"OPPRESSION , STATUED AS 'LAW'..."


'Irish law —A considerable amount of testimony might be produced to prove that the Irish were and are peculiarly a law-loving people; but, in the words of the writer above-quoted, "a people cannot be expected to love and reverence oppression, because it is consigned to a statute-book, and called law." The truth is, that it was and is obviously the interest of English writers to induce themselves to believe that Irish discontent and rebellion were caused by anything or everything but English oppression and injustice. Even in the present day the Irish are supposed to be naturally discontented and rebellious, because they cannot submit silently to be expelled from their farms without any compensation or any other means of support, either from political or religious motives, and because they object to maintain a religion contrary to their conscience, and which is admitted by its own members to be "clearly a political evil.... "
(From here: an excellent website , highly recommended)

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MacSWINEY/LIBERATION/KERRY DEATH.


TERENCE MACSWINEY SAID.
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

" England's chief weapon in her long struggle with Ireland is the English lie . Every Irish Nationalist knows this . Every Irish Nationalist ought to know it is a weapon for use , unscrupulous , treacherous , far-reaching and deadly . Most of us thought we had comprehended the English lie , and some of us prided ourselves on not under-estimating it .

But till Rossa died , not one of us had the exact measure of its possibilities ; and now we can only know that , as there are infamies in Hell which we cannot fathom , we henceforth must be ready against every surprise of Hell . For Hell is the source of the lie .

From the agony of his prison , Rossa cried out - 'They can lie like Hell...' . And even then with all the revelations that revolted the world we did not realise that this was literally and exactly true , that black and infamous as the pit from which their inspiration comes , they can lie like Hell . "

[END of ' TERENCE MACSWINEY SAID']
(Next : 'Street Talk' - from 1989)


A QUESTION OF LIBERATION .

Feminists and anti-imperialists in Ireland have often regarded each other's struggles with misunderstanding , mutual suspicion , and sometimes outright rejection . What then is the relationship between them ? Eibhlin Ni Gabhann surveys the emergence of women's liberation groups in Belfast and Dublin over the past decade or so , and some of the questions they have faced .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983.

The issue of women's liberation was slow to come to Ireland . By comparison , in America and England , the women's movement grew in strength during the early 1960's , raising the question of women's oppression on many fronts and challenging the male dominance of politics nationally and internationally .

In America , women activists in the Civil Rights Movement found that their fight for equal rights for black Americans did not expand to include equal rights for American women - white or black . Parallel to that , those women involved in the campaign against the war in Vietnam found that their male comrades were hostile to their emerging consciousness of women's oppression in the United States .

In England , women workers active in the trade unions began to organise themselves as women to fight for equal pay and equal employment opportunities . In 1970 , the first Women's Conference was held and four demands were agreed - free 24-hour nurseries , free contraception and abortion on demand , equal pay and equal education and employment opportunities . Also in 1970 , English feminists demonstrated at the 'Miss World'contest against the exploitation of women , resulting in six arrests and maximum publicity.......
(MORE LATER).



KERRY DEATH MYSTERY.

From 'The Phoenix' magazine , January 2003.
(Note:as a result of our recent posts on this subject , a reader asked us to locate and publish this 'Phoenix' article . We are pleased to be able to do so.)

Mystery surrounds the death of Kerry Republican , John O' Shea , found unconscious outside his parents' house near Castlemaine around midnight on the October Bank Holiday weekend in 2001 .

The fact that State Pathologist , Professor John Harbison, changed his initial verdict as to the cause of death when he gave evidence at the inquest last month (ie December 2002) has only added to the mystery .

John O' Shea had been drinking in Tralee on the October Bank Holiday Monday , 2001 , and was arrested by gardai for questioning about a road traffic accident . After his release from Tralee Garda Station , he returned to Castlemaine , had a few more drinks and got a taxi home . Shortly after midnight , his parents found him outside the house , slumped on the ground . They dragged him inside but he was later pronounced dead.......
(MORE LATER).

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ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN...


The 'Royals'/UDA golf partners out for a stroll !

One wonders how Mary McAleese can find the time in her busy itinerary to open proceedings at a golf competition especially when , as far as we know , her husbands colleague , Jackie McDonald, was not present . One also wonders if Mrs McAleese will receive an extra allowance , on top of the €6,613 per week which her spokesperson stated she receives "...for entertainment and personal expenses . The substantial proportion of this allowance goes to meet the cost of food , refreshments and entertainment.." We may yet have to do a collection , readers ......
Incidentally , Mary McAleese did not have an agreed proposer or seconder in 1997 when she sought the nomination for the position of State President from Fianna Fail . As she said herself at the time - " Either of the candidates (Albert Reynolds and Michael O' Kennedy , left , holding a British trinket) could have got rid of me , there and then ; they would have been perfectly within their rights to insist that we follow the rules . That would have been the end of me and I would not have been a threat to whichever one of them was elected . I was very grateful for their generosity ."
Martin McAleese stated at the time , in relation to that same Fianna Fail nomination meeting : " When Rory O'Hanlon (Fianna Fail Chairperson at the time) told us about the new procedure (ie that Fianna Fail were willing to forgo proposer and seconder) , I couldn't believe that Albert had left the door open for her like that . I can only put it down to overconfidence on his part . If I was in his shoes , I'm afraid I would have insisted on party rules being obeyed ."
The McAleese's and their like , in Leinster House and in the Free State Senate , are non-productive leeches that are living beyond our means .

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CURRAGH CAMP/HENRY DOHERTY/NICKY KELLY.


'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

WICKLOW :
Francis Wogan , Churchill , Enniskerry .
Seamus Costello, Dublin Road , Bray .
Michael Fortune , 5 Brennan's Parade , Bray .
Desmond Byrne , 41 O'Byrne Road , Bray .

WEXFORD :
Henry Goff , Killagoley , Enniscorthy .
Matt Finucane , Ballybrody , Ruane , was unconditionally released for eye treatment .

[END of 'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP']
(Next : 'Terence MacSwiney Said' - from the same source)



HENRY DOHERTY : 44 DAYS ON HUNGER-STRIKE.......

From 'Wigmore' column , 'MAGILL' magazine, March 1986.

Censorship of letters apart , the natural conclusion to this is that every prisoner can go on hunger strike in all the prisons - Mountjoy, Limerick, Portlaoise - and fast to the death , and the (State) Department of Justice are obliged to tell nobody what is going on ! Body after body can come out of the prisons and the State Department may say that it was up to the prisoner concerned to tell his family .

That Department now obviously feel that they are under no obligation to tell a family when a prisoner goes on hunger strike : the inference to be drawn from this is that , although the Department are responsible for the welfare of prisoners , this obligation does not extend to anyone outside the prison ! It sounds as if the Department are heading back to the bad old days when Ernest Blythe was a State Minister .

His policy with regard to hunger strikers was quite simple - firstly , isolate them . Then impose a news blackout and if they died , bury them within the prison walls .

[END of ' HENRY DOHERTY : 44 DAYS ON HUNGER-STRIKE ']
(Next : ' A Question Of Liberation' - from 1983)





NICKY KELLY: STATE HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT.......
From 'Wigmore' Column , MAGILL magazine, February 1986 .

British 'Lord' Denning stated - " If the six men win , it will mean that the police were guilty of perjury , that they were guilty of violence and threats , that the confessions were involuntary and that the convictions were erroneous . This is such an appalling vista that every sensible person in the land would say - 'It cannot be right that these actions should go any further' " . Two paragraphs later the good judge made the immortal remark - " This case shows what a civilised country we are ."

The Birmingham Six case was 'estopped' on the grounds that the matter had already been decided and the action would be an abuse of the courts . The Nicky Kelly case was 'estopped' on the same grounds ! State Justice O'Hanlon was acting on precedent established by British 'Lord' Denning , and once the State government brought its 'estoppel' action he had no choice .

That is how the law works , but for the government to use the notorious Birmingham Six case as a barricade to prevent Nicky Kelly reaching a jury , after its invitation that he take such a course , bespeaks standards that have no shame .

[END of ' NICKY KELLY: STATE HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT ']
(Next : 'Kerry Death Mystery' - from 2003)

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1981-2007.

Bobby Sands, Belfast , 66 days, 5 May 1981.
Frank Hughes , Bellaghy (Derry) , 59 days, 12 May 1981.
Raymond McCreesh , South Armagh , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Patsy O Hara , Derry , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Joe McDonnell , Belfast , 61 days, 8 July 1981.
Martin Hurson , Tyrone , 46 days, 13 July 1981.
Kevin Lynch, Dungiven (Derry) ,71 days, 1 August 1981.
Kieran Doherty , Belfast , 73 days, 2 August 1981.
Tom McIlwee , Bellaghy (Derry) , 62 days, 8 August 1981.
Micky Devine , Derry , 60 days, 20 August 1981.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT...

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'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

TIPPERARY :
Thomas Gill , Fattheen House , Nenagh .
James Slattery , Ballyanny , Nenagh .
Andy McDonnell , Gralla , Nenagh .
Dan Gleeson , Elmhill , Ballymackey , Nenagh .

TYRONE :
Joseph McIlduff , Merchantstown , Omagh .

WESTMEATH :
Patrick Harney , 11 Railway Cottages , Athlone .

(MORE LATER).




HENRY DOHERTY : 44 DAYS ON HUNGER-STRIKE.

From 'Wigmore' column , 'MAGILL' magazine, March 1986.

At the time of writing , Henry Doherty is 44 days on hunger strike in Portlaoise Prison . He is looking for wood that was destroyed during a search to be replaced , and open visits , in accordance with an agreement reached between the (State) Department of Justice and the prisoners last year .

On 14 February 1986 , when Henry Doherty was on hunger strike for 34 days , a query was put to the Department , asking if they could confirm that the man was on hunger strike ? Twenty-four hours later the answer came back - 'Yes' . However , no notification had been sent to his family , who only learned of the matter from a local radio station in Belfast on Sunday 16 February 1986 .

His sister telephoned Portlaoise Prison but they couldn't confirm that the hunger striker was in fact her brother , and refused to give her any information . To date , the family have not been offically informed that Henry Doherty is on hunger strike . The Department has claimed that it is up to prisoners themselves to let people know that they are on hunger strike : 'they have paper , they can write' , so the logic goes.......

(MORE LATER).






NICKY KELLY: STATE HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT.......
From 'Wigmore'Column , MAGILL magazine, February 1986 .

The Birmingham Six case has become so notorious , so discredited , that British MP's , Labour and Conservative , want it reopened . Those in Leinster House have supported these calls .

Two of the Birmingham Six tried to take a civil case against those who beat them up (and there is irrefutable evidence that they were beaten up) but were 'estopped' on the grounds that the matter had been decided by the original trial . There is a section in a judgement given by 'Lord' Denning in this case which bears repeating . Younger readers are advised to make sure they are sitting down first -

" Just consider the course of events if this action were to proceed to trial . It will not be tried for 18 months or two years . If the six men fail , it will mean that much time and money and worry will have been expended by many people for no good purpose . If the six men win....... "

(MORE LATER).

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AN APPEAL TO REPUBLICANS....


The following quote is part of the description of the torture of Paddy Joe McClean (39), a remedial teacher. McClean was not a member of any section of the IRA; he was merely a local civil rights worker. He was arrested and taken from his home in Beragh, Co. Tyrone, at 5 a.m. on Monday 9 August 1971. He is married and has eight children. McClean stated:

"I spent the first 48-hour period with the other detainees at Magilligan camp. At the end of these initial 48 hours a hood was pulled over my head and I was handcuffed and subjected to verbal and personal abuse which included the threat of being dropped from a helicopter while it was in the air. I was then dragged out to the helicopter, being kicked and struck about the body with batons on the way.
After what seemed about one hour in the helicopter I was thrown from it and kicked and batoned into what I took to be a lorry. The lorry was driven only a couple of hundred yards to a building. On arriving there I was given a thorough examination by a doctor. After this, all my clothes were taken from me and I was given a boiler suit to wear which had no buttons and which was several sizes too big for me.
During this time the hood was still over my head and the handcuffs were removed only at the time of the 'medical examination'.
I was then taken into what I can only guess was another room and was made stand with my feet wide apart with my hands pressed against a wall. During all this time I could hear a low droning noise, which sounded to me like an electric saw or something of that nature. This continued for what I can only describe as an indefinite period of time. I stood there, arms against the wall, feet wide apart. My arms, legs, back and head began to ache. I perspired freely, the noise and the heat were terrible.
My circulation had stopped. I flexed my arms to start the blood flowing again. They struck me several times on the hands, ribs, kidneys and my kneecaps were kicked. My hood-covered head was banged against the wall....."
(More here...)

Read the above , follow the link and read what it offers . Then , read this link and see if you can help.......
Go raibh máith agat , from the '1169...' Crew .

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CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP,1958...


'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

MEATH :

Peter Smith , Balreask , Navan.
Leo Collins , Liscarton , Navan.
Dermot Blake , Academy Street , Navan.
James Perry , 11 Watergate Street , Navan.
Joseph Daly , Garlow Cross , Navan.
James Foy , Drumcondrath .

MAYO :

Patrick McCallig , Claremorris .
Péadar Murray , Rosclare , Newport .
John J. Monaghan , Cushmola .

MONAGHAN :

Seamus Hughes , Monaghan .

(MORE LATER).






THE LAUGHING STOCK OF DUBLIN....... !

From the 'Wigmore' Column , MAGILL magazine, June 1998 .

The above were quotations from the infamous editorial of 'The Sunday Business Post' newspaper, published on April 12 , 1998 , just two days after the Stormont Treaty was signed , which referred to the proposed amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the State Constitution as "...well meaning drivel.." , saying that the Treaty would make us become "...the laughing stock of Europe.." .

It described the deal as "...a rescue operation for Ulster unionism .." to whom had been handed "...unprecedented gifts." Six weeks later , by May 24 , 'The Sunday Business Post' had changed its tune - somewhat . The different tone was captured in the second paragraph of the editorial of that day : " Clearly the vast majority of people on this island are prepared to invest their hope and trust for the future in what is , by any standards , a complex agreement ."

Gone were the "...drivel.." , the "...unprecedented gifts.." to unionists . We are no more the laughing stock of Europe...

[END of 'THE LAUGHING STOCK OF DUBLIN']
(Next : 'Henry Doherty is 44 days on hunger-strike' - from 1986)





NICKY KELLY: STATE HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT.
From 'Wigmore'Column , MAGILL magazine, February 1986 .

Last months State High Court judgement by Justice Rory O'Hanlon on the Nicky Kelly case has received scant coverage or explanation in the press . Nicky Kelly went on hunger strike in Portlaoise Prison in May 1983 and , in an effort to get him off the hunger strike , the government invited him to take a civil case on the grounds of his allegations that he was beaten into signing a confession by gardai .

Michael Noonan promised that "...a favourable outcome could be adduced as being relevant , even only indirectly , to the question of his imprisonment . " Noonan later said that "...if a jury found in his favour in a civil case , that would change things." Nicky Kelly took the government's advice , came off the hunger strike , and instituted civil proceedings which would , if successful , gain him damages and , above all , clear his name .

The civil case would have the added benefit that for the first time the case would be heard by a jury : but it soon became clear that the government had pulled a stroke - week after week their legal representatives sought to put obstacles in Kelly's way to a civil case . He was released in July 1984 , but he persisted in demanding that his case be reviewed , that his name be cleared . But the government strategy involved obtaining an 'estoppel', and they used the case of the Birmingham Six to stop Nicky kelly.......
(MORE LATER).

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BY JOVE ! It's just not cricket...

...an ex-student-prince type , who would like to consider himself as 'The Rt Hon Christopher Smooth, Minister for Public Concern' attempted , on Monday 30 July last , to dismiss this blog as having "monocular vision" because we "reveal the horrors British imperialists impose..." .

'Lord Smooth' stated - "...1169 and Counting seem unrelentingly to use "Protestant" as a pejorative..." which , as regular readers will know , is not the case ( in actual fact , we hold all religions in equal contempt !) . We have , however , employed the sicut '(sic)' when , in our opinion , the unwarranted use of the term 'Catholic' or 'Protestant' was used in a piece we were quoting from , and , on this occasion ,it is this which has confused 'Lord Smooth' ie he stated that , on the occasion he referred too , we only used the term '(sic)' because 'it was in the original [article]...' : it wasn't . We ourselves put it there because the article in question referred to a certain political organisation which was beginning , in the opinion as stated in the article , to obtain "... a small but growing new Protestant membership..." - we inserted the term '(sic)' after the particular religion mentioned ; it was not in the original article , as 'Lord Smooth' stated , as can be verified from this photograph (left-click to enlarge : the sentence in question is the last one in the marked paragraph) -



Our wannabe-adversary (who assured us that he "...featured in the columns of "Trinity News", the student weekly of Trinity College, Dublin, in the early 1960s..."!) based his other 'reasons' for dismissing this blog on a similar platform ie on that which we never wrote and/or by deliberately misrepresenting our intentions . We get this quite a lot and usually sort it out with a reply (or two...!) to the 'Comment' section/Guestbook of the site in question but , in this instance , we thought it best to publicise the lengths some people will go to in their attempt to discredit , not only this blog , but that which this blog stands for : the Irish Republican position in relation to the on-going occupation of a part of this isle by those political and military forces controlled by Westminster . Even if , in doing so , we offend the likes of 'Lord Smooth' .

Finally , we have refrained from providing a link to the royal territory occupied by the good 'Lord' , as we have no desire to foist his irritating 'marble-in-mouth' prose on our good readers . For that , you owe us big......;-)

Sharon.

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'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

LAOIS :

Patrick McLogan , Main Street , Portlaoise .
John O' Donovan , Clonminan , Abbeyleix Road , Portlaoise .
Thomas Lynam , 63 Marian Place , Portlaoise .
Seán O'Donovan , 82 Marian Place , Portlaoise .


LONGFORD :

Ruaidhri Ó Brádaígh TD, Battery Road , Longford.


LEITRIM :

Patrick McGirl , Camber , Carrigallen .
(MORE LATER).





THE LAUGHING STOCK OF DUBLIN !

From the 'Wigmore' Column , MAGILL magazine, June 1998 .

On the day before the referendum on the Stormont Agreement, 'The Newsletter' newspaper published an eight-page advertising section for the Ulster Unionist Party (sic) , the purpose of which was to assure unionists that the Stormont Agreement favoured unionists rather than republicans . In support of this contention , the centre page spread of the ad section was headed - ' This is a bad deal for republicans' .

In its support it quoted Ruairi Ó Brádaigh, Bernadette Sands, Robert Ballagh, the IRSP, 'The Anderstown News' newspaper and 'The Sunday Tribune' newspaper.

Two sources were quoted twice : Mitchell McLaughlin, chairperson of Provisional Sinn Fein , and 'The Sunday Business Post' newspaper: the latter stated - ' This is no deal for nationalist Ireland . It is likely to copperfasten partition on this island for many years to come , perhaps for decades . This year , 1998 , is the 200th anniversary of the 1798 rebellion. Ironically , it is also the year which will witness the greatest erosion of Irish sovereignty since the Act of Union was passed....... '
(MORE LATER).





JOHN DUNSTER AT WINDSCALE.......

From 'Wigmore' Column , MAGILL magazine, March 1986.

John Dunster , the then Chief Physicist at Windscale , stated - " The intention has been to discharge very substantial amounts of radioactivity as part of an organised and deliberate scientific experiment , the aims of which would have been defeated if the level of radioactivity had been kept to a minimum . "

Mr.Dunster no longer works at the Windscale nuclear plant - he is now 'Director of the UK National Radiological Protection Board', the 'independent watchdog' body which is charged with protecting the public from radiation hazards . We can all sleep a little bit sounder for knowing that.

(Also : in the November 1986 issue of 'Magill' magazine , it was reported that , in 1958 , John Dunster admitted to the 'Geneva Conference on Peaceful Uses of the Atom' that "...discharges from Windscale have been deliberately maintained high enough to obtain detectable activity levels in samples of fish , seaweed and shore sand , and the experiment is still proceeding . This year (1958) the rate of discharge of radioactivity was deliberately increased partly to dispose of unwanted waste but principally to yield better experimental data ." It is those with similar 'short-term-benefit' attitudes that the current 'powers-that-be' in this State have put in charge of the Tara motorway and Shell projects , not to mention the so-called 'health service' etc . Not only is the present generation paying for that folly , but future generations will , too . )

[END of 'John Dunster At Windscale']
(Next : 'Nicky Kelly- High Court Judgement' , from 1986)

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'LOVE ULSTER' TO SEEK SUPREMACY IN DUBLIN AGAIN ?

This Loyalist/Combat 18/UVF combination have stated that they intend to parade their banners in Dublin on the last Saturday in September or the first Saturday in October 2007.......



Willie Frazer of the so-called 'Love Ulster' organisation has stepped-up his campaign to parade through Dublin , accompanied by other Loyalist thugs and Combat 18 members .
These are the same people from , and representing , the same organisation which the Dublin Administration last year tried to assist in their quest to triumphantly parade through the streets of Dublin : the place-seekers in Leinster House authorised the use of force against those who objected to the presence of 'Union Jack'-waving neo-Nazi's in Dublin , resulting in other elements using the occasion for what they deemed to be their own advantage - riots ensued on the streets of Dublin .
If this Loyalist parade goes ahead , Republicans have made their position clear .
Are the 'powers-that-be' in Leinster House listening this time...?

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'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

KERRY :

Derek McKenna , Valencia Island .
Donald O' Shea , The Square , Kilgarvan.

LIMERICK :

Sean Edmonds , Castleconnell .
Michael Murphy .
Jimmy Devereaux .
John MacNamara .

LOUTH :

Laurence Grogan , 21 Sunnyside Cottage , Drogheda .
William Stewart , 16 Wolfe Tone Terrace , Dundalk .
Patrick Lennon , 22 Patrick Street , Dundalk .
James Rafferty , Lower Faughart , Dundalk .
Liam Fagan , Proleek , Ravensdale .
(MORE LATER).



PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO OUR GREATEST SCANDAL.......
From 'MAGILL' magazine, June 1998.
By Vincent Browne.
('1169...' Comment : please note - the use of the term 'murder' in connection with the death of an informer is not our choice of word.)

Clearly , the Gardai have no stomach for a proper investigation of this scandal . Anyway they are not and could never be the proper agency for an inquiry into themselves .

There is a proper reluctance in calling for Tribunals of Inquiry into public scandals, given the cost and feebleness of some of the previous such enquiries , but there is hardly an alternative in this instance . We have a right to know whether our police force was complicit in the murder of a fellow-citizen and we have no way of knowing that other than through a public inquiry . Let's have it .

[END of 'Public Inquiry Into Our Greatest Scandal']
(Next : 'The Laughing Stock Of Dublin' - from 1998.)




JOHN DUNSTER AT WINDSCALE.

From 'Wigmore' Column , MAGILL magazine, March 1986.

In the late 1950's , a man called John Dunster was Chief Physicist at Windscale Nuclear Power Plant. He was given to saying things like " The sea has always been regarded as the ideal place for dumping waste and this is , of course , a reasonable and proper attitude . Most of the objects which ultimately find their way to the shore are harmless and a considerable source of pleasure for children . Not the least of the attractions of the sea as a dumping ground is the lack of administrative controls ."

Mr Dunster was in charge of overseeing the discharges into the Irish Sea from Windscale at a time when those discharges were deliberately kept higher than they needed to be , just to see what would happen.......
(MORE LATER).

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COLONIAL STATUS PERPETUATED.....



" The failure to break with the colonial past is illustrated by the State’s habit of imitating British practices and conventions. The names and structures of government agencies are copied direct from England: the ‘Special Branch’, the ‘Director of Public Prosecutions’, the ‘Ombudsman’ and so on. Even the forms used in tax assessment are direct copies of those used in Britain. (Originally the Department of Finance wanted to call itself ‘The Treasury’ but this was vetoed by Westminster: there could only be one Treasury and it wasn’t in Dublin!)
It is reflected too in uniforms: the uniforms worn by military personnel, by Civil Defence, even by traffic wardens. As for the police force, it is nominally unarmed but about 25% of it is plain-clothes and armed with Uzis. The Uzi is an Ingram-type machine pistol manufactured in Israel, probably out of re-cycled sardine cans or the like: it is a scatter-fire weapon favoured by security forces in countries where if a few by-standers are mown down then it is of no consequence. The Gardai also have stocks of CS-gas and plastic bullets, though these have only rarely been deployed.

It is often claimed that the State originates in the 1916 Rising and subsequent struggle for freedom. This is of course nonsense. The Free State destroyed and replaced the Republic declared in 1916 and is a continuation of the previous colonial regime by other means. It was established by an act passed at Westminster and it inherited the administrative machinery (and most of the personnel) of Dublin Castle. The State has continued to be ruled by a system of laws devised for a totally different society. British war memorials and the graves of Black-and-Tans are maintained by the Office of Public Works: Republican graves and memorials at private expense...."
(More here....)

Help us to break that 'colonial status...' .

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CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP , 1958...



'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

FERMANAGH :

Patrick Connolly , Aughnashannoner , Roslea .
Patrick Tierney , Woghternarry , Enniskillen .
Dan Fitzpatrick , Main Street , Newtownbutler .

GALWAY :

Michael Kelly , Derrea , Killamore , Ballinasloe .
Sean Scott , Ballyforan .
Bart Gormley , 23 Demesne Cottages , Tuam .
Patrick Kelly , Church Street , Ballygar .

KILDARE :

Frank Driver, Ballymore Eustace .
Thomas Stapeleton , Darrs , Sallins .
Chris Kelly , Rathangan .
Denis Harrington , Green Lane , Leixlip.
(MORE LATER).



PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO OUR GREATEST SCANDAL.......
From 'MAGILL' magazine, June 1998.
By Vincent Browne.
('1169...' Comment : please note - the use of the term 'murder' in connection with the death of an informer is not our choice of word.)

On the basis of what he himself now says happened , the only possible defence that Sean O' Callaghan could have to a charge of murder could be that he had informed the Gardai all along about what was happening . If it is the case that O' Callaghan did not keep the Gardai fully informed of what was going on in relation to the kidnap , detention and murder of John Corcoran, then why hasn't he been charged with the murder or at least as being an accessory to the murder ?

The only possible explanation for the failure to charge O' Callaghan with the murder , given what he has now said about the role he played , is that he did indeed keep the Gardai fully informed . John O' Donoghue ordered an inquiry into this affair when he became (State) Minister for Justice in July of last year (ie 1997) and , eventually , in January of this year (ie 1998) , a report on the matter was submitted to him . But that was done before Sean O' Callaghan was even spoken to - via telephone- by the Garda undertaking the investigation !

Indeed , it was only following repeated pressure from 'MAGILL' magazine that the investigating Garda made telephone contact at all : it wasn't until O' Callaghan turned up in Dublin to give evidence in the Thomas Murphy-Sunday Times libel case in May this year (ie 1998) was he interviewed.......
(MORE LATER).





TAKING IT HANDY.......

Provisional Sinn Fein are fighting this election as a party which has just emerged from seventy years of abstentionism. The party is banned from the airwaves and there is a strong apparent bias against the party in the press.
From 'In Dublin' magazine Election Special, 1987.
By Derek Dunne.

In an election that is being fought out almost exclusively in the media , the Provisionals have been hit hard by Section 31 censorship and a general bias against the party . But what comes across very clearly is that Adams is popular in working-class areas .

It has been raining all day and , at the end of the area canvass , everybody is drenched . It's time to call a halt to the electioneering - Gerry Adams has meetings to attend and phone calls to make. 'Take it handy' , he says , and turns his mind towards other matters.

[END of 'TAKING IT HANDY']
(Next : 'John Dunster At Windscale' - from 1986)

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They haven't gone away, ya know.....



...they live in fine big houses but work in a sleezy establishment; they rule over a brow-beaten and morally-exhausted populace yet produce nothing of any value themselves; and , although already wealthy, they will rob from their own kind should the opportunity arise.

They may be off our screens for now - on an extended holiday - but they'll be back.......

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'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

DUBLIN:

Eamonn Ladrigan , 19 Merchants Road , East Wall .
Des Webster , 50 Curlew Road , Drimnagh .
Martin Shannon , 46 Griffith Drive , Finglas .
George Kelly , 52 Collins Avenue East , Killester .
John Keane , 30 Upper Dorset Street .
Thomas O' Neill , 5b Mary Aikenhead House , James Street .
Don Merrins , 41 Suir Road , Kilmainham .
Kevin McKay , 351 Captains Road , Crumlin .
Tim Conlon , 22 Turner's Cottages , Ballsbridge .
Liam O' Rourke , 2 Thomond Road , Ballyfermot .
Terry Murray , 16 Harrington Street .
Michael Mann , 57 Tyrconnell Road , Inchicore , Dublin .
(....those from Fermanagh next..)
(MORE LATER).



PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO OUR GREATEST SCANDAL.......
From 'MAGILL' magazine, June 1998.
By Vincent Browne.
('1169...' Comment : please note - the use of the term 'murder' in connection with the death of an informer is not our choice of word.)

It stretches belief that the man said by Gardai to have been "...the most important intelligence agent in the history of the State.." did not tell the Gardai at the time what was happening . Sean O' Callaghan says in his book - and he has said repeatedly since he gave himself up to British police in 1989 - that he kept his Garda 'handler' fully informed at all stages of the John Corcoran kidnap , detention and murder .

The consistency of his account on this score - which contrasts with the flagrant contradictions in his accounts of other events and indeed other aspects of this murder - is impressive and plausible , and on the basis of that account the Gardai knew fully about the imminence of the detention of John Corcoran . They knew where he was being held over a series of days and of the likelihood of his murder . They knew of the decision to murder him and/or where he was to be murdered and yet they did nothing . The institution charged with the protection of the life and liberty of citizens of this State , the Garda Siochána, stood by while a citizen , who happened also to have been one of their own informants , was murdered .

And they had an obvious motive for refusing to intervene to protect John Corcoran's life - the protection of their flow of information from 'the most important intelligence agent in the history of the State' . Sean O' Callaghan has claimed variously that he personally shot John Corcoran in the head and that he was not present when John Corcoran was shot in the head . But even in his sanitised version of what happened , Sean O' Callaghan acknowledges that he was instrumental in the kidnap and detention of John Corcoran , that he took part in the decisions to murder him , that he even took those whom he now claims were the direct murderers to where John Corcoran was being held and that he advised them on where they would find a "quiet place" at which to commit the murder.......
(MORE LATER).





TAKING IT HANDY.......

Provisional Sinn Fein are fighting this election as a party which has just emerged from seventy years of abstentionism. The party is banned from the airwaves and there is a strong apparent bias against the party in the press.
From 'In Dublin' magazine Election Special, 1987.
By Derek Dunne.

Even though the Provos would expect to capitalise on the working-class vote , there were several middle-class looking voters who promised 'to think about it' . Here , as everywhere , the main problem is apathy . Television and radio , newspapers and magazines , have debated endlessly about the election and report all the press conferences , but this enthusiasm is not shared by the electorate .

There is a great cynicism abroad about politicians in general ('1169...' Comment - unjustified , of course..) but the response to the Provos is better , perhaps explained by the fact that , until now , they were pledged not to take their seats when elected ('1169...' Comment - 'pledged' by their membership of the Republican Movement , which they left in November 1986) but , on this occasion , they are fighting on the basis that they will share in the decision as to who will be the next State Taoiseach if and when they are elected . One man tells Gerry Adams that he was voting for the Provos before Adams was born , but that they failed to get Seamus South elected on that occasion . Adams is clearly uncomfortable about approaching people whilst they are out shopping - " I hate this type of canvassing , stopping people , you're almost in their way.." ('1169..' Comment - ...whatever about that(!) , he and his have definitely attempted to 'get in the way' of Irish Republicanism but , like the lackeys that went before them , have failed.)

The word from the various constituencies , especially Cavan-Monaghan , Dublin Central and Louth , is that the Provos are doing exceptionally well , and reports coming in suggest that the party will do much better than expected . But censorship still exists.......
(MORE LATER).

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CURRAGH CAMP/PUBLIC INQUIRY/HANDY.


'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

DUBLIN :

Peter Pringle , 2 Alexandra Terrace , South Circular Road .
James Fagan , 171 Windmill Road , Crumlin .
Patrick McLoughlin , 121 Larkhill Road , Whitehall .
Gordon Hyland , 17 McMahon Street , South Circular Road .
Liam Healy , 22 Luke Street .
Sean Garland, 7 Belvedere Place .
Liam Egan , 3 Islington Avenue , Sandymount .
Seamus Doran , 31 Sullivan Street , Infirmary Road .
Frank Ross, 14 The Rise , Glasnevin .
Patrick O' Regan , 1 Goldsmith Street , North Circular Road.
Tomás MacGearáilt , Rathmines Road .
Bernárd Ó Riain , Dun Laoghaire .
Phil O' Donoghue , 95 Lally Road , Ballyfermot .
Peter O' Donoghue , 95 Lally Road , Ballyfermot .
(MORE LATER).



PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO OUR GREATEST SCANDAL.......
From 'MAGILL' magazine, June 1998.
By Vincent Browne.
('1169...' Comment : please note - the use of the term 'murder' in connection with the death of an informer is not our choice of word.)

Amidst the mountain of lies that Sean O' Callaghan has told and probably remains telling about his involvement in the PIRA , there are some things we know for sure about him : the first is that he was a high-ranking member of (P) Sinn Fein and the PIRA in the 1980's ; the second is that he was a high-ranking Garda informant during this time . We also know that John Corcoran was murdered in the area of the country for which Sean O' Callaghan had responsibility as a PIRA operative .

Without believing anything at all that O' Callaghan now says concerning the murder of John Corcoran , we can be reasonably sure that he was somehow implicated in that murder or at least would have been aware that Corcoran was about to be or had been kidnapped and was about to be murdered .

If it were the case that O' Callaghan told the Gardai nothing at all at the time about the kidnapping of John Corcoran and the imminence of his murder , then Gardai would have known themselves that O' Callaghan had been involved somehow . Or at least that the kidnapping and murder of John Corcoran could not have taken place without his knowledge and , almost certainly , his acquiescence . On that basis alone , O' Callaghan should have been charged with the murder of John Corcoran in 1985 . There is no evidence that Sean O' Callaghan was even interrogated about that murder at the time.......
(MORE LATER).





TAKING IT HANDY.......

Provisional Sinn Fein are fighting this election as a party which has just emerged from seventy years of abstentionism. The party is banned from the airwaves and there is a strong apparent bias against the party in the press.
From 'In Dublin' magazine Election Special, 1987.
By Derek Dunne.

Garret FitzGerald finally comes rushing down the stairs , surrounded by handlers and gardai , both of which group have no qualms about pushing , elbowing and shoving their way past the crowd . Gerry Adams is brushed aside before too many words can be exchanged . FitzGerald is pale and tense looking , and there is a general rush towards the narrow exit in the wake of the man . One Fine Gaeler decides to take the law into his own hands and pins Adams against the narrow door , refusing to let him go , while other Fine Gaelers are shouting abuse . Outside a scuffle develops between one Provo supporter and the gardai .

Adams sees the scuffle and approaches the gardai in a conciliatory manner and says 'It's ok , it's ok , I'll take him...' and finally the youth is released and calm has been restored but , by now , FitzGerald has disappeared .

The reception that Adams gets in the Liberties contrasts to that afforded to Dessie O' Malley: Adams is promised a vote by almost every person he talks to . A minibus * goes around , urging support for the party and announcing that Adams is in the area . Many people want to meet him and shake his hand and wish him luck . There is a strong base of support for him in the area and if it transfers into actual votes they could take a seat eventually . Back in Crumlin Shopping Centre , the election workers are sent in first , then the candidates are brought in and , finally , Adams goes in . Unlike most of the other parties , canvassing is done outside . One man remarks that Adams looks much better in reality than he does on television , and wishes him the best of luck.......(*'1169...' Comment : the Provos do their canvassing now from transport supplied by their British and/or Free State paymasters and would scarcely remember what the inside of a minibus looks like..)
(MORE LATER).

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'LOVE TARA' MARCH,DUBLIN,SATURDAY 21 JULY 2007.


RSF protestor , Parnell Monument,O'Connell Street,Dublin,Saturday 21 July 2007, 'Love Tara' March.


Over one-thousand people marched through the centre of Dublin yesterday in support of the campaign to demand that the planned M3 motorway be diverted a safe distance away from the Hill of Tara . In what must have been the first dry day in Dublin in over five weeks (!),the carnival-like procession made its way from the Garden of Remembrance to the State 'Department of the Environment , Heritage and Local Government' in the Custom House in the dockland area , where speeches were delivered calling for , amongst other things , the immediate release of 'The Tara Four'.
'Marchers carrying the flags of all 32 counties gathered at the Gardens of Remembrance and marched up O'Connell St and to the Department of the Environment at the Custom House.' "Apparently Minister Gormley is getting annoyed at people saying that he does have the power to change the M3 route. Perhaps that explains why there were no Green Party representatives at the march today, unlike previous ones....." (Both quotes from here.)
(Incidentally - one of the RSF participants on the 'Love Tara' march had a good conversation with a representative of this group, which deserves to be applauded for its environmental and social science viewpoint.)
It's the politicians that should be buried in concrete , not our heritage centres.

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TARA WAS OLD WHEN CHRIST WAS BORN...



"Picking up yeomanry reinforcements along the way, the combined British force of about 700 troops lost no time in forming up at the bottom of the hill to attack the rebels who had posted themselves behind defenses such as old walls and ditches. An attack up the hill was quickly launched and met strong resistance from the rebels but the superior firepower of the military combined with a well-executed bayonet charge drove the rebels from the hill, dispersing them with much slaughter...."

....and now a like-minded foe has come back for the Hill itself .

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CURRAGH CAMP/PUBLIC INQUIRY/HANDY.


'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

DUBLIN :

Eamon Thomas , 30 Goldenbridge Avenue , Inchicore .
Gerald McCarthy , 43 Drimnagh Road .
Frank Delaney , 130 Benmadigan Road , Drimnagh .
Frank Morrissey , 135 South Circular Road , Dolphins Barn .
Noel Kavanagh , 141 Tritonville Road , Sandymount .
Liam Nolan , 67 Bangor Road , Crumlin .
Sean Nolan , 67 Bangor Road , Crumlin .
Dick Burke , 23 Cliftonville Road , Glasnevin .
Paul Gleeson , 446 Galtymore Road , Drimnagh .
James Hayde , 110 Carrow Road , Drimnagh .
Seán Ryan , 1 Spencer Street , South Circular Road .
Bertie Murphy , 1 Leinster Avenue , North Strand .
(MORE LATER).



PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO OUR GREATEST SCANDAL.
From 'MAGILL' magazine, June 1998.
By Vincent Browne.
('1169...' Comment : please note - the use of the term 'murder' in connection with the death of an informer is not our choice of word.)

We return once more to the murder of John Corcoran in Kerry 13 years ago . The cover up of that murder and the obvious complicity of the Gardai in that murder remain by far the greatest scandal of our public life . And yet , apart from a brief intervention by Dick Spring and a broken promise by the now State Justice Minister , John O' Donoghue, not a single public representative has sought as yet to make an issue of this .

The Gardai had a special responsibility to protect the life of John Corcoran for he too , along with Sean O'Callaghan, was an informer , giving the Gardai information about the operation of the PIRA in the Cork area . That makes the Garda complicity in the crime , or his murder , or at least in the crime of the cover up of his murder , all the more outrageous . The prime source for information on the murder of John Corcoran - the IRA informer Sean O' Callaghan - is an inveterate liar . He has directly contradicted several times his account of how John Corcoran was murdered .

But he has , perhaps unwittingly , provided enough information for us to appreciate that the Gardai bear a great responsibility for what happened.......
(MORE LATER).





TAKING IT HANDY.......

Provisional Sinn Fein are fighting this election as a party which has just emerged from seventy years of abstentionism. The party is banned from the airwaves and there is a strong apparent bias against the party in the press.
From 'In Dublin' magazine Election Special, 1987.
By Derek Dunne.

It was too late when Charlie Haughey's handlers noticed that Gerry Adams was making his way towards them - they could not move Haughey , who was surrounded and as good as rooted to the spot . Adams asked Haughey if he would consider voting for the local Republican candidate , and Haughey smiled : " No, I can't ..." , he answered . The irony was not lost on some of those present who remembered that Fianna Fail claim to be 'The Republican Party' .

And then Mr. Haughey wished Mr. Adams 'the best of luck anyway' as he was swept away by handlers and others . It was a great stroke , and one which Haughey himself could hardly help but appreciate . Immediately , Adams had to move on as there was another appointment - this one was with Garret FitzGerald in Dublin's Clarence Hotel. When the Provos got there , Garret was upstairs and the meeting was over : Adams waited in the lobby downstairs , as did the Gardai and the Special Branch who were much in evidence , as were journalists . Adams said he was 'happier defending the (P)IRA on the doorsteps than the record of the present government' . He was asked if it was his intention to canvass Garret FitzGerald for support for the local Republican candidate . He might , he replied , if Mr. FitzGerald ever came down .

By now , Provisional Sinn Fein supporters had gathered outside the hotel - they were young , enthusiastic and they were also waiting for Garret . Section 31 of The Broadcasting Act has banned Provisional Sinn Fein from RTE and the print media have , by and large , ignored the party . This election has been fought out mainly in the media , and the young Provisional Sinn Fein supporters perceive that Garret FitzGerald has supported part of the problem - namely Section 31 of The Broadcasting Act . Now they are waiting for FitzGerald to come out of the hotel.......
(MORE LATER).

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