Annual Eve-Of-All-Ireland Rally -
DATE - Saturday 16th September 2006 .
Assemble at the Garden Of Remembrance at 2pm , for parade to the GPO .
Also , on this same Saturday (16th) , Republicans will be holding a 12-hour fast at the GPO in support of Irish Republican political prisoners .

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MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS .......
James Keegan died in Granard Garda Station last September (1986) . Earlier this month , an inquest was held in Longford to ascertain the cause of death.
The central question - how James Keegan managed to tear a blanket and hang himself within four minutes - still remains unanswered .
DEREK DUNNE reports.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , February 1987 .

It was self-evident to the inquest that , taking both Jack Mahon's evidence , along with that of Dr. John Harbison , at least ten minutes had elapsed between the time the tearing of the blanket took place and the time of death .

Garda John Boyle made three statements about the death : in the first he made no mention of the fact that he had taken a three-quarters of an hour break . Neither did he mention that the prisoners had been searched in his first statement . It was in his third statement that he clarified matters further by stating that he had checked the prisoners from the doorway . Garda Eugene Watters made three statements also about the death , while Garda David Martin made two statements .

The jury of three women and five men took just a few minutes to bring in a verdict in accordance with the medical evidence . They also added a rider to their verdict , which was aimed at the (State) Department of Justice , to the effect that the quality of blankets in cells could be improved to prevent further similar tragedies . The (State) Attorney General , in a highly unusual move , was represented at the inquest in order , he explained to the court , that events would be seen to proceed fairly.......
(MORE LATER).



THE HEAVY HAND OF THE LAW .
Allegations of Garda brutality only hit the headlines intermittently . But the problem may be much more widespread than most people imagine . Last year out-of-court settlements of cases involving members of the Garda cost the taxpayer over €1 million . What's going on ?
From 'MAGILL' magazine , April 2003 .
By Mairead Carey.

Last year (ie 2002) the taxpayer footed a bill of over €1 million in out-of-court settlements involving members of the Garda . On the list of these cases provided to 'Magill' magazine by the (State) Department of Justice under the Freedom of Information Act , no names are mentioned , no Garda stations listed . In fact , there is more information blacked out than revealed .

In the opinion of the deciding officer in the (State) Department of Justice , there are "...no public interest factors (requirement for openness , exposure of wrongdoing/corruption , mismanagement of public funds) in favour of release which outweigh the right to privacy of the individual to whom the information relates . " Claims for assault and wrongful arrest are common , but no information is available to show whether or not the same gardai or even the same stations feature in different settlements .

Some of the largest claims apparently don't warrant any description at all . The action by 'Claimant 65' in the year 2000 cost the taxpayer £225,000 but no information is given as to why that money was paid out.......
(MORE LATER).




VINCENT BROWNE : PILLARS OF SOCIETY .
Vincent Browne is the nearest thing to Robert Maxwell that Ireland has got - in style , if not in scale .
From 'PHOENIX' magazine , 1985.

Vincent Browne's manner of handling awkward trade-unionists was best exemplified last week when he gave NUJ President-elect , Ray McGuigan , a shoulder-charge , followed up by a right hook to the body . Minutes earlier , a dismayed Sunday Tribune financial controller , Martin Dobey , had pulled Vincent Browne off Ray McGuigan , who had pleaded with Browne to re-enter negotiations on staffing-levels and back-monies promised to the paper's journalists .

But the near-hatred that Vincent Browne engenders in many of his journalists and Dublin NUJ members is matched by bottomless admiration from many in the business world . The commercial staff of 'The Sunday Tribune' , too , venerate Browne who is seen as the dynamic saviour of a perpetually threatened newspaper .

The mini-magnate of Irish publishing is either loved or loathed , with most colleagues experiencing both emotions at different times depending on Browne's vagaries or the prevailing circumstances . Guinness Peat Aviation boss , Tony Ryan , was at first enamoured of the editor's tough , independent and dynamic character , and sank almost half a million pounds into the newspaper before relations between the two deteriorated almost to the level of last week's encounter with Ray McGuigan.......
(MORE LATER).

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MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS .......
James Keegan died in Granard Garda Station last September (1986) . Earlier this month , an inquest was held in Longford to ascertain the cause of death.
The central question - how James Keegan managed to tear a blanket and hang himself within four minutes - still remains unanswered .
DEREK DUNNE reports.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , February 1987 .

Dr. John Harbison found that , in effect , James Keegan died not from hanging but from strangulation which was self inflicted . He had 135 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood , with a higher reading for his urine . According to Dr. Harbison , James Keegan was only slightly over the limit , which might have affected his manual dexterity .

He placed the time necessary for performing all the various actions including tearing the blanket , tying it up and so on , at ten minutes . That time might have been increased by his alcohol level . Dr. Harbison found other unexplained marks on the body : there were three small grazes on the neck , a small scratch on the back of the neck and a scratch at the root of the neck , and the doctor offered the explanation that some of these injuries could have been caused by the loosening of the noose , or the laying out of the body .

There was also bruising on the spine , and shoulder bruising , which was not part of the hanging process . Neither were the marks on the neck typical of noose marks . There were further unexplained puncture marks on the right groin . No drugs or poisons were found in the body . While Dr. John Harbison was pressed by the solicitor for the gardai into stating that he could not exclude totally the possibility of death due to a heart attack , neither could he positively say that there was evidence of death by hanging.......
(MORE LATER).



THE QUALITY OF JUSTICE IS STRAINED.......
Many who fully support the concept of law and order cannot but feel some disquiet about developments in recent years .
From 'New Hibernia' magazine , April 1987 .
('Editorial' page)

The legal system and the law enforcement policies which go with it are there for the protection of society , for everyone . In a democratic system the State has a right and a duty to protect itself and its citizens . Other regimes operate on the basis of maintaining order and give scant regard for law in doing so ; this works , at least in the short-term but , almost invariably , it works at the expense of ordinary , law-abiding citizens .

Should the Irish public not be entitled to a legal and law enforcement system which is above most , if not all , suspicion ? Are they getting it ?

The former deputy Chief Constable of the Manchester Area , John Stalker (and here) , made a very telling point in a recent interview when he distinguished between evidence and very well-founded opinion : asked if there had been a conspiracy against him , he replied that , as a former policeman , he did not have proof of such a conspiracy , but , as a man , he had no doubt . Some members of the public , looking from the other side of the mirror , may feel similarly about the legal system at times .
[END of 'THE QUALITY OF JUSTICE IS STRAINED'].
(Next - 'The Heavy Hand of The Law' : from 2003)



A HARD 'OUL STATION : LIFE ON THE STREETS .......
From 'NEW HIBERNIA' magazine , March 1987 .

The trojan work of the people in the Simon Community is highly laudable - nobody asks them to do it . Last year the Dublin branch of the Simon Community got a paltry grant of £15,000 from the State politicians , but to run the night shelter , the soup run and the residential house in the neighbouring Sean MacDermott Street costs somewhere in the region of £270,000 a year .

Last year (ie 1986) the politicians gave a grant of £315,000 to local authorities to enable them to look after stray dogs!

It is no wonder that many people who work with the homeless in this State feel let down by successive political administrations . Because they have been .

[END of 'A HARD 'OUL STATION : LIFE ON THE STREETS']
(Next - 'VINCENT BROWNE : PILLARS OF SOCIETY' - from 1985)

'1169...' Comment : before we leave the issue of homelessness , we want to bring the following to your attention -
Frederic Ozanam , who founded the Society of St. Vincent de Paul , defined its role as - " The question which is agitating the world today is a social one . It is a struggle between those who have nothing and those who have too much . It is the violent clash of opulence and poverty which is shaking the ground under our feet .

Our duty , as Christians , is to throw ourselves between these two camps in order to accomplish , through charity , what justice alone cannot do . "


" There is only one class in the community that thinks more about money than the rich , and that is the poor . The poor can think of nothing else . That is the misery of being poor . " - Oscar Wilde .


Could I suggest that , as we rush around in our car , on the journey from our house to our job - only to be stuck , yet again , in a traffic jam - that we reflect on how fortunate we are in that we enjoy reasonably good health , we have a home , a car and a job . We have family , friends , colleagues and comrades . As John from this parish is fond of saying - "...sure is'nt there many in Glasnevin would love it.."


Sharon.
Also , useful information here . Thanks .

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A picket in support of the prisoners in Maghaberry Prison who are currently fighting for political status will be held at the GPO, Dublin on Saturday, September 2nd 2006 at 12:45pm .


Annual Eve-Of-All-Ireland Rally -
DATE - Saturday 16th September 2006 .
Assemble at the Garden Of Remembrance at 2pm , for parade to the GPO .
Also , on this same Saturday (16th) , Republicans will be holding a 12-hour fast at the GPO in support of Irish Republican political prisoners .

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MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS .......
James Keegan died in Granard Garda Station last September (1986) . Earlier this month , an inquest was held in Longford to ascertain the cause of death.
The central question - how James Keegan managed to tear a blanket and hang himself within four minutes - still remains unanswered .
DEREK DUNNE reports.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , February 1987 .

Even supposing that Jack Mahon is wrong about the time , due to the amount of drink he had taken , there is other evidence to suggest that James Keegan could not have carried out everything he was supposed to have done in the four minutes between 2.45am and 2.49am .

Dr. Donohue was called to Granard garda station and arrived at 3.05am , sixteen minutes after the discovery of the body ; he noticed no piece of blanket hanging from the bars of the cell and , in fact , did not even know that James Keegan had hanged himself . He had been treating James Keegan for a heart complaint and thought that the man had suffered a heart attack . He proceeded to administer a heart stimulent - to no effect . In any event it made no difference . On the RTE News the following morning , the doctor heard that James Keegan had hanged himself ; he visited the garda station again . He saw the torn piece of blanket tied to the cell bars .

Two post mortems were carried out : the first was done by a Dr. Cunnane , and the second was performed by State Pathologist Dr. John Harbison . While their findings were slightly different , they were not inconsistent . Dr. Harbison found that death was due to asphyxia (lack of air to the lungs) and cerebral anoxia (compression of arteries and veins in the neck) . In effect , James Keegan died not from hanging , but from strangulation which was self inflicted.......
(MORE LATER).



THE QUALITY OF JUSTICE IS STRAINED.......
Many who fully support the concept of law and order cannot but feel some disquiet about developments in recent years .
From 'New Hibernia' magazine , April 1987 .
('Editorial' page)

People have died in Garda Stations in circumstances where the State accepted responsibility and paid compensation to relatives . People have been ill-treated in Garda stations and this has been accepted by the Courts . In no case has it been possible to find evidence to convict any garda responsible . A death in Bunratty , in County Clare , has never been satisfactorily explained . The failure to come to terms with these isolated incidents can only damage the very high reputation of the Garda , a reputation and a public acceptance which is envied by police forces throughout the democratic world * . ( * '1169...' Comment - .......or at least in Garda Headquarters !)

Irish (sic- 26-County State) courts , Judges and justices have shown an amazing inconsistency in passing sentence on convicted criminals . A foreign national recently walked free after being convicted of the possession of a very substantial quantity of herion : it was speculated widely that an address in certain parts of Dublin could have earned that woman a sentence of up to 10 years .

People whose work takes them to the District Courts on a regular basis claim that , very often , justice is of the 'hit and miss' variety , with sentencing apparently at the whim of the particular District Justice in some cases.......
(MORE LATER).



A HARD 'OUL STATION : LIFE ON THE STREETS .......
From 'NEW HIBERNIA' magazine , March 1987 .

At 2.15am there are about twelve men and women in the kitchen area : some of them are chatting and some of them are asleep on the floor . Tea is available for them right through the night . The two women that were found sleeping in a doorway only a short while ago are annoyed that there is no bed for them , but finally accept that they will have to try and get the head down in the kitchen . It is warmer there than the doorway of a bookshop .

Once the co-workers have gone , plans get underway for the breakfast which will be served at nine in the morning , then the preparation for the lunch begins . Some of the residents will help out in the shelter if they stay . Dinner is always between 7pm and 7.30 pm - the routine is always the same and the faces seldom change .

Some of the residents live in hope of bettering their plight , others are doomed to live out their lives moving from shelter to shelter or from doorway to doorway , trying to hold on to what little they have left.......
(MORE LATER).

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MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS .......
James Keegan died in Granard Garda Station last September (1986) . Earlier this month , an inquest was held in Longford to ascertain the cause of death.
The central question - how James Keegan managed to tear a blanket and hang himself within four minutes - still remains unanswered .
DEREK DUNNE reports.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , February 1987 .

James Keegan and Jack Mahon knew each other for about twenty-five years ; during their incarceration they talked about old times and James Keegan sang a number of songs , some of them more than once . Jack Mahon said that at around 2am he looked at his watch and noted the time . Shortly afterwards , James Keegan said " Jack , I'll never be in a cell again . This is the last time I'll be behind these bars ". Jack Mahon told James Keegan that he would be getting out shortly . James Keegan said he was going to hang himself .

Throughout the period when both men were in their cells , Jack Mahon said that he never saw a garda , although he could hear footsteps . Mahon said that Keegan tore at something for about ten minutes in the corner of his cell and that he then wrapped a piece of blanket around the bars of his cell . Mahon says that he was calling for the gardai but that nobody came : James Keegan then tied the blanket to his neck , slumped forward with his hands down by his sides , gave a few snorts , and then there was silence .

Mahon said that it was between thirty and forty-five minutes between the time James Keegan started to tear the blanket and when Garda John Boyle came into the cell . While Jack Mahon's evidence was made to appear vague and unspecific at times during the inquest - for example , he could not be sure if James Keegan tied the blanket to the bars or his neck first - the general thrust was the same as his statement . If he was correct about the time scale , then it should have been possible to see James Keegan perform some of his last acts at 2.45am , the time at which Garda John Boyle says he last checked the two men.......
(MORE LATER).



THE QUALITY OF JUSTICE IS STRAINED.......
Many who fully support the concept of law and order cannot but feel some disquiet about developments in recent years .
From 'New Hibernia' magazine , April 1987 .
('Editorial' page)

The Dublin Administration have decided to investigate , rather belatedly , some of the allegations made by Messrs Colin Wallace and Fred Holroyd , two former British intelligence officers . Many will ask why substantial , albeit far from conclusive , evidence of British intelligence involvement in the indiscriminate bombing of civilians , murders and kidnappings did not merit very thorough investigation before now .

Unhappily , convictions in Irish (ie Free State) courts , as in Britain , are not above suspicion any longer . The Sallins mail robbery had its moments of farce with a Judge who , unfortunately , as later events were to show was dying , asleep on the bench during much of the trial . This was ignored even when drawn to the attention of the Court by independent witnesses . That , of course , was a case with political overtones , a fact which may have lessened public concern - this despite the fact that there should be absolutely no distinction between politically-motivated 'crime' and any other crime when they come before the Courts .

Apart from any politically-related 'crimes' , there is much in Irish (ie Free State) law enforcement which not everyone will feel proud of . The notorious Kerry Babies case was , in the view of many , handled in a very heavy-handed way both by the gardai who originally investigated it and by the subsequent Tribunal which investigated it.......
(MORE LATER).



A HARD 'OUL STATION : LIFE ON THE STREETS .......
From 'NEW HIBERNIA' magazine , March 1987 .

The visits go on until nearly 2am . The circumstances of the people we meet don't really change : the one thing they do have in common is that they are homeless and 'living' in miserable conditions .

The last visit is to a chap called Michael who is living in a disused car in a car park off Kevin Street . The stench from the car is nauseating - mouldy sandwiches , sour milk and rotten fruit are scattered throughout the car . Whiskey and wine bottles by the dozen . Michael is permanently in bad health as a result of his chronic drinking bouts .

At 2am all the co-workers return to the hostel where they write up their comments on the people they visited . This is so the workers on the route the next night can check up on the people they are due to visit . The stories some of the other soup run workers have to tell seemed less harrowing . Probably . One of the women they visited in the flats had been badly beaten up and was afraid to divulge the name and identity of her attacker . It was'nt the first time either . Another group bring back two women they found sleeping in a doorway . There are no beds left for them and they will have to sleep in the kitchen area.......
(MORE LATER).

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A picket in support of the prisoners in Maghaberry Prison who are currently fighting for political status will be held at the GPO, Dublin on Saturday, September 2nd 2006 at 12:45pm .


Annual Eve-Of-All-Ireland Rally -
DATE - Saturday 16th September 2006 .
Assemble at the Garden Of Remembrance at 2pm , for parade to the GPO .
Also , on this same Saturday (16th) , Republicans will be holding a 12-hour fast at the GPO in support of Irish Republican political prisoners .

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MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS .......
James Keegan died in Granard Garda Station last September (1986) . Earlier this month , an inquest was held in Longford to ascertain the cause of death.
The central question - how James Keegan managed to tear a blanket and hang himself within four minutes - still remains unanswered .
DEREK DUNNE reports.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , February 1987 .

At 2.45am , according to the garda evidence at the inquest , Garda John Boyle said that he came back from his break and went straight in to check the prisoners without any consultation with Garda Eugene Watters . Garda David Martin had been in the Garda Station between 2am and 2.45am , according to the evidence , despite the fact that he had been off duty since 2am . He said that he was catching up on some writing he had to do . He lived only 200 yards from the Station . He could not remember who was in the office , or much of what went on , but he says that he left for home around 2.45am .

At 2.49am , as a result of some particularly loud shouting on the part of Jack Mahon , Garda John Boyle went into the cells : Mahon pointed to the other cell . James Keegan was hanging from a torn blanket wrapped around the bars of the cell . His feet were on the ground and he was facing the cell door . Garda John Boyle opened the cell door , relieved the weight of the body and freed James Keegan - he took him over to the bunk-bed and found that his pulse was weak but his heart was still beating . He radioed Garda Eugene Watters to get a doctor and when he returned to the cell James Keegan was dead . He tried artificial respiration without success . Dr. Donohue was called .

The purpose of an inquest is not to apportion either criminal or civil liability ; the purpose is to find out who died , where they died , when they died and how they died . Jack Mahon was immediately driven home by the gardai and was released without Garda John Boyle asking him what had happened . In the circumstances of the moment , this would appear natural enough . Garda Boyle , in his own words , "...could see quite clearly what had happened.. " . Jack Mahon made a statement to the gardai in which he set out the sequence of events from the vantage point of his cell , across the hall from James Keegan.......
(MORE LATER).



THE QUALITY OF JUSTICE IS STRAINED.......
Many who fully support the concept of law and order cannot but feel some disquiet about developments in recent years .
From 'New Hibernia' magazine , April 1987 .
('Editorial' page)

The British response to the mounting evidence of innocence rather than guilt has done little to inspire confidence ; the British judiciary appears to take the view that nothing should be done : re-trials which overturned previous convictions would show that mistakes had been made , a development which the judiciary cannot contemplate . The British Government has allowed this approach to stand .

Nowhere is there an indication of any realisation by the British government that the case for putting bombers behind bars is not helped by jailing innocent people . Concern about the judicial system is not confined to cases which have political overtones ; multi-channel television viewers in Ireland had the opportunity recently of seeing the process used to convict four men of the murder of Carl Bridgewater - one of the convicted , an Irishman , has since died in jail . The television evidence of innocence appeared to be considerably stronger than the evidence originally used to convict the four men .

Matters could be worse in all cases , of course , and they may well be in the near future . The lives of , possibly innocent, people which have been wrecked by long terms of imprisonment could have been ended if the death penalty , a penalty for which there is increasing demand in Britain , applied . In Ireland , the cases may not be quite as stark or as strong but one does not have to search far to find cause for concern about the entire system of law enforcement and security . Successive Irish governments (sic) appeared to prefer to ignore allegations of British security involvement in criminal activity , including very many murders in this State.......
(MORE LATER).


A HARD 'OUL STATION : LIFE ON THE STREETS .......
From 'NEW HIBERNIA' magazine , March 1987 .

Ringsend is our next stop , to see a man called Pat , who sleeps in a small hut on waste ground near the Pigeon House : he is a real loner and the 'soup run' workers always have a problem tracking him down . Usually they leave his food with a night-watchman nearby but , when they have managed to catch up with him they have found it extremely hard to talk to him , as he prefers to be left alone .

Joe is another customer : one can find him along the beach at Sandymount ; he is a lively character and is well liked around the area . By the time we get to him he is fast asleep in his little Barna shed which was donated to him by an anonymous person when they heard that someone had burned his last one down . Joe is a small bearded man with all the presence of the archetypal English colonel , and is as deaf as a post . He has been waiting for some time now for the Health Board to get him a hearing aid . He loves to talk about Barry McGuigan , and had an autographed poster of him in his last hut but it was lost in the fire . You would love to stop and talk a little longer but it is getting late and there are several more calls to make .

A disused shed in Rathgar is where you will find Eamon : he is a traveller in his mid-sixties , with a face which is both weather-worn and scarred from fighting . The shed is cold and extremely damp . He is surprised to see us , and has been drinking all day as his dole money is gone . He , like all of our customers tonight , was glad of the soup . He explains to us why he had a board along the door which would'nt close properly - it was to keep the rats out , but they had no problem whatsoever in getting in anyway . Earlier on that day somebody stole Eamon's blankets and he now needed new ones . His trousers were also badly torn , and Peter will organise for the workers on the soup run the next night to bring him a new pair.......
(MORE LATER).

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Annual H-Block Hunger Strike Commemoration -
VENUE - Bundoran , County Donegal .
DATE - Saturday 26th August 2006 .
SPEAKER - Mary Ward .
Assemble at East End , 3pm .


A picket in support of the prisoners in Maghaberry Prison who are currently fighting for political status will be held at the GPO, Dublin on Saturday, September 2nd 2006 at 12:45pm .


Annual Eve-Of-All-Ireland Rally -
DATE - Saturday 16th September 2006 .
Assemble at the Garden Of Remembrance at 2pm , for parade to the GPO .
Also , on this same Saturday (16th) , Republicans will be holding a 12-hour fast at the GPO in support of Irish Republican political prisoners .

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MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS .......
James Keegan died in Granard Garda Station last September (1986) . Earlier this month , an inquest was held in Longford to ascertain the cause of death.
The central question - how James Keegan managed to tear a blanket and hang himself within four minutes - still remains unanswered .
DEREK DUNNE reports.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , February 1987 .

At 1.30am , Garda John Boyle recorded in the Garda Station Diary that all was well and quiet , and he recorded something similar for 1.45am . But there is a problem in relation to both these entries in the Station Diary : there are two entries for the Diary for these times .

One entry had 'all quiet' , but the second entry had Jack Mahon shouting and James Keegan singing . Garda John Boyle explained the two entries by the fact that he was relieved at 2am and had to make sure the Diary was up to date when he was asked by Garda Eugene Watters . He had forgotten making the earlier entries . He made the second entries in a 'flurry' , because he was also dealing with correspondence at the time , he said . He denied at the inquest that he made the entries in the Diary other than at the time he checked the prisoners .

At 2am , Garda John Boyle went to a nearby house for a refreshment break and Garda Eugene Watters took over . At 2.12am , Garda Watters recorded that James Keegan was singing and that Jack Mahon was shouting . He was afterwards to say that he could not understand Jack Mahon and had no idea what he was shouting about other than a general desire to get out of the cell . At 2.30am , Garda Watters recorded that James Keegan was still singing and that Jack Mahon was still shouting to get out.......
(MORE LATER).



THE QUALITY OF JUSTICE IS STRAINED.
Many who fully support the concept of law and order cannot but feel some disquiet about developments in recent years .
From 'New Hibernia' magazine , April 1987 .
('Editorial' page)

In this State and in Britain and the North of Ireland - the territories of main concern to Irish citizens in this regard - there has been some substantial , if not conclusive , evidence that the authorities are more concerned with maintaining 'order' than ensuring that a fair judicial system is seen to operate .

The Irish Government (sic) cannot fail to take note of events in Britain : apart from their duty * towards Irish people who have been forced to emigrate to earn a livelihood , there is the immediate issue of extradition . ( * '1169...' Comment : those self-serving career politicians in Leinster House see it as their 'duty' to fleece the electorate , to secure State contracts for their friends and supporters and to ensure that their own financial future is guaranteed by (mis)use of their Office . Time was when all this took place 'behind the scenes' , but not now : they are blatant about it , knowing that their own type will close ranks around them to protect them . Who knows - their colleagues may need similar assistance in the days ahead .)

Cases such as the Birmingham Six , the Guildford Four and the Maguires do little to re-assure many , both in Ireland and Britain , about the much-vaunted 'quality' of British justice . It is not so long ago that raising questions about cases such as these carried the risk of being branded a fellow-traveller of the IRA . Now that journalists - mainly British - have cast such huge doubts on those convictions , can there be many who are still satisfied that , in any or all of those cases , the bombers were the people who were convicted....... ?
(MORE LATER).



A HARD 'OUL STATION : LIFE ON THE STREETS .......
From 'NEW HIBERNIA' magazine , March 1987 .

Buswells Hotel and Leinster House are a visible hive of activity . The last few seats in the General (ie 26 County) Election are being filled : the bar in Leinster House is crammed with the TD's (sic - Leinster House members) who will form the next administration . Mary , who sleeps in a doorway in Molesworth Street , could'nt give two tosses about them . She is cold . She lost her coat during the day and only has three blankets and a cardigan to keep her warm . She is glad of the soup and sandwiches . Mary has been sleeping rough for years , and every so often she mentions the fact that she is going back to London to live . She has been saying that for years . The social workers have tried their best to get her into the shelter but she reckons it would be the death of her .

Around the corner from Mary's miserable little night dwelling and the palatial splendour of Leinster House , Tom is also curled up and covered with lankets ; at first he does'nt know who it is that is interrupting his well deserved sleep , but soon recognises the friendly faces and sits up to have his soup and sandwiches . He tells us that he likes to go to the pictures - that he loves horror films . He does'nt like Crocodile Dundee , that Paul Hogan is a show-off ! Indeed , his knowledge of film is quite extensive : James Stewart is a "brilliant actor" , but John Wayne was another show-off . Barry Norman eat your heart out ! Tom asks us if Mary is alright . He was wondering where she was because he had'nt seen her all day . A group of people heading off in the direction of the fashionable Pink Elephant Nightclub look on . Tom complains about the noise coming from the club , and tells us that he went up and asked the
bouncers to turn the music down but they told him to "fuck off..." .

Ringsend is the next stop , to see a man called Pat.......
(MORE LATER).

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UPCOMING REPUBLICAN EVENTS :


Annual Bobby Sands Commemorative Lecture -
VENUE - Wynns Hotel , 35 Lower Abbey Streey , Dublin 1 .
DATE - Tuesday , 22nd August 2006 .
TIME - 7.30pm .
SPEAKER - Peig Galligan .
No Admission Charge ; ALL WELCOME !



Annual H-Block Hunger Strike Commemoration -
VENUE - Bundoran , County Donegal .
DATE - Saturday 26th August 2006 .
SPEAKER - Mary Ward .
Assemble at East End , 3pm .


A picket in support of the prisoners in Maghaberry Prison who are currently fighting for political status will be held at the GPO, Dublin on Saturday, September 2nd 2006 at 12:45pm .


Annual Eve-Of-All-Ireland Rally -
DATE - Saturday 16th September 2006 .
Assemble at the Garden Of Remembrance at 2pm , for parade to the GPO .
Also , on this same Saturday (16th) , Republicans will be holding a 12-hour fast at the GPO in support of Irish Republican political prisoners .

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MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS .......
James Keegan died in Granard Garda Station last September (1986) . Earlier this month , an inquest was held in Longford to ascertain the cause of death.
The central question - how James Keegan managed to tear a blanket and hang himself within four minutes - still remains unanswered .
DEREK DUNNE reports.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , February 1987 .

As Garda Eugene Watters was handing James Keegan over to Garda John Boyle , he heard shouting on the street ; it was Jack Mahon - he had been in the town for twelve hours and spent most of that time moving from pub to pub . Garda Eugene Watters went outside and arrested Jack Mahon for being drunk and incapable and handed him over to Garda John Boyle : both James Keegan and Jack Mahon were placed in separate cells .

As Station Orderly , Garda John Boyle had certain responsibility towards the two prisoners ; his responsibilities involved taking charge of the two men , carrying out a search , removing any objects with which they might harm themselves , securing them in their cells and looking after their well-being . In order to look after their well-being , he was obliged to check them every fifteen minutes . The garda in charge is also obliged to write into the Station Diary anything found on a prisoner . In James Keegan's case , a box of matches and an old cigarette butt were allegedly found and removed , but no mention was made of this in the Station Diary . In any case , blood pressure tablets and Librium were afterwards found on James Keegan which the garda had apparently failed to locate .

Twelve midnight : Garda John Boyle says he checked both men from the doorway leading into the cells , but did not actually go in to check . He says that he was reluctant to go in because both men were shouting or singing at various times , and that Jack Mahon in particular was calling for immediate release . Between midnight and 1am , he says that he checked both men in this way . At 1.15am , Garda Boyle recorded that James Keegan was singing and that Jack Mahon was shouting.......
(MORE LATER).



KERRY GARDA CRISIS .......

There is a crisis among the Gardai in Kerry and it is much deeper than one of morale . For years the Kerry Detective force has enjoyed a free hand in dealing with Section 30 cases in this heavily Republican county .
But the free rein given in these cases has had the inevitably corrupting effect . Now individual Gardai are being fingered for conduct that most of them had taken for normal : the heat is now on . Only the fall-guys remain to be named .......
From 'The Phoenix' magazine , February 1985 .

THE AOH CRISIS :
The Gardai's abuse of their powers usually comes to light only when they offend the powerful or articulate . Thus it was when - without warrant or invitation - the Gardai searched the hotel rooms of American delegates to the 'Ancient Order of Hibernians' Convention in Killarney , County Kerry , and seized a banner . When furious delegates realised that their rooms had been entered in their absence , they contacted their embassy to complain .

Shortly afterwards , an abject Detective Garda Kingston was despatched to explain to delegates that Gardai had searched their rooms 'soley to protect them from a possible subversive bomb attack' ! There was no credible explanation for the removal of the AOH banner .

[END of 'Kerry Garda Crisis']
(Next - ' The Quality of Justice is Strained' : from 1987.)


A HARD 'OUL STATION : LIFE ON THE STREETS .......
From 'NEW HIBERNIA' magazine , March 1987 .

The first port of call was a special meeting point down by Heuston Station , Dublin : at around 10.15pm , a group of three young men , in their early twenties , had gathered for the soup and sandwiches . Most other nights there are a few more . These young men were staying in the (Dublin) Corporation's Model Hostel nearby : it cost them 70p a night and they say that it is fairly strict there . Once out on the street the workers on the 'soup run' treat young and old alike - it is only in the hostel that the 'over forty' rule applies .

One of the young men is a chap called Pat , who came to Ireland almost a year ago to do a thesis on the country as part of his degree course at the University of New York . Pat spent some time in a flat but the landlord kept putting the rent up so he was forced to move out soon afterwards , and had no other alternative but to go to the Model Hostel . He soon found himself in trouble with the Gardai and is awaiting the decision of an appeal he has lodged on the case . In the meantime he can do nothing and he has been waiting for money to be sent from home , but it does'nt look like it is coming . The other two young men have very little to say for themselves , but are glad to get the hot soup and the sandwiches - it is freezing cold weather . They are also given some cigarettes .

Moving on to the fashionable area surrounding Molesworth Street we approach a small frail-looking woman named Mary , who is lying curled up in a ball in a doorway . The blankets cover her totally and she is sound asleep.......
(MORE LATER).

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UPCOMING REPUBLICAN EVENTS :


Annual Bobby Sands Commemorative Lecture -
VENUE - Wynns Hotel , 35 Lower Abbey Streey , Dublin 1 .
DATE - Tuesday , 22nd August 2006 .
TIME - 7.30pm .
SPEAKER - Peig Galligan .
No Admission Charge ; ALL WELCOME !



Annual H-Block Hunger Strike Commemoration -
VENUE - Bundoran , County Donegal .
DATE - Saturday 26th August 2006 .
SPEAKER - Mary Ward .
Assemble at East End , 3pm .


A picket in support of the prisoners in Maghaberry Prison who are currently fighting for political status will be held at the GPO, Dublin on Saturday, September 2nd 2006 at 12:45pm .


Annual Eve-Of-All-Ireland Rally -
DATE - Saturday 16th September 2006 .
Assemble at the Garden Of Remembrance at 2pm , for parade to the GPO .
Also , on this same Saturday (16th) , Republicans will be holding a 12-hour fast at the GPO in support of Irish Republican political prisoners .

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MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS .......
James Keegan died in Granard Garda Station last September (1986) . Earlier this month , an inquest was held in Longford to ascertain the cause of death.
The central question - how James Keegan managed to tear a blanket and hang himself within four minutes - still remains unanswered .
DEREK DUNNE reports.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , February 1987 .

James Keegan had been hospitalised on several occasions for a heart condition and alcoholism . In September 1986 he spent three weeks in Lisdarn Hospital in Cavan for heart problems . On 25 September 1986 , he was just four days out of hospital ; on that day , he left his home , located about three miles from Granard , and went into town to collect the dole .

At around 3pm , James Keegan was seen by Ban Garda Mary Doogue outside McEvoy's Chemist shop : he went over to talk to her . She did not think he was drunk . James Keegan often talked to her when he saw her on the street . Half an hour later he climbed into a van belonging to Gerry Maguire who was delivering eggs . Maguire was afraid that James Keegan might fall in front of a car so he left him home . Later that day Keegan thumbed a lift back into Granard .

Around 10.15pm , Ban Garda Mary Doogue saw James Keegan again - this time he was standing at a corner with a bottle of stout in his hand . At 11.50pm , Garda Eugene Watters and Garda David Martin were driving in their patrol car and as they passed the Greville Arms Hotel , a man staggered out onto the road - he had a bottle of stout in his hands and , according to the Gardai , he was shouting a lot . Garda Eugene Watters arrested the man for being drunk and incapable , brought him to the Garda Barracks and handed him over to Garda John Boyle , who was the Station Orderly for the night.......
(MORE LATER).



KERRY GARDA CRISIS .......

There is a crisis among the Gardai in Kerry and it is much deeper than one of morale . For years the Kerry Detective force has enjoyed a free hand in dealing with Section 30 cases in this heavily Republican county .
But the free rein given in these cases has had the inevitably corrupting effect . Now individual Gardai are being fingered for conduct that most of them had taken for normal : the heat is now on . Only the fall-guys remain to be named .......
From 'The Phoenix' magazine , February 1985 .

James Sheehan was handcuffed and dragged by the hair to another room in Tralee Garda Station , where the questioning continued . Shortly afterwards , a senior detective came into the room and , seeing the wound on Sheehan's hand , decided he needed stitches . Sheehan was brought , still handcuffed , to the hospital where he received three sets of stitches to his hand , and was then returned to the Garda Barracks in Tralee : he signed nothing and was released after 24 hours .

In the same year (1982) , another Irish Republican , Gerald Shea , was brought to Tralee Garda Barracks and he too managed to have an altercation with a window (!) in an upper-floor room of the building . Gerald Shea required a dozen stitches .

THE MICK DAY CASE :
Mick Day was arrested under Section 30 in the summer of 1981 , in the Cahirciveen area of Kerry . He was taken to the local Garda station where he spent an hour before being taken all the way to Killarney : there , he alleges , he was subjected to severe brutality which was way beyond the 'norm' . Local Republicans estimate it as the worst beating since the 1970's . Mick Day signed nothing and was released after 48 hours . Two days later , he was admitted to hospital where he spent a week .
Next - 'THE AOH CASE.......'
(MORE LATER).



A HARD 'OUL STATION : LIFE ON THE STREETS .......
From 'NEW HIBERNIA' magazine , March 1987 .

It is decided that I will go out with Peter and Anna and drive around the city looking for the people who are sleeping rough . Peter is the boss for the night - he is a tall , friendly Franciscan Brother living in Leopardstown , Dublin , while Anna is a warm and jolly person who works in a solicitor's office . They know exactly where to go , as word gets around very easily .

The people that sleep rough in Dublin are mainly very private people - very few of them will go into the shelter for the night as some of them stay away because they have drink problems , whilst others have serious psychiatric issues . It takes a great deal of time and patience to make friends with them and win over their confidence . Most of them have been on the streets for years , and anybody familiar with Dublin at all would recognise the faces .

Seeing them curled up like little babies and covered over with blankets in a doorway can be somewhat depressing , especially if it is 1.00 am and almost below freezing point.......
(MORE LATER).

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UPCOMING REPUBLICAN EVENTS :


Annual Bobby Sands Commemorative Lecture -
VENUE - Wynns Hotel , 35 Lower Abbey Streey , Dublin 1 .
DATE - Tuesday , 22nd August 2006 .
TIME - 7.30pm .
SPEAKER - Peig Galligan .
No Admission Charge ; ALL WELCOME !



Annual H-Block Hunger Strike Commemoration -
VENUE - Bundoran , County Donegal .
DATE - Saturday 26th August 2006 .
SPEAKER - Mary Ward .
Assemble at East End , 3pm .



Annual Eve-Of-All-Ireland Rally -
DATE - Saturday 16th September 2006 .
Assemble at the Garden Of Remembrance at 2pm , for parade to the GPO .
Also , on this same Saturday (16th) , Republicans will be holding a 12-hour fast at the GPO in support of Irish Republican political prisoners .

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MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS .
James Keegan died in Granard Garda Station last September (1986) . Earlier this month , an inquest was held in Longford to ascertain the cause of death.
The central question - how James Keegan managed to tear a blanket and hang himself within four minutes - still remains unanswered .
DEREK DUNNE reports.
From 'IN DUBLIN' magazine , February 1987 .

Jimmy Keegan lived with his brother three miles outside Granard , a small town in north County Longford : he was fifty-four years old and had been a cattle drover all his life . In the 1940's , '50s and '60s there was a good living to be made from cattle droving but , as marts began to replace fairs , Jimmy Keegan found that his livelihood was being eroded .

Some cattle drovers bought lorries and became more professional - others , for one reason or another , did not , including James Keegan . He was fond of drink and spent most of his money in that way . As a degree of prosperity made itself apparent in the 1960's he was left behind . In the 1970's and 1980's he survived by what he got from the dole and by selling ash plants to farmers at the local mart for one pound at a time . Locals regarded him as 'harmless' - he might make a nuisance of himself by singing in bars or on the street but he was never considered nasty or violent .

He was occasionally barred from pubs in Granard for his tendency to sing and generally create annoyance and he was well known to the gardai in the town . Sometimes they would pick him up and leave him home , or leave him in the garda station to sober up . He suffered from alcoholism , and he had a heart condition.......
(MORE LATER).



KERRY GARDA CRISIS .......

There is a crisis among the Gardai in Kerry and it is much deeper than one of morale . For years the Kerry Detective force has enjoyed a free hand in dealing with Section 30 cases in this heavily Republican county .
But the free rein given in these cases has had the inevitably corrupting effect . Now individual Gardai are being fingered for conduct that most of them had taken for normal : the heat is now on . Only the fall-guys remain to be named .......
From 'The Phoenix' magazine , February 1985 .

KERRY'S SHERCOCK ?
Rathmore schoolteacher Noel O' Sullivan died on the 28th of December 1981 after a visit to Kenmare Garda Station in the south of the county of Kerry . This case is now being openly spoken of as Kerry's Shercock .

According to the report of Cork City coroner , Con Riordan , Noel O' Sullivan's death was as a result of "...extradural haemorrhage and contusion of the brain due to fracture of the skull caused by trauma to the head " . The position at the moment is that civil proceedings were begun in January 1983 and are still awaiting trial .

THE SHEEHAN CASE :
James Sheehan was arrested under Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act in the summer of 1982 . He had 12 or 13 previous arrests : he was taken to Tralee Garda Station where , he alleges , local detectives told him they wanted 'yes' answers to a series of questions . He alleges they beat him and that , in the course of the beating , a window was broken and his hand was cut . He was then handcuffed and dragged by the hair to another room . The questioning continued.......
(MORE LATER).



A HARD 'OUL STATION : LIFE ON THE STREETS .......
From 'NEW HIBERNIA' magazine , March 1987 .

At around 7.45pm some of the co-workers arrive for their shift , and the full-time workers have a chance to go off for a pint or whatever until they come back again at 11.30pm . Again , like the full-time workers , the co-workers (part-timers) are a friendly bunch . A good many of the residents have gone off to bed at this stage , some of them are still sitting around in the kitchen area , chatting amongst themselves , and others are just sitting there looking on with blank expressions on their faces .

Downstairs in a small room another group of co-workers have arrived in to give up some of their time to the Simon Community . They will go out on the streets and visit people who are sleeping rough and give them soup and sandwiches . The 'soup run' takes place every night between 10.00pm and 2.00am and those working on it have full time jobs during the day - they are mainly young people and are drawn from all walks of life . They will split up into small groups , depending on the number of cars that are available , and some of those groups will visit people living in flats that Simon have managed to find for them while another group will seek out people sleeping rough .

The co-workers will arrive in the shelter anytime after 8.30pm to make the soup and the sandwiches : tonight it is beef , cheese and egg sandwiches as well as French onion soup and tea . One of the residents who seems to have been wandering around the shelter all day sits down and looks at the assembled night crew who , before they actually set off , are being 'paired' and having their destinations designated . On the way out one of the girls smiles and says to the rest " Let's be careful out there..." Too right - Dublin's Buckingham Street and its environs may not be like Hill Street but it sure is a tough area.......
(MORE LATER).

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PADDY COONEY'S ARMY .......
Not since the earliest days of the State has the role of the Irish Army (sic) been under such intense scrutiny . And not since the war years has it had such a forceful political master as Patrick Mark Cooney .
From 'The Phoenix' magazine , 3 February 1984 .

The State Army have been handed the excuse to assist in the maintenance of 'law and order' in the State by the incompetence of the Gardai , by the excesses of armed gangs within the State and by the paramilitary overflow from the North .

The present State Minister for Defence welcomes this extension of the State Army's role and would even like them be involved in "...curing the national (sic) malaise." Such developments coincide with very serious economic difficulties , unprecedented levels of unemployment and a burgeoning of the population . It all adds up to a trend towards authoritarian government , a trend that has become all too familiar in other parts of the world .

Is this what lies ahead for Paddy Cooney's Army ?
[END of 'PADDY COONEY'S ARMY']
(Next -'MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS' : from 1987.)


KERRY GARDA CRISIS .......

There is a crisis among the Gardai in Kerry and it is much deeper than one of morale . For years the Kerry Detective force has enjoyed a free hand in dealing with Section 30 cases in this heavily Republican county .
But the free rein given in these cases has had the inevitably corrupting effect . Now individual Gardai are being fingered for conduct that most of them had taken for normal : the heat is now on . Only the fall-guys remain to be named .......
From 'The Phoenix' magazine , February 1985 .

DONAL DUNNE FALLOUT :
Another conflict at the highest level inside the Gardai was followed by the transfer of the State's two most senior officers early last year .

Following the crash of the State car of the then State Minister for Justice , Sean Doherty , in Ballyduff 18 months ago , statements from the State Administration in Leinster House , the 'Government Information Service' and the Garda Press Office all stated that the driver , Detective Donal Dunne , had been driven straight to the Mount Brandon Hotel where Sean Doherty was staying .

At Dunne's trial the following June , prosecuting officer Garda Michael O' Donovan flatly contradicted this account and said he had driven the driver of the State car , Detective Donal Dunne , to Tralee Garda Station . At the time of the accident , Garda Michael O' Donovan had given his account of the incident to Superintendent John Riordan : Chief Superintendent John Doyle was also aware at the time that Garda Michael O' Donovan was at the scene of the crash .

Within 12 months of the trial , Superintendents John Doyle and John Riordan had been transferred to Dublin and Mallow (Cork) respectively .

Next - a case involving a schoolteacher became known as 'Kerry's Shercock' * (* see 'Chaos In The Gardai' , here.) .......
(MORE LATER).



A HARD 'OUL STATION : LIFE ON THE STREETS .......
From 'NEW HIBERNIA' magazine , March 1987 .

The workers dish out the dinner , but the soup does'nt seem to be too popular tonight , and not everyone wants dinner either . A woman who has just arrived in drunk and oblivious to all and sundry dances around the floor on her own . A quiet and refined-looking gent sits in the corner on his own eating his dinner and stares on in amazement . The woman who is dancing comes over to Simon Project Leader Gerry Fulham who is eating his dinner with the rest of the residents . She wants to talk to him privately - he is like a father figure to them all .

One man does'nt want anything but potatoes - lots of them . He is a northerner and looks at one of the workers in amazement ; he is not too sure if he recognises her . In the end he takes one mouthful of potato , leaves the rest and staggers off to have a look at the television in an adjoining room . By 7.30pm he is fast asleep . The man who could take on ten Gerry Fulhams staggers off to bed saying that if anybody snores in his room tonight , he will throw them out the window . The rooms are cold , but to heat them would cost far too much - and the Simon Community has'nt got the money . A sufficient number of blankets make up for it and if anybody needs more all they have to do is ask .

Some of the rooms are single , others have two or three or sometimes four beds . Again a stale stench emerges from most of the rooms but , for the residents , it is a million times better than sleeping rough , something most of them would have experienced at some stage or other.......
(MORE LATER).

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