LAW IN DISORDER.......The state trumpets every drugs seizure as a major victory over the barons. But the war against drugs is really a murky world characterised by botched operations , questionable use of informers and ego-driven squabbles between the Garda Siochana and customs officials.
Mairead Carey gets the inside story.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , August 2002.
Garda Commissioner Pat Byrne had yet to be appointed to the top job in An Garda Siochana when , in November 1995 , the Garda hired a trawler at Castletownbere , County Cork, and travelled 300 miles off the south-west coast to rendezvous with an oil-supply vessel to bring in what was , and remains, the largest consignment of cannabis ever landed in Ireland.
Pat Byrne was then Deputy Commissioner in charge of all Garda anti-drugs measures and Kevin Carty was in charge of the unit on a day-to-day basis. Chief Superintendent Dermot Dwyer , who headed the drug squad in Cork, is also expected to be called as a witness in the forthcoming trial.
About 20 Filipinos , armed and wearing balaclavas , were on board the oil vessel : Gardai , who later described the operation as "...like something out of 'Apocalypse Now'...." , loaded the 13 tonnes of cannabis on to the trawler and headed back to Castletownbere. Customs , who are responsible for the 'frontline' defence against drugs , were kept in the dark about the operation until local officers began investigating the suspicious activities of the Castletownbere trawler , which had its name and registration number painted over.......
(MORE LATER).
THE PETER BERRY PAPERS....... The Top Secret Memoirs of Ireland's Most Powerful Civil Servant : Dirty Tricks, Election '69/ Spying on a Unionist Politician/ Keeping the (State) Taoiseach informed/ The Garda Fallon Murder/ Advice to Jack Lynch- 'Fire the pair of them...'/ Vivion De Valera's advice to O'Malley/ Rumours of a Coup D'Etat/ The Internment Plot, November 1970/ Secret Meeting with William Craig.From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1980.
OCTOBER 22nd , 1969 :
" At about this period of the month I was put on sedatives and, in consequence, my records were not kept in my normal fashion. But I have a clear recollection of being told on one day of the involvement of the two Ministers in the importation of arms and on the next day hearing the Commissioner describing their activities as "....foul treachery to Government.." . I remember telling the Commissioner that on no account should the Ministers' names be recorded pending further checking.
I still disbelieved that Mr. Haughey could be involved . My Minister called before the end of the month , I told him the story and he approved of the suggestion that I had made to the Commissioner. "
NOVEMBER 3rd , 1969 :
" I left hospital for convalescent leave in my home which was to last until January 12th , 1970......."
(MORE LATER).
The CABHAIR organisation will be holding its annual Testimonial Dinner and Republican Reunion function this coming Saturday , 28th May 2011 , in the Academy Plaza Hotel in Dublin : the Honorees this year are Walter O'Dunphy (Leinster) , John Murphy (Munster) , Neil Chambers (Connacht) , Joe O'Neill (Ulster) and Maggie Trainor (USA).
As it happens , one or more of us that put this blog together have , at one time or another over the years , worked alongside each of the Honorees and can vouch without fear of contradiction on behalf of their commitment to the Cause of Irish Freedom - we are delighted that the internal Irish Republican 'powers-that-be' in Ireland , England and America have decided to honour these five stalwarts in a public ceremony and we are looking forward to the occasion !
BRITISH PRESENCE TO BE CLEANSED.....Republican Sinn Féin will be holding a cleansing ceremony at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin on Sunday 29th May at 12 Noon.
The purpose of the ceremony is to cleanse the Garden of Remembrance of any residue of British Imperialism as a result of the recent visit there by an English 'queen'.
This is a timely initiative , and one which should be supported , physically and/or morally , by all Irish Republicans : there can be no doubt that the Garden of Remembrance is now unclean and tarnished by the recent visit of that person and - in the opinion of this blog - by the presence , also , of the pro-British spittle left behind by the Free State political 'elite' , one of whom - Enda Kenny ,
Fine Gael leader and present 'Chief Lemming' of this corrupt State , courtesy of his pay-masters in the IMF - has queried the Irishness of those who protested against the visit here of the English 'queen' !
Considering that Fine Gael has advocated a 'United Ireland' within the British 'Commonwealth' , his 'query' does not surprise us : the man is politically and morally demented and is simply 'serving time' in Leinster House until his owners in the IMF/EU can create a 'job' for him , as was done for one of his predecessors , a Mr Bruton.
It would be a betrayal by Irish Republicanism if the aura left behind in the Garden of Remembrance by the above-mentioned elements was not to be expunged : those with a knowledge of their history and a sense of their cultural background will assemble at the Garden of Remembrance next Sunday , 29th May 2011 at 12 Noon , to restore the honour which anti-Republican and/or pro-British 'Commonwealth' political morons besmirched by their presence and actions on that particular day.
Thanks for reading,
Sharon.
