"TO RENDER THE TRANSPORTATION OF FELONS AND VAGABONDS...."

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


Free State Senator Mrs Wyse-Power asked Ernest Blythe where , in the Treaty, it was stipulated that land annuities should be paid to Britain. Blythe told her the government never disputed the liability , but thought it a just claim , saying there was no specific reference in the Treaty to this debt , to which Mrs Wyse-Power stated - "All this time I voted with those who believed in paying annuities. We now learn for the first time there was no specific agreement , but an assumption by the Executive that it was a just debt."

Blythe reminisced a little , saying that Churchill and he going into the matter agreed together that even a case could be made that the annuities could be charged against Ireland on legal grounds it would be a lot more becoming to Ireland to consider this money honourably due to Britain. Senator Bennett , a government supporter, suggested that a committee of the Senate be set up to examine all the relevant documents and report back. He drew Blythe's anger on himself : The Minister would not attend any meeting of such a committee , no official of his Department would attend and no documents would be submitted. The government wanted no rustling of documents touching on the pact of 1925 , for that pact is a strange story.

People forget that the British Government reacted to the setting up of Dáil Éireann , the sovereign assembly of the Irish people in 1919, on two levels - political and military. On the first it enacted the 'Government of Ireland Act 1920', which partitioned the country and proposed to set up two parliaments. On the second, to scare the people into the strait-jacket of the Government of Ireland Act , the Black and Tans were let loose on Ireland. Republicans scarce glanced at the Government of Ireland Act because they were too busy defending the Republic against the Tans. (MORE LATER).



THE ANATOMY OF AN AFTERNOON : THE STORY OF THE GIBRALTAR KILLINGS........

By Michael O'Higgins and John Waters. From 'Magill Magazine' , October 1988.

The one representative of these intelligence sources to give evidence at the inquest was 'Mister O' , the first witness to require the assistance of the brown and beige curtain , on only the second day of the hearing. 'Mister O' said that he was a senior security services officer involved in the investigation of terrorism , especially in the activities of the IRA , and had had the responsibility of briefing all of the military and police personnel involved in the Gibraltar operation, though he does not appear to have been on the Rock at any time before or during the operation.

During the inquest he was referred to in at least one British newspaper as the "mastermind" behind the operation , but this was incorrect : his role appears to have been confined to supplying the information - there was no reference at the inquest to him being kept up to date with developments or reported back to afterwards.

'Mister O' supplied the initial information that the IRA planned to attack the changing of the guard in Gibraltar on March 8th , 1988 , that a three-man (sic) IRA Active Service Unit (ASU) had been dispatched with orders to plant a bomb which would kill as many soldiers as possible and that it would most probably be detonated by remote control. 'Mister O' passed on the information that the three IRA members in question were all experienced and extremely dangerous terrorists, and "almost certainly" armed and he also supplied details of the identities of the IRA ASU which was expected and of their histories.(MORE LATER).



"TO RENDER THE TRANSPORTATION OF FELONS AND VAGABONDS...."

'Transportation beyond the sea, either within His Majesty's dominions or elsewhere outside His Majesty's dominions...'

On this date (4th September) in 1884 , the British ended their 'Irish policy' of penal transportation to New South Wales in Australia. 'Official' transportation in Ireland (as a court sentence) is believed to have begun in the sixteenth century as a method of (British) State control over those it deemed to be 'troublesome' individuals or groups ie as in the way that the authorities of the day, in Cromwellian times , considered there to be too many Irish Catholics in Ireland (how dare they live in their own country!) and, judging them to be 'a bad influence' on the overall population, the British banished huge numbers of them (us!) to the West Indies. In the 17th century, when 'civilisation' (!) finally caught-up with us 'Europeans' (debatable , I know...) it was considered 'unenlightened' to have the death penalty on the statute books for certain offences and transportation - to North America - was used instead , until about the mid-1780's , when the 'Yankees' got uppity about things like that and New South Wales became the main 'depository'. In Ireland, the act of dispatching 'vagabonds' to this new venue was given full legal approval in 1786.

Neither the old venue nor the new one (North America and New South Wales) were named as 'sentence' was delivered by the British courts , merely that the subject(s) be transported to a place ".....beyond the sea, either within His Majesty's dominions or elsewhere outside His Majesty's dominions (or) to some of His Majesty's plantations in America or to such other place out of Europe..." and such was the 'success' of the venture that by 1790 the law allowing for this punishment was 'tweaked' "....to render the transportation of such felons and vagabonds more easy and effectual..." . It is thought that , in total, at least 26,500 Irish 'felons and vagabonds' found themselves stranded in New South Wales , for the 'crime' of being Irish Catholics in Ireland. Before being taken to the docks for the deport order to be carried out , those poor people ("convicts") were kept under lock and key in Cork city gaol or Newgate or Kilmainham , in Dublin, in rat and disease-infected conditions , which made deportation attractive. Conditions were 'improved' , however , with the opening of new detention centres - Smithfield (Dublin) and Spike Island (Cork), which basically meant that the rats , and the diseases they carried, had a bigger area to target.

On 26th September 1791 , the British ship , 'Queen' , carrying its 'cargo of convicts' , was the first ship to dock in Port Jackson , having sailed directly from Ireland , and conditions on board and the treatment of 'the cargo' was bad , to say the least : one such instance , weeks after that first landing, gives a flavour of 'life' on board - 'On 17th October 1791 in Sydney there was an enquiry held in regards to the conduct of Master Richard Owen and Second Mate Robert Stott of the 'Queen' and to examine the complaint made by convicts of not having received the ration of provisions that was directed by contract to be furnished them during the passage.....(but).....the Magistrates found that from the particular circumstances of the fraud it is impossible for us to determine with any precision what those deficiencies are, so as to enable us either to redress the complainants or punish the defendants....' (from here) and this practice , and those conditions , continued until 1853, the year in which the last such ship, the 'Phoebe Dunbar' , left from Dublin with a full 'cargo'. Incidentally , the last 'convict' transportation ship to sail from England to Australia was the 'Hougoumont' , which landed in Western Australia in January 1868. Sixty-three 'expelled' Irish Fenians , who had been 'convicted' in Ireland but imprisoned in England, were on board.

Dennis Doherty , from Derry , pictured whilst in captivity in Port Arthur prison in Tasmania , 1876. He had been forcibly taken there - 'transported' - in 1833 : he was imprisoned for 43 years , during which time he is known to have received at least 3,000 lashes of the whip and lost the sight of one eye as a result. When he was bundled on board the 'coffin ship' , he was only 19 years young.

It is recorded that some 39,000 Irish people - 9,000 of whom were female - were transported , as convicts, from Ireland to Australia over the 62-year period that this British policy was enforced : the average time spent in custody was seven years , although sentences of ten years , fourteen years and life were also handed down , depending on the circumstances involved ie was the 'convict' "guilty" of petty theft , agrarian unrest or was he/she involved in political campaigning?

That was then , this is now ; forced 'transportation' of Irish people for economic reasons , whilst the (native) 'fat cats' get even fatter , and secure for themselves and their families the position of being able to stay in their own country to watch their children grow. Dennis Doherty (above) didn't deserve his fate - that should be reserved for the 'fat cats'.



1913 SEMINAR A SUCCESS , AS WAS THE BUNDORAN COMMEMORATION.

The 1913 Lockout seminar organised by Republican Sinn Féin and held in Wynn's Hotel in Dublin on Tuesday last , 27th August 2013, was a great success , with a full house present and a different aspect of the Lockout addressed by each of the four main speakers. The contribution from RSF President , Des Dalton , can be viewed here , community activist Rita Fagan's address can be seen here , Dr. Kevin Bean's contribution is available to view here and Malachy Steenson's address can be seen here.

The Bundoran Hunger-Strike Commemoration , which was organised by the Bundoran/Ballyshannon H-Block Committee and held on Saturday 31st August last , was very well attended and went as planned : those who don't mind using 'Facebook' can view pics from the event here whilst those who don't like using 'FB' will have to get themselves a copy of the September 2013 issue of 'Saoirse' (which, incidentally , goes to print today , Wednesday 4th September!) and 'read all about it'!



TRADE UNION MUGS.

First things first : I am an active and vocal long-standing member of a trade union (SIPTU) and, indeed , my first union activity was to campaign , as a member of an inner-city (Dublin) youth group , against the then proposed merger of two trade unions into one 'super union' : young and all as we were at the time - early teens (it was , after all , 23 years ago!) - we recognised that if the ITGWU and the FWUI were to amalgamate the result , if amalgamation went ahead (and it did, despite our best efforts) , would result in a 'green light' to the 'business negotiator'-type that exist in all such organisations (the type that are more concerned with obtaining a cushy well-paid office job than they are with fulfilling the actual mandate of that job) and, from my own experience with that 'super union' , our (young) fears were well founded.

And that is the main reason why myself and dozens of other union members that I know of and, truth be told, thousands of us , stayed away from the trade union-organised 1913 Lockout Commemoration which took place in Dublin last Saturday (31st August, 2013) : it would have been nauseating to watch those that have more in common with the bosses and the business elite - Michael D. Higgins , Eamon Gilmore , Ruairi Quinn , Jack O' Connor and David Begg , amongst others - 'pay homage' to the working class and the unemployed whilst , at the same time, financially squeezing those same people to within an inch of their salary (and sanity) , pausing only to lay plans to do more 'squeezing' this coming October.

Just before he was arrested by the Dublin Metropolitan Police in 1913 , James Larkin had vowed to the assembled crowd that "The hunger that we have awakened will not be satisfied by bread alone...." and , hopefully , the "hunger" that the above-mentioned trade union and political 'wide boys' will awaken in those they purport to serve will devour them some day soon. And I pray that it won't take another 23 years....



"THAT WOULD BE AN ECUMENICAL MATTER..."

"Ah feck this religious business..."

May your God and mine forgive me for the following - as far as I can recall , this is the first post specifically about religion that we have published on this blog , as it's a subject that we avoid on purpose : to each his/her own and all that and , whilst it's a subject that can raise the ire quicker , sometimes, than matters political can , it's not something we keep our 'radar' tuned to. Having said that , our 'Junior' , who has a wicked sense of humour, came across a recent story of a riot in an Irish church during a service. The parishioners had , apparently , divided themselves into two 'camps' , although it's not clear if the man who 'pulled the organ' was for or against the group that interrupted proceedings by singing 'We Shall Not Be Moved'. You could say that 'Speers' were almost thrown and , bizarrely, the man at the centre of the storm had to be rescued by a third mob , who are better known for starting riots , getting 'injured' in them, stopping them , then claiming compensation : more here.....



COMHAIRLE CEANTAIR , COVENTRY , COLCHESTER , CAMBRIDGE , CHIPPENHAM....

...Chile , Colombia , Clare and Cork !

The Dublin Comhairle Ceantair of Sinn Féin Poblachtach will be 'taking on' all the above-mentioned football teams (or at least doing battle for the attention of their supporters!) on Sunday next , 8th September , in the usual sports hotel venue , as the Movement will be holding a 650-ticket raffle and, seeing as it was on that very date in 1908 (8th September) that Pádraig Pearse opened St. Enda's school in Dublin , my money is on the republicans to emerge as the real winners! If you haven't got a ticket for the raffle , tough (!) - there's none left for sale! And I'll be posting the names of the winners here , just to rub it in...!

Thanks for reading, Sharon.

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'ROBERT EMMET'S GRAVE' NOW VISIBLE....

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


Colonel Moore's case was a simple one : 'The Government of Ireland Act 1920' gave over the land annuities to the six and twenty-six county governments contemplated in that 'Act' , and Britain undertook to service Irish land purchase stock. The Treaty could amend that 'Act' , in this matter , only if some clause in it said so directly. Article 5 of the Treaty could , perhaps, be pleaded towards this end, for it declared that Ireland must bear her fair share of the British "Public Debt" . The phrase in the '1920 Act' was "Imperial Liability" and it was broken down into its items, among which was listed Irish Land Purchase Stock. The term "Public Debt" was not taken to pieces in the same way, but it could easily be stretched to cover the items in 'Imperial Liability' and therefore bring Land Annuities on to the conference table once more.

But there was no need to speculate on the range of 'Public Debt' for in November 1925 WT Cosgrave , Kevin O'Higgins and Ernest Blythe (all three pictured here) came romping back from London with a message of joy for the Irish people - Hallelujah!! 'Article 5' of the Treaty was wiped out. But there was a footnote to the good news - a matter of £5,000,000 a year to Britain , but this did not derive from 'Article 5' but from , sort of, person-to-person money transactions between the two countries, so they said. The details would be given later....

These were worked out by Winston Churchill and Ernest Blythe in March 1926 but only made public in November of that year when they came before the 'Dail' as "Heads for An Ultimate Financial Settlement" . Under the first 'Head' , the Free State government undertook to pay Britain the full amount of the land annuities , £3,996,000 , without deduction on account of income tax or for collection and under the second 'Head' to pay £550,000 refund of income tax withheld over the years since since 1922. And there was a third item of £134,000 which was also related to land annuities. (MORE LATER).




THE ANATOMY OF AN AFTERNOON : THE STORY OF THE GIBRALTAR KILLINGS........

By Michael O'Higgins and John Waters. From 'Magill Magazine' , October 1988.

Whatever about the tactical aspects , the certificates did conceal from the inquest large amounts of information about the events of Sunday March 6th , 1988 and, more particularly, the chain of events leading up to that weekend. What emerged about developments on Friday March 4 and Saturday March 5 was sketchy at best and practically nothing was learned about the sequence of events before that which led up to the killings.

What we were allowed to know is the following : sometime before Friday March 4 , a number of SAS soldiers and MI5 surveillance officers arrived in Gibraltar for what would be termed 'Operation Flavius'. These included SAS soldiers A-F , the bomb expert 'Soldier G' , surveilliance officers H-M and an undisclosed number of others who were not directly involved in or witness to the killings - other SAS soldiers and perhaps officers , other surveillance people and possibly bomb disposal people other than 'Soldier G'.

These were in Gibraltar on the instructions of the British Ministry of Defence who were responding to an official request for assistance by the Gibraltar Commissioner of Police , Joseph Canepa , who in turn was acting on information received from British intelligence sources about a proposed IRA bomb assault on Gibraltar. (MORE LATER).




'ROBERT EMMET'S GRAVE' NOW VISIBLE.....

Robert Emmet's 'Death Mask'.

First - apologises for the 'tabloid-style' headline , but I knew it would draw you in!

Whilst the location of Emmet's grave remains unknown , the piece we posted on this blog last June in connection with same has apparently become very well known , as we have had inquiries from New Zealand , Canada , Australia and closer to home from readers asking , amongst other things, if we could email them a copy of the letter which IRA Veteran Joe Doolan wrote about the subject 47 years ago. We couldn't do so , because the PDF in which we received those pages was embedded with information which would have identified the person who sent it to us but we have since 'cleaned up' that part of the file without doing any damage or making any changes to the essence of the pages concerned. Those pages are now fully readable in a 'click-to-enlarge' format and you can access same here , here , here and here.

We may be getting more material of that nature - not necessarily in connection with Robert Emmet - and, if we do , and if we can safely do so, we will publish same here.




FOOD , GLORIOUS FOOD. BUT NOT IN THE LEINSTER HOUSE RESTAURANT....

.....and tastes even better when it's the taxpayer that foots the bill !

He fought an underhanded battle for years to change a revolutionary movement into a constitutional political party and one of the first actions he went public with was when he and other like-minded wannabe political careerists manoeuvred similar people into positions of influence within the movement and voted in favour of entering Leinster House , thus expelling themselves from the organisation, as per the rules and constitution of same. And now , it appears, he doesn't want to be there at all. One of our moles in that soiled institution delved a little deeper (!) and discovered that , although the missing man in question enjoys pocketing the stuff , he doesn't like spending it preferring, instead, to dine with other members of the 'Ulster Establishment' in the other soiled political institution in Ireland, also 'gifted' to us by the British , and also subsidised by the taxpayer. The Free State fry-up just doesn't taste the same.....




FRANCE TO HONOUR THEIR NAZI OCCUPIERS AND THE PHILIPPINES TO HONOUR THE JAPANESE....

'Our' flag , as no doubt envisaged by those motor enthusiasts (!) who want to erect a monument in Cork to mark Ireland's 'connection' to the Crossely Tender vehicle....

It's only a matter of time now before some bright spark of a West-Brit seeks (and obtains) the backing of the Free State 'establishment' to erect a statue to Cromwell , with the only possible disagreement between both camps being the location - '...would opposite the GPO in O'Connell Street in Dublin be prominent enough , do you think , Charles....?'

Something not to be made fun of however , is the fact that a similar proposition appears to have gained ground and has been offered 'official' backing and is now , it seems , a 'done deal'. However : that particular part of Cork is known for its strong winds which not only shake the barley but 'tis said that if such winds were a-blowin' in Dublin at the time, Nelsons Pillar would have 'collapsed' much sooner...

You can read about the (successful?) exploits of the above-mentioned Crossely Tender-lovers here and , whilst the latest 'kite flying' ploy by those people seems to have paid off, no doubt this green , white and orange-coloured bookmaker and/or others will shortly be offering odds on how long before a strong wind rattles its way through Dublin again....




BUNDORAN : 32ND TO BE HELD ON THE 31ST IN ONE OF THE 9.....

Hunger-strike commemoration in Bundoran , County Donegal.

The 32nd consecutive hunger-strike commemoration will be held this coming Saturday , 31st August 2013 , in the usual venue , at the usual time : more details here.




NOT LOOKING AT ME.....

'Dark days are upon me . . . . My wife is now dead. I look at the future ... . . . . I shudder with dread.....'

About 90% of our posts on this blog are political in nature , with the balance commenting on 'social' related issues and, as such, this piece got our attention. It was sent in by one of our readers who came across it on 'Facebook' and it deserves to be highlighted and forwarded as it's an issue which we should all be concerned about. This foreword accompanied the piece -

'When an old man died in the geriatric ward of a nursing home in an Australian country town, it was believed that he had nothing left of any value. Later, when the nurses were going through his meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital.One nurse took her copy to Melbourne. The old man's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas editions of magazines around the country and appearing in mags for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on his simple, but eloquent, poem.And this old man, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this 'anonymous' poem winging across the Internet....'

Cranky Old Man

What do you see nurses? . . .what do you see?
What are you thinking .. . when you're looking at me?
A cranky old man, . . . not very wise,
Uncertain of habit .. . with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles his food .. . and makes no reply.
When you say in a loud voice ...'I do wish you'd try!'
Who seems not to notice . . .the things that you do.
And forever is losing . . . a sock or a shoe?
Who, resisting or not . . . lets you do as you will,
With bathing and feeding . . . .the long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking?... is that what you see?
Then open your eyes, nurse ... you're not looking at me.
I'll tell you who I am . . . as I sit here so still,
As I do at your bidding ... as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of ten . .. with a father and mother,
Brothers and sisters .. . who love one another
A young boy of sixteen . . . with wings on his feet
Dreaming that soon now . . . a lover he'll meet.
A groom soon at twenty . . . my heart gives a leap.
Remembering, the vows ... that I promised to keep.
At twenty-five, now . . . I have young of my own.
Who need me to guide . . . and a secure happy home.
A man of thirty . . . my young now grown fast,
Bound to each other . . . with ties that should last.
At forty, my young sons .. . have grown and are gone,
But my woman is beside me . .. to see I don't mourn.
At fifty, once more, ... babies play 'round my knee,
Again, we know children . . . my loved one and me.
Dark days are upon me . . . my wife is now dead.
I look at the future ... I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing .. . young of their own.
And I think of the years . . . and the love that I've known.
I'm now an old man . . . and nature is cruel.
It's jest is to make old age . . .look like a fool.
The body, it crumbles ... grace and vigour, depart.
There is now a stone . . . where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass ... a young man still dwells,
And now and again . . . my battered heart swells
I remember the joys . . . I remember the pain.
And I'm loving and living . . . life over again.
I think of the years, all too few . . . gone too fast.
And accept the stark fact . . . that nothing can last.
So open your eyes, people ... open and see.
Not a cranky old man .
Look closer . . . . see .. .. . .. .... . ME!!

A story of a life. I don't know if the foreward is true or not but it doesn't really matter as the subject matter itself is true , unfortunately. And the fact that it is true is also the story of life , although it shouldn't be.

Thanks for reading, Sharon.

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TROUBLESOME WOMEN : 102 YEARS AGO ON THIS DATE.

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


I too was worried about Black James Duirnin ; of course I was , as I worshipped the man. One way or another I was beset by much anxiety : the best thing I could do for the townlands now would be to draw the dogs after me into other parts of the country, where new fighting committees were in process of formation. The Donegal townlands had lived through their hour of crisis and they wrote their share of this story at that evening's meeting. Other men in other districts must write theirs now.

Colonel Maurice Moore called at my home with the manuscript of a pamphlet he proposed to publish - 'British Plunder and Irish Blunder', and he hoped that I might use it serially in 'An Phoblacht'. I knew of Colonel Moore's sustained protest in the Free State Senate against the payment of land annuities to Britain, on the ground that the Free State was under no legal obligation to pay them. I did not seek him out, and 'An Phoblacht' took little notice of his speeches. For one thing I held it against him, as I held it against W.B. Yeats , that he allowed himself to be nominated to membership of so mean a body as the Free State Senate.

For another thing, adventuring as I was beyond the limits of IRA policy in my use of 'An Phoblacht' , it would not occur to me to link up with a Free State Senator who could invoke no better argument than British Acts of Parliament ; this would be politics with a vengeance. But long distance sniping on legal issues offered little shelter for the townlands. Here he was now , Colonel Maurice Moore, facing me across a table......(MORE LATER).



THE ANATOMY OF AN AFTERNOON : THE STORY OF THE GIBRALTAR KILLINGS........

By Michael O'Higgins and John Waters. From 'Magill Magazine' , October 1988.

It has always been clear that the inquest would at best reveal only limited amounts of the truth and this was underlined on the very first day of the hearing when Mr John Laws , representing the Crown, submitted three 'Public Interest Immunity' (PII) certificates from the British Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Defence which enabled the Crown to claim immunity from answering questions which would reveal 'classified intelligence information or endanger national security'.

Specifically , we were told, the certificates were designed to protect sources and the means by which intelligence is gathered and to safeguard the means of operation of the British armed forces. It was obvious from the outset that these certificates , once accepted, would leave the court in ignorance of large amounts of information which would be helpful if not essential in allowing it to establish the full truth of what happened on March 6th , 1988 .

The coroner said that he wasn't necessarily bound by the 'PII' certificates but would have to hear argument on the matter in the absence of the jury. Despite frequent interruptions of his line of questioning by Mr Laws throughout the inquest, Mr McGrory , for the next of kin, repeatedly turned down opportunities to have such a discussion, frequently altering his line of questioning rather than challenging the 'PII' certificates directly. It was as if the Crown's obsessive desire for secrecy was, in McGrory's estimation, one of the weapons in his own legal armoury. (MORE LATER).



21ST AUGUST 1971 : 'EIRE NUA' PROGRAMME UNVEILED.

On this date (21st August) 42 years ago , that which continues to be the best and fairest solution to British-imposed injustices in this country was unveiled to the public - the 'Eire Nua' programme , which was launched at the West Ernan Hotel in Monaghan.

In the 1960's , whilst working with a co-operative movement in Donegal, Dáithí Ó Conaill - a carpenter/woodwork teacher by trade - realised that , if given the proper opportunity, 'ordinary' people (as opposed to career politicians 'who knew best') could indeed be the 'masters of their own universe' in that they could manage and improve their local economy , curtail if not prevent economic emigration and, overall, increase the quality of their own lives and that of their neighbours. Social issues and policies which affected communities such as that where Daithi found himself at the time were decided in Dublin and enforced from there with little or no regard for the effects caused by same and that , coupled with the fact that practically just across the road from that part of Ulster lay a six-county area which Westminster had parcelled off from its neighbouring Irish counties, planted the idea in Daithi's sharp mind that if such a scenario could be enlarged , on a political basis, on a thirty-two county scale , a fair and proper solution to the North-Eastern issue could be obtained , but the Six-County issue would have to be 'fixed' first.

It was around that time that he had wrote down his thoughts on the matter : " By creating a provincial parliament for the nine counties of Ulster, within the framework of a new Ireland, the partition system would be disestablished and the problem of the border removed. The Protestant people of Ulster would have a working majority and would have immediate access to power. Furthermore, the devolution of power to the local level would ensure for each community the opportunity to foster its own traditions and culture. Each region and community would have within itself the immediate power to deal with its own social and economic problems. Such devolution of power from one central authority to the people is the essence of democracy. The Nationalist population would be of sufficient strength to ensure a strong and credible opposition within reach of power. For the first time in fifty years we would see a normalisation of politics with an end to the domination of one community by another and the resultant frustration and conflict...." Thus were the seeds of the 'Eire Nua' policy sown and, as stated, it remains the best and fairest solution to the military , political , social and economic problems created by Britain's on-going interference in this country.



NEW WEBSITE TO MARK THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF A BRITISH TERRORIST ACT IN IRELAND.

Ireland's 'Twin Towers' - the remnants of the GPO in Dublin , 1916 - just one example of the destruction caused by the British in Ireland.

As part of its campaign to mark the 100th Anniversary of the 1916 Rising , the Republican Movement has launched a new website , to be used to keep supporters up-to-date on all activities planned by the Movement in the lead up to 2016 and in that year itself.

Those that , with Westminster's permission, 'took power' in twenty-six of Ireland's thirty-two counties five years after the Rising will no doubt mis-spend taxpayers money in an attempt to falsely integrate themselves with the men and women who fought against British injustice and will have deep pockets and a compliant media with which to do so but, morally, they have more in common with the British and their occupation forces than they have with the people they will purport to 'honour'. The new website will be one of the main sources of proper and trusted information in relation to Irish republican activity connected to the 1916 Rising and I hope the readers of this blog will recognise it as such.



TROUBLESOME WOMEN : 102 YEARS AGO ON THIS DATE.

The common practice of force-feeding these 'troublesome women' was quickly abandoned in favour of the 'cat-and-mouse' policy.

In Ireland , a few years before the above-mentioned Easter Rising of 1916, it is not far-fetched at all to state that women were 'doubly oppressed' : by 'the State' (a British institution, at the time [now just a pro-British one!] ) and by , in the main, male society , although not all women accepted that that was the way it should be. A number of social and cultural organisations had been established by women and for women , including the Conservative and Unionist Women’s Franchise League, the Munster Women’s Franchise League, the Irishwomen’s Suffrage Federation, the North of Ireland Women’s Suffrage Committee, the Irish Women’s Suffrage Society and the Irishwomen’s Suffrage and Local Government Association, most of which worked independently of each other. Two 'troublesome' Irish women , Louie Bennett and Helen Chenevix, thought it would be to the benefit of the overall objective if those separate organisations were to be coordinated into a more effective campaigning body and, on 21st August 1911 - 102 years ago on this date - the 'Irish Women's Suffrage Federation' was formed "...to link together the scattered suffrage societies in Ireland in the effort to obtain the vote as it is, or may be, granted to men (and) to carry on more propaganda and educatice work throughout Ireland than has hitherto been possible.....to form the basis of an association which will continue to exist after enfranchisement , and whose purpose will be to work, through the power of the vote, for the welfare of the country..." .

In that same year (1911) , the 'Munster Women's Franchise League' was formed in Cork and the 'Irishwomen's Reform League' was established in Dublin. It appears that women , then , were not only more aware of the injustices foisted on them by an unequal and oppressive society , but were more prepared than we are now to do something about it. Time for more drastic action , perhaps....



"OIL... ??

....BUT THAT'S NOT THE LIQUID I WAS PROMISED...!!"

I know it's not a laughing matter , but I couldn't help it as the story developed : the age-old image of the British having to 'carry the feckless drunken Irish' , who would only show concern for food , family or freedom if , first, they had sated their thirst with alcohol , sprang to mind but , worst of all, this time it wasn't being promoted by 'Punch' magazine or somesuch 'satirical'-type supermarket tabloid. No , and more's the pity that that wasn't the source - this time , we Irish supplied the 'headlines' ourselves , which were forwarded around the world by , amongst others, the British press.

Nor was I surprised by some of the reaction to the 'free-booze-for-cops' revelation , although I was, actually, a bit amazed to see that some people just wouldn't accept the fact that not only could 'our cops' be (further) corrupted , but that it could be done with bottles of booze! Honestly - people like that , God bless their innocence, must never have 'experienced' those Blue Fluers as they 'supervise' a protest or picket etc ie in much the same way as the DMP 'supervised' the strikers in 1913! Those supplying the booze (and other favours) must be laughing all the way to their bank at how easy it is to turn the 'feckless' Irish against each other so cheaply and how simple it is to convince those supposedly in charge that that which they have in their possession is practically worthless , despite the advice of those that have the well-being of the State economy at heart.

The main Free State politician responsible for ensuring that State resources benefit the State - '...jhust a pitie tha' (*hic*) we aint got us no resourkes.....'[that page is from 'The Clondalkin Echo' newspaper , April 2011.]

But sure , then again, maybe a crate or two of the hardstuff was dropped-off elsewhere on the way to Mayo.....



ANNUAL EVE OF ALL-IRELAND RALLY , DUBLIN.

The Rally will be held , as usual , on the traffic isle facing the GPO in O'Connell Street , Dublin , on Saturday 21st September 2013 , at 2pm.

"One of the largest public rallies seen in Dublin for years was held by Sinn Féin at the GPO on the eve of the All-Ireland Football Final . Headed by a Colour Party and a pipe band , a parade of more than 2,000 people marched from Parnell Square through the main city thoroughfare as a protest against the continued unjust imprisonment of Irishmen without charge or trial . Contingents from all over the country took part and many carried banners and placards including groups from England and Scotland . In the Ulster section was a strong representation of the Derry supporters who thronged the capital city for the Final . One placard they carried asked - ' Why are Six-County Nationalists interned in the Curragh?'....."(From 'An tÉireannach Aontaithe/The United Irishman' newspaper,November 1958.)

Those attending are asked to assemble at the Garden Of Remembrance at 1.45pm for the parade to the GPO in O'Connell Street at 2pm.



POETRY IN MOTION....

...BUT THE SUBJECT MATTER WILL MOW YOU DOWN AND CHARGE YOU V.A.T. FOR DOING SO!

One of our readers come across this little ditty a few days ago on a 'Facebook' page and sent it to us with a view to having it posted on this blog and we liked it so much we decided to do just that :

Tax his land,

Tax his bed,

Tax the table

At which he's fed.



Tax his work,

Tax his pay,

He works for peanuts

Anyway!



Tax his cow,

Tax his goat,

Tax his pants,

Tax his coat.



Tax his tobacco,

Tax his drink,

Tax him if he

Tries to think.



Tax his car,

Tax his gas,

Find other ways

To tax his ass.



Tax all he has

Then let him know

You won't be done

'Till he has no dough.



Then tax his coffin,

Tax his grave,

Tax the sod in

Which he's laid.



When he's gone,

Do not relax,

It's time to apply

The inheritance tax.

It's true that 'you can't take it with you' , but it's also a fact that you can't 'leave' without it. Try getting the taxman to understand that....



Thanks for reading, Sharon.

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'PROPERTY TAX' DEDUCTIONS FROM WAGE PACKETS.

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


The most I could promise was to go home by Sligo and somehow contrive to meet the prison doctor and ask him to see to it that Black James Duirnin would spend his time in prison in the hospital. Phil's responsibilities were sharper than mine - he was dealing with neighbours he lived among, and he was a kindly man. Black James lived across the way from him.

It is likely we were both on edge , as we were parting in a mood of some impatience. Phil put his head in the car window to me - "Did anybody ever tell you , Peadar O' Donnell, that you are an unpopular bastard among us..." , and all the tension of a few very anxious days went out of me in one yelp of delight. From the moment the decision to stand and fight was taken, I encouraged myself to think that it was within themselves that the people found this new resolution and I wanted to believe that , a bit for their sake and a bit for my own.

I doubt whether I could explain easily why in an evening of great excitement I gave so much heed to small flicks like Eugene Doherty's message to James Doran and Phil McCauley's revelation concerning myself, but they are two incidents that I recall vividly. They gave me confidence that I was really walking among people : I was as sure as could be that now, when they were free to do it, they would be few and far between who would go in and make peace. But the backdoor was there for whoever wished to use it and it no shame to a man to avail himself of it. (MORE LATER).



THE ANATOMY OF AN AFTERNOON : THE STORY OF THE GIBRALTAR KILLINGS........

By Michael O'Higgins and John Waters. From 'Magill Magazine' , October 1988.

The post mortem evidence is, of course , crucial , but the finding of the car bomb is much less so. The explosives in Marbella might be significant in the eyes of the British authorities , press and public , giving as they did some kind of emotive justification for what otherwise might have been much more difficult to rationalise, but in the context of the evidence which the jury needed to consider the explosives find was a moveable feast - it could have been the makings of one , two or several bombs for detonation in Gibraltar - or possibly not destined for Gibraltar at all.

Essentially , then , the jury was asked to look at the case as the story of one afternoon. The overwhelming weight of the evidence related to events in those four hours the three IRA members spent in Gibraltar between the time they crossed the frontier and the time of their deaths. The background was only relevant in allowing them to decide if the British soldiers might reasonably have been expected to believe what they said they believed at the time of the shootings. What happened afterwards was largely academic.

The account the inquest heard of the events of that Sunday is, for rather obvious reasons , largely a one-sided story as three of the main players in that afternoon's events are dead. What we heard mostly was the official version of how they died , with some input from a number of eyewitnesses. It is still , we believe, a telling story and , moreover, it provided the basis on which the jury arrived at their decision. 'Magill' magazine has reconstructed these four hours from the evidence given to the inquest in the course of the nineteen-day hearing and we have also prepared some maps to accompany this article , showing the essential geography of the area relevant to the story. Essentially, for the purposes of this story, we are concerned with two parallel streets converging at both ends. At one end there is the square, varyingly referred to as the assembly area (for the band of the 'Royal Anglian Regiment' , the target of the bomb plot) or Ince's Hall. At the other end there is Winston Churchill Avenue , where all roads from the town area converge before the airstrip and the frontier, and where the Shell garage which looms so large in the story is located. (MORE LATER).



HEATING UP FOR A REDUCED OLD AGE PENSION.

The cost of heating a home is set to increase and, at the same time - October 2013 - the State old-age pension is apparently going to be cut by €10 a week. The slíbhín manner in which these issues are imposed here in this half-arsed State will more than likely see a 5% increase in the price of home heating gas (as opposed to the 7.22% increase that is being discussed) and an old-age pension cut of €5 a week rather than the publicly announced figure of €10. It's a ploy that has worked for politicians everywhere as it allows them to claim that they tried to prevent the (pension) cut in total but a 50% reduction in the amount to be cut was the best they could do and a similar claim will be made by them regarding the gas price increase ie 'it's not as much as the company wanted...' .

A protest against the above (and other) State-imposed hardships will be held outside Leinster House on Wednesday 18th September next at 6pm , as that is the date when the temporary inhabitants of that vile institution return to 'work' - at 2.30pm - after their 'summer holidays' , which they began on Friday 19th July last. Hopefully , the pensioners will join with us again on the 18th and between us all we can put the frighteners up them - again !

One person who most definitely won't be present on that protest is Mary Harney , who has been richly rewarded with taxpayers money by her colleagues in Leinster House for further wrecking that which then remained of the State healthcare system : 'Mary Harney retired with a package worth more than €300,000 and is entitled to an annual pension of over €120,000. She receives an annual ministerial pension of over €70,000 and a TDs pension of €50,600. She also received a pension lump sum of €160,000, a termination lump sum of about €17,000 and monthly termination payments from the Oireachtas during her first 12 months of retirement worth another €66,900....' (from here.) In order for such outrageous payouts to continue to be handed over to her and the hundreds like her, the 'little people' must suffer - but let's not do so in silence or behind closed doors. See you on Wednesday 18th September next at 6pm in Kildare Street , Dublin.



'PROPERTY TAX' DEDUCTIONS FROM WAGE PACKETS.

Although I have not been contacted by anyone* or any State agency since I wrote a 'permission needed'-type letter to my employer in relation to the State 'property tax' , I am aware that others have had their wage packets raided by the State Revenue , acting on behalf of the Leinster House politicians, in connection with this issue , and fully expect that the raiding party will be 'visiting' me anytime now , in an attempt to tax me for having the cheek to live in a house which took me 23 years to pay for. I know from past experience that my trade union will not get involved (except to wish me 'all the best' etc) but , really, that's for the best as 'support' from bought-and-paid-for organisations like that can give the gullible a false sense of security in that the wage-packet earner comes to rely either too much or entirely on his/her 'support base' and when - not 'if' - that base caves in , the wage-packet earner caves in with them as they don't then have the courage to stand on their own two feet.

And win or lose I'll at least have the satisfaction that I forced them to fight for the 'tax' money and, unlike others , I didn't voluntarily gift it to them. Small comfort , perhaps, but when bent politicians have power and authority in a corrupt State , ya gotta grab the small comforts wherever ya can get 'em! (*Apart, that is, from colleagues in RSF, who are in the same position as myself re this unjust 'tax')



DON'T LET THEM PUT.....

...'LONDON' ANY WHERE NEAR IT !

A 'Free Derry Assembly' will be held in the open air in Guildhall Square in Derry at 3pm this coming Sunday (18th August) to remind the Westminster and Stormont administrations that Derry is an Irish city and should not be declared to claim the same murderous 'culture' as London - a 'culture' synonymous with murder , internment and oppression.

Don't let the Brits and their supporters shatter you : bring an Irish Tricolour with you at 3pm this Sunday to Guildhall Square in Derry and tell them to take back their 'London' , now and forever !



109TH (R)SINN FÉIN ARD FHEIS TO BE HELD ON THE SAME DATE AS A RECONVENED ARD FHEIS 27 YEARS AGO.

A pic from the 2012 (R)Sinn Féin Ard Fheis.

Congratulations to the Republican Movement as it prepares to hold its 109th Ard Fheis on Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd of November 2013 , in a Dublin venue. It won't be lost on the assembled republicans that it was on the 2nd of November 27 years ago (1986) that republican delegates reconvened the Sinn Féin Ard Fheis in a hotel in Chapelizod , Dublin, after watery nationalists masquerading as republicans finally succeeded in their endeavours to split the organisation for reasons of personal political careers. The republicans that were present that day left them to it and reconvened the Ard Fheis in a new venue. Once again , congrats to the Movement for standing by its political principles then , and now.



CARPENTERS HIT THE NAIL ON THE HEAD.....

....AND ARE ON 'TOP OF THE WORLD' WITH THEIR 'CUT' !

Enough bad puns ! But they really were delighted with their good fortune - Mick Condron , that is , and his fellow chippie , Cian G , two carpenters who were finishing a job of work in the hotel on Sunday last (11th August) and bought a ticket each from us for the raffle : Mick won the 2nd prize , €100 , with ticket number 277 and his pal , Cian G , who stuck to him like glue (!) , won our second-last prize (€20) with his ticket , number 375. The two lads , God Bless them, couldn't believe their luck , finished the unit they were building , tidied up the work area , put their tools in their van and joined us for an hour or so after the raffle and , before leaving, gave us their addresses and twenty Euro and asked that we post ten tickets for the September raffle to them ! Done and dusted (!) , lads - thank you!

Before all the above happened , Viv Doyle was being chatted-up by one of our regular sellers , Jimmy B who, amongst other things, eventually sold her a raffle ticket and , as a result , may be about to get a 'result' himself - Viv won our first prize , €200 , on ticket 394 , and Jim insisted on presenting the envelope to her personally , which further made Viv's day. And again , we believe, addresses were exchanged ;-) !

Our 3rd prize , €40, was won by Darren (ticket number 200), a young lad from Dublin who was delighted to have an extra few bob (as was his girlfriend!) and he pulled out our fourth prize winner (€20,number 406), Seán Ó , who bought his ticket from our Andy. Our bus driver , Anto, sold one of his batch of tickets to a 'TB' , who won fifth prize (€20)with ticket 021 and 'TB' then pulled out our sixth prize , worth €20, which was won by Mark from the nearby GAA Club , ticket 047. The last prize , €20, was won by Alex M with ticket 412 , which he bought from Gavin. As usual , we had a busy and financially productive afternoon/evening in the hotel , doing battle with the sport on the televisions in the premises , as Leeds and Manchester City and Man Utd and Coventry and some other teams were trying to spoil things for us - but didn't succeed! CABHAIR had the best 'team' on the day !

Thanks for reading, Sharon.

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REVENUE , READIES AND THE RETROBATES .

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

Black James found it easier to raise his hand than to speak ; up went his hand , and up went another and another , and then all the hands went up with a great roar. I explained to them how we would go about this business of raking the fire. I had two packets of forms in the car - one form would be signed by the chairman and secretary of the committee : a man's name would be written on it and the wording on it was an instruction to him to send in a year's annuity. When he got that form he would sign one in return, and the wording on the one he signed made it a pledge that he would stop paying anytime the committee ordered him to stop. In this way we would still be organised , and members of the committee would go through the townlands and explain these things. Everything I said was cheered : we were at war again!

It took us a good while to get the kitchen clear for a committee meeting , which endorsed the decision of the evening. There was a confused , gay, lively discussion , during which I explained that what was really important now was that there still should be a Donegal movement when other areas were coming more and more into the struggle. We had many urgent tasks. We must get more subscriptions into our defence fund. "Peadar , it was a dizzy night" , James Getins said, as I left his home , "I say, it was a dizzy night."

It was almost dawn when I drove Phil McCauley home ; we were just a little bit out of humour with one another and it was the only time there was any real sharpness between us. It arose over Black James Duirnin - Phil had word that James would be arrested again soon , and I think it likely that this news influenced him to the side of those who wanted peace. He thought it unworthy of us now to let the old warrior go to prison again, especially as we were permitting so many people to take shelter. He thought we should pay whatever amount was against the warrant that would send Black James to prison, at the point where the police car came for him. I could not bring myself to trifle with the old man , as he was the pulse of the movement, the very root of its courage. I would rather see his old body give out than lessen him in any way in his own eyes.....(MORE LATER).



THE ANATOMY OF AN AFTERNOON : THE STORY OF THE GIBRALTAR KILLINGS........

By Michael O'Higgins and John Waters. From 'Magill Magazine' , October 1988.

It could have embraced all this and more , but for the purposes of the inquest it embraced primarily the events of one afternoon - the four hours between the arrival of the three IRA members in Gibraltar and their being shot to death - and the thoughts which were in the minds of their killers as they fired the fatal shots. Of events prior to that day , Sunday March 6th , 1988 , the inquest was given only the sketchiest of accounts , likewise with the process by which the (British) soldiers came to think what they told us they thought : the intelligence gathering, the planning of the operation , the movements of the IRA active service unit before it arrived in Gibraltar.

The court heard evidence of at least one witness who might be able to shed light on some aspects of the truth but was prevented from so doing. Chief Inspector Correa of the Gibraltar police force gave evidence of taking a statement from a Spanish police officer in which details of the surveillance of the IRA members in Spain were revealed but the police officer had been denied permission to appear at the inquest by his superiors in Spain and the statement was ruled inadmissible by the coroner.

There was other information , too , about the nature of the surveillance operation in Spain which appeared intermittently in the newspapers throughout the inquest , indicating constant surveillance by both Spanish and British officers in Spain. Interesting though this might all have been , however, it did not become part of the truth which the jury of the inquest were invited to consider. The inquest heard sketchy pieces of information about events prior to Sunday March 6 , 1988 , and some details of related happenings after that date , such as the post mortems on the bodies and the finding of a car containing explosives in Spain on Tuesday 8th March 1988.....(MORE LATER).



REVENUE ROUNDING UP THE READIES FOR THE RETROBATES IN LEINSTER HOUSE.

To listen to her deliver a speech at the recent 'Macgill Summer School' in Donegal , you could be forgiven (!) for believing that she isn't at all arrogant although, in that regard, Josephine Feehily is her own worse enemy. She first associated herself with that outfit in 1993 as HR boss and worked her way 'up' to the position of 'Accountant-General' , and is now in command of finance in relation to tax and customs in this warped State. In 2011 , her 'skills' were truly recognised when the 'World Customs Organisation' appointed her its Chairperson following which , last year, she stole the show as the Chairperson of the OECD Forum for Tax Administration. She is one travelled lady , no doubt about it , and well used to getting her own way , and would appear to be the best person to contact if you want to see about getting a favour done for a friend - depending, that is, on how well connected you yourself are.

And, although lacking in 'connections' in that particular department myself , I'm almost tempted to send Josephine a copy of a letter I received recently from an acquaintance of hers and ask the good woman if she could possibly delete a digit (or two) from the figure mentioned , but maybe I shouldn't - it seems even those from her own social circles wouldn't do that themselves , so what chance would lil' old me have , unless and until I can improve my standing in this community ? Probably best to wait until I 'graduate' to those fine circles before I even think of asking her for a favour , as the little people seem to be easier to 'pick off' than the 'gentry' in this State. But perhaps I'm wrong , and there is , out there - somewhere ? - copies of letters from Michael Gladney and/or his State Revenue team which were sent to the Banksters , threatening to stop money at source from them ? Must go now , as I'm expecting the postman. And he always rings twice (the second time to apologise , I don't think...!).



"OUR OWN TURF FOR OUR OWN PEOPLE."

Cathal Brugha described Fr. Michael O'Flanagan as "The staunchest priest who ever lived in Ireland." This 'turbulent priest' died , aged 66, on this date (7th August) in 1942.

Born to Irish speakers and into a clan of Fenians in Roscommon in 1876 , Michael O'Flanagan was only 18 years young when he went to Maynooth College to study for the priesthood. He returned to his old alma mater , Summerhill College in Sligo and, at 24 years of age (in 1900), he was appointed 'Professor of Irish' in the college , from where he continued his involvement in Conradh na Gaeilge , through which he befriended Pádraig Mac Piarais and Douglas Hyde. His church at first considered him to be a valuable asset and repeatedly sent him abroad on assignments , but less so over the years as he had a social conscience which took precedence over his church's need for him to be a 'team player' and, indeed, he embarrassed his church hierarchy when , at 37 years of age, he fully supported the Sligo dockers in their trade dispute in 1913 (even though he was working in Rome at the time , which is where he was based between 1912 and 1914) as, then as now, his religious 'betters' had more in common with the owners and bosses rather than the poorer workers. In 1914 he was allocated to the parish of Ahamlish (North Sligo) before moving to Cliffoney , in that same county, and quickly became a true friend to the small farming community he now lived and worked with , and assisted them in their battle with the 'Congested Districts Board' who were trying to dictate the manner in which turf bogs could be used by the locals , an occasion that became known as the "Cloonerco Bog Fight" . During that 'turf war' , Fr. O'Flanagan helped to organise the funeral of O'Donovan Rossa (who died on the 29th June 1915) and he spoke in Dublin City Hall when Rossa was lying in state there , which seemed to be 'the hair which broke the camel's back' , as far as his Bishop (Coyne) was concerned - in October 1915 , the church hierarchy attempted to transfer him to a new parish.

However , his friends and supporters in Cliffoney objected and physically prevented the new parish priest from taking up his priestly duties , a situation which lasted until Christmas Day. Eventually , Fr. O'Flanagan was moved to Crossna, near Boyle, in County Roscommon, from where he continued to spread his own 'gospel' and that of Irish republicanism - he was vocally in favour of land reform and was strongly against Ireland taking any part in 'the First World War' , 'forced' (by Westminster) or not. He worked in the background for Irish republicans during the 1916 Rising and became more politically involved in the years following same and , in October 1917, he was elected the vice-president of the then Sinn Féin organisation. In May 1918 , he condemned the English and German 'Establishments' for their encouragement to young men to join what they called "the war effort" : "Those royal cousins who rule England and Germany will come together and clink their champagne glasses over the graves of millions of the flower of the manhood of Germany and England..." , and, no sooner had he delivered those words to an appreciative audience when Bishop Coyne banned him from saying Mass in public or administering the sacraments and it would be 1938 before those duties were restored to him. He played an active part in Sinn Féin's political victories that same year and was given the honour of opening the public session of the First Dáil Éireann in 1919 and was practically employed full-time in the 'Republican Courts' and in the development of the Dáil's land policy. He stayed true to his political principles in 1921 and opposed the 'Treaty of Surrender' , being barred from America and Australia for doing so.

He was elected president of Sinn Féin in 1933 , a position which he held until 1935 but he was expelled from the organisation the following year because he breached the abstentionist policy . He supported the Spanish Republic in its fight against Franco fascism from 1936 to 1939, which again put him at odds with his religious hierarchy , and undertook a number of speaking tours abroad in support of that fight. Father Michael O' Flanagan , 66 years of age, died in Dublin on 7th August 1942 and was buried in Glasnevin Cemetery on 10th August. Fittingly , his graveside oration was delivered by John Joseph O'Kelly ('Sceilg') , an action that that 'turbulent priest' would have appreciated.



STATE TRANSPORT MINISTER : 'BUS STRIKE ? NOTHING TO DO WITH ME....' !

Good to see action like this , even though it did inconvenience me and my kids , all of whom had different places to go , at different times : normally , I would just drive them and their friends to the bus stop and spend the rest of the day worrying about them (under strict orders not to phone or text them to inquire if they're okay !) but , like all Irish Mammies , that's my 'job'!

The bus drivers were about to suffer cuts in earnings (with €12million in total to be cut from the operational costs of the company) and changed working hours , both of which they objected to , but their employer insisted the new imposed practices were going to be implemented , so the workers withdrew their labour. And , to the shame of the trade union leadership , it missed the opportunity that the situation offered to 'flex its muscle' and bring other workers out in support of the drivers because , in my opinion , that is what's needed : an all-out State-wide strike , to show both management and politicians that we pay their wages , and not the other way around.

Anyway : speaking about 'jobs' , 'No Cent' Leo (who is a medical doctor by profession , by the way - 'pick up your crutches and walk....!') Varadkar , the State 'Transport Minister' , has stated that the dispute is 'nothing to do with me' but , at the same time , appeared to offer support to the management by saying that he understands that they have 'a responsibility to balance their books' but , to be fair to the man , he wasn't always concerned about 'balancing the books' , and will fight your corner if he deems you to be worthy and if he can do so using taxpayers money. However ; there you have it - a 'transport minister' who is 'neutral' in regards to a transport issue which should fall within his remit but who is 'more neutral' towards one side than the other. I'm actually less puzzled over the 'no contact , Ma'-policy of my daughters than I am over Leo's position , but he can continue not being involved , for now, anyway, as the strike - which began on Sunday morning (4th August) at 12.01am - was suspended at 12.01am this morning (Wednesday 7th) , pending discussions between both parties. If they can keep Leo out of it, they might just about sort something out....



'WORKING FROM HOME ? WHY ? I DON'T EVEN DO THAT IN THE OFFICE.....'

Following on from our piece (see 'Cash Cow Dying A Loud Death' , here) on the very expensive but politically useless State Senate , it now transpires that Mr Brendan Howlin , a Labour Party Minister (for 'Public Expenditure and Reform' , believe it or not!) in the present Dublin administration which , by the way, is supposedly campaigning for the abolition of the Free State Senate (a vote on same will, it seems, be held on Friday 4th October next) had voiced his opinion that the members of that institution should be allowed to 'work' from home (see our exclusive pic ,left...) and , for doing so , should be paid even more (see number 7 at that link) than they are at present!

I wonder would Mr. Howlin's concern for his political cousins in the State Senate have anything to do with the fact that he knows he and his lot in the State Labour Party will be 'Greened' (ie wiped-out) in the next State election and he's attempting to secure his own political future , as a 'State Senator' (albeit one 'working' from home) and may therefore be about to offer a compromise re the State Senate abolish-or-not vote - that its plush building , offices and physical infrastructure only be done away with , as a 'cost saving measure' , but the positions themselves remain in place , on a digital platform. Mr Howlin and his colleagues have priced the overall cost of maintaining the State Senate as it is now at €20 million a year , comprised of €8.8 million in direct costs (wages, expenses and staff for the premises) , €9.3 million in indirect costs (computer systems and maintenance of same, mobile phones , office printers and ink cartridges [should have got them cheaper - see 'Pat and Aengus' , here !] and other stationery requirements , building security , cleaning staff , translation services and the cost of broadcasting and distributing the 'deliberations' of the Chosen Few that inhabit that institution) and €2 million on pensions for those that have retired from that retirement home.

If Brendan Howlin could spin a con-job like that , he would be giving himself a fighting chance to continue his 'career' as a ('work-from-home') paid politician , which beats having to work for a living.



JUDGING A SOCIETY.....

....WHEN IT'S THE POLITICAL SYSTEM THAT IS AT FAULT.

THIS is truly heartbreaking , and more so when you realise that the poor child's family are not only trying to do what they can while their son is still with them but have prepared themselves to carry on the fight afterwards, too. But it's a perfect yardstick for the type of society we have 'evolved' into : unless you have money , it genuinely is 'no country for the old' (or the young ,the sick or the unemployed) but , in a perverse way , it explains why our political system is so corrupt - the politicians and their ilk in the business community are determined that their health and welfare and , in most cases, that of their family, will be secured at whatever cost to anyone else. Regardless of whether the cuts are implemented in Dublin Bus or the cost of the State Senate is reduced (see above piece) the situation on the ground will not change for the 'ordinary joe' as there is no 'trickle down' policy for us : any money not spent on public transport or on a retirement home for the political class will be diverted to further the comforts of those administering the corrupt political system in this State. And , no matter whether its Fianna Fail , Fine Gael , Labour or Provisional Sinn Féin or whoever it is that's administering that system, that's the way it will remain. It's a new system that's needed , not different faces to administer the current system.



LEICESTER AND LEEDS ARE UNITED IN THE CITY , COVENTRY AND BRISTOL SHOULD BE AS ONE , BUT AREN'T......

....AND MANCHESTER AND WIGAN ARE NOT UNITED OVER WHICH OF THEM IS THE MOST ATHLETIC !

Or 'Whatever'! This coming Sunday (11th August 2013) , the CABHAIR organisation will hold a 650-ticket raffle in a hotel on the Dublin/Kildare border and, as usual with republican events of this nature, all tickets have been sold , except for the fifty that the organisers have held back for sale on the day , in the venue. There are a number of sporting fixtures that will take place that same day (the best known of which , I'm told (!) , are the games to be held between Man Utd - Wigan and Leeds and Leicester ?) and matches like those are important to us as they pull an audience into the hotel from which we benefit regarding our ticket sales. I'll be there , as always , with the usual raffle crew and , as usual , I'll post the results on this blog as soon as I can after the event , as I know we have a good few readers who purchase tickets from one or other of our sellers but who are unable to attend the raffle and , if you're one of the eight lucky winners , mine's a pint of cider. And even if you're not a prize winner , it's still thirsty work..... ;-) !

Thanks for reading, Sharon.

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