Wednesday, May 23, 2012

GONE OVER TO "THE OTHER SIDE...."

'THERE WILL BE ANOTHER DAY.....' By Peadar O'Donnell ; first published in January 1963.

While the British Government had an easy way of overcoming default , the individual landlord had either to invoke the courts or go without his rent : in the half light of the independence movement - 1918 to early 1919 - the landlord's agent could still use the British court and get a decree , and the bailiff , if he was tricky , plucky and lucky, could find a way to collect on it. But this was a dangerous flash-point of country unrest , for let any populous countryside once clash with the bailiff on this issue and Dublin might bawl its head off in vain. And this happened and it happened in Donegal , where a bailiff seized a few head of cattle for arrears of rent due to the estate of the Marquess of Conyngham and young men cutting turf saw him and set themselves across his path. The bailiff stood his ground and people gathered - but the bailiff had a case to make : Sinn Féin had no policy against rent so what harm if his decree came from a British court , or would it in fact be alright if he got one from Sinn Fein - would they let him pass then ? They would not and here was their judgement - from that day onwards the bailiff's office was abolished. Let him go home and live off his bit of land like his neighbours. On the following Sunday this matter was raised at a meeting in the village hall and 'wild ideas' were expounded - the landlord was a scarecrow of the past and landlordism was a wornout historical myth which was binding nowhere , and least of all in Ireland. The land annuity was only the other side of that rent penny and people should disown that too. Henceforth let no man pay rent for land and the people raised their hands and pledged themselves to practice and protect this freedom. Joe Sweeney , the local IRA Commandant and one of the St Enda pupils in the Rising , was friendly to their decision and sheltered it.......

(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.

" Part Two dealt with events from August 1969 to the period preceeding 18th April and Part Three dealt with the period 18th April to 22nd April , and included an account of my conversation with Chief Supt. Malone (immediately after my talk with Mr Haughey) in which he told me that Mr. Haughey's personal assistant , Tony Fagan , had been on the phone requesting that Chief Supt. Fleming should phone Mr. Haughey and it recapitulated what I had told him ie that Mr. Haughey had been on the phone to me asking that the cargo should be let go through Dublin Airport to the North , and it also mentioned my instructions that Chief Supt. Fleming should not talk to Mr. Haughey or Mr. Fagan. Part Three also mentioned that I had been in a dilemma as to whether the Taoiseach could possibly be speaking with two voices , his public statements as to the Government's peaceful intentions towards the North contrasted with the repeated actions of some of his principal Ministers in trying to bring in arms and his own failure to take any more than token action when informed in October 1969 by me of Capt. Kelly's activities with the IRA - the Baileboro meeting , etc - and it also mentioned my decision to consult the President as to the proper course of action for me to take when I became possessed of information of national concern. Part Four dealt with the history of Albert Luykx and how he came to be given a 'certificate of character' by me on the instructions of Mr. O Morain at the request of Mr. Blaney : this was to be the item on which the first trial was brought to an abortive conclusion on September 29th when Mr. Albert Woods , Counsel for a defendant , criticised in very strong language the Judge's conduct of the proceedings. The incident , also, had a catastrophic effect on proceedings which I was about to take in the civil courts for defamation of character by 'The Irish Times' and 'The Irish Press' on September 15th....."

(MORE LATER).

MARTIN McGUINNESS......



....GOES....



.....OVER.....



....TO THE....




.....OTHER SIDE.

From this to this : "Unfortunately, tiny and unrepresentative groups are still out there, which believe that it is a good idea to try to destabilise not just the peace process but these institutions. What they to come to terms with is that there is no prospect of destabilising the peace process, and there is no prospect whatsoever of breaking up the unity of these institutions. Some considerable time ago, the First Minister and I committed ourselves to the principle that, no matter what happens, we are going to remain firm, solid and united, and we are going to consistently express our unreserved condemnation of those who would try to disrupt the lives of our people and the prospects for economic progress in the future......whether you call it Derry or Londonderry, the city will have a wonderful opportunity in 2013.......so, there is a responsibility on citizens all over this island, North and South — wherever they see groups or organisations that are committed to the destruction of the peace process or the political institutions that the people of Ireland voted for in 1998 — to help the Garda and the PSNI in whatever way that they can, so that we can undermine the activities of those people....."

(More here , if you think you can stomach it...)

It would perhaps be some small mercy if it was possible to declare that Mr. McGuinness thought that he could ride two horses at the same time but , having listened to the above-linked 'Youtube' piece , such a declaration is not possible , and all the more so when it is taken into account that he spent at least several decades in the company of Irish Republicans before he abandoned those people for a half-crown's worth of political 'respectability'. This creature is just another one in a long line of turncoats (two-a-penny , unfortunately , in Irish history , especially in respect of this issue) but , even so , he would have been well-versed regarding knowledge of the other spies/British plants/operatives that trod the same path before he embraced that particular route. But , as with those other political pimps, the lure of easy money , a nice office , good suits and a large pension , not to mention the 'friendship' offered to him by Free State political parasites , loyalist and unionist gangsters and British 'Establishment' figures proved too much for him and he capitulated. And now he seeks to blame those who will not join him "on the other side" for the conflict. He has been purchased and fully intends to stay purchased : just another unprincipled career politician in a long line of such lackeys that are now unable to do Irish Republicanism any real damage. But that won't stop them from trying - they owe that much , at least , to their new 'friends'......

Thanks for reading, Sharon.





Tuesday, May 22, 2012

REASONS TO VOTE 'NO' ON MAY 31ST 2012 - HAVE YOUR SAY ON WEDNESDAY 23RD MAY , WYNNS HOTEL , DUBLIN.

PUBLIC MEETING RE 'FISCAL TREATY' , DUBLIN , WEDNESDAY 23RD MAY 2012.



On Wednesday 23rd May , RSF will hold a public meeting in relation to the 'Fiscal Treaty' , which is due to be put to a public vote in this State on May 31st. Wynns Hotel , Lower Abbey Street , Dublin , is the venue for this meeting , which starts at 7.30pm , and which will be addressed by RSF President Des Dalton, 'SAOIRSE' Editor Ruairí Óg Ó Brádaigh and Andy Connolly, Chairperson Comhairle Ceantair Átha Cliath , Sinn Féin Poblachtach. Anyone who wants to contribute can do so either from the floor or from the top of the room as all speakers will be listened to.

Tell this man.....



....and his fellow-IMF employee.....



.....where to go , by voting 'NO!', on Thursday 31st May 2012 !

Thanks for reading, Sharon.





Sunday, May 20, 2012

2012 CABHAIR TESTIMONIAL - BRIEF REPORT AND PICS.

CABHAIR TESTIMONIAL 2012.

One of the six Belfast Crystal pieces awarded to the Honorees on the night.

The CABHAIR 2012 Testimonial was held yesterday (Saturday 19th May) in the Academy Plaza Hotel in Dublin city centre and was a fantastic success : over 100 people were 'fed and watered' , (re-)introduced to the six Honorees and/or their representatives and shared a few drinks and a four-course meal with them in the upstairs lounge for about two hours before we were ushered to the downstairs function room where , after another round of drinks , the main proceedings began.

CABHAIR flag-stand on display in the function room.

The event was expertly Chaired by Dan Hoban , Mayo , who had , as usual, done his homework , although he 'stores' most of it in his head - Dan has personal recollections of 'time' spent in the company of the Honorees and/or their representatives , and entertained the full room with brief stories of same , including the many occasions when he and those comrades shared meals of a different type in surroundings that were not as salubrious !

A section of the crowd at the 2012 CABHAIR Testimonial.

RSF President , Des Dalton , Joe O'Neill (Donegal) and Mary Ward were amongst those who shared memories of past engagements with the Honorees and it was clear to all present that the six people being honoured had put their lives 'on hold' in order to ensure the survival of the Republican Movement : jobs/careers had been turned down and/or lost , family life had suffered and personal socialising always involved and included the promotion of Irish Republicanism.

Some of those in attendance at the CABHAIR Testimonial.

A few of the many items for sale at the CABHAIR 'shop'.

Crowd section....

....and another few of them !

Myself and the other '1169..' rep really enjoyed ourselves in such great company , we met old friends (hello South Armagh!) got introduced to new friends and heard the history of each of the Honorees , from the stage and in conversation with them before and after they were presented with their piece of Belfast Crystal - and we can confirm that, once again , CABHAIR has made a very fitting and wise choice in the calibre of those it made the award to. A full report and more pics will be published in the June 2012 issue of 'Saoirse' , which goes to print on Wednesday 30th May next. And I'll leave it at that for now - considering that I only got home from the Testimonial at 3pm this afternoon , you're doing well that I'm able to put this wee piece together....!

Thanks for reading, Sharon.






Wednesday, May 16, 2012

FOUNDED IN 1953 BY AN IRA MAN 'WITH A DIFFERENCE...'

'THERE WILL BE ANOTHER DAY.....' By Peadar O'Donnell ; first published in January 1963.


The Irish countryside never knew James Connolly , but it stirred the live embers of Fenian radicalism that was its own share of the natural tradition of struggle : it was the young men of the countryside who broke John Redmond in a series of by-elections , and opened the way for Sinn Féin , but city-minded Sinn Féin was darkly suspicious of the 'wild men on the land' and were alert for any talk of breaking down estate walls. The Republican Government sent special commissioners to trouble spots , honest men who wanted to see the clearances of the past restored to the people in a pattern of family farms , but they saw this process as a function of government which must wait on recognition of the Republic for fulfilment - ' First of all win the war....bear in mind that the eyes of the world are on us , a people fighting for pure ideals...'

Many an IRA man in jail in 1922 and 1923 cursed his use as a defender of pure ideals to patrol estate walls , enforce decrees for rent , arrest and even order out of the country leaders of local land agitations. There was only one broad arrow of the conquest from which the countryman could free himself without drawing Dublin on him - he could withhold his land annuity. The Irish Land Commission collected this money and paid it over to Britain ; when tenants defaulted , the Land Commission could invoke the courts but if it failed to do so effectively Britain could recoup itself by withholding the amount of the shortage from grants from central funds to Irish local councils - the local rate then took up the burden. No general revolt against land annuities was preached , nor even locally except in the Rosses of Donegal.

Elsewhere , tenants defaulted , furtively , and Britain recouped itself , silently - sparks without heat enough to make a blaze..... (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.

JUNE 17TH 1970 :

" The Book of Evidence for the arraignment of Mr. Haughey , Mr. Blaney , Captain Kelly , John Kelly (of Belfast) and Albert Luykx was circulated : within days threats were made on my home telephone to my wife. The Book contained a statement by me as to my telephone conversation with Mr. Haughey on Saturday 18th April and a reference to another telephone conversation with Chief Superintendent Malone of Garda HQ immediately afterwards which the Law Officers thought would be corroborating evidence against Mr. Haughey. In following days I had consulations with the Attorney General's office and was asked to make an aide memoire for the Attorney General which would give an insight into my background knowledge of events that might come up at the trial and of my relations with Mr. Haughey and Mr. O Morain. I did so , and it ran to more than twelve pages. Part 1 dealt with questions of law - matters of privilege and the like - on which I thought that I might require guidance. It also dealt with my relations with Mr. Haughey who had been my Minister from October 1961 to October 1964 and it outlined my association with Mr. O Morain who had been my Minister from March 1968 to April 1970 ; his ill-health , his failure to keep the Taoiseach informed earlier of Mr. Haughey's dealings with subversive elements. Additionally it mentioned my view that while the defendant Albert Luykx was a conspirator he was not a conscious subversive , that he was acting as he did because of being flattered by association with Ministers - indeed , it was a mystery to me and to my colleagues in the Department and the police why Luykx was being prosecuted because it was evident to us that with his political history it was a virtual certainty that no Irish jury would bring a verdict of 'guilty' and if he were not prosecuted his statement to the police could be used in evidence against Mr. Blaney....." (MORE LATER).

ANNUAL IRISH REPUBLICAN REUNION.

CONGRATS to Rose and Tommy , Tess , Pete , Sarah and Brian Mór.....



Since at least 1978 - when the CABHAIR organisation was known as 'An Cumann Cabhrach' - Irish Republicans have sought to officially honour those amongst them who have 'gone that extra mile' by holding an event at which such people can be presented with a small token of acknowledgement by the overall Republican Movement.

The 2012 Honorees are Rose (a sister of Richard Goss) and Tom Doran from Leinster , Tess Moten from Munster , Pete Quinn from Connacht , Sarah Murphy from Ulster and , sadly , posthumously , Brian Mór Ó Baoighill from the USA. The event will be held on Saturday 19th May next, in Dublin city centre , at the Academy Plaza Hotel in Cathal Brugha Street / Findlater Place.

Incidentally , the 'An Cumann Cabhrach' organisation was founded in 1953 by Rita McGlynn , Ella Woods , Donal O'Connor , Tom Gill , Nan Dillon and Tom Doyle - an IRA activist 'with a difference'- and now operates from 223 Parnell Street , Dublin 1 , and is, perhaps , best known for the Christmas Swim which it organises each year , regardless of the weather ! The CABHAIR Testimonial held in that same year of 'the big freeze' (2010) can be viewed here , whilst last year's event can be seen here. Myself and one other '1169...' rep will be present at the event this coming Saturday and hope to publish a brief report and a few pics on this blog before the weekend is out. I said "hope to" because this gig has been known to last for a full weekend (and then some!) and we '1169ers' just hate doing half a story.....!

Thanks for reading,

Sharon.





Sunday, May 13, 2012

GOOD GAMBLE ('YES') , BAD GAMBLE ('NO') !

'JOB' GETS A FEW BOB....!

.....Jimmy O'Brien ('JOB') , a "near local" , or so he told us , and not a regular customer of the hotel in which the usual 650-ticket Irish Republican raffle was held in today : Jimmy was helping a pal of his , Anto , a tour bus driver and a very reliable ticket-seller for us , and had bought a few of our raffle tickets from Anto and has promised to do so again - he won first prize in the raffle (€200) on ticket number 197 , and promptly told his pal that he was staying on for a bit of dinner and a few pints and then getting a Limo home !

The second prize - €100 - was won on ticket number 320 by a lovely young lady from Carlow , Kayla , who gave the envelope straight to her Daddy and asked the poor man if she can "...now , PLEASE , have an iPad...?" (LOL!) and Paddy K from Cabra , in Dublin , won the third prize of €40 on ticket number 253 - although he won't be 'upping his technology' as he entered into an arrangement with his four buddies that they would split any winnings - never mind , Paddy ; you can do the sly thing next time and buy a ticket on the QT !

Adrian , from Kilkenny , won €20 , fourth prize , on ticket number 622 , and he pulled out prize number five ( €20) , ticket number 491 , which was claimed by Keith , from Waterford. One of our regular sellers in the hotel , Seán , was the seller of the sixth prize of €20 , ticket number 601 , which was won by a pal of his , Pat , who then pulled out the seventh prize , €20 , which went to Gary , from Wicklow , on ticket number 438. Our last prize , also €20 , was won by Paul R on ticket number 51, who bought it from 'TEK' , one of our sellers in the hotel. We had the usual good craic today at this fund-raiser , and made arrangements for the next one which , unfortunately , clashes with the annual RSF Wolfe Tone Commemoration - but , thanks to the dedication of those involved , both events , which will be held practically within walking distance of each other, will go ahead as intended.

Also , at the raffle today , we distributed 900 Irish Republican leaflets - 300 'packs' , 3 per 'pack' -

RSF leaflets distributed today , Sunday 13th May 2012.

- consisting of two different types of 'VOTE NO ON MAY 31ST' leaflets and a leaflet advertising the above-mentioned Wolfe Tone Commemoration. All-in-all , RSF had a very productive day today - raised a nice few quid for itself and raised awareness of its position in relation to the on-going attempts to impose further poverty measures on the people in this corrupt and warped State.

Thanks for reading, Sharon.




Wednesday, May 09, 2012

ONcE UPON A TIME......

'THERE WILL BE ANOTHER DAY.....' By Peadar O'Donnell ; first published in January 1963.


I lost touch with the trade union movement towards the end of 1920 , but I never doubted for a moment that it was on watch waiting its turn , and that all of us who went out from it , and held commands in the IRA , would one day rest ourselves on it. It would have been blasphemy to suggest that men like O'Brien and Foran would desert the independence movement in the wake of the treacherous middle class. It is a very great pity that the Labour leaders of 1921 have not created any literature to explain what influenced them then - they no longer had the excuse that they were the custodians of trade union unity. The simple explanation here , too , is probably the real one : the trade union leaders in 1921 were not aware of the intense IRA loyalty to the Republic * and were probably misled by the superficial views of IRA spokesmen , whose political immaturity ** must have been very clear to them. They may have been discouraged by the knowledge that mass leadership no longer rested in them - the prompter's stool wins a man no public following. Individual trade union leaders still enjoyed great personal prestige and had easy access to leaders on either side , but they no longer had any power to influence events , short of taking their stand on the Republican side..... (* Why didn't those trade union leaders make it their business to find out where exactly the IRA stood in relation to issues that both organisations would have had concerns about ? ** The "political immaturity" mentioned, in this instance , could be said to belong to the TU leaders rather than to the IRA...) (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.

MAY 25TH 1970 :

" Mr Haughey issued a statement to the press : ' I now categorically state that at no time have I taken part in any illegal importation or attempted importation of arms into this country' ".

MAY 27TH 1970 :

" Arrest of Captain James Kelly , John Kelly and Albert Luykx who were charged in the Dublin District Court with conspiring with persons unknown to import arms into the State in contravention of the Firearms Act 1925 between 1st March and 24th April 1970. Next morning , Mr Haughey and Mr Blaney were placed under arrest and were similarly charged. They were remanded on bail. "

JUNE 3RD 1970 :

" I entered a nursing home at 96 Lower Leeson Street in Dublin , attached to St. Vincent's Hospital , for the check-over arranged for in Mount Carmel in the month of November when the surgeon had wanted to 'look inside' at my stomach where he thought there might be incipient carcinoma. It was a time of anxiety for me. I resumed duty on June 15th 1970 , having been given a clean bill of health , but I had been through a period of great mental strain for eight months under the medical adviser's opinion that I have cancer. And on top of that I had found myself placed in the dreadful position in anticipation of having to give evidence in a criminal court against my former Minister , Mr. Haughey , for whom in preceeding years I had had feelings of respect and admiration...." (MORE LATER).


'ONE' STILL HASN'T FOUND WHAT 'ONE' IS LOOKING FOR.....

In Dublin city centre last Saturday (5th May 2012) , whilst helping to distribute leaflet 'packs' for the Hunger-Strikers Commemoration , I couldn't help but to notice the amount of 'chuggers' working in the area : not the best of jobs , definitely , for those in the hi-viz jackets carrying the buckets but , it seems , their office/management colleagues have the easier and better-paid end of it in the bag (/bucket).

In 2002 , Bono helped to set-up the 'DATA' ('Debt , Aids, Trade , Africa')organisation which ,in 2004, helped to set-up the 'ONE' Campaign Group , to 'Make Poverty History' -


- in 2008 , 'DATA' and 'ONE' combined forces under the name 'ONE' - in that same year , the 'new' organisation took in $14,993,873 in public donations , of which more than $8 million was spent on executive and employee salaries and only $184,732 was distributed to three charities.....

"You took HOW MUCH out of it.....??!!"

...which would seem to indicate that the best part of $7 million fell victim to the 'Liza' dimension of this field of work (or maybe it was spent on shoebox-size giftpacks to impress their friends ?) but , whatever about that particular aspect of things , the fact remains that this Bono-related 'charitable' organisation collected over 81 times as much as it donated in 2008 : more than $14 million in the same year (2008) that its management paid themselves over $8 million following which they divided $184,732 of the remaining 'take' between three charities. 'Crumbs from the table' , so to speak , and 'food for thought' next time a 'chugger' attempts to 'mug' you on the streets......!

CLONMEL CROWD......


.....SCRAMBLE TO BUY 'SECOND SUNDAY' RAFFLE TICKETS !

Word has apparently spread in Clonmel and elsewhere in Tipperary following the good fortune of Maire , James and Derek at the monthly Irish Republican raffle last month in a Kildare hotel , and myself and the other five Dubs that run the event for the Republican Movement have been scrambling around for the past week hoping to locate unsold raffle tickets for the event this weekend - but no luck , so far ! All those that take a 'Standing Order'-amount of tickets from us , ranging from between 5 and 25 and 30 and 150 each, have already sold same and , indeed , some of them contacted us , looking for extra tickets!

This raffle will be held on Sunday coming , 13th May 2012, in the usual hotel venue which , no doubt, will be 'populated' by our culchie cousins from Kildare , Tipperary and elsewhere , leaving just us six Dubs to declare eight winners from the lot of them - and a lot of non-winners from outside the Pale to be wished , in our best Dub brogue - 'Ah sure better luck next time....' : all going well , if we get out of the hotel in one piece (!) , I'll post the names of the winners and their ticket numbers here on Sunday evening or sometime on Monday. If , however , you don't hear from me , send out a search party.....!

Thanks for reading, Sharon.






Saturday, May 05, 2012

BOBBY SANDS COMMEMORATION , DUBLIN , SATURDAY 5TH MAY 2012 : BRIEF REPORT AND PICS.

HUNGER-STRIKERS COMMEMORATION , DUBLIN , 5TH MAY 2012.

Lectern front used by RSF in Dublin , 5th May 2012.

The Annual RSF-organised Bobby Sands Commemoration was held today in Dublin on the traffic-isle in front of the GPO , watched by a crowd of about two-hundred people in total - not counting the ten uniformed State Garda members and eight of their plain-clothed colleagues. One Garda driver , in particular, must have been afraid of getting a ticket or clamped , maybe, as the only 'safe spot' he could find for his van was six feet away from the speakers lectern.

The parking 'problem' was one of two incidents which RSF had to cope with on the day : the other one was when a lady , recently released from Mountjoy Jail , and fresh from a pub between there and the GPO , insisted that Irish Republicans were "wrong" and she was "right" (in relation to everything, apparently...) but such was the foul language used by this woman she quickly drew upon herself the (unwanted) attention of the Gardai , who 'escorted' her off the traffic-isle and returned her safely to oblivion. The only other possible 'fly in the ointment' was the weather , as it's almost impossible to 'keep the crowd' in an open-air situation like that should the Heavens open which , thankfully , they didn't : we had a cool breeze throughout , overcast at times, but no rain. God , or Bobby , was looking down on us.....!

Anyway - enough chit-chat !

The RSF 'warm-up' speaker - John Horan , Dublin - asked , at 1.35pm, that the RSF 'A Team' ('Amplification Team' !) turn off the music system and turn on the amp equipment : he introduced himself to the crowds , and introduced a 'twist' to proceedings - Irish Republican female hunger-strikers. In his speech , John concentrated on one woman in particular - Dorothy MacArdle - and outlined in good detail her own history , including the fact that , in 1923, Dorothy MacArdle was one of 340 Irish Republican women who went on hunger-strike. He did reference parts of her life story which he and many others - myself included - believe she should have handled differently , but he stressed that those "transgressions" do not take away from the fact that it is not only Irish Republican men who have undertaken a hunger strike.

At about 1.45pm , led by Séan the Piper , an RSF Colour Party , uniformed representatives from Na Fianna Éireann and Cumann na mBan ,the Parade left the Garden Of Remembrance in Parnell Square and marched down O'Connell Street to the GPO , where a small stage with a speakers lectern on top , an amplification system and a separate music system had been set-up : the three uniformed groups were instructed by the Chairperson , Paddy Tidd , to 'form up' facing the pillars of the GPO , following which Paddy introduced himself to the crowd and welcomed and thanked them for attending the Commemoration - he then named each of the twenty-two hunger-strikers who , between the years 1917 and 1981 , died in this on-going struggle. RSF Vice-President , Fergal Moore , and Ard Chomhairle member Cait Trainor also addressed the crowds from the stage , both delivering hard-hitting , in-depth yet concise synopses of the political situation as it exists today in this warped State. We publish with these few words some pics from the event today , and a full report - including the text of the main speeches - and more pics will be published in the June issue of 'Saoirse' , which goes to print on Wednesday 30th May 2012. Incidentally , myself and the other members of the 'Leaflet Team' were correct in our assesment regarding the amount of leaflet 'packs' that could be distributed at this Hunger-Strike Commemoration - we had 700 such 'packs' but wanted (and needed !) at least 1,000 : we all received a call on our mobile phones just before 2.30pm requesting that , between us , we keep at least 50 'packs' , as two girls who live beside the venue where the ballad session is being held tonight wanted same to do a 'door-to-door' with in the area. But , at that stage, we had less than thirty 'packs' left between us.....!

Finally : great job today by RSF members and Colour Party , Séan the Piper , Na Fianna Éireann , Cumann na mBan , Paddy , Fergal , Cait and John and the two-hundred-or-so people that stood with us , despite the heavy State presence - a very fitting tribute was paid to the twenty-two men that were remembered. Few pics now , more in the June 2012 issue of 'Saoirse' :

The RSF Commemoration parade arriving at the GPO , Saturday 5th May 2012.

RSF Colour Party member and Na Fianna Éireann.

Paddy Tidd , Chairing the proceedings.

Cait Trainor , one of the speakers at the Hunger-Strike Commemoration in Dublin today , Saturday , 5th May 2012.

Thanks for reading,

Sharon.




Wednesday, May 02, 2012

INNER CIRCLES OF CORRUPTION.

'THERE WILL BE ANOTHER DAY.....' By Peadar O'Donnell ; first published in January 1963.

Trade union leaders in Dublin were undoubtedly on friendly terms with IRA officers , who trusted them absolutely : trade union rooms were used for IRA meetings , which wanted men attended , and Tom Johnson wrote the draft for the Democratic Programme of Dáil Éireann. The Labour Movement did , indeed , demonstrate independently that it had ends of its own to serve - it celebrated the first anniversary of the Russian Revolution by an overflow meeting in the Mansion House in Dublin and it staged demonstrations against British crimes in Ireland ('1169...' Comment : ....whereas today trade unions will avail of the services offered by those same British criminals..) and Tom Foran , General President of the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union , publicly described those demonstrations as dress rehearsals for 'The Workers' Republic'. As an official of Foran's and O' Brien's union , I came within hearing of the buzz of excited talk around union headquarters at Liberty Hall : I was lucky enough , while a student teacher in training in Dublin , 1911-1913 , to become interested in Labour papers and run into Labour meetings. It was my good luck that just then an uncle of mine , Peter Rodgers , home from Butte , Montana , where he was an active 'Wobblie', was on hand to sharpen , still further , my awareness of the class struggle. It did not seem strange to me , therefore , that the people I met at Liberty Hall should emphasise that the real fight would begin when the middle-class tried to duck out of the Republican struggle on terms that would suit them , but betray the Revolution. When that time came the Labour movement - to me that always meant the trade union movement - would take on the role which the Citizen Army played in the period of confusion on the eve of the 1916 Rising : it would be the point of rally for the independence movement in its second hour of crisis. I accepted this view of things eagerly..... (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.

" The Committee of Public Accounts had asked the Manager why documents had been released from the account when the banks re-opened despite the fact that the police had been making enquiries and the Manager's reply was that a request from the Department of Finance to retain all documents did not come until afterwards ie in late September or October. But , as I explained earlier, I had made this request for the retention of documents in the previous May and had been given to understand from the Group Law Agent that the bank would co-operate. The Committee's questioning of the Manager was sharp and his replies and actions in some other respects were commented on. The Report of the Committee has strictures ; on page 59 it has this to say - '.....moreover , the evidence given on behalf of this bank was unsatisfactory and the Committee did not receive from this bank the assistance it had a right to expect in tracing the money that passed through these accounts...' . If the Committee had had knowledge of my request , on behalf of the Minister for Justice , in May 1970, their strictures would , doubtless , have been ever more severe......." (MORE LATER).


INNER CIRCLES OF CORRUPTION.....

.....wheels within wheels greased :



Sean Fitzpatrick and Lar Bradshaw were great friends at the time - 'golf buddies' - and each was seen by their wannabe 'golf buddie' admirers as 'occupying the space' where they , themselves, hoped to exist one fine day : a 'Captain of Industry' , with connections to political bosses , property speculators and the so-called 'Leaders' of society. Life was good for Sean and Lar.

The jobs ('Positions') they held in their respective fields were extremely well paid and included a huge expense allowance as it was recognised , by their Boards , that 'entertaining clients' was an important part of their working day. Sean was a Bank Boss , in charge of 'Anglo Irish Bank' and moved in circles that were even too rich for him - one of his best known 'business deals' that , like 'his' bank , went sour on him , was an investment he made with, amongst other such luminaries , the 'King' of Morocco - both were involved in a
(failed) casino and theme park operation in Macau , a so-called 'SAR' of China.

Anyway , back to this particular aspect of his dealings in Dublin : Sean was a Board Director of the Dublin Docklands Development Authority (DDDA) , where his 'golf buddie' , Larry Bradshaw , was the boss and, by pure coincidence , Larry was a Board Director of Anglo Irish Bank , where Sean was the boss ! In 2006 , with hundreds of millions of taxpayer-supplied Euro at his 'disposal' , Larry thought it would be a good idea to spend €412 million to purchase a (contaminated) 25-acre site in Ringsend , Dublin , and Sean's bank
(!) was , fortunately (!) on hand to part-finance the 'deal' : the rest , as they say , is history , and is but one signpost on the crooked road that has taken this poxy State to the position it's in - a financial and moral basket case , with our interchangeable 'leaders' in Leinster House - who would be no strangers to lifting their little fingers on a golf course with the likes of Sean and Lar - completely uninterested in any aspect of the above and similar scandals : their one and only concern is to ensure that they remain in Office long enough to qualify for their pension.

But even at this late stage , there is a solution - the alternative is to carry-on as we are , changing the colours every few years of the political and business criminals that have elbowed their way to the taxpayer-funded pension-trough that State politicians and their property-speculating business friends are up to their worthless , non-productive necks in. We owe it to future generations to take a stand now.....


400 X 3 + 250 X 4 + 50 X 5 = 2,450......

RSF leaflets for 5th May 2012.

RSF Head Office has prepared 2,450 Republican leaflets for distribution at this years Bobby Sands Commemoration which will be held in Dublin on Saturday 5th May 2012 : these leaflets have been assembled in 'packs/booklets' , 400 of which will contain three leaflets , whilst 250 will have four leaflets and 50 will have five leaflets , giving a 'pack' total of 700. It was suggested by Head Office that any 'packs' left over be distributed at the function that same night in 'The Barn House' pub , to which the leaflet team replied "God Bless your innocence...." !

Experience has proven to myself and the rest of the leaflet team that the 700 'packs' we have will be gone before the Commemoration is over and , had we had
1,000 packs , we could have distributed them no problem. So , if you're looking for an 'RSF Leaflet Pack' on Saturday 5th May 2012 , your best chance to get one will be between O' Connell Bridge and the Ambassador from 12.30 pm to , hopefully , about 2.30pm. After 2.30pm , your chances are slim to none ! See you in Dublin City Centre that afternoon , or at the gig that night....

Thanks for reading,

Sharon.




Tuesday, May 01, 2012

WESTMINSTER CONTINUES ITS SECRET WAR IN IRELAND.

BRITISH GOVERNMENT AND 'LOST' IRISH FILES....



Interesting article here in connection with the on-going 'dirty tricks' campaign which Westminster is running in relation to its political and military interference in Ireland : "The first claims came from those illegally arrested during internment in 1971 and those subjected to "deep interrogation". The (British) MoD decided to settle out of court when crown counsel advised them that they would be likely to lose if a case was brought before a judge. New evidence from the National Archives shows the (British) army continued harming civilians even after the disasters of internment, deep interrogation and Bloody Sunday.... the British preference for claiming to operate within the law, yet bending the meaning of the law to allow repression – as documented in the colonial archives we have now seen – carried on into Northern Ireland... (sic) "

This is not a 'revelation' as far as Irish Republicans are concerned - rather , it is confirmation of our position ie that in order to start to repair the damage she has caused and is causing in Ireland , Britain must first announce a date for its complete military and political withdrawal. No other offer will be entertained.

Thanks for reading,

Sharon.




Saturday, April 28, 2012

GOMBEENS AFRAID TO CONDEMN FELLOW GOMBEENS.....

UNPRINCIPLED KEEPERS OF THE BIG HOUSE.



".......we are angry at being portrayed as self-serving, overpaid, under-worked and dishonest people with overly generous pensions that we don’t pay for. Yes, there are public servants who fit into that category; they are represented by you and your colleagues, not us.....we are angry that we, our children and our children’s children have been sacrificed by this government to protect the people who bankrolled your party and robbed the Irish People. Men like Fingers and Seanie were held up by government as examples of entrepreneurial skill and business acumen but who were nothing more than ‘gombeen’ men. We are angry at the arrogance of a government corrupted by years of power has lost touch with the reality of life on a modest salary; if they ever knew it at all. A government whose only agenda is to protect the economic traitors.....this government is misusing what it means to be Irish as they support a new aristocracy created in their image. This new aristocracy chooses whether to retain state pensions while still working as public representatives, using all means to spend vast resources on the few, while taking pay from the majority. This government have created a new class system......we are angry about NAMA. No, not the entity set up by government to bail out developers and speculators who reneged on their debts, the cost of which you have placed on the shoulders of generations of Irish workers to come. Yes, we are angry about that, but I am talking about the NAMA that the government is, The National Assets Mismanagement Agency......the government of which you are a long serving member has mismanaged the wealth of this country for more than a decade by allowing our assets to be plundered and robbed by bankers and speculators and you are making generations of Irish workers pay the price for this treachery. You did this because bankers and speculators have bought your party, and in return you have sacrificed the greater good and prosperity of the Irish Nation for the benefit of the few – the few who have now taken their ill-gotten gains and secured them in tax havens around the world. Truly, a government of national sabotage......In the face of the unwarranted attack by the government on the workers and unemployed of this country the Garda Representative Association has stood head and shoulders above other trade unions. We have shown leadership, temerity, tenaciousness and courage. We have lead from the front....."

- an extract from a speech prepared , two years ago this month, by Michael O'Boyce , for delivery at a GRA meeting at which Fianna Fail elected representatives were to be present. The speech was not actually read out but it should have been : apart from the usual 'Free Stateism'-type of language ie "...this country....national.....the Irish Nation..." - its tenure is true : the source , however , is as bent , corrupt and unprincipled as that which it almost condemned.

"The front..." which Mr. O'Boyce referenced in his undelivered speech is instantly recognisable to Irish Republicans : it is that which has continually protected those that its leadership describes as the '...gombeen men (and women)....who have sabotaged and robbed the people...' Indeed , two years ago when that undelivered speech first hit the headlines , some of the more innocent amongst us (not Irish Republicans , I hasten to add !) thought (and hoped!) that it heralded the laying-down of a marker to the corrupt Leinster House practices in this society when , unfortunately , all it really represented was the feelings of individuals who , unlike their 'Masters' , had been hit in the pocket - like the rest of us - to bail out the friends of those same 'Masters'.

Disgruntled State employees , in other words , who thought that those they protect would exclude them from the financial 'penalities' they were imposing on everybody else. 'Gombeen men and women' , in short.....

Thanks for reading,
Sharon.





Wednesday, April 25, 2012

BOBBY SANDS COMMEMORATIVE BALLAD SESSION , DUBLIN , SATURDAY 5TH MAY 2012.

'THERE WILL BE ANOTHER DAY.....' By Peadar O'Donnell ; first published in January 1963.
There was nothing make-believe , however, about the loyalists' opposition to Sinn Féin * - if union officials took that side their Protestant members , almost to a man, would stampede into a sectarian trade union in the shelter of the Orange lodges. Followers of John Redmond would not bolt - they would sulk , and many would lapse. On the other hand , a decision by trade union officials to put forward Labour candidates who would take their seats in the British Parliament would have caused an uproar. In these circumstances , de Valera's brusque 'Labour must wait' must have sounded like the answer to a prayer - but can anyone see de Valera daring the like were James Connolly alive ? There were men among the trade union officials who saw clearly that to stand aside in the General Election of 1918 was to deny James Connolly : the man among this group who could best communicate Connolly to Irish workers and who , indeed, had Connolly's mandate to go on from where he had been forced to leave off , was William O' Brien , General Secretary of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union but O' Brien, too , hesitated to take Connolly's place at the rostrum. Could it be that even he was influenced by the danger of confusion in the Hibernian-infested new branches of his union in provincial towns ? It could be , it could well be ; it could be , too , that O' Brien considered he could influence the leaders of the independence struggle through his friendly , personal association with them - that he confused the prompter's stool with a place on the stage**........ (* That was then , but not so today : (Provisional) Sinn Féin and the loyalists are working hand-in-hand , under a writ from Westminster, to 'govern' the Six-County area for Britain.) (** - What an apt description for Provisional Sinn Féin today : on the prompter's stool (ie Stormont) but believing themselves to be 'players' on the Main Stage !) (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. " Later , I had a phone call from the Group Law Agent , Rory O' Connor , who suggested that it would be as well to take down what he was about to say so that there would be no error or misinterpretation , and added - 'You may need to read between the lines...' . I said for him to go ahead and after a moment or so I said that he could speak faster. He remarked that I must have very good shorthand and I told him that he was being recorded on tape to which he said , laughingly, that he had no idea that Government Departments were so up to date in method. The general effect of his message was that while the bank could not accept that they had an obligation they would be looking into the matter on their own account and , reading between the lines , I was happy , and reported back to the Minister. Curiously enough , I do not recollect reading a transcript of the recording but this is understandable as I went home early as I was not feeling well. Some days later I heard from the Special Branch that the account in Baggot Street was being examined. When I came back before the Committee of Public Accounts on 12th March 1971 for "consulation" , I did not tell the Committee of my failure to get Murray to intervene and of my own intervention with the AIB authorities to freeze the account - it just did not jump to my recollection and , at the time , I did not attach any particular significance to it . But , much later - in 1975 - when I was reading in Booklet Number 4 the evidence given by Mr Deacon , the Manager of the bank in Baggot Street to the CPA on January 20th , 1971 , I realised that my intervention did have significance and that if I had communicated the facts to the CPA I would have assisted them in their investigations....." (MORE LATER).


BOBBY SANDS COMMEMORATIVE BALLAD SESSION , DUBLIN , SATURDAY 5TH MAY 2012.
On Saturday , 5th May 2012 - the 31st Anniversary of the death of Bobby Sands , one of the twenty-two Irish Republicans who died on hunger-strike between 1917 and 1981 - Irish Republicans will be holding a ballad session in 'The Barn House' pub , Dolphin's Barn , Dublin 8. Admission is only a fiver per person , doors open at 8.30pm , a Republican raffle will be held on the night and Martin Walsh will take to the stage at about 9pm : those intending to attend this function would be advised to get there early , as locals will be vying for space with a crowd from the Bobby Sands Commemoration , which is being held that same day in Dublin City Centre. The entrance tickets alone (see above pic) , which will be available at the door on the night , are worth the price of admission on their own as they are set to become a collector's item.
Thanks for reading,
Sharon.





Saturday, April 21, 2012

'AUSTERITY TREATY' - VOTE 'NO' ON THURSDAY 31ST MAY 2012.

PAYBACK'S A BITCH !

The same small , dedicated Clondalkin-based group of people that RSF worked with in 'N.O.T.A.' campaigns have produced a 'Vote No' leaflet in connection with the 'Austerity Treaty' vote which will be held in this State on Thursday 31st May 2012.

This co-operation has, once again , proved mutually beneficial to both groups , as the 'Pro NOTA / Anti Austerity Treaty' campaign group have had, so far , at least three times the amount of leaflets distributed than that which they themselves could have managed and RSF has upped its profile in Clondalkin and surrounding areas and made new contacts which will prove useful in the future. Also , RSF has used this opportunity to highlight a new website which they set-up in connection with the 'Austerity Treaty' and , in the same door-to-door , pub , club etc leaflet 'drop' , they have distributed thousands of their own leaflets. 'Win' or 'lose' on May 31st next , both groups have used the occasion to spread an anti-capitalist , pro-democracy message , and are to be congratulated for doing so !
Thanks for reading ,
Sharon.




Wednesday, April 18, 2012

BOBBY SANDS COMMEMORATION , DUBLIN , SATURDAY 5TH MAY 2012.

'THERE WILL BE ANOTHER DAY.....'
By Peadar O'Donnell ; first published in January 1963.

How does one account for the failure of the Irish Labour Movement to demand its quota of candidates in the General Election of 1918 , so as to reflect the pattern of the Rising ? The simplest explanation is , like as not, the true one - Labour leaders could not make up their minds what road to take. They were a bothered lot of men who gave themselves one task above every other * , to hold the branches of the trade unions together in a period of high controversy. (* ...whereas today , their objective is to stay in power as long as it takes for their pension entitlements to kick-in...)
I was a teachers' representative on the Derry Trades and Labour Council before I joined the Irish Transport and General Workers' Union as an organiser , and I had a good view of their problem. I was there when the council chose it's side on conscription for army service , probably the only delegate who was not a representative of a cross-channel union.
Billy Logue , who was, I think , Chairman - he certainly was the greatest , single influence in the council - worked his way carefully into the anti-conscription corner by making the case that labour conscription would be round the corner should this other succeed , and he insisted he was not influenced by politics. It was a transparent enough piece of make-believe , but it got by, for it suited the 'loyalists' on the council....... (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.
" I reported the 'traffic light' conversation immediately to the Minister who was closetted with Assistant Secretary Mr. Ward , of the Department of Finance , to ask the AIB authorities to put a stop order on this account ; I told him that criminal charges were in contemplation and that once preferred the police would be in a position to apply to the High Court for an Order under the Banks 'Book Evidence Act' and that , meanwhile, we wanted to ensure that documents would not be released from the account , but Murray refused to act and I could not stir him.
I then asked if he would ring Niall Ebrill , the General Manager, to introduce me - I said that I would ring Ebrill and make an appointment for myself once he had introduced my name. I wanted this introduction so that Ebrill would be in no doubt that the Department of Finance were aware of my purpose. Murray said yes , he would do that. "

MAY 22ND 1970 :
" Next morning , accompanied by Mr. Ward , I went to AIB Headquarters where I met Niall Ebrill , General Manager, and the Group Law Agent , Rory O' Connor. I gave them a guarded outline of the situation and said that as the account 'Belfast Fund for the Relief of Distress' had been opened through the instrumentality of Mr. Tony Fagan of the Department of Finance and as the moneys received into the account through the medium of the 'Irish Red Cross Society' were , in sizeable bulk , State money , the Minister for Justice was anxious that documents were not released from the account pending police enquiries which might result in an application in Court for discovery of documents. Mr. Ebrill said that the matter would be considered and referred , in a detatched manner , to the Bank's obligation to maintain , and to be seen to maintain , confidentiality with customers......" (MORE LATER).

BOBBY SANDS COMMEMORATION , DUBLIN , SATURDAY 5TH MAY 2012.

Those attending this annual Republican Sinn Féin-organised Commemoration are requested to fall-in behind the Republican Colour Party at the Garden of Remembrance and march from there , at 1.45pm , to the GPO in O' Connell Street where , on the traffic isle facing same, a small stage , a speakers lectern , music system and amplification system will be set-up , under the direction of a young man from the Ballyfermot area of Dublin , who will Chair the proceedings. More details to follow , including details of the function which will be held that same night in Dublin. Also , those interested in the above will be interested in attending the 'Who Fears To Speak Of Easter Week' seminar which will be held on Saturday 21st April 2012 in the 'Ireland Institute' in Pearse Street , Dublin City Centre : details here.
Thanks for reading,
Sharon.






Wednesday, April 11, 2012

CABHAIR RAFFLE , EASTER SUNDAY 8TH APRIL 2012 : HORSE STILL RUNNING......

'THERE WILL BE ANOTHER DAY.....'
By Peadar O'Donnell ; first published in January 1963.
When James Connolly preached Irish Independence he drew on himself the notice of men as dedicated as he to that cause and startled them with the intensity and urgency of his views. Basing himself on the Irish Citizen Army , fashioned within a trade union in the great lock-out of 1913, he made no secret of his plans for an armed uprising , and he and Padraig Pearse found common ground easily , within the situation created by the outbreak of war in 1914.
To Pearse , and those around him , England's difficulty was Ireland's opportunity and so , too , with James Connolly - but Connolly looked farther afield. The failure of the Socialists in Britain , France , Germany etc to make a stand against imperialist war was to him a great crime. He saw in an armed uprising in Ireland , in that setting , not merely a chapter in Ireland's fight for freedom , but a page in the story of world revolution - a signal to the workers within the warring nations that the hour for civil war had struck.
There were those who argued that in sharing leadership in the Rising , Connolly turned aside from socialism into nationalism but people who urged that view understood neither the national question nor socialism - but such a view was inevitable: British Socialists had to rationalise their failure to make a serious effort to save him from execution , and there were those in Ireland , too, who needed to excuse themselves for denying him....... (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.
MAY 21ST 1970 :
" At this time there was a general bank strike and accounts were frozen. Events were shaping in the direction of criminal charges being preferred , and the police feared that if the strike ended suddenly , bank documents would be cleared , and they were anxious to examine the accounts in the Baggot Street Branch of Allied Irish Bank to scrutinise the movements of moneys from the account 'Belfast Fund for the Relief of Distress'.
As I was returning from lunch in Leinster House to my office in 42/46 St. Stephen's Green South , I walked along the East Side of the Green to the traffic controls at the corner of Leeson Street where I stopped as the lights were red : a man , whose face was vaguely familiar but whose name I did not know , stopped beside me and spoke to me. I thought that he was a civil servant from the Office of Public Works or from Government Buildings. He expressed sympathy for the rough treatment that I had been given in the Dail debates earlier in the month in which Deputy Kevin Boland had named me.
As the lights changed and we were separating , he said - "If you want to know when the money for arms is coming , look under the names of 'White' and 'Agnes Kelly' in the AIB bank in Baggot Street." Then he muttered that it galled him that people paying sixty guineas for suits of clothes were mixed up in this......"
(MORE LATER).

PAT Ó SNODAIGH AND AENGUS DOHERTY !

Pat Ó Snodaigh and Aengus Doherty (!) are two career politicians that have more in common than the desire to hang-on to their lucrative 'jobs' in an ex-Republican party which is presently occupying seats in two anti-Republican institutions in Ireland , Stormont and Leinster House - both also share a liking for the black (and otherwise coloured!) stuff , and we're not talking about Guinness (or lager!) .
In April 2006 -the same month in which Aengus acquired , free-of-charge to himself , more than €2700 worth of taxpayer-supplied ink cartridges (despite Leinster House being closed for 2 weeks Easter Holidays that same month)- the then four-years-in-the-'job' Deputy Ó Snodaigh apparently took offence that those in charge of the Leinster House stationery stores were then recording all withdrawals of material and , on April 27th , he sent them an 'official' PSF-headed letter , featuring his own photograph, querying why they now recorded such information : in mid May he received a reply to his query telling him that in March that year
(2006) it was decided by those in charge of printer ink and associated material that, as it is taxpayers money that is being (ab-)used to purchase those supplies , a record should be kept as per ".....acceptable standards of internal control (procedure)..."

Up until March 2006 (ie in 2002 , 2003 , 2004 , 2005 and in January and February 2006) no such records were kept , so perhaps some of those who, up until March 2006, had helped themselves, unrecorded, to as much printer ink etc as they (and others!) wanted , took offence at then being asked to sign for it?
Finally - when this issue first drew ink to paper
(!) in February of this year , Aengus attempted to defend his position by claiming that ".....nobody ever contacted me from Leinster House , the staff or anybody else....nobody ever raised with me , in Leinster House, the cost of it or that it was excessive or anything else.." And we suppose he has a point : when you 'earn' €1930 a week like he does (not counting 'expenses' and nixer/freebies!) you don't have to concern yourself with the price of things. Especially when it's the State taxpayer that's footing the bill.....

CABHAIR RAFFLE HELD ON EASTER SUNDAY , 8TH APRIL 2012 , IN A VENUE ON THE DUBLIN-KILDARE BORDER : AND NOT IN TIPPERARY.......

On Easter Sunday last , whilst some of our colleagues were holding an Easter Commemoration in Deansgrange , Dublin , and others were 'dry running' the 'props' required for Easter Monday (ie assembling the stage , lectern , music and amplification systems in a workshop in Dundrum , Dublin, for fault-finding purposes) , myself and five others were safely (and warmly !) secured in a hotel on the Dublin-Kildare border , preparing to hold a 650-ticket raffle for the CABHAIR organisation.
I'm told that a soccer match and two rugby games were being played elsewhere that day (....or was it two soccer matches and one rugby game ? Or was the horse-racing still on...?) but , whatever and/or whichever combination it was , the hotel lounge was practically standing room only - which was great for bar business and great , also, for our wee 'enterprise' as well , to the extent that a good few 'punters' were offering us more than twice face value per raffle ticket - even if we did have some left for sale , which we didn't (130 sold in forty minutes!) we wouldn't have sold them for more than the two Euro price per ticket. Now for the "Tipperary" connection : James , Marie , and their young lad , Derek , from Clonmel in Tipperary , were in the hotel for a family gathering and took a gamble with us - and it was a 'good bet' , as Marie won the first prize , €200, on ticket number 258 , her hubby James won second prize , €100 (tkt 257) and the young lad , Derek , won third prize , €40 (247). And we had a mini-party afterwards to prove it.....!
Aishling , from Ballyfermot , who bought her ticket from Pat M , won fourth prize of €20 (311) , Eddie D. won fifth prize , €20 , on ticket number 182 , which he bought from Jimmy , prize number six , €20, went to M M ,on ticket 558 , 'Nomlas' bought ticket number 462 from Paddy Mac and won seventh prize of €20 and the last prize was won by 'Loin' , €20 , ticket 634 , sold by B+A.
We enjoyed ourselves no-end in the hotel , in fantastic , lively and loud company , we 'spread' a good few bob around the place and , most importantly , raised a tidy sum of money for the CABHAIR organisation , which sends every cent - no 'expenses' taken - directly to the families and/or dependants of the Irish Republican Prisoners which it looks after. All-in-all , a great way to spend three hours , even if I'm none the wiser as to who won the soccer match. Or the rugby game. Or if my horse is still running......!
Thanks for reading,
Sharon.