1169 And Counting.....

Saturday, April 11, 2009

BALBRIGGAN,COUNTY DUBLIN,WREATH-LAYING CEREMONY,EASTER SATURDAY 11th APRIL 2009.

“RIC Head Constable Peter Burke and his brother, Sgt Michael Burke are attacked by the IRA in a public house (Mrs Smith’s three miles outside Balbriggan, Co. Dublin) . In retaliation, the Auxiliaries carry out reprisals in Balbriggan killing two suspected IRA men…”
(From here.)

An RSF-organised Easter wreath-laying ceremony was held today (Saturday 11th April 2009) on the bridge in Balbriggan , County Dublin , in memory of Séamus Lawless and Séan Gibbons : about forty republicans gathered on both sides of the bridge to take part in and watch the proceedings , which were chaired by Andy Connolly , Dublin RSF , who mentioned , amongst other things , that the men and women who decided to take on the might of the (then) ‘British empire’ did not do so in order that a British-sponsored Administration , staffed and maintained by Irish gombeens , should be established .

Ten Special Branch men were present throughout the proceedings , but their presence did not deter the Republicans from holding a dignified Commemoration , of which we publish four pictures from with this post.
A full report will be published in the May 2009 issue of ‘Saoirse’ , which will be published on April 29 next.

Thanks!
Sharon.

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

THE IRA : the new IRA is younger , more radical and has seen little of life other than violence.......
By Ed Moloney.
From 'Magill' magazine, September 1980.

ED MALONEY : " British undercover surveillance has been responsible for a number of recent arrests of IRA teams in transit , this year . How badly does this activity affect the IRA ? "

IRA : " The Brits are very, very good at undercover work. This is what they are into now . Nevertheless we are totally satisfied that we know why our active service units are caught . While the British are good we always know where they operate and why they operate . Because the population is hostile to them and sympathetic to us they tell us about them . They're not that effective but they're a hindrance and they probably perceive their role as that. "
(MORE LATER).

HOPE IN THE SHADOWS.

For some Northern nationalists the Anglo-Irish Agreement ('Hillsborough Treaty',1985) only makes their lives more dangerous , for others it offers hope on a road to nowhere. Fionnuala O'Connor visited a (Provisional) Sinn Fein advice centre in the Ardoyne and Seamus Mallon's office in Newry.
From 'MAGILL' magazine, December 1986.

No matter how often you hear it described , only going there explains how how closed-in Ardoyne is , how few the streets along which you can drive - or even walk - into those treeless , featureless , straight lines of houses .

Concrete bollards , corrugated iron , mobile but rarely moved barriers ; the sealed entrances have a dual purpose - they keep loyalist murder-gangs out and they make it easier to seal off republican Ardoyne for close inspection by the British Army and the RUC .

'Parc an Ghleanna Ard' , says the street sign ; 'Brompton Park' , says the map . Westminster hasn't yet got around to legalising Irish street-names as part of the 'Anglo-Irish Agreement's' (Hillsborough Treaty's) first and long-heralded package of recognition for the Irish identity . But in the parts of Belfast where the Provos are strongest , Irish street-names predate that Treaty . Sometimes they're Irish only , sometimes politely bilingual , with the Irish version on top , of course. Elsewhere , it's 'Brompton Park' at the end where Ardoyne nears the outside world and 'Parc an Ghleanna Ard' at the other end.......
(MORE LATER).

TEN YEARS IN ENGLISH JAILS.......
Anne and Eileen Gillespie were arrested in April 1974 following an explosion in a Manchester house where IRA Volunteers were preparing incendiaries , and were sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for earlier bombing attacks in which they had no part , serving the bulk of their sentence in the maximum security wing of Durham Jail. Released at the end of last August , they talked to 'IRIS' about their experience , at their home in Gweedore , County Donegal .
From 'IRIS' magazine, August 1984.

A day on 'H' Wing started with being woken at 7am . They would then unlock us at 8am , after which we had 20 minutes to do everything before we had to present ourselves for work. It was ridiculous - we had to slop-out , wash in an overcrowded washroom , have breakfast , collect any medication and make any applications to the prison authorities we might have . All in just twenty minutes.

Prisoners had access to all the drugs they wanted , both legal and illegal . A lot of drugs were smuggled into the prison , but so-called 'Control Drugs' were freely available - you could get Valium etc whenever you wanted . One of us suffered from palpitations of the heart and they dished out Largactyl!

When we heard about the terrible things that were happening in Armagh Jail we could identify with their situation . They were happening to us as well , although on a smaller scale. In Armagh the women were stronger because they had one another. We were strip-searched and had cell changes in a similar way . If you caused 'trouble' , the male Screws would be called and women were dragged out of their cells naked and screaming.......
(MORE LATER).

Sunday, April 05, 2009

Agus Fáilte Abhaile!

.... and we're back. Already!

Our two-week holiday flew in ; felt more like two days. A group of us girls had been saving our pennies since May '08 for the holiday , and finally decided in early March '09 that we had enough put away in the kitty to make the arrangements - so we ended-up , again, in New York and , once again - we had a Ball!

We stayed in a guest-house near Union Square run by an Irish couple and their family , who spoiled us rotten and constantly forgave us our sins as we stumbled home in the not-so-early hours of the morning , the worst for wear and tear (!) and then, after a few hours sleep , a shower and change of clothes and a good breakfast (supper?) we headed-off to conquer another far-flung corner of our host city! As expected when a group of Ladies are holidaying like this , we literally shopped 'till we dropped - each of us brought over one large suitcase containing just one full change of clothes and one empty smaller case which we knew would pass as 'hand luggage' and , again as expected, each of us brought home the above pieces of luggage, bursting at the seams, plus a bigger suitcase each.
And even then we had to share two newly-purchased medium-sized suitcases between us!
However - enough already of our tales of woe ;-) : I can publish a few pics here of our travels , but most of our photographic memories are for our eyes only....

Just like the Irish - fighting terrorism for centuries.

One of our 3rd Avenue 'home-from-homes' !

One of the dozens of parks we stopped in for a breather - and to plan our next assault on 5th Avenue!

And a big 'Go Raibh Maith Agat' to Pat and family , to Sam , Frankie and Shay from the Bronx , and to Kevin , Mal , Heno and Larry from Queens , to the lads from Brooklyn and to our good friends in Hell's Kitchen : we'll be in touch , as promised , and we're already saving for next year..... !
Finally - we hope to see as many of ye as possible next week and at this event, the week after. We'll be back to normal service this coming Wednesday. We should be finished packing-away our new wardrobes by then....
Thanks for reading!
Sharon.

Sunday, March 22, 2009

" A TERRIBLE BEAUTY...."

"Too long a sacrifice
Can make a stone of the heart.
O when may it suffice?
That is Heaven's part, our part
To murmur name upon name,
As a mother names her child
When sleep at last has come
On limbs that had run wild.

What is it but nightfall?
No, no, not night but death;
Was it needless death after all?
For England may keep faith
For all that is done and said.
We know their dream; enough
To know they dreamed and are dead;

And what if excess of love
Bewildered them till they died?
I write it out in a verse -
MacDonagh and MacBride
And Connolly and Pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born...."
(From here.)

REPUBLICAN COMMEMORATIONS FOR EASTER 2009 , DUBLIN .
(Above photograph from here.)

Easter Saturday , 11th April 2009 , 3pm on the bridge in Balbriggan. A bus to this Easter Commemoration will be leaving at 2pm from outside the RSF Offices at 223 Parnell Street and will be returning to the city centre afterwards. (See last year's Easter Saturday Commemoration here.)

Easter Sunday , 12th April 2009 , 1pm at the Cemetery gates in Deansgrange. (See last year's Easter Sunday Commemoration here.)

Easter Monday , 13th April 2009 , Garden of Remembrance , Dublin City Centre at 1.45pm : the parade will leave at that time to arrive at the GPO for 2pm. (See last year's Easter Monday Commemoration here.)

Further details regarding each of the three commemorations will be published on this blog between now and then.
Thanks!
Sharon.
(PLEASE NOTE : this will be our last post until early April as we are taking a short holiday.)

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

THE IRA : the new IRA is younger , more radical and has seen little of life other than violence.......
By Ed Moloney.
From 'Magill' magazine, September 1980.

ED MALONEY : " Does the IRA intend to retaliate against loyalists for recent attacks on republicans and in particular the killings of John Turnly and Miriam Daly? "

IRA : " Firstly , the majority of people assassinated by loyalists have been totally innocent Catholics . This year they have attempted a certain degree of discrimination , and have also attacked republicans and fellow protestants close to the Irish nationalist tradition in an attempt to provoke the IRA into blind or frustrated retaliation.

We have absolutely no intentions of getting involved in such a war. They distract the IRA from attacks on Crown Forces and help the British to foster the idea of being 'brokers between two factions' . That's not to say that we wouldn't take retaliatory action against loyalists we knew were specifically in the UVF or UDA, and were in an influential position with regard to these attacks. "
(MORE LATER).

TEN YEARS IN ENGLISH JAILS.......
Anne and Eileen Gillespie were arrested in April 1974 following an explosion in a Manchester house where IRA Volunteers were preparing incendiaries , and were sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for earlier bombing attacks in which they had no part , serving the bulk of their sentence in the maximum security wing of Durham Jail. Released at the end of last August , they talked to 'IRIS' about their experience , at their home in Gweedore , County Donegal .
From 'IRIS' magazine, August 1984.

There was always a great deal of hostility towards us , but at various stages of our sentence it got worse . It really depended on the situation outside - how many British soldiers were killed or injured , how many bombs had exploded etc . If ten British soldiers were killed over in the North of Ireland it mattered to people far less than one policeman being killed in Britain . After Mountbatten was killed we actually thought they'd finish us off !

One of the worse things the prison Screws did was to tell other prisoners that if they were seen talking to us they'd lose remission or would never get parole so , from time to time, we really had a hard time . We weren't physically attacked , but the verbal hostility never eased up the whole time we were there .

There was a very small visiting area in 'H' Wing , and Category 'A' prisoners weren't allowed visits at the same time as other prisoners . So that when we had visits , no-one else was allowed a visit that day , which caused enormous tension - women would come out of the office having been refused a visit because of us and they were angry . They would head straight for us , and that situation happened almost every day . It was seven years before they changed that 'rule' .......
(MORE LATER).

(PLEASE NOTE : this is our last '3-in-1' post until early April , as we are taking a much-needed break. We'll be in touch later- thanks!)

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

THE IRA : the new IRA is younger , more radical and has seen little of life other than violence.......
By Ed Moloney.
From 'Magill' magazine, September 1980.

ED MALONEY : "What are the reasons for attacks on UDR and ex-UDR men when most Protestants in the North view those attacks as sectarian? "

IRA : " In the RUC Constabular Gazette of June 1979 it was admitted that the UDR and RUC Reserve were the eyes and ears of the British Crown Forces in the North of Ireland . We don't shoot anyone because of their religious beliefs . There have even been a few Catholics in the UDR killed by the IRA , there was one killed by an IRA landmine at Castlewellan this year . We have given notice to UDR men that if they contact us and assure us they are no longer members of the UDR we will not touch them .

The problem has been because of the difficulties the UDR has in recruiting members because of declining morale ; the turnover has been so high and occasionally our intelligence has been mistaken and we have shot by mistake former members . In rural areas it is the UDR and RUC , not so much the British Army , which is repressing our people so our attacks on them will continue . But nobody can show there is a sectarian pattern to our attacks on the UDR . "
(MORE LATER).

SPIES UNDER A SPOTLIGHT.......
'British Intelligence And Covert Action' , by Jonathan Bloch and Patrick FitzGerald. Published by Brandon/Junction ,1983. Reviewed here by Peter Hayes.

Overall , this is an interesting and readable book and is to be recommended , which gives us an opening to mention a new journal/newsletter about "...intelligence , parapolitics and state structures.." called (somewhat curiously) 'The Lobster'. Issue Number One (September 1983) contains an interesting article on British Intelligence involvement in the Kincora Boys Home affair, and numerous 'shorts' on aspects of the dirty world of covert operations that don't really appeal to us but might to those more interested in the nitty-gritty of spy-watching.
[END of 'SPIES UNDER A SPOTLIGHT.......']
(NEXT : 'HOPE IN THE SHADOWS' , from 'Magill' magazine , 1986. Please note that we will not be starting this article until early April , as we are taking a holiday soon - our first decent break since May 2008 !)

Saturday, March 07, 2009

AN GORTA MÓR.

"An Englishman applauds and assists insurrection in countries where they profess to have for their object the freedom of the individual or of the nation; he imprisons and stifles it at home, where the motive is precisely similar, and the cause, in the eyes of the insurgents at least, incomparably more valid...."

" You have heard, no doubt, of wholesale evictions; they are of frequent occurrence in Ireland—sometimes from political motives, because the poor man will not vote with his landlord; sometimes from religious motives, because the poor man will not worship God according to his landlord's conscience; sometimes from selfish motives, because his landlord wishes to enlarge his domain, or to graze more cattle. The motive does not matter much to the poor victim. He is flung out upon the roadside; if he is very poor, he may die there, or he may go to the workhouse, but he must not be taken in, even for a time, by any other family on the estate. The Irish Celt, with his warm heart and generous impulses, would, at all risks to himself, take in the poor outcasts, and share his poverty with them; but the landlord could not allow this. The commission of one evil deed necessitates the commission of another. An Irish gentleman, who has no personal interest in land, and is therefore able to look calmly on the question, has been at the pains to collect instances of this tyranny, in his Plea for the Celtic Race. I shall only mention one as a sample. In the year 1851, on an estate which was at the time supposed to be one of the most fairly treated in Ireland , the agent of the property had given public notice to the tenantry that expulsion from their farms would be the penalty inflicted on them, if they harboured any one not resident on the estate. The penalty was enforced against a widow, for giving food and shelter to a destitute grandson of twelve years old. The child's mother at one time held a little dwelling, from which she was expelled; his father was dead. He found a refuge with his grandmother, who was ejected from her farm for harbouring the poor boy...."
(From here.)

It is from the likes of the above that republicanism was born : not to seek ‘revenge’ , but to obtain Justice. That same quest for true justice continues to this day and will continue - for as long as necessary - until the root cause of the injustice is removed .
Please help us, if you can : we are a small but significant organisation , as politically determined as we always were but we need your help...
Go raibh maith agat!
Sharon.

Wednesday, March 04, 2009

THE IRA : the new IRA is younger , more radical and has seen little of life other than violence.......
By Ed Moloney.
From 'Magill' magazine, September 1980.

IRA : " What is happening is that Charles Haughey, without the sanction of the Irish people , is spending over £80 millions of their money making sure that IRA operations from 'his side' of the border on British occupation forces are inhibited .

These occupation forces infringe the sovereignty of the 26 Counties - those forces are the same ones who have fired across the border and killed people , that go over in plain clothes and block off border areas , hindering the farming communities in those areas . The 1,000 State troops and Garda Special Task Force are there on the border to suppress the people and to collaborate with the Brits . But that is not the reason for the lower level of operations this year. "

ED MOLONEY : " What effect did the appointment of Sir Maurice Oldfield as security co-ordinator have on the IRA ? "

IRA : " Well there was a feeling of expectancy whenever Oldfield was appointed - after all , this was what Margaret Thatcher offered after the massive demoralisation on British forces of Warrenpoint and the execution of Mountbatten. Some of us thought internment might come in but instead they produced Maurice Oldfield and he said that he would have the IRA beaten within six months . Now he's gone without any success except the much lauded detente between the RUC and the British Army ."
(MORE LATER).

SPIES UNDER A SPOTLIGHT.......
'British Intelligence And Covert Action' , by Jonathan Bloch and Patrick FitzGerald. Published by Brandon/Junction ,1983. Reviewed here by Peter Hayes.

This book contains useful insights into the organisational structuring of the British Intelligence world - a 'Who's Who' of military personnel and senior civil servants . One interesting inclusion for republicans is the mention of British Lieutenant-General Sir James Glover as Deputy Chief of the (British) Defence Staff (Intelligence) : obviously his candid (and complimentary) assessment of the IRA did his career prospects no harm at all .

Elsewhere is a lengthy section on covert operations in Ireland , both North and South - interesting enough but containing little new information , and republicans will be surprised to learn , for example , that according to the authors , the Republican Movement has only recently rejected 'the legitimacy of the Dublin government' !

There's also a mention of Edward Heath's chairmanship of an international advisory council to a firm of political risk analysts known as 'IRIS', the 'International Reporting and Information Systems' , although how he fits the job in among all his other 'non-political' pursuits is hard to imagine.......
(MORE LATER).

TEN YEARS IN ENGLISH JAILS.......
Anne and Eileen Gillespie were arrested in April 1974 following an explosion in a Manchester house where IRA Volunteers were preparing incendiaries , and were sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for earlier bombing attacks in which they had no part , serving the bulk of their sentence in the maximum securuty wing of Durham Jail. Released at the end of last August , they talked to 'IRIS' about their experience , at their home in Gweedore , County Donegal .
From 'IRIS' magazine, August 1984.

Our trial started on February 3rd 1975 and lasted four-and-a-half weeks : we knew we were going to go down , but we thought we'd receive about 7-year sentences . We were taken aback by the severity of them .

Neither of us had ever been away from home before and we had been brought up as a very close , tight family . We never had to make our own way . Really , we were very sheltered and had no idea what prison was going to be like . It was a very hard ordeal for us that first year .

Before we were moved to Durham Prison after the trial we were visited by a doctor who had been sent by the British Home Office . He came into our cells and said - " The Home Office has asked me to notify you that if you embark on a hunger-strike you will be allowed to die. " Then we were taken to 'H' Wing of Durham Jail as that was the only place in that one prison where they could hold Category 'A' women prisoners . Marion and Dolours Price were also there and it was great to see people belonging to ourselves . They really did help to make life bearable for us.......
(MORE LATER).

(PLEASE NOTE : We will be taking a break shortly for a few weeks . More Later...)

Saturday, February 28, 2009

Dublin Fine Gael Councillor Therese Ridge : 'Do a door-to-door collection for money if you want your kids with learning disabilities educated in school...'
(UPDATE - photo of article and more comment here.)

'Flying a kite' for her Fine Gael party bosses ? Or genuinely out of touch with the 'man on the street'?
In an interview with the 'Clondalkin Echo' newspaper (entitled 'Collection For Child Services' , issue dated 25 February 2009) local Fine Gael Councillor and State Senator Therese Ridge declared that she had "read with horror" the news that her fellow career politicians in Leinster House had cut special teaching posts in the 'Budget Extra' - " If they don't get the support now these children will need even more help and care when they get older . This is just anti-child and anti-family ," she said . And rightly so , we feel . "The Minister must be mad to take this away," the good Councillor and State Senator added. Right again , we feel.
When asked what could be done about it , Therese replied that if this cutback is not reversed then something would have to be done about it - " Could there be some sort of national* collection ? Surely we could do something about this ? I don't think anyone would mind giving to something like that ? " Now that's not right , we feel. A "collection" (on-going, as it happens) is already taking place - it's called 'income tax' and 'VAT' and , in a good few cases , a 'Pension Levy' . The parents of those children are paying tax and/or VAT and/or an increased 'pension levy' every day/week/month into State coffers , out of which a portion is supposed to be removed to pay for the educational requirements of children . Most people resent paying these taxes (not least because they are squandered by those who collect them as it appears that this money is diverted to keep them in the fine lifestyles to which they believe they are entitled) but they have no choice but to pay up as this 'collection' is stopped at source. Wealthy politicians like Therese Ridge see nothing wrong in being part of a corrupt system which takes this money out of your pocket , and which will grab even more from you if it can , whilst giving you little or nothing in return for it, and then knocking on your door with a collection bucket and , whilst practically filling their back pockets and brown envelopes with your money , telling you that if you want your kids educated at school then you'd better put even more of your money in their bucket! Unbelievable.
We find it impossible to believe that this lady sees nothing wrong in her 'plan' , which leads us back to the two questions we asked at the beginning of this post - is she 'flying a kite' for her Fine Gael party bosses on this issue , in the hope of obtaining Party brownie points for herself or is she genuinely out of touch with the 'man on the street'? Either way , such a remark shows the contempt which those wealthy political leeches hold the rest of us in. They should all be stripped of their ill-gotten wealth and deported to a small island and left there. Their greed and short-sightedness is more than we can afford.
(*"National" - by which this Fine Gael representative would mean the 26 Counties,as per her party's website.)
Sharon.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

THE IRA : the new IRA is younger , more radical and has seen little of life other than violence.......
By Ed Moloney.
From 'Magill' magazine, September 1980.

IRA : " The British are sliding into their 1977 mistake of predicting our defeat . They're fighting a statistical war , we're not . We're fighting a political war . The Brits are saying the Provos are beaten , operations are down , that there's less poundage of explosives used , four British soldiers less have died this year etc . But that's a false confidence and that's OK with us because we will wreck that notion when we choose to ."

ED MALONEY : " Have the tough security policies of Charlie Haughey contributed to those "circumstances forced on you" ? "

IRA : " No . The majority of our operations are carried on by personnel who live within the Six Counties . Belfast , for instance , is the spearhead of our campaign . People there don't run back across the Border - the IRA Volunteers who set up road blocks in Carrickmore last October didn't run back across the Border . Our people are based in the North and our attacks occur there......."
(MORE LATER).

SPIES UNDER A SPOTLIGHT.......
'British Intelligence And Covert Action' , by Jonathan Bloch and Patrick FitzGerald. Published by Brandon/Junction ,1983. Reviewed here by Peter Hayes.

This book reveals , for instance , how the post-war Labour government in Britain set up an 'Information Research Department' to create 'grey' propaganda - a mixture of slanted facts and total fiction - against what it called "international communism" . As well as sponsoring publishing houses who would publish propagandist tracts , 'IRD' set up a number of news organisations in the Middle East that were little other than 'fronts' for MI6 . One of these , the 'Arab News Agency', became Reuters' sole news gathering agent in the Middle East between 1954-1969.

The shadowy use of supposedly 'retired' members of the SAS to 'stiffen the ranks' of mercenary forces recruited by 'security specialists' - a practice officially frowned on by the British Foreign Office - is perhaps one of the most illuminating areas covered by the authors Jonathan Bloch and Patrick FitzGerald .

The SAS are perceived primarily as a specialist assassination unit , and assassination - unofficially , of course - is an integral feature of British covert operations -MI6 , for instance, repeatedly plotted to kill the Egyptian premier Gamal Abdul Nasser, then regarded as the Ghaddafi of the Arab world , in the years after 1952.......
(MORE LATER).

TEN YEARS IN ENGLISH JAILS.......
Anne and Eileen Gillespie were arrested in April 1974 following an explosion in a Manchester house where IRA Volunteers were preparing incendiaries , and were sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for earlier bombing attacks in which they had no part , serving the bulk of their sentence in the maximum securuty wing of Durham Jail. Released at the end of last August , they talked to 'IRIS' about their experience , at their home in Gweedore , County Donegal .
From 'IRIS' magazine, August 1984.

As soon as we arrived in Manchester they tried to force us on to an identity parade , but we were determined not to do so before we had seen a solicitor , and physically resisted them . Eileen was struck on the head by a police officer while resisting and she was cut on the forehead . Eventually , having seen a solicitor , we went on the identity parade and soon after that we were charged with conspiracy , arson , and possession of explosives . But they had absolutely no evidence at all .

We were held at Risley remand centre for nine months before the trial started . From the moment of our arrest we were treated as Category 'A' maximum security prisoners and were kept in punishment cells in Risley all the time - these had cement floors and beds raised four feet off the ground . We were locked up for 23 hours a day in solitary confinement , and had to fight and argue with the Screws for the right to exercise , which was the only time we could see each other .

All the rights extended to other remand prisoners were denied to us . For example , we couldn't get food parcels or sets of clothing , of which we had only one . Every day at 4pm our cells were stripped of everything for the night and our one set of clothes removed . This went on for the full time we were at Risley.......
(MORE LATER).

Sunday, February 22, 2009

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 21st 2009 IN DUBLIN : RSF MEMBERS AND SUPPORTERS PICKET , PROTEST AND PARTY...

.....the usual monthly picket for Irish political prisoners was held at the GPO in O'Connell Street ; the starting time , which was set for 1.45pm , was brought forward one hour to allow some of the participants to take part in the ICTU-organised anti-pension levy/'golden circle' protest which was also being held in Dublin on that afternoon , with the remainder of the 30-odd group remaining at the GPO.

'LEINSTER HOUSE - THE GOLDEN CIRCLE YOU CAN BANK ON!'

'Bodies'(!) assembling for the protest , Sat Feb 21st , 2009.

Getting ready to move off.

As stated above , Republican Sinn Féin members and supporters took part in the ICTU-organised anti-pension levy/'golden circle' protest march through Dublin city centre: we were proud to be part of the almost 200,000 people (including on-lookers , who lined the entire parade route , clapping and cheering) and were the first political organisation to 'set-up shop' in the city that day - RSF members first assembled at 11.30am at the Parnell Monument , facing the Ambassador Cinema , and held their ground there until 3pm . Incidentally , the lead banner passed us at that monument at 2.05pm and the very last banner passed us at 3.05pm !

'Ballad Session' sign outside 'The Village Inn' pub in Finglas.

The main raffle prize - a signed Celtic jersey.

And finally : we finished up the day by having a few drinks and a good yap with our friends from the 'North Inner City Celtic Supporters Club' at the fund-raising ballad session they had organised in 'The Village Inn' in Finglas last night , and had a ball! It was a fantastic way to finish-off a busy day , and Kevin and the Crew spoiled us rotten - we had the best seats in the house , table service and some hot food . In fact it was so good that it was after 4am this morning before I got home , and I can still hear the ballads and the Celtic Anthems in my poor head ;-).... !
Back to the leaba now for an hour or two for me : click-off gently when you're finished , and I'll be in touch during the week!
Thanks for reading!
Sharon.

Friday, February 20, 2009

Republican Sinn Féin placard for the trade union-organised street protest in Dublin on Saturday 21st February 2009.

Republican Sinn Féin will be represented on the ICTU-organised street protest against the cut-backs imposed by State politicians in Leinster House ; we were there for the pensioners and the students and we will be there , too, for the workers and the unemployed who are being penalised by the millionaire and wannabe-millionaire political class who only have two concerns - to save their own rich but worthless skins and that of their equally rich but worthless big business buddies. Like other groups taking part in this trade union-organised street protest , we are hopeful of a large turnout for this event , which will begin at the Garden of Remembrance in Dublin at 2pm.
Some of us will be attending another Dublin event that night - you're welcome to join us at one or both of these events!
Thanks!
Sharon.

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

THE IRA : the new IRA is younger , more radical and has seen little of life other than violence.......
By Ed Moloney.
From 'Magill' magazine, September 1980.

Ed Maloney : " There has been a considerable reduction in IRA activity in 1980 compared with the two previous years . What is the reason for that lull ? "

IRA : " First of all we're not at all dismayed by what we have achieved this year . We have to maintain a certain level of armed activity to effect political change within the Six Counties , to make 'political progress' impossible . We have effectively done that this year . For example , the Atkins' proposals are getting nowhere and the SDLP , who have risen to power on the back of our armed struggle , and the Loyalists , have mutually incongruous political manifestos which we have helped to temper on both sides , although saying that the Loyalists are inherently sectarian anyway.

The other aspect of our armed struggle is to affect the morale of the British Army and to create an impact on the British people .

We have not managed to match last year's performance this year , because circumstances have been forced upon us and there have been some material problems . But we are totally confident that we can overcome these short term problems..... "
(MORE LATER).

SPIES UNDER A SPOTLIGHT.
'British Intelligence And Covert Action' , by Jonathan Bloch and Patrick FitzGerald. Published by Brandon/Junction ,1983. Reviewed here by Peter Hayes.

The 'Casuro Holidays Affair'- in which two Irish couples revealed that they had unwittingly been guests of British Intelligence on expensive 'prize' holidays in Spain , in failed bids to recruit them as informers - might well make it appear that there's more money involved than actual intelligence in the murky world of British covert operations .

Indeed , Jonathan Bloch and Patrick FitzGerald's comprehensive account of the British government's covert attempts to give an added impetus to its official diplomacy , particularly in the affairs of the Middle East and post-colonial Africa , is frequently a tale of costly British Foreign Office and MI6 miscalculations and follies that at best delay rather than fundamentally alter the course of political events .

Nevertheless , the centrality of intelligence operations in every aspect of British political affairs , both domestic and foreign , is well argued by Bloch and FitzGerald , particularly in their detailed survey of the links between intelligence and the popular media , and the use of the SAS in 'unofficial' and often mercenary wars.......
(MORE LATER).

TEN YEARS IN ENGLISH JAILS.
Anne and Eileen Gillespie were arrested in April 1974 following an explosion in a Manchester house where IRA Volunteers were preparing incendiaries , and were sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for earlier bombing attacks in which they had no part , serving the bulk of their sentence in the maximum securuty wing of Durham Jail. Released at the end of last August , they talked to 'IRIS' about their experience , at their home in Gweedore , County Donegal .
From 'IRIS' magazine, August 1984.

The Gillespie family emigrated to England from Donegal on August 18th 1962 . We were children (Anne was twelve and Eileen was nine) and our father had gone to England about two years earlier to look for work , so rather than split the family up we all went to live in England together .

After we left school we both worked in a hospital , one of us as a nurse and the other as a receptionist . We were working in that hospital up until our arrest ; when that happened , we were detained at the docks at Hollyhead as we were driving on to the boat and held by the Welsh police before being taken to Manchester where we were held for three days and then charged .

It was a very frightening experience - in Manchester they stripped us , they hardly let us go to the toilet , we weren't allowed to wash ourselves , and we didn't get anything to eat or drink until the third day. During those three days we were constantly interviewed . When one interrogator stopped another would take over and at night they played a radio outside our cell doors so that we couldn't get any sleep.......
(MORE LATER).

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

'FULL HOUSE' ON THE CARDS , THANKS TO SOCCER !

"They arent an official supporters club but more of a group of friends having a function.."

"Anyway, Liverpool and Everton supporters were always renown for not having the same violent antipathy towards one another that you find in other cities. It's certainly not like Glascow!"

"If you dont wanna go to it then dont but dont try and spoil it for those of us that do wanna go..."

"There are a few of us coming over from Aberdeen for this, Arrive on Friday morning, Can't wait for it to be honest! Great Work and Hail Hail...!"

"There are a group coming over from Aberdeen purely to support a new CSC. We were invited over by one of the lads in the club who used to stay in Aberdeen. Looking forward to it and the weekend in finglas...."

An unexpected 'result' . Of sorts! The above quotes are taken from a thread we started on this site, to help friends of ours promote a function they have organised (see below) : if you have an opinion , feel free to join in . If you want a good night out , then read on....

'Mad Kevin' and the lads and lassies that he hangs around with are fantastic supporters of Republicanism and have , on more than one occasion, gone out of their way to attend gigs organised by the Republican Movement in Dublin : so now it's pay-back time!
As stated on the above-pictured ticket , a ballad session featuring Allan and Padráig Mór from Shebeen will be held on Saturday 21st February 2009 in The Village Inn, Finglas, Dublin. A raffle will be held on the night and 'halftime' entertainment has been organised. Doors open at 9pm and admission is €10 per person.
Kevin and that particular 'Celtic Crew' are a lively bunch, to put it mildly (!) so a good night is guaranteed. This blog will be represented on the night , even if we do have to pay full price at the door ;-) ... !
If you're in Dublin yourself on February 21st next , see you there!
(One of the Organisers for this Celtic ballad night , Kevin , has asked that a contact mobile-phone number be made available for those wishing to inquire re ticket availability etc .
That number is : 085-8376208.)
Thanks!
Sharon.
( Post Script : my own knowledge of those type of sports is limited to being aware that rugby is a game played by men with odd-shaped balls.... ;-) )

Saturday, February 14, 2009

"Cozened, coerced and scared..."

WHERE IS THE FLAG OF ENGLAND ?

And the winds of the world made answer -
North, south and east and west;
Wherever there's wealth to covet
Or land that can be possessed,

Wherever there are 'savage' races
To cozen, coerce and scare
You will find the vaunted ensign,
For the English flag is there.

Aye, it waves o'er the blazing hovels,
Whence African victims fly,
To be shot by explosive bullets,
Or to wretchedly starve and die.

And where the beachcomber harries
The Isles of the southern sea
At the peak of his devilish vessel
'Tis the English flag flies free.

The Maori fall off has cursed it
With his bitterest dying breath,
And the Arab hath hissed his hatred
As he spits at its folds in death.

The hapless fellah has feared it
On Tel-el-Kebir's parched plain,
And the Zulu's blood has stained it
With a deep indelible stain.

It has floated o'er scenes of pillage;
It has flaunted o'er deeds of shame;
It has waved o'er the fell marauder
As he ravished with sword and flame.

It has looked upon ruthless slaughter,
And massacres dire and grim;
It has heard the shrieks of the victims
Drown even the jingo hymn.

Where is the flag of England?
Seek the land where the natives rot,
Where decay and assured extinction
Must soon be the people's lot.

Go search for the once glad islands
Where disease and death are rife,
And the greed of a callous commerce
Now fattens on human life.

Where is the flag of England?
Go, sail where rich galleons come
With shoddy and loaded cottons,
With beer and Bibles and rum.

Go, too, where brute force has triumphed,
And hypocrisy makes its lair;
And your question will find its answer,
FOR THE FLAG OF ENGLAND IS THERE.

-Henry Labouchère.

(My thanks to Jimmymac for bringing this to my attention.)
Thanks for reading!
Sharon.

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

THE IRA : the new IRA is younger , more radical and has seen little of life other than violence.......
By Ed Moloney.
From 'Magill' magazine, September 1980.

IRA: " The object of our armed struggle is two fold : further destabilise the inherently unstable Six County State and also to wear down the will of the British government . Either the British government itself comes to the conclusion that it must leave or that conclusion will be forced on them by British public opinion .

We can make the occupation of the North extremely expensive * - present costs are running at £1000 million annually and of course we will be hitting at their soldiers continually and causing their morale to be so low that they will find that they are incapable of maintaining any sort of order in the North ** . "

( * '1169...' Comment : and "extremely expensive" it surely must be for Westminster , as the PIRA are now a Westminster-funded armed militia acting as a "bulwark" against republicanism / ** : how ironic that that same organisation , the PIRA , are now paid assistants in trying to insure that "order" - albeit British 'order' - is maintained in the Six Counties!)
(MORE LATER).

THE KITSON EXPERIMENT.......
Review by Cathal McGivern of Roger Faligot's 1983 book 'Britain's Military Strategy in Ireland : The Kitson Experiment'.
From 'IRIS' Magazine , 1983.

Active support for the British Army of occupation in Ireland from the British press has on occasions been so obvious that it gave rise to jokes like the one quoted by Roger Faligot, which is doing the rounds in Irish press circles - " I never remember which one is which : The Observer is MI6 and The Sunday Times is MI5 . Or is it the other way around ? "

The history of the 'Peace People' is admirably traced : as early as 1971 Frank Kitson had dreamed up the creation of 'a movement for peace' which would stimulate the political isolation of the IRA from the population of the Northern ghettos , on the lines of a similar tactic that had already been used in Vietnam and Algeria .

The tragedy that actually sparked off the formation of the 'Women's Peace Movement' in August 1976 is also examined . Contrary to the story put out by the British Army within an hour of the incident , only British soldiers fired shots . IRA Volunteer Danny Lennon was already shot dead at the wheel of the car when it careered into the Maguire children . Moreover , according to various statements , including those of the late Mrs Maguire , and to indications that filtered down from the post-mortems (the findings of which the authorities have always declined to reveal) her children had been hit by British Army SLR bullets before the car struck them . Such realities did not of course prevent the British cynically manipulating for political ends the initially emotional response that occurred .

I have really only managed to skim the surface of an excellent , information-crammed book . Get it and study it.
[END of 'The Kitson Experiment' .]
(Next : 'Spies Under A Spotlight' - from 1983.)

THE UNDAUNTED WOMEN IN ARMAGH.......

The full story of the republican prisoners in Armagh Jail has yet to be told. It has yet to be sung , and properly described , other than as an after-thought in public speeches - "...and of course the women in Armagh.." Republicans have a right to be proud of those women who, from the Divis Flats grandmother doing six months for what an Orange judge called "riotous behaviour" to the young IRA Volunteer inside for the second time and not yet 25-years-old , have managed, whether they numbered 12 or 120 , to maintain their resistance to the most vicious prison system in Europe. The words that follow , says writer Patricia Collins , were written to encourage more of those women to come forward and tell their story , and are based on conversations with several
ex-prisoners , and on visits and letters from those women presently imprisoned. They were written in the hope of jogging the memory of all those women who wrongly think their contribution to Ireland's future peace is not worth mentioning.
From 'IRIS' magazine , August 1984.

On the ordeal of prison visiting , Marion Coyle's mother says - " We leave Derry at 3am and arrive in Limerick at 10am after seven hours of travelling on the PDF minibus. When we finally got into the waiting room it could be an hour before the prison Screws will search us and bring us over to see Marion . Then you are under the strict supervision of two Screws and aren't allowed to discuss the conditions in the jail .

Our Marion has not been out for exercise in well over a year and because of the ruling I can't even ask her how the solitary confinement is affecting her for fear that my visit will be ended .

At the end of the visit , it's another seven hours back to Derry . We feel no wiser , no happier , but I know in my heart that Marion is suffering an unnatural 'justice' at the hands of a Free State bent on revenge."

[END of 'The Undaunted Women In Armagh'.]
(Next :'Ten Years In English Jails' - from 1984.)

Tuesday, February 10, 2009

REPUBLICAN COMMEMORATIONS FOR EASTER 2009 , DUBLIN .
(Above photograph from here.)

Easter Saturday , 11th April 2009 , 3pm on the bridge in Balbriggan. (See last year's Easter Saturday Commemoration here.)

Easter Sunday , 12th April 2009 , 1pm at the Cemetery gates in Deansgrange. (See last year's Easter Sunday Commemoration here.)

Easter Monday , 13th April 2009 , Garden of Remembrance , Dublin City Centre at 1.45pm : the parade will leave at that time to arrive at the GPO for 2pm. (See last year's Easter Monday Commemoration here.)

Further details regarding each of the three commemorations will be published on this blog between now and then.
Thanks!
Sharon.

Saturday, February 07, 2009

"Up the Celts!
Up the Celts!"

"What in the name of Jeepers has being a 'Republican' to do with following a Scottish football team, or indeed any team?"

"By the way, who did most of the infamous Black Watch regiment (Belfast early 70s) support would you say?"

"Black Watch in those early days were in large part Glascow Tims who supported, yes, the Celts! Probably the only Celtic supporters in Belfast in those days......."

"I dont need any tickets thanks......"

"Theres about 7 of us from the area will be making it our business to get to this - sounds like the makings of a good night......"

"It was the massive migration from Ireland throughout the 19th century of thousands of Protestants and Catholics in search of work -- particularly after the Famine -- that coloured the soccer clubs in some major British industrial cities."

"I am always amazed at the Irish obsession of a foreign game played by foreigners in a foreign country."

"This emotional attachment Irish people have for these teams is a bit odd. Glasgow people do not follow Bohs or Rovers, or Linfield and Cliftonville for that matter!"

"Liverpool were and possibly still are the Protestant soccer side in that city. Can any Liverpool fan prove otherwise?"

"I would prefer it if Irish citizens supported and promoted their local Irish soccer clubs, particularly, at this time, as they are in dire need of financial support. There is something incredibly unpatriotic about promoting and supporting a wealthy Scottish club....."

"How'd you make out Celtic FC to be sectarian ? You wouldn't be mixing them up with a certain club that wouldn't sign a Catholic until 1989 would you?"

An unexpected 'result' . Of sorts! The above quotes are taken from a thread we started on this site, to help friends of ours promote a function they have organised (see below) : if you have an opinion , feel free to join in . If you want a good night out , then read on....