IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... one of the most prominent (pro-British) Unionists opposed to the Sinn Fein organisation was 'Lord' Edward Carson of Duncairn - a Dublin man , born in 1854 , and a barrister by trade . He rose quickly through the ranks of the 'Establishment' ; at 62 years of age he was appointed ' First Lord of the Admiralty '- but a bigger 'prize' was offered to him , if he wanted it .......
Westminster offered him the 'Premiership' of the new Six County 'State' - but he refused , and retired from public life in 1921 , at 67 years of age . But I digress (again !) - as well as hopefully giving the Unionists in Ireland an 'edge' , the British were convinced that the new 'Proportional Representation' (PR) system of voting would prove too complicated for the 'uneducated Irish' , who would unintentionally spoil their votes : but that did'nt happen .
Less than two-and-a-half per cent of votes were spoiled ; the Sinn Fein organisation was expected to attempt to disrupt the January 15th 1920 elections in protest over the new PR system - but they did'nt . The 'Daily Mail' newspaper of the time stated - " That Sinn Fein , instead of opposing a change , declaredly designed to cripple its power , should willingly help in its development , is more than remarkable ... " The reason was 'education' ; Sinn Fein sent out teams of election workers who themselves had been instructed in the new PR system , to pass that information on - and it worked .
That same newspaper (the 'Daily Mail') also noted that the British refused to publicise the workings of the new PR voting system , in the expectation that 'Paddy' would not vote or , if he/she attempted to , would do so wrongly - " Incredible as it may seem , not a single penny could be obtained for the purpose of explaining the system to voters ... "
But 'Paddy' was one step ahead .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(17 of 18).
" There were several reasons given by our comrades for going on hunger-strike ; one was because we had no choice and no other means of securing a principled solution to the four-year protest . Another , and of fundamental importance , was to advance the Irish people's right to liberty . We believe that the age-old struggle for Irish self-determination and freedom has been immeasurably advanced by this hunger-strike and therefore we claim a massive political victory .
The hunger-strikers , by their selflessness , have politicised a very substantial section of the Irish nation and exposed the shallow , unprincipled nature of the Irish partitionist bloc . Our comrades have lit with their very lives an eternal beacon which will inspire this nation and people to rise and crush oppression forever .
The Irish nation can be proud that it produced such a quality of manhood ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE EXTRADITION FIASCO .
By Derek Dunne .
First published in 'Magill' magazine , October 1985 , pages 9,10 and 11.
Re-published here in 13 parts.
(1 of 13).
In recent weeks , the American Senate have had hearings relating to a proposed extradition treaty between Britain and the U. S. Dominic McGlinchey , extradited from the Republic (ie the Free State) eighteen months ago is appealing his conviction for murder . Two months ago , John Quinn was freed by a London court following extradition from Dublin last March .
Very soon , even more controversial cases are likely to come before the courts - the recent case of John Patrick Quinn and the apparent bungling of the British police is bound to become an issue in these hearings . This is especially so in view of the harder political line Chief Justices and Attorneys General have been taking in the last few years .
Robert Russell and Brendan Burns are currently in Portlaoise Prison ; between them , they have served three years in jail - neither has been charged with any offence in this jurisdiction nor will they be : they are awaiting extradition to the six counties . Both have been extradited by the District Court and both are looking for orders under Section 50 of the Extradition Act 1965 , quashing their extraditions .
" Political offences " , or " offences connected with political offences " , were always exempt from extradition until the historic Supreme Court judgement in 1982 which saw the handing over of Dominic McGlinchey to the RUC .......
(MORE LATER).
Thursday, November 25, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... British 'Lord' Edward Carson of Duncairn was an interesting man , with a varied past - and a varied future ahead of him . He was a staunch supporter of the Irish (pro-Brit) Unionists .......
'Lord' Carson (1854-1935) was born in Dublin and became a successful barrister ; at 38 years young he was elected as a Unionist MP (to Westminster) for Dublin University and , again at that age , he was appointed (British) 'Solicitor General for Ireland' and served as the 'Solicitor General for England' from 1900 to 1905 .
At 57 years of age (in 1911) he was elected leader of the 'Ulster Unionist Council' (UUC) and helped to establish the 'Ulster Volunteer Force' (UVF) , a pro-British militia . From 1915 to 1916 he served as the British Attorney General , and was appointed as the 'First Lord of the Admiralty' in 1916 (until 1917) and was a member of Lloyd George's War Cabinet from 1917 to 1918 .
Westminster thought so highly of him that they were to offer him an even bigger 'prize' - but he considered it to be a 'poisoned chalice' .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(16 of 18).
" Rather than take action to secure an honourable solution and save lives , the SDLP occupied their time trying to make political gain by attacking those who did genuinely endeavour to end the issue honourably , namely the National H-Block/Armagh Committee and those councillors who answered our call to withdraw from the councils .
The SDLP should now be recognised for what it is - an amalgamation of middle-class Redmondites , devoid of principle , direction and courage . They are spineless and weak and are very capable of selling-out to Unionist intimidators for imperialist perks . ('1169...' comment - 'perks' such as seats in a British-imposed 'parliament' at Stormont , perhaps ...?)
Their whole leadership combined do not possess a fraction of the moral fibre demonstrated so valiantly by our comrades ....... "
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .......
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
[6 of 6].
For the IRA it was a most remarkable feat : two British Army Observation Posts overlook this area . This fact , together with their extraordinary intelligence coup puts the lie to the British boast that they had defeated them .
Of course , we had the usual tirade from the slaves in Leinster House and in the religion circles . These same people were so strangely silent a few weeks ago when RUC and British Army forces kept a murdered Irish Republican from being buried for three days - there were no feelings of sympathy for the family of Lawrence Marley or for his little baby who is going to grow up without a father .
They were only native Irish Catholics - and , of course, after all the centuries of persecution , they were accustomed to death and humiliation .
[END of ' A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE ... '].
(Tomorrow - 'The Extradition Fiasco' : from 1985 .)
....... British 'Lord' Edward Carson of Duncairn was an interesting man , with a varied past - and a varied future ahead of him . He was a staunch supporter of the Irish (pro-Brit) Unionists .......
'Lord' Carson (1854-1935) was born in Dublin and became a successful barrister ; at 38 years young he was elected as a Unionist MP (to Westminster) for Dublin University and , again at that age , he was appointed (British) 'Solicitor General for Ireland' and served as the 'Solicitor General for England' from 1900 to 1905 .
At 57 years of age (in 1911) he was elected leader of the 'Ulster Unionist Council' (UUC) and helped to establish the 'Ulster Volunteer Force' (UVF) , a pro-British militia . From 1915 to 1916 he served as the British Attorney General , and was appointed as the 'First Lord of the Admiralty' in 1916 (until 1917) and was a member of Lloyd George's War Cabinet from 1917 to 1918 .
Westminster thought so highly of him that they were to offer him an even bigger 'prize' - but he considered it to be a 'poisoned chalice' .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(16 of 18).
" Rather than take action to secure an honourable solution and save lives , the SDLP occupied their time trying to make political gain by attacking those who did genuinely endeavour to end the issue honourably , namely the National H-Block/Armagh Committee and those councillors who answered our call to withdraw from the councils .
The SDLP should now be recognised for what it is - an amalgamation of middle-class Redmondites , devoid of principle , direction and courage . They are spineless and weak and are very capable of selling-out to Unionist intimidators for imperialist perks . ('1169...' comment - 'perks' such as seats in a British-imposed 'parliament' at Stormont , perhaps ...?)
Their whole leadership combined do not possess a fraction of the moral fibre demonstrated so valiantly by our comrades ....... "
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .......
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
[6 of 6].
For the IRA it was a most remarkable feat : two British Army Observation Posts overlook this area . This fact , together with their extraordinary intelligence coup puts the lie to the British boast that they had defeated them .
Of course , we had the usual tirade from the slaves in Leinster House and in the religion circles . These same people were so strangely silent a few weeks ago when RUC and British Army forces kept a murdered Irish Republican from being buried for three days - there were no feelings of sympathy for the family of Lawrence Marley or for his little baby who is going to grow up without a father .
They were only native Irish Catholics - and , of course, after all the centuries of persecution , they were accustomed to death and humiliation .
[END of ' A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE ... '].
(Tomorrow - 'The Extradition Fiasco' : from 1985 .)
Wednesday, November 24, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... after the 15th January 1920 elections , the Unionists lost political control in Derry , which was the 'jewel in the crown' for them .......
The new Nationalist-controlled City Corporation and Mayor of Derry voted to give their allegiance to the 32-County Republican Dail Eireann : the Unionists objected strongly and the 'war of words' turned for the worse when Westminster sent armed RIC men , and British soldiers with bayonets attached to their rifles , into the Nationalist parts of Derry to 'put manners' back on the locals .
Speaking at an 'Orange' (a pro-Brit sectarian organisation) rally at Finaghy , Belfast , Unionist leader Edward Carson ('Lord' Carson of Duncairn) stated -
- " We must proclaim today clearly that , come what will and be the consequences what they may , we in Ulster will tolerate no Sinn Fein - no Sinn Fein organisation , no Sinn Fein methods . But we tell you [the British Government] this : that if , having offered you our help , you are yourselves unable to protect us from the machinations of Sinn Fein , and you won't take our help ; well then , we tell you that we will take the matter into our own hands . We will reorganise , as we feel bound to do in our our defence , throughout the province , the Ulster Volunteers . And those are not mere words . I hate words without action . "
British 'Lord' Edward Carson of Duncairn had an interesting past - and future.......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(15 of 18).
" Well may they (the Dublin Establishment) hang their heads in shame , for they are a pathetic reflection of republicanism and the spirit that traditionally earmarked the Irish patriot's pursuit of nationhood and justice , and by their cowardly collaborationist and quisling stand on the H-Block issue they have debased the memory of generations of Irish freedom fighters who fought for a separatist Ireland .
If John Bull does'nt actually rule the twenty-six counties physically , he still rules in spirit ; and it must not be forgotten that Garret FitzGerald's concept of democracy parallels with Maggie Thatcher's .
There was only one positively injurious action available to the SDLP which would help to save lives in the H-Blocks and that was to isolate the British administration by withdrawing from the council chambers - this they consistently refused to do , preferring instead to cling tenaciously to their role of imperialist lickspittle ....... "
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .......
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
(5 of 6).
The Gibsons drove without incident through Dundalk to the Customs Post at Carrickarnon ; the Gardai told him that they would accompany him right to the border but he said that the RUC were waiting for him on the other side . But the RUC were not there - they were waiting a quarter mile from the border as they were reluctant to drive right up there ; they were afraid that the IRA might be waiting for them .
Two minutes before Diplock Judge Gibson's car came across the border , a car had been parked by the roadside ; it was packed with explosives detonated by remote control . Judge Gibson had let off his last murderer of the Irish Republican community .
He went to meet the 'Final Judge' to whom he was so fond of sending young Irish men , women and children .......
(MORE LATER).
....... after the 15th January 1920 elections , the Unionists lost political control in Derry , which was the 'jewel in the crown' for them .......
The new Nationalist-controlled City Corporation and Mayor of Derry voted to give their allegiance to the 32-County Republican Dail Eireann : the Unionists objected strongly and the 'war of words' turned for the worse when Westminster sent armed RIC men , and British soldiers with bayonets attached to their rifles , into the Nationalist parts of Derry to 'put manners' back on the locals .
Speaking at an 'Orange' (a pro-Brit sectarian organisation) rally at Finaghy , Belfast , Unionist leader Edward Carson ('Lord' Carson of Duncairn) stated -
- " We must proclaim today clearly that , come what will and be the consequences what they may , we in Ulster will tolerate no Sinn Fein - no Sinn Fein organisation , no Sinn Fein methods . But we tell you [the British Government] this : that if , having offered you our help , you are yourselves unable to protect us from the machinations of Sinn Fein , and you won't take our help ; well then , we tell you that we will take the matter into our own hands . We will reorganise , as we feel bound to do in our our defence , throughout the province , the Ulster Volunteers . And those are not mere words . I hate words without action . "
British 'Lord' Edward Carson of Duncairn had an interesting past - and future.......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(15 of 18).
" Well may they (the Dublin Establishment) hang their heads in shame , for they are a pathetic reflection of republicanism and the spirit that traditionally earmarked the Irish patriot's pursuit of nationhood and justice , and by their cowardly collaborationist and quisling stand on the H-Block issue they have debased the memory of generations of Irish freedom fighters who fought for a separatist Ireland .
If John Bull does'nt actually rule the twenty-six counties physically , he still rules in spirit ; and it must not be forgotten that Garret FitzGerald's concept of democracy parallels with Maggie Thatcher's .
There was only one positively injurious action available to the SDLP which would help to save lives in the H-Blocks and that was to isolate the British administration by withdrawing from the council chambers - this they consistently refused to do , preferring instead to cling tenaciously to their role of imperialist lickspittle ....... "
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .......
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
(5 of 6).
The Gibsons drove without incident through Dundalk to the Customs Post at Carrickarnon ; the Gardai told him that they would accompany him right to the border but he said that the RUC were waiting for him on the other side . But the RUC were not there - they were waiting a quarter mile from the border as they were reluctant to drive right up there ; they were afraid that the IRA might be waiting for them .
Two minutes before Diplock Judge Gibson's car came across the border , a car had been parked by the roadside ; it was packed with explosives detonated by remote control . Judge Gibson had let off his last murderer of the Irish Republican community .
He went to meet the 'Final Judge' to whom he was so fond of sending young Irish men , women and children .......
(MORE LATER).
Tuesday, November 23, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... in order to convince Ulster Unionists that they should jettison three of Ulster's nine counties - and their Unionist brethren that lived in those three counties - Cavan , Monaghan and Donegal - so that Westminster might more easily effect 'control' over that part of Ireland , the then influential British MP , Thomas Moles (who was later to be appointed Editor of 'The Belfast Telegraph' newspaper) stated .......
....... " If a ship were sinking and there were only enough life boats for two-thirds of the passengers , should they all drown rather than leave anyone behind ? " ('1169...' comment - no mention of it being a stolen 'ship' , crewed by pirates !) However - the British Bill in question (ie- 'The Government of Ireland Bill') was eventually accepted , and became 'law' in May 1920 . But the 'new' 'Six County Ulster' was also 'problematic' for the Brits - at the time it had a Unionist majority of 820,000 to 430,000 Nationalists , but the 'spread' of both sides created problems in attempting to gerrymander the area .
Two of the Six Counties had a Nationalist majority - Fermanagh 56.2 per cent , and Tyrone 55.4 per cent . Plus , some city's and other areas had Nationalist majority's , too : Derry City , parts of Armagh and Down , and Belfast . It was hoped by Westminster that the then new voting system of proportional representation would give the Unionists an edge .
But the fact that the January 15th , 1920 election had seen the Unionists loose control of Derry Corporation was still 'hurting' the Unionists and their political masters in Westminster .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(14 of 18).
" We believe that the Dublin bloc of Fianna Fail , Fine Gael , and Labour are accessories to the legalised murder of ten true and committed Irishmen who died heroically in the long tradition of republican resistance to British occupation , oppression , and injustice in Ireland .
They are accessories to murder by virture of the fact that they sat idly by and thus encouraged the British to continue with the death policy .
The sheer hypocrisy of their position is that at no time did any of these three parties unequivocally or even tacitly support our demands , even though our five demands are implemented in their entirety - even more than we were looking for - in jails in Southern Ireland ....... "
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .......
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
(4 of 6).
British 'Lord' Justice Gibson had a holiday home at Doonan , Kilcar , in County Donegal ; the slavish , obeisant behaviour of the Dublin government to " His Lordship" added to his secret feeling of invulnerability . This was his downfall .
The long-suffering Republican and Nationalist community in the North had no respect for this arrogant purveyor of British 'justice' in the six occupied counties . Their defenders , the Irish Republican Army , were thwarted in dealing out the justice he deserved because he was under strong security both at his home and in transit to and from the courts .
Gibson , thinking that he was invincible , made his own arrangements on his trip to Britain ; he decided to come back through Dublin , as he so enjoyed having the slaves in the 'Republic' take such good care of him . On Thursday , April 23rd , the RUC notified the Gardai Security Section in the Phoenix Park , Dublin , and ordered them to meet 'Lord' Gibson at the B+I terminal on Saturday and escort him to the 'Border' .......
(MORE LATER).
....... in order to convince Ulster Unionists that they should jettison three of Ulster's nine counties - and their Unionist brethren that lived in those three counties - Cavan , Monaghan and Donegal - so that Westminster might more easily effect 'control' over that part of Ireland , the then influential British MP , Thomas Moles (who was later to be appointed Editor of 'The Belfast Telegraph' newspaper) stated .......
....... " If a ship were sinking and there were only enough life boats for two-thirds of the passengers , should they all drown rather than leave anyone behind ? " ('1169...' comment - no mention of it being a stolen 'ship' , crewed by pirates !) However - the British Bill in question (ie- 'The Government of Ireland Bill') was eventually accepted , and became 'law' in May 1920 . But the 'new' 'Six County Ulster' was also 'problematic' for the Brits - at the time it had a Unionist majority of 820,000 to 430,000 Nationalists , but the 'spread' of both sides created problems in attempting to gerrymander the area .
Two of the Six Counties had a Nationalist majority - Fermanagh 56.2 per cent , and Tyrone 55.4 per cent . Plus , some city's and other areas had Nationalist majority's , too : Derry City , parts of Armagh and Down , and Belfast . It was hoped by Westminster that the then new voting system of proportional representation would give the Unionists an edge .
But the fact that the January 15th , 1920 election had seen the Unionists loose control of Derry Corporation was still 'hurting' the Unionists and their political masters in Westminster .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(14 of 18).
" We believe that the Dublin bloc of Fianna Fail , Fine Gael , and Labour are accessories to the legalised murder of ten true and committed Irishmen who died heroically in the long tradition of republican resistance to British occupation , oppression , and injustice in Ireland .
They are accessories to murder by virture of the fact that they sat idly by and thus encouraged the British to continue with the death policy .
The sheer hypocrisy of their position is that at no time did any of these three parties unequivocally or even tacitly support our demands , even though our five demands are implemented in their entirety - even more than we were looking for - in jails in Southern Ireland ....... "
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .......
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
(4 of 6).
British 'Lord' Justice Gibson had a holiday home at Doonan , Kilcar , in County Donegal ; the slavish , obeisant behaviour of the Dublin government to " His Lordship" added to his secret feeling of invulnerability . This was his downfall .
The long-suffering Republican and Nationalist community in the North had no respect for this arrogant purveyor of British 'justice' in the six occupied counties . Their defenders , the Irish Republican Army , were thwarted in dealing out the justice he deserved because he was under strong security both at his home and in transit to and from the courts .
Gibson , thinking that he was invincible , made his own arrangements on his trip to Britain ; he decided to come back through Dublin , as he so enjoyed having the slaves in the 'Republic' take such good care of him . On Thursday , April 23rd , the RUC notified the Gardai Security Section in the Phoenix Park , Dublin , and ordered them to meet 'Lord' Gibson at the B+I terminal on Saturday and escort him to the 'Border' .......
(MORE LATER).
Monday, November 22, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... the British Parliament at Westminster proposed to include legislation for a 'Council of Ireland' within its new (ie February 1920) 'Government of Ireland Bill' ; this 'Council' was put forward by the Brits as a 'sweetner' , to encourage the Nationalist/Republican community to accept the 'Bill' .......
The Unionists in Ireland , however , were sceptical and reluctant to accept the 'Government of Ireland Bill' , as it proposed the establishment of a nine-county parliament in Ulster , but Westminster encouraged them to believe that a local 'parliament' would strengthen their position within Ireland - and that was the reason put forward in 'The Government of Ireland Bill' for abandoning the three Ulster Counties of Cavan , Monaghan and Donegal...
... it was pointed out to the Irish (pro-Brit) Unionists that , within the Nine Counties of Ulster , Unionists had a 56.3 per cent majority , whereas , within a Six County 'Ulster' , they would have a 66 per cent majority . In true 'divide and conquer' style (even , as in this case , when dealing with 'their own' people ) , the Brits , speaking to those who were not in favour of jettisoning their Unionist brethren in Cavan , Monaghan and Donegal let it be known that Cavan had an 81.5 per cent Nationalist majority , Monaghan 74.7 per cent and Donegal 78.9 per cent - in short , Westminster could 'control' a Six County 'Ulster' better than it could a nine-county Ulster !
The then influential British MP , Thomas Moles (who was later to be appointed Editor of 'The Belfast Telegraph' newspaper) summed-up the options in his own indomitable way .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(13 of 18).
" We contend very strongly that the reason why the British did'nt respond to our August 6th statement is that the prison regime we proposed was inarguably superior and better than the present Victorian regime and that the church accepted this , but to support our demands would be to oppose the British government .
And the logical conclusion , again , would be to consciously incite the Irish Catholic population to oppose the British policy ; therefore , they remained ambiguous on the entire issue and the reason , as we stated, is that they are intricately immersed in the field of politics and deceit .
It was the Catholic clerics , more than anyone , who were involved in the back-door and public pressuring of families to get them to intervene ......."
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .......
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
(3 of 6).
British 'Lord' Justice Gibson commended the RUC for sending three young Irishmen "...to the final court of justice . " The three lads had been shot dead by the RUC .
This time there was a reaction from some of the politicians ; Seamus Mallon (SDLP) accused Gibson of giving " a licence to murder " to the RUC , and added that the decision marked a new low in the Northern judiciary . Next day , Mallon forgot all about the whole affair !
He had voiced his opinion and that was that as far as he was concerned . The Toman case eventually became one of the alleged 'shoot-to-kill' incidents investigated by former Manchester Deputy Chief Constable John Stalker .
The tremendous power that British 'Lord' Justice Gibson wielded over the Nationalist community in the North made him secretly feel as if he was 'God' ; to further feed his 'secret power over the Irish' he secured for himsef a holiday home at Doonan , Kilcar , County Donegal and he revelled in the attention and security provided him by the Garda Siochana .......
(MORE LATER).
....... the British Parliament at Westminster proposed to include legislation for a 'Council of Ireland' within its new (ie February 1920) 'Government of Ireland Bill' ; this 'Council' was put forward by the Brits as a 'sweetner' , to encourage the Nationalist/Republican community to accept the 'Bill' .......
The Unionists in Ireland , however , were sceptical and reluctant to accept the 'Government of Ireland Bill' , as it proposed the establishment of a nine-county parliament in Ulster , but Westminster encouraged them to believe that a local 'parliament' would strengthen their position within Ireland - and that was the reason put forward in 'The Government of Ireland Bill' for abandoning the three Ulster Counties of Cavan , Monaghan and Donegal...
... it was pointed out to the Irish (pro-Brit) Unionists that , within the Nine Counties of Ulster , Unionists had a 56.3 per cent majority , whereas , within a Six County 'Ulster' , they would have a 66 per cent majority . In true 'divide and conquer' style (even , as in this case , when dealing with 'their own' people ) , the Brits , speaking to those who were not in favour of jettisoning their Unionist brethren in Cavan , Monaghan and Donegal let it be known that Cavan had an 81.5 per cent Nationalist majority , Monaghan 74.7 per cent and Donegal 78.9 per cent - in short , Westminster could 'control' a Six County 'Ulster' better than it could a nine-county Ulster !
The then influential British MP , Thomas Moles (who was later to be appointed Editor of 'The Belfast Telegraph' newspaper) summed-up the options in his own indomitable way .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(13 of 18).
" We contend very strongly that the reason why the British did'nt respond to our August 6th statement is that the prison regime we proposed was inarguably superior and better than the present Victorian regime and that the church accepted this , but to support our demands would be to oppose the British government .
And the logical conclusion , again , would be to consciously incite the Irish Catholic population to oppose the British policy ; therefore , they remained ambiguous on the entire issue and the reason , as we stated, is that they are intricately immersed in the field of politics and deceit .
It was the Catholic clerics , more than anyone , who were involved in the back-door and public pressuring of families to get them to intervene ......."
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .......
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
(3 of 6).
British 'Lord' Justice Gibson commended the RUC for sending three young Irishmen "...to the final court of justice . " The three lads had been shot dead by the RUC .
This time there was a reaction from some of the politicians ; Seamus Mallon (SDLP) accused Gibson of giving " a licence to murder " to the RUC , and added that the decision marked a new low in the Northern judiciary . Next day , Mallon forgot all about the whole affair !
He had voiced his opinion and that was that as far as he was concerned . The Toman case eventually became one of the alleged 'shoot-to-kill' incidents investigated by former Manchester Deputy Chief Constable John Stalker .
The tremendous power that British 'Lord' Justice Gibson wielded over the Nationalist community in the North made him secretly feel as if he was 'God' ; to further feed his 'secret power over the Irish' he secured for himsef a holiday home at Doonan , Kilcar , County Donegal and he revelled in the attention and security provided him by the Garda Siochana .......
(MORE LATER).
Friday, November 19, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... having 'lost' out badly in the 15th January 1920 local elections in Ireland , the Brits decided to 'batten down the hatches' ; within one year (ie by February 1920) a Bill was passed at Westminster .......
'The Government of Ireland Bill' was introduced at Westminster , having being produced after a five month 'consultation process' (sic - the Irish people were not consulted) - ie from October 1919 to February 1920 ; a British government cabinet committee gave the Bill its seal of approval .
This Bill proposed two 'Home Rule' parliaments in Ireland - one for the nine counties of Ulster , the other one for the rest of the country . The 'powers' that Westminster proposed to 'give' to those two puppet parliaments was strictly limited , with Westminster having the final say and , in order to 'sell' the idea to Nationalists/Republicans , a 'Council of Ireland' was promised by the Brits .
This 'sweetner' , the 'Council of Ireland' , was to be tasked " ... with a view to the eventual establishment of a parliament for the whole of Ireland and to bring about harmonious action between the parliaments and governments .."
The Unionists in Ireland were sceptical as to the 'benefits' for them of said Bill and 'Council'.......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(12 of 18).
" From the outset , the Catholic hierarchy opposed the hunger-strike even though they offered no alternative course of action . We contended that their position has at all times been established by political consideration rather than the Christian values of truth and justice . Therefore , their stance has been extremely immoral and misleading .
At no time did the church publicly support the five demands or for that matter reject them ; equally, when specifically asked to respond to our August 6th 1981 statement , they kept silent .
Even though hunger-strikers were dying virtually on a weekly basis , they kept silent ......."
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .......
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
(2 of 6).
British 'Lord' Justice Gibson was always picked to sit in judgment in cases of murder committed by RUC and British Army forces as it was understood that , in his court , they were certain to go free no matter how heinous the crime against the Nationalists .
As a Diplock court judge , Gibson was particulary harsh ; Martin Meehan , a Belfast man , was sentenced to a long term on the 'evidence' of a paid British informer . In November 1982 , Eugene Toman and his two friends were ambushed by an RUC 'death squad' in Craivagon . These young men were unarmed but they were riddled with British bullets .
In July 1984 , the three RUC agents who were responsible for the murders came before 'Lord' Justice Gibson ; he ordered the three murderers released at once and said that they should never have been charged ! Gibson commended them on their courage and determination and told them they had sent the three young Catholics "... to the final court of justice ."
(MORE LATER).
....... having 'lost' out badly in the 15th January 1920 local elections in Ireland , the Brits decided to 'batten down the hatches' ; within one year (ie by February 1920) a Bill was passed at Westminster .......
'The Government of Ireland Bill' was introduced at Westminster , having being produced after a five month 'consultation process' (sic - the Irish people were not consulted) - ie from October 1919 to February 1920 ; a British government cabinet committee gave the Bill its seal of approval .
This Bill proposed two 'Home Rule' parliaments in Ireland - one for the nine counties of Ulster , the other one for the rest of the country . The 'powers' that Westminster proposed to 'give' to those two puppet parliaments was strictly limited , with Westminster having the final say and , in order to 'sell' the idea to Nationalists/Republicans , a 'Council of Ireland' was promised by the Brits .
This 'sweetner' , the 'Council of Ireland' , was to be tasked " ... with a view to the eventual establishment of a parliament for the whole of Ireland and to bring about harmonious action between the parliaments and governments .."
The Unionists in Ireland were sceptical as to the 'benefits' for them of said Bill and 'Council'.......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(12 of 18).
" From the outset , the Catholic hierarchy opposed the hunger-strike even though they offered no alternative course of action . We contended that their position has at all times been established by political consideration rather than the Christian values of truth and justice . Therefore , their stance has been extremely immoral and misleading .
At no time did the church publicly support the five demands or for that matter reject them ; equally, when specifically asked to respond to our August 6th 1981 statement , they kept silent .
Even though hunger-strikers were dying virtually on a weekly basis , they kept silent ......."
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .......
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
(2 of 6).
British 'Lord' Justice Gibson was always picked to sit in judgment in cases of murder committed by RUC and British Army forces as it was understood that , in his court , they were certain to go free no matter how heinous the crime against the Nationalists .
As a Diplock court judge , Gibson was particulary harsh ; Martin Meehan , a Belfast man , was sentenced to a long term on the 'evidence' of a paid British informer . In November 1982 , Eugene Toman and his two friends were ambushed by an RUC 'death squad' in Craivagon . These young men were unarmed but they were riddled with British bullets .
In July 1984 , the three RUC agents who were responsible for the murders came before 'Lord' Justice Gibson ; he ordered the three murderers released at once and said that they should never have been charged ! Gibson commended them on their courage and determination and told them they had sent the three young Catholics "... to the final court of justice ."
(MORE LATER).
Thursday, November 18, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... in order to confuse the issue , the Brits decided that the 15th January 1920 local elections would be held under a 'Proportional Representation' (PR) system of voting - but only in Ireland . It 'backfired' on Westminster .......
The results of those local elections shocked the Brits - between them , Sinn Fein and the 'United Irish League' (UIL) won control of Derry City , Fermanagh and Tyrone County Councils , ten urban councils ( including Armagh , Omagh , Enniskillen , Newry and Strabane) and a further 13 rural councils - but it was the 'loss' of Derry which all minds concentrated on .
Derry was built by the 'Planters' in 1614 , and had been controlled by pro-British elements since the siege in 1688 and had been 'gerrymandered' since then to ensure it remained so . The " high and proud " City of Derry looked out (and down) on the surrounding slums of the nationalist Bogside ; now those same " slum-dwellers " were about to have their say . That was in January 1920 - the Brits could see 'the writing on the wall' , and decided to 'tighten ship' -
- in February 1920 , a Bill entitled ' The Government of Ireland Bill ' was introduced at Westminster .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(11 of 18).
" When defeated by their own rules at the polls the British government's concept of democracy altered and the rules were changed to suit them ; when they are defeated even by their new rules , they ignore the democratically expressed voice of the electorate and thus undermine the entire principle and purpose of using their " democratic " processes to effect social or political change . ('1169...' Comment - Provos please note ; it is not 'a new path' you are on - it's been tried before , and failed before .)
The logical conclusion of this analysis is that nationalist pacifism in the North of Ireland context dooms the nationalist population to subserviency , perpetuates partition , and thwarts the quest for a just and lasting peace in Ireland .
Another facet of this hunger-strike was to expertly expose the true face of the present Irish establishment , consisting of the Catholic Church , the Dublin government , and the SDLP ....... "
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
(1 of 6).
On August 14 , 1976 , the body of ten-year-old Majella O'Hare lay in front of a Catholic church in British-occupied Ireland ; she was riddled with bullets from the rifle of a British soldier as she was on her way to Confession . Her father , who was working in the grounds of the church , heard the shots and came out to find his little daughter dying in a pool of blood .
Charles Haughey , Brian Lenihan and members of the Dublin government at that time , were strangely silent . The hierarchy of the Catholic Church were strangely silent . Only the mothers , fathers , and children of the Nationalist community mourned for the loss of this beautiful Irish girl .
When (British) Lord Justice Gibson acquitted the British soldier who murdered little Majella O'Hare there was a cry of anguish and anger all around the world : but the anguish was confined to the exiles who were concerned with the suffering people of British-occupied Ireland .
The members of Dail Eireann (sic) - including Charlie Haughey , Brian Lenihan and others , were strangely silent . And , again , so were the members of the church hierarchy .......
(MORE LATER).
....... in order to confuse the issue , the Brits decided that the 15th January 1920 local elections would be held under a 'Proportional Representation' (PR) system of voting - but only in Ireland . It 'backfired' on Westminster .......
The results of those local elections shocked the Brits - between them , Sinn Fein and the 'United Irish League' (UIL) won control of Derry City , Fermanagh and Tyrone County Councils , ten urban councils ( including Armagh , Omagh , Enniskillen , Newry and Strabane) and a further 13 rural councils - but it was the 'loss' of Derry which all minds concentrated on .
Derry was built by the 'Planters' in 1614 , and had been controlled by pro-British elements since the siege in 1688 and had been 'gerrymandered' since then to ensure it remained so . The " high and proud " City of Derry looked out (and down) on the surrounding slums of the nationalist Bogside ; now those same " slum-dwellers " were about to have their say . That was in January 1920 - the Brits could see 'the writing on the wall' , and decided to 'tighten ship' -
- in February 1920 , a Bill entitled ' The Government of Ireland Bill ' was introduced at Westminster .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(11 of 18).
" When defeated by their own rules at the polls the British government's concept of democracy altered and the rules were changed to suit them ; when they are defeated even by their new rules , they ignore the democratically expressed voice of the electorate and thus undermine the entire principle and purpose of using their " democratic " processes to effect social or political change . ('1169...' Comment - Provos please note ; it is not 'a new path' you are on - it's been tried before , and failed before .)
The logical conclusion of this analysis is that nationalist pacifism in the North of Ireland context dooms the nationalist population to subserviency , perpetuates partition , and thwarts the quest for a just and lasting peace in Ireland .
Another facet of this hunger-strike was to expertly expose the true face of the present Irish establishment , consisting of the Catholic Church , the Dublin government , and the SDLP ....... "
(MORE LATER).
A CASE OF IRISH JUSTICE .
By Maureen Armstrong .
First published in ' The Spirit of Freedom ' magazine ; An Independent Journal of Irish News and Opinion ' .
Volume 2 , Number 5 , May 1987 , page 3 .
Re-published here in six parts .
(1 of 6).
On August 14 , 1976 , the body of ten-year-old Majella O'Hare lay in front of a Catholic church in British-occupied Ireland ; she was riddled with bullets from the rifle of a British soldier as she was on her way to Confession . Her father , who was working in the grounds of the church , heard the shots and came out to find his little daughter dying in a pool of blood .
Charles Haughey , Brian Lenihan and members of the Dublin government at that time , were strangely silent . The hierarchy of the Catholic Church were strangely silent . Only the mothers , fathers , and children of the Nationalist community mourned for the loss of this beautiful Irish girl .
When (British) Lord Justice Gibson acquitted the British soldier who murdered little Majella O'Hare there was a cry of anguish and anger all around the world : but the anguish was confined to the exiles who were concerned with the suffering people of British-occupied Ireland .
The members of Dail Eireann (sic) - including Charlie Haughey , Brian Lenihan and others , were strangely silent . And , again , so were the members of the church hierarchy .......
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, November 17, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... using the shooting dead of two RIC men in Tipperary by the IRA as a reason to 'crack-down' on the Republican Movement and the population in general , the Brits realised , too late , that they were doing themselves out of what little support they had left in Ireland . And local elections were looming .......
The Brits , stupid as they were (and are !) in regards to Irish affairs , were not dense ; they realised that public opinion was running against them , and to cancel or postpone the local elections , set for 15th January , 1920 , would only further inflame feelings against them so , in order to 'save face' from the shambles they had put themselves in , they attempted to confuse the issue -
- they declared that the 15th January 1920 municipal and urban elections would take place as due , but under a new system of voting - 'Proportional Representation' (PR) , which was introduced for Ireland only : Westminster was of the opinion that the PR voting system would reduce the number of seats likely to be won by Irish Republicans in the South of the country , but apparently did not forsee the effect it would have in the Ulster wards (ie - 9 Counties) .
At that time , Derry was 'the jewel in the (British) Crown' in Ireland ; but that was about to change .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(10 of 18).
" Despite the electoral successes , despite the hundreds of thousands at hunger-strikers' funerals , despite massive and unprecedented displays of community support and solidarity , the British government adhered rigidly to the precept that 'might is right' and set about hammering home the point that nothing has really changed since the fall of Stormont or from the inception of this state .
That is , that nationalist Ireland must always be subjected to the British and loyalist veto .
On the same theme , the lesson of Fermanagh and South Tyrone is that the self-exalted ' British democracy ' is an expediency manufactured - again from the setting up of the border (the 'first and biggest gerrymander') - to preserve a continued British presence in Ireland ....... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
[13 of 13].
Asked about his family and his future , Patrick McIntyre stares at the floor - " They let me out for three days to attend my mother's funeral in March . I was told the best I could expect was to go there escorted , in handcuffs , but I fought the case for compassionate bail in the High Court and won . Then there was a rumour that the decision might be appealed by the state and I was thinking about that all the way during the journey from Dublin to Donegal . That was a shattering experience .
I tried to spend the three days with my family . There were thousands of people at the funeral and to the house . It was the first time that we had the family together for a long time , and we had photographs taken . I met a lot of people that I grew up with . Just before I left , my sister gave me a Saint Patrick's Day card that my mother had written , to me , in Saint Luke's Hospital . "
A knock comes to the door - it is time for him to go . What does he intend to do now ? , I ask - " Make it third time lucky . Or at least stay out longer than the past two times... "
[END of ' ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......'].
(Tomorrow - British 'Lord Justice' Gibson ; ' A CASE Of IRISH JUSTICE' - from 1987 .)
....... using the shooting dead of two RIC men in Tipperary by the IRA as a reason to 'crack-down' on the Republican Movement and the population in general , the Brits realised , too late , that they were doing themselves out of what little support they had left in Ireland . And local elections were looming .......
The Brits , stupid as they were (and are !) in regards to Irish affairs , were not dense ; they realised that public opinion was running against them , and to cancel or postpone the local elections , set for 15th January , 1920 , would only further inflame feelings against them so , in order to 'save face' from the shambles they had put themselves in , they attempted to confuse the issue -
- they declared that the 15th January 1920 municipal and urban elections would take place as due , but under a new system of voting - 'Proportional Representation' (PR) , which was introduced for Ireland only : Westminster was of the opinion that the PR voting system would reduce the number of seats likely to be won by Irish Republicans in the South of the country , but apparently did not forsee the effect it would have in the Ulster wards (ie - 9 Counties) .
At that time , Derry was 'the jewel in the (British) Crown' in Ireland ; but that was about to change .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(10 of 18).
" Despite the electoral successes , despite the hundreds of thousands at hunger-strikers' funerals , despite massive and unprecedented displays of community support and solidarity , the British government adhered rigidly to the precept that 'might is right' and set about hammering home the point that nothing has really changed since the fall of Stormont or from the inception of this state .
That is , that nationalist Ireland must always be subjected to the British and loyalist veto .
On the same theme , the lesson of Fermanagh and South Tyrone is that the self-exalted ' British democracy ' is an expediency manufactured - again from the setting up of the border (the 'first and biggest gerrymander') - to preserve a continued British presence in Ireland ....... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
[13 of 13].
Asked about his family and his future , Patrick McIntyre stares at the floor - " They let me out for three days to attend my mother's funeral in March . I was told the best I could expect was to go there escorted , in handcuffs , but I fought the case for compassionate bail in the High Court and won . Then there was a rumour that the decision might be appealed by the state and I was thinking about that all the way during the journey from Dublin to Donegal . That was a shattering experience .
I tried to spend the three days with my family . There were thousands of people at the funeral and to the house . It was the first time that we had the family together for a long time , and we had photographs taken . I met a lot of people that I grew up with . Just before I left , my sister gave me a Saint Patrick's Day card that my mother had written , to me , in Saint Luke's Hospital . "
A knock comes to the door - it is time for him to go . What does he intend to do now ? , I ask - " Make it third time lucky . Or at least stay out longer than the past two times... "
[END of ' ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......'].
(Tomorrow - British 'Lord Justice' Gibson ; ' A CASE Of IRISH JUSTICE' - from 1987 .)
Tuesday, November 16, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... Ireland , January 1919 - two RIC men had been shot dead in Tipperary by an IRA Unit - the 'Establishment' closed ranks and loudly condemned the killings , while the IRA and its political supporters were themselves divided over the operation . The Brits could have moved in , using that division against the Republican Movement .......
....... but they did'nt ; instead , they used a 'sledgehammer' where a 'pin hammer' would have yielded better results for them . They cracked-down all over the place : certain newspapers were banned , Sinn Fein meetings were broke-up , and speakers and members of the public at same were 'arrested' - in short , they attempted to 'bully' the population into turning their back on the Rebels but the people , in turn , disgusted with the Brits, went to the Movement for protection . The Brits were themselves 'setting the stage' for their own downfall in the local elections which were then less than a year away .
Local elections were held every three years in Ireland , with those elected forming an 'area' Council which administered the amount of rates etc to be levied in return for services for that particular town or city ; these 'area' (or 'Local') Councils reported to the British 'Local Government Board' , a Department within the British Dublin Castle Administration which , in turn , took its orders (and any 'shortfall' in funds !) from Westminster .
Westminster realised that public opinion was running against them in Ireland , but did not want to 'fan' those feeling's by cancelling or postponing the Local Elections - so they went with 'Plan B' : the 'Proportional Representation' (PR) system of voting , which , they hoped , would secure victory for their preferred candidates .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(9 of 18).
" The situation exists at present that a considerable majority of present hunger-strikers' families have indicated that they will intervene and under these circumstances we feel that the hunger-strike must , for tactical reasons , be suspended .
We feel that it is of paramount importance that the political revelations , lessons , and consequences of the hunger-strike are recognised and perpetuated in the minds , the hearts and demeanour of the nationalist population of Ireland .
One of the primary lessons to emerge from this second hunger-strike is that the nationalist community is politically inconsequential and impotent in the context of the six-county statelet .... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(12 of 13).
As Patrick McIntyre says - " The situation I'm in now prevents me from walking around in this country . I am not wanted for anything in this jurisdiction ; I am being sought for things related to the British administration . If the Birmingham Six were in the 26 Counties now , they could and would be extradited . If the British issue warrants for any person's extradition , the request will come before the Irish courts and the person opposing it must pay his own costs . "
The free legal aid scheme does not apply to extradition cases ; costs in the Patrick McIntyre case , expected to run into several thousand pounds , will be paid by Sinn Fein .......
(MORE LATER).
....... Ireland , January 1919 - two RIC men had been shot dead in Tipperary by an IRA Unit - the 'Establishment' closed ranks and loudly condemned the killings , while the IRA and its political supporters were themselves divided over the operation . The Brits could have moved in , using that division against the Republican Movement .......
....... but they did'nt ; instead , they used a 'sledgehammer' where a 'pin hammer' would have yielded better results for them . They cracked-down all over the place : certain newspapers were banned , Sinn Fein meetings were broke-up , and speakers and members of the public at same were 'arrested' - in short , they attempted to 'bully' the population into turning their back on the Rebels but the people , in turn , disgusted with the Brits, went to the Movement for protection . The Brits were themselves 'setting the stage' for their own downfall in the local elections which were then less than a year away .
Local elections were held every three years in Ireland , with those elected forming an 'area' Council which administered the amount of rates etc to be levied in return for services for that particular town or city ; these 'area' (or 'Local') Councils reported to the British 'Local Government Board' , a Department within the British Dublin Castle Administration which , in turn , took its orders (and any 'shortfall' in funds !) from Westminster .
Westminster realised that public opinion was running against them in Ireland , but did not want to 'fan' those feeling's by cancelling or postponing the Local Elections - so they went with 'Plan B' : the 'Proportional Representation' (PR) system of voting , which , they hoped , would secure victory for their preferred candidates .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(9 of 18).
" The situation exists at present that a considerable majority of present hunger-strikers' families have indicated that they will intervene and under these circumstances we feel that the hunger-strike must , for tactical reasons , be suspended .
We feel that it is of paramount importance that the political revelations , lessons , and consequences of the hunger-strike are recognised and perpetuated in the minds , the hearts and demeanour of the nationalist population of Ireland .
One of the primary lessons to emerge from this second hunger-strike is that the nationalist community is politically inconsequential and impotent in the context of the six-county statelet .... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(12 of 13).
As Patrick McIntyre says - " The situation I'm in now prevents me from walking around in this country . I am not wanted for anything in this jurisdiction ; I am being sought for things related to the British administration . If the Birmingham Six were in the 26 Counties now , they could and would be extradited . If the British issue warrants for any person's extradition , the request will come before the Irish courts and the person opposing it must pay his own costs . "
The free legal aid scheme does not apply to extradition cases ; costs in the Patrick McIntyre case , expected to run into several thousand pounds , will be paid by Sinn Fein .......
(MORE LATER).
Monday, November 15, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... on 21st January , 1919 (the same day that the 32-County Dail Eireann met for the first time) , two RIC men were shot dead in an 'unauthorised' IRA attack in Soloheadbeg in County Tipperary ; the IRA Active Service Unit involved was led by Dan Breen and Sean Treacy - Breen was called in front of the leadership to explain his actions .......
Dan Breen recalled that meeting , and said that he explained to the leadership that the target that day was the cartload of gelignite , not the RIC men who were guarding it . He later told his comrades -
- " If we were to have waited for orders from Headquarters or Dail Eireann , nothing would ever have happened . We had had enough of being pushed around and getting our men imprisoned while we remained inactive . It was high time that we did a bit of the pushing . We considered that this business of getting in and out of jail was leading us nowhere . "
The response to the shooting of the two RIC men was mixed - Michael Collins stated - " The sooner fighting is forced and a general state of disorder created throughout the country , the better it will be for the country . Ireland is likely to get more out of a general state of disorder than from a continuance of the situation as it now stands . "
Dan Breen himself wrote - " The clergy , the public and the press had unanimously condemned our action . At this time , scarce a word would be heard in our defence . Our former friends shunned us . Even from the Irish Volunteers , who were now known as the Irish Republican Army , we got no support . " ('1169 ...' comment - this scribbler , for one , is genuinely puzzled as to why anyone would take that attitude with a person who had 'had a go' at the enemy ; either in those days [ie 1919] or today ; same enemy , same issue , and the same way of dealing with it ...)
At that particular moment , had the Brits exploited the situation , ie 'played it smart' , they could have used those divisions within Irish Republicanism to their own advantage - but did they ? .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(8 of 18).
" On August 20th , 1981 , Owen Carron was elected (to fill Bobby Sands' seat) with an increased majority as proxy political prisoner MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone . Even so , the British premier , Margaret Thatcher , again spurned this mandate for we political prisoners and with encouragement from Dr. Garret Fitzgerald (Free State 'Taoiseach') she went further , by refusing even to meet with Owen Carron MP to discuss the continuing spiral , and gruesome spectre , of death .
On August 20th , 1981 , Micky Devine was the tenth hunger-striker to die ; mounting pressure and cleric-inspired demoralisation led to further intervention and , at present , five hunger-strikers have been taken off their fast . We accept that it is almost a physical and pyschological impossibility to recommence hunger-strike after intervention ; also , two men ended their fast to avoid a premature , non- hunger-striking death . "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(11 of 13).
Patrick McIntyre is on the run ; we meet in a nondescript suburban room . McIntyre's physical appearance has not altered since the Donegal court hearings - maybe he is a little less fidgety , but he speaks in a soft voice which frequently quivers . The sentiments are resolute .
He was sleeping when the gardai came to the house in south Donegal , he says : " I gave the surname of the people who own the house but they did'nt believe me . They said I was Patrick McIntyre . "
Yet the evidence given by gardai in court suggested that the prisoner was not positively identified until solicitor John Murray named him in Ballyshannon garda station . It was also stated that the detectives went to Kilcar after a 'tip-off' that an armed man or men had been seen in the area . It appears the gardai were not aware they would find Patrick McIntyre in the house ...
It has not been possible to establish whether they knew him by sight ; they seem to have 'struck lucky' - and then got the procedure wrong .......
(MORE LATER).
....... on 21st January , 1919 (the same day that the 32-County Dail Eireann met for the first time) , two RIC men were shot dead in an 'unauthorised' IRA attack in Soloheadbeg in County Tipperary ; the IRA Active Service Unit involved was led by Dan Breen and Sean Treacy - Breen was called in front of the leadership to explain his actions .......
Dan Breen recalled that meeting , and said that he explained to the leadership that the target that day was the cartload of gelignite , not the RIC men who were guarding it . He later told his comrades -
- " If we were to have waited for orders from Headquarters or Dail Eireann , nothing would ever have happened . We had had enough of being pushed around and getting our men imprisoned while we remained inactive . It was high time that we did a bit of the pushing . We considered that this business of getting in and out of jail was leading us nowhere . "
The response to the shooting of the two RIC men was mixed - Michael Collins stated - " The sooner fighting is forced and a general state of disorder created throughout the country , the better it will be for the country . Ireland is likely to get more out of a general state of disorder than from a continuance of the situation as it now stands . "
Dan Breen himself wrote - " The clergy , the public and the press had unanimously condemned our action . At this time , scarce a word would be heard in our defence . Our former friends shunned us . Even from the Irish Volunteers , who were now known as the Irish Republican Army , we got no support . " ('1169 ...' comment - this scribbler , for one , is genuinely puzzled as to why anyone would take that attitude with a person who had 'had a go' at the enemy ; either in those days [ie 1919] or today ; same enemy , same issue , and the same way of dealing with it ...)
At that particular moment , had the Brits exploited the situation , ie 'played it smart' , they could have used those divisions within Irish Republicanism to their own advantage - but did they ? .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(8 of 18).
" On August 20th , 1981 , Owen Carron was elected (to fill Bobby Sands' seat) with an increased majority as proxy political prisoner MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone . Even so , the British premier , Margaret Thatcher , again spurned this mandate for we political prisoners and with encouragement from Dr. Garret Fitzgerald (Free State 'Taoiseach') she went further , by refusing even to meet with Owen Carron MP to discuss the continuing spiral , and gruesome spectre , of death .
On August 20th , 1981 , Micky Devine was the tenth hunger-striker to die ; mounting pressure and cleric-inspired demoralisation led to further intervention and , at present , five hunger-strikers have been taken off their fast . We accept that it is almost a physical and pyschological impossibility to recommence hunger-strike after intervention ; also , two men ended their fast to avoid a premature , non- hunger-striking death . "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(11 of 13).
Patrick McIntyre is on the run ; we meet in a nondescript suburban room . McIntyre's physical appearance has not altered since the Donegal court hearings - maybe he is a little less fidgety , but he speaks in a soft voice which frequently quivers . The sentiments are resolute .
He was sleeping when the gardai came to the house in south Donegal , he says : " I gave the surname of the people who own the house but they did'nt believe me . They said I was Patrick McIntyre . "
Yet the evidence given by gardai in court suggested that the prisoner was not positively identified until solicitor John Murray named him in Ballyshannon garda station . It was also stated that the detectives went to Kilcar after a 'tip-off' that an armed man or men had been seen in the area . It appears the gardai were not aware they would find Patrick McIntyre in the house ...
It has not been possible to establish whether they knew him by sight ; they seem to have 'struck lucky' - and then got the procedure wrong .......
(MORE LATER).
Friday, November 12, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... the 'Sinn Fein Courts' were dealing with land issues as well as other civil matters , and were respected by the population who had now turned their back on the British 'Court' system.......
Parish Courts , District Courts and a Supreme Court were established , and a Republican Police Force was mobilised to assist in the running of the Republican Court system ; by late 1919 , the British 'writ' in Ireland was so weak that 'Sir' Hamar Greenwood , the then British 'Chief Secretary for Ireland' , stated to other British Ministers -
- " We can only rely on the Navy , Military and RIC . The Dublin Police cannot be relied on , nor the Post Office , nor the Civil Service . "
On that same day when the All-Ireland Dail Eireann met for the first time in Dublin's Mansion House (ie 21st January 1919) , two RIC men were shot dead in Soloheadbeg in County Tipperary by the IRA ; the cartload of gelignite they were guarding was the target , but they would'nt hand it over without a fight . They lost .
That IRA Active Service Unit was led by Dan Breen and Sean Treacy , who had acted without approval from Michael Collins (military) or Eamonn de Valera (political) ; Dan Breen was called on to account for his IRA Unit's actions on that day by his own leadership .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(7 of 18).
" The British government , having been exposed for the hypocrites they are at the first Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election , had instigated and passed legislation which erased our right to participate in elections and , this done , they fixed the by-election for Bobby Sands' seat for August 20th , 1981 .
By this time a new , active ,treacherous and vigorous campaign was underway to break the hunger-strike ; it was orchestrated by clerics who received approval from the Catholic Church and , on occasion , other individuals were involved also . Attempts were made to discredit we prisoners and the National H-Block Armagh Committee . Most damaging was the promotion of the 'hopeless' syndrome , the projection of which , plus the private lobbying of relatives to effect intervention when hunger-strikers were going into a coma , was proving to be a serious threat to the continuation of the hunger-strike....... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(10 of 13).
A Supreme Court ruling of April 3rd 1987 confirmed that a Chief Superintendent must give evidence of his suspicions when he is issuing an extension order ; it is not sufficient to confirm that he issues the order , he must say why .
Patrick McEntee SC had been added to the defence team - McIntyre's supporters were confident of victory . On the afternoon of 7th May 1987 , Patrick McIntyre was freed , courtesy of a legal loophole which has since been closed ; the Provisionals had a motorbike waiting outside the courtroom and he was driven off at high speed and buried in city centre traffic .
Garda have eighteen further warrants in relation to Patrick McIntyre ; his extradition is still being sought by the British , and he is now on the run .......
(MORE LATER).
('1169...' Comment - We would like to congratulate Republican Sinn Fein on its 100th Ard Fheis this weekend , Saturday 13th November and Sunday 14th November . It has been a long and hard road for RSF , but that's as it has always been ...)
....... the 'Sinn Fein Courts' were dealing with land issues as well as other civil matters , and were respected by the population who had now turned their back on the British 'Court' system.......
Parish Courts , District Courts and a Supreme Court were established , and a Republican Police Force was mobilised to assist in the running of the Republican Court system ; by late 1919 , the British 'writ' in Ireland was so weak that 'Sir' Hamar Greenwood , the then British 'Chief Secretary for Ireland' , stated to other British Ministers -
- " We can only rely on the Navy , Military and RIC . The Dublin Police cannot be relied on , nor the Post Office , nor the Civil Service . "
On that same day when the All-Ireland Dail Eireann met for the first time in Dublin's Mansion House (ie 21st January 1919) , two RIC men were shot dead in Soloheadbeg in County Tipperary by the IRA ; the cartload of gelignite they were guarding was the target , but they would'nt hand it over without a fight . They lost .
That IRA Active Service Unit was led by Dan Breen and Sean Treacy , who had acted without approval from Michael Collins (military) or Eamonn de Valera (political) ; Dan Breen was called on to account for his IRA Unit's actions on that day by his own leadership .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(7 of 18).
" The British government , having been exposed for the hypocrites they are at the first Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election , had instigated and passed legislation which erased our right to participate in elections and , this done , they fixed the by-election for Bobby Sands' seat for August 20th , 1981 .
By this time a new , active ,treacherous and vigorous campaign was underway to break the hunger-strike ; it was orchestrated by clerics who received approval from the Catholic Church and , on occasion , other individuals were involved also . Attempts were made to discredit we prisoners and the National H-Block Armagh Committee . Most damaging was the promotion of the 'hopeless' syndrome , the projection of which , plus the private lobbying of relatives to effect intervention when hunger-strikers were going into a coma , was proving to be a serious threat to the continuation of the hunger-strike....... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(10 of 13).
A Supreme Court ruling of April 3rd 1987 confirmed that a Chief Superintendent must give evidence of his suspicions when he is issuing an extension order ; it is not sufficient to confirm that he issues the order , he must say why .
Patrick McEntee SC had been added to the defence team - McIntyre's supporters were confident of victory . On the afternoon of 7th May 1987 , Patrick McIntyre was freed , courtesy of a legal loophole which has since been closed ; the Provisionals had a motorbike waiting outside the courtroom and he was driven off at high speed and buried in city centre traffic .
Garda have eighteen further warrants in relation to Patrick McIntyre ; his extradition is still being sought by the British , and he is now on the run .......
(MORE LATER).
('1169...' Comment - We would like to congratulate Republican Sinn Fein on its 100th Ard Fheis this weekend , Saturday 13th November and Sunday 14th November . It has been a long and hard road for RSF , but that's as it has always been ...)
Thursday, November 11, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... declared an " illegal assembly " by Westminster in September 1919 , the all-Ireland Dail Eireann went 'underground' and continued to function .......
'Land Banks' were established , which lent money to 'tenant' farmers to assist them in buying their farms , and 'Land Courts' were set-up to deal with disputes . Also , 'Arbitration Courts' (also known as 'Peoples Courts') , which came to be known as 'Sinn Fein Courts' , were flourishing - it was estimated that as many as 900 Irish Republican Courts were by then in operation .
These Irish Republican Courts were used by the ordinary people who had by now stopped going to the RIC or to British 'Courts' . A British 'landlord' wrote of his attendance at one such 'Sinn Fein Court' , where a dispute between two men on 'his' estate had been referred for resolution -
- " Here is one instance of many . A man stole a lot of harness belonging to a small farmer in the neighbourhood . The Sinn Fein Court tried him , convicted him and sentenced him to restore the harness , carrying it all himself , and making him take off his shoes and stockings and perform the task walking over a very rough and stony road for five miles . "
The all-Ireland Dail Eireann , although forced by the British to operate 'in the shadows' , was going from strength to strength ; Westminster was aware of that fact .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(6 of 18).
" On July 13th , 1981 , we were shocked and dismayed to hear that Martin Hurson had been violently ill and had died unexpectedly and prematurely . The next significant development was the British government-sponsored intervention of the 'International Red Cross' (IRC) , which tried to initiate direct dialogue between the Brits and ourselves - the Brits rejected this and suggested mediation based on their July 8th statement , which was aimed at defeating us and unproductive , and we rejected this as futile .
We pointed out to the IRC that , as the Brits were not interested in an honourable settlement , their interest in the IRC must logically be to use them ; a Red Cross delegate asked for a further break-down of our July 4th statement and was initially refused . However , after discussion , we complied and issued the August 6th statement and asked the British government , the Dublin government , the SDLP and the Catholic Church to respond to our statement .
Soon Kieran Doherty , Kevin Lynch and Thomas McElwee were to be murdered by Britain ....... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(9 of 13).
When the case came before District Justice mcMenamin again in Donegal town on January 14th , 1987 , he again heard Defence Counsel Patrick Gageby question the validity of the Section 30 extension ; but Judge McMenamin dismissed the arguments and granted the extradition order . An appeal was immediately lodged in the High Court .
McIntyre's case was becoming something of a cause celebre ; on March 10th , 1987 , when the Dail (sic) met to elect a Taoiseach , Independent Donegal TD (sic) , Neil Blaney , demanded that the extradition arrangements between Britain and Ireland " ... be repealed so that in the interim a young county man of mine , by name McIntyre ...be not extradited ."
But when the case came before Mr Justice Gannon in the High Court last month (ie May 1987), Defence Counsel Patrick Gageby had further 'ammunition' - as well as the ruling in the McShane , McPhilips , Eccles (Drumree) case which included this phrase in relation to the person issuing extension orders ... "... is bona fide suspected by him of being involved in the offence for which he was arrested ... " , Gageby had the additional support of a Supreme Court ruling of April 3rd last .......
(MORE LATER).
('1169...' Comment - We would like to congratulate Republican Sinn Fein on its 100th Ard Fheis this weekend , Saturday 13th November and Sunday 14th November . It has been a long and hard road for RSF , but that's as it has always been ...)
....... declared an " illegal assembly " by Westminster in September 1919 , the all-Ireland Dail Eireann went 'underground' and continued to function .......
'Land Banks' were established , which lent money to 'tenant' farmers to assist them in buying their farms , and 'Land Courts' were set-up to deal with disputes . Also , 'Arbitration Courts' (also known as 'Peoples Courts') , which came to be known as 'Sinn Fein Courts' , were flourishing - it was estimated that as many as 900 Irish Republican Courts were by then in operation .
These Irish Republican Courts were used by the ordinary people who had by now stopped going to the RIC or to British 'Courts' . A British 'landlord' wrote of his attendance at one such 'Sinn Fein Court' , where a dispute between two men on 'his' estate had been referred for resolution -
- " Here is one instance of many . A man stole a lot of harness belonging to a small farmer in the neighbourhood . The Sinn Fein Court tried him , convicted him and sentenced him to restore the harness , carrying it all himself , and making him take off his shoes and stockings and perform the task walking over a very rough and stony road for five miles . "
The all-Ireland Dail Eireann , although forced by the British to operate 'in the shadows' , was going from strength to strength ; Westminster was aware of that fact .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(6 of 18).
" On July 13th , 1981 , we were shocked and dismayed to hear that Martin Hurson had been violently ill and had died unexpectedly and prematurely . The next significant development was the British government-sponsored intervention of the 'International Red Cross' (IRC) , which tried to initiate direct dialogue between the Brits and ourselves - the Brits rejected this and suggested mediation based on their July 8th statement , which was aimed at defeating us and unproductive , and we rejected this as futile .
We pointed out to the IRC that , as the Brits were not interested in an honourable settlement , their interest in the IRC must logically be to use them ; a Red Cross delegate asked for a further break-down of our July 4th statement and was initially refused . However , after discussion , we complied and issued the August 6th statement and asked the British government , the Dublin government , the SDLP and the Catholic Church to respond to our statement .
Soon Kieran Doherty , Kevin Lynch and Thomas McElwee were to be murdered by Britain ....... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(9 of 13).
When the case came before District Justice mcMenamin again in Donegal town on January 14th , 1987 , he again heard Defence Counsel Patrick Gageby question the validity of the Section 30 extension ; but Judge McMenamin dismissed the arguments and granted the extradition order . An appeal was immediately lodged in the High Court .
McIntyre's case was becoming something of a cause celebre ; on March 10th , 1987 , when the Dail (sic) met to elect a Taoiseach , Independent Donegal TD (sic) , Neil Blaney , demanded that the extradition arrangements between Britain and Ireland " ... be repealed so that in the interim a young county man of mine , by name McIntyre ...be not extradited ."
But when the case came before Mr Justice Gannon in the High Court last month (ie May 1987), Defence Counsel Patrick Gageby had further 'ammunition' - as well as the ruling in the McShane , McPhilips , Eccles (Drumree) case which included this phrase in relation to the person issuing extension orders ... "... is bona fide suspected by him of being involved in the offence for which he was arrested ... " , Gageby had the additional support of a Supreme Court ruling of April 3rd last .......
(MORE LATER).
('1169...' Comment - We would like to congratulate Republican Sinn Fein on its 100th Ard Fheis this weekend , Saturday 13th November and Sunday 14th November . It has been a long and hard road for RSF , but that's as it has always been ...)
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... at the first meeting of the 32-County Dail Eireann , in Dublin's Mansion House , on 21st January 1919 , Cathal Brugha was elected as ' Acting President ' in place of Eamonn de Valera , who was at that time still in a British jail ...
It should be noted that Eamonn de Valera had contested a seat in the 14th December 1918 General Election for the Falls constituency of Belfast but lost to local 'United Irish League' leader , Joe Devlin , by 8,488 votes to 3,245 .
However - in January 1919 , the First Dail met ; in September 1919 , the British declared Dail Eireann to be an " ...illegal assembly .." , and it was forced to go 'underground' . But 'underground' or not , it still functioned : Michael Collins and Harry Boland made plans to rescue de Valera from Lincoln Jail in England and , on 3rd February 1919 , after four cakes , each containing a key (!) had been sent into him , he escaped .
In April 1919 , Eamonn de Valera was elected by the Dail as 'Head of the Irish Government' ; finance was raised by selling 'Republican Bonds' and the Minister for Finance , Michael Collins , raised £358,000 in this manner .
A daily (or almost so !) 'News Bulletin' was published , meetings were held regularly , including a large gathering in Cork (in January 1920) organised by the 'Dail Commission on Irish Industrial Resources' which was attended by farmers , business people , shop-owners etc. and various experts in the 'produce market' .
The population were willing to show their support for the "...illegal.." all-Ireland Dail Eireann .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(5 of 18).
" On July 4th , 1981 , the 'Irish Commission for Justice and Peace' (ICJP) entered the H-Blocks and put proposals to the hunger-strikers ; they put the same proposals to Brendan McFarlane the next day .
On July 8th , 1981 , Joe McDonnell died and the British Government issued their policy statement . We released a statement rejecting the British Government's statement and ambiguous proposals as even less than what we were originally led to believe was offered via the ICJP .
We also rejected the ICJP's proposals which totally evaded the crux of the issue and we expressed our belief that the British Government had used the ICJP to foster the impression that a settlement was imminent . Westminster's renegal on their own commitment to the ICJP compounded our belief that the ICJP were being used .
Later , the ICJP itself dismissed the British Government's proposals as not a genuine attempt at a settlement ....... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(8 of 13).
Chief Superintendent Patrick Murphy left the witness box ; defence counsel Patrick Gageby did'nt even attempt to smile ; but he did believe that 'the door had been left ajar' ...
Early last year Patrick Gageby and Anne Rowland had unsuccessfully appealed the three convictions of County Louth men in the Drumree Post Office murder trial - Garda Frank Hand had been killed in an armed robbery .
In the Court of Criminal Appeal , however , Gageby had spotted one sentence and quietly filed it away . He now suggested that Chief Superintendent Murphy had not informed the court of his state of mind when signing the extension order ; it had not been proven that the garda officer had the requisite mental element to justify the detention .
State Solicitor Ciaran McLoughlin was quickly on his feet trying to answer the point ; District Justice McMenamin adjourned the hearing to consider this and other legal matters raised .......
(MORE LATER).
....... at the first meeting of the 32-County Dail Eireann , in Dublin's Mansion House , on 21st January 1919 , Cathal Brugha was elected as ' Acting President ' in place of Eamonn de Valera , who was at that time still in a British jail ...
It should be noted that Eamonn de Valera had contested a seat in the 14th December 1918 General Election for the Falls constituency of Belfast but lost to local 'United Irish League' leader , Joe Devlin , by 8,488 votes to 3,245 .
However - in January 1919 , the First Dail met ; in September 1919 , the British declared Dail Eireann to be an " ...illegal assembly .." , and it was forced to go 'underground' . But 'underground' or not , it still functioned : Michael Collins and Harry Boland made plans to rescue de Valera from Lincoln Jail in England and , on 3rd February 1919 , after four cakes , each containing a key (!) had been sent into him , he escaped .
In April 1919 , Eamonn de Valera was elected by the Dail as 'Head of the Irish Government' ; finance was raised by selling 'Republican Bonds' and the Minister for Finance , Michael Collins , raised £358,000 in this manner .
A daily (or almost so !) 'News Bulletin' was published , meetings were held regularly , including a large gathering in Cork (in January 1920) organised by the 'Dail Commission on Irish Industrial Resources' which was attended by farmers , business people , shop-owners etc. and various experts in the 'produce market' .
The population were willing to show their support for the "...illegal.." all-Ireland Dail Eireann .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(5 of 18).
" On July 4th , 1981 , the 'Irish Commission for Justice and Peace' (ICJP) entered the H-Blocks and put proposals to the hunger-strikers ; they put the same proposals to Brendan McFarlane the next day .
On July 8th , 1981 , Joe McDonnell died and the British Government issued their policy statement . We released a statement rejecting the British Government's statement and ambiguous proposals as even less than what we were originally led to believe was offered via the ICJP .
We also rejected the ICJP's proposals which totally evaded the crux of the issue and we expressed our belief that the British Government had used the ICJP to foster the impression that a settlement was imminent . Westminster's renegal on their own commitment to the ICJP compounded our belief that the ICJP were being used .
Later , the ICJP itself dismissed the British Government's proposals as not a genuine attempt at a settlement ....... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(8 of 13).
Chief Superintendent Patrick Murphy left the witness box ; defence counsel Patrick Gageby did'nt even attempt to smile ; but he did believe that 'the door had been left ajar' ...
Early last year Patrick Gageby and Anne Rowland had unsuccessfully appealed the three convictions of County Louth men in the Drumree Post Office murder trial - Garda Frank Hand had been killed in an armed robbery .
In the Court of Criminal Appeal , however , Gageby had spotted one sentence and quietly filed it away . He now suggested that Chief Superintendent Murphy had not informed the court of his state of mind when signing the extension order ; it had not been proven that the garda officer had the requisite mental element to justify the detention .
State Solicitor Ciaran McLoughlin was quickly on his feet trying to answer the point ; District Justice McMenamin adjourned the hearing to consider this and other legal matters raised .......
(MORE LATER).
Tuesday, November 09, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... after the 1918 Election , Sinn Fein MP's refused to take their seats in Westminster (or any financial gain from same) ...
Instead , they convened the first meeting of Dail Eireann (a 32-County body) in Dublin's Mansion House on 21st January 1919 ; all those elected in Ireland were invited to attend same but the Unionist MP's refused , as did those elected under the banner of a so-called 'United Irish League' (UIL) - the parliamentary nationalists ( ie John Redmond's men ) .
In the Mansion House that day , 37 of the 73 Sinn Fein TD's (referred to as 'MP's' in Westminster) made a 'Declaration of Independence' (Note : the remaining 36 Sinn Fein TD's were still in British jails) -
- " We , the elected representatives of the ancient Irish people in National Parliament assembled , do , in the name of the Irish nation , ratify the establishment of the Irish Republic and pledge ourselves and our people to make this declaration effective by every means at our command...
We ordain that the elected representatives of the Irish people alone have power to make laws binding on the people of Ireland and that the Irish Parliament is the only parliament to which that people will give its allegiance . We solemnly declare foreign government in Ireland to be an invasion of our national right which we will never tolerate and we demand the evacuation of our country by the English garrison ..."
Cathal Brugha was elected as 'Acting President' in place of Eamonn de Valera who was still in a British prison .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(4 of 18).
" On June 11th , 1981 , nine Irish Republican prisoners stood in the Southern general election ; of these , Paddy Agnew topped the poll in Louth , and Kieran Doherty was elected for the Cavan/Monaghan constituency . In the other seven areas the prisoners polled exceedingly well considering the lack of organisation and the short period of time there was to organise the election campaign .
The ordinary people of the South cast their votes in thousands : in Cavan/Monaghan , Kieran Doherty polled first preference 9,121 (15 per cent) ; Paddy Agnew , Louth , 8,368 (18 per cent) ; Joe McDonnell , Sligo/Leitrim , 5,634 ; Martin Hurson , Longford/Westmeath , 4,573 (10 per cent) ; Sean McKenna , Kerry North , 3,860 ; Kevin Lynch , Waterford , 3,337 ; Tony O'Hara , Dublin West , 3,034 ; Mairead Farrell , Cork North Central , 2,751 , and Tom McAllister , Clare , 2,120 .
On July 4th , 1981 , we issued a major policy statement outlining our five demands , and emphasising the fact that we wanted our five demands to be available for all prisoners (rejecting an assertion to the contrary , made by the British , which we regarded as nonsense and a red herring to justify the barbarity of the British government ) .
This statement was almost universally accepted as 'remarkably conciliatory' . "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(7 of 13).
About one hundred Sinn Fein protestors shouted abuse outside the court as Patrick McIntyre was escorted from a prison vehicle ; in the melee , nobody noticed three plainclothes detectives sliding another man past - RUC member Robert Herron . He was needed to identify Patrick McIntyre .
As he rose to speak , Sinn Fein members immediately headed for the exits but gardai told them the doors would have to be kept closed . Then , his identity unknown to those outside , the RUC man was discreetly and safely brought past the crowds before the hearing ended . Chief Superintendent Patrick Murphy was in the witness box - a stranger to the area , he had been transferred from Limerick to Letterkenny , in Donegal , on promotion the previous October .
Murphy gave evidence of signing the Section 30 Extension Order for a second 24 hour period . State Solicitor Ciaran McLoughlin asked him nothing further . District Justice McMenamin had no questions , and Defence Counsel Patrick Gageby kept quiet .......
(MORE LATER).
....... after the 1918 Election , Sinn Fein MP's refused to take their seats in Westminster (or any financial gain from same) ...
Instead , they convened the first meeting of Dail Eireann (a 32-County body) in Dublin's Mansion House on 21st January 1919 ; all those elected in Ireland were invited to attend same but the Unionist MP's refused , as did those elected under the banner of a so-called 'United Irish League' (UIL) - the parliamentary nationalists ( ie John Redmond's men ) .
In the Mansion House that day , 37 of the 73 Sinn Fein TD's (referred to as 'MP's' in Westminster) made a 'Declaration of Independence' (Note : the remaining 36 Sinn Fein TD's were still in British jails) -
- " We , the elected representatives of the ancient Irish people in National Parliament assembled , do , in the name of the Irish nation , ratify the establishment of the Irish Republic and pledge ourselves and our people to make this declaration effective by every means at our command...
We ordain that the elected representatives of the Irish people alone have power to make laws binding on the people of Ireland and that the Irish Parliament is the only parliament to which that people will give its allegiance . We solemnly declare foreign government in Ireland to be an invasion of our national right which we will never tolerate and we demand the evacuation of our country by the English garrison ..."
Cathal Brugha was elected as 'Acting President' in place of Eamonn de Valera who was still in a British prison .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(4 of 18).
" On June 11th , 1981 , nine Irish Republican prisoners stood in the Southern general election ; of these , Paddy Agnew topped the poll in Louth , and Kieran Doherty was elected for the Cavan/Monaghan constituency . In the other seven areas the prisoners polled exceedingly well considering the lack of organisation and the short period of time there was to organise the election campaign .
The ordinary people of the South cast their votes in thousands : in Cavan/Monaghan , Kieran Doherty polled first preference 9,121 (15 per cent) ; Paddy Agnew , Louth , 8,368 (18 per cent) ; Joe McDonnell , Sligo/Leitrim , 5,634 ; Martin Hurson , Longford/Westmeath , 4,573 (10 per cent) ; Sean McKenna , Kerry North , 3,860 ; Kevin Lynch , Waterford , 3,337 ; Tony O'Hara , Dublin West , 3,034 ; Mairead Farrell , Cork North Central , 2,751 , and Tom McAllister , Clare , 2,120 .
On July 4th , 1981 , we issued a major policy statement outlining our five demands , and emphasising the fact that we wanted our five demands to be available for all prisoners (rejecting an assertion to the contrary , made by the British , which we regarded as nonsense and a red herring to justify the barbarity of the British government ) .
This statement was almost universally accepted as 'remarkably conciliatory' . "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(7 of 13).
About one hundred Sinn Fein protestors shouted abuse outside the court as Patrick McIntyre was escorted from a prison vehicle ; in the melee , nobody noticed three plainclothes detectives sliding another man past - RUC member Robert Herron . He was needed to identify Patrick McIntyre .
As he rose to speak , Sinn Fein members immediately headed for the exits but gardai told them the doors would have to be kept closed . Then , his identity unknown to those outside , the RUC man was discreetly and safely brought past the crowds before the hearing ended . Chief Superintendent Patrick Murphy was in the witness box - a stranger to the area , he had been transferred from Limerick to Letterkenny , in Donegal , on promotion the previous October .
Murphy gave evidence of signing the Section 30 Extension Order for a second 24 hour period . State Solicitor Ciaran McLoughlin asked him nothing further . District Justice McMenamin had no questions , and Defence Counsel Patrick Gageby kept quiet .......
(MORE LATER).
Monday, November 08, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... despite trying to 'fix' the outcome of the 1918 Election , the British lost badly after same in Ireland ...
After that election , the 'Unionist Party' held 26 seats (+8) , the 'Home Rulers' (IPP/INP) held 6 seats (-62) , no 'Independent' candidates were re-elected , and the then Sinn Fein Party held 73 seats (+66).
It should be noted that Sinn Fein made its position clear before and during the 1918 Election campaign - of boycotting Westminster and establishing an independent parliament for Ireland . In the 9 Counties of Ulster , the Unionists won 22 of the 37 constituencies , with a total vote of 265,111 compared to a total vote of 177,557 anti-Unionist votes .
If those figures are broke down to the now British-occupied Six Counties of Antrim , Armagh , Derry , Down , Fermanagh and Tyrone , it can be seen that the pro-Unionist vote won the day with a majority of just over two-to-one : 255,819 to 116,888.
However ; the newly-elected Sinn Fein 'MP's' refused to go to Westminster (and did not pocket their wages or expenses ...) , as per their election manifesto - the British were uneasy with these developments .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(3 of 18).
" The 'European Commission on Human Rights' (ECHR) delegation came to Long Kesh and Bobby Sands said he would meet them providing Brendan McFarlane , O/C of the prisoners , Mr. Gerry Adams , and Mr. Danny Morrison were present . This reasonable proviso was refused and the ECHR left Long Kesh . Bobby Sands released a statement that night attacking Charles Haughey for un-scrupulously exploiting his family's anxiety to cover his own inactivity .
On May 5th , 1981 , Bobby Sands died on hunger-strike , murdered by British callousness and vindictiveness . Frank Hughes , Raymond McCreesh and Patsy O'Hara were soon to follow Bobby to the grave .
And still the British Government remained steadfastly and inhumanly inflexible ..."
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(6 of 13).
The legal defence was prepared in the tiny rooms over a swop-shop along Ormond Quay , near the Four Courts , in Dublin , where solicitor Anne Rowland , a native of Ballina , County Mayo , set up her own firm five years ago . Her penchant is for the cut and thrust of criminal cases .
On accepting the McIntyre brief , she immediately sought out barrister Patrick Gageby - they had worked together before ; Evelyn Glenhomes and Gerard Tuite were among those they had represented . Rowland and Gageby immediately agreed that their defence case would focus on the circumstances of McIntyre's arrest and detention .
They were told that an extradition application would come before District Justice Liam McMenamin at Ballyshannon District Court on January 7th last . Before leaving for County Donegal , Rowland put the state on notice that she would require in court the garda who performed the Section 30 arrest and the Garda Officer who signed the order extending Patrick McIntyre's detention for a second 24 hour period .......
(MORE LATER).
....... despite trying to 'fix' the outcome of the 1918 Election , the British lost badly after same in Ireland ...
After that election , the 'Unionist Party' held 26 seats (+8) , the 'Home Rulers' (IPP/INP) held 6 seats (-62) , no 'Independent' candidates were re-elected , and the then Sinn Fein Party held 73 seats (+66).
It should be noted that Sinn Fein made its position clear before and during the 1918 Election campaign - of boycotting Westminster and establishing an independent parliament for Ireland . In the 9 Counties of Ulster , the Unionists won 22 of the 37 constituencies , with a total vote of 265,111 compared to a total vote of 177,557 anti-Unionist votes .
If those figures are broke down to the now British-occupied Six Counties of Antrim , Armagh , Derry , Down , Fermanagh and Tyrone , it can be seen that the pro-Unionist vote won the day with a majority of just over two-to-one : 255,819 to 116,888.
However ; the newly-elected Sinn Fein 'MP's' refused to go to Westminster (and did not pocket their wages or expenses ...) , as per their election manifesto - the British were uneasy with these developments .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(3 of 18).
" The 'European Commission on Human Rights' (ECHR) delegation came to Long Kesh and Bobby Sands said he would meet them providing Brendan McFarlane , O/C of the prisoners , Mr. Gerry Adams , and Mr. Danny Morrison were present . This reasonable proviso was refused and the ECHR left Long Kesh . Bobby Sands released a statement that night attacking Charles Haughey for un-scrupulously exploiting his family's anxiety to cover his own inactivity .
On May 5th , 1981 , Bobby Sands died on hunger-strike , murdered by British callousness and vindictiveness . Frank Hughes , Raymond McCreesh and Patsy O'Hara were soon to follow Bobby to the grave .
And still the British Government remained steadfastly and inhumanly inflexible ..."
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(6 of 13).
The legal defence was prepared in the tiny rooms over a swop-shop along Ormond Quay , near the Four Courts , in Dublin , where solicitor Anne Rowland , a native of Ballina , County Mayo , set up her own firm five years ago . Her penchant is for the cut and thrust of criminal cases .
On accepting the McIntyre brief , she immediately sought out barrister Patrick Gageby - they had worked together before ; Evelyn Glenhomes and Gerard Tuite were among those they had represented . Rowland and Gageby immediately agreed that their defence case would focus on the circumstances of McIntyre's arrest and detention .
They were told that an extradition application would come before District Justice Liam McMenamin at Ballyshannon District Court on January 7th last . Before leaving for County Donegal , Rowland put the state on notice that she would require in court the garda who performed the Section 30 arrest and the Garda Officer who signed the order extending Patrick McIntyre's detention for a second 24 hour period .......
(MORE LATER).
Friday, November 05, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... in the 1918 General Election in Ireland , Nationalist/Republican candidates won almost three-quarters of all the Irish seats in Westminster .......
Many of those elected were still in British prisons after the 'German Plot' arrests earlier that same year (ie May 1918) . John Redmond's 'Irish Parliamentary Party' won only six seats , despite the 'backhanded' assistance given to that Party by the then British Prime Minister , Lloyd George -
- he had instructed the British Army 'Election Censors' to cut sections out of the Sinn Fein Election Manifesto , seized their leaflets and posters , 'arrested' Sinn Fein speakers and declared that the 47 imprisoned Sinn Fein candidates , including the Party leader , Eamon de Valera , should remain behind British prison bars . Before the 1918 General Election , Ireland was 'represented' in the Westminster 'House of Commons' by 103 members ,
comprising 68 'Home Rulers' (Irish Parliamentary Party , also referred to as 'The Irish Nationalist Party') , 18 members of the 'Unionist Party' (as the name suggests , in favour of the 'Union' between Ireland and England) , 10 'Independent' members and 7 Sinn Fein members .
After the 1918 Election , the political scene in Ireland was transformed .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(2 of 18).
" On March 1st , 1981 , Bobby Sands embarked on hunger-strike ; on April 9th , 1981 , 30,492 people in the Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency elected him as their MP and by doing so they recognised him as a political prisoner and demanded that the British Government respect the mandate given by them and by the entire nationalist community on the streets by implementing the five demands -
1 No prison uniform .
2 No prison work .
3 Free association .
4 Full remission .
5 Visits , parcels and recreational/educational facilities .
The British Government , caught in the hypocrisy of their own " democracy jargon " , ignored the people's wishes and mandate . On April 23rd , 1981 , Charles Haughey , the Dublin premier , met relatives of Bobby Sands and by playing on their distress convinced them that the intervention of the ECHR ('European Commission on Human Rights') could , and would , solve the issue .
Bobby Sands' sister , Marcella , acted on Charlie Haughey's advice and signed an intervention document . The ECHR delegation came to Long Kesh and Bobby Sands said he would meet them ......."
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(5 of 13).
Shortly after eight o'clock on the morning of 6th January 1987 , Aiden Murray and other armed Detectives raided a house in Cashlings , West Donegal ; inside , they roused a young man from his sleep - he was wearing pants only and , when asked his name , he hesitated before telling them he was 'Colm McGuire' .
He requested to see a doctor and solicitor and refused to answer any further questions . Detective Aiden Murray promptly arrested 'McGuire' on suspicion of being a member of the IRA . The Gardai were back at base in Ballyshannon with their prisoner soon after nine o' clock ; they still had no official identity for him and , in accordance with his wishes , a local solicitor was sent for .
A Solicitor , John Murray , arrived and after consulting with the man in the cell , told gardai during a casual conversation that the prisoner was Patrick McIntyre of Ard O'Donnell , Letterkenny . The gardai say that minutes afterwards they received information which possibly linked McIntyre to a robbery in Ballyshannon immediately before Christmas and that they began questioning him about this crime .
By mid-morning the word was out in Donegal : Paddy McIntyre had been collared and the prospect of extradition loomed . By that afternoon , a Belfast solicitor , Pat Finucane , was contacting a colleague in Dublin .......
(MORE LATER).
....... in the 1918 General Election in Ireland , Nationalist/Republican candidates won almost three-quarters of all the Irish seats in Westminster .......
Many of those elected were still in British prisons after the 'German Plot' arrests earlier that same year (ie May 1918) . John Redmond's 'Irish Parliamentary Party' won only six seats , despite the 'backhanded' assistance given to that Party by the then British Prime Minister , Lloyd George -
- he had instructed the British Army 'Election Censors' to cut sections out of the Sinn Fein Election Manifesto , seized their leaflets and posters , 'arrested' Sinn Fein speakers and declared that the 47 imprisoned Sinn Fein candidates , including the Party leader , Eamon de Valera , should remain behind British prison bars . Before the 1918 General Election , Ireland was 'represented' in the Westminster 'House of Commons' by 103 members ,
comprising 68 'Home Rulers' (Irish Parliamentary Party , also referred to as 'The Irish Nationalist Party') , 18 members of the 'Unionist Party' (as the name suggests , in favour of the 'Union' between Ireland and England) , 10 'Independent' members and 7 Sinn Fein members .
After the 1918 Election , the political scene in Ireland was transformed .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(2 of 18).
" On March 1st , 1981 , Bobby Sands embarked on hunger-strike ; on April 9th , 1981 , 30,492 people in the Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency elected him as their MP and by doing so they recognised him as a political prisoner and demanded that the British Government respect the mandate given by them and by the entire nationalist community on the streets by implementing the five demands -
1 No prison uniform .
2 No prison work .
3 Free association .
4 Full remission .
5 Visits , parcels and recreational/educational facilities .
The British Government , caught in the hypocrisy of their own " democracy jargon " , ignored the people's wishes and mandate . On April 23rd , 1981 , Charles Haughey , the Dublin premier , met relatives of Bobby Sands and by playing on their distress convinced them that the intervention of the ECHR ('European Commission on Human Rights') could , and would , solve the issue .
Bobby Sands' sister , Marcella , acted on Charlie Haughey's advice and signed an intervention document . The ECHR delegation came to Long Kesh and Bobby Sands said he would meet them ......."
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(5 of 13).
Shortly after eight o'clock on the morning of 6th January 1987 , Aiden Murray and other armed Detectives raided a house in Cashlings , West Donegal ; inside , they roused a young man from his sleep - he was wearing pants only and , when asked his name , he hesitated before telling them he was 'Colm McGuire' .
He requested to see a doctor and solicitor and refused to answer any further questions . Detective Aiden Murray promptly arrested 'McGuire' on suspicion of being a member of the IRA . The Gardai were back at base in Ballyshannon with their prisoner soon after nine o' clock ; they still had no official identity for him and , in accordance with his wishes , a local solicitor was sent for .
A Solicitor , John Murray , arrived and after consulting with the man in the cell , told gardai during a casual conversation that the prisoner was Patrick McIntyre of Ard O'Donnell , Letterkenny . The gardai say that minutes afterwards they received information which possibly linked McIntyre to a robbery in Ballyshannon immediately before Christmas and that they began questioning him about this crime .
By mid-morning the word was out in Donegal : Paddy McIntyre had been collared and the prospect of extradition loomed . By that afternoon , a Belfast solicitor , Pat Finucane , was contacting a colleague in Dublin .......
(MORE LATER).
Thursday, November 04, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... in September 1914 , the 'Irish Volunteers' split - the majority (about 160,000 men) agreed with their leader John Redmond that they should assist the Brits in the war with Germany , while about 12,000 men dis-agreed and left with Eoin MacNeill and other figures in the leadership .......
The British had their hands full with 'World War One' and , in an unusually astute decision , decided to turn a blind eye to the marches and parades being carried out by those that had left with Eoin MacNeill , a group now known as the 'Irish Volunteers / Sinn Fein Volunteers' ; as the then British Chief Secretary for Ireland , Augustine Birrell , put it -
- " To proclaim the Irish Volunteers as an illegal body and put them down by force wherever they appear would , in my opinion , be a reckless and foolish act and would promote disloyalty to a prodigious extent . " Damned if they do (because the population would resent them even more for doing so) and damned if they did'nt (as it gave the Rebels 'breathing space') . Even when the Brits are playing it 'smart' , they are'nt !
But Westminster did attempt to use the talk , the threat and the issue of conscription to their own advantage - they claimed that was the reason why the 1918 General Election returned the results it did ie 'Conscription Act' introduced in April 1918 , General Election held in December 1918 . That 1918 Election was the first 'General Election' in the 'United Kingdom' since 1910 , and new 'elements' had been added - the electoral register , for instance , was three times larger than it had been in 1910 , and included , for the first time , women over thirty and all men over twenty-one .
The Sinn Fein victory was overwhelming ; nearly three-quarters of all the Irish seats (in Westminster) were now in Nationalist / Republican hands .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(1 of 18).
" We , the protesting Republican prisoners in the H-Blocks , being faced with the reality of sustained family intervention , are forced by this circumstance , over which we have little control at the moment , to end the hunger-strike .
After four years of continual protest , and after the failure of the Cardinal O'Fiaich / Humphrey Atkins talks , and having exhausted all other means of protest to bring about a settlement , we embarked on hunger-strike on October 27th , 1980 .
That hunger-strike ended on December 18th , 1980 , when the British Government intimated to the hunger-strikers that they would implement a workable and just solution which was forwarded to the hunger-strikers on 18th December 1980 .
In the course of the immediate post - hunger-strike period it became increasingly clear that the British Government had reneged on their commitment to implement that solution and so we were back in a pre- hunger-strike predicament and thus forced to go back on hunger-strike ....... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(4 of 13).
Re-captured within two days after the September 1983 jail-break , Patrick McIntyre had to wait three years and three months to get a second chance ; with less than six months of his original sentence left , he was due three days ' rehabilitation parole ' as Christmas 1986 approached . The prison authorities opposed his release because the trial of the Maze escapers was pending , but McIntyre defeated their objections before the courts .
The Provisionals approved his absconding - they believed the recently introduced ' rehabilitation ' gimmick was geared to cause divisions in their structures within the prisons . By December 20th , 1986 , the RUC were looking for him but he was over the border , in Donegal , getting his hair timted !
On the twisty main road between Killybegs and Kilcar , in West Donegal , there is a white flat-roofed dwelling in the townland of Cashlings ; some Gardai consider it ' a safe house ' . Raymond 'The Rooster' McLaughlin , a well-known IRA activist , was suspected of stopping off there not long before he drowned , accidentally , in a pool , in County Clare , in 1985 . Shortly after eight o'clock on the morning of 6th January 1987 , Aiden Murray and other armed Detectives raided the house .......
(MORE LATER).
....... in September 1914 , the 'Irish Volunteers' split - the majority (about 160,000 men) agreed with their leader John Redmond that they should assist the Brits in the war with Germany , while about 12,000 men dis-agreed and left with Eoin MacNeill and other figures in the leadership .......
The British had their hands full with 'World War One' and , in an unusually astute decision , decided to turn a blind eye to the marches and parades being carried out by those that had left with Eoin MacNeill , a group now known as the 'Irish Volunteers / Sinn Fein Volunteers' ; as the then British Chief Secretary for Ireland , Augustine Birrell , put it -
- " To proclaim the Irish Volunteers as an illegal body and put them down by force wherever they appear would , in my opinion , be a reckless and foolish act and would promote disloyalty to a prodigious extent . " Damned if they do (because the population would resent them even more for doing so) and damned if they did'nt (as it gave the Rebels 'breathing space') . Even when the Brits are playing it 'smart' , they are'nt !
But Westminster did attempt to use the talk , the threat and the issue of conscription to their own advantage - they claimed that was the reason why the 1918 General Election returned the results it did ie 'Conscription Act' introduced in April 1918 , General Election held in December 1918 . That 1918 Election was the first 'General Election' in the 'United Kingdom' since 1910 , and new 'elements' had been added - the electoral register , for instance , was three times larger than it had been in 1910 , and included , for the first time , women over thirty and all men over twenty-one .
The Sinn Fein victory was overwhelming ; nearly three-quarters of all the Irish seats (in Westminster) were now in Nationalist / Republican hands .......
(MORE LATER).
Why We Ended The Hunger-Strike .
The full text of the H-Block Blanket Men's statement announcing the end of the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2, November 1981 , pages 23 , 24 , 25 and 26 .
Re-published here in 18 parts .
(1 of 18).
" We , the protesting Republican prisoners in the H-Blocks , being faced with the reality of sustained family intervention , are forced by this circumstance , over which we have little control at the moment , to end the hunger-strike .
After four years of continual protest , and after the failure of the Cardinal O'Fiaich / Humphrey Atkins talks , and having exhausted all other means of protest to bring about a settlement , we embarked on hunger-strike on October 27th , 1980 .
That hunger-strike ended on December 18th , 1980 , when the British Government intimated to the hunger-strikers that they would implement a workable and just solution which was forwarded to the hunger-strikers on 18th December 1980 .
In the course of the immediate post - hunger-strike period it became increasingly clear that the British Government had reneged on their commitment to implement that solution and so we were back in a pre- hunger-strike predicament and thus forced to go back on hunger-strike ....... "
(MORE LATER).
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(4 of 13).
Re-captured within two days after the September 1983 jail-break , Patrick McIntyre had to wait three years and three months to get a second chance ; with less than six months of his original sentence left , he was due three days ' rehabilitation parole ' as Christmas 1986 approached . The prison authorities opposed his release because the trial of the Maze escapers was pending , but McIntyre defeated their objections before the courts .
The Provisionals approved his absconding - they believed the recently introduced ' rehabilitation ' gimmick was geared to cause divisions in their structures within the prisons . By December 20th , 1986 , the RUC were looking for him but he was over the border , in Donegal , getting his hair timted !
On the twisty main road between Killybegs and Kilcar , in West Donegal , there is a white flat-roofed dwelling in the townland of Cashlings ; some Gardai consider it ' a safe house ' . Raymond 'The Rooster' McLaughlin , a well-known IRA activist , was suspected of stopping off there not long before he drowned , accidentally , in a pool , in County Clare , in 1985 . Shortly after eight o'clock on the morning of 6th January 1987 , Aiden Murray and other armed Detectives raided the house .......
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, November 03, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... some of those within the 'Irish Volunteers' did not agree with the pro-British 'call-to-arms' statement of its leader , John Redmond ; Eoin MacNeill , who was in a leadership position in that organisation , was one of them .......
However , in 1916 (two years after John Redmond's 'call-to-arms' to assist the British war effort) , Eoin MacNeill did something just as bad himself - he was then a Professor of Early Irish History and co-founder (with Douglas Hyde) of the 'Gaelic League' (in 1893) . MacNeill issued the " Manoeuvres Cancelled " order , regarding the 1916 Rising , which was published in 'The Sunday Independent' newspaper the day before the Rising .
MacNeill believed that the Brits were about to make a move against the 'Irish Volunteers' and this apparently swayed him into supporting an Easter 1916 Rising , but he was , for the most part , reluctant to follow that path . On hearing that the weapons on board 'The Aud' would not now be available to the Irish Rebels , and that Roger Casement had been 'arrested' by the British , he reverted to his anti-Rising position . His "..Cancelled .." Order caused great confusion within the ranks of the Rebels and , although Padraig Pearse , James Connolly and other Rebel leaders immediately issued an Order that the 'manoeuvres' which had been 'cancelled' would now go ahead twenty-four hours later (ie at 12 noon on Easter Monday) , the damage had been done - less than one-thousand armed men turned out on the day .
However - end of that particular 'tangent' ! : as a result of John Redmond's pro-Brit 'call-to-arms' (in September 1914) , the 'Irish Volunteers' split - about 160,000 men stayed with Redmond , calling themselves the 'National Volunteers' , and at least 12,000 men , who dis-agreed with the 'lets-help-the-Brits' plan , left with Eoin MacNeill and other leaders , keeping the original name of the 'Irish Volunteers' : it was this (smaller) organisation which soon became known as the 'Sinn Fein Volunteers' , a 'loose term' used at the time to describe anyone , or group , who refused to help in the British war effort .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
Some details about the Author , Micheal O'Suilleabhain -
The people successfully resisted the efforts to impose a foreign tongue on themselves and their children , and they countered the proselytising attempts by ardently and intensively preserving the Irish language , music , songs , games and pastimes . Micheal O'Suilleabhain is of his people - bone and tissue . Brought up in their tradition , he was a member of the Volunteers at the age of thirteen and had just reached his fourteenth birthday when the men and women of 1916 wrote the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Ireland and of the entire British 'Empire' .
During the years that immediately followed the Easter Rising he and his comrades were destined to fight a guerilla war on their native mountainsides , that was to become an important part of the pattern of the nation-wide fight for freedom . Through mountain passes and along the beds of creeks , Micheal O'Suilleabhain takes us to attack an armed 'police' patrol or to plan a large-scale engagement against the elite of Britain's specially recruited fighting forces in Ireland - the infamous Auxiliaries , all ex-commissioned Offices and , to a man , much decorated veterans of 'World War One' .
The rank smell of cordite and the smoke and dust of battle on rock-bordered roads are in this book . But in it , too, is heard the beating of the hearts of the mountainy men ; through it rings the gay laughter of its comely young women and the warm affection of parents , sons and daughters , in the mountain homes of Muskerry .
It was inevitable that Micheal O'Suilleabhain and his people should rally to the armed struggle for freedom with an all-embracing dedication . They comprehended , perhaps better than most areas in the country , the fundamental causes that led to 1916 and to the War of Independence . And from the ranks of their fighting men has come a chronicler of competence and talent to tell their story as few others could have told it .
[END of 'WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN ... - Some details about the Author'].
(Tomorrow - from November 1981 : 'Why we ended the Hunger-Strike').
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(3 of 13).
After 14 months on remand in the North , Patrick McIntyre came before a judge ; he was in deep trouble , as he had signed a statement admitting involvement in the attempted 'murder' of a UDR member ('Ulster[sic] Defence Regiment' - a pro-British militia) near Castlederg in County Tyrone , in late 1977 . McIntyre refused to recognise the court , was convicted and given a fifteen year jail sentence ; Jim Clarke was also jailed for the Castlederg attack - he got eighteen years .
The first part of their detention was spent in Crumlin Road Prison - Patrick McIntyre says he was locked-up for twenty-three hours each day . A different source says " ...conditions in the Crum were relatively calm because , soon after , Republicans in Long Kesh were breaking every stick of furniture in their cells . " Patrick McIntyre amd Jim Clarke were transferred to the Kesh at a time when the campaign for retention of political status was intensifying ; they took part in the Blanket Protest and were still there during the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
The two men were together , too, among the 38 inmates who escaped from the prison in September 1983 ; sticks and screwdrivers and handguns were used and a Prison Officer , James Ferris , was killed during the break-out . Patrick McIntyre managed to stay loose for two days ; cameramen were alerted to film him and another escaper , Joe Corey , being recaptured near Castlewellan , County Down . He would have to wait three years and three months before he got a second chance to escape .......
(MORE LATER).
(Readers please note - we will publish critical comments in the 'Guestbook' , providing same contains no foul language . Go raibh maith agat , agus slan go foill - Sharon . ).
....... some of those within the 'Irish Volunteers' did not agree with the pro-British 'call-to-arms' statement of its leader , John Redmond ; Eoin MacNeill , who was in a leadership position in that organisation , was one of them .......
However , in 1916 (two years after John Redmond's 'call-to-arms' to assist the British war effort) , Eoin MacNeill did something just as bad himself - he was then a Professor of Early Irish History and co-founder (with Douglas Hyde) of the 'Gaelic League' (in 1893) . MacNeill issued the " Manoeuvres Cancelled " order , regarding the 1916 Rising , which was published in 'The Sunday Independent' newspaper the day before the Rising .
MacNeill believed that the Brits were about to make a move against the 'Irish Volunteers' and this apparently swayed him into supporting an Easter 1916 Rising , but he was , for the most part , reluctant to follow that path . On hearing that the weapons on board 'The Aud' would not now be available to the Irish Rebels , and that Roger Casement had been 'arrested' by the British , he reverted to his anti-Rising position . His "..Cancelled .." Order caused great confusion within the ranks of the Rebels and , although Padraig Pearse , James Connolly and other Rebel leaders immediately issued an Order that the 'manoeuvres' which had been 'cancelled' would now go ahead twenty-four hours later (ie at 12 noon on Easter Monday) , the damage had been done - less than one-thousand armed men turned out on the day .
However - end of that particular 'tangent' ! : as a result of John Redmond's pro-Brit 'call-to-arms' (in September 1914) , the 'Irish Volunteers' split - about 160,000 men stayed with Redmond , calling themselves the 'National Volunteers' , and at least 12,000 men , who dis-agreed with the 'lets-help-the-Brits' plan , left with Eoin MacNeill and other leaders , keeping the original name of the 'Irish Volunteers' : it was this (smaller) organisation which soon became known as the 'Sinn Fein Volunteers' , a 'loose term' used at the time to describe anyone , or group , who refused to help in the British war effort .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
Some details about the Author , Micheal O'Suilleabhain -
The people successfully resisted the efforts to impose a foreign tongue on themselves and their children , and they countered the proselytising attempts by ardently and intensively preserving the Irish language , music , songs , games and pastimes . Micheal O'Suilleabhain is of his people - bone and tissue . Brought up in their tradition , he was a member of the Volunteers at the age of thirteen and had just reached his fourteenth birthday when the men and women of 1916 wrote the beginning of a new chapter in the history of Ireland and of the entire British 'Empire' .
During the years that immediately followed the Easter Rising he and his comrades were destined to fight a guerilla war on their native mountainsides , that was to become an important part of the pattern of the nation-wide fight for freedom . Through mountain passes and along the beds of creeks , Micheal O'Suilleabhain takes us to attack an armed 'police' patrol or to plan a large-scale engagement against the elite of Britain's specially recruited fighting forces in Ireland - the infamous Auxiliaries , all ex-commissioned Offices and , to a man , much decorated veterans of 'World War One' .
The rank smell of cordite and the smoke and dust of battle on rock-bordered roads are in this book . But in it , too, is heard the beating of the hearts of the mountainy men ; through it rings the gay laughter of its comely young women and the warm affection of parents , sons and daughters , in the mountain homes of Muskerry .
It was inevitable that Micheal O'Suilleabhain and his people should rally to the armed struggle for freedom with an all-embracing dedication . They comprehended , perhaps better than most areas in the country , the fundamental causes that led to 1916 and to the War of Independence . And from the ranks of their fighting men has come a chronicler of competence and talent to tell their story as few others could have told it .
[END of 'WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN ... - Some details about the Author'].
(Tomorrow - from November 1981 : 'Why we ended the Hunger-Strike').
ONE THAT GOT AWAY .......
Donegal IRA man , Patrick McIntyre - wanted by the RUC and by Gardai - was released by the High Court last month when his lawyers convinced the Court that he was not properly arrested and held by the Gardai . Tommie Gorman details McIntyre's story of two escapes and meets him 'on the run' .
From ' Magill ' magazine , June 1987 , pages 24 , 25 , 26 , 28 and 29 .
Re-produced here in 13 parts .
(3 of 13).
After 14 months on remand in the North , Patrick McIntyre came before a judge ; he was in deep trouble , as he had signed a statement admitting involvement in the attempted 'murder' of a UDR member ('Ulster[sic] Defence Regiment' - a pro-British militia) near Castlederg in County Tyrone , in late 1977 . McIntyre refused to recognise the court , was convicted and given a fifteen year jail sentence ; Jim Clarke was also jailed for the Castlederg attack - he got eighteen years .
The first part of their detention was spent in Crumlin Road Prison - Patrick McIntyre says he was locked-up for twenty-three hours each day . A different source says " ...conditions in the Crum were relatively calm because , soon after , Republicans in Long Kesh were breaking every stick of furniture in their cells . " Patrick McIntyre amd Jim Clarke were transferred to the Kesh at a time when the campaign for retention of political status was intensifying ; they took part in the Blanket Protest and were still there during the 1981 Hunger-Strike .
The two men were together , too, among the 38 inmates who escaped from the prison in September 1983 ; sticks and screwdrivers and handguns were used and a Prison Officer , James Ferris , was killed during the break-out . Patrick McIntyre managed to stay loose for two days ; cameramen were alerted to film him and another escaper , Joe Corey , being recaptured near Castlewellan , County Down . He would have to wait three years and three months before he got a second chance to escape .......
(MORE LATER).
(Readers please note - we will publish critical comments in the 'Guestbook' , providing same contains no foul language . Go raibh maith agat , agus slan go foill - Sharon . ).
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