JULY 15th , 1976 : IRA PRISONERS ESCAPE FROM DUBLIN'S 'SPECIAL COURT' .......
.......the escape plan was , on paper at least , well-organised , and it was decided to run with it . At an agreed time , the five Irish Republican prisoners were to force their way into the courtyard of Green Street Courthouse and run towards the gates - where the explosives were .......
Seconds before the men were to have started their run , the gates were to have been blown off their hinges by an explosives charge . The confusion caused by the explosion would , it was expected, allow the five men to make it to the cars which would be waiting for them , and then driven to pre-arranged safe-houses . The explosion at the gates of Green Street Courthouse was to be timed for 1.30 PM , lunch-break , because it was known that security would be slacker than usual .
On Wednesday , July 14th , 1976 , about one dozen IRA men held a last meeting to finalise the next days action ; the Dublin Brigade QM and Engineering Officer , the Brigade Adjutant and the Intelligence Officer were present , and each man re-checked their role in the job . Satisfied that they could do no more , the men went their separate ways .
Early on Thursday morning , July 15th , 1976 , the plan came together ; the IRA Unit met-up , as arranged, and took up their positions . And waited .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......
".......one of our old Irish Rebels , Sean Rua an Ghaorthaig , lived for years in a brushwood forest and used guerrilla tactics on the enemy ; he beat a local British Sergeant in a shooting contest , disguised , but let it be known afterwards that it was he that won ......."
" The Sergeant wanted revenge , and a determined effort to eliminate Sean Rua was decided on - starting at the dawn of a mid-summer day all the 'Gentry' and the British militia surrounded the Gaortha and , gradually and thoroughly , they beat the cover as they contracted their circle . Towards evening they had some indications of success when shots were fired , and some parties alleged that they had actually seen Sean Rua and thought that they had wounded him . But when the twilight deepened over that place of gloom , all had to consider the day's work over and retire to terra firma without delay .
The 'Lord' of the Manor had invited a number of the 'gentry' to dine with him that evening . Mounting their horses , they reached the castle after sunset ; the day had been a strenuous one , wading and struggling through water , mud and undergrowth . Riding equipment was discarded , and the company sat down to dine . The night was warm , windows stood open here and there in the dining room , and 'Mine Host' sat opposite one wide-open window , but well back from it in the deep room . A tall candle stood beside him , and other lighted candles stood beside the guests .
A musket ball passing through the open window knocked the 'Lord' of the Manor's candle to bits ......."
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
11 of 12 .
The then British Secretary for 'Northern Ireland' (sic) , Merlyn Rees , stated that they (the Brits) would continue "to explain British Government policy" to Sinn Fein , and "to outline and discuss the arrangements that might be made to ensure that any ceasefire did not break down ." He also outlined details of the 'Incident Centres' which had been set up "to ensure that any ceasefire did not break down ." The Provisional IRA , on Sunday 9th February , 1975 , issued its statement as follows -
- " In the light of discussions which have taken place between representatives of the Republican Movement and British Officials , on effective arrangements to ensure that there is no break-down of a new truce , the Army Council of Oglaigh na hEireann has renewed the order suspending offensive military action . Hostilities against Crown Forces will be suspended from 6.00 pm , February 10th , 1975 ."
For the second time within three years , the British Government had negotiated a cease-fire with the Provisional IRA .......
(MORE LATER).
Monday, July 05, 2004
JULY 15th , 1976 : IRA PRISONERS ESCAPE FROM DUBLIN'S 'SPECIAL COURT' .......
.......time was short to free the five Irish Republicans from Free State custody ; a second meeting to discuss the operation was held on 6th July 1976 , as the IRA GHQ Staff were not satisfied that the job could be done successfully .......
The Intelligence Officer of the Dublin Brigade IRA was at the 6th July meeting , as was the Adjutant of the Dublin Brigade , the Acting-Adjutant General , the IRA Director of Intelligence , the IRA Director of Finance , and a GHQ/Dublin Brigade Officer . Detailed plans of the lay-out of the inside of Green Street Courthouse had been acquired , as had the roster by which the Gardai on duty worked too.
The five prisoners themselves had been contacted re the rescue attempt and were prepared to take part in it , so the 'go-ahead' was given for an agreed date : 12th July 1976 , a Monday , although this was later changed to Thursday , 15th July 1976 , for reasons unknown to this scribbler .
The plan called for simultaneous action by the five prisoners and the IRA Unit - at an agreed time , the five men were to force their way into the courtyard of Green Street Courthouse and run towards the gates , where the explosives were .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......
".......beaten down by disease and poverty , some natives tended to 'doff their cap' to the denizens of the Castles , and stare in awe as they passed in their finery ......."
" Not everyone bowed the head ; even in the worst times , when all organised opposition to tyranny had been crushed , an individual arose and struck a blow for the motherland "to show that still she lives ." My father often told me of one of those warriors , a stout fellow known as Sean Rua an Ghaorthaig ; true , he was known as an outlaw or 'rapparree' to 'the powers that were' and to most 'respectable' people , but in Irish history he would be classed with Redmond O'Hanlon and Eamonn an Chnuic . In England he would be with Robin Hood or Locksley - history would be very poor stuff , in any country , without such men !
To the south of Macroom Castle and immediately in front of it Sleibhin Hill rises green and fairly steep - its other side, also green and steep , overlooks the Gaortha , a low-lying area of a few square miles in extent , covered with brushwood , mostly alder, and water-logged by innumerable channels of the River Lee . Here it was that Sean Rua retired from his enemies and for many years baffled all their attempts to dislodge him . He made his own gunpowder for his firearms , and it was said to be practically smokeless . He did not spend all his time hiding and inactive in the Gaortha ; now and again he sallied forth and exacted tribute from some Planter . Often did the 'Gentry' muster against him with all the available local yeomanry and militia , but Sean Rua always managed to elude them in the sheltering tangle of his natural fortress .
Sean Rua an Ghaorthaig was a crack shot - once , in disguise , he competed at a Yeomanry musketry test in Macroom : a local Sergeant , an expert shot , tied with him for the final . The 'unknown Yeoman' , from a distant company , beat the Sergeant and great was the chagrin when , too late , it was discovered that Sean Rua had gone home with the prize . Sean had a high sense of humour and was prepared to run risks to gratify it ; but the Sergeant wanted his revenge .......
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
10 of 12 .
Because the Provisionals did not wish to apply for permits to the RUC it was necessary for the British to give "a personal assurance" from the 'Northern Ireland (sic) Office' that "if all that stands between us and the successful conclusion of our present arrangement is 24 permits , we shall find a way around that difficulty ." ('1169...' Comment - the Provisionals now request permits from the Brits and the Free Staters to carry-out Easter Lily collections , to hold parades and street demonstrations : for shame , applying to those that put brave Irish men and women in their graves for 'permission' to 'remember and honour' those same men and women put there by the same foe . If that is 'success' , we want no part of it ...)
The break-through came on 7th February 1975 , and the next day the formulae of words to be issued by both Mr. Rees and the Republican Movement on the coming into operation of the new Cease-Fire were agreed . In his statement , Mr. Rees recalled a previous statement about the talks , confirming that they had taken place but being very vague about details , either of what had been agreed or what the talks would involve in the future .......
(MORE LATER).
.......time was short to free the five Irish Republicans from Free State custody ; a second meeting to discuss the operation was held on 6th July 1976 , as the IRA GHQ Staff were not satisfied that the job could be done successfully .......
The Intelligence Officer of the Dublin Brigade IRA was at the 6th July meeting , as was the Adjutant of the Dublin Brigade , the Acting-Adjutant General , the IRA Director of Intelligence , the IRA Director of Finance , and a GHQ/Dublin Brigade Officer . Detailed plans of the lay-out of the inside of Green Street Courthouse had been acquired , as had the roster by which the Gardai on duty worked too.
The five prisoners themselves had been contacted re the rescue attempt and were prepared to take part in it , so the 'go-ahead' was given for an agreed date : 12th July 1976 , a Monday , although this was later changed to Thursday , 15th July 1976 , for reasons unknown to this scribbler .
The plan called for simultaneous action by the five prisoners and the IRA Unit - at an agreed time , the five men were to force their way into the courtyard of Green Street Courthouse and run towards the gates , where the explosives were .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......
".......beaten down by disease and poverty , some natives tended to 'doff their cap' to the denizens of the Castles , and stare in awe as they passed in their finery ......."
" Not everyone bowed the head ; even in the worst times , when all organised opposition to tyranny had been crushed , an individual arose and struck a blow for the motherland "to show that still she lives ." My father often told me of one of those warriors , a stout fellow known as Sean Rua an Ghaorthaig ; true , he was known as an outlaw or 'rapparree' to 'the powers that were' and to most 'respectable' people , but in Irish history he would be classed with Redmond O'Hanlon and Eamonn an Chnuic . In England he would be with Robin Hood or Locksley - history would be very poor stuff , in any country , without such men !
To the south of Macroom Castle and immediately in front of it Sleibhin Hill rises green and fairly steep - its other side, also green and steep , overlooks the Gaortha , a low-lying area of a few square miles in extent , covered with brushwood , mostly alder, and water-logged by innumerable channels of the River Lee . Here it was that Sean Rua retired from his enemies and for many years baffled all their attempts to dislodge him . He made his own gunpowder for his firearms , and it was said to be practically smokeless . He did not spend all his time hiding and inactive in the Gaortha ; now and again he sallied forth and exacted tribute from some Planter . Often did the 'Gentry' muster against him with all the available local yeomanry and militia , but Sean Rua always managed to elude them in the sheltering tangle of his natural fortress .
Sean Rua an Ghaorthaig was a crack shot - once , in disguise , he competed at a Yeomanry musketry test in Macroom : a local Sergeant , an expert shot , tied with him for the final . The 'unknown Yeoman' , from a distant company , beat the Sergeant and great was the chagrin when , too late , it was discovered that Sean Rua had gone home with the prize . Sean had a high sense of humour and was prepared to run risks to gratify it ; but the Sergeant wanted his revenge .......
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
10 of 12 .
Because the Provisionals did not wish to apply for permits to the RUC it was necessary for the British to give "a personal assurance" from the 'Northern Ireland (sic) Office' that "if all that stands between us and the successful conclusion of our present arrangement is 24 permits , we shall find a way around that difficulty ." ('1169...' Comment - the Provisionals now request permits from the Brits and the Free Staters to carry-out Easter Lily collections , to hold parades and street demonstrations : for shame , applying to those that put brave Irish men and women in their graves for 'permission' to 'remember and honour' those same men and women put there by the same foe . If that is 'success' , we want no part of it ...)
The break-through came on 7th February 1975 , and the next day the formulae of words to be issued by both Mr. Rees and the Republican Movement on the coming into operation of the new Cease-Fire were agreed . In his statement , Mr. Rees recalled a previous statement about the talks , confirming that they had taken place but being very vague about details , either of what had been agreed or what the talks would involve in the future .......
(MORE LATER).
Sunday, July 04, 2004
JULY 15th , 1976 : IRA PRISONERS ESCAPE FROM DUBLIN'S 'SPECIAL COURT' .......
....... Five Irish Republicans were in Free State custody in connection with an alleged 'bomb factory' which was 'found' in Donabate , North County Dublin in mid-January 1976 : Jim Monaghan , Donal Murphy , Michael O'Rourke , John Hagan and Joe Reilly . The (then) IRA wanted the men out .......
At the end of June 1976 , it became known that the 'trial' of the five men would see them together in the one building for a short time during the following month , July 1976 ; the then IRA's Acting Adjutant General and the Adjutant of the IRA's Dublin Brigade held a meeting - it was known that the 'trial' would be over by mid-July 1976 , and it was then the end of June 1976 .
Things would have to move fast . However , the IRA GHQ Staff asked if a successful rescue operation could be mounted in such a short period of time and another meeting was arranged ; this was held on 6th July 1976 , and those present from IRA GHQ Staff asked for detailed plans on how the rescue attempt would proceed . The requested details were handed over by the Intelligence Officer of the Dublin Brigade IRA and discussed between the group .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......
"....... Irish Castles were used by the 'Landlord' class and the rest of the invaders to monitor the 'natives' and demoralise them into submission ......."
" The main gateway to the Castle of Macroom opens on to the Square of the town ; it is a 'feudal' gateway , arched and battlemented . The main building stands back from it , just far enough for respectability and defence . A strong-walled , plain , rectangular , three-storied house , it had a flat roof with crenellated parapet . Its ground extended for one mile along the River Sullane . A high wall , of course, enclosed them ; the denizens of these places claimed to be exclusive in their ways and fastidious in their tastes .
Yet , for years, they managed to tolerate the sight of three heads impaled on the spikes on the highest point of the Bridewell , which overlooked the castle gates . But I think that Irish heads , artistically arranged , appealed to their aesthetic natures . Not until less than a hundred years ago was the practice discontinued - the people were themselves responsible for the lapse of this uplifting branch of the arts . They never appreciated it properly even though it was , for them, part of a system of 'higher education' . I think there is nothing so melancholy to contemplate as a mental picture of those times that are past ; the groups that stand on the Square to watch the carriages and their escorts as they enter or leave the castle .
Most of them came to get a glimpse of the 'Lords' and 'Ladies' - the 'Gentry' , well fed and well dressed aliens . A few serfs actually doff their caps as they pass - the people have sunk to the lowest depth in the mire of slavery . But they are not yet altogether lost : among them are a few who sigh deeply and turn away in sorrow and disgust . They belong to the 'Hidden Ireland' , which is found everywhere , a fragment here and there , even in the most unexpected places . Above this sordid scene three heads stare disdainfully into space - they can see far and away beyond the range of the poor mortals who abridged their earthly vision . For now the road of time stretches interminably before them . A very short distance down that road they can see happening events that bring them joy .
The flames of the castle and the poorhouse light their way for many a long and mortal year ......."
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
9 of 12 .
On the question of 'Free Movement' for all Provisional IRA people , the legal issue of "immunity" was recognised , but resolved , by a promise of 'Incident Centres' , and an assurance that " the British Army will be pulled back , the RUC will not enter designated areas and the Republican Movement can check , in advance, through the liaison system , regarding the position of specific Republican personnel .
The right of Republicans to bear arms , even short arms for their personal protection , was also a major difficulty ; this was resolved by a written British response which stated that "The law provides for permits to be granted for people to carry arms for self-defence . The issue of firearms permits will take account of the risk to individuals . The need to protect individuals who may be at risk of assassination is recognised ."
(' 1169...' comment - Irish Republicans applying for 'permits' from the Brits ....?)
(MORE LATER).
....... Five Irish Republicans were in Free State custody in connection with an alleged 'bomb factory' which was 'found' in Donabate , North County Dublin in mid-January 1976 : Jim Monaghan , Donal Murphy , Michael O'Rourke , John Hagan and Joe Reilly . The (then) IRA wanted the men out .......
At the end of June 1976 , it became known that the 'trial' of the five men would see them together in the one building for a short time during the following month , July 1976 ; the then IRA's Acting Adjutant General and the Adjutant of the IRA's Dublin Brigade held a meeting - it was known that the 'trial' would be over by mid-July 1976 , and it was then the end of June 1976 .
Things would have to move fast . However , the IRA GHQ Staff asked if a successful rescue operation could be mounted in such a short period of time and another meeting was arranged ; this was held on 6th July 1976 , and those present from IRA GHQ Staff asked for detailed plans on how the rescue attempt would proceed . The requested details were handed over by the Intelligence Officer of the Dublin Brigade IRA and discussed between the group .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......
"....... Irish Castles were used by the 'Landlord' class and the rest of the invaders to monitor the 'natives' and demoralise them into submission ......."
" The main gateway to the Castle of Macroom opens on to the Square of the town ; it is a 'feudal' gateway , arched and battlemented . The main building stands back from it , just far enough for respectability and defence . A strong-walled , plain , rectangular , three-storied house , it had a flat roof with crenellated parapet . Its ground extended for one mile along the River Sullane . A high wall , of course, enclosed them ; the denizens of these places claimed to be exclusive in their ways and fastidious in their tastes .
Yet , for years, they managed to tolerate the sight of three heads impaled on the spikes on the highest point of the Bridewell , which overlooked the castle gates . But I think that Irish heads , artistically arranged , appealed to their aesthetic natures . Not until less than a hundred years ago was the practice discontinued - the people were themselves responsible for the lapse of this uplifting branch of the arts . They never appreciated it properly even though it was , for them, part of a system of 'higher education' . I think there is nothing so melancholy to contemplate as a mental picture of those times that are past ; the groups that stand on the Square to watch the carriages and their escorts as they enter or leave the castle .
Most of them came to get a glimpse of the 'Lords' and 'Ladies' - the 'Gentry' , well fed and well dressed aliens . A few serfs actually doff their caps as they pass - the people have sunk to the lowest depth in the mire of slavery . But they are not yet altogether lost : among them are a few who sigh deeply and turn away in sorrow and disgust . They belong to the 'Hidden Ireland' , which is found everywhere , a fragment here and there , even in the most unexpected places . Above this sordid scene three heads stare disdainfully into space - they can see far and away beyond the range of the poor mortals who abridged their earthly vision . For now the road of time stretches interminably before them . A very short distance down that road they can see happening events that bring them joy .
The flames of the castle and the poorhouse light their way for many a long and mortal year ......."
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
9 of 12 .
On the question of 'Free Movement' for all Provisional IRA people , the legal issue of "immunity" was recognised , but resolved , by a promise of 'Incident Centres' , and an assurance that " the British Army will be pulled back , the RUC will not enter designated areas and the Republican Movement can check , in advance, through the liaison system , regarding the position of specific Republican personnel .
The right of Republicans to bear arms , even short arms for their personal protection , was also a major difficulty ; this was resolved by a written British response which stated that "The law provides for permits to be granted for people to carry arms for self-defence . The issue of firearms permits will take account of the risk to individuals . The need to protect individuals who may be at risk of assassination is recognised ."
(' 1169...' comment - Irish Republicans applying for 'permits' from the Brits ....?)
(MORE LATER).
Saturday, July 03, 2004
JULY 15th , 1976 : IRA PRISONERS ESCAPE FROM DUBLIN'S 'SPECIAL COURT' .......
....... Michael Collins was in charge of the funeral of Irish hunger-striker Thomas Ashe in 1917 ; another Irish hunger-striker of that period , Terence MacSwiney , summed-up the Irish feeling at that time (a feeling and determination which is still prominent to this day).......
" The contest on our side is not one of rivalry or vengeance but of endurance . It is not those who can inflict the most but those who can suffer the most who will conquer . Those whose faith is strong will endure to the end in triumph ."
In mid-January 1976 , the Free State Gardai (police) located what they claimed to be a "bomb factory" in the Donabate area of North Dublin ; five Irish Republicans were in Free State custody in connection with that 'find' - Jim Monaghan , Donal Murphy , Michael O'Rourke , John Hagan and Joe Reilly .
And the leadership of the then IRA wanted those men out .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......
".......built in the 12th Century , owned by the MacCarthys , besieged by Wilmot's forces in 1602 , burned down in 1641 , restored within a few years and 'gifted' by Cromwell in 1656 ....... "
" After Judge Bernard 'purchased' it from The Hollow Sword Blade Company , he 'sold' it to Robert Hedges Eyre , whose daughter married Simon White of Bantry , and their eldest son , Richard , was created 'Viscount Bantry' in 1800 , and Earl of Bantry in 1816 . The 'Third Earl' modernised the castle and it passed on to his sister , 'Lady' Ardilaun .
In 1920 , it was taken over by the Auxiliaries - these were its last British occupants and , in fairness to them , I must say that they were no worse than some of its former tenants . Generally speaking , after the Battle of Kinsale , the castle in Ireland became an instrument of slavery and repression . The seat of alien government was housed in Dublin Castle , and the other castles through the country were occupied by Planters , or by people Irish in name , perhaps, but no better than the Planters .
Hugh O'Neill , of Tyrone , brought up at an English 'court' , well knew the value of the influence of the castle : passing by Mourne Abbey on his way to the fatal field of Kinsale , he saw a castle on a hill - " Who lives there ?" he asked a local man . " Oh, Barret is his name ," answered the man , " he is here a long time , nearly two hundred years , and he is a Catholic . " " I hate the bodach as if he came only yesterday , " O'Neill replied !
'The Big House' had a powerful denationalising effect on the people - from time to time it pauperised , demoralised and tried to Anglicise them . The castle might be referred to as 'the Great Big House' : it co-ordinated the activities of all the 'Big Houses' around it , as well as demoralising its own vicinity ....... "
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
8 of 12 .
It emerged , on 7th February 1975 , at which the British produced a new version of their (by now) 16-point document , that the early removal of the 'Emergency Provisions Act' was foreshadowed : they also made three other central points , on which the fate of the Truce ultimately hung -
1. The highest possible consultation had taken place on their (H.M.G.'s) side , involving the Prime Minister , the Attorney General , the Director of Public Prosecutions and a named British Civil Servant who acted as 'link-man' between Whitehall and the negotiators .
2. All points had been considered , and they had gone the furthest possible distance .
3. They were now presenting an 'amended version' of their previous document , and they had also prepared a document containing possible forms of words for the public announcement on both sides .
The bulk of the Republican demands were then conceded , though in phrases that, in some cases, differed from the original Provisional 12-point document .......
(MORE LATER).
....... Michael Collins was in charge of the funeral of Irish hunger-striker Thomas Ashe in 1917 ; another Irish hunger-striker of that period , Terence MacSwiney , summed-up the Irish feeling at that time (a feeling and determination which is still prominent to this day).......
" The contest on our side is not one of rivalry or vengeance but of endurance . It is not those who can inflict the most but those who can suffer the most who will conquer . Those whose faith is strong will endure to the end in triumph ."
In mid-January 1976 , the Free State Gardai (police) located what they claimed to be a "bomb factory" in the Donabate area of North Dublin ; five Irish Republicans were in Free State custody in connection with that 'find' - Jim Monaghan , Donal Murphy , Michael O'Rourke , John Hagan and Joe Reilly .
And the leadership of the then IRA wanted those men out .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .......
".......built in the 12th Century , owned by the MacCarthys , besieged by Wilmot's forces in 1602 , burned down in 1641 , restored within a few years and 'gifted' by Cromwell in 1656 ....... "
" After Judge Bernard 'purchased' it from The Hollow Sword Blade Company , he 'sold' it to Robert Hedges Eyre , whose daughter married Simon White of Bantry , and their eldest son , Richard , was created 'Viscount Bantry' in 1800 , and Earl of Bantry in 1816 . The 'Third Earl' modernised the castle and it passed on to his sister , 'Lady' Ardilaun .
In 1920 , it was taken over by the Auxiliaries - these were its last British occupants and , in fairness to them , I must say that they were no worse than some of its former tenants . Generally speaking , after the Battle of Kinsale , the castle in Ireland became an instrument of slavery and repression . The seat of alien government was housed in Dublin Castle , and the other castles through the country were occupied by Planters , or by people Irish in name , perhaps, but no better than the Planters .
Hugh O'Neill , of Tyrone , brought up at an English 'court' , well knew the value of the influence of the castle : passing by Mourne Abbey on his way to the fatal field of Kinsale , he saw a castle on a hill - " Who lives there ?" he asked a local man . " Oh, Barret is his name ," answered the man , " he is here a long time , nearly two hundred years , and he is a Catholic . " " I hate the bodach as if he came only yesterday , " O'Neill replied !
'The Big House' had a powerful denationalising effect on the people - from time to time it pauperised , demoralised and tried to Anglicise them . The castle might be referred to as 'the Great Big House' : it co-ordinated the activities of all the 'Big Houses' around it , as well as demoralising its own vicinity ....... "
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
8 of 12 .
It emerged , on 7th February 1975 , at which the British produced a new version of their (by now) 16-point document , that the early removal of the 'Emergency Provisions Act' was foreshadowed : they also made three other central points , on which the fate of the Truce ultimately hung -
1. The highest possible consultation had taken place on their (H.M.G.'s) side , involving the Prime Minister , the Attorney General , the Director of Public Prosecutions and a named British Civil Servant who acted as 'link-man' between Whitehall and the negotiators .
2. All points had been considered , and they had gone the furthest possible distance .
3. They were now presenting an 'amended version' of their previous document , and they had also prepared a document containing possible forms of words for the public announcement on both sides .
The bulk of the Republican demands were then conceded , though in phrases that, in some cases, differed from the original Provisional 12-point document .......
(MORE LATER).
Friday, July 02, 2004
JULY 15th , 1976 : IRA PRISONERS ESCAPE FROM DUBLIN'S 'SPECIAL COURT' .......
.......towards the end of 1975 , the Brits announced (through their spokesperson Merlyn Rees) that as of from March 1976 , political status for political prisoners was being withdrawn . Republican POW's referred the Brits back to the aftermath of the 1916 Rising when Thomas Ashe went on hunger-strike over the same issue and died after being force-fed .......
Michael Collins organised the funeral of Thomas Ashe and transformed it into a national demonstration against British mis-rule in Ireland ; armed Irish Republican Brotherhood Volunteers in full uniform flanked the coffin , followed by 9,000 IRB Volunteers and approximately 30,000 people , who lined the streets . A volley was fired over Ashe's grave , following which Michael Collins stated -
- " That volley which we have just heard is the only speech which it is proper to make over the grave of a dead Fenian . " The London -based 'Daily Express' newspaper perhaps summed it up best when it stated , re the funeral of Thomas Ashe , that what had happened had made " 100,000 Sinn Feiners out of 100,000 constitutional nationalists . " Another Irish hunger-striker of that period , Terence MacSwiney (who was imprisoned for possessing 'anti-British' documents) summed it up for the Irish people in a famous short , sharp statement he issued to the Brits .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .
" The Castle of Macroom stands on the banks of the Sullane , a few miles beyond the eastern boundry of our area . Yet it is relevant to speak of it , since it played a part , and not a helpful one , in the lives of our people . Again , Macroom was our nearest or home town . The Castle was first built by the O'Flynns in the twelfth century ; later it came into the possession of the MacCarthys - in 1602 it was besieged and damaged by 'Sir' Charles Wilmot .
This must have been its last stand as an Irish Castle - it was burned down in 1641 . Donogh MacCarthy restored it and the Papal Nuncio , Rinuccini , stayed in it for a short time in October 1645 , while on his way from Kenmare to Kilkenny . Cromwell , in 1656 , 'gave' it to Admiral 'Sir' William Penn . MacCarthy got it back on the Restoration , but finally lost it in 1691 .
The 'Hollow Sword Blade Company' of London bought it by auction and sold it , at a profit, of course, to Judge Bernard , ancestor of the Earls of Bandon....... "
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
7 of 12 .
By 31 January 1975 , the British had suggested that the key to progress lay in keeping "off principle" and getting on with practical arrangements . Towards this end , they handed over two formal documents ; one was a comprehensive system of liaison involving two alternative schemes , the other was a questionnaire regarding the running of proposed Incident Centres .
In the process of reporting back to London , the initial impression was that there was welcome for the constructive discussions that had taken place . But work on the two schemes , the proposals for Incident Centres to monitor a Truce , and other matters , continued into February 1975 - on the third of that month , the British added four points to the 12-point document which the Republicans had prepared , and which formed the ultimate basis of the bilateral ceasefire .
Three of these new points concerned the types of paramilitary activity in which the IRA could not engage during a cessation of hostilities : the fourth new point promised that "the rate of release will be speeded up with a view to releasing all detainees" as soon as violence had come to a complete end .......
(MORE LATER).
.......towards the end of 1975 , the Brits announced (through their spokesperson Merlyn Rees) that as of from March 1976 , political status for political prisoners was being withdrawn . Republican POW's referred the Brits back to the aftermath of the 1916 Rising when Thomas Ashe went on hunger-strike over the same issue and died after being force-fed .......
Michael Collins organised the funeral of Thomas Ashe and transformed it into a national demonstration against British mis-rule in Ireland ; armed Irish Republican Brotherhood Volunteers in full uniform flanked the coffin , followed by 9,000 IRB Volunteers and approximately 30,000 people , who lined the streets . A volley was fired over Ashe's grave , following which Michael Collins stated -
- " That volley which we have just heard is the only speech which it is proper to make over the grave of a dead Fenian . " The London -based 'Daily Express' newspaper perhaps summed it up best when it stated , re the funeral of Thomas Ashe , that what had happened had made " 100,000 Sinn Feiners out of 100,000 constitutional nationalists . " Another Irish hunger-striker of that period , Terence MacSwiney (who was imprisoned for possessing 'anti-British' documents) summed it up for the Irish people in a famous short , sharp statement he issued to the Brits .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
THE CASTLE OF MACROOM .
" The Castle of Macroom stands on the banks of the Sullane , a few miles beyond the eastern boundry of our area . Yet it is relevant to speak of it , since it played a part , and not a helpful one , in the lives of our people . Again , Macroom was our nearest or home town . The Castle was first built by the O'Flynns in the twelfth century ; later it came into the possession of the MacCarthys - in 1602 it was besieged and damaged by 'Sir' Charles Wilmot .
This must have been its last stand as an Irish Castle - it was burned down in 1641 . Donogh MacCarthy restored it and the Papal Nuncio , Rinuccini , stayed in it for a short time in October 1645 , while on his way from Kenmare to Kilkenny . Cromwell , in 1656 , 'gave' it to Admiral 'Sir' William Penn . MacCarthy got it back on the Restoration , but finally lost it in 1691 .
The 'Hollow Sword Blade Company' of London bought it by auction and sold it , at a profit, of course, to Judge Bernard , ancestor of the Earls of Bandon....... "
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
7 of 12 .
By 31 January 1975 , the British had suggested that the key to progress lay in keeping "off principle" and getting on with practical arrangements . Towards this end , they handed over two formal documents ; one was a comprehensive system of liaison involving two alternative schemes , the other was a questionnaire regarding the running of proposed Incident Centres .
In the process of reporting back to London , the initial impression was that there was welcome for the constructive discussions that had taken place . But work on the two schemes , the proposals for Incident Centres to monitor a Truce , and other matters , continued into February 1975 - on the third of that month , the British added four points to the 12-point document which the Republicans had prepared , and which formed the ultimate basis of the bilateral ceasefire .
Three of these new points concerned the types of paramilitary activity in which the IRA could not engage during a cessation of hostilities : the fourth new point promised that "the rate of release will be speeded up with a view to releasing all detainees" as soon as violence had come to a complete end .......
(MORE LATER).
Thursday, July 01, 2004
JULY 15th , 1976 : IRA PRISONERS ESCAPE FROM DUBLIN'S 'SPECIAL COURT' .
Near the end of the year 1975 , the then British Secretary of State for 'Northern Ireland' (sic), Merlyn Rees , announced that as of from March 1976 , those found guilty of " terrorist offences " (sic) would be treated as " criminals"; Irish Republicans at that time highlighted the issue in question (ie political status) by referring back to the aftermath of the 1916 Rising , when Republican prisoners in Dublin's Mountjoy Jail demanded to be treated as Prisoners Of War , not as " commom criminals ".
The Brits refused , and a hunger-strike was called - Irish Republican Brotherhood leader Thomas Ashe went on hunger-strike and died after being force-fed by the British . Michael Collins took control of the burial .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
"....... Den Buckley , from Toames , later shot dead by the Brits , was in his pub with about one dozen customers when 'Percival's Crowd' ('The Essex Regiment') entered , and all were ordered outside ......."
"The customers were lined-up along the wall at right-angles to the road and had to remain there until the first of the main body of British troops arrived . Percival was on horseback and his attention was called to the prisoners ; he did not leave his position to have a frontal view of them , but called a sergeant - " Have a look at those " , he instructed . The sergeant marched smartly to the end of the line remote from him and started his scrutiny as he walked slowly back to the other end . Eyes front again , he marched up to Percival and , saluting , he reported - " There's not a Shinner amongst them , Sir ! "
Later on in the evening I came home to find my mother and Mrs. Buckley , the wife of the owner of the pub , at our gate ; both were laughing heartily . Mrs. Buckley had seen and heard the scene from an upstairs window . " Not a Shinner amongst them , said he , and sure the man was right ," said Mrs. Buckley to us , " what were they , too, but a lot of little dravelisheens . "
I must explain that it was not at any lack of physical fitness that the people laughed , but that the group so contemptously rejected by the sergeant had long before been rejected by "the Shinners" as hostile but harmless !
[END of ' The Big Round-Up.......'].
(Tomorrow - ' THE CASTLE OF MACROOM ...').
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
6 of 12 .
Discussions continued from 23 January 1975 , with substantial progress being made on what was seen as the less difficult points in the Republican demands . Freedom of movement for all Republicans during the period of the Truce was a particular sticking-point , in spite of a precedent set during the course of the negotiations with Mr. Whitelaw and the Tories in 1972 .
Towards the end of the month , the Gardiner Report and its implications were discussed . The Republican negotiators emphasised , once again , the " terrible consequences " that would follow any attempt to deny political status ; they also re-iterated their original aim in entering the dialogue ie - " If Her Majesty's Government wished to disengage from Ireland the Republican Movement would help them , but if their aim was to reconstruct British Rule in Ireland in some type of more acceptable form , then Republicans would contest the ground with them ......."
('1169.....' comment - in our opinion , the 1998 Stormont Treaty ('GFA') was an agreement between the Brits , the Free Staters and the Provos "to reconstruct British Rule in Ireland" : Irish Republicans will not accept any agreement which seeks to do that.)
(MORE LATER).
Near the end of the year 1975 , the then British Secretary of State for 'Northern Ireland' (sic), Merlyn Rees , announced that as of from March 1976 , those found guilty of " terrorist offences " (sic) would be treated as " criminals"; Irish Republicans at that time highlighted the issue in question (ie political status) by referring back to the aftermath of the 1916 Rising , when Republican prisoners in Dublin's Mountjoy Jail demanded to be treated as Prisoners Of War , not as " commom criminals ".
The Brits refused , and a hunger-strike was called - Irish Republican Brotherhood leader Thomas Ashe went on hunger-strike and died after being force-fed by the British . Michael Collins took control of the burial .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
"....... Den Buckley , from Toames , later shot dead by the Brits , was in his pub with about one dozen customers when 'Percival's Crowd' ('The Essex Regiment') entered , and all were ordered outside ......."
"The customers were lined-up along the wall at right-angles to the road and had to remain there until the first of the main body of British troops arrived . Percival was on horseback and his attention was called to the prisoners ; he did not leave his position to have a frontal view of them , but called a sergeant - " Have a look at those " , he instructed . The sergeant marched smartly to the end of the line remote from him and started his scrutiny as he walked slowly back to the other end . Eyes front again , he marched up to Percival and , saluting , he reported - " There's not a Shinner amongst them , Sir ! "
Later on in the evening I came home to find my mother and Mrs. Buckley , the wife of the owner of the pub , at our gate ; both were laughing heartily . Mrs. Buckley had seen and heard the scene from an upstairs window . " Not a Shinner amongst them , said he , and sure the man was right ," said Mrs. Buckley to us , " what were they , too, but a lot of little dravelisheens . "
I must explain that it was not at any lack of physical fitness that the people laughed , but that the group so contemptously rejected by the sergeant had long before been rejected by "the Shinners" as hostile but harmless !
[END of ' The Big Round-Up.......'].
(Tomorrow - ' THE CASTLE OF MACROOM ...').
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
6 of 12 .
Discussions continued from 23 January 1975 , with substantial progress being made on what was seen as the less difficult points in the Republican demands . Freedom of movement for all Republicans during the period of the Truce was a particular sticking-point , in spite of a precedent set during the course of the negotiations with Mr. Whitelaw and the Tories in 1972 .
Towards the end of the month , the Gardiner Report and its implications were discussed . The Republican negotiators emphasised , once again , the " terrible consequences " that would follow any attempt to deny political status ; they also re-iterated their original aim in entering the dialogue ie - " If Her Majesty's Government wished to disengage from Ireland the Republican Movement would help them , but if their aim was to reconstruct British Rule in Ireland in some type of more acceptable form , then Republicans would contest the ground with them ......."
('1169.....' comment - in our opinion , the 1998 Stormont Treaty ('GFA') was an agreement between the Brits , the Free Staters and the Provos "to reconstruct British Rule in Ireland" : Irish Republicans will not accept any agreement which seeks to do that.)
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, June 30, 2004
MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER .......
....... Martin McDermott was 'Chief Architect' to the Egyptian Government when , in 1882 , the Brits bombed the City of Alexandria (July 11th , 1882) ; he designed new buildings to replace those destroyed , then, at sixty years of age , he retired and moved to London , England .......
Whilst living in London , Martin McDermott became involved in the thriving literary scene ; he helped to establish the Southwark Library Club in the same year that he moved there (1883) and , at 68 years of age , he was a founding member of the Irish Library Society (in 1891). He published a number of books ('The Coulin' , 'The Exile') and , at 71 years of age , wrote 'The New Spirit of The Nation' , perhaps his best known work .
His old friend Charles Gavan Duffy assisted him , in 1896 , when he was 73 years of age , in publishing his 'Songs and Ballads of Young Ireland' . After a life which saw him born into a wealthy family , become a leading architect , hold political discussions with a revolutionary government and spend 35 years in Egypt , Martin McDermott died in Bristol , England , on April 25th , 1905 . He was 82 years of age .
Again , we found it difficult to obtain the above information on this man - like many of those we attempt to write about on this 'blog' , the name 'Martin McDermott' did not 'jump-out' at us from the history books , and we can only hope we have done him justice . The man made his mark in his day but , like many others , todays commercialised society sees no value in remembering him .
To us , Martin McDermott is another link to our past , part of an 835-year-old saga . And Counting .......
[END of ' MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER.......'].
(Tomorrow - '1976: IRA Jail Break.......').
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......the 'Big Round-Up' was over ; the Brits were pulling-out of the area . The last to leave were 'The Essex Regiment' ('Percival's Crowd') and I knew the direction in which they were leaving - I had my Lewis-Gun , I was high up on Candroma Rock and I had the advantage of surprise ......."
"I would have given much for a shot at that murderous crowd . As they passed me by , I recognised John J. Quill , a prisoner among them ; I was in no doubt about what the result for him would be if I fired on them . Some hours later they wantonly fired at and killed Den Buckley at Toames . At the same time I must give the devil his due , and tell how one of 'Percival's Crowd' saved the life of my uncle before their rearguard had passed out of my sight ; my uncle had come to the Cross for some provisions , and left his horse and cart near the door of Den Buckley's shop and pub , which stood at the corner made by two roads .
Down the hill from Caherdaha came the Advance Party of British troops on bicycles ; some one ran to the pub door and gave the alarm and my uncle Dan ran out , jumped on his cart and went off at a fast trot . Reaching the corner , the Brits saw him go and dismounted , unslung their rifles and shouted at him to stop . He kept going . " Open fire on him ," a British Officer ordered : " No , do not," said another , " he does not hear us with the noise of the cart . I'll follow him ." Mounting his bicycle , the Brit chased after and overtook the cart . My uncle pulled up , feigning surprise as well as he could . " Did you not hear us calling you ?" the soldier asked . " No " , my uncle said , " I heard nothing until you spoke . "
A few simple questions about his business at the village and where he was going to were put to him , and he was allowed to go . Meanwhile , the rest of the British Advance Party entered the pub ; the day was warm and a dozen customers were on the premises ; nearly all were past military age and none could be accused of having a military appearance . But that did'nt matter to 'Percival's Crowd'......."
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
5 of 12 .
The game of bluff ended on 22 January 1975 , when the British returned to the bargaining table , handing over a copy of the Rees Statement in the Commons , and emphasising two points in particular which stressed a positive role for Sinn Fein as the political wing of the Republican Movement , if a Truce came into operation on a permanent basis , and steps were needed to ensure it did not break down .
They also stressed that they would have to break off the talks if two acts like those which had happened in Belfast the previous day , were repeated . On this and on several other occasions , while the British stressed the need for an over-all ceasefire , the impression was given that IRA attacks on Britain were particularly resented . They had a political effect on Westminster far outweighing much greater horrors in 'Northern Ireland' (sic) though this did not mean , of course , that London was in any way over-looking the suffering which violence had caused there .......
(MORE LATER).
....... Martin McDermott was 'Chief Architect' to the Egyptian Government when , in 1882 , the Brits bombed the City of Alexandria (July 11th , 1882) ; he designed new buildings to replace those destroyed , then, at sixty years of age , he retired and moved to London , England .......
Whilst living in London , Martin McDermott became involved in the thriving literary scene ; he helped to establish the Southwark Library Club in the same year that he moved there (1883) and , at 68 years of age , he was a founding member of the Irish Library Society (in 1891). He published a number of books ('The Coulin' , 'The Exile') and , at 71 years of age , wrote 'The New Spirit of The Nation' , perhaps his best known work .
His old friend Charles Gavan Duffy assisted him , in 1896 , when he was 73 years of age , in publishing his 'Songs and Ballads of Young Ireland' . After a life which saw him born into a wealthy family , become a leading architect , hold political discussions with a revolutionary government and spend 35 years in Egypt , Martin McDermott died in Bristol , England , on April 25th , 1905 . He was 82 years of age .
Again , we found it difficult to obtain the above information on this man - like many of those we attempt to write about on this 'blog' , the name 'Martin McDermott' did not 'jump-out' at us from the history books , and we can only hope we have done him justice . The man made his mark in his day but , like many others , todays commercialised society sees no value in remembering him .
To us , Martin McDermott is another link to our past , part of an 835-year-old saga . And Counting .......
[END of ' MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER.......'].
(Tomorrow - '1976: IRA Jail Break.......').
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......the 'Big Round-Up' was over ; the Brits were pulling-out of the area . The last to leave were 'The Essex Regiment' ('Percival's Crowd') and I knew the direction in which they were leaving - I had my Lewis-Gun , I was high up on Candroma Rock and I had the advantage of surprise ......."
"I would have given much for a shot at that murderous crowd . As they passed me by , I recognised John J. Quill , a prisoner among them ; I was in no doubt about what the result for him would be if I fired on them . Some hours later they wantonly fired at and killed Den Buckley at Toames . At the same time I must give the devil his due , and tell how one of 'Percival's Crowd' saved the life of my uncle before their rearguard had passed out of my sight ; my uncle had come to the Cross for some provisions , and left his horse and cart near the door of Den Buckley's shop and pub , which stood at the corner made by two roads .
Down the hill from Caherdaha came the Advance Party of British troops on bicycles ; some one ran to the pub door and gave the alarm and my uncle Dan ran out , jumped on his cart and went off at a fast trot . Reaching the corner , the Brits saw him go and dismounted , unslung their rifles and shouted at him to stop . He kept going . " Open fire on him ," a British Officer ordered : " No , do not," said another , " he does not hear us with the noise of the cart . I'll follow him ." Mounting his bicycle , the Brit chased after and overtook the cart . My uncle pulled up , feigning surprise as well as he could . " Did you not hear us calling you ?" the soldier asked . " No " , my uncle said , " I heard nothing until you spoke . "
A few simple questions about his business at the village and where he was going to were put to him , and he was allowed to go . Meanwhile , the rest of the British Advance Party entered the pub ; the day was warm and a dozen customers were on the premises ; nearly all were past military age and none could be accused of having a military appearance . But that did'nt matter to 'Percival's Crowd'......."
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
5 of 12 .
The game of bluff ended on 22 January 1975 , when the British returned to the bargaining table , handing over a copy of the Rees Statement in the Commons , and emphasising two points in particular which stressed a positive role for Sinn Fein as the political wing of the Republican Movement , if a Truce came into operation on a permanent basis , and steps were needed to ensure it did not break down .
They also stressed that they would have to break off the talks if two acts like those which had happened in Belfast the previous day , were repeated . On this and on several other occasions , while the British stressed the need for an over-all ceasefire , the impression was given that IRA attacks on Britain were particularly resented . They had a political effect on Westminster far outweighing much greater horrors in 'Northern Ireland' (sic) though this did not mean , of course , that London was in any way over-looking the suffering which violence had caused there .......
(MORE LATER).
Tuesday, June 29, 2004
MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER .......
.......one of the Irish Rebels on the French Delegation in 1848 with Martin McDermott , Thomas Francis Meagher , dedicated twenty-four of his forty-four years on this earth to challenging British mis-rule in Ireland .......
The 'Young Ireland' Movement staged a Rising against the British in 1848 , but this was soon put down by the Brits ; Martin McDermott fled to Egypt and eventually secured a job there as the Official Architect to the Egyptian Government ; he was still in that job when , in 1882 , at 59 years of age , the British bombarded the City of Alexandria (on July 11th , 1882) - a munitions store at Marsa-el-Kanet exploded , levelling everything around it and other landmark buildings , such as the Meks Fort and Fort Napoleon , were also destroyed .
The British 'Daily Telegraph' newspaper reported at the time that ".....the Grand Square and all streets leading from it were burning . The whole European quarter of Alexandria is doomed to destruction . "
As Chief Architect , it was Martin McDermott who designed the buildings which replaced those that were destroyed by the Brits . He retired from his job when he was sixty years of age (in 1883) and moved to London , England , where he became involved in the thriving literary scene .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......during their 'round-up' operation , the Brits did indeed capture a few IRA men , but were not sure themselves that this was the case . A group of British Army Officers told the prisoners that they would be sleeping on the floor that night , in captivity ; one of the captured (IRA) men , Patsy Cronin , slouched and shuffled around the room , with the Brits watching him in disbelief - he was stooping down to press on the floorboards every few feet ......."
" What the devil are you after ? " one of the Brits shouted at Patsy . With a vacuous stare , Patsy replied - " I am looking for a soft board to lie on , sir . " Aghast at this revelation , it was now the Brit Officer's turn to stare ....then , a smile of triumph flooded his features and , turning , he quickly walked back to his colleagues , laughing . " Did ye hear that ? " he said , " Now who was right ? We have picked-up all the imbeciles of the county ! " For that night , the prisoners had to be content with the 'bed' that Patsy thought too hard ; on the following day , they were , with one exception , all released .
They were far from being "imbeciles " - the man detained by the Brits was a giant IRA Volunteer , John J. Quill , from Bardincha , Coolea . He was taken by the (British) Essex Regiment to Toames , on Wednesday evening , en route for Kinsale . When captured , John became the target of jibes from the British Tommies , because of his height and build . They referred to him as "Enormous Paddy" , and wondered if he were as strong as he looked . At length ,exasperated , John turned on them - " I'd take any four of ye in the arse of me breeches for the whole day and never feel ye were there at all , " he told them . They became quite respectful after that retort , and did not further annoy him !
The Essex Regiment , or 'Percival's Crowd' , as they were called , were the last to leave Ballyvourney on Wednesday afternoon . I had been watching their exodus , since the day before , from Rahoona Hill , Candroma Rock and other vantage points overlooking the Ballyvourney Road . All had , so far , returned by the way they had come , along that highway . I actually saw 'Percival's Crowd' turn off the main road at Poul na Bro and come along by the foot of Rahoona ; with plenty of time to spare , I reached Candroma Rock ahead of them . My intention was to catch them with enfilading fire from the Lewis-Gun as they ascended the long steep Hill of Caherdaha ....... "
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
4 of 12 .
The initial 'off-the-cuff' British reaction to these demands was as follows -
1. Difficult ;
2. No trouble in principle ;
3. Do ;
4. Difficult where political charges were concerned ;
5. Timing and extent an issue ;
6. 'A rock' ;
7. OK ;
8. Difficult ;
9. Would have to involve the Republican Movement and the Northern Ireland (sic) Office ;
10. OK ;
11. Yes ;
12 . Fact.
There were a few days of indecision , during which the IRA had resumed limited operations in both Britain and the North , leading to a threat from the British side that " if any further activity takes place in Britain or Belfast , the meetings will probably end . "
The Republican response was to note that there had been " a genuine and sustained cessation of violence for 25 days during the Christmas and New Year Truces and there had been no worthwhile response from the British Government ." A game of bluff.......
(MORE LATER).
.......one of the Irish Rebels on the French Delegation in 1848 with Martin McDermott , Thomas Francis Meagher , dedicated twenty-four of his forty-four years on this earth to challenging British mis-rule in Ireland .......
The 'Young Ireland' Movement staged a Rising against the British in 1848 , but this was soon put down by the Brits ; Martin McDermott fled to Egypt and eventually secured a job there as the Official Architect to the Egyptian Government ; he was still in that job when , in 1882 , at 59 years of age , the British bombarded the City of Alexandria (on July 11th , 1882) - a munitions store at Marsa-el-Kanet exploded , levelling everything around it and other landmark buildings , such as the Meks Fort and Fort Napoleon , were also destroyed .
The British 'Daily Telegraph' newspaper reported at the time that ".....the Grand Square and all streets leading from it were burning . The whole European quarter of Alexandria is doomed to destruction . "
As Chief Architect , it was Martin McDermott who designed the buildings which replaced those that were destroyed by the Brits . He retired from his job when he was sixty years of age (in 1883) and moved to London , England , where he became involved in the thriving literary scene .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......during their 'round-up' operation , the Brits did indeed capture a few IRA men , but were not sure themselves that this was the case . A group of British Army Officers told the prisoners that they would be sleeping on the floor that night , in captivity ; one of the captured (IRA) men , Patsy Cronin , slouched and shuffled around the room , with the Brits watching him in disbelief - he was stooping down to press on the floorboards every few feet ......."
" What the devil are you after ? " one of the Brits shouted at Patsy . With a vacuous stare , Patsy replied - " I am looking for a soft board to lie on , sir . " Aghast at this revelation , it was now the Brit Officer's turn to stare ....then , a smile of triumph flooded his features and , turning , he quickly walked back to his colleagues , laughing . " Did ye hear that ? " he said , " Now who was right ? We have picked-up all the imbeciles of the county ! " For that night , the prisoners had to be content with the 'bed' that Patsy thought too hard ; on the following day , they were , with one exception , all released .
They were far from being "imbeciles " - the man detained by the Brits was a giant IRA Volunteer , John J. Quill , from Bardincha , Coolea . He was taken by the (British) Essex Regiment to Toames , on Wednesday evening , en route for Kinsale . When captured , John became the target of jibes from the British Tommies , because of his height and build . They referred to him as "Enormous Paddy" , and wondered if he were as strong as he looked . At length ,exasperated , John turned on them - " I'd take any four of ye in the arse of me breeches for the whole day and never feel ye were there at all , " he told them . They became quite respectful after that retort , and did not further annoy him !
The Essex Regiment , or 'Percival's Crowd' , as they were called , were the last to leave Ballyvourney on Wednesday afternoon . I had been watching their exodus , since the day before , from Rahoona Hill , Candroma Rock and other vantage points overlooking the Ballyvourney Road . All had , so far , returned by the way they had come , along that highway . I actually saw 'Percival's Crowd' turn off the main road at Poul na Bro and come along by the foot of Rahoona ; with plenty of time to spare , I reached Candroma Rock ahead of them . My intention was to catch them with enfilading fire from the Lewis-Gun as they ascended the long steep Hill of Caherdaha ....... "
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
4 of 12 .
The initial 'off-the-cuff' British reaction to these demands was as follows -
1. Difficult ;
2. No trouble in principle ;
3. Do ;
4. Difficult where political charges were concerned ;
5. Timing and extent an issue ;
6. 'A rock' ;
7. OK ;
8. Difficult ;
9. Would have to involve the Republican Movement and the Northern Ireland (sic) Office ;
10. OK ;
11. Yes ;
12 . Fact.
There were a few days of indecision , during which the IRA had resumed limited operations in both Britain and the North , leading to a threat from the British side that " if any further activity takes place in Britain or Belfast , the meetings will probably end . "
The Republican response was to note that there had been " a genuine and sustained cessation of violence for 25 days during the Christmas and New Year Truces and there had been no worthwhile response from the British Government ." A game of bluff.......
(MORE LATER).
Monday, June 28, 2004
MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER .......
....... Martin McDermott was a member of the 'Young Ireland' delegation which travelled to Paris , France , in 1848 , to present the case , and seek support , for Irish Freedom ; they met with the French Minister for Foreign Affairs , Alphonse de Lamartine .......
...de Lamartine was well-respected by his own people ; the French President at that time , Dupont de L'Eure , was more or less a 'figurehead' , with de Lamartine holding the real power in the new French Administration . He admired the 'Young Irelanders' and supported their cause to end British mis-rule in Ireland and , as a gesture of goodwill , presented the 'Young Ireland' Movement representatives with a gift for the Irish Nation - a Tricolour Flag of Green , White and Orange , which the Irish Rebels returned with to Dublin in April 1848 .
A member of that delegation which went to Paris , Thomas Francis Meagher , was only 25 years young when he sat down with the Government of the Second French Republic ; he was born in Waterford on August 3rd , 1823 , and was only 20 years young when he decided to challenge British mis-rule in Ireland . At 23 years of age (in 1846) he became one of the leaders of the 'Young Ireland' Movement and , at the age of 29 , wrote what is perhaps his best known work - ' Speeches on the Legislative Independence of Ireland ' , of which six editions were published .
Thomas Francis Meagher died , aged only 44 , in Montana , USA , (near Fort Benton) on July 1st , 1867 .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......I had no choice other than to abandon my plan to turn the Lewis-Gun on the British troops in their camp ; they were holding some of my comrades as prisoners and would have killed them had I gone ahead as planned ......."
" The British military from Tralee , who took part in the round-up , carried with them two IRA Volunteers but , on the following day they released them , having failed to identify them . Among the prisoners in the school at Ballyvourney were the two brothers Cronin , from Toureen , across the border in Kerry ; both were IRA Volunteers and their home , like the neighbouring houses of Muing , was always our refuge when we needed a rest . Indeed , having once crossed their hospitable threshold , one found it hard to leave again - to sit by the fireside , listening to the mother and her two sons discussing even very ordinary affairs , was a great joy in itself . A rich humour enveloped the most trivial matter but , when one of the three began to tell a story , we held our breath in gleeful anticipation .
For the story-teller could assume the role of every character in the tale , merely by the change of facial expression and the inflexion of the voice . This natural talent was to prove of great value to them , and to others , while prisoners in the school on Monday evening : a group of British Army Officers stood regarding the men they had hoped to classify as Units of the IRA . If there were some among them who thought their 'catch' was good , there were others with a more discerning eye who thought otherwise . The matter was soon put to the test , as a Brit Officer stepped forward and spoke to the prisoners -
- "Here , you fellows , you will remain here for tonight ; you may sleep there ," indicating the timber floor at large . The announcement was not received with enthusiasm , and there was no great rush to get to bed . Patsy Cronin slowly detached himself from the group of prisoners and , with a well-simulated slouch , he crossed , in full view of the Brits, to the farthest corner of the room .Here , stooping , he pressed the floor with the palms of both hands and , evidently not satisfied , straightened himself a little and moved a few yards further along the wall . Again stooping , he tested the area of floor around him within the radius of his hands .
With a frown he arose , and moving quickly forward , dropped down on his hands and knees to investigate again . The British Army Officers were watching this , with interest ......."
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
3 of 12 .
The document which the Irish Republican leaders handed over to the British at a meeting on 21st January 1975 called for -
1. Freedom of movement for all members of the Republican Movement .
2. Cessation of all harassment of the civilian population .
3. A cessation of raids on lands , homes and other buildings .
4. A cessation of arrests of members of the Republican Movement .
5. An end to screening , photographing and identity checks .
6. Members of the Republican Movement reserve the right to carry concealed short arms solely for the purpose of self-defence .
7. No provocative displays of force by either side .
8. No re-introduction of RUC and UDR into designated areas .
9. Agreement of effective liasion system between British and Republican forces .
10. A progressive withdrawal of British troops to barracks to begin with the implementation of the bi-lateral Truce .
11. Confirmation that discussions between representatives of the Republican Movement and H.M.G. will continue towards securing a permanent ceasefire .
12. In the event of any of these terms being violated , the Republican Movement reserves the right of freedom of action .......
(MORE LATER).
....... Martin McDermott was a member of the 'Young Ireland' delegation which travelled to Paris , France , in 1848 , to present the case , and seek support , for Irish Freedom ; they met with the French Minister for Foreign Affairs , Alphonse de Lamartine .......
...de Lamartine was well-respected by his own people ; the French President at that time , Dupont de L'Eure , was more or less a 'figurehead' , with de Lamartine holding the real power in the new French Administration . He admired the 'Young Irelanders' and supported their cause to end British mis-rule in Ireland and , as a gesture of goodwill , presented the 'Young Ireland' Movement representatives with a gift for the Irish Nation - a Tricolour Flag of Green , White and Orange , which the Irish Rebels returned with to Dublin in April 1848 .
A member of that delegation which went to Paris , Thomas Francis Meagher , was only 25 years young when he sat down with the Government of the Second French Republic ; he was born in Waterford on August 3rd , 1823 , and was only 20 years young when he decided to challenge British mis-rule in Ireland . At 23 years of age (in 1846) he became one of the leaders of the 'Young Ireland' Movement and , at the age of 29 , wrote what is perhaps his best known work - ' Speeches on the Legislative Independence of Ireland ' , of which six editions were published .
Thomas Francis Meagher died , aged only 44 , in Montana , USA , (near Fort Benton) on July 1st , 1867 .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......I had no choice other than to abandon my plan to turn the Lewis-Gun on the British troops in their camp ; they were holding some of my comrades as prisoners and would have killed them had I gone ahead as planned ......."
" The British military from Tralee , who took part in the round-up , carried with them two IRA Volunteers but , on the following day they released them , having failed to identify them . Among the prisoners in the school at Ballyvourney were the two brothers Cronin , from Toureen , across the border in Kerry ; both were IRA Volunteers and their home , like the neighbouring houses of Muing , was always our refuge when we needed a rest . Indeed , having once crossed their hospitable threshold , one found it hard to leave again - to sit by the fireside , listening to the mother and her two sons discussing even very ordinary affairs , was a great joy in itself . A rich humour enveloped the most trivial matter but , when one of the three began to tell a story , we held our breath in gleeful anticipation .
For the story-teller could assume the role of every character in the tale , merely by the change of facial expression and the inflexion of the voice . This natural talent was to prove of great value to them , and to others , while prisoners in the school on Monday evening : a group of British Army Officers stood regarding the men they had hoped to classify as Units of the IRA . If there were some among them who thought their 'catch' was good , there were others with a more discerning eye who thought otherwise . The matter was soon put to the test , as a Brit Officer stepped forward and spoke to the prisoners -
- "Here , you fellows , you will remain here for tonight ; you may sleep there ," indicating the timber floor at large . The announcement was not received with enthusiasm , and there was no great rush to get to bed . Patsy Cronin slowly detached himself from the group of prisoners and , with a well-simulated slouch , he crossed , in full view of the Brits, to the farthest corner of the room .Here , stooping , he pressed the floor with the palms of both hands and , evidently not satisfied , straightened himself a little and moved a few yards further along the wall . Again stooping , he tested the area of floor around him within the radius of his hands .
With a frown he arose , and moving quickly forward , dropped down on his hands and knees to investigate again . The British Army Officers were watching this , with interest ......."
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
3 of 12 .
The document which the Irish Republican leaders handed over to the British at a meeting on 21st January 1975 called for -
1. Freedom of movement for all members of the Republican Movement .
2. Cessation of all harassment of the civilian population .
3. A cessation of raids on lands , homes and other buildings .
4. A cessation of arrests of members of the Republican Movement .
5. An end to screening , photographing and identity checks .
6. Members of the Republican Movement reserve the right to carry concealed short arms solely for the purpose of self-defence .
7. No provocative displays of force by either side .
8. No re-introduction of RUC and UDR into designated areas .
9. Agreement of effective liasion system between British and Republican forces .
10. A progressive withdrawal of British troops to barracks to begin with the implementation of the bi-lateral Truce .
11. Confirmation that discussions between representatives of the Republican Movement and H.M.G. will continue towards securing a permanent ceasefire .
12. In the event of any of these terms being violated , the Republican Movement reserves the right of freedom of action .......
(MORE LATER).
Sunday, June 27, 2004
MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER .......
....... John Mitchel was one of the many who left the 'Repeal Association' to support the more militant 'Young Ireland' Movement ; Martin McDermott agreed with the stand that Mitchel and the others took - they were all of the opinion that "Ireland will be avenged..."
Martin McDermott continued writing for 'The Nation' newspaper , which supported armed action in defence of Irish Nationhood : he soon joined the 'Young Irelanders' and became one of its leading members and was on the deputation (along with , amongst others , William Smith O'Brien and Thomas Francis Meagher) which travelled to Paris , France , in 1848 , to highlight the demand for Irish Freedom to the Government of the Second French Republic which had been established following the French Revolution of February 1848 .
The new French Constitution affirmed the rights of " Liberty , Equality and Fraternity , Family , Work , Property and Public Order ..." ; that which the 'Young Ireland' Movement sought for Ireland . The 'Young Irelanders' met with Alphonse de Lamartine , the French Minister for Foreign Affairs , who was well-respected by his own Revolutionary colleagues in Government and by the French workers and poor - the French 'peasant class ...
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......a group of young lads from Ballyvourney were trying to escape the British round-up but were , instead , going towards another British Army camp . I pointed them in a safer direction and asked for any news they had on my comrades - I was told that a few of them had been captured by the Brits ....... "
" This news was most depressing to hear , and I could scarcely refrain from telling the bearers of the tidings how much everybody , including themselves , would benefit by their staying at home . However , I said nothing but , long after they had left , I sat among the rushes trying to decide on what I ought to do . Until I had heard of the prisoners taken , I had been very happy about my project ; I could have got one or more of my comrades to accompany me willingly , but would not think of risking anybody's life on such a scheme . Now , I was confronted with the same responsibility .
I argued the consequences with myself and , finally , had to admit to the voice of reason that , as a reprisal for my actions , the death of the prisoners would follow were I to shoot-up the British Army camp . In a very vicious humour , I shouldered my gun and marched down the road to my uncle's gate . I had kept to the by-ways to avoid meeting people and lo , they had nearly trampled me , as they came laden with bad news ! My comrades who went to Kerry were early on Monday hard pressed to avoid capture ; actually , they were within the 'circle' which had , at dawn , started to join its various arcs . Moving quickly towards the on-coming enemy , they slipped through a gap which soon closed behind them .
Other members of our IRA Column did likewise , in other directions : some who had gone to Kerry had , on Sunday night , returned to the east of Ballyvourney . Thus , on Monday evening , when the net was drawn , the British had little in it . Among a large number of prisoners assembled at Ballyvourney National School , the British had two members of our Column and a few other IRA Volunteers ....... "
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
2 of 12 .
Two days of general discussion and some 'shadow-boxing' ensued , complicated by the fact that the British side wanted the first two points kept secret but not point three (see yesterday's article...) . The formula about speaking to Provisional Sinn Fein but not directly to the (P)IRA was set out in (the British) Parliament on January 14th , 1975 by Mr. Merlyn Rees , the Northern Ireland (sic) Secretary , and became the basis of policy for the months ahead , even when, later on , (P)IRA Commanders from Derry and Belfast joined with Provisional Sinn Fein leaders in direct negotiations with the (British) Stormont Officials about monitoring and maintaining the Truce which finally was agreed to come into operation on 11th February , 1975 .
The basis of that Truce was laid in a 12-point document entitled 'Terms for a Bi-lateral Truce' which the Republican leaders handed over at a meeting on 21st January , 1975 .......
(MORE LATER).
....... John Mitchel was one of the many who left the 'Repeal Association' to support the more militant 'Young Ireland' Movement ; Martin McDermott agreed with the stand that Mitchel and the others took - they were all of the opinion that "Ireland will be avenged..."
Martin McDermott continued writing for 'The Nation' newspaper , which supported armed action in defence of Irish Nationhood : he soon joined the 'Young Irelanders' and became one of its leading members and was on the deputation (along with , amongst others , William Smith O'Brien and Thomas Francis Meagher) which travelled to Paris , France , in 1848 , to highlight the demand for Irish Freedom to the Government of the Second French Republic which had been established following the French Revolution of February 1848 .
The new French Constitution affirmed the rights of " Liberty , Equality and Fraternity , Family , Work , Property and Public Order ..." ; that which the 'Young Ireland' Movement sought for Ireland . The 'Young Irelanders' met with Alphonse de Lamartine , the French Minister for Foreign Affairs , who was well-respected by his own Revolutionary colleagues in Government and by the French workers and poor - the French 'peasant class ...
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......a group of young lads from Ballyvourney were trying to escape the British round-up but were , instead , going towards another British Army camp . I pointed them in a safer direction and asked for any news they had on my comrades - I was told that a few of them had been captured by the Brits ....... "
" This news was most depressing to hear , and I could scarcely refrain from telling the bearers of the tidings how much everybody , including themselves , would benefit by their staying at home . However , I said nothing but , long after they had left , I sat among the rushes trying to decide on what I ought to do . Until I had heard of the prisoners taken , I had been very happy about my project ; I could have got one or more of my comrades to accompany me willingly , but would not think of risking anybody's life on such a scheme . Now , I was confronted with the same responsibility .
I argued the consequences with myself and , finally , had to admit to the voice of reason that , as a reprisal for my actions , the death of the prisoners would follow were I to shoot-up the British Army camp . In a very vicious humour , I shouldered my gun and marched down the road to my uncle's gate . I had kept to the by-ways to avoid meeting people and lo , they had nearly trampled me , as they came laden with bad news ! My comrades who went to Kerry were early on Monday hard pressed to avoid capture ; actually , they were within the 'circle' which had , at dawn , started to join its various arcs . Moving quickly towards the on-coming enemy , they slipped through a gap which soon closed behind them .
Other members of our IRA Column did likewise , in other directions : some who had gone to Kerry had , on Sunday night , returned to the east of Ballyvourney . Thus , on Monday evening , when the net was drawn , the British had little in it . Among a large number of prisoners assembled at Ballyvourney National School , the British had two members of our Column and a few other IRA Volunteers ....... "
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.......
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
2 of 12 .
Two days of general discussion and some 'shadow-boxing' ensued , complicated by the fact that the British side wanted the first two points kept secret but not point three (see yesterday's article...) . The formula about speaking to Provisional Sinn Fein but not directly to the (P)IRA was set out in (the British) Parliament on January 14th , 1975 by Mr. Merlyn Rees , the Northern Ireland (sic) Secretary , and became the basis of policy for the months ahead , even when, later on , (P)IRA Commanders from Derry and Belfast joined with Provisional Sinn Fein leaders in direct negotiations with the (British) Stormont Officials about monitoring and maintaining the Truce which finally was agreed to come into operation on 11th February , 1975 .
The basis of that Truce was laid in a 12-point document entitled 'Terms for a Bi-lateral Truce' which the Republican leaders handed over at a meeting on 21st January , 1975 .......
(MORE LATER).
Saturday, June 26, 2004
MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER .......
....... Martin McDermott's mentor , Patrick Byrne , had been 'out' with the United Irishmen as a young boy of 15 ; he went on to design and build some of Leinster's better-known landmarks . He died in 1864 , at 81 years of age .......
When Daniel O'Connell's 'Repeal Association' split , ostensibly due to O'Connell acquiescing to British demands that he cancel his planned 'Monster Meeting' for October 1843 , the militant 'Young Ireland' group stated that O'Connell's leadership had failed to address the threat " of the decay of Irish culture , language and custom " under British influence .
One of the many who left the 'Repeal Association' to lead the 'Young Ireland' Movement , John Mitchel , the son of a Northern Presbyterian Minister , called on the Irish people to strike back against the British -
- " England ! All England , operating through her government : through all her organised and effectual public opinion , press , platform , parliament has done , is doing , and means to do grievous wrongs to Ireland . She must be punished - that punishment will , as I believe , come upon her by and through Ireland ; and so Ireland will be avenged ! "
It was a sentiment with which Martin McDermott agreed .......
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
" I was armed and going cross-country to a British Army military camp to have a go at them ; I was walking beside a dried-up ditch when I heard voices and noise near me - I took cover in the ditch . Only yards in front of me , the group I was hiding from almost fell into the ditch ......."
"The fright they got naturally loosened their tongues and I knew by their accents that they were not of the enemy . Curiosity got the better of me - " Where the devil are ye going to ? " I asked them , thinking at the same time that perhaps the enemy was not far behind them . The voice immediately behind them caused the utmost confusion amongst them : they were not IRA Volunteers but said they would help as best they could . They had come from the Ballyvourney district to avoid being rounded up ; I asked them where they proposed going to avoid capture . " To Doiranaonaig " , they replied . " There is a British Army camp at Doiranaonaig " , I told them , and pointed out the great danger of travelling together in a group .
They had come down on the road talking loudly , and had the enemy been in my place they would have been greeted with a volley ; questions would be deferred until too late . There were many other reasons why they should not have left home at all . I had pity for them travelling thus , a target for the enemy - I asked them if they knew any friends to the south-east , and one of the group said he had relations a few miles away in that direction , so it was decided to go to that place . Before leaving , they told me the news of the day from Ballyvourney . A number of prisoners had been brought in by the Brits .
Among the prisoners there were a few members of my IRA Column ......."
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
1 of 12 .
When the British Government , through its spokespersons from Stormont Castle , met the Provos to negotiate a continuation of the 1974 Christmas Truce , on 19th January 1975 , they made four main points :
* We are prepared for (our) officials to discuss with members of Provisional Sinn Fein how a permanent cessation of violence might be agreed and what would be the practical problems to be solved .
* We are , as we have already said , prepared for (our) officials to engage in a discreet exchange of views with Provisional Sinn Fein on matters arising from their objectives . We would not exclude the raising of any relevant questions .
* Our representatives would remain , as at present , for both sets of talks . We would be content to engage in these consecutively or in parallel , but the urgency of the ceasefire question suggests that this should be taken first .
* The representation would have to be within the terms of the statement in parliament about not negotiating with the IRA though being ready to speak to Provisional Sinn Fein .
(MORE LATER).
....... Martin McDermott's mentor , Patrick Byrne , had been 'out' with the United Irishmen as a young boy of 15 ; he went on to design and build some of Leinster's better-known landmarks . He died in 1864 , at 81 years of age .......
When Daniel O'Connell's 'Repeal Association' split , ostensibly due to O'Connell acquiescing to British demands that he cancel his planned 'Monster Meeting' for October 1843 , the militant 'Young Ireland' group stated that O'Connell's leadership had failed to address the threat " of the decay of Irish culture , language and custom " under British influence .
One of the many who left the 'Repeal Association' to lead the 'Young Ireland' Movement , John Mitchel , the son of a Northern Presbyterian Minister , called on the Irish people to strike back against the British -
- " England ! All England , operating through her government : through all her organised and effectual public opinion , press , platform , parliament has done , is doing , and means to do grievous wrongs to Ireland . She must be punished - that punishment will , as I believe , come upon her by and through Ireland ; and so Ireland will be avenged ! "
It was a sentiment with which Martin McDermott agreed .......
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
" I was armed and going cross-country to a British Army military camp to have a go at them ; I was walking beside a dried-up ditch when I heard voices and noise near me - I took cover in the ditch . Only yards in front of me , the group I was hiding from almost fell into the ditch ......."
"The fright they got naturally loosened their tongues and I knew by their accents that they were not of the enemy . Curiosity got the better of me - " Where the devil are ye going to ? " I asked them , thinking at the same time that perhaps the enemy was not far behind them . The voice immediately behind them caused the utmost confusion amongst them : they were not IRA Volunteers but said they would help as best they could . They had come from the Ballyvourney district to avoid being rounded up ; I asked them where they proposed going to avoid capture . " To Doiranaonaig " , they replied . " There is a British Army camp at Doiranaonaig " , I told them , and pointed out the great danger of travelling together in a group .
They had come down on the road talking loudly , and had the enemy been in my place they would have been greeted with a volley ; questions would be deferred until too late . There were many other reasons why they should not have left home at all . I had pity for them travelling thus , a target for the enemy - I asked them if they knew any friends to the south-east , and one of the group said he had relations a few miles away in that direction , so it was decided to go to that place . Before leaving , they told me the news of the day from Ballyvourney . A number of prisoners had been brought in by the Brits .
Among the prisoners there were a few members of my IRA Column ......."
(MORE LATER).
TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS.
" The British Government has twice entered into detailed negotiations with representatives of the IRA . Nollaig O Gadhra recalls the talks that took place exactly ten years ago between the Northern Ireland (sic) Office and the Provisional Republican Movement . "
By Nollaig O Gadhra .
(From 'The Sunday Press' newspaper , 10th February 1985).
Re-produced here in 12 parts .
1 of 12 .
When the British Government , through its spokespersons from Stormont Castle , met the Provos to negotiate a continuation of the 1974 Christmas Truce , on 19th January 1975 , they made four main points :
* We are prepared for (our) officials to discuss with members of Provisional Sinn Fein how a permanent cessation of violence might be agreed and what would be the practical problems to be solved .
* We are , as we have already said , prepared for (our) officials to engage in a discreet exchange of views with Provisional Sinn Fein on matters arising from their objectives . We would not exclude the raising of any relevant questions .
* Our representatives would remain , as at present , for both sets of talks . We would be content to engage in these consecutively or in parallel , but the urgency of the ceasefire question suggests that this should be taken first .
* The representation would have to be within the terms of the statement in parliament about not negotiating with the IRA though being ready to speak to Provisional Sinn Fein .
(MORE LATER).
Friday, June 25, 2004
MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER .......
.......When he finished his apprenticeship in architecture (under the tutelage of Patrick Byrne), Martin McDermott moved to Birkenhead in England to earn his living . However , the skill of architecture was not all that the young McDermott learned from his mentor , Patrick Byrne .......
Martin McDermott also developed an interest in the history and culture of his land and , in early 1845 , at 22 years young , he sent some of his writings to the then 3 year-young newspaper , 'The Nation' , which had been founded (in 1842) by Charles Gavan Duffy , Thomas Davis and John Dillon , after the three men had agreed the need for a Rebel newspaper whilst walking through Dublin's Phoenix Park and discussing the 'Hughes/Armagh Assizes' case (as mentioned in an earlier article on this 'blog').
Incidentally , the architect Patrick Byrne , with whom Martin McDermott served his apprenticeship , was born in Dublin in 1783 , and took up arms with the United Irishmen when he was only 15 years young ! Among the better-known buildings he designed and built are the 'Church of the Holy Redeemer' , in Bray , County Wicklow , the bell-tower of St. Paul's on Dublin's Arran Quay and Merchants Quay Church , Dublin .
Patrick Byrne had a workshop and small office at 10 Mobbet Street (off Foley Street , Dublin) and was later elected as the Vice-President of 'The Institute of Architects in Ireland' . He died , aged 81 , in 1864 .......
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
"....... the Brits had set-up their main camp in ground I knew well ; it would be possible for me to sneak in and cause them damage - stir-up the big hornet's nest ......."
" Moreover , having spent a tough and unprofitable day in Kerry , the insult to the mighty war machine would be keenly felt by its patrons . I slept soundly at Kilmacarogue until late in the morning then , towards evening , I came to Knocksaharing and started to equip myself for the rough four miles across country . First , I got ready the light aeroplane Lewis-Gun ; next I put on a strong military haversack and one by one stowed into it the spare Lewis drums . I felt I could carry five , although my total load, including a Mauser pistol , was heavy . Having securely fastened all my gear , I shouldered my gun and set off in the gathering dusk .
I kept to the fields from the very start , intending to cross roads only in favourable places and at right angles ; the reason for this caution was that I had heard that two more British military camps had been established not far away to the south-west and west . I even avoided the road from my uncle's gate to the boreen leading to Gurtanedin . The spot where I choose to cross the road was a most lonely and unfrequented place - I stepped out from behind a rock , crossed the road and dropped on one knee in a shallow depression just on the roadside . There was no fence to the road and just in front of me I heard voices . Presently there was a stumbling of many feet down a steep slope ten yards away from me ; clumps of rushes grew on either side of me - in fact I was in the middle of a lochan , now dried up by the prolonged fine weather .
I had hoped that the oncoming group would make a detour of the lochan which had a fairly steep bank five or six feet in front of me . But no ; they did not see it at all and stepped off into space and , half falling, half rising , passed on either side , narrowly escaping a collision with me ......."
(MORE LATER).
EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .......
BY PHIL CONNOR.
(First published in 'DUBLIN DIARY' magazine , Volume 1 , No. 3 , May 1989 , page 11.)
Re-produced here in 5 parts .
[5 of 5].
The Kane extradition is taking place under the old '(1965) Extradition Act' , as the 1987 Act was not in operation when the warrants for Kane were gained by the gardai . Under Section 50(4) of the 1965 Act , Justice Minister Gerry Collins can intervene to stop the extradition and order Paul Kane's release .
It seems that justice and morality cry out for this to be done and also for Paul Kane to be compensated for the years that have been taken from him and his family . Unfortunately the Fianna Fail Government seem intent on extraditing this citizen ; should he be dragged across the border , then clearly no Irish citizen , no matter how innocent , will be safe from extradition ...
...or , indeed , safe from the fate as that currently being inflicted on the Birmingham Six , the Guildford Four , Judith Ward , the Wilshire Three , and other people whose only crime appears to be that they are Irish .
[END of 'EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .......'].
(Tomorrow - 'TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS' : from 1985).
.......When he finished his apprenticeship in architecture (under the tutelage of Patrick Byrne), Martin McDermott moved to Birkenhead in England to earn his living . However , the skill of architecture was not all that the young McDermott learned from his mentor , Patrick Byrne .......
Martin McDermott also developed an interest in the history and culture of his land and , in early 1845 , at 22 years young , he sent some of his writings to the then 3 year-young newspaper , 'The Nation' , which had been founded (in 1842) by Charles Gavan Duffy , Thomas Davis and John Dillon , after the three men had agreed the need for a Rebel newspaper whilst walking through Dublin's Phoenix Park and discussing the 'Hughes/Armagh Assizes' case (as mentioned in an earlier article on this 'blog').
Incidentally , the architect Patrick Byrne , with whom Martin McDermott served his apprenticeship , was born in Dublin in 1783 , and took up arms with the United Irishmen when he was only 15 years young ! Among the better-known buildings he designed and built are the 'Church of the Holy Redeemer' , in Bray , County Wicklow , the bell-tower of St. Paul's on Dublin's Arran Quay and Merchants Quay Church , Dublin .
Patrick Byrne had a workshop and small office at 10 Mobbet Street (off Foley Street , Dublin) and was later elected as the Vice-President of 'The Institute of Architects in Ireland' . He died , aged 81 , in 1864 .......
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
"....... the Brits had set-up their main camp in ground I knew well ; it would be possible for me to sneak in and cause them damage - stir-up the big hornet's nest ......."
" Moreover , having spent a tough and unprofitable day in Kerry , the insult to the mighty war machine would be keenly felt by its patrons . I slept soundly at Kilmacarogue until late in the morning then , towards evening , I came to Knocksaharing and started to equip myself for the rough four miles across country . First , I got ready the light aeroplane Lewis-Gun ; next I put on a strong military haversack and one by one stowed into it the spare Lewis drums . I felt I could carry five , although my total load, including a Mauser pistol , was heavy . Having securely fastened all my gear , I shouldered my gun and set off in the gathering dusk .
I kept to the fields from the very start , intending to cross roads only in favourable places and at right angles ; the reason for this caution was that I had heard that two more British military camps had been established not far away to the south-west and west . I even avoided the road from my uncle's gate to the boreen leading to Gurtanedin . The spot where I choose to cross the road was a most lonely and unfrequented place - I stepped out from behind a rock , crossed the road and dropped on one knee in a shallow depression just on the roadside . There was no fence to the road and just in front of me I heard voices . Presently there was a stumbling of many feet down a steep slope ten yards away from me ; clumps of rushes grew on either side of me - in fact I was in the middle of a lochan , now dried up by the prolonged fine weather .
I had hoped that the oncoming group would make a detour of the lochan which had a fairly steep bank five or six feet in front of me . But no ; they did not see it at all and stepped off into space and , half falling, half rising , passed on either side , narrowly escaping a collision with me ......."
(MORE LATER).
EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .......
BY PHIL CONNOR.
(First published in 'DUBLIN DIARY' magazine , Volume 1 , No. 3 , May 1989 , page 11.)
Re-produced here in 5 parts .
[5 of 5].
The Kane extradition is taking place under the old '(1965) Extradition Act' , as the 1987 Act was not in operation when the warrants for Kane were gained by the gardai . Under Section 50(4) of the 1965 Act , Justice Minister Gerry Collins can intervene to stop the extradition and order Paul Kane's release .
It seems that justice and morality cry out for this to be done and also for Paul Kane to be compensated for the years that have been taken from him and his family . Unfortunately the Fianna Fail Government seem intent on extraditing this citizen ; should he be dragged across the border , then clearly no Irish citizen , no matter how innocent , will be safe from extradition ...
...or , indeed , safe from the fate as that currently being inflicted on the Birmingham Six , the Guildford Four , Judith Ward , the Wilshire Three , and other people whose only crime appears to be that they are Irish .
[END of 'EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .......'].
(Tomorrow - 'TALKING TO THE PROVISIONALS' : from 1985).
Thursday, June 24, 2004
MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER .......
....... Ireland , 1823 - the potato blight which struck in 1817 had left its mark ; but the population was on the increase , those that 'rented' land from the British 'Landlords' had been evicted to make way for cattle , the Irish 'secret societies' were fighting back as best they could . Turbulent times .......
The British Government in Westminster was worried enough to at least ask - " Looking ahead to fifteen years or more , what must this increase in population without employment end in ? I do not know ; I think it is terrible to reflect upon . " The Irish people would be doing well to live long enough to see the following day , never mind fifteen years down the road ...
A baby was born to a wealthy Dublin business couple in April that year (1823) and , after his schooling , that youth , Martin McDermott , studied as an architect - he began an apprenticeship in that trade with Patrick Byrne , an old Irish Rebel , who had been active with the United Irishmen in 1798 . When he became qualified at his trade , Martin McDermott moved to England to earn his living , and settled in Birkenhead .
However , the skill of architecture was not all that young McDermott learned from his mentor , Patrick Byrne .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
"....... Murt Twomey was on his way to visit Sean Jer when the Brits grabbed him and put him to work erecting their field tents ; he was hammering tent-pegs into the ground when the head of the mallet he was using flew off and smacked a Brit Sergeant on the head - the man grabbed his rifle ......."
" Murt thought his end had come ; but the British Sergeant cooled off and he and others contented themselves with telling Murt and his fellow-'workers' of the fun they would have in the evening when the IRA Column was brought in . Murt listened patiently , but said nothing . Presently , when that party had finished with their tents , they allowed their 'workers' to go . As he left the field , Murt saw a clip of ammunition on the ground , which he surreptitiously transferred to his pocket , and went towards home .
A few hundred yards ahead of him at the village cross he saw a British sentry ; dropping the ammunition clip into a convenient hole in the stone fence , he carried on . At the cross he was halted by the sentry and all his pockets were carefully searched . Soon , however , they got to know him and did not further trouble him - indeed , some of the British Tommies were anxious to open trade relations with him . One of them offered a fine pair of British Officer's leggings for three shillings ; Murt said he had no money about him , but credit was forthcoming and the gaiters were handed over . An appointment was made for the transfer of the hard cash .
However , each kept the appointment at a different rendezvous ; soon after , the Brit Tommy shocked and astonished some of the villagers as he went about inquiring for ".... that ****** Murt who had kept my three shillings . " Later on , Murt found him and the matter was amicably settled . Later on Sunday evening , I located the main camp of the enemy - it was situated very favourably relative to the Curragh Hill , I thought , as I went home in the twilight . I knew the ground well ; it would be easy , in the semi-darkness of the June night , to come down the western slope of Rahoona , slip across the Dubh-Glaise River and the road at Cathair Cearnach and , moving cautiously upwards over the eastern scrubby shoulder of the Curragh , approach to within four hundred yards of the huge growth of bell tents .
I might not succeed in doing much material damage , I reflected , but at least I would stir up the big hornet's nest ....... "
EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .......
BY PHIL CONNOR.
(First published in 'DUBLIN DIARY' magazine , Volume 1 , No. 3 , May 1989 , page 11.)
Re-produced here in 5 parts .
(4 of 5).
The 'Black convictions' and Christopher Black's word had been completely discredited ; the original convictions were overturned and all those imprisoned were set free . In other words , Paul Kane and his co-defendants had been wrongfully convicted and should never have spent a single minute in prison !
For Paul Kane , the nightmare is far from over ; having spent two years in prison awaiting trial , and a further three years inside after the escape , he is now sitting in Portlaoise Prison facing extradition purely for escaping from a jail he should never have been put in , in the first place . He has now spent the bulk of the last eight years in prison - all for nothing .
For himself , his wife , and three young daughters (one of whom was born while Paul Kane was living a fugitive existence in the South) the past eight years have been a living hell . The power to put an end to this nightmare and see justice done for this Irish family lies with the Fianna Fail Government ...
(MORE LATER).
....... Ireland , 1823 - the potato blight which struck in 1817 had left its mark ; but the population was on the increase , those that 'rented' land from the British 'Landlords' had been evicted to make way for cattle , the Irish 'secret societies' were fighting back as best they could . Turbulent times .......
The British Government in Westminster was worried enough to at least ask - " Looking ahead to fifteen years or more , what must this increase in population without employment end in ? I do not know ; I think it is terrible to reflect upon . " The Irish people would be doing well to live long enough to see the following day , never mind fifteen years down the road ...
A baby was born to a wealthy Dublin business couple in April that year (1823) and , after his schooling , that youth , Martin McDermott , studied as an architect - he began an apprenticeship in that trade with Patrick Byrne , an old Irish Rebel , who had been active with the United Irishmen in 1798 . When he became qualified at his trade , Martin McDermott moved to England to earn his living , and settled in Birkenhead .
However , the skill of architecture was not all that young McDermott learned from his mentor , Patrick Byrne .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
"....... Murt Twomey was on his way to visit Sean Jer when the Brits grabbed him and put him to work erecting their field tents ; he was hammering tent-pegs into the ground when the head of the mallet he was using flew off and smacked a Brit Sergeant on the head - the man grabbed his rifle ......."
" Murt thought his end had come ; but the British Sergeant cooled off and he and others contented themselves with telling Murt and his fellow-'workers' of the fun they would have in the evening when the IRA Column was brought in . Murt listened patiently , but said nothing . Presently , when that party had finished with their tents , they allowed their 'workers' to go . As he left the field , Murt saw a clip of ammunition on the ground , which he surreptitiously transferred to his pocket , and went towards home .
A few hundred yards ahead of him at the village cross he saw a British sentry ; dropping the ammunition clip into a convenient hole in the stone fence , he carried on . At the cross he was halted by the sentry and all his pockets were carefully searched . Soon , however , they got to know him and did not further trouble him - indeed , some of the British Tommies were anxious to open trade relations with him . One of them offered a fine pair of British Officer's leggings for three shillings ; Murt said he had no money about him , but credit was forthcoming and the gaiters were handed over . An appointment was made for the transfer of the hard cash .
However , each kept the appointment at a different rendezvous ; soon after , the Brit Tommy shocked and astonished some of the villagers as he went about inquiring for ".... that ****** Murt who had kept my three shillings . " Later on , Murt found him and the matter was amicably settled . Later on Sunday evening , I located the main camp of the enemy - it was situated very favourably relative to the Curragh Hill , I thought , as I went home in the twilight . I knew the ground well ; it would be easy , in the semi-darkness of the June night , to come down the western slope of Rahoona , slip across the Dubh-Glaise River and the road at Cathair Cearnach and , moving cautiously upwards over the eastern scrubby shoulder of the Curragh , approach to within four hundred yards of the huge growth of bell tents .
I might not succeed in doing much material damage , I reflected , but at least I would stir up the big hornet's nest ....... "
EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .......
BY PHIL CONNOR.
(First published in 'DUBLIN DIARY' magazine , Volume 1 , No. 3 , May 1989 , page 11.)
Re-produced here in 5 parts .
(4 of 5).
The 'Black convictions' and Christopher Black's word had been completely discredited ; the original convictions were overturned and all those imprisoned were set free . In other words , Paul Kane and his co-defendants had been wrongfully convicted and should never have spent a single minute in prison !
For Paul Kane , the nightmare is far from over ; having spent two years in prison awaiting trial , and a further three years inside after the escape , he is now sitting in Portlaoise Prison facing extradition purely for escaping from a jail he should never have been put in , in the first place . He has now spent the bulk of the last eight years in prison - all for nothing .
For himself , his wife , and three young daughters (one of whom was born while Paul Kane was living a fugitive existence in the South) the past eight years have been a living hell . The power to put an end to this nightmare and see justice done for this Irish family lies with the Fianna Fail Government ...
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, June 23, 2004
MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER .......
....... Ireland , 19th Century - Agriculture was in a flux - tillage (crop) farming would not bring in as much money for the British 'Landlords' as pasture (livestock) farming would . An increase in profits could be had by 'Landlords' by putting 'their' land to a different use : but the 'tenants' used the land for tillage , not for the pasture of animals .......
So the 'tenants' were evicted ; thousands of Irish 'peasant' families were moved-on , and took what little refuge they could find in the mountains - they attempted to cut into the stone and rock to make ridges where potatoes could be grown to feed themselves . These ' channel's ' became known as 'Lazy Beds' and there remains are still visible today , two centuries later , on mountain slopes .
The year 1823 also saw Daniel O'Connell and the 'Catholic Association' , with the help of the Catholic Church , moving amongst the dispossessed to get their support in pleading for better conditions to be bestowed by the British ; others , too, were organising , but had no time for gentle words of pleading - the secret societies of the Whiteboys , Oakboys , Moonlighters , the Steelboys and the Defenders , who were taking direct action in defence of their livelihood , such as it was , against the British .
The effects of the 1817 potato blight was still being felt ; there was a population increase , evictions , open battles between 'Landlords' and the secret societies : turbulent times.......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
"....... Murt Twomey , one of our lads , was a witness to the stranger in the field being shot at by the Brits - they missed him , but Sean Jer , walking with his cow nearby , fell to the ground . Murt ran to try and help him but had to seek refuge in the man's cottage as the Brits were now firing at him ......."
" A British Army Officer and some troops stormed the cottage - eventually , Murt Twomey persuaded them to help him bring Sean Jer indoors , and lay him in a comfortable position , as he was suffering terrible pain . Then , after further parley , they allowed Murt to go in search of a priest and a doctor . He returned to the village after a fruitless quest , and was challenged by some British Auxiliaries who were present in great strength : " What are you doing to and fro here for some time ? " they demanded . " I am looking for a priest and doctor for a man who was shot over there , " Murt replied . " Who shot him ? " they said . " It must have been some of your men, " came the answer . " Can you prove that ? " they said threateningly , as they gathered around him ; Murt wisely compromised by saying that he could not .
He told the Auxies that he had been sent by a British Military Officer on his mission , and he was let go . He then met another Brit Officer who again questioned him , and Murt asked him for the service of a Military doctor ; the Brit directed him to the Red Cross station where he found a doctor who agreed to attend to Sean Jer . On the following morning , Murt went to see Sean but was taken by a party of British soldiers and , with a few other local men , ordered to help at the erection of 'bell tents' on the inch near the bridge . Murt made a bad start - a mallet was handed to him and he was directed to drive some pegs into the ground . Aiming a vicious blow at one of the pegs , the head of the mallet flew off and struck a British Sergeant on the head ...
...mad with rage and pain , the Brit snatched up a rifle ......."
(MORE LATER).
EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .......
BY PHIL CONNOR.
(First published in 'DUBLIN DIARY' magazine , Volume 1 , No. 3 , May 1989 , page 11.)
Re-produced here in 5 parts .
(3 of 5).
As a victim of this system , and knowing himself wrongfully imprisoned , Paul Kane took part in the September 1983 Mass escape from the H-Blocks . He was recaptured shortly afterwards and returned to prison until October 1986 when he was released on bail over the escape charges .
Having little confidence in British justice , and having his life threatened a number of times , Paul Kane decided to flee South ; he was arrested in Cavan in November 1987 , following actions by the Gardai which were later the subject of Court proceedings and raised serious questions about garda behaviour .
Since then he has been held in Portlaoise Prison on British extradition warrants ; in the meantime the 'Black' convictions and Christopher Black's word have been completely discredited . The original convictions were overturned and all those imprisoned were set free ...
(MORE LATER).
....... Ireland , 19th Century - Agriculture was in a flux - tillage (crop) farming would not bring in as much money for the British 'Landlords' as pasture (livestock) farming would . An increase in profits could be had by 'Landlords' by putting 'their' land to a different use : but the 'tenants' used the land for tillage , not for the pasture of animals .......
So the 'tenants' were evicted ; thousands of Irish 'peasant' families were moved-on , and took what little refuge they could find in the mountains - they attempted to cut into the stone and rock to make ridges where potatoes could be grown to feed themselves . These ' channel's ' became known as 'Lazy Beds' and there remains are still visible today , two centuries later , on mountain slopes .
The year 1823 also saw Daniel O'Connell and the 'Catholic Association' , with the help of the Catholic Church , moving amongst the dispossessed to get their support in pleading for better conditions to be bestowed by the British ; others , too, were organising , but had no time for gentle words of pleading - the secret societies of the Whiteboys , Oakboys , Moonlighters , the Steelboys and the Defenders , who were taking direct action in defence of their livelihood , such as it was , against the British .
The effects of the 1817 potato blight was still being felt ; there was a population increase , evictions , open battles between 'Landlords' and the secret societies : turbulent times.......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
"....... Murt Twomey , one of our lads , was a witness to the stranger in the field being shot at by the Brits - they missed him , but Sean Jer , walking with his cow nearby , fell to the ground . Murt ran to try and help him but had to seek refuge in the man's cottage as the Brits were now firing at him ......."
" A British Army Officer and some troops stormed the cottage - eventually , Murt Twomey persuaded them to help him bring Sean Jer indoors , and lay him in a comfortable position , as he was suffering terrible pain . Then , after further parley , they allowed Murt to go in search of a priest and a doctor . He returned to the village after a fruitless quest , and was challenged by some British Auxiliaries who were present in great strength : " What are you doing to and fro here for some time ? " they demanded . " I am looking for a priest and doctor for a man who was shot over there , " Murt replied . " Who shot him ? " they said . " It must have been some of your men, " came the answer . " Can you prove that ? " they said threateningly , as they gathered around him ; Murt wisely compromised by saying that he could not .
He told the Auxies that he had been sent by a British Military Officer on his mission , and he was let go . He then met another Brit Officer who again questioned him , and Murt asked him for the service of a Military doctor ; the Brit directed him to the Red Cross station where he found a doctor who agreed to attend to Sean Jer . On the following morning , Murt went to see Sean but was taken by a party of British soldiers and , with a few other local men , ordered to help at the erection of 'bell tents' on the inch near the bridge . Murt made a bad start - a mallet was handed to him and he was directed to drive some pegs into the ground . Aiming a vicious blow at one of the pegs , the head of the mallet flew off and struck a British Sergeant on the head ...
...mad with rage and pain , the Brit snatched up a rifle ......."
(MORE LATER).
EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .......
BY PHIL CONNOR.
(First published in 'DUBLIN DIARY' magazine , Volume 1 , No. 3 , May 1989 , page 11.)
Re-produced here in 5 parts .
(3 of 5).
As a victim of this system , and knowing himself wrongfully imprisoned , Paul Kane took part in the September 1983 Mass escape from the H-Blocks . He was recaptured shortly afterwards and returned to prison until October 1986 when he was released on bail over the escape charges .
Having little confidence in British justice , and having his life threatened a number of times , Paul Kane decided to flee South ; he was arrested in Cavan in November 1987 , following actions by the Gardai which were later the subject of Court proceedings and raised serious questions about garda behaviour .
Since then he has been held in Portlaoise Prison on British extradition warrants ; in the meantime the 'Black' convictions and Christopher Black's word have been completely discredited . The original convictions were overturned and all those imprisoned were set free ...
(MORE LATER).
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER .
Ireland , 1823 ; eight years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and eight years , also , after the agricultural 'boom' in Ireland had begun a downwards trend ; the all-important wheat crop was not now the saviour it had been .
The price per hundredweight of wheat fell by 34 per-cent , from 17 shillings 6 pence to 11 shillings 6 pence ; the 'peasant' farmer and his family , the 'labourers of the land' , went from bad to worse - but the 'rent' still had to be paid to the British 'Landlord' , who noticed that the demand for cattle had increased ...
...but his 'tenants' were geared-up for tillage , not pasture ; the 'Landlord' was losing money.......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......During the search for IRA Volunteers by the British Army , one of our lads , Murt Twomey , decided to pass them on the road - he was not known to them , but if he fled they would shoot him for running ....... "
" Murt called out his two dogs to take with him and walked away to the south as far as the bridge over the River Sullane ; here he waited until he saw the advance Column of British troops enter the village . The road from the village turns eastwards after crossing the river on its southern side , and about a hundred yards from the bridge , stood Sean Jer's cottage - Sean was the father of one of our best Volunteers .
Sean Jer himself was at home , but none of his sons were with him ; as the British soldiers entered the village , about four hundred yards away , a few people were on the road near his cottage - one of them was a visitor to the district and knew no better : he should have walked away to the east along the road , which was sheltered by a good fence , but instead he leaped over the southern fence and ran straight up the high fields of the Curragh Hill in view of the Brits ...
...a heavy rifle-fire was immediately directed at him - he escaped , but Sean Jer , coming out to drive his cow to safety was himself mortally wounded . Murt Twomey , under cover of the road fence , managed to reach the cottage and dash in under fire from the Brits - the shooting was maintained and a stream of bullets passed through the open door . Presently , a British Army Officer with a party of troops arrived ......."
(MORE LATER).
EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .......
BY PHIL CONNOR.
(First published in 'DUBLIN DIARY' magazine , Volume 1 , No. 3 , May 1989 , page 11.)
Re-produced here in 5 parts .
(2 of 5).
In November 1981 , Paul Kane was arrested and charged , along with 37 others, with a number of incidents , on the word of 'supergrass' Christopher Black . After the longest trial in British and Irish legal history , all 38 defendants were convicted solely on Black's uncorroborated testimony . Paul Kane was sentenced to 18 years in August 1983 and sent to the H-Blocks .
The 'supergrass' system was condemned by all the parties in the South and by both Nationalist and Unionist leaders in the North ; one of the most forceful denunciations of the administration of justice in the North came from none other than Charles J. Haughey - in November 1985 , he described it as "...an appalling system of supergrass , paid informers , mass trials , discredited court procedures , imprisonment without trial (and) police techniques which are more appropriate to a totalitarian regime than to a parliamentary democracy . "
(MORE LATER).
Ireland , 1823 ; eight years after the end of the Napoleonic Wars and eight years , also , after the agricultural 'boom' in Ireland had begun a downwards trend ; the all-important wheat crop was not now the saviour it had been .
The price per hundredweight of wheat fell by 34 per-cent , from 17 shillings 6 pence to 11 shillings 6 pence ; the 'peasant' farmer and his family , the 'labourers of the land' , went from bad to worse - but the 'rent' still had to be paid to the British 'Landlord' , who noticed that the demand for cattle had increased ...
...but his 'tenants' were geared-up for tillage , not pasture ; the 'Landlord' was losing money.......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......During the search for IRA Volunteers by the British Army , one of our lads , Murt Twomey , decided to pass them on the road - he was not known to them , but if he fled they would shoot him for running ....... "
" Murt called out his two dogs to take with him and walked away to the south as far as the bridge over the River Sullane ; here he waited until he saw the advance Column of British troops enter the village . The road from the village turns eastwards after crossing the river on its southern side , and about a hundred yards from the bridge , stood Sean Jer's cottage - Sean was the father of one of our best Volunteers .
Sean Jer himself was at home , but none of his sons were with him ; as the British soldiers entered the village , about four hundred yards away , a few people were on the road near his cottage - one of them was a visitor to the district and knew no better : he should have walked away to the east along the road , which was sheltered by a good fence , but instead he leaped over the southern fence and ran straight up the high fields of the Curragh Hill in view of the Brits ...
...a heavy rifle-fire was immediately directed at him - he escaped , but Sean Jer , coming out to drive his cow to safety was himself mortally wounded . Murt Twomey , under cover of the road fence , managed to reach the cottage and dash in under fire from the Brits - the shooting was maintained and a stream of bullets passed through the open door . Presently , a British Army Officer with a party of troops arrived ......."
(MORE LATER).
EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .......
BY PHIL CONNOR.
(First published in 'DUBLIN DIARY' magazine , Volume 1 , No. 3 , May 1989 , page 11.)
Re-produced here in 5 parts .
(2 of 5).
In November 1981 , Paul Kane was arrested and charged , along with 37 others, with a number of incidents , on the word of 'supergrass' Christopher Black . After the longest trial in British and Irish legal history , all 38 defendants were convicted solely on Black's uncorroborated testimony . Paul Kane was sentenced to 18 years in August 1983 and sent to the H-Blocks .
The 'supergrass' system was condemned by all the parties in the South and by both Nationalist and Unionist leaders in the North ; one of the most forceful denunciations of the administration of justice in the North came from none other than Charles J. Haughey - in November 1985 , he described it as "...an appalling system of supergrass , paid informers , mass trials , discredited court procedures , imprisonment without trial (and) police techniques which are more appropriate to a totalitarian regime than to a parliamentary democracy . "
(MORE LATER).
Monday, June 21, 2004
JOHN SADLEIR and WILLIAM KEOGH - 19th Century Irish Turncoats .......
....... John Sadleir , ex-'Independent Irish Party' MP and now 'Lord of The Treasury' in a British 'Whig' Administration in Westminster and owner of a Bank in Tipperary , lived the 'good life' - but could'nt afford to 'keep up' with his new friends ; so he borrowed over a million pounds from his Tipperary Bank , was found out , and topped himself in 1856 .......
However , Sadleir's old buddy , the British Solicitor-General for Ireland , William Keogh (ex-'Independent Irish Party' MP) , somehow managed to 'soldier-on' ; he became a Judge for his British pay-masters during the infamous Fenian Trials of 1865-1867 , where he verbally cracked many an Irish Rebel skull , saving his employers from getting their hands even more bloodier . His conscience must have eventually got the better of him because , in 1878 , he , too, killed himself . It could only make you wonder that , had he a Bank to embezzle , would he have lived longer ?
Perhaps Oscar Wilde summed-up people like John Sadleir and William Keogh (and their 21st Century equivalents) when he wrote - " I know how people chatter in England . The middle classes air their moral prejudices over their gross dinner-tables , and whisper about what they call the profligacies of their betters in order to try and pretend that they are in smart society , and on intimate terms with the people they slander ! "
[END of ' JOHN SADLEIR and WILLIAM KEOGH - 19th Century Irish Turncoats .......'].
(Tomorrow : 'MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER').
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
......." 10,000 armed British troops and Auxiliaries out 'hunting' for the IRA in our area ; they were using young and old men as 'target practice' , and then arguing between themselves as to who was the better shot ......."
" It was said at the time that the enemy forces , ten-thousand in number , had converged on the Claodach Valley to encircle and destroy an IRA Army of one thousand men ; now there was no such thing , even scattered over the whole of Munster . The odds against a thousand men would have been ten to one , had such an IRA Army existed . The British force , moving from every point of the compass on Claodach , interviewed every person they met , and had the same story for everyone - 'One thousand IRA men ' were waiting for them in Claodach .
Had the Brits been really certain of this they would not have advanced with such confidence ; fifty men was about the number they expected to take in - that would provide them with ample 'sport' for the day . But twenty times fifty ? What a pity such a force could not have been waiting for them ! But , could it have been mustered , it would not have been waiting in Claodach for them to call ; it would have been down on them before then to meet the Brits on the Ballyvourney Road . As I watched them march past on that evening I looked in vain for some flanking protection for the massed battalions , but there was none . They just marched stolidly through Coolnacahera and Poul na Bro .
Had they dreamt that a thousand IRA men were assembled within six miles of them , their disposition would have been entirely different . On Sunday afternoon , a local IRA Volunteer, Murt Twomey , left the village in good time before the influx of foreign troops to Ballyvourney ; while walking uphill to the north , he decided that to keep on in that direction , or perhaps to the west or south , would end only in his capture a long way from home . He decided to return and , since there was little chance of his being identified as an IRA Volunteer , to pass off as a peaceful citizen ......."
(MORE LATER).
EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .
BY PHIL CONNOR.
(First published in 'DUBLIN DIARY' magazine , Volume 1 , No. 3 , May 1989 , page 11.)
Re-produced here in 5 parts .
(1 of 5).
Four men presently sit in Portlaoise Prison awaiting extradition to the north ; one of them - Belfastman Paul Kane - could be handed , or dragged , across the border any time from the first week in April .
Regardless of any arguments for or against extradition in general , Paul Kane's case seems unanswerable ; when , for instance , leading anti-extradition campaigner and long-time Fianna Fail member Nora Comiskey publicly challenged Progressive Democrat spokesperson Anne Colley , through the pages of the Irish Times newspaper to justify extradition , Colley (who had previously argued in favour of it) , was unable to reply .
Kane's argument against extradition hinges on the fact that he is wanted for escaping from a jail where he was wrongfully imprisoned in the first place .......
(MORE LATER).
....... John Sadleir , ex-'Independent Irish Party' MP and now 'Lord of The Treasury' in a British 'Whig' Administration in Westminster and owner of a Bank in Tipperary , lived the 'good life' - but could'nt afford to 'keep up' with his new friends ; so he borrowed over a million pounds from his Tipperary Bank , was found out , and topped himself in 1856 .......
However , Sadleir's old buddy , the British Solicitor-General for Ireland , William Keogh (ex-'Independent Irish Party' MP) , somehow managed to 'soldier-on' ; he became a Judge for his British pay-masters during the infamous Fenian Trials of 1865-1867 , where he verbally cracked many an Irish Rebel skull , saving his employers from getting their hands even more bloodier . His conscience must have eventually got the better of him because , in 1878 , he , too, killed himself . It could only make you wonder that , had he a Bank to embezzle , would he have lived longer ?
Perhaps Oscar Wilde summed-up people like John Sadleir and William Keogh (and their 21st Century equivalents) when he wrote - " I know how people chatter in England . The middle classes air their moral prejudices over their gross dinner-tables , and whisper about what they call the profligacies of their betters in order to try and pretend that they are in smart society , and on intimate terms with the people they slander ! "
[END of ' JOHN SADLEIR and WILLIAM KEOGH - 19th Century Irish Turncoats .......'].
(Tomorrow : 'MARTIN McDERMOTT , 1823-1905 : YOUNG IRELANDER').
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
......." 10,000 armed British troops and Auxiliaries out 'hunting' for the IRA in our area ; they were using young and old men as 'target practice' , and then arguing between themselves as to who was the better shot ......."
" It was said at the time that the enemy forces , ten-thousand in number , had converged on the Claodach Valley to encircle and destroy an IRA Army of one thousand men ; now there was no such thing , even scattered over the whole of Munster . The odds against a thousand men would have been ten to one , had such an IRA Army existed . The British force , moving from every point of the compass on Claodach , interviewed every person they met , and had the same story for everyone - 'One thousand IRA men ' were waiting for them in Claodach .
Had the Brits been really certain of this they would not have advanced with such confidence ; fifty men was about the number they expected to take in - that would provide them with ample 'sport' for the day . But twenty times fifty ? What a pity such a force could not have been waiting for them ! But , could it have been mustered , it would not have been waiting in Claodach for them to call ; it would have been down on them before then to meet the Brits on the Ballyvourney Road . As I watched them march past on that evening I looked in vain for some flanking protection for the massed battalions , but there was none . They just marched stolidly through Coolnacahera and Poul na Bro .
Had they dreamt that a thousand IRA men were assembled within six miles of them , their disposition would have been entirely different . On Sunday afternoon , a local IRA Volunteer, Murt Twomey , left the village in good time before the influx of foreign troops to Ballyvourney ; while walking uphill to the north , he decided that to keep on in that direction , or perhaps to the west or south , would end only in his capture a long way from home . He decided to return and , since there was little chance of his being identified as an IRA Volunteer , to pass off as a peaceful citizen ......."
(MORE LATER).
EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE .
BY PHIL CONNOR.
(First published in 'DUBLIN DIARY' magazine , Volume 1 , No. 3 , May 1989 , page 11.)
Re-produced here in 5 parts .
(1 of 5).
Four men presently sit in Portlaoise Prison awaiting extradition to the north ; one of them - Belfastman Paul Kane - could be handed , or dragged , across the border any time from the first week in April .
Regardless of any arguments for or against extradition in general , Paul Kane's case seems unanswerable ; when , for instance , leading anti-extradition campaigner and long-time Fianna Fail member Nora Comiskey publicly challenged Progressive Democrat spokesperson Anne Colley , through the pages of the Irish Times newspaper to justify extradition , Colley (who had previously argued in favour of it) , was unable to reply .
Kane's argument against extradition hinges on the fact that he is wanted for escaping from a jail where he was wrongfully imprisoned in the first place .......
(MORE LATER).
Sunday, June 20, 2004
JOHN SADLEIR and WILLIAM KEOGH - 19th Century Irish Turncoats .......
.......Two of the top 'Independent Irish Party' MP's , John Sadleir and William Keogh , 'jumped ship' from the 'IIP' to the British 'Whigs' , for personal gain : a 'top job' each in a British Administration - history repeats ...
As 'Lord of The (British) Treasury ' , John Sadleir (ex- 'IIP' MP) aspired to a lifestyle which he no doubt considered to be his of right - he was , after all , a British Minister and he also owned , by now , ( No - not a holiday-home in Donegal !) a community-type Bank/Financial House , in Ireland - the 'Tipperary Joint-Stock Bank' : however , such was his taste for the fine life and his desire to 'keep in' with his new 'friends' , when his Bank was found to be shy by over one million pounds the shame was too much for him - he killed himself in 1856 .
However , his old buddy , the British Solicitor-General for Ireland , William Keogh (ex-'IIP' MP) , somehow managed to 'soldier-on' and was asked to perform another task for his British pay-masters .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......I was 'dug-in' on the Rahoona Mountains , covered by heather ; then the procession of enemy forces came into view below me - at least ten-thousand strong , all armed , and complete with field equipment . An impressive display ......."
" Beside the regular British Army troops and their gear , the Auxiliaries with their Crossleys gave me the impression that , apart from the cat , very few had been left to mind the house ... Having seen this methodical and massive movement of British military force , from east to west , I was left in no doubt about its objective - it would be some point beyond the village of Ballyvourney to the west or north of it . In fact , it proved to be the valley of Claodach at the foot of the Paps Mountain .
The valley of Claodach is a deep pocket between the hills , four miles to the north-west of Ballyvourney ; from a military point of view it was a veritable cul-de-sac , with only one long winding road leading into it from the west at that time . This would , in the ordinary way , have been an advantage , since enemy lorries could not converge on the glen . But the incursion of infantry from all sides was made feasible by the unusually fine weather . So , early on a Monday morning , a ring of steel was closed around Claodach ; ten-thousand armed men made up that circle which , as the day wore on , gradually contracted .
It was a real 'day out' for the British , a day on the moors ; every man , young or old , was shot at on sight ; an old man at the county border , near the Killarney Road , was gazing upwards at an aeroplane when a volley was fired at him . A bullet grazed his throat , but missed the vital arteries ; the poor harmless old man never dreamt that the 'sportsmen' were out for Irish blood that day . From early morning until late afternoon the firing went on - two young men were killed early in the day on a hilltop north of the Claodach Valley ; evidently they had moved away from the northern contracting arc of the 'ring of steel' , expecting to find safety somewhere to the south .
Like grouse or other game , however , they were 'flushed out' of their native heather to provide targets for the British warriors ; they killed them , and then disputed among themselves as to who were the successful marksmen . Their shooting would , no doubt , have been far less accurate had the poor young lads had any kind of a firearm with which to return even an occasional shot ..."
(MORE LATER).
ETHIOPIA - A Brief History .......
(First published in 'HOT PRESS' Magazine , 6th May 1988 , Volume 12 , No. 8 , page 28).
Re-produced here in 10 parts .
[10 of 10].
Lauded as Africa's statesman , Haile Selassie witnessed the location of the Organisation of African Unity at Addis Ababa in 1963 as a further tribute to Ethiopia's endurance during the colonial era . But his rule became increasingly devoted to its own self-perpetuation ; abroad , he posed as a sage and gradual moderniser but , in fact , imperial Ethiopia was archaic .
Between 1963 and 1973 , only 4.2 per cent of state expenditure went to agriculture in this overwhelmingly rural country ; in 1974 , 91 per cent of the population was illiterate - the 'peasantry' were subject to a grinding feudal system whereby 75 per cent of their meagre incomes went in taxes to the Emperor and his aristocratic associates , who monopolised land ownership .
With 'peasant' initiative punished , there was no incentive to improve agricultural production .
[END of 'ETHIOPIA - A Brief History .......'].
(Tomorrow - EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE ; from 1989 .)
.......Two of the top 'Independent Irish Party' MP's , John Sadleir and William Keogh , 'jumped ship' from the 'IIP' to the British 'Whigs' , for personal gain : a 'top job' each in a British Administration - history repeats ...
As 'Lord of The (British) Treasury ' , John Sadleir (ex- 'IIP' MP) aspired to a lifestyle which he no doubt considered to be his of right - he was , after all , a British Minister and he also owned , by now , ( No - not a holiday-home in Donegal !) a community-type Bank/Financial House , in Ireland - the 'Tipperary Joint-Stock Bank' : however , such was his taste for the fine life and his desire to 'keep in' with his new 'friends' , when his Bank was found to be shy by over one million pounds the shame was too much for him - he killed himself in 1856 .
However , his old buddy , the British Solicitor-General for Ireland , William Keogh (ex-'IIP' MP) , somehow managed to 'soldier-on' and was asked to perform another task for his British pay-masters .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
1921 - The Big Round-Up.......
".......I was 'dug-in' on the Rahoona Mountains , covered by heather ; then the procession of enemy forces came into view below me - at least ten-thousand strong , all armed , and complete with field equipment . An impressive display ......."
" Beside the regular British Army troops and their gear , the Auxiliaries with their Crossleys gave me the impression that , apart from the cat , very few had been left to mind the house ... Having seen this methodical and massive movement of British military force , from east to west , I was left in no doubt about its objective - it would be some point beyond the village of Ballyvourney to the west or north of it . In fact , it proved to be the valley of Claodach at the foot of the Paps Mountain .
The valley of Claodach is a deep pocket between the hills , four miles to the north-west of Ballyvourney ; from a military point of view it was a veritable cul-de-sac , with only one long winding road leading into it from the west at that time . This would , in the ordinary way , have been an advantage , since enemy lorries could not converge on the glen . But the incursion of infantry from all sides was made feasible by the unusually fine weather . So , early on a Monday morning , a ring of steel was closed around Claodach ; ten-thousand armed men made up that circle which , as the day wore on , gradually contracted .
It was a real 'day out' for the British , a day on the moors ; every man , young or old , was shot at on sight ; an old man at the county border , near the Killarney Road , was gazing upwards at an aeroplane when a volley was fired at him . A bullet grazed his throat , but missed the vital arteries ; the poor harmless old man never dreamt that the 'sportsmen' were out for Irish blood that day . From early morning until late afternoon the firing went on - two young men were killed early in the day on a hilltop north of the Claodach Valley ; evidently they had moved away from the northern contracting arc of the 'ring of steel' , expecting to find safety somewhere to the south .
Like grouse or other game , however , they were 'flushed out' of their native heather to provide targets for the British warriors ; they killed them , and then disputed among themselves as to who were the successful marksmen . Their shooting would , no doubt , have been far less accurate had the poor young lads had any kind of a firearm with which to return even an occasional shot ..."
(MORE LATER).
ETHIOPIA - A Brief History .......
(First published in 'HOT PRESS' Magazine , 6th May 1988 , Volume 12 , No. 8 , page 28).
Re-produced here in 10 parts .
[10 of 10].
Lauded as Africa's statesman , Haile Selassie witnessed the location of the Organisation of African Unity at Addis Ababa in 1963 as a further tribute to Ethiopia's endurance during the colonial era . But his rule became increasingly devoted to its own self-perpetuation ; abroad , he posed as a sage and gradual moderniser but , in fact , imperial Ethiopia was archaic .
Between 1963 and 1973 , only 4.2 per cent of state expenditure went to agriculture in this overwhelmingly rural country ; in 1974 , 91 per cent of the population was illiterate - the 'peasantry' were subject to a grinding feudal system whereby 75 per cent of their meagre incomes went in taxes to the Emperor and his aristocratic associates , who monopolised land ownership .
With 'peasant' initiative punished , there was no incentive to improve agricultural production .
[END of 'ETHIOPIA - A Brief History .......'].
(Tomorrow - EXTRADITING CITIZEN KANE ; from 1989 .)
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