1169 And Counting.....

Friday, November 19, 2010

ETHIOPIA TO HOLD 'LIVE AID CONCERT' FOR THIS STATE ?

No truth in that , as of yet - that we know of , anyway - but plenty of truth in this -

"The arrival of the IMF and EU into the 26 Counties is a damning indictment of the capitalist policies pursued by Fianna Fáil and clear evidence of the abject failure of the State as a whole. The IMF and EU officials will set about creating a capitalist dictatorship without any of the façade of democracy that used to prevail in the Free State. It is expected that there will be massive cuts in the public sector imposed and the probability of the selling of the family silver such as the ESB and Bord Na Mona looms.

The solution to the current economic woes is to create a new Ireland based on sound socialist principles with all banking and financial institutions coming under social control. Rather than offer a multi billion Euro loan Britain should declare her intention to withdraw from Ireland so that the Irish people can set about building this new Ireland. Republican Sinn Féin’s Éire Nua (A New Ireland) policy proposes the establishment of a 32 County Federal Democratic Socialist Republic with maximum devolution of power to local levels to help address both the power and economic imbalance in Ireland.

Only by the destruction of the current system that relies on gombeenism, clientelism and pandering to the capitalist classes is it possible to build an Ireland that truly cherishes all of her children equally. Only a socialist solution will be able to solve this Capitalist-caused problem. "
(Statement by Republican Sinn Féin Vice-President Fergal Moore.)

Incidentally , a lot of commentators on radio and television today have shared a common viewpoint regarding the IMF political take-over of this State yesterday, and have asked , in one form or another , 'is this what the men and women in 1916 fought and died for...' , to which Irish Republicans reply - 'No , it's not: whether the IMF are here or not, not one person fought or died , in 1916, for the establishment of a 26-County so-called 'republic'...."
And even those who, a short few years after the 1916 Rising, shouldered weapons in a campaign to ensure the establishment of just such an entity must surely be equally sickened to see that their political 'cousins' in Leinster House could not maintain the falsehood represented by a false and immoral 26 County 'Ireland'. This pathetic State was built on sand by short-sighted people ,and is now owned by business representatives based in Washington. As RSF VP Fergal Moore stated -
"Only a socialist solution will be able to solve this Capitalist-caused problem...."
Thanks for reading,
Sharon.

Wednesday, November 17, 2010

AN EXPERIMENT IN JAMES STREET : THE DEATH OF NIALL RUSH.......
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1984.
By Derek Dunne.

The 'Eproxindine 4/0089' test is a 'split test' , with a gap of three weeks between two sessions. One of the other participants had been in three weeks before Niall Rush and , on the first session, he says, they were taken in at night , some days after their pre-medical. The following morning they were given the drug and about one hour later he experienced numbness of mouth and lips , taste distortion and loss of balance. Another participant suffered an acute attack of nausea.

Niall Rush's father was an Ambassador , and the family spent time in the United States , Nigeria and Portugal. He was born in 1953. Later on , he was sent to Gormanstown College and , sometime in the mid 1970's , he was diagnosed a schizophrenic - he was still under treatment at the time of his death. Over the last six or seven years he worked at a variety of odd jobs , including one as a porter in a hotel. He lived in different parts of Dublin , moving to England and the Continent to stay with friends from time to time. Occasionally , he did clinical drug tests in James Street , as did many of his friends , and was not the healthiest of individuals , smoking up to 50grms of 'Duma Roll-Your-Own' cigarettes a day.

Under the 'Coroners Act', when somebody dies and a medical certificate is not forthcoming , there is an investigation by the gardai , as agents of the Coroner. Following the death of Niall Rush , there was a post-mortem , performed by John Harbison , the State Pathologist. Detective Inspector Connolly of Kevin Street Garda Station and Garda Joe McGarrity from Kilmainham were put onto the case.......
(MORE LATER).

THE PETER BERRY PAPERS....... The Top Secret Memoirs of Ireland's Most Powerful Civil Servant : Dirty Tricks, Election '69/ Spying on a Unionist Politician/ Keeping the (State) Taoiseach informed/ The Garda Fallon Murder/ Advice to Jack Lynch- 'Fire the pair of them...'/ Vivion De Valera's advice to O'Malley/ Rumours of a Coup D'Etat/ The Internment Plot, November 1970/ Secret Meeting with William Craig.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1980.

" When he became Minister , Mr Haughey sought to appoint his man to a minor position which carried payment of a second capitation grant where one 'suffered in the public interest' : he could have sacked the person who was already working in that minor position , but that would have brought down on his head the wrath of the local Dail Deputies who had approached Mr Traynor , the other Minister. I told Mr Haughey that I couldn't make payment (to the second appointee) and when he insisted I should , I said that of course I would obey his direction but that I was requested under the Rules to report the matter to the Minster for Finance and to the Committee of Public Accounts. The matter was not pursued but I thought it prudent when leaving on my annual holiday to acquaint my Assistant Secretary of the facts involved.

On my return the Assistant Secretary told me that he had received a Ministerial directive to appoint the second man to the post in question , that he had informed the Minister that he was aware of the Accounting Officer's refusal earlier and that the Minister would be liable to personal surcharge. He said that the Minister was furious with me , not alone for my refusal but for forewarning the Assistant Secretary , thus causing the Minister to lose face.

I had a second disagreeable clash with Mr Haughey in 1962 ; a vacancy occurred for the appointment of a semi-civilian semi-police post as immigration officer at Cork Airport. The Commissioner of the Garda decided to have a selection board to decide which of the immigration officers serving at Dublin Airport , Shannon Airport and Cobh seaport would be most suitable for promotion. Meanwhile , Mr Haughey told me that he had representations from Mr Jack Lynch for appointment of the Cork based man and to convey that to the Commissioner. But the Commissioner put forward the names of four candidates in the order of merit assigned by the selection board in which the Corkman was fourth.

I supported in writing the Commissioner's recommendation that the number one should be appointed but the Minister , Mr Haughey, sent for me and, purple in the face and in a hectoring voice , said 'Didn't I tell you I wanted X appointed?' , so I pointed out that to appoint X in the teeth of the selection board's choice and the Commissioner's recommendation would be open to grave criticism and that I could not lend my support to it......."
(MORE LATER).

NATIONAL GRAVES ASSOCIATION FUND-RAISER.

The National Graves Association will be holding a fundraiser in the Milestone Inn, Balbriggan this Saturday night (20th November 2010) at 8.30pm. The Druids will be playing. Tickets are available at the door for €10.00 and all funds raised will go to the upkeep of Republican graves. As we stated here recently in relation to the NGA - "They are a tireless bunch , totally dedicated to their objective , and deserve any assistance you can give them....". If you can't come along yourself try and spread the word to those that might be interested , and maybe even buy a ticket or two anyway!
Thanks!
Sharon.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

106th RSF ARD FHEIS , NOVEMBER 2010 : BRIEF REPORT AND A FEW PICS.....

9am , Saturday 13th November 2010 - the Ard Fheis begins.

Although we had a two-day 'Visitors Pass' , we could only stay at the Ard Fheis for the Saturday morning session , as we had volunteered to assist in the collection of 650 raffle tickets from various locations around Dublin , and to attend the raffle itself , which was to be held in a different hotel to the Ard Fheis venue , on that Sunday afternoon. More on that raffle later.

Some of the Republican items for sale at the in-house Ard Fheis Shop......

....and more of the Republican items for sale. Such was the level of sales and orders placed that the two-day Shop practically paid for the hire of the Ard Fheis venue!

An assembly of seven 'Special Branch' operatives were kept busy at the entrance to the hotel and, as usual , they didn't distinguish between the hundreds of Republicans that attended the Ard Fheis and the hotel guests , and were observed 'talking to' the UTV camera crew that covered part of the proceedings today , Sunday 14th.
Messages of support for the Republican Sinn Féin organisation and for Des Daltons leadership of same were read out from the speakers lectern by representatives from CABHAIR , Cumann na mBan and Na Fianna Éireann , and similar messages were either delivered in person or read out on behalf of affialiated support groups and organisations in England , Scotland , Canada and America , to loud applause from the assembled Republicans.

Seán Sabhat bodhron.....

....and the 2011 Republican calendar , over a thousand of which were sold during the two days , with more than twice that amount being ordered.

The RSF Ard Chomhairle announced that new RSF/Saoirse websites will be launched in the next few days , which should be better able to deal with the volumes of traffic being received -

'Web Development' talk.....

...and 'PowerPoint'......

...presentation!

And the reason we had to leave early-

The raffle drum used in the Monthly Raffle, which was held today , Sunday 14th November , in a different venue to the Ard Fheis.

A fund-raising raffle like the one held today has been held every month , by the same Raffle Crew , since the mid-1970's. As is usually the case , the full compliment of tickets (650) was sold. Please note that this was not the 'RSF National Draw' , for which thousands of tickets were sold , which was also held today , but in the Ard Fheis venue. For the record , here are some of the details of the eight winners of the monthly draw : 1st - Winnie , ticket No. 374 / 2nd Cathy , 10 / 3rd Anthony 144 / 4th Paul 123 / 5th Joe 473 Joe / 6th James 15 / 7th Sharon 410 and 8th Alana 445.

We'll finish this post by congratulating Republican Sinn Féin Poblachtach on a successful Ard Fheis, and by stating our belief that the 'Raffle Crew' we worked with today at the monthly raffle are a sincere and dedicated group of Irish Republicans ,as are those that were at the Ard Fheis , the RSF leadership and the many people that work 'behind the scenes' in ensuring that the whole operation works. They are a credit to themselves and to Republicanism !
Thanks for reading,
Sharon.

Friday, November 12, 2010

CORRECTION RE UP-COMING 27th NOVEMBER 2010 DUBLIN ICTU-ORGANISED PROTEST....

....our previous post in relation to this protest march gave incorrect assembly and destination points : the correct assembly point is at the Civic Offices on Wood Quay , from where , at 12 Noon , those present will form-up and march to the GPO in O'Connell Street , where a rally will be held.

However - no change or corrections needed for these three events :

The RSF Ard Fheis 2010 is unchanged in venue and time etc - this weekend in a Dublin Hotel , as stated, and.....

....the 650-ticket raffle will be held on Sunday 14th November , in a different Dublin hotel and , finally.....

....the Annual CABHAIR Christmas Day Swim : so far , five brave men , who have been gathering sponsorship for the past few weeks and who have each collected a few hundred Euro, have been trying to loose their beer-bellies (!) and co-ordinate the colour of their 'Speedos' ;-) !
The 2009 colour scheme can be viewed here...
Thanks!
Sharon.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

AN EXPERIMENT IN JAMES STREET : THE DEATH OF NIALL RUSH.......
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1984.
By Derek Dunne.

The test also involved doing cycometric tests , which attempt to measure motor responses to drugs , and are considered an indicator of how a person who had been prescribed the drug might act whilst driving a car. These tests were taken three times a day : one such test monitored reaction when a light was switched on or off , another test involved watching a circular tray of lights , knocking each one off as it was switched on. After taking the drug , the time taken to complete these tests increased dramatically. When Joe Claffey was doing this test he was given four cardiographs a day , one of which was done while he was lying down , one standing and one sitting , with three minutes between each reading.

There are many different tests performed at the Institute , ranging from one-off tests lasting a few days up to those lasting a month. Some of the trials are split with intervals of perhaps weeks between each session. Conditions for individual volunteers inside the Institute vary according to what drug they are on : some volunteers might have to give , say, three blood and urine samples a day and, for the rest of the time, they would watch TV , play cards or read etc. Others might have to give more samples , some might have a permanent needle in their arm .

Meals are regular - breakfast , lunch , tea , supper ; some volunteers might have to fast in the morning with certain drugs and those on less exacting tests might sit around playing cards or chatting during the day. The Institute has always had a reputation among some of the people who went in there with , amongst other things , descriptions given of cannabis smoking sessions. A few years ago , the Institute began doing THC tests , which would show up cannabis residue in the bloodstream , and anyone found to have a positive test would be deemed unsuitable to continue their test.......
(MORE LATER).

Thanks to our colleagues in RSF in Cork for bringing this worthy 'Facebook' page to our attention. Contact details for the 'National Graves Association' can be found here , and we wish Matt and the team continued success in their great work. They are a tireless bunch , totally dedicated to their objective , and deserve any assistance you can give them.

Vinny Byrne, who was 15 years old at the time of the Rising in 1916, asked to see Lieutenant Peter Ames and Lieutenant George Bennett at the door of 38 Upper Mount Street in Dublin :
"As I opened the folding-doors, the officer, who was in bed, was in the act of going for his gun under his pillow...."
(From here : please note - the word "murder" is not a word we would use to describe that which happened....)

The ballad session which was to be held in the 79'r Pub in Ballyfermot , Dublin , on Friday 17th December 2010 has been postponed : one of the three acts which were booked to appear had, in fact , being double-booked and the organisers were unable to replace that act in time. As the event had been advertised and promoted locally as a "three-group gig" , the Organising Committee considered it best to postpone the event : a wise decision , I think , as the venue and the crowds who attended all the previous gigs in the venue might have considered themselves to have been 'short-changed' ie expecting a three-group event at which only two groups played.

It takes a lot of effort over a long period of time to build a good reputation - as that particular RSF Organising Committee have done - but only one 'wrong move' to destroy that reputation. When the gig has been re-organised we will , of course , post those details here.
Thanks for reading!
Sharon.

Tuesday, November 09, 2010

A NUMBER'S GAME : 106 (13-14-11-10), 650 , 12/10/34/25......

106 (13-14-11-10) - As we have mentioned before ('106 All Round') , this number relates to the 106th RSF Ard Fheis , which will be held this coming weekend , 13th and 14th November , in a Dublin venue. By coincidence , that number (106) also relates to the number of motions which will be discussed at the Ard Fheis.

650 - Also an event we have covered before and , like '106' above , it will be held this weekend as well , in a different venue. The two events will help to 'balance' each other out : '106' will cost money , whilst '650' will make money!

12/10/34/25 - Again , mentioned on this Blog recently : that set of numbers indicate that the 34th successive CABHAIR Christmas Swim , in the Grand Canal, in Dublin , will be held in December ('12'/month) this year (twenty10) on the 25th - Christmas Day.

A busier than usual few days ahead for Republican Sinn Féin and CABHAIR , but nothing they haven't handled before. Those of us that put this Blog together have been 'jobbed' already , as we have always volunteered to assist the Republican Movement , and are proud to do so !
Thanks for reading ,
Sharon.

Sunday, November 07, 2010

On Saturday 27th November 2010 , the authors of this blog will be taking part with members of Republican Sinn Féin in a trade union-organised 'anti-budget/cutbacks' protest march through Dublin city centre : we want to stress - as we have before - that we do so in support of the employed and the unemployed ,the 'abled' and the 'disabled', the 'havenots' rather than the 'haves', who are about to be forced to pay €6 billion between them to bail out the politicians and their property-speculating and big builder friends , and that our participation should not be viewed as an action in support of the trade union leadership who are , in our opinion , as morally corrupt as the politicians they claim to oppose.
We dedicate this song to those who , like ourselves, are about to be penalised , again, for the wanton greed and incompetence of the fine-suited , corrupt and perma-tanned bastards that not only caused this poverty , but are determined that others should rescue them , financially - they are beyond any attempted moral rescue.
Hopefully , an attempt will be made by the protestors to forcibly enter Leinster House and to physically destroy that institution from the inside and such an event , if/when it happens , should not stop there - the State Senate , Anglo Irish Bank (amongst others) and the plush Offices on Merrion Street , Dublin, which we , the public, purchased for the politicians ,should all be either destroyed or converted into hostels for the homeless.
Any such action will , of course , be condemned by the politicians themselves , the union leadership , the churches , the business leaders and the mainstream media.
We can listen to their condemnation as they are being lined-up against a white-washed wall....
We will publish the details regarding the protest on this blog in the next few days.
Thanks for reading,
Sharon.

Wednesday, November 03, 2010

AN EXPERIMENT IN JAMES STREET : THE DEATH OF NIALL RUSH.......
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1984.
By Derek Dunne.

'Clause 5' of the consent form states - "The health of an individual volunteer will not be improved by participation in any drug trial of this nature. On the contrary, some element, however small, of health and life endangering risk must always be involved in any study. It will be the responsibility of the Institute and its clinical staff to ensure, by all possible means, that the health of the participants is safeguarded." This is the standard clause on all consent forms.

According to Joe Claffey , Niall Rush was turned down for the test due to the condition of his veins , as the trial involved taking a large number of blood tests over the period. So it was important that the volunteers veins be in good order and others , besides Niall Rush, were turned down as well.

The same day, however, Niall Rush was accepted to undergo the Eproxindine 4/0089 test, a different one. Joe Claffey underwent his pre-medical on May 8th and was admitted on May 16th - he described the effects of the drug as being like an electric shock to the system , that it made you feel as if you had slowed down , even when you walked. He had the impression that he was never going to arrive at the point he was walking to but , mentally, there were no noticeable side effects - they were all physical.......
(MORE LATER).

NO WELCOME HERE FOR BRITISH 'ROYALTY'!

In the last few weeks there has been increased speculation by the establishment media that the present English 'queen' is planning to visit her loyal subjects in Stormont and Leinster House : the Irish Republican position on any such visit is clear -

'When the english robbed our language
and gave us theirs instead,
they gave us leave to cheat them
in the things we left unsaid,
when they robbed us of our claymores
and thought our pikes absurd,
we fashioned brand new weapons,
with each new fangled word.'

British 'Princess' Anne Windsor , for example, was the Colonel-in-Chief of the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment of the British Crown Forces (29th/45th Foot) until it became the 2nd Battalion of the Mercian Regiment (Worcesters and Foresters) . In 1916, the 178 (Forester) Brigade was sent to Dublin in an attempt to suppress the Easter Rising. The same women is presently associated with British political and military imperialism by virtue of the following positions which she holds :
* Colonel-in-Chief, The King’s Royal Hussars
* Colonel-in-Chief, The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment (29/45 Foot)
* Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Corps of Signals
* Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Logistic Corps
* Colonel-in-Chief, The Royal Army Veterinary Corps
* Commandant-in-Chief, The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (Princess Royal’s Volunteer Corps)
* Colonel, The Blues and Royals
* Royal Colonel, The Royal Scots Borderers, 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland
* Royal Colonel, The 52nd Lowland Regiment, 6th Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland
* Rear Admiral and Chief Commandant for women, Royal Navy
* Honorary Air Commodore, RAF Lyneham
* Honorary Air Commodore, University of London Air Squadron
* Royal Honorary Colonel, University of London OTC
* Commodore-in-Chief, Portsmouth.
Irish Republicans will be opposing the presence on this island of Anne Windsor or any other British 'Royal' : details of the intended protest will be announced nearer the date concerned .
Sharon.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

'POLITICAL STATUS' AND 'NO TO ROYAL VISIT' PICKETS , DUBLIN , SATURDAY 30th OCTOBER 2010 : BRIEF REPORT AND A FEW PICS...

Republican Sinn Féin Poblachtach members staged two protests today in O'Connell Street , Dublin, both of which lasted for 75 minutes : a 'Political Status' picket , and a 'No To Royal Visits' picket. About 20 activists , including a 'crew' who 'worked the immediate area' with leaflets and selling the 'Saoirse' newspaper , maintained a very visible presence on the traffic isle facing the GPO , and were well received by shoppers and passers-by ; indeed, tourists from France , Italy and America , amongst other places , not only took leaflets and purchased 'Saoirse' , but practically formed a queue at one stage to be photographed with the assembled Republicans!

'NO ROYAL WELCOME...' - RSF.

More than 30 copies of the 'Saoirse' newspaper were sold , and 900 leaflets distributed - 300 each of 'Political Status' leaflets , 'No Royal Visit' leaflets and 'CABHAIR Christmas Swim' leaflets , a 'job' which kept the seven-person 'crew' engaged for the duration of the pickets. Incidentally , two 'crew' members returned to base (!) with the equivalent , roughly, of €50 each (in American and Australian dollars!) , which they received as donations , from tourists who had earlier 'posed' in between the Republican placards and banners in O'Connell Street - they were full of praise for those on the picket , and were especially delighted to be given a half-dozen of each leaflet each , and a few 'papers!

'NO WELCOME FOR BRIT ROYALS!' - RSF.

"Just glance over the placard - don't read it slowly ...please...." : we can explain the.....

.....missing 'N' ! The missing letter can be attributed to a Special Branch man , Nicky , who, accompanied by his equally 'Special' girlfriend - too shy to give her name - tried their best to move the RSF 'picketeers' off the traffic isle and , when that failed, tried to scare away the on-lookers and the many tourists - but no luck there , either ! So , in desperation , we think he must have tried to interfere with the placards and obviously succeeded in damaging at least one. That's our story , icky (!) , and we're sticki g to it...;-) !

'Political Status' banner , O'Connell Street , Dublin , Saturday 30th October 2010.

Finally - even though we promised we wouldn't mention it (didn't we , Louise and Maire ?) , but it's almost Halloween and we're up for a wee bit of divilment (!) : an RSF Comhairle Laighean meeting ('Leinster Executive') was held today in a venue near Fairview in Dublin , from 12 Noon to 2pm , clashing with these two pickets. Bad timing on someones part , eh , girls.....;-) !
Anyway : full marks to RSF for the good jobs today , thanks to the many wishes of support from the thousands of people who seen us today , to Louise and Maire (!) and , of course , to icky and his girlfrie d , whom we hope will tie the knot soon.
Where they tie it , of course , is there own business....
Thanks!
Sharon.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

An 'Anti-Royal' picket....

.....and a 'Pro Political Status' picket will be held this Saturday , 30th October 2010 , from 12.45pm until 1.45pm , on the traffic isle facing the GPO in O'Connell Street , Dublin :
ALL WELCOME!

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

AN EXPERIMENT IN JAMES STREET : THE DEATH OF NIALL RUSH.......
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1984.
By Derek Dunne.

The main specification in paying volunteers for drug trials is that the inducement should not be too much : even if the payment were less than £20 a day , it is likely that people would still put themselves forward as volunteers and that can be witnessed in the fact that even though the rate has not changed in the last six years (but the actual value of the amount has decreased considerably) there is no shortage of volunteers.

Joe Claffey and Niall Rush went to ICP Limited in May this year (1984) to put themselves down to be tested for a drug to control Parkinson's Disease: on the consent form , that drug is identified simply by the code MJ 13805 , and this was to be the first time that it had been given to a human , with the test being carried out for the company Bristol Myers, and was a 'tolerance study' , meaning that the dose given is increased with each administration.

One of the purposes of a 'tolerance study' is to find out at what point the patient will experience adverse effects. A total of 18 people were to be taken in for 17 days , with each participant receiving £340. 'Clause 5' of the Consent Form would be read to each of them as they 'signed in'.......
(MORE LATER).

THE PETER BERRY PAPERS....... The Top Secret Memoirs of Ireland's Most Powerful Civil Servant : Dirty Tricks, Election '69/ Spying on a Unionist Politician/ Keeping the (State) Taoiseach informed/ The Garda Fallon Murder/ Advice to Jack Lynch- 'Fire the pair of them...'/ Vivion De Valera's advice to O'Malley/ Rumours of a Coup D'Etat/ The Internment Plot, November 1970/ Secret Meeting with William Craig.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , June 1980.

" Through experience I found, at times , that information emanating from the field workers in the 'S Branch' had taken on a different emphasis after it had passed through Garda HQ and I was not happy with some of the HQ interpretations which tended to make mountains out of molehills.

My direct contact with the Head of the 'S Branch' and my general knowledge of the subject stood me in good stead for instance when I found that, without the Minister's knowledge, a radio network was being strung along the Border in anticipation of an outbreak of IRA violence on the occasion of the 1966 Commemoration Ceremonies of the Rising of 1916 : Garda HQ went off at half cock and were taking preventive measures just in case while , in my judgement, the installation on Garda barracks along the Border of a radio network might prove to be a provocation so I took the responsibility of cancelling the installation and I was proved right , in the event.

Indeed, the Garda action might have had more far flung results as I had a personal letter from the Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs in Northern Ireland (sic) asking for a meeting between our respective Ministers for a joint plan* against anticipated IRA violence. The meeting was avoided but the projected action from Garda HQ might have led to acute embarrassment for Government. This was only one of several occasions on which Garda HQ , always kicking for touch, gave advice in policy matters which was not justified by the facts......"

( * '1169..' Comment : for "joint plan" read 'collaboration' , a long-term and on-going 'solution' by Leinster House in how to 'deal' with resistance to British interference in Ireland - cooperate with Westminster in its occupation and aid it in its fight against those who seek a re-united Ireland!)
(MORE LATER).

On Saturday , 30th October 2010 , a picket in support of Irish Republican prisoners will be held at the GPO in O'Connell Street , Dublin , from 12.45pm to 1.45pm.
ALL WELCOME!

A quick mention here about our friends and colleagues in the Limerick area , whom we shared company with at a recent function. Congratulations to all concerned on the gains made and on managing the increased workload. We'll return the hospitality at the Ard Fheis function in November - but it's still your round ;-) !

THE BLOOD STAINED BANDAGE.....

We don't often (enough!) use our blog to comment on Irish Rebel songs , but at the last Republican gig we attended we heard two old favourites that are not heard often (enough!) at ballad sessions , so we thought we would take this opportunity to link to one of them and to provide basic info (here) regarding that IRA Volunteer.

But we can't find a decent video of the second old favourite so , rather than do it an injustice , we'll just post the lyrics of it here -

Blood Stained Bandage....

A cold May morning was breaking over Dublin's dreary town
Sixteen brave men have fallen to the rifles of the crown,
Because they loved their country and served it night and day
Before they faced those rifles this is what those boys did say-

"Take away the blood-stained bandage from off an Irish brow
We fought and bled for Ireland and will not shirk it now,
We have held in her struggle, in answer to her call
And because we sought to free her we are placed against a wall...."

Ned Daly, Heuston, Colbert, Mac Donagh and Mac Bride
Mac Dermott and the brothers Ceannt, with Clarke and Plunkett died
Mick Mallin, Pat and Willy Pearse, O'Hanrahan and Kent
And last of all James Connolly this message to them sent-

"Take away the blood-stained bandage from off an Irish brow
We fought and bled for Ireland and will not shirk it now,
We have held in her struggle, in answer to her call
And because we sought to free her we are placed against a wall..."

The next Republican gig in the 79'r Pub in Ballyfermot , Dublin , will be held on Friday 17th December 2010. If you can make it , well and good - if not , we'll be thinking of you in between pints of cider and singing along to the above two songs... !

106 ALL ROUND !
The 106th Ard Fheis of Republican Sinn Féin Poblachtach will be held in a Dublin venue on Saturday/Sunday 13th/14th November 2010, at which 106 motions will be discussed. That figure represents the final tally of motions , duplicates having been amalgamated. We are particularly pleased to see a number of motions on the Clár ('Programme') dealing with workers in the Community Sector (CDP's,JI and CE) , as this is an issue of specific interest to those of us on this blog.
Congrats to RSF and full marks indeed to those men and women who remain true to their Republican principles!
Thanks!
Sharon.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

GIVE GENEROUSLY - OR ELSE YOUR KIDS WILL BE FORCED TO EMIGRATE WITHOUT AN EDUCATION.....

We all know by now that those in Leinster House have been living beyond our means.
This is because our means are not sufficient to keep them in the style they deserve. Yes , readers - it's our fault. The up-coming State budget will ensure that most of us (but not all of us) will have less money available to maintain the lifestyles of our professional career politicians : with this worrying development in mind , we at this blog feel it's time to offer-up one possible solution , first mooted by those that have our best interests at heart - Fine Gael.

One of our Fine Gael leaders-in-waiting , Therese Ridge , a State Senator amongst other fine attributes ,
first suggested this worthy approach in ensuring that the money stopped from your wagepacket each week should not be wasted on health or education initiatives to the point that there will not be enough left over to maintain the lifestyles of our professional career State politicians. The suggestion from the lovely Senator also ensured that the unemployed could contribute as well as they , too , have hall doors (...even if , like the employed , they can't really afford those hall doors..)

For the good of our politicians , we MUST fill buckets like these...

Foolproof!
We wrote about this brave and sensible proposal before and , indeed - to the credit of some of our readers - we received a few messages of 'support' (!) and, as such , we feel it is time to resurrect this noble idea and to campaign for it to be included in the up-coming State budget initiatives.
However , we realise that there are begrudgers out there who won't be happy until the Therese Ridges's of our taxpayer-funded gated communities are down in the gutter where they are , and to those small-minded individuals we have this message : would ye ever go and feck off with yourselves!
Those begrudgers have no idea of the strain our leaders are under and we ask that our readers ignore people like that , put the 'Welcome!' mat out on the doorstep and boil-up the kettle.
It's the least you owe Therese and the hundreds of others like her , that are simply trying to ensure - at your expense , naturally - that they remain insulated from the troubling , 'penny-pinching' and worrying day-to-day financial difficulties that you and I endure.
Dig DEEP , won't you.......?

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

AN EXPERIMENT IN JAMES STREET : THE DEATH OF NIALL RUSH.......
From 'MAGILL' magazine , September 1984.
By Derek Dunne.

The Institute of Clinical Pharmachology in Dublin has about 1,000 volunteers a year , most of whom are male : even though Irish women have the highest incidence of cardio vascular disease in Europe, these drugs are not tested on females.

Volunteers are paid a standard £20 a day for their service , which works out at about 83p an hour. Grants to the Clinic of up to 50% are available from the IDA if the drug under test is to be manufactured here.

In the 1970's , the Institute was known as a place where students could go if they wanted some 'handy' money. Predominantly , volunteers were students taking time out to collect money for fees or rent etc but , towards the end of the decade, things began to change : the prevailing economic conditions left more and more people without work , without money , and unemployed Dubliners took 'advantage' of the £20 a day on offer from the Institute , as a single unemployed person gets about £30 a week on the dole.

The prospect of £20 a day for , say, a 26-day straight test - total 'earned' £520 - must amount to an inducement , as it would take four months to get that amount on the dole.......
(MORE LATER).

Viva le France!

At the time of writing , industrial unrest in France is on-going and , with a bit of luck, will spread from France to elsewhere - like here , in Ireland , for instance.
We Irish used to have that 'back-bone' - to take to the streets over injustices , to strike from our jobs when the bosses attempted to take back or reduce that which we had won by standing together , to riot in the streets when those same bosses - backed by a complient media and supported by the political establishment and the brute force of that establishment and silently (and sometimes not that silently) supported by a weak trade union leadership - attempted to increase their profits by "reducing their expenditure" ie by reducing the workforce and/or reducing the wage paid to each employee as well as by attempting to change whatever terms , conditions and work practices which that workforce had obtained to make their working life that bit more bearable.
That 'Spirit of Resistance' is still present , albeit not as prevalent or as widespread as it once was : people seem to be , for the most part , 'browbeaten' , subjuded by a combination of malignant forces that has left them scared to raise their head above the parapet.
We on this blog have helped place pickets on the offices of those politicians who have introduced and/or supported financial and social cutbacks on workers and the unemployed , we have protested at the presence of State politicians at a community function when the actions of those same politicians have devestated that same community and we have been on the streets protesting against the unreal and unfair 'bank bailouts' and , as trade union members ourselves, we are in full agreement with like-minded observers who point out that those in the leadership of the trade union movement - whilst promoted as 'radicals' by the establishment - are , in actual fact , the paid-for 'pet rebels' of that same State establishment.
And , whilst we fully intend to continue doing all of the above , it would make it all the more worthwhile to us if we could do so in the company of others that also had the 'Esprit of the French'. But we won't let the (temporary) absence of same deter us...!
Thanks!
Sharon.

Sunday, October 17, 2010

REPUBLICAN BALLAD SESSION IN 79'r PUB , DUBLIN , SATURDAY 16th OCTOBER 2010 - BRIEF REPORT AND A FEW PICS.

Two of the six raffle prizes won on the night.

Full marks to the lads and lassies from the Ballyfermot-based James Connolly/Frank Carroll/Denis O Donovan Cumann , Republican Sinn Féin , who organised this fund raiser : they know their stuff and run a 'tight ship' !
They managed to sell more than 400 tickets for the event , book three acts for the night - Paddy Sweeney , Pato Cullen and Willie Nolan - acquire six items for raffle prizes (two framed Republican mirrors , a Bodhrón , two books ['Between Comrades' and 'Women of Ireland'] and a framed 1916 Proclamation ) and accomodate a crew from Armagh who came down specially to see how to do it right ;-) (only joking, Cait !) !

A good-sized crowd , which almost filled the hall, was welcomed to the venue by Josephine Hayden, General Secretary of RSF , who dedicated the night to Kevin and Seán , and , to loud applause, spoke briefly of how important events like this are to the Movement , as they raise much-needed funds and help to 'get the word out' re the Republican position on the on-going struggle for full self-determination and on the Republican position regarding the financial crisis being experienced by workers and the unemployed due to the incompetence and greed of "...the expense-account time-servers in Leinster House.." .

Josephine also said a few words about the CABHAIR Christmas Swim , reminding the crowd that this soon-to-be 34-years 'young' event will be held on Christmas Day next at the 3rd Lough of the Grand Canal , about a mile in distance from the venue we were in now. Also , Josephine mentioned that the 79'r had been booked , again, for Friday 17th December next, for another ballad session - details to follow. And with that , she introduced the first act of the night - Pato Cullen - and another great night (and early morning!) in the 79'r got underway...

Finally : thanks to Frank , Robbie , Paddy and Matt for 'doing the door' , to Pat , Barney , Steve and Harold [;-)] for looking after the other entry/exit point , to Cait for doing the raffle (I didn't win anything and Cait can't hold her cider !) and to the manager and staff of the pub for looking after us so well. Much appreciated!
We publish with this brief report a few pics from the event :