built .

A vestige of that civilisation remains in Ireland today - it is growing , expanding , and the end of foreign rule in Ireland will usher in not alone a new political era in Ireland , but a new economic one as well . "

[END of 'LIAM MELLOWS AND THE IRISH CIVIL WAR']
(Tomorrow : 'ORANGE JUDGE EXECUTED' - from 1983)

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

MacGIOLLA's GUERRILLAS .......
Fifteen years ago , the leadership of the 'Official Republican Movement' (now 'The Workers' Party') stated that their armed wing , the 'Official IRA' , went out of existence .
Today , the 'Official IRA' is alive and well and living mainly in Belfast and Newry . In the days when both organisations were operating in an overt way , the leadership of 'The Workers' Party' and the 'Official IRA' overlapped to a certain degree .
Tomas MacGiolla , the man who led the 'Official IRA' for the last twenty-five years has always maintained the position that the 'Official IRA' went out of existence in 1972 . But the 'Official IRA' still march on , not an army fighting the British , but as a fund-collecting agency .
DEREK DUNNE traces the roots of the 'Official IRA' and 'The Workers' Party' .
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , October 1987 .

Sean Garland was also on the OIRA Army Council by virtue of the fact that he was Adjutant General of the OIRA . Michael Ryan was on the OIRA Army Council because he was the Director of Intelligence : Seamus Costello because he was Director of Operations . Other members were Derry Dineen , Quartermaster General and Sean Kenny , International Affairs . Malachy McGurrin was 'Officer Commanding' of the Official IRA in the North and was also on the OIRA Army Council . Eamonn Smullen also attended meetings following his return from Britain in 1973 .

While it is publicly known that Cathal Goulding was on both the OIRA Army Council and its Executive by virtue of the fact that he was OIRA Chief of Staff , the other leading members of what is now the Workers' Party were less than forthcoming about the part they played - in public , none have ever admitted being on the OIRA Army Council , the supreme decision-making body of that organisation . Neither have any stated publicly when , if at all , they relinquished their posts .

Eamonn Smullen was another very influential figure in that movement ; he had spent time in Portlaoise Prison during 'the Emergency' ; he had been aligned with the Communist Party in Britain and was active in the trade union movement . Eamonn Smullen was convicted in Britain of conspiring to buy arms and returned to Ireland in 1973 - it was he who developed the 'infiltrationist tactics' of the Workers' Party , the objective of which was to saturate various areas such as the media and the trade unions with members and supporters of the Workers' Party . In this they have been largely successful .......
(MORE LATER).

GARDA GUN FIRE : WHO TO BELIEVE.......?
Close analysis of television news film of incidents last month at Emyvale suggests a garda's gun went off accidentally . But that is not what the Minister of Justice told the Dail .
GENE KERRIGAN looks at the evidence.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1987 .

Criticism of the garda involved , Detective Sergeant Joe Darwin from Monaghan , is beside the point - in a traumatic event he acted as he thought best - he clearly believed that his life and the lives of his colleagues were under threat . He was entitled in that situation to use his gun . * ( * '1169...' Comment : the fact remains that a trained armed member of the State Gardai fired weapons at un-armed protestors . Criticism of said member should not , in our opinion , be dismissed as being "beside the point" .)

In photographs taken from a tape of the RTE News film of the incident , it can be clearly seen that the plainclothes garda cradles his revolver in both hands ; the gun is cocked . His arms are relaxed and bent , the gun is not aimed - it is pointing straight ahead at the bank of the stream . This is not a firing position - a garda deliberately firing a gun in this position would be acting extremely irresponsibly . Yet this is the scene a fraction of a second before the gun is fired . Then the gun fires . The smoke from the discharge can be faintly seen against the right arm of the uniformed garda (on his left) . The gun is now pointing up at an angle of 45 degrees , 'kicking up' into that position as a result of the recoil as the gun fires .

A fraction of a second later and the garda on his left can be seen to have 'flinched' at the sound of the shot . As stones and other objects , thrown by members of the crowd , land in the stream (where the gardai are) , the garda on the right of the garda with the gun 'flinches' : he is trying to move down to where his colleague is trapped in the over-turned car . The plainclothes garda now raises the gun to a firing position but does not fire - he simply points the gun at the crowd . The uniformed garda on his left turns to the plainclothes garda and grasps his shoulder - this uniformed garda is holding the Uzi submachine gun which was previously used . The uniformed garda on his left has now pushed his colleague back against the wall at the far side of the stream , and has apparently persuaded his colleague to lower his revolver .......
(MORE LATER).

LIAM MELLOWS AND THE IRISH CIVIL WAR .......
This is the bulk of a public lecture given at University College , Galway , by Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle member and Deputy General Secretary of the 'Local Government and Public Services Union' , Phil Flynn , on December 8th 1982 , the 60th Anniversary of the Free State's execution of Liam Mellows .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , March 1983 .

In an article by Liam Mellows , entitled 'Labour and Irish Republic' , which was published in 'Voice of Labour' on 23rd December 1922 , he stated -
" Industries will receive encouragement ; employment will increase ; the natural resources of the country tapped ; emigration stopped ; education put on a proper basis , and direct contact with the outside world established . Yet all this , resulting as it would in the country being richer and more prosperous , would not mean that the freedom of Ireland has been attained if the economic system remained unchanged .

A political revolution in Ireland , without a co-incident economic revolution , simply means a change of masters - instead of British capitalists waxing rich on the political and economic enslavement of Ireland , as at present , we would have Irish capitalists waxing rich on the political freedom , but continued enslavement , of Ireland . We do not want a change of masters : it would be foolish , surely , to free Ireland from foreign tyranny today , and less than twenty years hence to have to free it from domestic tyranny . Therefore , the Irish Republic must have for its foundation the people . It is they who are freeing Ireland , and it is for the people - all the people - that it is being done , not for any section or group .

The Dail Eireann had this clearly in mind when , at its first session , in January 1919 ,it issued its 'Programme of Democratic Policy'....... "
(MORE LATER).

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

MacGIOLLA's GUERRILLAS .......
Fifteen years ago , the leadership of the 'Official Republican Movement' (now 'The Workers' Party') stated that their armed wing , the 'Official IRA' , went out of existence .
Today , the 'Official IRA' is alive and well and living mainly in Belfast and Newry . In the days when both organisations were operating in an overt way , the leadership of 'The Workers' Party' and the 'Official IRA' overlapped to a certain degree .
Tomas MacGiolla , the man who led the 'Official IRA' for the last twenty-five years has always maintained the position that the 'Official IRA' went out of existence in 1972 . But the 'Official IRA' still march on , not an army fighting the British , but as a fund-collecting agency .
DEREK DUNNE traces the roots of the 'Official IRA' and 'The Workers' Party' .
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , October 1987 .

The 'Civil Rights' movement started - it was not controlled by Sinn Fein , although there were Sinn Fein members in it . The loyalists attacked nationalist areas in August 1969 : Roy Johnston's 'script' had nothing in it about armed defence of the population - his theory has assumed that people could exercise basic democratic rights , which were presumed to exist under 'Stage One' of the 'Stages Theory' .

The 'Theory' fell to pieces as the IRA scrambled to get guns to defend the people : the old militarists returned and made much play about the fact that there was no guns to defend anybody - the Dublin administration became involved in funding defence committees : there was a split within Sinn Fein and the IRA - the Provos and the Officials were born , in 1969 - two armies emerged which were to develop in radically different ways .

Between 1969 and 1974 , the political and military control of the Official IRA was vested in more or less the same people , and that situation continued for a number of years into the 1970's . Tomas MacGiolla was Chairman of the OIRA Army Council , Chairman of the the Army Executive (the body responsible for the day-to-day running of the Official IRA and membership of which largely overlapped with the OIRA Army Council) and Chairman of the OIRA Army Convention , the assembly of OIRA Volunteers . This latter group had not met once between 1969 and 1972 .......
(MORE LATER).

GARDA GUN FIRE : WHO TO BELIEVE.......?
Close analysis of television news film of incidents last month at Emyvale suggests a garda's gun went off accidentally . But that is not what the Minister of Justice told the Dail .
GENE KERRIGAN looks at the evidence.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1987 .

There are several reasons why the State offers up a different version than that of what millions actually witnessed during the 'Emyvale Incident' , when a garda , Detective Sergeant Joe Darwin , from Monaghan , 'discharged' his weapon :

1). It is important that the circumstances in which garda weapons are discharged are monitored and that such actions be accountable .
2). In November 1982 , a young Dublin man , Eamonn Byrne , was shot dead by a garda at the North Wall in Dublin . Byrne had been arrested and was in handcuffs . The garda's gun went off accidentally . Questions arise about the reliability of garda weapons and the ability of gardai to use their guns in a controlled manner . In March 1986 , a garda detective fired shots in a far from controlled manner when gardai were attempting to arrest Evelyn Glenholmes . The detective had to be restrained by a Sinn Fein member .
3). If TV viewers can see that the official 'explanation' of a shooting does not square with the evidence , the reliability of the State Minister for Justice and of the gardai and the status of Leinster House are put in question . ('1169...' Comment - for Republicans , it does not take a garda shooting for those , or any other , 'institutions' of this State to be 'called into question'.)
4). Above all , the public is simply entitled to frankness and honesty from public servants and representatives .
(MORE LATER).

LIAM MELLOWS AND THE IRISH CIVIL WAR .......
This is the bulk of a public lecture given at University College , Galway , by Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle member and Deputy General Secretary of the 'Local Government and Public Services Union' , Phil Flynn , on December 8th 1982 , the 60th Anniversary of the Free State's execution of Liam Mellows .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , March 1983 .

Further evidence of the depth of the political consciousness of Liam Mellows is apparent in the following extracts from an article by him entitled ' Labour and Irish Republic' , published in 'Voice of Labour' on 23rd December 1922 , two weeks after his execution :

" When one talks of freedom for Ireland , one should have clearly in mind what is meant by Irish Freedom . Freedom and independence , as used at present , are terms so ambiguous as to mean anything , or nothing . The mere act ot setting up a Republic is not a panacea for all the ills that trouble Ireland . Measures more far-reaching than that are required if Ireland is to enjoy real freedom .

The revolution going on in Ireland has a threefold aspect - it is intellectual , it is political , it is economic . Of the intellectual aspect , it is sufficient here to say that Ireland , to be free , must be Irish , must be as free from the domination of alien thought as from alien armies of occupation . The end of the political struggle , the withdrawal of the British Army and British officials from Ireland , and the international recognition of the Irish Republic , will be the means of solving many of the present economic and social problems there , enabling the Government of Ireland to devote its entire attention to the internal matters of this country . "
(MORE LATER).

Monday, April 24, 2006

MacGIOLLA's GUERRILLAS .......
Fifteen years ago , the leadership of the 'Official Republican Movement' (now 'The Workers' Party') stated that their armed wing , the 'Official IRA' , went out of existence .
Today , the 'Official IRA' is alive and well and living mainly in Belfast and Newry . In the days when both organisations were operating in an overt way , the leadership of 'The Workers' Party' and the 'Official IRA' overlapped to a certain degree .
Tomas MacGiolla , the man who led the 'Official IRA' for the last twenty-five years has always maintained the position that the 'Official IRA' went out of existence in 1972 . But the 'Official IRA' still march on , not an army fighting the British , but as a fund-collecting agency .
DEREK DUNNE traces the roots of the 'Official IRA' and 'The Workers' Party' .
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , October 1987 .

The nucleus of the then Republican Movement , which included Roy Johnston , Cathal Goulding and Tomas MacGiolla , took a decision to effectively drop the physical force emphasis which had existed within the IRA and Sinn Fein ; it was Roy Johnston who argued that if links were sufficiently forged between the people and the Republican Movement it would be possible for their representatives to enter 'illegal' places such as Leinster House without being corrupted . ('1169...' Comment - a slightly updated version of those same words was to be used later by 'Johnston'-type figures , again in an attempt to turn a revolutionary movement into a political party .)

Sinn Fein involved itself with agitations , housing-rights and 'fish-ins' ; it moved away from the 'simplistic' view that the border could be removed exclusively through violence : but , as it did so , the older and more militarily-minded among its members moved away from the Movement . Roy Johnston was in favour of launching a civil rights movement in the North , and wanted the IRA to control it ; the 'socialist strategy' adopted by Roy Johnston called for an expansion of the base of the party into urban areas through involvement in agitations . In time , that traditional rural base would be eroded completely , as the party moved from a position of being on the side of small farmers to one where they were against all farmers !

Apparently this change was adopted because they wished to capitalise on the rural/urban divide and show up the differences between the two ; in that they were largely successful , and the party prepared in those heady days for the inevitable socialist triumph that appeared to be just ahead . They had also taken up the 'Stages Theory' which , while not a new concept by any means , was adopted specially for the Irish situation : it held that agitation around the civil rights issue in the North would be a means to allow 'democratic capitalism' to be established . The working class , North and South , would come together , with 'the Final Stage' believing that the 'powers-that-be' would act repressively towards this class and then a co-ordinated militant action would overthrow capitalism on the whole island . The 'Theory' was a breakthrough for a movement which had for so long stagnated and was a specific 'tactical blueprint' for action .......
(MORE LATER).

GARDA GUN FIRE : WHO TO BELIEVE.......?
Close analysis of television news film of incidents last month at Emyvale suggests a garda's gun went off accidentally . But that is not what the Minister of Justice told the Dail .
GENE KERRIGAN looks at the evidence.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1987 .

On Tuesday , May 19th , 1987 , the 'Irish Press' newspaper reported '...a stormy meeting..' within the Garda Representative Association at which it was decided to raise the matter (of the gunfire incident) with the Garda Commissioner ( Laurence Wren) : the image of the Gardai force had been hurt , the 'Press' newspaper was told by its sources , because on TV the garda in the stream was seen to discharge his gun "...wildy.." and by "...accident.." .

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors Executive (AGSI) had their routine monthly meeting with the Garda Commissioner on Monday , May 18th , 1987 , and the 'Emyvale Incident' was NOT discussed ! But the following day , the AGSI was contacted by members in County Monaghan , following publication of the leaked story from the Garda Representative Association . On Wednesday , May 20 , 1987 , the 'Irish Press' newspaper printed a vehement denial from the AGSI , who claimed that the garda , Detective Sergeant Joe Darwin from Monaghan , fired "...on purpose.. " : the AGSI said that the garda "... felt he had no option but to discharge a warning shot to quieten the crowd " .

This statement , like that of the State Minister's , Gerry Collins , is a denial of what millions of people saw on their TV screens ; there are several reasons why this is of consequence .......
(MORE LATER).

LIAM MELLOWS AND THE IRISH CIVIL WAR .......
This is the bulk of a public lecture given at University College , Galway , by Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle member and Deputy General Secretary of the 'Local Government and Public Services Union' , Phil Flynn , on December 8th 1982 , the 60th Anniversary of the Free State's execution of Liam Mellows .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , March 1983 .

In December 1933 , Cumann na mBan stated - " The same , small owning class is still as powerful as ever . It commands our land , our industries , our means of wealth , and may well it sneer at the colour of our pillar boxes . Its chief concern is to distract our attention from the power it possesses over our land and our liberties . It rejoices at every issue we raise , at every action we take which does not challenge its power .

In the North , religious prejudices are inflamed ; in the South , political rivalries are encouraged , minds are excited and passions are aroused on issues , the outcome of which does not interfere with its undisputed domination . The Fianna Fail cabinet (some members of which were the comrades of Liam Mellows years ago , but who can never have shared his views) have failed to avail of their opportunity to weaken the power of our enemies . It remains for us to define the sort of freedom we are working for , in order to ensure that the coming of the Republic will mean the changing of the whole social system .

The organisation of the production of food and industry for USE instead of profit : the ending of oppression and exploitation of man by man - in short , the happiness of all the people of Ireland , for which Liam Mellows fought and died . "
(MORE LATER).