IRA attack on Kilmallock RIC Barracks , 28th May 1920.
In 1867 , the Fenians attacked a British military outpost at kilmallock in County Limerick , but were repelled ; fifty-three years after that event, the Fenians (IRA) decided to burn the outpost (now an RIC barracks) to the ground.....
The barracks , a two-storey, solid masonry structure with steel shuttering , was set back from the road, and housed an RIC garrison of one sergeant and seventeen constables, all armed ; it was known to be a 'tough' building but had one possible weakness - its roof .
A house to the right-hand side of the barracks, which was owned by the Carroll family, was taller than the barracks, and had a 'skylight' in its attic ; .... (MORE LATER)>
" Where the life of the forest receded and fought to guard its flanks and outermost perimeter , a road in its infancy lay hollowed out in the black hardened clay , clustered with machinery . A row of houses appeared beyond, then another , leading to a massive concrete jungle where tiny figures moved to and fro .
There were deck-chairs in the gardens where the sun-worshippers gloated in contentment . A group of young lads played with a garden hose, the cool white jet of water rising into the air before toppling down upon them in a thousand shining little silver drops .
To the right lay Belfast , belching out the sweat of the early morning risers , and the cranes of the shipyard towered towards the cloudless sky ; .... (MORE LATER)>
------ 'I once had a life' , by Bobby Sands, 17th March , 1979.
Peter Robinson and his friends in the RAf have at least one admirer (and no doubt more) in Fine Gael ; in June 1993 , Michael Noonan (ex-FG leader) told 'Hot Press' magazine (16th June , page 44) that , in his opinion, Peter Robinson was "extraordinarily bright, very capable and very different from what his public image is in Ireland . I was impressed by him ."
---- Michael Noonan to join the DUP (in place of that Daniel O'Donnell look-a-like , whasisname ...) ?
---- Peter Robinson to be the next leader of Fine Gael (in place of...eh, the present leader.. whasisname ...) ?
Friday, June 27, 2003
....the British 'Cairo Gang' in Dublin , 1920 .....
.... the thirteen-strong 'Cairo Gang' were executed by the IRA in Dublin on Sunday 21st November , 1920 .....
FOOTNOTE - IRA Volunteer Frank Teeling , who was wounded and captured in a laneway at the back of Lower Mount Street , was sentenced to death - however , he escaped with others from Kilmainham Jail ;
Days after the 'Cairo Gang' were wiped-out , it emerged that Major Callaghan and Colonel Jennings , who were both absent from their digs when the IRA visited , had in fact stayed overnight in a local brothel ! ( I can only presume that they were both with women...) ;
On that Sunday ( 21st November, 1920) , a match took place between Dublin and Tipperary : the 'Black and Tans' came on to the pitch and opened fire on the players and the crowd - fourteen people were killed and sixty injured. The British later said they were fired on first....
" Clusters of timid yellow primroses lined both sides of my avenue . A young rabbit scurried across my path and vanished . Everything was alive and buzzing , but there was peace in the activity of nature . A passing crow cawed but the bees fed undisturbed upon the flowers ,while the refreshing scent of pine carried upon the breeze.
I mastered the twisting rising climb and crossed a clearing of lush green grass, where a solitary young sycamore threw its shadow towards a family of bluebells that flourished by a little trickle of a stream . I sat down upon an earthen mound and gazed down the hillside at the sweeping landscape of deep green and every shade of brown , speckled with orange and yellow and splashed with a million white dots " .
------ Bobby Sands , 17th March 1979 . (MORE LATER)>
At the end of June, 1993 , Peter Robinson (DUP) told news-reporters that "the RAF should wipe out the IRA headquarters in Belfast and Dublin . I do not decry a tough security policy which includes a military response " . Perhaps Peter meant that the RAF should drop a couple of hundred gun-licences over Belfast and Dublin - that was the "military response" that Robinson and Big Ian employed on a hillside , when they paraded their 'Third Force' militia .
That mindset is still there - 'No fenians about the place' (not even the tame ones....).
.... the thirteen-strong 'Cairo Gang' were executed by the IRA in Dublin on Sunday 21st November , 1920 .....
FOOTNOTE - IRA Volunteer Frank Teeling , who was wounded and captured in a laneway at the back of Lower Mount Street , was sentenced to death - however , he escaped with others from Kilmainham Jail ;
Days after the 'Cairo Gang' were wiped-out , it emerged that Major Callaghan and Colonel Jennings , who were both absent from their digs when the IRA visited , had in fact stayed overnight in a local brothel ! ( I can only presume that they were both with women...) ;
On that Sunday ( 21st November, 1920) , a match took place between Dublin and Tipperary : the 'Black and Tans' came on to the pitch and opened fire on the players and the crowd - fourteen people were killed and sixty injured. The British later said they were fired on first....
" Clusters of timid yellow primroses lined both sides of my avenue . A young rabbit scurried across my path and vanished . Everything was alive and buzzing , but there was peace in the activity of nature . A passing crow cawed but the bees fed undisturbed upon the flowers ,while the refreshing scent of pine carried upon the breeze.
I mastered the twisting rising climb and crossed a clearing of lush green grass, where a solitary young sycamore threw its shadow towards a family of bluebells that flourished by a little trickle of a stream . I sat down upon an earthen mound and gazed down the hillside at the sweeping landscape of deep green and every shade of brown , speckled with orange and yellow and splashed with a million white dots " .
------ Bobby Sands , 17th March 1979 . (MORE LATER)>
At the end of June, 1993 , Peter Robinson (DUP) told news-reporters that "the RAF should wipe out the IRA headquarters in Belfast and Dublin . I do not decry a tough security policy which includes a military response " . Perhaps Peter meant that the RAF should drop a couple of hundred gun-licences over Belfast and Dublin - that was the "military response" that Robinson and Big Ian employed on a hillside , when they paraded their 'Third Force' militia .
That mindset is still there - 'No fenians about the place' (not even the tame ones....).
Thursday, June 26, 2003
.....the British 'Cairo Gang' in Dublin , 1920.....
....one of the leaders of the 'Cairo Gang' , a Major Callaghan, was staying at a guesthouse in Fitzwilliam Square ; he was not there when an IRA unit arrived at the premises , but his colleague , Captain Crawford , was ......
Crawford was held at gunpoint by the Volunteers : however , it was decided that, as he was not the intended target his life would be spared if he left the country within twenty-four hours - Crawford threw some things in a case and left immediately .
Another missed target was a Colonel Jennings , who was staying in the 'Eastwood Hotel' ; when the IRA unit broke in the door of his room,it was empty and there was no sign of him in the hotel - the Volunteers left the premises. A total of 13 British Secret Service executioners known as ' The Cairo Gang ' were themselves executed in Dublin on Sunday 21st November , 1920, by the IRA . The loss of those operatives , and the intelligence material they had accumulated, shook the British establishment to its roots , and highlighted on a global scale the extent of the British 'dirty-tricks' campaign in Ireland. (MORE LATER)>
" The sun hung high above , seemingly like a gaping hole in the still blue sky , out of which the golden light came pouring down like honey to feed the land and ripen the barley , while sending shimmering hazes quivering above the melting tarmacadam surfaces . It was hot and humid, the beads of sweat lined my forehead like an ornate jewel.
I walked along the well-trodden path that lay on the perimeter of the forest and which rose steeply before me . I was in no hurry . I had plenty of time to take in and enjoy the beautiful surroundings . A gentle breeze sighed , sending ripples across an ocean of shining green and rustic brown ferns that lay ahead of me " .
---- ' I Once Had a Life ' , by Bobby Sands, first published on 17th March , 1979 . (MORE LATER)>
A West-Belfast man , Patrick Coogan, joined the British Army and eventually obtained the rank of 'Major' ; he left the B A and became an author . On a publicity tour or somesuch, he was asked a question regarding his background in military service and his opinion on the war in the Six Counties - he replied : " If the British government abided by the will of the majority of the people in the first place , it would not have partitioned the country . Historically, partition has never worked, whether it is in Pakistan , Cyprus or Yemen. It is based on the old principle of 'divide and conquer' " .
----- ' G S ' , from Surrey , please copy !
....one of the leaders of the 'Cairo Gang' , a Major Callaghan, was staying at a guesthouse in Fitzwilliam Square ; he was not there when an IRA unit arrived at the premises , but his colleague , Captain Crawford , was ......
Crawford was held at gunpoint by the Volunteers : however , it was decided that, as he was not the intended target his life would be spared if he left the country within twenty-four hours - Crawford threw some things in a case and left immediately .
Another missed target was a Colonel Jennings , who was staying in the 'Eastwood Hotel' ; when the IRA unit broke in the door of his room,it was empty and there was no sign of him in the hotel - the Volunteers left the premises. A total of 13 British Secret Service executioners known as ' The Cairo Gang ' were themselves executed in Dublin on Sunday 21st November , 1920, by the IRA . The loss of those operatives , and the intelligence material they had accumulated, shook the British establishment to its roots , and highlighted on a global scale the extent of the British 'dirty-tricks' campaign in Ireland. (MORE LATER)>
" The sun hung high above , seemingly like a gaping hole in the still blue sky , out of which the golden light came pouring down like honey to feed the land and ripen the barley , while sending shimmering hazes quivering above the melting tarmacadam surfaces . It was hot and humid, the beads of sweat lined my forehead like an ornate jewel.
I walked along the well-trodden path that lay on the perimeter of the forest and which rose steeply before me . I was in no hurry . I had plenty of time to take in and enjoy the beautiful surroundings . A gentle breeze sighed , sending ripples across an ocean of shining green and rustic brown ferns that lay ahead of me " .
---- ' I Once Had a Life ' , by Bobby Sands, first published on 17th March , 1979 . (MORE LATER)>
A West-Belfast man , Patrick Coogan, joined the British Army and eventually obtained the rank of 'Major' ; he left the B A and became an author . On a publicity tour or somesuch, he was asked a question regarding his background in military service and his opinion on the war in the Six Counties - he replied : " If the British government abided by the will of the majority of the people in the first place , it would not have partitioned the country . Historically, partition has never worked, whether it is in Pakistan , Cyprus or Yemen. It is based on the old principle of 'divide and conquer' " .
----- ' G S ' , from Surrey , please copy !
Wednesday, June 25, 2003
.....the British 'Cairo Gang' in Dublin , 1920.....
...six IRA men left number 22 Lower Mount Street by the back of the house, walking away up a laneway - they were challenged by British Auxiliaries and a gun-battle ensued ; two of the Brits were killed and one Volunteer , Frank Teeling, was wounded and captured . The rest of the IRA unit made good their escape ....
British Captain Bagally , who had made his reputation by presenting 'evidence' in showtrials which led to the executions of the Irish Republicans on 'trial' , was staying in number 119 Baggot Street when, on that Sunday morning, 21st November 1920, three IRA Volunteers (including Sean Lemass, a future Fianna Fail Free State Taoiseach) entered his room and shot him dead .
British Captains McCormack and Wilde were staying in the Gresham Hotel in Dublin's O'Connell Street when a number of men , claiming to be undercover British soldiers with a message to deliver to the two Captains, were shown by the hotel staff to the rooms they were looking for : as each man opened his door he was shot dead.
An IRA unit entered a guesthouse in Fitzwilliam Square to deal with a 'Cairo Gang' leader, British Major Callaghan ; he was booked in at the guesthouse but was not there at that particular moment - his colleague , however, a Captain Crawford, was present and was held at gunpoint by the Volunteers...... (MORE LATER)>
"..... I dare not conclude without finishing my grandfathers story . I once asked him whatever happened to the wicked man who imprisoned , tortured and murdered the lark ?
"Son" , he said , "one day he caught himself on one of his own traps, and no-one would assist him to get free . His own people scorned him, and turned their backs on him . He grew weaker and weaker , and finally toppled over to die upon the land which he had marred with such blood . The birds came and extracted their revenge by picking his eyes out, and the larks sang like they never sang before ".
"Grandfather", I said , "could that man's name have been John Bull ?".
---- Bobby Sands, 'The Lark and the Freedom Fighter' , 3rd February 1979.
(NOTE- Bobby Sands did not write that the Lark came to the rescue of its captor or tried to ease its captor's suffering - in short, the Lark did not 'play ball' with its captor ....).
A correspondent, 'GS from Surrey' , from where he/she called "the mainland" (sic) deposited , or dumped, a vile load of .... comment in my 'guestbook' (bottom of page- still there!) a few days ago , telling me ,amongst other things, of how he/she would have dealt with 'The Maguire Seven' and other such "Irish scum" .
As a rule, I don't reply to that type of contact , but 'GS' was unparalleled in his/her ignorance ; so , here's my reply -
The Maguire Seven , the Birmingham Six , Judith Ward and the Guildford Four ; a total of 18 innocent people (13 men, 3 women and two children) who, between them , spent a total of 216 years in prison . Anne Maguire , a mother of 5 children, was menstruating heavily and denied all toiletries for a week, and was beaten senseless .
Carol Richardson , who did'nt even know she was pregnant , miscarried in Brixton Prison days after her arrest. Pat O'Neill , who had minutes before entered the Maguires house to arrange for a baby-sitter when the police arrived , was told by a cop to swear that he saw a big cardboard box on Maguires table or else he would be done , refused to lie - he served eleven years. On his release , he found his marriage was broken beyond repair and that his six children had left the family home.
So there you have part of their story , 'GS' - not that it will make you think twice or anything . Remember this ; there are over 800 years of similar stories in this country . Deposit some of your vile in a Westminster 'in-box' : you have reason to do that.
...six IRA men left number 22 Lower Mount Street by the back of the house, walking away up a laneway - they were challenged by British Auxiliaries and a gun-battle ensued ; two of the Brits were killed and one Volunteer , Frank Teeling, was wounded and captured . The rest of the IRA unit made good their escape ....
British Captain Bagally , who had made his reputation by presenting 'evidence' in showtrials which led to the executions of the Irish Republicans on 'trial' , was staying in number 119 Baggot Street when, on that Sunday morning, 21st November 1920, three IRA Volunteers (including Sean Lemass, a future Fianna Fail Free State Taoiseach) entered his room and shot him dead .
British Captains McCormack and Wilde were staying in the Gresham Hotel in Dublin's O'Connell Street when a number of men , claiming to be undercover British soldiers with a message to deliver to the two Captains, were shown by the hotel staff to the rooms they were looking for : as each man opened his door he was shot dead.
An IRA unit entered a guesthouse in Fitzwilliam Square to deal with a 'Cairo Gang' leader, British Major Callaghan ; he was booked in at the guesthouse but was not there at that particular moment - his colleague , however, a Captain Crawford, was present and was held at gunpoint by the Volunteers...... (MORE LATER)>
"..... I dare not conclude without finishing my grandfathers story . I once asked him whatever happened to the wicked man who imprisoned , tortured and murdered the lark ?
"Son" , he said , "one day he caught himself on one of his own traps, and no-one would assist him to get free . His own people scorned him, and turned their backs on him . He grew weaker and weaker , and finally toppled over to die upon the land which he had marred with such blood . The birds came and extracted their revenge by picking his eyes out, and the larks sang like they never sang before ".
"Grandfather", I said , "could that man's name have been John Bull ?".
---- Bobby Sands, 'The Lark and the Freedom Fighter' , 3rd February 1979.
(NOTE- Bobby Sands did not write that the Lark came to the rescue of its captor or tried to ease its captor's suffering - in short, the Lark did not 'play ball' with its captor ....).
A correspondent, 'GS from Surrey' , from where he/she called "the mainland" (sic) deposited , or dumped, a vile load of .... comment in my 'guestbook' (bottom of page- still there!) a few days ago , telling me ,amongst other things, of how he/she would have dealt with 'The Maguire Seven' and other such "Irish scum" .
As a rule, I don't reply to that type of contact , but 'GS' was unparalleled in his/her ignorance ; so , here's my reply -
The Maguire Seven , the Birmingham Six , Judith Ward and the Guildford Four ; a total of 18 innocent people (13 men, 3 women and two children) who, between them , spent a total of 216 years in prison . Anne Maguire , a mother of 5 children, was menstruating heavily and denied all toiletries for a week, and was beaten senseless .
Carol Richardson , who did'nt even know she was pregnant , miscarried in Brixton Prison days after her arrest. Pat O'Neill , who had minutes before entered the Maguires house to arrange for a baby-sitter when the police arrived , was told by a cop to swear that he saw a big cardboard box on Maguires table or else he would be done , refused to lie - he served eleven years. On his release , he found his marriage was broken beyond repair and that his six children had left the family home.
So there you have part of their story , 'GS' - not that it will make you think twice or anything . Remember this ; there are over 800 years of similar stories in this country . Deposit some of your vile in a Westminster 'in-box' : you have reason to do that.
Tuesday, June 24, 2003
..... the British 'Cairo Gang' in Dublin , 1920.....
.... two British Lieutenants , McMahon and Peel (specialists in gathering intelligence) , who had been sent to Dublin from Russia , were working with the 'Cairo Gang' ; they were staying at 22 Lower Mount Street .....
McMahon had a score to settle with the IRA : he had previously shot dead a Sinn Fein member , John Lynch, in the mistaken belief that Lynch was the Divisional Commandant of the 1st Southern Division of the IRA , Liam Lynch . The IRA later shot McMahon in a billiard hall , wounding him, and he wanted revenge ...
The two 'Cairo' men were in different rooms in number 22 Lower Mount Street when the IRA unit was let in ; they entered McMahon's room just as he had picked up his revolver and shot him dead. On hearing the gunfire , Peel locked his door and then blocked it with a piece of furniture - unable to get in , the Volunteers fired more than a dozen bullets through the door , but Peel survived that day .
Na Fianna Eireann (Irish Republican Scouts) were also on Lower Mount Street that Sunday morning , as 'lookouts' ; one of their members ran into number 22 to tell the eleven-person IRA unit that the British Auxiliaries were on the street - five members of the IRA unit left calmly by the front door , the other six men went to the back of the house, out the back-door and walked away up a laneway . These six men were challenged by a number of Auxiliaries and a gun battle ensued - IRA man Frank Teeling was wounded , and two of the Brits, Garnin and Morris, were killed . The wounded Volunteer, Teeling, was captured, but the rest of his unit made good their escape. (MORE LATER)>
" But , dare I say it, similar to my little friend , I have the spirit of freedom that cannot be quenched by even the most horrendous treatment . Of course I can be murdered , but while I remain alive , I remain what I am , a political prisoner of war , and no-one can change that. Have'nt we plenty of larks to prove that ? Our history is heart-breakingly littered with them : the MacSwineys , the Gaughans , and the Staggs. Will there be more in H-Block ?
I dare not conclude without finishing my gradfather's story . I once asked him whatever happened to the wicked man who imprisoned , tortured and murdered the lark ...... " (MORE LATER)>
" Strenuous efforts must be made to bend towards the Unionists , to show them that their civil rights and their religious rights will be respected - EVEN (his emphasis) if that means making internal arrangements that will suit Unionists better than they will suit the rest of us ".
---- Gerry Adams , 'Hot Press' magazine, 19th May , 1993 , page 13 : so we can right an historical wrong by ..eh, carrying on in the manner that the wrong inflicted on us in the first place !
.... why did'nt I think of that ...
.... two British Lieutenants , McMahon and Peel (specialists in gathering intelligence) , who had been sent to Dublin from Russia , were working with the 'Cairo Gang' ; they were staying at 22 Lower Mount Street .....
McMahon had a score to settle with the IRA : he had previously shot dead a Sinn Fein member , John Lynch, in the mistaken belief that Lynch was the Divisional Commandant of the 1st Southern Division of the IRA , Liam Lynch . The IRA later shot McMahon in a billiard hall , wounding him, and he wanted revenge ...
The two 'Cairo' men were in different rooms in number 22 Lower Mount Street when the IRA unit was let in ; they entered McMahon's room just as he had picked up his revolver and shot him dead. On hearing the gunfire , Peel locked his door and then blocked it with a piece of furniture - unable to get in , the Volunteers fired more than a dozen bullets through the door , but Peel survived that day .
Na Fianna Eireann (Irish Republican Scouts) were also on Lower Mount Street that Sunday morning , as 'lookouts' ; one of their members ran into number 22 to tell the eleven-person IRA unit that the British Auxiliaries were on the street - five members of the IRA unit left calmly by the front door , the other six men went to the back of the house, out the back-door and walked away up a laneway . These six men were challenged by a number of Auxiliaries and a gun battle ensued - IRA man Frank Teeling was wounded , and two of the Brits, Garnin and Morris, were killed . The wounded Volunteer, Teeling, was captured, but the rest of his unit made good their escape. (MORE LATER)>
" But , dare I say it, similar to my little friend , I have the spirit of freedom that cannot be quenched by even the most horrendous treatment . Of course I can be murdered , but while I remain alive , I remain what I am , a political prisoner of war , and no-one can change that. Have'nt we plenty of larks to prove that ? Our history is heart-breakingly littered with them : the MacSwineys , the Gaughans , and the Staggs. Will there be more in H-Block ?
I dare not conclude without finishing my gradfather's story . I once asked him whatever happened to the wicked man who imprisoned , tortured and murdered the lark ...... " (MORE LATER)>
" Strenuous efforts must be made to bend towards the Unionists , to show them that their civil rights and their religious rights will be respected - EVEN (his emphasis) if that means making internal arrangements that will suit Unionists better than they will suit the rest of us ".
---- Gerry Adams , 'Hot Press' magazine, 19th May , 1993 , page 13 : so we can right an historical wrong by ..eh, carrying on in the manner that the wrong inflicted on us in the first place !
.... why did'nt I think of that ...
Monday, June 23, 2003
.... the British 'Cairo Gang' in Dublin , 1920.....
.....the 'Cairo Gang' member , British Captain Newbury , was shot dead by the IRA as he was half-way out of the window of his room ; his body was left draped over the open window for hours , as the Black and Tans believed it to be booby-trapped.....
At 38 Upper Mount Street , a maid let a number of men in to the building and led them to two rooms ; British Captain George Bennett was in one of the rooms, and British Colonel Peter Aimes was in the other one. Both men were armed and resisted the Volunteers, resulting in a gun-battle which left the two 'Cairo' men dead.
More documentation on IRA members, compiled by the 'Cairo Gang', was found at 28 Earlsfort Terrace , where British Captain Fitzgerald was staying ; he was shot dead on that Sunday morning and the paperwork removed for examination by the IRA Intelligence Department.
Two British Lieutenants , McMahon and Peel , had been brought in by the British from Russia, where they had been involved in gathering intelligence information - they were to do the same job , in Dublin, this time as members of the 'Cairo Gang' . They were staying at 22 Lower Mount Street ...... (MORE LATER)>
" I am now in H-Block , where I refuse to change to suit the people who oppress , torture and imprison me , and who wish to dehumanise me. Like the lark I need no changing . It is my political ideology and principles that my captors wish to change . They have suppressed my body and attacked my dignity. If I were an ordinary prisoner they would pay little , if any, attention to me , knowing that I would conform to their institutional whims .
I have lost over two years' remission . I care not . I have been stripped of my clothes and locked in a dirty , empty cell, where I have been starved , beaten and tortured , and like the lark I fear I may eventually be murdered " . (MORE LATER)>
---- Bobby Sands, 3rd February , 1979.
" Don't call it the 'Dail' , it isn't the Dail for which people fought " - so said the speaker from the Jackie Griffith/Mairead Farrell Cumann of Provisional Sinn Fein (motion 150) at their Ard Fheis in 2001 .
" There is nothing wrong with using the word 'Dail'; we don't use the word 'Dail Eireann' - replied PSF Vice President, Pat Doherty . Ah well-that's sorted then ....(the speaker should have known that , as a career politician , Pat would have all the answers.)
Motion 147 called for the rejection "of the term Republican Labour" by PSF leaders when describing their party , but Ard Chomhairle member Micheal MacDonncha said to do so "would restrict our language" ; his fellow full-timers (Micheal works in Leinster House) agreed with his answer and the motion was lost .
So the Provos are "Republican Labour" while the other shower are "Partitionist Labour" : and James Connolly would have nothing to do with either of them .
.....the 'Cairo Gang' member , British Captain Newbury , was shot dead by the IRA as he was half-way out of the window of his room ; his body was left draped over the open window for hours , as the Black and Tans believed it to be booby-trapped.....
At 38 Upper Mount Street , a maid let a number of men in to the building and led them to two rooms ; British Captain George Bennett was in one of the rooms, and British Colonel Peter Aimes was in the other one. Both men were armed and resisted the Volunteers, resulting in a gun-battle which left the two 'Cairo' men dead.
More documentation on IRA members, compiled by the 'Cairo Gang', was found at 28 Earlsfort Terrace , where British Captain Fitzgerald was staying ; he was shot dead on that Sunday morning and the paperwork removed for examination by the IRA Intelligence Department.
Two British Lieutenants , McMahon and Peel , had been brought in by the British from Russia, where they had been involved in gathering intelligence information - they were to do the same job , in Dublin, this time as members of the 'Cairo Gang' . They were staying at 22 Lower Mount Street ...... (MORE LATER)>
" I am now in H-Block , where I refuse to change to suit the people who oppress , torture and imprison me , and who wish to dehumanise me. Like the lark I need no changing . It is my political ideology and principles that my captors wish to change . They have suppressed my body and attacked my dignity. If I were an ordinary prisoner they would pay little , if any, attention to me , knowing that I would conform to their institutional whims .
I have lost over two years' remission . I care not . I have been stripped of my clothes and locked in a dirty , empty cell, where I have been starved , beaten and tortured , and like the lark I fear I may eventually be murdered " . (MORE LATER)>
---- Bobby Sands, 3rd February , 1979.
" Don't call it the 'Dail' , it isn't the Dail for which people fought " - so said the speaker from the Jackie Griffith/Mairead Farrell Cumann of Provisional Sinn Fein (motion 150) at their Ard Fheis in 2001 .
" There is nothing wrong with using the word 'Dail'; we don't use the word 'Dail Eireann' - replied PSF Vice President, Pat Doherty . Ah well-that's sorted then ....(the speaker should have known that , as a career politician , Pat would have all the answers.)
Motion 147 called for the rejection "of the term Republican Labour" by PSF leaders when describing their party , but Ard Chomhairle member Micheal MacDonncha said to do so "would restrict our language" ; his fellow full-timers (Micheal works in Leinster House) agreed with his answer and the motion was lost .
So the Provos are "Republican Labour" while the other shower are "Partitionist Labour" : and James Connolly would have nothing to do with either of them .
Sunday, June 22, 2003
....the British 'Cairo Gang' in Dublin , 1920....
.... number 28 Pembroke Street in Dublin was the first address visited by the IRA on 21st November 1920 - the five members of the 'Cairo Gang' in the house were shot dead and the list they were working on was removed .....
British Lieutenant McLean , John Caldow (McLean's brother-in-law) and known informer T H Smith were staying at 119 Morehampton Road on that Sunday morning when six armed IRA Volunteers entered the building ; McLean , Caldow and Smith were caught off-guard and escorted to the top of the building , where IRA men Vincent Byrne and Sean Doyle shot them . John Caldow survived that morning and , after receiving medical attention, fled to Scotland (where he had come to Ireland from in order to join the RIC).
British Captain Newbury and his wife were staying at 92 Lower Baggot Street and heard the front door being kicked in - he immediately blocked the door to his room and made a run for the window ; he was half-way out of the window when his door was forced open and Volunteers Bill Stapleton and Joe Leonard shot him dead . His body was left draped over the open window for hours , as the Black and Tans believed it to be booby-trapped . (MORE LATER)>
" This brings me directly back to my own situation : I feel something in common with that poor bird . My position is in total contrast to that of an ordinary conforming prisoner : I am a political prisoner , a freedom fighter . Like the lark , I too have fought for my freedom , not only in captivity , where I now languish , but also while on the outside , where my country is held captive . I have been captured and imprisoned, but, like the lark, I too have seen the outside of the wire cage " .
---- Bobby Sands , 1979 . (MORE LATER)>
The American career criminal John Gotti died from throat cancer in June 2002 , at the age of 61 - he was serving a life sentence for racketeering at the time of his death . A few days ago , in 'The New York Daily News' , his family marked the first anniversary of his death with the words of Irish Hunger-Striker Terence McSwiney , Lord Mayor of Cork -
" It is not those who can inflict the most , but those who can suffer the most, who will conquer " ( I believe it is '....those who can endure the most, who will conquer' , but that's not my point). John Gotti may have been a hero to his family (as indeed any father should be to his children) but to insinuate that he followed in the footsteps of Terence McSwiney is to burst the bounds of possibility and reveal an ignorance of the Irish freedom struggle .
" There can be no peace between wrong and right , between truth and fallacy , between justice and oppression , between freedom and tyranny . Between them there must always be war until the wrong is righted , until justice is achieved , until freedom is won " .
----- Terence McSwiney .
' New York Daily News ' please copy .....
.... number 28 Pembroke Street in Dublin was the first address visited by the IRA on 21st November 1920 - the five members of the 'Cairo Gang' in the house were shot dead and the list they were working on was removed .....
British Lieutenant McLean , John Caldow (McLean's brother-in-law) and known informer T H Smith were staying at 119 Morehampton Road on that Sunday morning when six armed IRA Volunteers entered the building ; McLean , Caldow and Smith were caught off-guard and escorted to the top of the building , where IRA men Vincent Byrne and Sean Doyle shot them . John Caldow survived that morning and , after receiving medical attention, fled to Scotland (where he had come to Ireland from in order to join the RIC).
British Captain Newbury and his wife were staying at 92 Lower Baggot Street and heard the front door being kicked in - he immediately blocked the door to his room and made a run for the window ; he was half-way out of the window when his door was forced open and Volunteers Bill Stapleton and Joe Leonard shot him dead . His body was left draped over the open window for hours , as the Black and Tans believed it to be booby-trapped . (MORE LATER)>
" This brings me directly back to my own situation : I feel something in common with that poor bird . My position is in total contrast to that of an ordinary conforming prisoner : I am a political prisoner , a freedom fighter . Like the lark , I too have fought for my freedom , not only in captivity , where I now languish , but also while on the outside , where my country is held captive . I have been captured and imprisoned, but, like the lark, I too have seen the outside of the wire cage " .
---- Bobby Sands , 1979 . (MORE LATER)>
The American career criminal John Gotti died from throat cancer in June 2002 , at the age of 61 - he was serving a life sentence for racketeering at the time of his death . A few days ago , in 'The New York Daily News' , his family marked the first anniversary of his death with the words of Irish Hunger-Striker Terence McSwiney , Lord Mayor of Cork -
" It is not those who can inflict the most , but those who can suffer the most, who will conquer " ( I believe it is '....those who can endure the most, who will conquer' , but that's not my point). John Gotti may have been a hero to his family (as indeed any father should be to his children) but to insinuate that he followed in the footsteps of Terence McSwiney is to burst the bounds of possibility and reveal an ignorance of the Irish freedom struggle .
" There can be no peace between wrong and right , between truth and fallacy , between justice and oppression , between freedom and tyranny . Between them there must always be war until the wrong is righted , until justice is achieved , until freedom is won " .
----- Terence McSwiney .
' New York Daily News ' please copy .....
Saturday, June 21, 2003
....the British 'Cairo Gang' in Dublin , 1920 ....
... the operation to wipe out 'The Cairo Gang' was set for Sunday 21st November , 1920 , as it was felt that the GAA match due to take place in Dublin that day would provide 'cover' in which the IRA units could escape in ....
British Army Captain Leonard Price , a Major Dowling , a Captain Keenlyside and two British Army Colonels, Woodcock and Montgomery, were staying in premises at 28 Pembroke Street in Dublin when , at 9am on Sunday 21st November 1920, eight armed IRA Volunteers entered the building ; Price and Dowling were in a room by themselves sorting paperwork when the IRA entered the room and shot them dead - one of the Dublin Volunteers , Andrew Cooney , gathered up the sheets of paper and left the building .
At the same time , British Captain Keenlyside and the two Colonel's found themselves confronted by some of the same IRA unit and a struggle ensued between Keenlyside's wife (no doubt present as part of what her husband probably considered a 'working holiday') and IRA Volunteer Mick O'Hanlon ; another IRA man , Mick Flanagan, pushed Mrs. Keenlyside out of the way and shot her husband dead . (MORE LATER)>
" Take an ordinary prisoner . His main aim is to make his period of imprisonment as easy and as comfortable as possible . The ordinary prisoner will in no way jeopardise a single day of his remission . Some will even grovel , crawl, and inform on other prisoners , to safeguard themselves or to speed up their release . They will comply to the wishes of their captors , and unlike the lark, they will sing when told to and jump high when told to move .
Although the ordinary prisoner has lost his liberty he is not prepared to go to extremes to regain it , nor to protect his humanity . He settles for a short date of release . Eventually , if incarcerated long enough, he becomes institutionalised , becoming a type of machine , not thinking for himself , his captors dominating and controlling him . That was the intended fate of the lark in my grandfathers story ; but the lark needed no changing , nor did it wish to change , and died making that point " .
----'The Lark and the Freedom Fighter' , by Bobby Sands , 1979.
(Each time I read the part about becoming "institutionalised , not thinking for himself, being dominated and controlled " , I picture Martin McGuinness and his colleagues shrivelling up in a grovelling position when sharing the same space with the Unionists or the Brits , in an attempt to appear less threatening - sickening !)
As President of the World Bank , James Wolfensohn , in launching its 2001 edition of its 'World Development Indicators' , pointed out re Cuba -
'Infant mortality rate was eleven in 1000 births in 1990 , then seven in 1000 by 1999 ; the sixth lowest in the world . Mortality rate for under 5's was thirteen per 1000 in 1990 , then eight per 1000 in 1999 - Latin America average 38 . Net primary enrolment for Cuban children reached one-hundred per cent in 1997 , up from ninty-two per cent in 1990 - higher than in the U S . Public spending on education in Cuba is 6.7 per cent of gross national income - the average youth (ages 15-24) illiteracy rate in Cuba is zero (seven per-cent in Latin America).
Public spending on health care accounts for 9.1 per-cent of its GDP (similar to Canada) , and Cuba has a ratio of 5.3 doctors per 1000 population , the highest in the world ' .
For all its faults , the Cuban leadership has apparently recognised at least one golden rule - stroke , fiddle and rip-off the system for your own personal benefit, by all means, but don't hog all the wealth ; let some of it trickle down to Joe Soap ......
... the operation to wipe out 'The Cairo Gang' was set for Sunday 21st November , 1920 , as it was felt that the GAA match due to take place in Dublin that day would provide 'cover' in which the IRA units could escape in ....
British Army Captain Leonard Price , a Major Dowling , a Captain Keenlyside and two British Army Colonels, Woodcock and Montgomery, were staying in premises at 28 Pembroke Street in Dublin when , at 9am on Sunday 21st November 1920, eight armed IRA Volunteers entered the building ; Price and Dowling were in a room by themselves sorting paperwork when the IRA entered the room and shot them dead - one of the Dublin Volunteers , Andrew Cooney , gathered up the sheets of paper and left the building .
At the same time , British Captain Keenlyside and the two Colonel's found themselves confronted by some of the same IRA unit and a struggle ensued between Keenlyside's wife (no doubt present as part of what her husband probably considered a 'working holiday') and IRA Volunteer Mick O'Hanlon ; another IRA man , Mick Flanagan, pushed Mrs. Keenlyside out of the way and shot her husband dead . (MORE LATER)>
" Take an ordinary prisoner . His main aim is to make his period of imprisonment as easy and as comfortable as possible . The ordinary prisoner will in no way jeopardise a single day of his remission . Some will even grovel , crawl, and inform on other prisoners , to safeguard themselves or to speed up their release . They will comply to the wishes of their captors , and unlike the lark, they will sing when told to and jump high when told to move .
Although the ordinary prisoner has lost his liberty he is not prepared to go to extremes to regain it , nor to protect his humanity . He settles for a short date of release . Eventually , if incarcerated long enough, he becomes institutionalised , becoming a type of machine , not thinking for himself , his captors dominating and controlling him . That was the intended fate of the lark in my grandfathers story ; but the lark needed no changing , nor did it wish to change , and died making that point " .
----'The Lark and the Freedom Fighter' , by Bobby Sands , 1979.
(Each time I read the part about becoming "institutionalised , not thinking for himself, being dominated and controlled " , I picture Martin McGuinness and his colleagues shrivelling up in a grovelling position when sharing the same space with the Unionists or the Brits , in an attempt to appear less threatening - sickening !)
As President of the World Bank , James Wolfensohn , in launching its 2001 edition of its 'World Development Indicators' , pointed out re Cuba -
'Infant mortality rate was eleven in 1000 births in 1990 , then seven in 1000 by 1999 ; the sixth lowest in the world . Mortality rate for under 5's was thirteen per 1000 in 1990 , then eight per 1000 in 1999 - Latin America average 38 . Net primary enrolment for Cuban children reached one-hundred per cent in 1997 , up from ninty-two per cent in 1990 - higher than in the U S . Public spending on education in Cuba is 6.7 per cent of gross national income - the average youth (ages 15-24) illiteracy rate in Cuba is zero (seven per-cent in Latin America).
Public spending on health care accounts for 9.1 per-cent of its GDP (similar to Canada) , and Cuba has a ratio of 5.3 doctors per 1000 population , the highest in the world ' .
For all its faults , the Cuban leadership has apparently recognised at least one golden rule - stroke , fiddle and rip-off the system for your own personal benefit, by all means, but don't hog all the wealth ; let some of it trickle down to Joe Soap ......
Friday, June 20, 2003
.....the British 'Cairo Gang' in Dublin , 1920 .....
This gang of trained assassins settled quitely in bording houses and hotels in Dublin, and set about compiling a 'hit-list' of Irish Republicans for assassination : but the IRA were one step ahead of them .....
A Sergeant Mannix of the Dublin Metropolitan Police Force,stationed at Donnybrook, was an IRA agent, and obtained the names and addresses of all the 'Gang' members and passed the list on to his IRA contact, Frank Thornton. A situation then developed that 'The Cairo Gang' were monitoring the movements of the IRA members that they intended to assassinate while being monitored themselves by the IRA Intelligence Department !
The Dublin Brigade of the IRA and the IRA Intelligence Department decided to work together on a plan to wipe out 'The Cairo Gang' , and a meeting was held at which Michael Collins , Dick McKee , Liam Tobin , Peadar Clancy , Tom Cullen , Frank Thornton and Oscar Traynor were present : the operation was to take place on Sunday morning, 21st November 1920 , as the then Leinster champions, Dublin and Tipperary, were to play in a GAA match, and large crowds would be in Dublin for the occasion, providing 'cover' for the IRA teams to escape in . (MORE LATER)>
"..... the lark refused , and the man became angry and violent . He began to pressurise the lark to sing , but inevitably he received no result . So he took more drastic steps . He covered the cage with a black cloth , depriving the bird of sunlight . He starved it and left it to rot in a dirty cage , but the bird still refused to yield . The man murdered it .
As my grandfather rightly stated , the lark had spirit - the spirit of freedom and resistance . It longed to be free , and died before it would conform to the tyrant who tried to change it with torture and imprisonment . I feel I have something in common with that bird and her torture, imprisonment and final murder . She had a spirit which is not commonly found , even among us so-called superior beings, humans " .
----Bobby Sands, 3rd February , 1979 .
In an 'Editorial' comment published on 6th May , 2001 (page 16), 'The Sunday Business Post' stated -
" The H-Block prisoners , and in particular the hunger-strikers, were people of extraordinary calibre and commitment, no less than the freedom fighters of earlier years that are celebrated as the heroes of our limited independence " .
---- And it should also be noted that Bobby Sands and the other hunger-strikers did not join or support the policies of the SDLP - the Provos today have policies similar to (if not borrowed from) the SDLP , yet the Provos still claim that Sands and the other men died for what Adams and Family are up to now . Each of the 22 hunger-strikers supported the use of arms to overthrow British rule and establish Irish democracy : Provisional Sinn Fein has condemned the use of armed struggle against British rule.
The Provos have retreated from the struggle , an indication that they have been purchased by partition.
This gang of trained assassins settled quitely in bording houses and hotels in Dublin, and set about compiling a 'hit-list' of Irish Republicans for assassination : but the IRA were one step ahead of them .....
A Sergeant Mannix of the Dublin Metropolitan Police Force,stationed at Donnybrook, was an IRA agent, and obtained the names and addresses of all the 'Gang' members and passed the list on to his IRA contact, Frank Thornton. A situation then developed that 'The Cairo Gang' were monitoring the movements of the IRA members that they intended to assassinate while being monitored themselves by the IRA Intelligence Department !
The Dublin Brigade of the IRA and the IRA Intelligence Department decided to work together on a plan to wipe out 'The Cairo Gang' , and a meeting was held at which Michael Collins , Dick McKee , Liam Tobin , Peadar Clancy , Tom Cullen , Frank Thornton and Oscar Traynor were present : the operation was to take place on Sunday morning, 21st November 1920 , as the then Leinster champions, Dublin and Tipperary, were to play in a GAA match, and large crowds would be in Dublin for the occasion, providing 'cover' for the IRA teams to escape in . (MORE LATER)>
"..... the lark refused , and the man became angry and violent . He began to pressurise the lark to sing , but inevitably he received no result . So he took more drastic steps . He covered the cage with a black cloth , depriving the bird of sunlight . He starved it and left it to rot in a dirty cage , but the bird still refused to yield . The man murdered it .
As my grandfather rightly stated , the lark had spirit - the spirit of freedom and resistance . It longed to be free , and died before it would conform to the tyrant who tried to change it with torture and imprisonment . I feel I have something in common with that bird and her torture, imprisonment and final murder . She had a spirit which is not commonly found , even among us so-called superior beings, humans " .
----Bobby Sands, 3rd February , 1979 .
In an 'Editorial' comment published on 6th May , 2001 (page 16), 'The Sunday Business Post' stated -
" The H-Block prisoners , and in particular the hunger-strikers, were people of extraordinary calibre and commitment, no less than the freedom fighters of earlier years that are celebrated as the heroes of our limited independence " .
---- And it should also be noted that Bobby Sands and the other hunger-strikers did not join or support the policies of the SDLP - the Provos today have policies similar to (if not borrowed from) the SDLP , yet the Provos still claim that Sands and the other men died for what Adams and Family are up to now . Each of the 22 hunger-strikers supported the use of arms to overthrow British rule and establish Irish democracy : Provisional Sinn Fein has condemned the use of armed struggle against British rule.
The Provos have retreated from the struggle , an indication that they have been purchased by partition.
Thursday, June 19, 2003
Serving British soldiers , former British soldiers, RIC members and ex-members, carpenters, plumbers, electricans, landlords(and landladies), servants , busdrivers and taximen , businessmen and women , postmen and housewives - and the IRA ; all the above, and others, combined their knowledge and skills to great effect on the morning of Sunday, 21st November , 1920 : it was on that morning , 83 years ago, that thirteen senior British intelligence officers were executed in Dublin ......
The IRA Intelligence Department at that time was an extremely efficient machine, run by Michael Collins , and the British were well aware of that fact ; Sir Henry Wilson wanted it and Collins eliminated , and sanctioned the use , in Ireland, of 'The Cairo Gang' , a unit of British agents which specialised in political assassinations - they got their name , and their reputation, from 'hits' in the Middle East, carried out on the instruction of Wilson and others in Westminster.
'The Cairo Gang' lived quietly in boarding houses and hotels in Dublin , never drawing attention to themselves, and set about compiling a 'hit-list' of Irish Republicans for assassination ; the IRA , however, were one step ahead of them ...... (MORE LATER)>
" My Grandfather once said that the imprisonment of the lark is a crime of the greatest cruelty because the lark is one of the greatest symbols of freedom and happiness . He often spoke of the spirit of the lark relating to a story of a man who incarcerated one of his loved friends in a small cage.
The lark , having suffered the loss of her liberty, no longer sung her little heart out, she no longer had anything to be happy about . The man who had committed the atrocity, as my grandfather called it, demanded that the lark should do as he wished : that was to sing her heart out , to comply to his wishes and change herself to suit his pleasure or benefit . The lark refused , and the man became angry and violent ...... "
----'The Lark and the Freedom Fighter' , by Bobby Sands - first published on 3rd February , 1979. (MORE LATER)>
At their foundation in 1986, and since then , the 'Progressive Democrats' (PD's) stated that their intention was to reform the libel laws, abolish the Free State Senate, eliminate God from the Free State Constitution , to end the dual mandate and to curtail Free State ministerial pensions until members had either reached 55 years of age or left Leinster House ; and the result of this 'wish list' ... ?
---- the 'dual mandate' issue is being discussed now (as is a legal action against the proposed changes) , but the libel laws are still used by the media as a reason not to expose their buddies in the political and business worlds (save for the odd bone thrown to the public dogs), the Free State Senate is still in existence and still used by the politicians , including the PD's, as a 'holding centre' for their friends while they attempt to get their'career' back on track ,elected politicians (again including the PD's) continue to receive pensions from their previous political positions , and God ....well , they all think they're him (or her) !
The IRA Intelligence Department at that time was an extremely efficient machine, run by Michael Collins , and the British were well aware of that fact ; Sir Henry Wilson wanted it and Collins eliminated , and sanctioned the use , in Ireland, of 'The Cairo Gang' , a unit of British agents which specialised in political assassinations - they got their name , and their reputation, from 'hits' in the Middle East, carried out on the instruction of Wilson and others in Westminster.
'The Cairo Gang' lived quietly in boarding houses and hotels in Dublin , never drawing attention to themselves, and set about compiling a 'hit-list' of Irish Republicans for assassination ; the IRA , however, were one step ahead of them ...... (MORE LATER)>
" My Grandfather once said that the imprisonment of the lark is a crime of the greatest cruelty because the lark is one of the greatest symbols of freedom and happiness . He often spoke of the spirit of the lark relating to a story of a man who incarcerated one of his loved friends in a small cage.
The lark , having suffered the loss of her liberty, no longer sung her little heart out, she no longer had anything to be happy about . The man who had committed the atrocity, as my grandfather called it, demanded that the lark should do as he wished : that was to sing her heart out , to comply to his wishes and change herself to suit his pleasure or benefit . The lark refused , and the man became angry and violent ...... "
----'The Lark and the Freedom Fighter' , by Bobby Sands - first published on 3rd February , 1979. (MORE LATER)>
At their foundation in 1986, and since then , the 'Progressive Democrats' (PD's) stated that their intention was to reform the libel laws, abolish the Free State Senate, eliminate God from the Free State Constitution , to end the dual mandate and to curtail Free State ministerial pensions until members had either reached 55 years of age or left Leinster House ; and the result of this 'wish list' ... ?
---- the 'dual mandate' issue is being discussed now (as is a legal action against the proposed changes) , but the libel laws are still used by the media as a reason not to expose their buddies in the political and business worlds (save for the odd bone thrown to the public dogs), the Free State Senate is still in existence and still used by the politicians , including the PD's, as a 'holding centre' for their friends while they attempt to get their'career' back on track ,elected politicians (again including the PD's) continue to receive pensions from their previous political positions , and God ....well , they all think they're him (or her) !
Wednesday, June 18, 2003
....released from the Free State internment camp at the North Dublin Union in 1924 , Katie O'Connor was elected leader of Clann na nGael , a position she was to hold for almost fifty years ......
On one of her visits to England in the late 1920's , in a hall in Gay Street in Liverpool, the 'Countess Markievicz' branch of the Clann was established ; Katie O'Connor and two other Clann leaders, Cissie Cunningham and Kathleen McLaughlin, became firm friends with the 'Markievicz' membership, especially the O/C , Kathleen Walsh and sisters Rita and Kathleen McSweeney .
It was members of Clann na nGael that organised the first van-load of supplies for the nationalist population of Belfast, and other areas, following the August 1969 pogroms. In the 1970's, Katie O'Connor stepped down as Clann leader (her replacement was Maura Lyons) but Katie did not end her support for the Movement - she assisted the IRA and worked with the prisoners organisation, 'An Cumann Cabhrach' (now 'Cabhair').
On 11th January , 1983, at 83 years of age, Katie O'Connor died ; another patriot whose name is not as well known as it should be - she spent sixty-seven years as a 'dissident' and a 'terrorist' . Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis.
".....don't let them beat you . I need to hear those voices. They anger the monster. It retreats. The voices scare the devils. Sometimes I really long to hear those voices. I know if they shout louder they will scare the monster away and my suffering will be ended. I remember , and I shall never forget, how this monster took the lives of Tom Ashe , Terence MacSwiney , Michael Gaughan , Frank Stagg, and Hugh Coney , and I wonder each night what the monster and his black devils will do to me tomorrow .
They always have something new. Will I overcome it ? I must. Yes, I must . Tomorrow will be my seven hundred and fortieth day of torture - an eternity. Yes, tomorrow I'll rise in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh. Yes, tomorrow I'll fight the monster and his devils again ! ".
-----' I Fought a Monster Today' , by Bobby Sands, first published 0n 7th October , 1978.
" Subject to the justification by overriding considerations of public interest , a journalist shall do nothing which entails intrusion into private grief and distress. A journalist shall strive to ensure that the information that he/she disseminates is fair and accurate , avoid the expression of comment and conjecture as established fact and falsification by distortion , selection or misrepresentation " .
------ the 'Code of Conduct' issued by the 'National' Union of Journalists : Bryan Dobson , and all the others who have'nt been collared yet , take note .....
On one of her visits to England in the late 1920's , in a hall in Gay Street in Liverpool, the 'Countess Markievicz' branch of the Clann was established ; Katie O'Connor and two other Clann leaders, Cissie Cunningham and Kathleen McLaughlin, became firm friends with the 'Markievicz' membership, especially the O/C , Kathleen Walsh and sisters Rita and Kathleen McSweeney .
It was members of Clann na nGael that organised the first van-load of supplies for the nationalist population of Belfast, and other areas, following the August 1969 pogroms. In the 1970's, Katie O'Connor stepped down as Clann leader (her replacement was Maura Lyons) but Katie did not end her support for the Movement - she assisted the IRA and worked with the prisoners organisation, 'An Cumann Cabhrach' (now 'Cabhair').
On 11th January , 1983, at 83 years of age, Katie O'Connor died ; another patriot whose name is not as well known as it should be - she spent sixty-seven years as a 'dissident' and a 'terrorist' . Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dilis.
".....don't let them beat you . I need to hear those voices. They anger the monster. It retreats. The voices scare the devils. Sometimes I really long to hear those voices. I know if they shout louder they will scare the monster away and my suffering will be ended. I remember , and I shall never forget, how this monster took the lives of Tom Ashe , Terence MacSwiney , Michael Gaughan , Frank Stagg, and Hugh Coney , and I wonder each night what the monster and his black devils will do to me tomorrow .
They always have something new. Will I overcome it ? I must. Yes, I must . Tomorrow will be my seven hundred and fortieth day of torture - an eternity. Yes, tomorrow I'll rise in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh. Yes, tomorrow I'll fight the monster and his devils again ! ".
-----' I Fought a Monster Today' , by Bobby Sands, first published 0n 7th October , 1978.
" Subject to the justification by overriding considerations of public interest , a journalist shall do nothing which entails intrusion into private grief and distress. A journalist shall strive to ensure that the information that he/she disseminates is fair and accurate , avoid the expression of comment and conjecture as established fact and falsification by distortion , selection or misrepresentation " .
------ the 'Code of Conduct' issued by the 'National' Union of Journalists : Bryan Dobson , and all the others who have'nt been collared yet , take note .....
Tuesday, June 17, 2003
..... like all other members of Clann na nGael , and its leadership, Katie O'Connor opposed the Treaty of December 1921 , and took the Republican side in the Civil War ; there was no split in the Clann over this issue .....
Katie O'Connor was jailed in Kilmainham in the autumn of 1922 and was subjected to degrading treatment by her Free State captors : she was stripped naked and jeered at by the Staters , who delighted in terrorising their 22 years-young female prisoner. She was the youngest of the women political prisoners , and was transferred along with other female prisoners to the Free State internment camp at the North Dublin Union Workhouse .
When released two years later (1924), Katie O'Connor was elected leader of Clann na nGael and, from then until well into the 1940's ,she travelled throughout Ireland and England setting up branches of the organisation (she was to hold her leadership position for almost fifty years)...... (MORE LATER)>
"..... Monsters do not exist . Nor do devils. There cannot be so many devils . I'm mad . Yes , that's it ; I'm insane. But my pain , suffering, and grief are real . It must be all real . No, I'm right , I know I'm right . I must resist, I have nowhere to run . My tomb may be my grave . I'm surrounded by a barbed wire jungle . The monster roars at me : ' You shall never get out of here . If you don't do as I say I shall never release you . ' I refuse.
My body is broken and cold . I'm lonely and I need comfort . From somewhere afar I hear those familiar voices which keep me going: 'We are with you, son . We are with you . Don't let them beat you ' " .
------- Bobby Sands, 7th October , 1978. (MORE LATER)>
.....the 'famine' of 1877-1878 in the North-Western provinces of India killed 1.3 million people when the harvest failed and surplus grain had been exported to Britain and southern India (shades of the Irish 'famine')......
Salt in their diet could have saved many people : sixty-three per cent of deaths were ascribed to fever and bowel complaints that could have been alleviated by salt , but still the British pressed these provinces for their salt tax and continued their bounty on any salt smugglers. The 'Great Hedge' was of a scale to be comparable to the Great Wall of China. Ghandi organised a 'salt march' in 1930 ; he marched 241 miles to the coast at Dandi , picked up a lump of salt and gave it away without paying taxes - millions followed his example and done the same , thus undermining British 'authority' in the country .
India , like so many other countries, has had its taste of British mis-rule ; Ireland continues to experience that 'bad taste' .....
Katie O'Connor was jailed in Kilmainham in the autumn of 1922 and was subjected to degrading treatment by her Free State captors : she was stripped naked and jeered at by the Staters , who delighted in terrorising their 22 years-young female prisoner. She was the youngest of the women political prisoners , and was transferred along with other female prisoners to the Free State internment camp at the North Dublin Union Workhouse .
When released two years later (1924), Katie O'Connor was elected leader of Clann na nGael and, from then until well into the 1940's ,she travelled throughout Ireland and England setting up branches of the organisation (she was to hold her leadership position for almost fifty years)...... (MORE LATER)>
"..... Monsters do not exist . Nor do devils. There cannot be so many devils . I'm mad . Yes , that's it ; I'm insane. But my pain , suffering, and grief are real . It must be all real . No, I'm right , I know I'm right . I must resist, I have nowhere to run . My tomb may be my grave . I'm surrounded by a barbed wire jungle . The monster roars at me : ' You shall never get out of here . If you don't do as I say I shall never release you . ' I refuse.
My body is broken and cold . I'm lonely and I need comfort . From somewhere afar I hear those familiar voices which keep me going: 'We are with you, son . We are with you . Don't let them beat you ' " .
------- Bobby Sands, 7th October , 1978. (MORE LATER)>
.....the 'famine' of 1877-1878 in the North-Western provinces of India killed 1.3 million people when the harvest failed and surplus grain had been exported to Britain and southern India (shades of the Irish 'famine')......
Salt in their diet could have saved many people : sixty-three per cent of deaths were ascribed to fever and bowel complaints that could have been alleviated by salt , but still the British pressed these provinces for their salt tax and continued their bounty on any salt smugglers. The 'Great Hedge' was of a scale to be comparable to the Great Wall of China. Ghandi organised a 'salt march' in 1930 ; he marched 241 miles to the coast at Dandi , picked up a lump of salt and gave it away without paying taxes - millions followed his example and done the same , thus undermining British 'authority' in the country .
India , like so many other countries, has had its taste of British mis-rule ; Ireland continues to experience that 'bad taste' .....
Monday, June 16, 2003
At the funeral of the Fenian leader Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa in Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin , in August 1915, a fifteen-years young girl , from Henrietta Street in Dublin, was moved by the scenes she witnessed ......
One year later, that girl , Katie O'Connor , now aged 16, involved herself in the Easter Rising carrying messages between the different rebel garrisons , and the following year she joined Clann na nGael , the Irish Republican girl scout organisation ( which had been founded by the Kelly sisters in 1910).
During the Tan War (1919-1921) Katie O'Connor was a dispatch carrier and , like all other members of Clann na nGael, she opposed the Treaty of December 1921 , and took the Republican side in the Civil War (there was no split in the Clan over this issue) ...... (MORE LATER)>
"... but the monster does not kill me. I often wonder why not ? But each time I face it, death materialises before me. The monster keeps me naked . It feeds me. But it did'nt feed me today because it had tried so hard to defeat me and failed . This angered it once more, you see. I know why it won't kill me. It wants me to bow before it, to admit defeat .
If we don't beat it soon it will murder me . Of this I am certain. It keeps me locked up in a dark smelly tomb and it sends its devils to keep me on edge , to keep the torture going . Each time the door of my tomb opens , the black devils attack me ! They nearly won yesterday . It was inhuman . They beat me into unconsciousness . I think -'is this really happening to me ?' and 'can this happen in this day and age?' " .
---- 'I Fought a Monster Today' , by Bobby Sands , October 1978 . (MORE LATER)>
.... the British 'customs line' in India was over 2,300 miles long , and was guarded by 12,000 men - it was a massive hedge of native trees and bushes, bolstered with rocks when vegetation became too patchy ; it was a ruthlessly policed barrier that cut off an affordable supply of an absolute necessity of life for Indian people : salt !
Famine is common in India and salt depletion is often the fatal ingredient in illness caused by malnutrition - the 'famine' of 1877-1878 in the North-Western provinces killed 1.3million people when the harvest failed and surplus grain had been exported to Britain and southern India (shades of the Irish 'famine') ....... (MORE LATER)>
One year later, that girl , Katie O'Connor , now aged 16, involved herself in the Easter Rising carrying messages between the different rebel garrisons , and the following year she joined Clann na nGael , the Irish Republican girl scout organisation ( which had been founded by the Kelly sisters in 1910).
During the Tan War (1919-1921) Katie O'Connor was a dispatch carrier and , like all other members of Clann na nGael, she opposed the Treaty of December 1921 , and took the Republican side in the Civil War (there was no split in the Clan over this issue) ...... (MORE LATER)>
"... but the monster does not kill me. I often wonder why not ? But each time I face it, death materialises before me. The monster keeps me naked . It feeds me. But it did'nt feed me today because it had tried so hard to defeat me and failed . This angered it once more, you see. I know why it won't kill me. It wants me to bow before it, to admit defeat .
If we don't beat it soon it will murder me . Of this I am certain. It keeps me locked up in a dark smelly tomb and it sends its devils to keep me on edge , to keep the torture going . Each time the door of my tomb opens , the black devils attack me ! They nearly won yesterday . It was inhuman . They beat me into unconsciousness . I think -'is this really happening to me ?' and 'can this happen in this day and age?' " .
---- 'I Fought a Monster Today' , by Bobby Sands , October 1978 . (MORE LATER)>
.... the British 'customs line' in India was over 2,300 miles long , and was guarded by 12,000 men - it was a massive hedge of native trees and bushes, bolstered with rocks when vegetation became too patchy ; it was a ruthlessly policed barrier that cut off an affordable supply of an absolute necessity of life for Indian people : salt !
Famine is common in India and salt depletion is often the fatal ingredient in illness caused by malnutrition - the 'famine' of 1877-1878 in the North-Western provinces killed 1.3million people when the harvest failed and surplus grain had been exported to Britain and southern India (shades of the Irish 'famine') ....... (MORE LATER)>
Sunday, June 15, 2003
.....ex-British Army Quartermaster Sergeant Harry Timothy Quinlisk, from Waterford , Ireland, made it his business to mix in Irish Republican circles ; Michael Collins refused his request to join the IRA as a training officer , and Quinlisk then contacted the British Under-Secretary , claimimg to have information on Collins and the IRA ; there was a £10,000 reward on offer from the British for information leading to the capture of Collins , and Quinlisk was determined to claim it ......
A meeting was duly arranged at Dublin Castle between the representatives of the British administration in Ireland and Quinlisk - however , the IRA had people working for them in the Castle and were notified immediately that Quinlisk had been in contact with the British Under-Secretary. An IRA investigation into the contacts uncovered a telegram and a copy of a despatch which confirmed that Quinlisk was an informer ; arrangements were made to deal with him .
In February , 1920, Quinlisk was 'inadvertently' made aware that Michael Collins was staying in Cork , and went there himself to confirm it ; on 18th February , 1920, IRA Volunteers from Ballyphehane in County Cork shot him dead .
These days , if known (so-called) Irish Republicans meet with representatives of the British administration in Ireland they are praised as 'peace-makers' : but look who's doing the praising ......
" When I resist , it does'nt understand . You see it does'nt even try to comprehend why I resist . 'Why don't you give in to me ?' it says . 'Give in ! Give in to us !' the monster's army jibes . My body wants to say: 'Yes, yes,do what you will with me . I am beaten , you have beaten me'. But my spirit prevails . My spirit says: 'No , no, you cannot do what you want with me . I am not beaten. You cannot do what you want with me . I refuse to be beaten' .
This angers the monster . It goes mad . It brutalises me to the point of death . But it does not kill me . I often wonder why not ........ " .
----- 'The writings of Bobby Sands' : above article first published on 7th October , 1978 . (MORE LATER).
THE BRITISH IN INDIA .......
.... did not succeed in grabbing all of the Indian landmass , and in the princely states to the west of the country , the last descendants of the Mughal emperors were still clinging on to the fading vestiges of their glory . The British declared that goods passing from the autonomous states into 'British-controlled' territory were subject to custom duties (!) and so a 'customs line' was established , stretching across the whole of India -- an area, which, at the time (1869), extended from the Indus to the Mahanadi in Madras ; over 2,300 miles long ...... (MORE LATER)>
A meeting was duly arranged at Dublin Castle between the representatives of the British administration in Ireland and Quinlisk - however , the IRA had people working for them in the Castle and were notified immediately that Quinlisk had been in contact with the British Under-Secretary. An IRA investigation into the contacts uncovered a telegram and a copy of a despatch which confirmed that Quinlisk was an informer ; arrangements were made to deal with him .
In February , 1920, Quinlisk was 'inadvertently' made aware that Michael Collins was staying in Cork , and went there himself to confirm it ; on 18th February , 1920, IRA Volunteers from Ballyphehane in County Cork shot him dead .
These days , if known (so-called) Irish Republicans meet with representatives of the British administration in Ireland they are praised as 'peace-makers' : but look who's doing the praising ......
" When I resist , it does'nt understand . You see it does'nt even try to comprehend why I resist . 'Why don't you give in to me ?' it says . 'Give in ! Give in to us !' the monster's army jibes . My body wants to say: 'Yes, yes,do what you will with me . I am beaten , you have beaten me'. But my spirit prevails . My spirit says: 'No , no, you cannot do what you want with me . I am not beaten. You cannot do what you want with me . I refuse to be beaten' .
This angers the monster . It goes mad . It brutalises me to the point of death . But it does not kill me . I often wonder why not ........ " .
----- 'The writings of Bobby Sands' : above article first published on 7th October , 1978 . (MORE LATER).
THE BRITISH IN INDIA .......
.... did not succeed in grabbing all of the Indian landmass , and in the princely states to the west of the country , the last descendants of the Mughal emperors were still clinging on to the fading vestiges of their glory . The British declared that goods passing from the autonomous states into 'British-controlled' territory were subject to custom duties (!) and so a 'customs line' was established , stretching across the whole of India -- an area, which, at the time (1869), extended from the Indus to the Mahanadi in Madras ; over 2,300 miles long ...... (MORE LATER)>
Saturday, June 14, 2003
....on a recruitment visit to Limberg POW camp in Germany in 1915 , Roger Casement rejected the application from Waterford man , Harry Timothy Quinlisk who , as a captured member of the British Army, was being held in the camp as a prisoner ; Casement did not trust Quinlisk, describing him as "a rogue" ......
In November 1918 , Harry Timothy Quinlisk was released and returned to Ireland , and began mixing in Irish Republican circles . The Tan War started in January 1919 and Michael Collins found himself with a price of £10,000 on his head - the British would pay that amount of money to the person who gave them information leading to the capture of Collins ,the then IRA's Director of Intelligence . Quinlisk decided that the money was his ....
Harry Timothy Quinlisk used the fact that he was a 'known face' with Irish Republicans to seek a meeting with Michael Collins , which was eventually arranged : he offered his services to Collins as a training officer for the IRA but, wary of his eagerness and his repeated persistance, Collins turned him down. Quinlisk then contacted the British Under-Secretary for Ireland and asked for a meeting with him , claiming that he had information on Collins and the IRA....... (MORE LATER)>
" I fought a monster today and once more I defeated the monster's army. Although I did not escape , I survived to fight another day . It was hard : harder today than ever before , and it gets worse every day. You see I am trapped and all I can do is resist. I know some day I will defeat this monster , but I weary at times. I think and feel that it may kill me first .
The monster is shrewd . It plays with me, it humiliates me, and tortures me . I'm like a mouse in comparison to this giant , but when I repel the torture it inflicts upon me I feel ten feet tall for I know I am right. I know that I am what I am , no matter what may be inflicted upon me , and it will never change that fact " .
----- Bobby Sands , article entitled "I fought a monster today" , first published 7th October , 1978. (MORE LATER)>
OLD HANDS AT 'DIRTY TRICKS' ......
.... as any country that has been blighted by the Brits will confirm !
And they have done it in their own country too :
On 23rd May , 1945, SS Chief Heinrich Himmler "committed suicide" in British custody , according to the British themselves .
But they never said why they carried out two post-mortems on the body (1945 and 1946) , and won't explain why Himmler's file in the British Public Record Office is sealed until the year 2045 !
Himmler's identity card was in the name of Heinrick Hitzinger. No fingerprints or dental records were taken from the corpse because the British buried him with such haste ....
Himmler was born in October, 1900 - at 103 years of age , is it possible he is still in a 'safe house' in Britain , perhaps working as a toy-boy in Buck palace ..... ?
In November 1918 , Harry Timothy Quinlisk was released and returned to Ireland , and began mixing in Irish Republican circles . The Tan War started in January 1919 and Michael Collins found himself with a price of £10,000 on his head - the British would pay that amount of money to the person who gave them information leading to the capture of Collins ,the then IRA's Director of Intelligence . Quinlisk decided that the money was his ....
Harry Timothy Quinlisk used the fact that he was a 'known face' with Irish Republicans to seek a meeting with Michael Collins , which was eventually arranged : he offered his services to Collins as a training officer for the IRA but, wary of his eagerness and his repeated persistance, Collins turned him down. Quinlisk then contacted the British Under-Secretary for Ireland and asked for a meeting with him , claiming that he had information on Collins and the IRA....... (MORE LATER)>
" I fought a monster today and once more I defeated the monster's army. Although I did not escape , I survived to fight another day . It was hard : harder today than ever before , and it gets worse every day. You see I am trapped and all I can do is resist. I know some day I will defeat this monster , but I weary at times. I think and feel that it may kill me first .
The monster is shrewd . It plays with me, it humiliates me, and tortures me . I'm like a mouse in comparison to this giant , but when I repel the torture it inflicts upon me I feel ten feet tall for I know I am right. I know that I am what I am , no matter what may be inflicted upon me , and it will never change that fact " .
----- Bobby Sands , article entitled "I fought a monster today" , first published 7th October , 1978. (MORE LATER)>
OLD HANDS AT 'DIRTY TRICKS' ......
.... as any country that has been blighted by the Brits will confirm !
And they have done it in their own country too :
On 23rd May , 1945, SS Chief Heinrich Himmler "committed suicide" in British custody , according to the British themselves .
But they never said why they carried out two post-mortems on the body (1945 and 1946) , and won't explain why Himmler's file in the British Public Record Office is sealed until the year 2045 !
Himmler's identity card was in the name of Heinrick Hitzinger. No fingerprints or dental records were taken from the corpse because the British buried him with such haste ....
Himmler was born in October, 1900 - at 103 years of age , is it possible he is still in a 'safe house' in Britain , perhaps working as a toy-boy in Buck palace ..... ?
Friday, June 13, 2003
During the 'Tan War' , British Intelligence Officers , spies and other agents were executed by the IRA , as were almost sixty informers .....
A Waterford man , Harry Timothy Quinlisk , joined the British Army in August 1914, rose to the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant and fought in France with the 'Royal Irish Regiment' . He was captured that same year by the Germans and imprisoned in a camp in Limberg . In January 1915, Roger Casement visited the same camp in an attempt to recruit an Irish Brigade to fight against the British in Ireland ; Quinlisk put his name on the list but was rejected by Casement, who described him as " a rogue " ..... (MORE LATER)>
"..... they all glare at me , and then begin to shout at me : " I am a Sir" , " I am a Sir " , "You will conform" , "Conform" , "Conform" . They all grab me and start to beat and kick me while screaming : " You will conform " , " You will conform in H-Block 5 " . I awake , shouting and rolling on a filthy mattress on the floor . " Where am I ? ". "Are you alright?" , asks my cell-mate . "Where am I?" . " You are in your cell , you must've been having a nightmare," he says .
Our cell door opens and a black uniformed figure stands there , " Food", he says . "What was that, Mister?" I ask . "You call me Sir. You're in the H-Blocks now! You're in H-Block 5. Don't forget it, 1066 !" .
----- Bobby Sands , article entitled ' I am Sir, you are 1066' - first published 1st July, 1978.
Is 'Freddie' Scapatticci 'Stakeknife' ?
Is 'Stakeknife' a scapegoat ... ? A question asked , but, in all the 'answers' ...
...no-one asked about...
...the word 'scapegoat' :
The term is believed to have been coined by a famous translator of the Bible, named William Tyndale ; in LEVITICUS 16, there is a reference to two goats, one of which has the sins of the people symbolically laid upon it and is then allowed to escape into the wilderness . Tyndale called this goat the "scapegoat" , from 'escape' and 'goat' . LEVITICUS forms part of the Pentateuch, which Tyndale finished translating in 1530 ; he became a 'scapegoat' himself in the so-called ' Heresy Trials' which were raging at the time - in 1535, he was arrested for heresy and, in 1536, he was strangled and burnt at the stake !
(That's burnt AT the stake, not BY ..... oh forget it ...).
A Waterford man , Harry Timothy Quinlisk , joined the British Army in August 1914, rose to the rank of Quartermaster Sergeant and fought in France with the 'Royal Irish Regiment' . He was captured that same year by the Germans and imprisoned in a camp in Limberg . In January 1915, Roger Casement visited the same camp in an attempt to recruit an Irish Brigade to fight against the British in Ireland ; Quinlisk put his name on the list but was rejected by Casement, who described him as " a rogue " ..... (MORE LATER)>
"..... they all glare at me , and then begin to shout at me : " I am a Sir" , " I am a Sir " , "You will conform" , "Conform" , "Conform" . They all grab me and start to beat and kick me while screaming : " You will conform " , " You will conform in H-Block 5 " . I awake , shouting and rolling on a filthy mattress on the floor . " Where am I ? ". "Are you alright?" , asks my cell-mate . "Where am I?" . " You are in your cell , you must've been having a nightmare," he says .
Our cell door opens and a black uniformed figure stands there , " Food", he says . "What was that, Mister?" I ask . "You call me Sir. You're in the H-Blocks now! You're in H-Block 5. Don't forget it, 1066 !" .
----- Bobby Sands , article entitled ' I am Sir, you are 1066' - first published 1st July, 1978.
Is 'Freddie' Scapatticci 'Stakeknife' ?
Is 'Stakeknife' a scapegoat ... ? A question asked , but, in all the 'answers' ...
...no-one asked about...
...the word 'scapegoat' :
The term is believed to have been coined by a famous translator of the Bible, named William Tyndale ; in LEVITICUS 16, there is a reference to two goats, one of which has the sins of the people symbolically laid upon it and is then allowed to escape into the wilderness . Tyndale called this goat the "scapegoat" , from 'escape' and 'goat' . LEVITICUS forms part of the Pentateuch, which Tyndale finished translating in 1530 ; he became a 'scapegoat' himself in the so-called ' Heresy Trials' which were raging at the time - in 1535, he was arrested for heresy and, in 1536, he was strangled and burnt at the stake !
(That's burnt AT the stake, not BY ..... oh forget it ...).
Thursday, June 12, 2003
.....because of the circumstances of his birth , John Kells Ingram (author of the Irish ballad ' The Memory Of The Dead') felt that he could not publicly voice support for those trying to break the connection with England ....
T.F.O'Sullivan , an authority on Irish ballads and poetry of that period, wrote that, when published ,'The Memory Of The Dead' -
" Immediately attracted widespread attention , and there was a good deal of speculation as to the author . It was generally felt that a great lyric worthy of a great theme had been written " .
Ingram's ballad was translated into Latin by Robert Yelverton Tyrrell in 1870 and into Irish by Douglas Hyde in 1896 . John Kells Ingram died on 1st May , 1907 , at 84 years of age ; he went to his grave proud of his ballad 'The Memory Of The Dead' , which he wrote to perpetuate the memory of the men and women who , in 1798, fought and died for their country .
"..... several naked figures appear at the windows. The building is thirty yards away . I can see that all the figures are bearded , they all seem to be fairly young , but all their faces are pale and haggard . They are young men , but have old men's faces . Am I gazing at death ? These figures keep staring out at nothing , or pacing to and fro . Footsteps again !
I turn, apprehension again gripping me, to await my door being opened again . My new-found curiosity having diminished , I fall deeper into the depths of depression and despair .The thought of what lies on the other side of that door tortures me . The door swings open , and several black uniformed figures stand there , surrounding a very small , fat , evil-looking person who evidently is their leader .
They all glare at me , and then begin to shout at me : ...... (MORE LATER)<
THE SPINNING SUN.....
In April 2002, 'The Sun' 'paper carried a Page One headline - ' MARRY ! TIME FOR CHARLES TO WED CAMILLA ' , adding "Charles and Camilla are a perfect match.So why does'nt Charles marry her ? Marry her , Charles, the people would warm to you if you did so " .
Two telephone numbers , a 'YES, MARRY' and 'NO,DON'T MARRY' were published, and 'SUN' readers were asked to vote on the ssue . The next day , the 'paper published the results - 59,852 readers in total voted , of which only 16,934 voted 'YES,MARRY' .
However ,the 'SUN' put a spin on the result to suit its own agenda : it stated - "POLL BOOST FOR CAMILLA ; public opposition is falling, a SUN poll reveals today.The number backing a wedding is up fifty per-cent on six years ago " !!
...SUPER SOARAWAY FACTS AND FIGURES.....
T.F.O'Sullivan , an authority on Irish ballads and poetry of that period, wrote that, when published ,'The Memory Of The Dead' -
" Immediately attracted widespread attention , and there was a good deal of speculation as to the author . It was generally felt that a great lyric worthy of a great theme had been written " .
Ingram's ballad was translated into Latin by Robert Yelverton Tyrrell in 1870 and into Irish by Douglas Hyde in 1896 . John Kells Ingram died on 1st May , 1907 , at 84 years of age ; he went to his grave proud of his ballad 'The Memory Of The Dead' , which he wrote to perpetuate the memory of the men and women who , in 1798, fought and died for their country .
"..... several naked figures appear at the windows. The building is thirty yards away . I can see that all the figures are bearded , they all seem to be fairly young , but all their faces are pale and haggard . They are young men , but have old men's faces . Am I gazing at death ? These figures keep staring out at nothing , or pacing to and fro . Footsteps again !
I turn, apprehension again gripping me, to await my door being opened again . My new-found curiosity having diminished , I fall deeper into the depths of depression and despair .The thought of what lies on the other side of that door tortures me . The door swings open , and several black uniformed figures stand there , surrounding a very small , fat , evil-looking person who evidently is their leader .
They all glare at me , and then begin to shout at me : ...... (MORE LATER)<
THE SPINNING SUN.....
In April 2002, 'The Sun' 'paper carried a Page One headline - ' MARRY ! TIME FOR CHARLES TO WED CAMILLA ' , adding "Charles and Camilla are a perfect match.So why does'nt Charles marry her ? Marry her , Charles, the people would warm to you if you did so " .
Two telephone numbers , a 'YES, MARRY' and 'NO,DON'T MARRY' were published, and 'SUN' readers were asked to vote on the ssue . The next day , the 'paper published the results - 59,852 readers in total voted , of which only 16,934 voted 'YES,MARRY' .
However ,the 'SUN' put a spin on the result to suit its own agenda : it stated - "POLL BOOST FOR CAMILLA ; public opposition is falling, a SUN poll reveals today.The number backing a wedding is up fifty per-cent on six years ago " !!
...SUPER SOARAWAY FACTS AND FIGURES.....
Wednesday, June 11, 2003
.....John Kells Ingram , author of the ballad "Who Fears To Speak Of '98 " , was not a supporter of the Irish Republican struggle....
He was a student , in Trinity, of political economy and sociology and those in the College with him often discussed the effects of the 1798 Rising ; it is believed that John Kells Ingram wrote the song 'The Memory of The Dead' in one night in March 1843 , following a long discussion with fellow students about the Rising . He then , anonymously, dropped it in the letter-box of 'The Nation' newspaper , which published it on 1st April , 1843.
Although Irish-born , Ingram considered himself a Unionist but was drawn to the scholarly and impassioned reasoning of Thomas Davis and his colleagues in their quest to end what he himself also considered to be British mis-rule in his native land.He was not anti-Irish , as others in his circle were , and was not a staunch supporter of English rule in Ireland ;however , because of his circumstances, he felt he could not articulate publicly his position .... (MORE LATER)>
" A breeze: I feel a breeze coming from the wall behind me . Feeling about , I touch a piece of cloth . I tug it and it falls . A light of great intensity hits my eyes , temporarily blinding me . My tomb becomes illuminated with light , revealing a window divided with concrete bars . Stepping closer , thousands of lights of every size and colour appear in my view . These lights are perched upon mountains of barbed wire that glitter and sparkle on the ink-black horizon .
Another step forward , and still looking straight ahead , a small building looms up in front of me , displaying a dozen or so windows all of which are brightly lit up . Several naked figures appear at the windows ..... "
----- Bobby Sands , 1st July , 1978 : more later ... >
OOOPS ! Did I say that .....
"Partition is unravelling before our eyes "
--- Provisional Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle member Ann Speed , speaking at that organisations 1995 Ard Fheis .(See 'AP/RN', 2nd March 1995 , page 5).
" He has engaged and listened " .
---- Gerry Adams describing Tony Blair ! (See 'AP/RN', 18th December , 1997, page 3).
" The whole thing is a con-job " .
---- Me , 1998 and now !
He was a student , in Trinity, of political economy and sociology and those in the College with him often discussed the effects of the 1798 Rising ; it is believed that John Kells Ingram wrote the song 'The Memory of The Dead' in one night in March 1843 , following a long discussion with fellow students about the Rising . He then , anonymously, dropped it in the letter-box of 'The Nation' newspaper , which published it on 1st April , 1843.
Although Irish-born , Ingram considered himself a Unionist but was drawn to the scholarly and impassioned reasoning of Thomas Davis and his colleagues in their quest to end what he himself also considered to be British mis-rule in his native land.He was not anti-Irish , as others in his circle were , and was not a staunch supporter of English rule in Ireland ;however , because of his circumstances, he felt he could not articulate publicly his position .... (MORE LATER)>
" A breeze: I feel a breeze coming from the wall behind me . Feeling about , I touch a piece of cloth . I tug it and it falls . A light of great intensity hits my eyes , temporarily blinding me . My tomb becomes illuminated with light , revealing a window divided with concrete bars . Stepping closer , thousands of lights of every size and colour appear in my view . These lights are perched upon mountains of barbed wire that glitter and sparkle on the ink-black horizon .
Another step forward , and still looking straight ahead , a small building looms up in front of me , displaying a dozen or so windows all of which are brightly lit up . Several naked figures appear at the windows ..... "
----- Bobby Sands , 1st July , 1978 : more later ... >
OOOPS ! Did I say that .....
"Partition is unravelling before our eyes "
--- Provisional Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle member Ann Speed , speaking at that organisations 1995 Ard Fheis .(See 'AP/RN', 2nd March 1995 , page 5).
" He has engaged and listened " .
---- Gerry Adams describing Tony Blair ! (See 'AP/RN', 18th December , 1997, page 3).
" The whole thing is a con-job " .
---- Me , 1998 and now !
Tuesday, June 10, 2003
On 1st April , 1843, 'The Nation' newspaper (published by the 'Young Ireland' group) published a ballad entitled 'The Memory of The Dead' ; the song commemorated the 1798 Rising and is perhaps better known by its opening line - " Who fears to speak of '98 " ..... "
The author of the song wanted to remain anonymous and , in his own mind, had reason to......
John Kells Ingram had no sympathy for the Irish Republican cause - he was born the son of a Protestant clergyman , at Templecarne Rectory, near Pettigo in County Donegal , in July 1823. He was educated in Newry and later studied at Trinity College in Dublin and , although he admired the integrity of the Irish rebels and their cause, he was not a supporter . (MORE LATER)>
"It's watching me. Once more the door opens. The dim light gives off a little illumination , revealing the black uniformed figure at the doorway . "I am Sir", it says , "here is your food, 1066". A bowl is thrust into my hands as the door slams. Before the light dies I catch a glimpse of the floor. It is covered in filth and rubbish . There are several maggots clinging to my legs. The walls are covered with a mass of fat bloated flies. Once again I am terror-stricken . I pace the floor, aghast at my surroundings. The bowl in my hand is cold , it contains some sort of porridge or gruel . The smell from it revolts me. I set it down on the floor.
Pacing the floor in total darkness , I become engulfed with depression and despair . I wish I was dead . "But I am dead" , I say aloud. I can't even kill myself , I think " .
----' The Writings of Bobby Sands' , April 1981 - first published in 'Republican News', 1st July 1978 . (MORE LATER)>
On Thursday , 29th May last , the 'Adams Family' loudly protested that the British would not allow elections to be held to the British parliament at Stormont ; in 'AP/RN' on 9th September , 1999, page 10, Gerry Adams described the Stormont Treaty ('Good Friday Agreement') as "British Government policy" and said to Tony Blair's administration that "it must implement British Government policy " in Ireland.
A so-called Irish 'Republican' leader calling on the British to implement its policy in Ireland ?
..... I can't be the only one to be confused...
The author of the song wanted to remain anonymous and , in his own mind, had reason to......
John Kells Ingram had no sympathy for the Irish Republican cause - he was born the son of a Protestant clergyman , at Templecarne Rectory, near Pettigo in County Donegal , in July 1823. He was educated in Newry and later studied at Trinity College in Dublin and , although he admired the integrity of the Irish rebels and their cause, he was not a supporter . (MORE LATER)>
"It's watching me. Once more the door opens. The dim light gives off a little illumination , revealing the black uniformed figure at the doorway . "I am Sir", it says , "here is your food, 1066". A bowl is thrust into my hands as the door slams. Before the light dies I catch a glimpse of the floor. It is covered in filth and rubbish . There are several maggots clinging to my legs. The walls are covered with a mass of fat bloated flies. Once again I am terror-stricken . I pace the floor, aghast at my surroundings. The bowl in my hand is cold , it contains some sort of porridge or gruel . The smell from it revolts me. I set it down on the floor.
Pacing the floor in total darkness , I become engulfed with depression and despair . I wish I was dead . "But I am dead" , I say aloud. I can't even kill myself , I think " .
----' The Writings of Bobby Sands' , April 1981 - first published in 'Republican News', 1st July 1978 . (MORE LATER)>
On Thursday , 29th May last , the 'Adams Family' loudly protested that the British would not allow elections to be held to the British parliament at Stormont ; in 'AP/RN' on 9th September , 1999, page 10, Gerry Adams described the Stormont Treaty ('Good Friday Agreement') as "British Government policy" and said to Tony Blair's administration that "it must implement British Government policy " in Ireland.
A so-called Irish 'Republican' leader calling on the British to implement its policy in Ireland ?
..... I can't be the only one to be confused...
Monday, June 09, 2003
.....for six decades , Brian O'Higgins explained Irish Republicanism to generations of young people , and was hounded by the British and Free Staters for doing so .....
On 10th March , 1963 , at 80 years of age , Brian O'Higgins died in Dublin. Again, like so many men and women mentioned in these columns, he deserves to be remembered as much outside the Movement , as he is within it. People like that are the backbone of the Movement - their efforts and the sacrifices they make are second-nature to them ; they don't seek, or expect, financial gain ; they don't make plans to sit at the so-called 'top table' with the same people who have worked for years to 'tame' them .
Men and women like Brian O'Higgins are not for turning - the Brits and Free Staters are aware of that , label them as 'dissidents and terrorists', purchase half of them and turn them on the other half . And unfortunately, that 'divide and conquer' trick still 'fools' those that are willing to be fooled .....
".....maybe it's better they don't know. They won't break my spirit. I won't let them do that. They can do what they will with me , but I won't concede my spirit . Yes , that's it. Calm down , fight back, show them your spirit , settle down, and get ready for them... There's a bible in the corner- flick through it and stop thinking about it. Six hours ! Take heart ... The prophet Sirach : 'Blessed is he whose heart does not condemn him, and who does not give up hope' .
Remember that . Remember those words . I'm alright. I won't give up hope . No , I won't give up hope " .
-----'The Writings of Bobby Sands' , from an article entitled 'Alone and Condemned' , first published on 13th January , 1979 .
Democratic decisions by the Irish people were made in every general election from the introduction of the secret ballot in 1872 . In each election from then until 1918 , the wish of the Irish people to govern themselves was expressed through the ballot box . In eleven general elections in succession through almost half a century , Irish voters used the ballot to show their will . Sixty per-cent of those elected by the county and borough constituencies in Ireland in 1874 were Home Rulers .
As more people qualified to vote , this demand grew accordingly . Over eighty per-cent of Irish representatives from 1885 onwards were elected to win self-government for the Country . Britain failed to accept the ballot results and , in 1920, when Britain partioned Ireland, they again ignored the votes of the people whom they insisted in keeping under the Butchers Apron ('Union Jack'). Constituencies which in every election for years had voted for Irish self-government were kept within the Unionist state established at that time.
And now we have the stomach-turning sight of so-called 'Irish Republicans' protesting because the British will not hold elections to a British Parliament (Stormont) !
.....they would crawl over a spinning grave to get a British pension .....
Disgusting.
On 10th March , 1963 , at 80 years of age , Brian O'Higgins died in Dublin. Again, like so many men and women mentioned in these columns, he deserves to be remembered as much outside the Movement , as he is within it. People like that are the backbone of the Movement - their efforts and the sacrifices they make are second-nature to them ; they don't seek, or expect, financial gain ; they don't make plans to sit at the so-called 'top table' with the same people who have worked for years to 'tame' them .
Men and women like Brian O'Higgins are not for turning - the Brits and Free Staters are aware of that , label them as 'dissidents and terrorists', purchase half of them and turn them on the other half . And unfortunately, that 'divide and conquer' trick still 'fools' those that are willing to be fooled .....
".....maybe it's better they don't know. They won't break my spirit. I won't let them do that. They can do what they will with me , but I won't concede my spirit . Yes , that's it. Calm down , fight back, show them your spirit , settle down, and get ready for them... There's a bible in the corner- flick through it and stop thinking about it. Six hours ! Take heart ... The prophet Sirach : 'Blessed is he whose heart does not condemn him, and who does not give up hope' .
Remember that . Remember those words . I'm alright. I won't give up hope . No , I won't give up hope " .
-----'The Writings of Bobby Sands' , from an article entitled 'Alone and Condemned' , first published on 13th January , 1979 .
Democratic decisions by the Irish people were made in every general election from the introduction of the secret ballot in 1872 . In each election from then until 1918 , the wish of the Irish people to govern themselves was expressed through the ballot box . In eleven general elections in succession through almost half a century , Irish voters used the ballot to show their will . Sixty per-cent of those elected by the county and borough constituencies in Ireland in 1874 were Home Rulers .
As more people qualified to vote , this demand grew accordingly . Over eighty per-cent of Irish representatives from 1885 onwards were elected to win self-government for the Country . Britain failed to accept the ballot results and , in 1920, when Britain partioned Ireland, they again ignored the votes of the people whom they insisted in keeping under the Butchers Apron ('Union Jack'). Constituencies which in every election for years had voted for Irish self-government were kept within the Unionist state established at that time.
And now we have the stomach-turning sight of so-called 'Irish Republicans' protesting because the British will not hold elections to a British Parliament (Stormont) !
.....they would crawl over a spinning grave to get a British pension .....
Disgusting.
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