STREET TALK .......
The name Tony Gregory was virtually unheard of outside Dublin before 1982 when he was elected to Leinster House as an independent in Dublin Central , a post he still holds . He made the headlines with the famous 'Gregory Deal' in the same year when , in return for his support , the Fianna Fail government pumped £76 million into the redevelopment of inner city housing .
By Sean Ó Donáile .
From 'USI NEWS' , February 1989.

Tony Gregory on the Provisional IRA :
" I think the Provisionals are irrelevant for the reason that they have no real grasp of the socio-economic realities in Ireland today . If they had carried out a military struggle against military targets ('1169...' Comment : Is Mr. Gregory not aware that campaigns were carried out against economic and military targets ?) they would have a great deal more support . Enniskillen pales in comparison to some of their atrocities committed over the last twenty years . But when you condemn the Provisionals you ignore the root causes of their existence which is the military occupation of the six counties , and a struggle is inevitable because of that ."

On Emigration - a 'safety valve' ? :
From the infamous 'coffin ships' right up to the present day the Irish have left in droves ('1169...' Comment - ...not always voluntarily..) and a 'Paddy' can be found in every corner of the globe , be it 'The National' in Kilburn, the 'Corrib' in Boston or in the West Indies where they were brought in Cromwellian times to pick crops and were called 'The White Niggers'. Tony Gregory believes that emigration has , and is , been used as a safety valve :

" The huge emigration of the 1950's was used as such . It prevented any sort of radical political development in the country , because the people worst affected left . It has made the country more inherently conservative and now , not only are people leaving , but they are being encouraged to leave by politicians and their like ."

[END of 'STREET TALK']
(Next : ' A Manifesto - Britain Must Withdraw Her Forces' , from 1958)



A QUESTION OF LIBERATION .......

Feminists and anti-imperialists in Ireland have often regarded each other's struggles with misunderstanding , mutual suspicion , and sometimes outright rejection . What then is the relationship between them ? Eibhlin Ni Gabhann surveys the emergence of women's liberation groups in Belfast and Dublin over the past decade or so , and some of the questions they have faced .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983.

Irish women have been brought up to model themselves on a certain image of 'the ideal woman' : a mixture of the passive and docile , and Pearse's Mother- stoic in suffering : " Lord , thou art hard on mothers : we suffer in their coming and their going , and tho' I grudge them not , I weary , weary , of the long sorrow..."

A woman's role was in the background , raising sons for Ireland , yet the 'Irish Mammy' was a figure of fun . Marriage or the nunnery were for years the only real choices , and yet women who did devote their lives to the family were then caricatured . Added to this were the blatant anti-woman laws of the Free State , which denied women rights to property or indeed any identity but that of chattel .

When in 1970 an 'Irish Women's Liberation Group' was formed in Dublin , as in Belfast , they were mainly middle-class , journalists and students . Four of its prominent members - Nell McCafferty, Mary Maher, Mary Kenny and June Levine - were all working as journalists on Free State daily newspapers . As in Belfast , too , the resistance struggle in the North was left unmentioned - Republicanism was dismissed as 'male politics' , while women involved in the Republican Movement were seen as 'fighting a man's war.......'

(MORE LATER).



REPUBLICAN EVICTIONS.......

Known members of the INLA were recruited to carry out a forced eviction of tenants in a Dublin house.
By Liz Walsh.
From 'MAGILL'magazine, June 1998 .

Saoirse Mullen said she was 'so frightened by the incident' she asked her boyfriend Michael Murphy to stay in the house until she found other accommodation : " Each night I used to put the chest of drawers up against the door to avoid a repetition of this assault , " she said . Thomas Gear , the landlord , then moved out of the house and into a hotel when one of the other tenants , Marguerite Beggan , threatened to report the attack on Saoirse Mullen .

A week after the incident , Saoirse Mullen was in the house at 8.15pm , when the front door opened and three men wearing baseball caps appeared . One of them was holding a sheet of paper containing the names of the occupants - this man was later identified as Gary Adams, of Muirhevnamore Estate in Dundalk , County Louth . " Right , I've been given orders to clear this house , " he said . Turning to Saoirse Mullen , he said " Get your stuff packed , you're leaving now."

She said that she felt scared and threatened as the men were verbally aggressive . She asked for more time to get her things together , as she had furniture and belongings to remove . Warning her not to telephone anyone , Gary Adams replied - " Right . 11pm we'll be back , you better be gone by then." Unknown to the men , however , they had been 'tailed' going to the house by Special Branch detectives who received a tip-off that the INLA was planning a 'job' in Dublin that night . The Branch watched Gary Adams , Damien Bond and Thomas Murray as they drove to a house at Whitehorn Close , Beaumont , owned by Bart O' Connor , an associate of Damien Bond's . There they took baseball caps , dark jackets and a lump hammer out of the boot of Gary Adam's car . All four got into a blue van driven by Bart O' Connor and headed for Castleknock , making several 'u-turns' along the way , apparently to avoid surveillance.......
(MORE LATER).

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1981-2007.

Bobby Sands, Belfast , 66 days, 5 May 1981.
Frank Hughes , Bellaghy (Derry) , 59 days, 12 May 1981.
Raymond McCreesh , South Armagh , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Patsy O Hara , Derry , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Joe McDonnell , Belfast , 61 days, 8 July 1981.
Martin Hurson , Tyrone , 46 days, 13 July 1981.
Kevin Lynch, Dungiven (Derry) ,71 days, 1 August 1981.
Kieran Doherty , Belfast , 73 days, 2 August 1981.
Tom McIlwee , Bellaghy (Derry) , 62 days, 8 August 1981.
Micky Devine , Derry , 60 days, 20 August 1981.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT...

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STREET TALK .......
The name Tony Gregory was virtually unheard of outside Dublin before 1982 when he was elected to Leinster House as an independent in Dublin Central , a post he still holds . He made the headlines with the famous 'Gregory Deal' in the same year when , in return for his support , the Fianna Fail government pumped £76 million into the redevelopment of inner city housing .
By Sean Ó Donáile .
From 'USI NEWS' , February 1989.

Tony Gregory on Education :

" Most of the children in my area never even get the chance to think of what type of education they want . Its a whole different world from those who grew up in an affluent background and those two worlds never meet . There is only one way to bridge that gap and that is by building a socialist state in this country . "

We asked him how would one go about doing that - will we not all turn into 'commie bashers' or should we keep 'the Reds under the beds' as we have been so often told ? He answered : " We must create an equal society and get rid of the privileges and wealth , currently in the hands of a minority . It's a matter of consciousness to create a more equal society and everybody plays a small part . It's a very slow process and because we are such a conservative people it will be slower here than elsewhere . We've been brainwashed into believing that what was going on in the socialist states was evil and bad , whereas the opposite was the case , the U.S. being the greatest tyranny in recent years . We must progress pragmatically and in a realistic fashion , step by step ."

But where do we begin the ascent of this ladder ? I continued to pry : " The National Question has to be resolved before getting anywhere near to a socialist solution in Ireland . It would be a major step forward to get the British out of Ireland , that is one of the primary steps ......."
(MORE LATER).




A QUESTION OF LIBERATION .......

Feminists and anti-imperialists in Ireland have often regarded each other's struggles with misunderstanding , mutual suspicion , and sometimes outright rejection . What then is the relationship between them ? Eibhlin Ni Gabhann surveys the emergence of women's liberation groups in Belfast and Dublin over the past decade or so , and some of the questions they have faced .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983.

At the All-Ireland Women's Conference in 1978, the 'Women Against Imperialism' group organised a tour of women relatives of political prisoners throughout the South , and publicised the situation of women in the Northern ghettos facing British Army and RUC repression . Together with women in Sinn Fein they were instrumental in the early efforts to publicise the conditions of women prisoners in Armagh Jail, and eleven members of Women Against Imperialism were arrested at a picket outside Armagh Jail on International Women's Day in 1979 .

Two of those women , Margaretta D'Arcy and Liz Lagrua, eventually served short sentences in Armagh Jail themselves as a result of their refusal to pay fines arising from the arrests . However , not long after the campaign organised to highlight those arrests and the subsequent court case , the 'Women Against Imperialism' group dissolved . Some of the women involved believed that the way forward for the women's issue was to take it up directly within the main anti-imperialist grouping , the Republican Movement , and that circumstances now favoured this more than had previously been the case .

At any rate , many of the Women Against Imperialism group went on to join Sinn Fein or the IRSP and to raise the question of women there . Down South , it was perhaps even more difficult for women to take up the issue of women's liberation.......
(MORE LATER).



REPUBLICAN EVICTIONS.

Known members of the INLA were recruited to carry out a forced eviction of tenants in a Dublin house.
By Liz Walsh.
From 'MAGILL'magazine, June 1998 .

A Dublin businessman paid a leading INLA man to evict his tenants after a young female tenant spurned his sexual advances . The businessman , Thomas Gear, a middle-aged jeweller , is now facing possible civil action by his young victim , 'Magill' magazine has learned .

The alleged leader of the INLA in the South , Gary Adams, was recently jailed for twelve months for his part in the illegal evictions ; his co-accused , Thomas Murray and Damien Bond , were also sentenced for taking part . Because all three pleaded guilty in the Special Criminal Court in Dublin to unlawful intimidation , few details emerged . However , statements obtained by 'MAGILL' show that the INLA gang were recruited indirectly by Thomas Gear in July 1996 , after his lodger , Saoirse Mullen , rejected his sexual approaches .

On July 23 1996 , Saoirse Mullen was asleep in her room at 8 Oaktree Drive , Castleknock , Dublin , when Thomas Gear arrived home after playing badminton . According to M/S Mullen , he 'barged' into her room , threw himself on top of her in the bed and started to kiss her forcibly . " He kept saying he loved me . I put my hands around his neck to push him off me , " she said . " I was screaming for my friend Marguerite to come and help me to get away ." Marguerite Beggan was also lodging in the house at the time.......
(MORE LATER).

(Please Note : a brief report and some photographs of yesterdays Eamonn Ceannt Commemoration can be found here.)

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Eamonn Ceannt:1881-1916.

"I shall die, like a man, for Ireland's sake."
-note written by Éamonn Ceannt to his wife, May 7th, 1916 , the day before he was executed by the British .

Éamonn Ceannt was an uileann piper, a member of the IRB Military Council and a signatory of the 1916 Proclamation. He was stationed in the South Dublin Union during the Rising of 1916. As a member of the Provisional Government he was executed by the British Army in Kilmainham Gaol on May 8th 1916.
A Republican Commemoration to honour Éamonn Ceannt will be held in the Crumlin area of Dublin , near to a 42-acre park named after the man, on Sunday August 19th 2007. Those attending are asked to assemble at 'Superquinn' on the Sundrive Road at One PM.

All Welcome!

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STREET TALK .......
The name Tony Gregory was virtually unheard of outside Dublin before 1982 when he was elected to Leinster House as an independent in Dublin Central , a post he still holds . He made the headlines with the famous 'Gregory Deal' in the same year when , in return for his support , the Fianna Fail government pumped £76 million into the redevelopment of inner city housing .
By Sean Ó Donáile .
From 'USI NEWS' , February 1989.

Tony Gregory talking about drug abuse :
" You only have to examine the recommendations of the 'Task Force' that they set up several years ago . Most of the recommendations have still not been implemented . Even by their own criteria , they are not doing enough . They never do. On the other hand , in cooperation with communities , the Garda Drug Units have been extremely successful in dealing with a lot of the heroin suppliers . Without the 'Concerned Parents Against Drugs' (CPAD), however , there would be a far more serious heroin problem today . As regards cannabis , though not a scientist , I can say that the vast majority of heroin users in my area have never been on cannabis before that ."

On 'AIDS' :
He reckons that for obvious reasons the AIDS problem will escalate - " ...but unfortunately we will all keep our heads in the sand until it becomes very serious ."

On education for all :
Reliable surveys have shown that one per-cent of all inner city youths enter third level colleges , compared with 45 per-cent in the Dublin 4 (ie 'upper-class') area . He was surprised that the figure was so 'high' for his area - " One could name the people from the inner city who have gone on to third level education . This is simply one aspect of an unjust society where the privileged get all the opportunities and the people in the centre of Dublin , or Cork or any other city get nothing . The government attempts to whitewash over these inequalities with pious statements such as 'Education For All' .

If you're a child growing up in Sheriff Street in Dublin, I don't think you're going to look to the government to help you get an equal footing in life......."
(MORE LATER).



A QUESTION OF LIBERATION .......

Feminists and anti-imperialists in Ireland have often regarded each other's struggles with misunderstanding , mutual suspicion , and sometimes outright rejection . What then is the relationship between them ? Eibhlin Ni Gabhann surveys the emergence of women's liberation groups in Belfast and Dublin over the past decade or so , and some of the questions they have faced .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983.


The 'Socialist Women's Group' was however itself critical of the failure of the Republican Movement , and of the women involved in it , to raise the question of women's rights either internally or as part of the liberation struggle . But it was another organisation formed by women in 1976 that was to prove the cause of the final split between the NIWRM and the Socialist Women's Group : the emergence of the 'Peace Women' and the totally opposed reaction to them by the two groups , highlighted their different political thinking . The NIWRM supported the new group , and a statement issued at the time voiced its "...general support for the peace movement.." and called on feminists in England to reject the 'Troops Out!' movement and to reject any women who supported the anti-imperialist war .

Its failure to see that the Peace Women were controlled and supported by the British , the media and the Church for cynical political reasons permanently isolated them from the politically active socialist women .

In 1977 , the 'Belfast Women's Collective' was formed to organise working-class women and to agitate for proper child care and more employment opportunities for women . But a more important development was the establishment of 'Women Against Imperialism' by women activists in the nationalist ghettos , mainly in West Belfast , many of whom had been working in the Relatives Action Committees campaigning for political status for republican prisoners in the H-Blocks and Armagh.......
(MORE LATER).




KERRY DEATH MYSTERY.......

From 'The Phoenix' magazine , January 2003.
(Note: as a result of our recent posts on this subject , a reader asked us to locate and publish this 'Phoenix' article . We are pleased to be able to do so.)


Asked by Garda Superintendent Pat O' Sullivan if John O' Shea had made a complaint to the Gardai or to a relative about his treatment at Tralee Garda Station , a family member said that he had not . Garda O' Sullivan rose to his feet at the end of the inquest and reminded the jury that 18 gardai had given evidence at the inquest , and stated that the Garda Síochána had nothing to hide and that all members involved acted in the proper way at all times .

However , the O' Shea family is now considering its options and may seek a judicial inquiry into the open verdict returned by the jury .

[END of 'KERRY DEATH MYSTERY']
(NEXT : 'REPUBLICAN EVICTIONS' - from 1998)

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Eamonn Ceannt:1881-1916.

"I shall die, like a man, for Ireland's sake."
-note written by Éamonn Ceannt to his wife, May 7th, 1916 , the day before he was executed by the British .

Éamonn Ceannt was an uileann piper, a member of the IRB Military Council and a signatory of the 1916 Proclamation. He was stationed in the South Dublin Union during the Rising of 1916. As a member of the Provisional Government he was executed by the British Army in Kilmainham Gaol on May 8th 1916.
A Republican Commemoration to honour Éamonn Ceannt will be held in the Crumlin area of Dublin , near to a 42-acre park named after the man, on Sunday August 19th 2007. Those attending are asked to assemble at 'Superquinn' on the Sundrive Road at One PM.

All Welcome!

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STREET TALK .......
The name Tony Gregory was virtually unheard of outside Dublin before 1982 when he was elected to Leinster House as an independent in Dublin Central , a post he still holds . He made the headlines with the famous 'Gregory Deal' in the same year when , in return for his support , the Fianna Fail government pumped £76 million into the redevelopment of inner city housing .
By Sean Ó Donáile .
From 'USI NEWS' , February 1989.

Seamus Costello, founder of the INLA, was a major influence on Tony Gregory - " His whole involvement in the South was based on community and trade union organisations , tenant groups , social agitation etc , and a view that a military struggle against military targets was necessary in the North . "

Seamus Costello was assassinated in 1975 (by the organisation now called 'The Workers Party') and his portrait occupies pride of place in Tony Gregory's office .

Tony Gregory on drugs :
Even the most conservative estimates put the number of drug addicts in this country at 4,000 . Between Jervis Street Hospital, Beaumont Hospital, the Rutland Centre and Coolmine, there are a total of 87 beds available for the treatment of addicts here . Heroin abuse is a major problem in his constituency : " The problem with heroin is that it affects the poorest areas of inner city flats and places like Tallaght and Ballymun. The government never responds to problems that affect areas like that , in any major way......."
(MORE LATER).



A QUESTION OF LIBERATION .......

Feminists and anti-imperialists in Ireland have often regarded each other's struggles with misunderstanding , mutual suspicion , and sometimes outright rejection . What then is the relationship between them ? Eibhlin Ni Gabhann surveys the emergence of women's liberation groups in Belfast and Dublin over the past decade or so , and some of the questions they have faced .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983.

In 1975 , out of the women's group in Queen's University in Belfast and another group based in the Ormeau Road area of South Belfast , came the formation of the ' Northern Ireland Women's Rights Movement'(NIWRM), whose main platform called for the extension of the 'Sex Discrimination Act' (already law in Britain) to the North , a move which would mean , as the 'NIWRM' expressed it - "...parity of rights for women in Northern Ireland with women in England."

Sentiments such as this not surprisingly had the effect of widening the gulf between the NIWRM and women politically active in the Northern resistance struggle . Also in 1975 , the 'Belfast Socialist Women's Group' was formed , but relations between this and the NIWRM became increasingly difficult , with the Belfast Socialist Women's Group later saying of the NIWRM -

" What women were offered was a reformist and objectively pro-imperialist women's movement in the guise of 'non-sectarianism' . Its demands were for parity with Britain and attempts to suggest co-operation with women's movements in the South were rejected . Its failure to state a position on British imperialism quite evidently meant that it would never attempt to involve women in anti-imperialist areas in the women's movement , since to do so would have compromised its real political position ..."
(MORE LATER).



KERRY DEATH MYSTERY.......

From 'The Phoenix' magazine , January 2003.
(Note: as a result of our recent posts on this subject , a reader asked us to locate and publish this 'Phoenix' article . We are pleased to be able to do so.)

When solicitor Michael Finucane put it to State Pathologist , Professor John Harbison that John O' Shea was outside the house for only a short period and that he was fully dressed , Mr Harbison accepted that this was so . He then changed his verdict to one of possible cardio myopathy , coupled with alcoholic intoxication , although he stated that this was not a heart attack , merely heart failure .

Professor Harbison could not explain how or where John O' Shea sustained his facial injuries or pressure marks on his body . He said the injuries could not have been caused by a fall outside the house or by being dragged on the ground . Nobody had noticed any injuries on John O' Shea at any time on the evening of his death.......
(MORE LATER).

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Eamonn Ceannt:1881-1916.

"I shall die, like a man, for Ireland's sake."
-note written by Éamonn Ceannt to his wife, May 7th, 1916 , the day before he was executed by the British .

Éamonn Ceannt was an uileann piper, a member of the IRB Military Council and a signatory of the 1916 Proclamation. He was stationed in the South Dublin Union during the Rising of 1916. As a member of the Provisional Government he was executed by the British Army in Kilmainham Gaol on May 8th 1916.
A Republican Commemoration to honour Éamonn Ceannt will be held in the Crumlin area of Dublin , near to a 42-acre park named after the man, on Sunday August 19th 2007. Those attending are asked to assemble at 'Superquinn' on the Sundrive Road at One PM.

All Welcome!

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STREET TALK .
The name Tony Gregory was virtually unheard of outside Dublin before 1982 when he was elected to Leinster House as an independent in Dublin Central , a post he still holds . He made the headlines with the famous 'Gregory Deal' in the same year when , in return for his support , the Fianna Fail government pumped £76 million into the redevelopment of inner city housing .
By Sean Ó Donáile .
From 'USI NEWS' , February 1989.

In the parochial world of politics , Tony Gregory soon became synonymous with tweed jacket and open neck dress and still doesn't don the customary suit and tie - " People can wear whatever they like . I think those who are offput by dress have very little on their minds and should look at more serious topics rather than wasting time on irrelevant issues ."

On a more serious vein , however , I queried him on his background and how he managed to establish himself as a Leinster House 'regular' without the backing of a party machine : " I was brought up in a working class background and I didn't like the society I was growing up in . I wanted to play a part in changing it , so I joined an organisation (Official Sinn Fein - now renamed 'The Workers' Party') which I thought was a very radical party at that time . I had the experience of spending a number of years in the 'Officials' and the IRSP after that , so I was familiar with the mechanisms for contesting elections .

However , I found out that this party was radical in some ways but very reactionary in other ways , so I left and became involved in community organisations and through that to electoral politics and I was elected to Dublin City Council and subsequently to Leinster House. My reason for going forward was not just to contest and expound theories , but to win....... "
(MORE LATER).



A QUESTION OF LIBERATION .......

Feminists and anti-imperialists in Ireland have often regarded each other's struggles with misunderstanding , mutual suspicion , and sometimes outright rejection . What then is the relationship between them ? Eibhlin Ni Gabhann surveys the emergence of women's liberation groups in Belfast and Dublin over the past decade or so , and some of the questions they have faced .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983.

Greater social conservatism generally , and in the six counties the re-emergent questions of civil rights and partition ('1169...' Comment - the issue of partition cannot be solved by increased 'civil rights' , regardless of who obtains same from Westminster) made it far harder for Irish women to organise themselves in any corresponding movement around the same period .

Although it was often women in the north of Ireland who were dominant in the marches and protests for civil rights ('1169...' Comment - ...as opposed to Republican women who 'march and protest' for a British political and military withdrawal) the most politicised among them found - like their American sisters - that this involvement in mass movements against the Orange State was not raising any questions about the oppression of women within that State .

So that despite the massive upsurge of militancy among working-class nationalist women in the Northern ghettos it was to be left to radical middle-class women , with their traditional hostility to nationalism , to do so . In the South , too , without the politicisation of events on the scale seen in the six counties , it was middle-class women and students who took the initiative : by 1974 , there were women's groups in the two Northern universities and in Dublin and Cork universities . These groups were in contact with one another but their mutual refusal to take any stand on the national struggle , which so many women were involved in or were affected by , effectively limited both their growth and impact.......
(MORE LATER).




KERRY DEATH MYSTERY.......

From 'The Phoenix' magazine , January 2003.
(Note: as a result of our recent posts on this subject , a reader asked us to locate and publish this 'Phoenix' article . We are pleased to be able to do so.)

When the Gardai were called , the scene was preserved and John O' Shea's death was treated initially as suspicious . The inquest heard that this was because the dead man had sustained a number of visible injuries to his face and neck . Following the post mortem , the State Pathologist, John Harbison, stated that the cause of death was hypothermia . He told the first day of the inquest in Kerry that his decision was heavily influenced by Garda information given to him , namely , that John O' Shea had been outside the house for several hours , half undressed . Subsequently , however , no garda at the inquest - eighteen in all gave evidence - could say who told Professor Harbison this .

In a dramatic development in the Listowel courtroom last month , the O' Shea family solicitor , Michael Finucane, requested the recall of John Harbison to clarify evidence surrounding his verdict of death due to hypothermia . Coroner Helen Lucey rang John Harbison by mobile phone in open court and four hours later he arrived after a flight from Dublin.......
(MORE LATER).

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"OPPRESSION , STATUED AS 'LAW'..."


'Irish law —A considerable amount of testimony might be produced to prove that the Irish were and are peculiarly a law-loving people; but, in the words of the writer above-quoted, "a people cannot be expected to love and reverence oppression, because it is consigned to a statute-book, and called law." The truth is, that it was and is obviously the interest of English writers to induce themselves to believe that Irish discontent and rebellion were caused by anything or everything but English oppression and injustice. Even in the present day the Irish are supposed to be naturally discontented and rebellious, because they cannot submit silently to be expelled from their farms without any compensation or any other means of support, either from political or religious motives, and because they object to maintain a religion contrary to their conscience, and which is admitted by its own members to be "clearly a political evil.... "
(From here: an excellent website , highly recommended)

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MacSWINEY/LIBERATION/KERRY DEATH.


TERENCE MACSWINEY SAID.
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

" England's chief weapon in her long struggle with Ireland is the English lie . Every Irish Nationalist knows this . Every Irish Nationalist ought to know it is a weapon for use , unscrupulous , treacherous , far-reaching and deadly . Most of us thought we had comprehended the English lie , and some of us prided ourselves on not under-estimating it .

But till Rossa died , not one of us had the exact measure of its possibilities ; and now we can only know that , as there are infamies in Hell which we cannot fathom , we henceforth must be ready against every surprise of Hell . For Hell is the source of the lie .

From the agony of his prison , Rossa cried out - 'They can lie like Hell...' . And even then with all the revelations that revolted the world we did not realise that this was literally and exactly true , that black and infamous as the pit from which their inspiration comes , they can lie like Hell . "

[END of ' TERENCE MACSWINEY SAID']
(Next : 'Street Talk' - from 1989)


A QUESTION OF LIBERATION .

Feminists and anti-imperialists in Ireland have often regarded each other's struggles with misunderstanding , mutual suspicion , and sometimes outright rejection . What then is the relationship between them ? Eibhlin Ni Gabhann surveys the emergence of women's liberation groups in Belfast and Dublin over the past decade or so , and some of the questions they have faced .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983.

The issue of women's liberation was slow to come to Ireland . By comparison , in America and England , the women's movement grew in strength during the early 1960's , raising the question of women's oppression on many fronts and challenging the male dominance of politics nationally and internationally .

In America , women activists in the Civil Rights Movement found that their fight for equal rights for black Americans did not expand to include equal rights for American women - white or black . Parallel to that , those women involved in the campaign against the war in Vietnam found that their male comrades were hostile to their emerging consciousness of women's oppression in the United States .

In England , women workers active in the trade unions began to organise themselves as women to fight for equal pay and equal employment opportunities . In 1970 , the first Women's Conference was held and four demands were agreed - free 24-hour nurseries , free contraception and abortion on demand , equal pay and equal education and employment opportunities . Also in 1970 , English feminists demonstrated at the 'Miss World'contest against the exploitation of women , resulting in six arrests and maximum publicity.......
(MORE LATER).



KERRY DEATH MYSTERY.

From 'The Phoenix' magazine , January 2003.
(Note:as a result of our recent posts on this subject , a reader asked us to locate and publish this 'Phoenix' article . We are pleased to be able to do so.)

Mystery surrounds the death of Kerry Republican , John O' Shea , found unconscious outside his parents' house near Castlemaine around midnight on the October Bank Holiday weekend in 2001 .

The fact that State Pathologist , Professor John Harbison, changed his initial verdict as to the cause of death when he gave evidence at the inquest last month (ie December 2002) has only added to the mystery .

John O' Shea had been drinking in Tralee on the October Bank Holiday Monday , 2001 , and was arrested by gardai for questioning about a road traffic accident . After his release from Tralee Garda Station , he returned to Castlemaine , had a few more drinks and got a taxi home . Shortly after midnight , his parents found him outside the house , slumped on the ground . They dragged him inside but he was later pronounced dead.......
(MORE LATER).

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ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN...


The 'Royals'/UDA golf partners out for a stroll !

One wonders how Mary McAleese can find the time in her busy itinerary to open proceedings at a golf competition especially when , as far as we know , her husbands colleague , Jackie McDonald, was not present . One also wonders if Mrs McAleese will receive an extra allowance , on top of the €6,613 per week which her spokesperson stated she receives "...for entertainment and personal expenses . The substantial proportion of this allowance goes to meet the cost of food , refreshments and entertainment.." We may yet have to do a collection , readers ......
Incidentally , Mary McAleese did not have an agreed proposer or seconder in 1997 when she sought the nomination for the position of State President from Fianna Fail . As she said herself at the time - " Either of the candidates (Albert Reynolds and Michael O' Kennedy , left , holding a British trinket) could have got rid of me , there and then ; they would have been perfectly within their rights to insist that we follow the rules . That would have been the end of me and I would not have been a threat to whichever one of them was elected . I was very grateful for their generosity ."
Martin McAleese stated at the time , in relation to that same Fianna Fail nomination meeting : " When Rory O'Hanlon (Fianna Fail Chairperson at the time) told us about the new procedure (ie that Fianna Fail were willing to forgo proposer and seconder) , I couldn't believe that Albert had left the door open for her like that . I can only put it down to overconfidence on his part . If I was in his shoes , I'm afraid I would have insisted on party rules being obeyed ."
The McAleese's and their like , in Leinster House and in the Free State Senate , are non-productive leeches that are living beyond our means .

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CURRAGH CAMP/HENRY DOHERTY/NICKY KELLY.


'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

WICKLOW :
Francis Wogan , Churchill , Enniskerry .
Seamus Costello, Dublin Road , Bray .
Michael Fortune , 5 Brennan's Parade , Bray .
Desmond Byrne , 41 O'Byrne Road , Bray .

WEXFORD :
Henry Goff , Killagoley , Enniscorthy .
Matt Finucane , Ballybrody , Ruane , was unconditionally released for eye treatment .

[END of 'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP']
(Next : 'Terence MacSwiney Said' - from the same source)



HENRY DOHERTY : 44 DAYS ON HUNGER-STRIKE.......

From 'Wigmore' column , 'MAGILL' magazine, March 1986.

Censorship of letters apart , the natural conclusion to this is that every prisoner can go on hunger strike in all the prisons - Mountjoy, Limerick, Portlaoise - and fast to the death , and the (State) Department of Justice are obliged to tell nobody what is going on ! Body after body can come out of the prisons and the State Department may say that it was up to the prisoner concerned to tell his family .

That Department now obviously feel that they are under no obligation to tell a family when a prisoner goes on hunger strike : the inference to be drawn from this is that , although the Department are responsible for the welfare of prisoners , this obligation does not extend to anyone outside the prison ! It sounds as if the Department are heading back to the bad old days when Ernest Blythe was a State Minister .

His policy with regard to hunger strikers was quite simple - firstly , isolate them . Then impose a news blackout and if they died , bury them within the prison walls .

[END of ' HENRY DOHERTY : 44 DAYS ON HUNGER-STRIKE ']
(Next : ' A Question Of Liberation' - from 1983)





NICKY KELLY: STATE HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT.......
From 'Wigmore' Column , MAGILL magazine, February 1986 .

British 'Lord' Denning stated - " If the six men win , it will mean that the police were guilty of perjury , that they were guilty of violence and threats , that the confessions were involuntary and that the convictions were erroneous . This is such an appalling vista that every sensible person in the land would say - 'It cannot be right that these actions should go any further' " . Two paragraphs later the good judge made the immortal remark - " This case shows what a civilised country we are ."

The Birmingham Six case was 'estopped' on the grounds that the matter had already been decided and the action would be an abuse of the courts . The Nicky Kelly case was 'estopped' on the same grounds ! State Justice O'Hanlon was acting on precedent established by British 'Lord' Denning , and once the State government brought its 'estoppel' action he had no choice .

That is how the law works , but for the government to use the notorious Birmingham Six case as a barricade to prevent Nicky Kelly reaching a jury , after its invitation that he take such a course , bespeaks standards that have no shame .

[END of ' NICKY KELLY: STATE HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT ']
(Next : 'Kerry Death Mystery' - from 2003)

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1981-2007.

Bobby Sands, Belfast , 66 days, 5 May 1981.
Frank Hughes , Bellaghy (Derry) , 59 days, 12 May 1981.
Raymond McCreesh , South Armagh , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Patsy O Hara , Derry , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Joe McDonnell , Belfast , 61 days, 8 July 1981.
Martin Hurson , Tyrone , 46 days, 13 July 1981.
Kevin Lynch, Dungiven (Derry) ,71 days, 1 August 1981.
Kieran Doherty , Belfast , 73 days, 2 August 1981.
Tom McIlwee , Bellaghy (Derry) , 62 days, 8 August 1981.
Micky Devine , Derry , 60 days, 20 August 1981.

SHOW YOUR SUPPORT...

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'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

TIPPERARY :
Thomas Gill , Fattheen House , Nenagh .
James Slattery , Ballyanny , Nenagh .
Andy McDonnell , Gralla , Nenagh .
Dan Gleeson , Elmhill , Ballymackey , Nenagh .

TYRONE :
Joseph McIlduff , Merchantstown , Omagh .

WESTMEATH :
Patrick Harney , 11 Railway Cottages , Athlone .

(MORE LATER).




HENRY DOHERTY : 44 DAYS ON HUNGER-STRIKE.

From 'Wigmore' column , 'MAGILL' magazine, March 1986.

At the time of writing , Henry Doherty is 44 days on hunger strike in Portlaoise Prison . He is looking for wood that was destroyed during a search to be replaced , and open visits , in accordance with an agreement reached between the (State) Department of Justice and the prisoners last year .

On 14 February 1986 , when Henry Doherty was on hunger strike for 34 days , a query was put to the Department , asking if they could confirm that the man was on hunger strike ? Twenty-four hours later the answer came back - 'Yes' . However , no notification had been sent to his family , who only learned of the matter from a local radio station in Belfast on Sunday 16 February 1986 .

His sister telephoned Portlaoise Prison but they couldn't confirm that the hunger striker was in fact her brother , and refused to give her any information . To date , the family have not been offically informed that Henry Doherty is on hunger strike . The Department has claimed that it is up to prisoners themselves to let people know that they are on hunger strike : 'they have paper , they can write' , so the logic goes.......

(MORE LATER).






NICKY KELLY: STATE HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT.......
From 'Wigmore'Column , MAGILL magazine, February 1986 .

The Birmingham Six case has become so notorious , so discredited , that British MP's , Labour and Conservative , want it reopened . Those in Leinster House have supported these calls .

Two of the Birmingham Six tried to take a civil case against those who beat them up (and there is irrefutable evidence that they were beaten up) but were 'estopped' on the grounds that the matter had been decided by the original trial . There is a section in a judgement given by 'Lord' Denning in this case which bears repeating . Younger readers are advised to make sure they are sitting down first -

" Just consider the course of events if this action were to proceed to trial . It will not be tried for 18 months or two years . If the six men fail , it will mean that much time and money and worry will have been expended by many people for no good purpose . If the six men win....... "

(MORE LATER).

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AN APPEAL TO REPUBLICANS....


The following quote is part of the description of the torture of Paddy Joe McClean (39), a remedial teacher. McClean was not a member of any section of the IRA; he was merely a local civil rights worker. He was arrested and taken from his home in Beragh, Co. Tyrone, at 5 a.m. on Monday 9 August 1971. He is married and has eight children. McClean stated:

"I spent the first 48-hour period with the other detainees at Magilligan camp. At the end of these initial 48 hours a hood was pulled over my head and I was handcuffed and subjected to verbal and personal abuse which included the threat of being dropped from a helicopter while it was in the air. I was then dragged out to the helicopter, being kicked and struck about the body with batons on the way.
After what seemed about one hour in the helicopter I was thrown from it and kicked and batoned into what I took to be a lorry. The lorry was driven only a couple of hundred yards to a building. On arriving there I was given a thorough examination by a doctor. After this, all my clothes were taken from me and I was given a boiler suit to wear which had no buttons and which was several sizes too big for me.
During this time the hood was still over my head and the handcuffs were removed only at the time of the 'medical examination'.
I was then taken into what I can only guess was another room and was made stand with my feet wide apart with my hands pressed against a wall. During all this time I could hear a low droning noise, which sounded to me like an electric saw or something of that nature. This continued for what I can only describe as an indefinite period of time. I stood there, arms against the wall, feet wide apart. My arms, legs, back and head began to ache. I perspired freely, the noise and the heat were terrible.
My circulation had stopped. I flexed my arms to start the blood flowing again. They struck me several times on the hands, ribs, kidneys and my kneecaps were kicked. My hood-covered head was banged against the wall....."
(More here...)

Read the above , follow the link and read what it offers . Then , read this link and see if you can help.......
Go raibh máith agat , from the '1169...' Crew .

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CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP,1958...


'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

MEATH :

Peter Smith , Balreask , Navan.
Leo Collins , Liscarton , Navan.
Dermot Blake , Academy Street , Navan.
James Perry , 11 Watergate Street , Navan.
Joseph Daly , Garlow Cross , Navan.
James Foy , Drumcondrath .

MAYO :

Patrick McCallig , Claremorris .
Péadar Murray , Rosclare , Newport .
John J. Monaghan , Cushmola .

MONAGHAN :

Seamus Hughes , Monaghan .

(MORE LATER).






THE LAUGHING STOCK OF DUBLIN....... !

From the 'Wigmore' Column , MAGILL magazine, June 1998 .

The above were quotations from the infamous editorial of 'The Sunday Business Post' newspaper, published on April 12 , 1998 , just two days after the Stormont Treaty was signed , which referred to the proposed amendments to Articles 2 and 3 of the State Constitution as "...well meaning drivel.." , saying that the Treaty would make us become "...the laughing stock of Europe.." .

It described the deal as "...a rescue operation for Ulster unionism .." to whom had been handed "...unprecedented gifts." Six weeks later , by May 24 , 'The Sunday Business Post' had changed its tune - somewhat . The different tone was captured in the second paragraph of the editorial of that day : " Clearly the vast majority of people on this island are prepared to invest their hope and trust for the future in what is , by any standards , a complex agreement ."

Gone were the "...drivel.." , the "...unprecedented gifts.." to unionists . We are no more the laughing stock of Europe...

[END of 'THE LAUGHING STOCK OF DUBLIN']
(Next : 'Henry Doherty is 44 days on hunger-strike' - from 1986)





NICKY KELLY: STATE HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT.
From 'Wigmore'Column , MAGILL magazine, February 1986 .

Last months State High Court judgement by Justice Rory O'Hanlon on the Nicky Kelly case has received scant coverage or explanation in the press . Nicky Kelly went on hunger strike in Portlaoise Prison in May 1983 and , in an effort to get him off the hunger strike , the government invited him to take a civil case on the grounds of his allegations that he was beaten into signing a confession by gardai .

Michael Noonan promised that "...a favourable outcome could be adduced as being relevant , even only indirectly , to the question of his imprisonment . " Noonan later said that "...if a jury found in his favour in a civil case , that would change things." Nicky Kelly took the government's advice , came off the hunger strike , and instituted civil proceedings which would , if successful , gain him damages and , above all , clear his name .

The civil case would have the added benefit that for the first time the case would be heard by a jury : but it soon became clear that the government had pulled a stroke - week after week their legal representatives sought to put obstacles in Kelly's way to a civil case . He was released in July 1984 , but he persisted in demanding that his case be reviewed , that his name be cleared . But the government strategy involved obtaining an 'estoppel', and they used the case of the Birmingham Six to stop Nicky kelly.......
(MORE LATER).

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BY JOVE ! It's just not cricket...

...an ex-student-prince type , who would like to consider himself as 'The Rt Hon Christopher Smooth, Minister for Public Concern' attempted , on Monday 30 July last , to dismiss this blog as having "monocular vision" because we "reveal the horrors British imperialists impose..." .

'Lord Smooth' stated - "...1169 and Counting seem unrelentingly to use "Protestant" as a pejorative..." which , as regular readers will know , is not the case ( in actual fact , we hold all religions in equal contempt !) . We have , however , employed the sicut '(sic)' when , in our opinion , the unwarranted use of the term 'Catholic' or 'Protestant' was used in a piece we were quoting from , and , on this occasion ,it is this which has confused 'Lord Smooth' ie he stated that , on the occasion he referred too , we only used the term '(sic)' because 'it was in the original [article]...' : it wasn't . We ourselves put it there because the article in question referred to a certain political organisation which was beginning , in the opinion as stated in the article , to obtain "... a small but growing new Protestant membership..." - we inserted the term '(sic)' after the particular religion mentioned ; it was not in the original article , as 'Lord Smooth' stated , as can be verified from this photograph (left-click to enlarge : the sentence in question is the last one in the marked paragraph) -



Our wannabe-adversary (who assured us that he "...featured in the columns of "Trinity News", the student weekly of Trinity College, Dublin, in the early 1960s..."!) based his other 'reasons' for dismissing this blog on a similar platform ie on that which we never wrote and/or by deliberately misrepresenting our intentions . We get this quite a lot and usually sort it out with a reply (or two...!) to the 'Comment' section/Guestbook of the site in question but , in this instance , we thought it best to publicise the lengths some people will go to in their attempt to discredit , not only this blog , but that which this blog stands for : the Irish Republican position in relation to the on-going occupation of a part of this isle by those political and military forces controlled by Westminster . Even if , in doing so , we offend the likes of 'Lord Smooth' .

Finally , we have refrained from providing a link to the royal territory occupied by the good 'Lord' , as we have no desire to foist his irritating 'marble-in-mouth' prose on our good readers . For that , you owe us big......;-)

Sharon.

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'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

LAOIS :

Patrick McLogan , Main Street , Portlaoise .
John O' Donovan , Clonminan , Abbeyleix Road , Portlaoise .
Thomas Lynam , 63 Marian Place , Portlaoise .
Seán O'Donovan , 82 Marian Place , Portlaoise .


LONGFORD :

Ruaidhri Ó Brádaígh TD, Battery Road , Longford.


LEITRIM :

Patrick McGirl , Camber , Carrigallen .
(MORE LATER).





THE LAUGHING STOCK OF DUBLIN !

From the 'Wigmore' Column , MAGILL magazine, June 1998 .

On the day before the referendum on the Stormont Agreement, 'The Newsletter' newspaper published an eight-page advertising section for the Ulster Unionist Party (sic) , the purpose of which was to assure unionists that the Stormont Agreement favoured unionists rather than republicans . In support of this contention , the centre page spread of the ad section was headed - ' This is a bad deal for republicans' .

In its support it quoted Ruairi Ó Brádaigh, Bernadette Sands, Robert Ballagh, the IRSP, 'The Anderstown News' newspaper and 'The Sunday Tribune' newspaper.

Two sources were quoted twice : Mitchell McLaughlin, chairperson of Provisional Sinn Fein , and 'The Sunday Business Post' newspaper: the latter stated - ' This is no deal for nationalist Ireland . It is likely to copperfasten partition on this island for many years to come , perhaps for decades . This year , 1998 , is the 200th anniversary of the 1798 rebellion. Ironically , it is also the year which will witness the greatest erosion of Irish sovereignty since the Act of Union was passed....... '
(MORE LATER).





JOHN DUNSTER AT WINDSCALE.......

From 'Wigmore' Column , MAGILL magazine, March 1986.

John Dunster , the then Chief Physicist at Windscale , stated - " The intention has been to discharge very substantial amounts of radioactivity as part of an organised and deliberate scientific experiment , the aims of which would have been defeated if the level of radioactivity had been kept to a minimum . "

Mr.Dunster no longer works at the Windscale nuclear plant - he is now 'Director of the UK National Radiological Protection Board', the 'independent watchdog' body which is charged with protecting the public from radiation hazards . We can all sleep a little bit sounder for knowing that.

(Also : in the November 1986 issue of 'Magill' magazine , it was reported that , in 1958 , John Dunster admitted to the 'Geneva Conference on Peaceful Uses of the Atom' that "...discharges from Windscale have been deliberately maintained high enough to obtain detectable activity levels in samples of fish , seaweed and shore sand , and the experiment is still proceeding . This year (1958) the rate of discharge of radioactivity was deliberately increased partly to dispose of unwanted waste but principally to yield better experimental data ." It is those with similar 'short-term-benefit' attitudes that the current 'powers-that-be' in this State have put in charge of the Tara motorway and Shell projects , not to mention the so-called 'health service' etc . Not only is the present generation paying for that folly , but future generations will , too . )

[END of 'John Dunster At Windscale']
(Next : 'Nicky Kelly- High Court Judgement' , from 1986)

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'LOVE ULSTER' TO SEEK SUPREMACY IN DUBLIN AGAIN ?

This Loyalist/Combat 18/UVF combination have stated that they intend to parade their banners in Dublin on the last Saturday in September or the first Saturday in October 2007.......



Willie Frazer of the so-called 'Love Ulster' organisation has stepped-up his campaign to parade through Dublin , accompanied by other Loyalist thugs and Combat 18 members .
These are the same people from , and representing , the same organisation which the Dublin Administration last year tried to assist in their quest to triumphantly parade through the streets of Dublin : the place-seekers in Leinster House authorised the use of force against those who objected to the presence of 'Union Jack'-waving neo-Nazi's in Dublin , resulting in other elements using the occasion for what they deemed to be their own advantage - riots ensued on the streets of Dublin .
If this Loyalist parade goes ahead , Republicans have made their position clear .
Are the 'powers-that-be' in Leinster House listening this time...?

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'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

KERRY :

Derek McKenna , Valencia Island .
Donald O' Shea , The Square , Kilgarvan.

LIMERICK :

Sean Edmonds , Castleconnell .
Michael Murphy .
Jimmy Devereaux .
John MacNamara .

LOUTH :

Laurence Grogan , 21 Sunnyside Cottage , Drogheda .
William Stewart , 16 Wolfe Tone Terrace , Dundalk .
Patrick Lennon , 22 Patrick Street , Dundalk .
James Rafferty , Lower Faughart , Dundalk .
Liam Fagan , Proleek , Ravensdale .
(MORE LATER).



PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO OUR GREATEST SCANDAL.......
From 'MAGILL' magazine, June 1998.
By Vincent Browne.
('1169...' Comment : please note - the use of the term 'murder' in connection with the death of an informer is not our choice of word.)

Clearly , the Gardai have no stomach for a proper investigation of this scandal . Anyway they are not and could never be the proper agency for an inquiry into themselves .

There is a proper reluctance in calling for Tribunals of Inquiry into public scandals, given the cost and feebleness of some of the previous such enquiries , but there is hardly an alternative in this instance . We have a right to know whether our police force was complicit in the murder of a fellow-citizen and we have no way of knowing that other than through a public inquiry . Let's have it .

[END of 'Public Inquiry Into Our Greatest Scandal']
(Next : 'The Laughing Stock Of Dublin' - from 1998.)




JOHN DUNSTER AT WINDSCALE.

From 'Wigmore' Column , MAGILL magazine, March 1986.

In the late 1950's , a man called John Dunster was Chief Physicist at Windscale Nuclear Power Plant. He was given to saying things like " The sea has always been regarded as the ideal place for dumping waste and this is , of course , a reasonable and proper attitude . Most of the objects which ultimately find their way to the shore are harmless and a considerable source of pleasure for children . Not the least of the attractions of the sea as a dumping ground is the lack of administrative controls ."

Mr Dunster was in charge of overseeing the discharges into the Irish Sea from Windscale at a time when those discharges were deliberately kept higher than they needed to be , just to see what would happen.......
(MORE LATER).

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