RSF ARD FHEIS 2013 : ONE DISREPUTABLE GROUP ABSENT , ONE PRESENT.

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

Colonel Moore and I got a lot of voluntary help from the many people with secretarial experience who were in and out of my home , and he went through the local papers which came weekly, on an exchange basis, to 'An Phoblacht' and he took notice of every friendly voice relayed to us through them.

I got him secretarial help and he quickly developed a countrywide correspondence. He joined the Fianna Fáil party and made his way on to the party executive , I think : he had easy access to de Valera who was impressed by the case he made on the legal aspect of the annuity issue - it helped Moore with de Valera that his views were endorsed by George Gavan Duffy.

It was clear both to Moore and me that it would greatly help us in the countryside if we could bring Fianna Fáil TD's onto our platform there ; Galway was our best prospect and Father Fahy undertook to organise such a meeting for us. He was frendly with Frank Fahy , one of the Fianna Fáil TD's for Galway , and was soon able to write me that Fahy and Hugo Flynn TD (Cork City) would be willing to speak if we could clear the matter for them with their bosses in Dublin. Colonel Moore undertook this task and he was soon back to me with a problem - would I stand aside and leave the meeting at Loughrea to Fianna Fáil people, including the Chairman of the County Council, Eamonn Corbett, as I was so openly a champion of the 'No Rent' campaign that it would be easier for Fianna Fáil to adventure into the country districts on its own. I would not. (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.

From Hambros Bank, at the end of the square, police constable Albert Viagas of the Gibraltar police also observed the man getting out of the white Renault. There were a number of other officers with Viagas in the bank and a discussion took place about whether or not the man in the car was Seán Savage. Before he got out of the car they had noticed him fiddling with something beside the drivers seat , then he got out , locked the driver's door and went southwards via Referendum Gates.

PC Viagas had two cameras mounted on tripods in the bank and took a photograph of the man. A field officer in the surveillance team was detailed to attempt to get up close to the man and establish if it was indeed Seán Savage and, after a few minutes, he reported back that it was not. Only very sketchy details emerged at the inquest as to the movements of the man from the white Renault over the next hour and a half ; a number of officers gave evidence of having tailed him during this time, but it appears to have been about 2pm when he was first positively identified.

'Officer H' , of the British security forces, told of seeing the man who parked the Renault car passing back through the assembly area, past the Anglican Cathedral on Line Wall Road and up to the tourist office. 'Officer H' was standing in the vicinity of the cathedral and identified Seán Savage as he passed. After leaving the tourist office, Seán Savage headed towards the Piazza , which is a large square in the centre of the town , linking Main Street and Line Wall Road. 'Officer H' noticed that he was employing what he identified as "anti-surveillance techniques" ie he had bought a newspaper and appeared to be using it to conceal the fact that he was looking around him. (MORE LATER).



RSF ARD FHEIS , 2ND AND 3RD NOVEMBER 2013 : BRIEF REPORT AND A FEW PICS.

'Release Martin Corey' flags were placed in prominent position in the Ard Fheis venue.

With 114 resolutions to be discussed in a two-day period by RSF delegates from Ireland , England , America and elsewhere , and other business to be conducted as well , it was a fast-paced and concise Ard Fheis , extremely well co-ordinated by the various committees that were picked by the delegates at various stages throughout the two days.

Sunday morning (10am)and a delegate addresses a point made in the Clár.

The absence of two leading lights of Irish republicanism , Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and Joe O Neill (linked forever) , amongst other fine colleagues who no longer share this Earth with us, was remarked upon more than once and, indeed , a presentation was made to Ruairí's wife , Patsy, by RSF President Des Dalton -

Patsy Ó Brádaigh and Des Dalton , Sunday 3rd November 2013.

- and other comrades who have died over the last twelve months were mentioned , and a brief history of each such person was read out to the Ard Fheis. The 2014 RSF calendar features Ruairí on the cover and his image has also been preserved on items of clothing :

RSF President Des Dalton preparing his papers at the 2013 Ard Fheis.

Cait Trainor (Armagh) and Mary Ward (Donegal) at the RSF Ard Fheis , 2013.

There was an incident on Sunday just before lunch time when a group of about eight members of a small disreputable group began picketing outside the venue , "seeking justice" for those amongst them who had recently been expelled from RSF for misconduct. Ironically , the 'constitution' of that group states that it, too, would expel such miscreants but, apparently, a republican organisation should not do so! However , after about an hour-and-a-half they retired to a near-by pub to toast their 'success', no doubt....

Another disreputable group was also discussed at the Ard Fheis ,in that their complete absence was noted : for the first time that any of the delegates could recall, there was no special branch presence either outside the hotel or inside it. It's as if they realised that there was no need for two anti-republican groups to be present....

A full report on the Ard Fheis will be published in the December 2013 issue of 'Saoirse' , which goes to print on Wednesday 4th of that month.

BRITISH SOLDIERS RECRUITED IN IRELAND.

'Irish football bosses' show their true colours....

Bad enough to see the Brits and wannabe-Brits that appear on BBC television and UTV etc pay homage to British imperialism by wearing a poppy without having to witness 'our own' follow suit and, even though I don't follow or support football or rugby teams and normally wouldn't be interested in what team managers or players get up to either on or off the pitch, this is different.

Victims of British jingoism are more to be pitied than admired.

This symbol of Brit imperialism is distributed by the 'Royal British Legion' (assisted by its associated organisations) in 'honour' of and support for all British military service personal who served in all conflicts since 1945 , that is all current and former members of the British Army, sailors , air men etc , including those amongst them who are responsible for all the atrocities that have been perpetrated in Ireland and that are still being perpetrated here in the name of 'the Empire'.

Misguided Irish people will tell you that they wear a poppy to remember the Irish soldiers who died in 'World War One' but such killings never actually happened : no Irish soldiers died in that conflict but ,unfortunately, tens of thousands of British soldiers, recruited in Ireland , did loose their young lives in that terrible conflict. We would do better to remember the many Irish soldiers who did die at the time of that conflict - they died in Ireland, fighting the British army. Lest we forget.

Anyway : I was going to post about the fact that all the following poppy-wearing teams are playing against each other this coming Sunday , 10th November 2013 - Tottenham v Newcastle , Sunderland v Manchester City , Manchester United v Arsenal and Swansea v Stoke and there are probably some other matches that I'm forgetting to mention but I think they're the main ones but, as far as I'm concerned, the main event taking place on that Sunday is the 650-ticket raffle that the Republican Movement will be holding in the usual Kildare/Dublin border venue , the results of which I will post here as soon as I calm. down. and. try. to. ignore. the. red. splodges. in. front. of. my. eyes......



ON THIS DATE (6TH NOVEMBER) 364 YEARS AGO....

Eoghan Ruadh O’Neill : "We thought you would not die ,we were sure you would not go, and leave us in our utmost need to Cromwell’s cruel blow..."

Eoghan Ruadh O'Neill (Owen Roe O'Neill), a seventeenth-century Irish soldier , son of Art O'Neill and younger brother of Hugh O'Neill, died on 6th November 1649 in Cloughoughter Castle in County Cavan , at the age of 59. His mother was born into the O'Raghallaigh clan in that county.

Eoghan Ruadh was considered by Charles I of England to be a loyal subject and soldier but, at 37 years of age he petitioned the Spanish monarchy to invade Ireland and called for Ireland to be placed under Spanish protection , but nothing came of his endeavours. However , he maintained his opposition to the English presence in Ireland and , in 1642, at the age of 52, he arrived back in Ireland with 300 soldiers to play his part in the Rising that was then one year old. He sought to overturn the 'Ulster Plantation' and return the lands to those that had been evicted by the English. In August 1649 , Oliver Cromwell landed in Ireland , supported by at least 20,000 armed men, prompting O'Neill to join forces with the Earl of Ormond to fight for Irish ways but O'Neill died shortly afterwards, apparently poisoned.

Thomas Davis wrote the following Lament for Eoghan Ruadh O'Neill :

Did they dare, did they dare, to slay Eoghan Ruadh O’Neill?

Yes, they slew with poison him they feared to meet with steel.

May God wither up their hearts! May their blood cease to flow,

May they walk in living death, who poisoned Eoghan Ruadh.



Though it break my heart to hear, say again the bitter words.

From Derry, against Cromwell, he marched to measure swords:

But the weapon of the Sassanach met him on his way.

And he died at Cloch Uachtar, upon St. Leonard’s day.



Wail, wail ye for the Mighty One. Wail, wail ye for the Dead,

Quench the hearth, and hold the breath—with ashes strew the head.

How tenderly we loved him. How deeply we deplore!

Holy Saviour! but to think we shall never see him more!



Sagest in the council was he, kindest in the hall,

Sure we never won a battle—’twas Eoghan won them all.

Had he lived—had he lived—our dear country had been free:

But he’s dead, but he’s dead, and ’tis slaves we’ll ever be.



O’Farrell and Clanricarde, Preston and Red Hugh,

Audley and MacMahon—ye valiant, wise and true:

But—what are ye all to our darling who is gone?

The Rudder of our Ship was he, our Castle’s corner stone.



Wail, wail him through the Island! Weep, weep for our pride!

Would that on the battlefield our gallant chief had died!

Weep the Victor of Beinn Burb—weep him, young and old:

Weep for him, ye women—your beautiful lies cold!



We thought you would not die—we were sure you would not go,

And leave us in our utmost need to Cromwell’s cruel blow—

Sheep without a shepherd, when the snow shuts out the sky—

O! why did you leave us, Eoghan? Why did you die?



Soft as woman’s was your voice, O’Neill! bright was your eye,

O! why did you leave us, Eoghan? Why did you die?

Your troubles are all over, you’re at rest with God on high,

But we’re slaves, and we’re orphans, Eoghan!—why did you die?



It is from that spirit that Irish republicans take heart - knowing that even though we have lost 'fights' in the past, the 'battle' itself is not yet over.....

Thanks for reading , Sharon.

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109TH RSF ARD FHEIS - TWO PICS , FEW WORDS - MORE LATER!

109TH ARD FHEIS OF REPUBLICAN SINN FÉIN.

RSF delegates at 9.30am , Saturday 2nd November 2013.

A selection of the material available at the RSF 'Shop' at the 2013 Ard Fheis.

There was a bigger than expected turnout at the 109th RSF Ard Fheis in Dublin (2nd and 3rd November 2013) at which 114 resolutions were discussed. On occasion it was standing-room only and the crowd actually spilled out into the corridor , which caused a bit of a stir for the RSF security people present and for hotel workers, but extra seating was placed in a close-by side room and about twenty of those from the corridor sought refuge there!

We will post a few more pics and words on Wednesday evening , 6th November 2013, including a mention of an unfortunate incident in which a semi-political group attempted to disrupt proceedings.... (MORE LATER).

Thanks for reading , Sharon.

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"SHUT THE GATES. THE HELICOPTER IS GETTING AWAY....!!"

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

I do not remember now by what happy chance I asked P.T. Daly, Secretary to the Dublin Trades Council, to have a meal with me - I was greatly impressed by him , a man of mature and advanced views, and he was not merely willing but eager to help. He was forthright and open, and did not think the Trades Council would send representatives to attend a meeting on a request from me. There was a raw lump of backward members in every union who at a shout of communism would make trouble for whoever supported my meeting , and that shout was sure to be raised.

There were a few crack-pots among the priests who haunted the Labour movement , who would make sure it was raised. Trade union officials might bemoan their helplessness, openly , to me over a coffee but they would go with the noise, knowing that another union would traffic in the noise should they make a stand against it ; the sort of thing one meets in Belfast where the curse word is 'Fenian' , not communist. I dared not risk a request to the Trades Council which it might refuse , as the press would pounce on the prepared speeches of those who opposed it and that report would discourage the townlands. Moore , Daly and I held a number of consultations , and Moore and I were guided by Daly in the steps we took to win even a gesture of support from the trade union movement.

Colonel Moore wrote a letter to the Secretary , asking the Trades Council to send representatives to a meeting at the Rotunda Cinema. The meeting was arranged for the night on which the executive met , and Daly brought up the letter for discussion and he influenced the members to adjourn to go on to our platform as a body, even though they took no part in the meeting beyond that gesture of good will. That is the background to an exciting moment during Colonel Moore's address when a throng of trade union officials took their place on our platform. The country delegates who came from Donegal , Clare , Galway , Kerry and Wexford were greatly encouraged by this promise of new allies, but nothing further came of it and I soon lost hope of city reinforcements. (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.

Detective Chief Inspector Ullger said that the regular customs and immigration officials on the Gibraltar side of the frontier had not been told to look out for the IRA members at all, as it was desirable for security reasons that as few people as possible know what was going on. It was also thought that any excessive checking of documents at the border might cause the IRA members to become suspicious. Pressed further by Mr. McGrory , Detective Ullger said - "The only way it could succeed was to allow the terrorists to come in and be dealt with the way they were." At this point he paused momentarily before adding : "......as far as surveillance was concerned." Be that as it may, the official version remains that nothing untoward was noticed at the Gibraltar frontier until about 2.30pm when Mairead Farrell and Daniel McCann were identified passing through on foot. How this was done despite the fact that no pedestrians were being monitored, the inquest was not informed. 'Officer M' gave evidence that he was present at the frontier when the two were identified and he and other surveillance personnel immediately followed the two IRA members on foot into Gibraltar. He noticed immediately, he said, that the pair were very surveillance conscious , that Farrell was constantly looking over her shoulder and, when they were held up at the barrier at the airport to allow a plane to land, 'Officer M' noticed that McCann was closely scrutinising everybody in the vicinity.

Seán Savage, meanwhile , had arrived in the assembly area in the white Renault and , at approximately 12.50pm , he had driven into the second bay of the almost-full car park in the square opposite Ince's Hall. He was observed by 'Officer N' , a member of the security forces involved in the surveillance operation. Despite having seen photographs of him before-hand, 'Officer N' did not at this point recognise Savage , but merely noted that he wore a dark jacket and gold-rimmed spectacles, that he was the only occupant of the car and that he remained in the car for two or three minutes before getting out and walking away. 'Officer N' noted down the number of the Renault as a matter of routine. (MORE LATER).



ENDA KENNY (A CAREER POLITICIAN) ON PROPERTY TAX AND CARE FOR THE ELDERLY. AND DOORSTEPS.

Framed (above) by a photographer and framed (below) by his own words...

"It is morally unjust and unfair to tax a person's home, and by so doing grind him into the ground. Indeed in cases it could probably be unconstitutional. It reminds me of a vampire tax in that it drives a stake through the heart of home ownership, through enthusiasm and initiative, and sucks the life blood of people who want to own their own home and better their position. If the Government fail to appreciate the passion with which people will defend their rights to own their home and have it looking as well as it should, it is making a serious mistake. Residential property tax is the one issue in the budget causing great anxiety to those who come within its thresholds. It is also causing great stress to those on the verge of the thresholds who fear they will be sucked into the net next year....." (From here.)

Mr. Kenny then proceeded to introduce a property tax. Before he backtracked on that particular issue , he had 'given his word' (lol!) [whilst in 'opposition'] in relation to maintaining the benefit of medical cards for the elderly - "This government that says it will look after the old , the sick , the lonely and the vulnerable, decide in the comfort of the cabinet room to take away your right to have a (medical) card beyond the age of 70 years. I reject it. The cheek of them. Shame on them, shame on them." (From here.) Mr. Kenny then proceeded to hammer old age pensioners in relation to their medical cards (not to mention by removing the 'Death Grant'). Also - if you can stomach it - that last link shows Mr. Kenny's flunky , Eamon Gilmore (Labour Party) praising those same elderly people for the part they played in securing "civil rights" for those of us who were not around at that time to fight for same ourselves. Mr. Gilmore then proceeded to assist his political boss , Enda Kenny, to trash 'civil rights' for the elderly.

The reason both of them and, indeed, others from within the institution they 'work' from , can afford to be so blatantly dishonest in relation to , amongst other things, property tax and medical cards is because they can increase their 'expenses' to recuperate the cost of the former and , being rich, they or their family have no need for the latter as they can 'go private' or get their friends to pay for treatment when the need arises. It doesn't surprise me that these people will be so 'economical with the truth' in regards to any issue or subject in which there are votes to be gained but what does surprise me is that enough people apparently take them at their word and vote for them on the strength of their 'conviction'. Pardon my language , but if those voters choose to shit on their own doorstep , walk it into their house and complain about the bad smell, so to speak, it's a nonsense to blame the doorstep and/or the substance itself for being at fault!



ANTI-INTERNMENT MARCH AND RALLY , DUBLIN , SATURDAY 9TH NOVEMBER 2013.

Those speaking at this rally include Cait Trainor , Malachy Steenson and Cieran Perry.

The Dublin Anti-Internment Committee will be hosting an anti internment march and rally in Dublin on Saturday 9th of November 2013. The march will commence at the Central Bank plaza at 2:30 pm and will continue on to the GPO in O'Connell Street where the rally will take place. This is strictly a non party political event so only flags/banners relating directly to internment should be on view. There will also be a function that night in the Abbey Hotel commencing at 7:30pm.



ON THE LAST WEDNESDAY IN OCTOBER 1973.....

The Alouette II helicopter used by the PIRA on Wednesday October 31st 1973 to escape from the exercise yard of Mountjoy Prison in Dublin.

On this day (the last Wednesday in October) 40 years ago (1973) , at 3.41pm, the helicopter took off from Mountjoy Prison with three leading Provos on board - Seamus Twomey , J.B. O'Hagan and Kevin Mallon . Mallon's freedom was shortlived and he was arrested at a dance-hall in Portlaoise six weeks later : he got four years (Marion Coyle was charged with allegedly firing at a detective at the dance-hall but she was acquitted through lack of identification).

The helicopter escape severely embarrassed the political administration in the Free State and led directly to a review of national (sic - the Leinster House Administration has not got national authority) security carried out by Justice Finlay . But if the escape was an embarrassment to that administration , it was an inspiration to the Provos and inspired another operation : on January 24 , 1974 , Rose Dugdale posed as a journalist and hired a helicopter along with two others to fly to Tory Island. Eddie Gallagher and Rose Dugdale had registered as man and wife in a hotel in Gortahork, County Donegal, prior to the operation. According to Eddie Gallagher , they first met in a 'doss house' in Edinburgh - they were both fascinated at how 'dossers' could sleep on ropes when they could not afford to pay for a flea-infested bed in the dormitory . They were very close and Dugdale later gave birth to Gallagher's son in prison. However - the helicopter was hijacked and forced to fly to Strabane RUC Station with three milk-churn bombs aboard. The bombs failed to explode when dropped.

In March 1973, PIRA leader Joe Cahill was arrested by the Free State Navy in Waterford, aboard the Claudia, a ship from Libya loaded with five tons of weapons, and was sentenced to three years imprisonment, and another PIRA leader, Seamus Twomey, was appointed IRA Chief of Staff. In early October that year, Twomey was caught and arrested by the Free Staters and imprisoned in Mountjoy Jail, which meant that three top PIRA operatives (Twomey, J.B. O’Hagan and Kevin Mallon) were now housed in the one location - and the PIRA wanted them back!

An 'American businessman' , a 'Mr. Leonard', approached the manager of the 'Irish Helicopters' company at Dublin Airport and discussed hiring a helicopter for an aerial photographic shoot in County Laois and, after being shown the company’s fleet of helicopters, this 'businessman' booked a five-seater Alouette II helicopter for Wednesday October 31st. 'Mr Leonard' arrived at Irish Helicopters on the day and was introduced to the pilot of the helicopter, a Captain Thompson Boyes , who was instructed to fly to a field in Stradbally, County Laois, to pick up photographic equipment. After landing, the pilot saw two armed and masked men approaching the helicopter from nearby trees and he was held at gunpoint and told he would not be harmed if he followed instructions. 'Mr Leonard' left the area with one gunman, while the other gunman climbed aboard the helicopter armed with a pistol and an Armalite rifle. Captain Boyes was told to fly towards Dublin following the path of railway lines and the Royal Canal, and was ordered not to register his flight path with Air Traffic Control. As the helicopter approached Dublin, Boyes was informed of the escape plan and instructed to land in the exercise yard at Mountjoy Prison.

On this day (the last Wednesday in October 1973) , at 3.41pm in the afternoon, the Alouette II helicopter landed in the D Wing exercise yard of Mountjoy Prison in Dublin , when a football match was taking place between the prisoners, and Twomey , O’Hagan and Mallon jumped aboard , but were quickly spotted (!) by an alert Screw who used his training and power of intuition to take immediate action - he *called on the Screws at the gate to close them over as he feared the helicopter was trying to escape (* …according to the RTE 'Scannal - Prison Break' programme..) ! Another PIRA prisoner who was in the yard at the time recalled how an embarrassed Screw told him that he had apologised to the prison governor in relation to the incident , saying that he thought the helicopter contained a visiting (Free State) Minister for Defence (and well-known publican) [Paddy Donegan] : the PIRA prisoner replied that , in fact, "..it was our Minister of Defence leaving....!"

All three men reported back to base and continued their work for the PIRA but, after a few weeks of freedom Kevin Mallon was recaptured at a GAA Dance in the Montague Hotel in Co. Laois on 10 December 1973 , J.B.O’Hagan was recaptured in Dublin in early 1975 and Seamus Twomey managed to remain uncaptured until December 2nd , 1977, after the Special Branch came across him in a 'suspicious car' parked in Sandycove, in Dublin. The 'Wolfe Tones' ballad group released a song called 'The Helicopter Song' which topped the Irish Charts for 4 weeks and 'The Wolfhounds' also recorded the event in song and, in January 1974, a close associate of Kevin Mallon’s, Eddie Gallagher, along with Dr. Rose Dugdale, hijacked another helicopter in Donegal to bomb the RUC station in Strabane from the air but the milk-churn bombs they dropped never exploded. There have been 'ups and downs' (pardon the pun!) in this long on-going struggle to achieve full Irish freedom and Irish Republicans may tend to get on a 'high' (!) during the 'Up' periods but we very seldom go on a 'Downer' during the 'Down' periods : we know from our own experiences and from our history that we will witness both such periods repeatedly but we have learned to take the good with the bad , in that an 'up' period does not mean that victory has been achieved no more than a 'down' period means that all is lost. The prize we seek is more valuable to us than that sort of short-term thinking would allow for!



CONGRATS TO THE REPUBLICAN MOVEMENT ON THEIR 109TH ARD FHEIS!

Delegates at an RSF Ard Fheis voting on a resolution.

On Saturday and Sunday , 2nd and 3rd of November 2013 , Irish republicans from all 32 Counties of Ireland , from England , America and further afield will be represented in a Dublin hotel by their chosen delegates at the 109th Ard Fheis of Republican Sinn Féin Poblachtach where , over the two-day period , a total of 114 resolutions will be discussed. The organisation is to be congratulated for its unwavering commitment to the ideals of Wolfe Tone and for its refusal to be side-tracked down a Leinster House or Stormont cul-de-sac. Congratulations , RSF , and well done to all on a great job!



MORE VICTIMS OF BRITISH IMPERIALISM.

Tired , dejected , rejected and unwanted : the price of 'maintaining the empire' is too much for some of the 'squaddies'.

A British Army-instigated 'inquiry' is presently under way into two cases of 'sudden death' at a British Army base in the Occupied Six Counties of Ireland. A pro-Brit newspaper attempted to involve Irish militants in the incidents ('....there are fears for the welfare of isolated soldiers in a Northern Ireland (sic) Army barracks after two suspected suicides.....reports of heavy drinking and restricted movements due to dissident republican (sic) threats, have exacerbated feelings of loneliness.....') despite the fact that the two soldiers in question had also been involved in 'peace keeping duties' in other countries and it could very well have been that 'action' which disturbed them so much. However - no doubt their comrades will afford them a fitting 'final salute'.



"MARTIN (McGUINNESS) DID WHAT I WANTED HIM TO. I NEVER HAD ANY TROUBLE WITH HIM...." - IAN PAISLEY.

'SMASH (P)SINN FÉIN??? DON'T YOU DARE...'

This is no surprise to Irish republicans but it might shock those who consider themselves 'politically brave' and/or 'rebellious' for supporting/joining 'the Shinners' : 'Lord' Bannside (Ian Paisley Snr) no longer wants to 'SMASH (P)SINN FÉIN' and, indeed, has gone so far as to praise his colleague , Martin McGuinness - "Well, Martin did what I wanted him to. I never had any trouble with him...." (from here.)

It would, however, be a surprise to Irish republicans if 'lord' Paisley were to say or think differently ; after all, he has been 'rewarded' with a seat in the British 'lords' for services rendered to the Crown in that he played his part in not only politically neutralising McGuinness but actually completely turning him from (alleged) 'thorn in the side' of the British in Ireland into another one of their (paid) supporters. To 'Smash (P)Sinn Féin' now would be like smashing a limb of the British 'empire' , and both Paisley and McGuinness know that. The two of them should join the British Army and get stressed.....



FAR TOO EARLY TO MENTION THIS......

A 'question' surrounds that which it is too early to mention.....!

.....so I'll just link to it instead!

Thanks for reading , Sharon.

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"SOW UP YOUR POCKETS" - ADVICE FROM STATE FINANCE MINISTER TO STATE CITIZENS.

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

Charles Stewart Parnell sat in private talks with leaders of the weak trade union movement in Galway. Once the landlord phase was over, trade union leaders seemed to get the idea that the big farm, employing labour , was the pattern to favour. This mistaken view has got such a hold that on a recent occasion when I invoked the aid of one whom I consider to be among the most enlightened in the Dublin trade union movement , in my search for allies for small farmers who were striving to influence the 'Irish Land Commission' to undo a mistake it made when it permitted a foreign syndicate to buy land badly needed to reconstruct uneconomic holdings , I found him on the side of the syndicate.

Until the trade union leaders free themselves from this weakness , the Labour Party must remain a backward organisation in the eyes of Fenian radicals - this is the sort of thing to which the trade union movement could well devote a summer course.

If Colonel Moore could make no headway with O'Brien , Johnson or O'Connell , the three serious Labour leaders, I would be a worse messenger to them. There was such working-class support for the IRA in Dublin , however, that on the level of trade union branches many of the officials would be carried on to our platform for a meeting, if only O.C. Dublin Brigade would undertake the chore of bringing them forward. But this was a chore that O.C. Dublin Brigade would not undertake without direction from above, and there was no hope of that, for it involved a policy decision. (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.

Detective Constable Charles Huart of the Gibraltar special branch said that he had been at the border since 8am , working with the Spanish police on their side of the border. As arranged with the Spanish by Chief Inspector Ullger , Huart worked inside a windowless room equipped with modern computer facilities , and outside that room Spanish police checked passports and any they thought were suspicious were flashed onto a screen in front of DC Huart. Remarkably , Huart had no details of the false passports known to be in use by the IRA ASU.

In any event , Seán Savage was not detected driving through the frontier sometime during the early afternoon. 'Soldier F' , the commander of the SAS unit , claimed at the inquest that this was because of a complete lack of warning from the Spanish side, but it is worth repeating that , contrary to the official line which emerged at the inquest, there were and are persistent reports that in fact the Spanish were monitoring the progress of Savage in the white Renault all the way down the Costa del Sol to the Gibraltar frontier and were relaying details of its movements to the British security services in Gibraltar all morning.

A thoroughly new complexion was added on day twelve of the inquest when Detective Chief Inspector Ullger , head of the Gibraltar special branch, gave evidence : under cross examination by Mr. McGrory , Ullger said that they had had no preconceived ideas about how the IRA ASU might cross the border - they might cross on foot, all together or individually , or in a car together, or in some combination of both. In briefing the Spanish police, therefore, there had been no question of him telling them to confine their attention to cars containing two males and a female, or to ignore pedestrians altogether. Ullger suggested that the reason Seán Savage had not been detected on the Spanish side of the border was that the Spanish did not realise the full seriousness of the situation and were therefore not as thorough as they might have been. (MORE LATER).



INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PROTEST IN SUPPORT OF IRISH POLITICAL PRISONERS : SATURDAY 26TH OCTOBER 2013.

Solidarity! Saturday 26th October 2013.

On Saturday 26th October 2013 , Irish republicans in Dublin will highlight the fact that there are still Irish republicans incarcerated due to their support for Irish republicanism : a two-hour picket and leaflet distribution will take place on that day on the Ha'penny Bridge , beginning at 1(one)pm , and in Wexford , at the same time, republicans will do the same at the Bullring.

At 2pm in Belfast on that day , POW leaflets will be distributed outside the RSF Office (223 Falls Road) and a similar event will take place , also at 2pm, on the Bridge of Peace in Drogheda , County Louth. A few pics and a brief report of last years event can be seen here , and contact details for the organising committee can be obtained here. Also, a linked event will be held at the Celtic Club on Queen Street in Melbourne in Australia on the 26th at 12 Noon (organised by the 'James Connolly Association' of Melbourne) and an event will be held in Sydney (Circular Quay) , also on the 26th , and pickets etc will be held in Paris , Italy , the Netherlands , Germany, England , New Mexico (Albuquerque) , New York (two events - one on Saturday 26th and one on Sunday 27th) and New Jersey. If you can spare an hour-and-a-half or so on Saturday 26th , please help us as we have limited resources and are up against an anti-republican administration and a self-censoring media.



56TH ANNUAL EDENTUBBER MARTYRS COMMEMORATION , SUNDAY 27TH OCTOBER 2013.

MICHAEL WATTERS of Edentubber , County Louth , 55 years of age. GEORGE KEEGAN of Enniscorthy , County Wexford , 27. PATRICK PARLE of Wexford Town , 26. OLIVER CRAVEN of Newry , County Down , 19. PAUL SMITH of Bessbrook , County Armagh , 19.

The five men were active in the IRA's 'Border Campaign' (1956-1962) , known as 'Operation Harvest'. They were on active service in a small County Louth cottage in November 1957, near the Edentubber Mountain , about 300 yards from the imposed border, when an explosion destroyed the small dwelling, killing all inside. The Republican Movement will honour these men on Sunday 27th October 2013 , and those attending are asked to assemble at 'The Border Inn' at 2.30pm , from where the parade will leave for the monument. The main oration will be delivered by John Joe McCusker , Fermanagh. A brief history of the five men can be viewed here and last years commemoration can be seen here. All genuine republicans welcome!



ON THIS DATE (23RD OCTOBER) 372 YEARS AGO....

Phelim Roe O'Neil , one of the leaders of the 1641 Rebellion , who was hanged, drawn, and quartered, one quarter being impaled at Lisburn, another at Dundalk, a third at Drogheda and the fourth, with his head, at Dublin.

Although the intention of the Irish rebels was to dislodge the English settlers and reclaim their land , O'Neil is on record for stating the following : "...the rising was not against the King, but only for the defence and liberty of ourselves, and the Irish natives of this kingdom..." which , if you read between the lines, would indicate that the action was taken not so much against English rule as against English mistreatment. The fighting , which began in Ulster on the night of October 22nd/morning of the 23rd and was only quashed 12 years later (September 1653) caused the death of '30,000 English, murdered and massacred...' , according to English politicians but, within weeks, this figure rose to 50,000. Then 100,000 , later 'revised' to between 150,000 and 200,000 and finally a nice round figure of 300,000 was agreed on. By those English politicians, that is. But in their haste to make propaganda at the expense of the "...tumultuary Irish rabble....." , they overlooked the fact that there were only 20,000 English people living in the area affected by the rebellion! The actual casualties are said to be nearer to 12,000 English 'settlers' and 7,000 indigenous.

However : whether the rebellion was fought by some for 'civil rights under the English Crown' , so to speak, and by others to remove the political and military might of the English 'settlers' it has to be borne in mind that those who were attacked were being set upon by those whose objective it was to regain that which was once theirs. In short , the robber was challenged by those he robbed. More on this rebellion can be viewed here and here.



"SOW UP YOUR POCKETS......" - BUDGET 'ADVICE' FROM FREE STATE FINANCE MINISTER.

Michael Noonan offers advice on how to stop the State from taking your food and bill money....

It must be nice when , after you have been forced (by nature of the position you hold) to repeat meaningless platitudes time and again for newspaper , TV and radio interviews , you get a 'private moment' in which to speak your mind. Except , of course, in this day of 'citizen journalism' there are no such moments when you're on a public street. But such is this mans arrogance that it was precisely because he was on a public street , and not in front of the mainstream media, that he felt comfortable in sneering at a passer-by who asked him if he was aware of the damage that he and his type were doing to ordinary working and unemployed people by the cutbacks they were enforcing. The incident was captured on video and posted on-line but , as expected, has been ignored by the media mentioned above - the outlet that highlights it would be left in no doubt that their requests for future interviews with him and, indeed, the rest of his administration , would be 'coloured' due to their having drawn attention to Noonan's comment.

The incident can be seen here and is a good example of how far Noonan and his type are from the financial reality of those they claim to 'govern' on behalf of. But career politicians will never have to share our reality as they have (ab)used our money to insulate themselves from that. No hospital trollies , dole queues or forced emigration for them. They should have something other than their pockets sown up.



'ADVICE' FROM NOONAN AND CO. RE SOCIAL WELFARE PAYMENTS ?

Not long now before the above scene is enacted for real?

It could very well only be a matter of time before unemployed women in this corrupt State are forced into prostitution by a State department whose only interest in you is in relation to how much income tax they can get from you. On the face of it , it sounds unlikely and more so when it appears to be the State that has taken on the role as a 'pimp' but this story (albeit from 2005) is proof that a capitalist-led society is capable of lowering itself (and its 'subjects') to the gutter when profits are at stake. When the woman mentioned in that piece understandably took offence at the 'job' on offer and tried to prevent the job centre from offering such 'work' to others, not only was she told that no law had been broken but that she was leaving herself open to being penalised by not taking on the 'job' and, further, the job centre would be acting outside the law if it didn't take action against her for refusing to take the 'job'!

Considering the callous nature exhibited repeatedly by those in Leinster House towards the citizens of this State , the above scenario could be said to be not only possible, but probable. And perhaps it will take something along those lines before things here will change?



MORE 'FAIR WARNING' THAN 'FAIR PLAY'.

Butchered for seeking 'civil rights' , not for demanding 'Brits Out'.

The recent announcement that those members of the British Army that ran amok in Derry in January 1972 are to be "charged with murder" should be treated with suspicion if not outright contempt by Irish republicans - only when those armed thugs are actually imprisoned , alongside the politicians that set them loose that day on unarmed protesters, should we look at this case of injustice in a different manner than that which we have viewed it in , to date.

It is far more likely that this move has more to do with 'fair warning' ie notification to those concerned to 'tool up' , legally , to defend themselves, than it has to do with 'fair play' ie Westminster recognising that it committed a crime that day. The British have no friends , only interests and , on this occasion, it suits their interests now to give the appearance of 'democracy' in that they appear to be about to prosecute those they perceive as having done wrong that day in 1972, even if the latter are not only 'friends' , but employees.

In effect, Westminster has 'advised' the surviving members of the Parachute Regiment that , in the interests of giving the appearance of presenting itself on a world stage as 'a fair and democratic government' , it is prepared to take action against those who, even though they were acting under orders from them, behaved in a 'questionable manner'. The reality is that that gang of armed marauders are now 'on notice' that their 'service to the Crown' is not yet complete. A typical move by the 'Empire'.


MISSING THE POINT.

Gerry says Michael is guilty of it re James but Gerry himself is also guilty of it....

The Fine Gael State Minister for the Health Service (or the man responsible for the state of the health service in the 26 Counties) , James Reilly , has been called on , by the present Fianna Fail leader, Micheál Martin, to resign before he does any more damage to an already shattered entity (oh the irony of Micheál in attempting to make political capital out of the political failings of others in that regard!) giving Gerry Adams the opportunity to declare that Mr. Martin was 'missing the point' as it's "a change of government" that's needed, not just "a new Health Minister".

But Gerry himself is 'missing the point' : it's not 'new' (or pre-used) politicians that are "needed" in Leinster House - it's a new system that's required , as the present political system in this State has failed , regardless of who it is that sits behind the oak cabinet table and cheers or jeers them from the plush seats in that venue in Kildare Street in Dublin. Anyone involved in the Health service will tell you that dodgy material should not be placed in an already rotten structure.

Thanks for reading , Sharon.

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'DO YOU THINK I'M SEXY' - ROD STEWART AND GERRY ADAMS.

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


I picked up a pencil and in the light of the townlands I wrote rapidly 'And since these payments are illegal and immoral, all decrees enforcing them shall be suspended pending national agreement on what contributions Irish farmers will make towards national housekeeping expenses.' I wrote across the top for our slogan of action - 'CALL OFF THE BAILIFFS'. Accept that addendum and we're a team , I said , and we settled down for a long discussion.

I was amused to find that Colonel Moore was as convinced as Paddy Hogan that I was acting for the IRA , and it sharpened my admiration for him that , with that in mind, he was willing to join me. I told him exactly how things were and that I would , if I could, involve the IRA in the agitation of the small-farmer countryside, even though many of the units might shed members initially if pushed along that road. I would not use the poor of the countryside to blast the Free State Government out of the way but the Republic, if restored through a struggle on this level , would be a Republic of the poor, achieved by the poor, for the poor. But to think thus was to dream - the agitation was as yet simply an affair of neighbours in a few townlands.

Colonel Moore told me he asked Labour Senator Tom Johnson to interest himself in the case against payment of land annuities to Britain and that Johnson did, in fact , make a speech to the Senate , but he hedged himself in behind so many reservations that his speech meant nothing. He saw William O'Brien too , but O'Brien told him quite frankly he did not understand the position. It is puzzling that the Dublin Labour movement has persisted in a strange aloofness from the small-farmer countryside : perhaps this is the ultimate proof of its backwardness. This is a recent development , this aloofness , for during the period of the conflict with landlordism town workers were close allies of the Irish countryside. (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.

By Saturday night , then, pretty much everything was in place in preparation for 'Operation Flavius': at midnight the Commissioner held a final briefing at which various details of the operation were discussed. The briefing , attended by everyone involved in the operation, was addressed by the Commissioner and by the military and security officers in command of those respective elements of the operation.

By this time the Commissioner and his advisory group had identified four key indicators to assist them in coming to a decision about when they should move in on the IRA ASU. These were 1) If a car driven by one of the ASU crossed the frontier and parked in the assembly area in the square ; 2) If a car driven by a member of the ASU arrived in the assembly area without prior warning ; 3) The presence in Gibraltar of other members of the ASU and 4) If there were indications that the ASU , having parked the car , was about to leave Gibraltar. At the briefing the Commissioner also stressed the sequence which he wanted followed with regard to apprehending the three IRA member. This was 1) Arrest ; 2) Disarm and 3) Defuse the bomb.

The inquest heard several different versions of what happened to cause the surveillance operation at the border to miss Seán Savage driving into Gibraltar in the white Renault in the early afternoon of Sunday March 6 , 1988 : according to the Commissioner and several other early witnesses to the inquest, the surveillance operation at the Gibraltar side of the border was working in complete ignorance of what , if any, surveillance was being mounted in Spain. The procedure being followed at the border , the inquest was told , was that, because of the volume of traffic, only cars containing two males and a female were being checked - other cars and pedestrians were being waved through. On day eleven of the inquest , however , Detective Constable Charles Huart of the Gibraltar special branch told a different story..... (MORE LATER).



"DOES MY SEXINESS UPSET YOU ? DOES IT COME AS A SURPRISE......

....THAT I DANCE LIKE I'VE GOT DIAMONDS AT THE MEETING OF MY THIGHS ?"

I have no intention of dwelling on this as I find it a disturbing subject , but it does need highlighting. For one of those involved in such a sensitive issue to behave in such a crassly ignorant manner is a mark of an insensitive person , to put it mildly, and/or a person who is so confident that they will not be properly punished by the 'establishment' they belong to that they have convinced themselves that different rules of conduct apply in their case.

That Gerry Adams is at fault in this instance is , in my opinion, as obvious as the fact that his brother , Liam , done wrong and, whilst we are not 'our brothers keeper' , we all of us owe it to society , and to ourselves , to ensure that 'our brother' is properly reprimanded and removed from all potential areas in which he could re-offend. Not only did this not happen in this case but Gerry Adams rubbed salt into the wounds by trying to ignore the deed and when it snowballed into an avalanche he attempted to make light of it via his 'Twitter' account by using that social media outlet in a failed attempt to present himself as a 'victim' in the whole squalid affair , by posting a poem about how he bravely took all criticism on the chin , like 'a man' :

"You may write me down in history With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you? Why are you beset with gloom?

'Cause I walk like I've got oil wells Pumping in my living room.

Just like moons and like suns, With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high, Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken? Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops, Weakened by my soulful cries?"

It's the "soulful cries" of your own family members you should have been concerned about , Gerry , not your own (imagined) 'soulful cries' in relation to how you considered yourself 'victimised' in this sickening business.



A VERY 'PC' SUNDAY...

The eight prizes won on Sunday 13th October last - 'P' won elsewhere , 'C' won on the premises!

'PC' as in 'P' for Pats , 'C' for Cabhair : we were surprised to see , on the TV, that any Pats fans at all were actually at the game ,as the hotel was packed solid with them , save for a few poor lads from Sligo , who got an awful - but good-hearted - roasting from them , and that was even before the game started!

The atmosphere in the hotel was brilliant , as usual - noisy , colourful and very busy - just the way we like it , as it's much easier to sell the fifty tickets to a good-humoured crowd than it would be if they were down in the dumps. And sell them we did : it took us twenty minutes to shift them and (on my band-wagon again!) had we had another fifty we could have sold them, too!

Anyway , that's a discussion for another day and a different venue. The first prize , €200, was won by Mattie Langan , who bought his ticket (number 13) from our bus driver , Anto , neither of whom could believe their luck and , indeed, wouldn't believe it until the actual envelope was handed over : Mattie pulled out the second prize for us (ticket number 544), €100, which was won by a screaming Mags , from Dublin, who was in her Sligo colours and told us she was there with her husband , a solid Pats supporter! Some craic in that house that night!

Mags then pulled the third prize , €40 , which was won by one of the many locals present , Andy C , on ticket 189, who had bought his ticket from myself and Andy was asked to pick a stub from the drum for prize number four - that was claimed by Seán Byrne , (ticket 410) from Carlow , who enjoyed the experience of his walk to the top table to collect it , as did we (!) , wondering what he would have been like had he won first prize ;-) ! Seán done the business for us with prize number five ,€20, which he 'gave' to Linda Larkin (ticket 166 , sold by our Darren) and made a song and dance about it. Literally!

When she was released from Seán's grasp (!) , Linda pulled out ticket number 233 , sixth prize (€20) , which was sold by Tony and won by John and John pulled out our second-last prize , €20,(stub 580) which was won by Greg Mackers , from Inchicore in Dublin , and Greg then made Mick , from Dublin , a happy camper by helping him to win our last prize , €20, with stub number 520.

We had a ball with the lads and lassie supporters from both teams and want to thank them , on behalf of Cabhair, for their financial and verbal support. Really appreciated!



SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY*.

Martin McGuinness : a puppet controlled by the State he once pledged to oppose. A well-paid 'establishment' gille.

Nothing surprises anymore in relation to this man as , not only does he realise that he has no way back , but he doesn't even want one. He is content to be a court jester for his Masters , who afford him what they deem to be 'respectability' as long as he toes the line. Their line. And he is only too happy to oblige , even though he knows it means turning his back , politically, on all he professed to believe previous to his 'elevation' as an over-paid lickspittle.

Just how grateful the man is for his political position within his corner of 'the empire' can be seen in the fact that he will gladly poke fun at himself to remain integrated with those he now admires , to the point where he has no shame in playing the court jester , at his own expense : not a new development for him , or a departure from his previous form in this regard, but confirmation (if any was required) that he is indeed comfortable in believing himself to be 'in' with the 'in crowd'.

"For services to the hot-water bottle industry , Sir Martin - you are truly under ones foot..."

His latest 'trick' was delivered during his address to a business conference in Hillsborough Castle where he amused the business community by announcing that he had slept in the room reserved for a British 'queen' when she visits these shores and he then added the punch line - that he had actually slept in the same bed that she uses. The irony of painting such a mental picture is lost on him , as he will use any and all such 'amusing anecdotes' to prove how harmless and loyal he and his are to their benefactors. He likes fumbling in the greasy (and bloody) till and doesn't care who notices it. Shame on him.

(*Not now if, indeed, ever - although to be fair to the man he did verbally and physically profess that to be the case over a number of decades. But talk is cheap, and so, apparently, are some people. Morally, that is.)



YOU CAN'T BRING IT WITH YOU , BUT YOU CAN'T 'GO' WITHOUT IT.

Two of the most savage State budget cuts that were announced in yesterday's budget will both affect the elderly in particular : the 'Death Grant' and the telephone allowance. A funeral in Dublin now costs between €7,000 and €10,000 and as such the 'Death Grant' of €850 might not seem much of a help , but it did offer some comfort to a family who would be experiencing enough trauma , without adding extra financial worry onto already stressed shoulders. The OAP phone subsidy of €9.50 a month was , believe it or not, in some cases, the deciding factor for elderly people in whether to keep a landline or not - if or when an OAP now decides to discontinue with that telephone service they would then have one less avenue in which to call for help , an issue which does not , apparently, concern those who pulled the plug.

Reacting to those and other State cuts, RSF President Des Dalton had the following to say : "Once again the Leinster House political elite have targeted the most vulnerable members of society in order to protect the interests of the wealthy. The singling out of the elderly and the young unemployed exposes the harsh reality of the neo-liberal economics that drives the economic and social policy of the 26-County Administration. Cutting access to a full medical card to thousands of people over seventy as well as the renewed targeting of the young unemployed, leaving many with no other option but to emigrate, is reminiscent of the 'Poor Law' mentality of the 1840s when starvation or the coffin ship were the only options that were provided. The ability to care for the old and provide for the young define what is a civilised society. The barbarians have breached the gates.

The Leinster House political class are collaborating against the interests of their own people in order to prop up the economic agenda of the EU power elites. This budget is just the latest salvo in a war of economic imperialism being waged against ordinary people, workers, the unemployed, the rural and urban poor, the young and the old across Europe.

The budget as an exercise is largely a media event, as the major decisions are already made by the political and economic masters in Brussels and the European Central Bank. This is the new face of imperialism and people must awake to the reality that they are now locked in a struggle for the very survival of the norms of a civilised society not only in Ireland but across Europe and beyond."

The Administration in Leinster House are attempting to preserve their own privilleged positions by forcing those who would most likely oppose them in the not-to-distance future - the youth - to leave the State and have turned their backs on those they consider to be an 'extra burden' on State finances - the elderly. "Barbarians" indeed.

Thanks for reading , Sharon.

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ENGLISH 'QUEEN' AND 'PRINCE' RECEIVE AN IRISH 'REBEL PASSPORT'.

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

It was against this background that Blythe's talk on land annuities had to be considered - he was the least likely of ministers freely to take land annuities on his conscience. At least he knew enough of the language of the Left to be spoken of with respect around Liberty Hall. They took a few problems to him , and I argued that it did not make sense that Free State ministers, fooled and humiliated by the British, should voluntarily abase themselves by declaring land annuities a just debt.

I stated that the only explanation that made sense was that the British claimed this money under Article V and that, rather than have the Treaty demonstrated a worse instrument than the 1920 Act on this touchy issue, the Free State Government avoided the embarrassment of a public claim by declaring the annuities a just debt. Colonel Moore , wisely I think, chose to take the government spokesman at their word - Article V was out. The Irish conscience was not in pawn in its place.

It was clear to me that Colonel Moore's agitation must be a great embarrassment to the Free State Government and, as I was desperately in need of some help to widen the area of struggle and to bring new voices on to the land annuity platform, he handed me the resolution on which , he thought, an agitation could be promoted. It declared the payment of land annuities to Britain to be illegal and immoral and a burden on the economy of the country. I read it over with the townlands shining in my thoughts , checking it against their needs.... (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.

By the time of the Commissioner's briefing at midnight on Saturday , practically all the preparations for the operation had been completed. Word had come through from Spain on Friday that the three IRA members had been spotted at Malaga airport and Spanish police had also furnished details of the passports on which the three were travelling : Séan Savage was travelling on an Irish passport in the name of 'Brendan Coyne' , Mairead Farrell on a British passport in the name of 'Katherine Alison Smith' (nee 'Harper') and Daniel McCann was using a UK passport in the name of 'Robert Wilfred Riley'.

The surveillance operation in Gibraltar had been under way since before Friday , but nothing at all had happened. As to whether the IRA ASU were under surveillance in Spain , the picture is far from clear : various witnesses , military and police, would give evidence to the inquest that there was no such surveillance by the Spanish, but countless rumours were circulating before and during the hearing that the Spanish police had a completely different tale to tell and it did eventually emerge in court that Chief Inspector Ullger , head of the Gibraltar special branch, had obtained permission from the Spanish authorities to get access to some computer surveillance facilities on the Spanish side of the border.

This would enable a Gibraltar police officer to examine suspect passports from a room with a video screen onto which the passports were flashed. This information did not emerge until very late in the inquest, long after the Commissioner and many other official witnesses had given evidence. (MORE LATER).



'SUPPORT MARTIN COREY' PICKET , LEINSTER HOUSE , MONDAY 14TH OCTOBER 2013.

A two-hour picket in support of Martin Corey will be held outside Leinster House in Kildare Street , Dublin , on Monday 14th October 2013 , beginning at 1pm. All genuine supporters are welcome , even if they cannot stay for the full two hours. More information here.



'REBEL' CORK : A 'PASSPORT' FOR SOME TO REBEL AGAINST FULL IRISH INDEPENDENCE.

Some of the 'Corkonians' who unashamedly welcomed an English 'queen' to their county in May 2011. That same type have now given her a 'passport' for a return visit.

The same Irish gombeens who stood on Irish footpaths (under 'Union Jack' umbrellas, in some cases!) to give an English 'queen' a royal (!) welcome to the 'Rebel County' have now taken their initiative one step further - they have presented a 'Rebel Passport' to , amongst others, an English 'queen' (Elizabeth) and an English 'prince' (Philip) and have been praised in 'establishment' circles for doing so.

There is so much wrong with that type of presentation , on a moral level, for one, that I don't know where to begin and perhaps it's better that I don't, as I couldn't do so without using copious amounts of un-ladylike language. Those people are either ignorant of Irish history (never mind the on-going history of Cork in relation to our on-going struggle for full independence) and/or they are aware of that history but just don't care and/or their only concern is to get as close as possible to a 'celebrity' and/or they do/don't know their history , do/don't care about 'celebrities' but just view the 'passport' episode as another way to make money. Confused? Me too. But I'm only confused about their motives, not whether it's right or wrong to pay homage to two figureheads , one of whom is the Head of the same armed forces that continue to occupy part of this country. Those under the 'Union Jack' umbrellas should be ashamed of themselves.



BLACK AND TANS IN LEINSTER HOUSE.

That front page article can be read here.

Although we have wrote about those paramilitary bandits over the years on this blog, we are always open to reading other material on them, from a variety of sources - and this man , Tom Toomey, deserves a mention for producing such a fine read in relation to the Black and Tans :

"Essentially the Black and Tans were recruits to the RIC who were recruited in England. The vast majority, but by no means all, were men who had served in the British forces during WWI. In December 1919 Fermoy born, ex-army officer, Major Cyril Francis Fleming was appointed to organise the recruitment drive. Fleming set up an office in London and soon began his drive. The first of these recruits joined the RIC in January 1920 and after a ‘four week training course’ they were allocated to stations around Ireland. They received the name ‘Black and Tans’ when a Limerick based journalist noticed a number of these new recruits boarding a train at Limerick Junction in March 1920. They were dressed in a motley uniform, part bottle green of the RIC and part Khaki of the British military. This colour scheme reminded of the journalist of the famous pack of ‘Back and Tan’ hounds from Scarteen near Knocklong in County Limerick. In an article written about his experience the journalist described the recruits as ‘Black and Tans’ and the name took hold....." (From here.)

It's a very interesting read , and won't take up too much of your time. Plus, as out post title suggests, it will give you further indication of why Irish republicans object when anyone - even those in Leinster House - seeks to 're-invent' that British paramilitary gang as 'a product of their time' or whatever. If they were to be 'whitewashed' , then that liquid should only have been used on the wall they should have been put standing in front of...



WICKLOW , LIMERICK , DUBLIN AND SLIGO -

- Bray Wanderers (Wicklow) are playing a match against Limerick this coming Sunday (13th October 2013) , St. Patricks Athletic (Dublin) are taking on Sligo Rovers on that same day and CABHAIR will be having its own 'field' day : a 650-ticket raffle will be held in a hotel on the Dublin-Kildare border , with all proceeds going , via Cabhair, to the families of the Irish republican prisoners it looks after. I presume that some 'Premier League' or whatever football games will be held that day as well - I honestly don't know and really couldn't be bothered to ask or do a 'Google' search about it! - but I do know about those matches mentioned above as we got flyers re same last month at the raffle and so we know to expect a good crowd in the venue which translates into a good day , financially , for the hotel and a good day for us , too!

As usual , we will post the names etc of the winners here on or before the following Wednesday as its a lot easier than posting the names etc of the losers ! And if our regular colleagues reading this wee announcement can make it to the raffle , it's our turn to get the drinks in.... ;-) !!

Thanks for reading , Sharon.

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