1169 And Counting.....

Friday, November 16, 2007

THE COALISLAND STORY : British Torture In Ireland.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

One by one , the young men were taken out of solitary confinement and the torture and questioning began again - this went on all day . They were told the torture and ceaseless questions would continue until they signed the statements which the RUC had prepared .

Mentally and physically exhausted from the torture , constant questioning , lack of food and sleep , fearful of the continuation and what might befall their families , they eventually 'admitted' anything the RUC wanted them to admit : they signed the RUC-written statements . Any of these days now they may stand in the dock charged with the death of RUC Sergeant A.J. Ovens. The torture-mill confessions will be used to send them - and others - to the scaffold .

The most vicious forms of torture combined with brain-washing techniques are now being practised by the British Crown authorities in Occupied Ireland to obtain 'confessions' . The Coalisland story is not an isolated instance ; we have examples also from Derry , Down , Fermanagh - indeed , from all areas of Occupied Ireland.......
(MORE LATER).

KING OF THE YUPPIE HEARTLAND....... !

Dessie O'Malley would expect to draw his support almost exclusively from middle-class areas , but if he is to succeed in getting the twenty seats he hopes for that support base would also have to include working-class areas , especially in Dublin . On the evidence of one day spent with PD leader O'Malley ,that working-class support is unlikely to be forthcoming.
From 'IN DUBLIN' ELECTION SPECIAL , 1987.
By Derek Dunne.

Outside the Leo Laboratories factory in Dublin , Dessie O' Malley is interviewed by the media and something comes across quite clearly - he says " I'm not necessarily saying that I should be Taoiseach..." He then says that there are precedents for a 'backbencher Taoiseach' , so what he is really saying is that he should be Taoiseach ! He wants to rule Ireland . He smokes in the entrance to the building , dragging heavily on the cigarette . He drags so hard that the cheeks of his face come together .

On the bus , RTE have their cameras and they want an interview , but Dessie is nervous . " Where's the camera ? When are you starting it ? Are you going to use a bright light ...? " The RTE people start to put make-up on him , but he is clearly embarrassed by this - " Ah stop that , now ..." , he chides , as his hair is combed for him . One of his handlers , a female , reflects ruefully - " He always has a bit at the back that sticks out no matter what you do..." , and she's right . The RTE crew tell him to get relaxed .

Then it's " Lights ! Camera ! " Dessie 'switches' himself on , and , in an authoratative voice , begins to moralise on the state of the 'nation' . The Limerick East constituency is good , he tells RTE , and fifty per-cent of the Fianna Fail organisation went over to the PD's . The 'feedback' - in the jargon of politics - is 'very positive' . As the bus moves along Lower Kimmage Road , bemused passers-by are treated to an insight into how RTE 'set up' these type of interviews . Dessie signs a release form for RTE to allow them to screen the interview , but there are no 'fees' , this time . It then occurs to some of us that he may actually have gotten paid for past appearances.......
(MORE LATER).

THE EAMON BYRNE CASE .......
Eamon Byrne , a 19-year-old Dubliner , was shot dead by a garda detective during an attempted robbery at the B+I terminal in November 1982 . For his family , obtaining justice , or simply the truth , could be a long and expensive process.
From 'The Phoenix' magazine , July 1983 .

State Justice Minister Michael Noonan (Fine Gael) , who had been an ardent advocate of an independent garda authority and complaints tribunal before coming to Office , suffered a sudden conversion afterwards . In contrast to Willie Whitelaw, Noonan uttered no statements on the issue , either in Leinster House or out of it . The only politician who did attempt to raise the Eamon Byrne case was independent Leinster House member Tony Gregory, whose constituent Eamon Byrne was .

Tony Gregory found his questions disallowed by the Leinster House Ceann Comhairle (ie the House Chairperson) because the matter was sub judice , when in fact it wasn't , as charges were not preferred against anyone for Eamon Byrne's death . Gregory was later told that it was the preserve of the Dublin City Coroner and his Court.

Meanwhile , neither of these factors prevented the trial going ahead of Byrne's accomplices - the trial was brought forward , in fact , so that the inquest proceedings on Eamon Byrne wouldn't unduly affect its outcome . Subsequently , the survivors of the abortive raid , David and Stephen Conroy , both received seven years for armed robbery in the State Central Criminal Court, on June 17 , 1983 . The outcome of the inquest on Eamon Byrne hardly came as a surprise.......
(MORE LATER).

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Almost 12 months since it was 'only' thirty years.....

It began - properly structured and organised - in 1976 ,as a 'fundraiser with a difference' combined with the need to gain extra publicity for a situation which was then - as now - making world headlines . Those that sat down together in early September 1976 to tighten-up the then 'hit-and-miss' affair were a dedicated team who fully understood that to fail in their business would not only bring derision on them and the issue they sought to highlight , but would give their enemy a publicity coup which they would exploit to the fullest extent . With that in mind , the team persevered - favours were called-in , guarantees were secured , provisions obtained and word dispatched to like-minded individuals in the near-locale . At the appointed time on the agreed day - 12 Noon , Christmas Day 1976 - a soon-to-be 31-years-young event was 'born'.......
The CABHAIR Christmas Day Swim is , thankfully , still going strong and will be , as mentioned , 31-years-young on December 25th next!
Photographs of last years event can be viewed here and , if you can't make it to the actual swim itself , you might consider posting a donation to the following address :
CABHAIR
Irish Republican Prisoners Dependants Fund
223 Parnell Street,
Dublin 1.
Ireland.
Thank You,
Go Raibh Maith Agat,
Sharon.

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

THE COALISLAND STORY : British Torture In Ireland.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

The interrogation of the four young men continued all through the night : between 5AM and 6AM the four were returned to their cells - they were in bad shape physically and mentally .

At 6AM they were pulled out of their cells - squads of three men now started the questioning in relays . Cocked revolvers were placed against the stomachs , throats and temples of the youths , and sticks were pressed into their bodies . Hankerchiefs were twisted around their necks , as a cloth soaked in a foul-smelling liquid was pushed against their faces while their noses were held . They were thrown on the floor and held there as the cloth around their neck was woven tighter and tighter , then it would be snapped open and they'd be told to 'confess' .

Then they were beaten around the head and body with rubber truncheons . These beatings continued in different forms throughout all day Wednesday and from midnight to 6AM Thursday morning . They were returned to their cells before being put in solitary confinement . A detective whom they had not seen before rushed into the cell almost immediately after them and acted like a maniac , shouting , as he clawed all over them , " I'm Ovens. I'll haunt you for the rest of your lives..." When this maniac detective left the cell , the young man inside was taken out again.......
(MORE LATER).

KING OF THE YUPPIE HEARTLAND....... !

Dessie O'Malley would expect to draw his support almost exclusively from middle-class areas , but if he is to succeed in getting the twenty seats he hopes for that support base would also have to include working-class areas , especially in Dublin . On the evidence of one day spent with PD leader O'Malley ,that working-class support is unlikely to be forthcoming.
From 'IN DUBLIN' ELECTION SPECIAL , 1987.
By Derek Dunne.

Dessie O' Malley worked very hard in government with Charlie Haughey . Charlie wasn't his choice , he said , but one thing is sure - he wouldn't serve in another government with him . And somehow , that's what the PD's are all about - not serving in a government with Charlie Haughey . There , in a nutshell , is the reason for their existance . Forgot all this 'mould-breaking' stuff .

Dessie is now most disturbed about Sellafield, and about the leaks and the lies that have been told : he is against nuclear power , you see . This is quite a turnaround. Anyway - the bus moves on up Molesworth Street , around Saint Stephen's Green and onto the South Circular Road . It stops at a company called 'Leo Laboratories' , waiting for Dessie . He finally arrives and says that he has been here before with the King of Denmark , and says that he has a photo to prove it . But the photo shows him posing with the Queen of Denmark . But no matter . He was here before in any event...

There are a large number of workers in the labs and most of them live locally . Dessie puts on a white coat to 'preswerve sterile conditions' , and gets his photo taken , which is the whole point of the exercise . He is in the building exactly three minutes when he starts looking at his watch - he looks bored . When questioned , he says that he is "...going to do even better that we had thought at the start , believe it or not.." Not . He goes into the workers canteen , where those inside are interrupted at their lunchbreak to shake his hand . " Will you say a few words there , Des.." asks one of his handlers . He does , and included in the words are "...committed to radical changes.." : it is a truth that in this election language has been turned on its head . The word 'radical' coming from Dessie O' Malley does not ring true . By the time the local PD candidate begins to speak , Des has gone out the door . Throughout the day it is the same story - Dessie will
step in to be followed by the local candidate , and then he will leave.......
(MORE LATER).

THE EAMON BYRNE CASE .......
Eamon Byrne , a 19-year-old Dubliner , was shot dead by a garda detective during an attempted robbery at the B+I terminal in November 1982 . For his family , obtaining justice , or simply the truth , could be a long and expensive process.
From 'The Phoenix' magazine , July 1983 .

Irish coroners' courts have traditionally concentrated on the immediate cause of death and nobody in authority , including (Fine Gael's) State Justice Minister Michael Noonan, saw fit to probe any further . The contrast with the British treatment of the Stephen Waldorf Case is outstanding : Mr Waldorf was shot by London police in January 1983 in a case of mistaken identity with a dangerous fugitive . The then British Home Secretary , Willie Whitelaw, took immediate action -

First , he suspended the three police officers concerned , then he made an immediate apology to Stephen Waldorf (who survived the shooting) , then a British Home Office enquiry investigated the incident and passed on a file to the (British) Director of Public Prosecutions - in three days - which is now the basis of a prosecution still pending against the suspended detectives . Also , a statement was issued in the British House Of Commons declaring that the system of issuing firearms to police officers was under review and details of the existing procedures were made public .

What happened in Ireland ? An internal garda enquiry was instituted which took a month to complete its report - it was then forwarded to the Director of Public Prosecution's Office where it rested for two months before being passed back to the Commissioner as providing insufficient grounds for a prosecution . One unusual feature of the file , apparently , was that it did not contain the statements of the only two civilian witnesses to the incident.......
(MORE LATER).

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

103rd RSF ARD FHEIS , Saturday 10-Sunday 11 November 2007 .
A brief report on the Ard Fheis , some photographs and the Presidential Address can be found here and here, and the 113 motions which were discussed and voted on over the weekend can be found here.
The occasion was , as usual , a welcome chance to meet-up with old friends and comrades from throughout Ireland , England , Wales , Scotland and America . And all of us missed the company of Dan.....

Monday, November 12, 2007

THE COALISLAND STORY : British Torture In Ireland.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

At 12.10AM on the morning of Wednesday , November 20 , 1957 , the four young men - Kevin Mallon , James O' Donnell , Francis Talbot and John O' Neill - were taken from Dungannon RUC Barracks and informed they were being moved to Belfast . They were then handcuffed . Somewhere between Lurgan in County Armagh and Lisburn in County Antrim the cars they were in swung up a by-road and stopped . The four lads were removed from the cars and beaten on the side of the road .

In Belfast they were taken to Crumlin Road RUC Barracks ; the time was about 2AM , Wednesday , November 20 , 1957 . Relays of interrogators now pounced on them , with their questions couched in the foulest language . They were threatened that their homes would be destroyed and their families thrown on the streets ; that their brothers would be put away for 20 years ; that it made no difference to them who was 'got' but that "...someone was going to be got for the Brackaville job and it might as well be them.." The interrogation took the following form -

One of the four prisoners would be returned to a cell after about three-quarters of an hour of beatings combined with threats and questions . He would hear clearly the screams of the other lads and the shouted oaths and threats of the RUC , who were roaring the following - "...you are a dirty rotten communist....your mother is nothing but a whore......you killed Sergeant Ovens......no man ever went through our hands that we didn't break , and we're going to break you .." When one of the young men was brought back to his cell in the dark , he lay on the bunk : the pillow was wet . It was covered in blood . An RUC detective entered and told him - " That is the sheet that covered Sergeant Ovens . It will cover another body soon......."
(MORE LATER).

KING OF THE YUPPIE HEARTLAND !

Dessie O'Malley would expect to draw his support almost exclusively from middle-class areas , but if he is to succeed in getting the twenty seats he hopes for that support base would also have to include working-class areas , especially in Dublin . On the evidence of one day spent with PD leader O'Malley ,that working-class support is unlikely to be forthcoming.
From 'IN DUBLIN' ELECTION SPECIAL , 1987.
By Derek Dunne.

Sometimes it can be acutely embarrassing to be in the company of Dessie O' Malley. Like when he is posing for the photographers , for instance . In order for a particular photo opportunity to be exploited fully , it is necessary to smile when posing , whether it be with a shovel , an old woman of the King of Denmark ! But Dessie has this problem - it appears that he cannot raise the necessary smile without an accompanying laugh . His laugh begins someplace deep within the man and comes out as a sort of guffaw that one might hear in a rugby club very late at night when 'the boys' are filling up the toilet bowl with beer and someone notices that the water is flooding out the door...

The laugh and smile are embarrassing , but they are all part and parcel of electoral work in what passes for elections in this part of the world . Dessie's style often leaves a lot to be desired . He will walk past people and is never totally comfortable shaking hands or making small talk - he appears to consider the whole exercise a huge bore . On this day , a private coach has been hired and this is in keeping with the spirit of private enterprise that the Progressive Democrats would say they wish to foster . A parking ticket is placed on the bus before it even moves off . The vehicle itself is splattered in posters and slogans - 'Dessie Can Do It' . Nobody bothers to ask what it is he can 'do' . 'Put Your Foot Down' , reads another poster . The driver of the bus looks at the poster , and tells us he is a supporter of Charles J. Haughey!

When the coach starts off , Dessie is not on board . He is in RTE talking to John Bowman on the 'Day By Day' programme . Listeners can phone in with comments , and one does , asking about the time that Dessie said that Charlie Haughey was unfit for Office and how he squared this with the fact that he served as a minister under the same man.......
(MORE LATER).

THE EAMON BYRNE CASE .......
Eamon Byrne , a 19-year-old Dubliner , was shot dead by a garda detective during an attempted robbery at the B+I terminal in November 1982 . For his family , obtaining justice , or simply the truth , could be a long and expensive process.
From 'The Phoenix' magazine , July 1983 .

The gun which killed Eamon Byrne , a .38 Smith and Wesson police special revolver , had never been properly tested and a garda ballistics officer confirmed its hair trigger action rendered it unsafe and unsuitable for police work . Also , the officer who fired the gun admitted that he had only received four days instructions in the use of firearms .

The case had other unusual dimensions , only one of which emerged in court . The gardai admitted that they were keeping watch on the B+I terminal because they had been tipped off that an attempt would be made to rob the car ferry when it docked . In fact there is strong evidence to suggest that the robbery was the work of an agent provocateur . It seems that Eamon Byrne and the two Conroy brothers who were captured with him were set up .

No evidence involving the robbery was allowed in the coroner's court , nor was the fact that , prior to his death , Eamon Byrne had approached journalists and the Prisoners Rights Organisation , to say he had been threatened by garda officers , and he subsequently gave a statement to the Irish Council for Civil Liberties detailing the threats . Subsequent to Eamon Byrne's death , several of his associates gave sworn affidavits alleging they had been offered inducements to 'stitch him up' . None of this emerged at the inquest.......
(MORE LATER).

(Thank You , 'O Neill' , for your words of encouragement - hope we have been of some assistance to you !)

Saturday, November 10, 2007

103 And Counting !

This blog would like to extend congratulations to the Republican Sinn Fein organisation on its 103rd Ard Fheis , which is being held this weekend (Saturday 10 November and Sunday 11 November 2007) in a Dublin venue: as we ourselves know , from past experience, a virulent gauntlet of those representing this corrupt Statelet has to be breached - quite forcibly , on occasion - by not only those attending the event , but also by those entering the venue (hotel) on unrelated business . And this year will , no doubt , be the same in that regard as any of the 102 such gatherings which precede it , and will , no doubt , completely fail to deter the Republicans gathered there from doing the same next year !

The system of partition government in Ireland has been maintained since 1922, and since 1973 under the growing influence of the EU. It is an inescapable fact, on the supreme test of results, that this system has failed. It is time to think of radical change.
It is that radical change which the State goons , and those that pay them , fear so much...
Ni seoinini sinn go leir!

Friday, November 09, 2007

THE COALISLAND STORY : British Torture In Ireland.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

The British authorities have turned East Tyrone into a terror-area : scores of young men have been arrested , interrogated , beaten , released , re-arrested - and the torture process repeated to force 'confessions' . This is the story of four such young men who are now held in pre-trial detention - no charges have yet been preferred against them - in Crumlin Road Jail in Belfast. This did not happen in Hungary , Algeria or Cyprus . It happened in Ireland . Now read it and see what the 26-County administration is co-operating with by using their forces to protect British rule in Ireland :

Four Coalisland , County Tyrone , youths - Kevin Mallon , James O' Donnell , Francis Talbot and John O' Neill , were arrested at various times on Monday November 18 , 1957 , and Tuesday , November 19 , by the RUC. They were taken to Dungannon RUC Barracks where the first interrogations began at 7.30pm on November 19 , 1957 , and lasted until midnight . The young men received no meals and a request for a cup of tea was ignored .

They were questioned continuously by relays of three men and in the course of the first questioning were beaten with fists , punched in the stomachs and face , caught by the hair and their heads banged against the wall . Then , shortly after midnight , the four young men were handcuffed.......
(MORE LATER).

A PORTRAIT OF IRELAND , by Saoránach.......
First published in the Republican Bulletin - Iris Na Poblachta , November 1986.

Ellen Hazelkorn wrote : " Through clientelism , the State has actively sought to deflect incipient conflict by channelling it instead into well-established clientele networks , controlled by parties of the dominant classes . Clientelism is institutionalised within the very fabric of the state , and reinforced by a consistent effort to exclude questions that refer to class differences . In this manner , protest is curtailed and the status quo enforced. "

This is how the 26-County state is run . This is how the masses are manipulated and kept docile . Our job is to find ways and means of changing it and this must surely begin as a process of education . 'Class , Clientelism and the Political Process in the Republic Of Ireland' is a book worth reading and studying . It is a serious but readable book and each chapter would provide an ideal basis for discussion in groups - if you cannot afford the price (or do not get a book token for Christmas!) then ask your local library to get it for you .

[END of 'A PORTRAIT OF IRELAND']
(NEXT: 'King Of The Yuppie Heartland' - from 1987)

THE EAMON BYRNE CASE .
Eamon Byrne , a 19-year-old Dubliner , was shot dead by a garda detective during an attempted robbery at the B+I terminal in November 1982 . For his family , obtaining justice , or simply the truth , could be a long and expensive process.
From 'The Phoenix' magazine , July 1983 .

Eamon Byrne , the 19-year-old Dubliner who was shot dead by a garda detective during an attempted robbery at the B+I terminal in November 1982 , has been disposed of by due bureaucratic process. But it's unlikely we've heard the last of the matter . The dead youth's teenage widow , Elizabeth , is currently considering an action against the Garda Commissioner and the Officers directly involved in the incident .

A lot of questions remain unanswered . The coroner's jury (handpicked by the gardai) returned , on July 5th , 1983 , an ambiguous verdict that Eamon Byrne died of wounds sustained when he was wounded by a detective garda . Verdicts don't come much more open-ended than that , but there is unlikely to be any follow-up by the authorities into precisely what happened on the Dublin Docks on the morning of November 22nd , 1982 , when Eamon Byrne was shot .

The new facts established at the inquest only deepen cause for concern . Byrne , for instance , was not armed at the time he was shot . Two detective gardai were grappling with him on the ground when the gun of one of them "...struck Byrne's head.." and went off , accidentally killing him.......
(MORE LATER).

Thursday, November 08, 2007

103 And Counting !

This blog would like to extend congratulations to the Republican Sinn Fein organisation on its 103rd Ard Fheis , which it is due to hold this coming weekend , Saturday 10 November and Sunday 11 November 2007, in a Dublin venue: as we ourselves know , from past experience, a virulent gauntlet of those representing this corrupt Statelet has to be breached - quite forcibly , on occasion - by not only those attending the event , but also by those entering the venue (hotel) on unrelated business . And this year will , no doubt , be the same in that regard as any of the 102 such gatherings which precede it , and will , no doubt , completely fail to deter the Republicans gathered there from doing the same next year !

The system of partition government in Ireland has been maintained since 1922, and since 1973 under the growing influence of the EU. It is an inescapable fact, on the supreme test of results, that this system has failed. It is time to think of radical change.
It is that radical change which the State goons , and those that pay them , fear so much...
Ni seoinini sinn go leir!

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

THE COALISLAND STORY : British Torture In Ireland.
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

Torture stories are not new . But the inhuman treatment meted out to young Irishmen in the name of British law in our Occupied Six Counties may be news to the majority of the Irish people .

The unwritten orders of the RUC are that a 'confession' must be got at any price . And this 'confession' must not only involve the youth who is being interrogated but many others also . Near Coalisland , in County Tyrone , an RUC Sergeant named Arthur James Ovens was killed in an explosion in a disused house at Brackaville , in August 1957 . The Stormont authorities had publicised a scheme of rewards for information leading to the capture of Irish freedom fighters and , accordingly , British military and RUC guides were rushed to Brackaville after being told by telephone that young men had been seen entering the disused house . RUC Sergeant A.J. Ovens was killed when a mine exploded .

The British authorities have , since then , turned East Tyrone into a terror-area . Uniformed British thugs have rounded-up scores of young men.......
(MORE LATER).

A PORTRAIT OF IRELAND , by Saoránach.......
First published in the Republican Bulletin - Iris Na Poblachta , November 1986.

Ellen Hazelkorn wrote : " There is a growth of cynicism and alienation from politicians and the political process , but political debate has not shown any significant alteration in style , content or ideological level .

The Workers' Party and sections of the Labour-left have occasionally succeeded in raising debate onto a more ideological plane , but change will not be easy or automatic . For them to operate in constituencies through clinics could be politically disastrous in the long-term ; suggestions that their councillors/TD's can be as effective as others in acquiring services or information will likely reinforce the traditional vertical/clientele links , and negate the horizontal/class ties which they ideologically favour .

In Ireland , clientelism is not merely a cultural or historic feature of rural life now appendaged onto the urban political scene , nor has its existence and persistence been merely the result of successful interventions by politicians - it is used by the State to deflect incipient conflict....... "
(MORE LATER).

ROBERT EMMET - THE DARLING OF ERIN.......

Margaret McKearney looks at the life and death of one of Ireland's most enduring heroes.
From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.

Robert Emmet's trial - on September 19 , 1803 - in Green Street Courthouse in Dublin - lasted all day and by 9.30pm he was pronounced guilty ; asked for his reaction , he delivered a speech which still inspires today . He closed by saying that he cared not for the opinion of the court but for the opinion of the future , "...when other times and other men can do justice to my character ." Robert Emmet was publicly executed on Tuesday September 20 outside St Catherine's Church in Dublin's Thomas Street .

The final comment on the value of Robert Emmet's Rising must go to Séan Ó Brádaigh who states that to speak of Emmet in terms of failure alone is to do him a grave injustice . He with the men and women of 1798 set a course for the Irish nation , with their appeal to Protestant , Catholic and Dissenter under the common name of Irishman , which profoundly affected Irish life for more than two centuries and which will , we trust , eventually bear abundant fruit .

[END of 'ROBERT EMMET - THE DARLING OF ERIN']
(NEXT : 'The Eamonn Byrne Case' - from 'Phoenix' magazine , 1983)

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Monday, November 05, 2007

BRITISH OCCUPATION AND THE LONDON 'TIMES' .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

In a fit of pitiful pleading , David Bleakley stated : " It is an anachronism that an economically insecure Northern Ireland should exist in the midst of an industrially thriving British community . Ulster's labout force is ready , anxious and able to work its way through to prosperity . All it asks is to be given the tools and the jobs."

He should have said that the whole concept of Occupied Ireland is an anachronism - that the only way we can all 'work our way through to prosperity' is by first winning vocational independence and driving British imperialism from our land . That would be wisdom but one does not expect wisdom for Ireland in the columns of 'The London Times' newspaper .

[END of 'BRITISH OCCUPATION AND THE LONDON 'TIMES']
(NEXT : 'THE COALISLAND STORY - British Torture In Ireland')

A PORTRAIT OF IRELAND , by Saoránach.......
First published in the Republican Bulletin - Iris Na Poblachta , November 1986.

Ellen Hazelkorn's paper , 'Class Clientelism and the Political Process in the Republic of Ireland', points to the world of political patronage and brokerage , the 'clinics' operated by those in Leinster House and the use of public money to buy allegiance . Ignorance is perpetuated and democracy becomes a joke . As Ellen Hazelkorn put it - " Few politicians would seek to define themselves as legislators , preferring the image of representing or serving their constituents . The initial assertion that deputies spend their time in clinics and letter-writing has been substantiated by more recent research."

Clientelism she regards as a mechanism for manipulating political disorganisation among the dominated classes in society . Her conclusions are devastating , as she refers to the risks involved in trying to change the system by becoming part of it. The system swallows you up . She wrote - " Put simply , Irish clientelism involves individuals who seek out the elected rep , or similarly placed 'elites' , in order to acquire some benefit or service which they feel they would not receive by their own , or their group's , efforts . This leads to a growth of cynicism and alienation......."
(MORE LATER).

ROBERT EMMET - THE DARLING OF ERIN.......

Margaret McKearney looks at the life and death of one of Ireland's most enduring heroes.
From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.

For the English Army , which included Daniel O' Connell, it was then merely a mopping-up operation : in the aftermath , the English arrested and tortured Anne Devlin, even offering her the enormous sum of £500 to betray Robert Emmet - she refused .

Emmet himself hid out in the Harold's Cross area of Dublin , during which he met with his mother and Sarah Curran, however , on Thursday August 25 , 1803 , Robert Emmet was finally arrested . It has been stated by others that a £1000 reward was paid by Dublin Castle to an informer , for supplying the information which led to the capture of Emmet .

Robert Emmet's misfortunes did not stop on his arrest : he had the misfortune to be defended by one Leonard McNally who was trusted by the United Irishmen . However , after McNally's death in 1820 it transpired that he was a highly paid government agent and , in his role as an informer , that he had encouraged young men to join the rebels , betrayed them to Dublin Castle and would then collect fees from the United Irishmen to 'defend' those same rebels in court !

Emmet was tried before a 'Special Commission' in Green Street Court House in Dublin on September 19 , 1803.......
(MORE LATER).

Saturday, November 03, 2007

EDENTUBBER MARTYRS : 50TH ANNIVERSARY .
Volunteer Paul Smith ,Bessbrook, Co. Armagh.
Volunteer George Keegan,Co. Wexford.
Volunteer Paddy Parle,Co. Wexford.
Volunteer Oliver Craven , Newry, Co. Armagh.
Michael Watters ,Co. Louth , was the owner of the cottage where the tragedy occurred in November 1957.
The Commemoration , at which Ruairí Ó Brádaigh will speak, will be held on Sunday November 4 , 2007 : those attending are asked to assemble at 'The Border Inn' at 2.30pm .
Others may attempt to Honour Ireland's Republican Dead , but not one true Irish Republican entered this Struggle to obtain a position in , and a salary and pension from , Leinster House , Stormont or Westminster . Show your support for those who oppose the sell-outs : march with us on November 4 next.

Friday, November 02, 2007

BRITISH OCCUPATION AND THE LONDON 'TIMES' .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

An article in 'The London Times'newspaper of December 9 , 1957 , entitled 'Actors In The Political Scene' , stated : " The country families of the North of Ireland , after surrendering control to the captains of industry for a long period , are well established in the present government."

There , perhaps , is the key to the whole situation : the 'lords of land' and the 'barons of industry' who together make up the Tory-Unionist Ascendancy , the 'master-minds' with Britain's Tories , of the anti-freedom struggle in Ireland. These are the 'gentry' who imposed their views on the Orange rank-and-file under the guise of religion - the ones who stand to lose most by separation from Britain .

It is those gentlemen who act as Britain's puppets in Ireland : even those who consider themselves as 'left-wingers' can be enticed to forget where they came from.......
(MORE LATER).

A PORTRAIT OF IRELAND , by Saoránach.......
First published in the Republican Bulletin - Iris Na Poblachta , November 1986.

Dr Mary Kelly wrote : " The knowledge of the contribution of Republican violence to the establishment of the State , as well as the Republican definitions and ideology learned by many through both school and family , cannot be easily dismissed from consciousness as simply the emotional 'cult of 1916' (Conor Cruise O' Brien, quoted in 'The Irish Times' , November 1983) . Yet many are dependent for their knowledge of the situation in the North on the media - especially television which , owing to censorship , is extremely narrow and limited in its coverage .

This has the consequence of presenting the violence as unmotivated and irrational , a procession of inexplicable events led by a tiny minority of violent men . I would thus expect considerable confusion and lack of understanding in the South of the forces which contribute to the continuance of the violence . I would further argue that , in the long term , ignorance rarely contributes to the resolution of conflict. "

Another paper , called 'Class , Clientelism and the Political Process in the Republic of Ireland' (here,page 4) , by Ellen Hazelkorn of The Dublin Institute of Technology is an analysis of what passes for politics in the 26 Counties.......
(MORE LATER).

ROBERT EMMET - THE DARLING OF ERIN.......

Margaret McKearney looks at the life and death of one of Ireland's most enduring heroes.
From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.

Events went dramatically wrong for Robert Emmet : on the appointed day his plans began to unravel - Michael Dwyer and his promised 300 men did not get the word until Sunday July 24 and , the previous day , an excess of men had moved in to Dublin from Kildare and could not be concealed in the existing depots so they spread out around the city pubs and some started drinking . Others , after inspecting the existing arsenal and finding many pikes but few muskets or blunderbusses , went home unimpressed .

Because he had alerted other countries and still had the element of surprise , Emmet decided not to postpone the Rising ; thus , shortly after seven o' clock on Saturday July 23rd , 1803 , Robert Emmet in his green and gold uniform stood in the Thomas Street , Dublin , depot and , to the assembled rebels , read out his proclamation , declaring that the Irish nation was about to assert itself in arms against foreign rule .

Again events conspired to thwart the rebels - coaches commissioned for the attack on Dublin Castle were lost and erroneous information supplied that encouraged pre-emptive strikes , meant that confusion reigned . Also , the novel rocket signals failed to detonate . Emmet's own forces , who were to have taken the Castle , dwindled away and , throughout the remainder of that evening , there were skirmishes at Thomas Street and the Coombe Barracks but he decided to terminate operations and leave the city.......
(MORE LATER).

Thursday, November 01, 2007

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

BRITISH OCCUPATION AND THE LONDON 'TIMES' .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

On December 12th , 1957 , 'The Irish Independent' newspaper reported - " Early yesterday morning a jeep-load of British soldiers accompanied by a member of the RUC crossed the border into the republic at Tyholland Frontier Post on the Monaghan-Armagh road . They were part of a Six-County 'police patrol' operating along the Armagh-Monaghan border . Mr. M. Crowley , the Customs Officer on the republic side , thought at first that the patrol had lost its way and allowed it to return to the Six Counties unchallenged . A few minutes later , however , the same vehicle again crossed the border into the republic , but this time Mr. Crowley stood in the centre of the road and forced the patrol to stop .

He informed the N.C.O. in charge that they were invading republic territory and that the vehicle and arms were liable to seizure . He then told the RUC man that he should have been aware of the patrol's position . The RUC man left the jeep and returned on foot to the Six Counties . Mr Crowley telephoned his Chief at Clones , Monaghan , and telephoned Garda Superintendent Collins , also stationed in Monaghan . When the Gardai arrived a few minutes later , the British soldiers had returned to the Six Counties . The matter was immediately reported to the Revenue Commissioners who referred it to the Department of External Affairs . A number of people who were passing the Customs Post at the time saw what happened ."

A jeep-load of British troops to 'reinforce' one RUC 'guide' !

Another article in 'The London Times' , entitled ' Actors In The Political Scene' , exposed the links between "...the country families and the Captains of Industry......."
(MORE LATER).

A PORTRAIT OF IRELAND , by Saoránach.......
First published in the Republican Bulletin - Iris Na Poblachta , November 1986.

Dr Mary Kelly wrote - " Four frames were used which can be summarised briefly , if rather grossly , as follows : a republican frame , highlighted in some of the representations of the IRA in 'The Irish News'newspaper and to a lesser extent in 'The Irish Press' newspaper. This overlapped with the committed 'men of violence' frame highlighted in some of 'The Irish Times' coverage , but particularly in that of 'The Irish Independent'newspaper.

This frame again veered towards the 'terrorist' frame , central in 'The News Letter', 'The Belfast Telegraph' and 'The Times'(London) which overlapped with the 'animals/scum' frame which characterised some of the reports in 'The Mirror' and 'The Express'. "

The understanding that people in the 26 Counties have of events north of the border is confused and ambivalent . Mary Kelly continued on to talk about that confusion and ambivalence , and mentioned Conor Cruise O'Brien in relation to same.......
(MORE LATER).

ROBERT EMMET - THE DARLING OF ERIN.......

Margaret McKearney looks at the life and death of one of Ireland's most enduring heroes.
From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.

Arms depots were established in Dublin for the manufacture and storage of weapons for the incipient rising . Former soldiers mixed their practical skills with the scientific knowledge that Robert Emmet had acquired on the continent , and an innovative rocket device was produced .

Elaborate plans were drawn up to take the city and in particular Dublin Castle: supporters from the surrounding counties of Kildare , Wicklow and even Wexford were pledged to assist . Emmet bided his time waiting for an opportune moment when English troops would be withdrawn to serve in the renewed war in France , but his hand was forced when a premature explosion on the evening of July 16 , 1803 , at the Patrick Street depot, caused the death of John Keenan .

Though there was no obvious wide scale search or arrest operation by the British following the explosion , the leadership of the movement decided to set July 23 , 1803 (the following Saturday) as the date for the rising . Emmet hoped that success in Dublin would inspire other counties to follow suit . Patrick M. Geoghegan, in a recent publication , says that "...the plan for taking Dublin was breathtaking in its precision and audacity . It was nothing less that a blueprint for a dramatic coup d'état . Indeed , over a century later , Pearse and Clarke would also refer to the plan for their own rising..."

Emmet's plan depended on two factors - arms and men . As Geoghegan states , when the time came , Robert Emmet had not enough of either.......
(MORE LATER).

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

BOOT-BOYS FOR THE 'UNION' .....

Former British soldier gets 3 years’ jail for urinating on dying woman.

'A man who urinated on a disabled woman and sprayed her with shaving foam as she lay dying in the street was jailed for three years yesterday.
Anthony Anderson, 27, Hartlepool, was sentenced for outraging public decency when he degraded 50-year-old Christine Lakinski, who had collapsed in July this year.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Anderson, a former soldier, was celebrating his 27th birthday on the day he degraded his victim. She had been visiting friends and was walking home with some laminate flooring when she collapsed, striking her head as she fell.
She was spotted by a girlfriend of one of Anderson’s friends and a group gathered around her body. Anderson kicked her on the foot, then poured a bowl of water over her prone body, but she did not respond. Anderson then told his friends he was going to urinate on the woman as one of them filmed it on his mobile phone. In an ordeal lasting around 30 minutes Anderson also used shaving foam from a can to further degrade his victim.
Outside court, Ms Lakinski’s family read a statement, which said: “We would like to thank the judge for his decision to jail Anthony Anderson.
We hope that prison will give him time to reflect on his disgusting actions as well as the opportunity to look at his conscience.
We remain totally shocked that anyone could behave in such an appalling way.”

Anderson was with his friends Scott Clement and Simon Whitehead when the humiliation took place, the court heard. The group left her motionless on the pavement and no-one thought to ring an ambulance until they had got ready to go nightclubbing, some 20 minutes later. Paramedics arrived about an hour after she collapsed, and found no sign of life. A postmortem revealed she died from pancreatic failure. Police traced the 999 call to Mr Clement and Anderson was arrested that night in a nightclub.'
(From here.)

A not unusual example of the calibre and mentality of British 'peace-keepers' that have 'served their country' , and not only on these shores . Not only are they unfit for any other job , but they are unfit to belong to the human race. May that poor woman Rest In Peace .

Monday, October 29, 2007

BRITISH OCCUPATION AND THE LONDON 'TIMES' .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

A 'division' was indeed reached , we say , to meet the realities of the British Imperial situation - not the Irish one . And while it is true that this division was accepted in Dublin (by the British-established Free State Government) , in Belfast (by the British-established Stormont Government) and in London (by the British Imperial Government which contrived the whole thing) , it was never accepted by the Irish people .

'The Times' newspaper says that Mr de Valera and his government have "...happily.." accepted Partition which "...will survive , so far as can be seen , into the indefinite future.." 'The Times' has been more noted for wishful thinking than prophecy in regard to Irish affairs . The only hope for peace in Occupied Ireland , says 'The Times' , lies in the suppression of Republican Militants . The British Army of Occupation is dismissed with this reference -

" The British soldiers are rightly available to reinforce police and auxilaries , if and when occasion arises . " The 'occasion' must arise pretty often for , three days later , 'The Irish Independent' newspaper (December 12 , 1957) reported the following.......
(MORE LATER).

A PORTRAIT OF IRELAND , by Saoránach.......
First published in the Republican Bulletin - Iris Na Poblachta , November 1986.

For those who have the time and inclination to study some of the problems and take stock of our situation , I recommend a recent book called 'Ireland : A Sociological Profile', published by the Institute of Public Administration and the Sociological Association of Ireland.

Here in over 400 pages are 19 different papers on various aspects of Irish life today , written by a team of sociologists . The editors claim that it "...addresses key aspects of institutions and structures in both parts of Ireland.. " (sic) and gives "...a distinctive , if not complete , portrait of Irish society ." This book , it must be stressed , does not offer solutions , but tells us what we are , warts and all . The proposal of solutions is not the sociologist's job , in academic terms anyhow . But for those who would like to take stock of Irish society in 1986 , prior to making plans and devising policies , this is as good and as up-to-date an account of our society as one is likely to get .

Most of our readers would be interested in the chapter called 'Power Control and Media Coverage of the Northern Ireland Conflict', by Mary Kelly of the Department of Sociology in University College ,Dublin. Her paper is based on painstaking research of the media over several years , and she shares her analysis with us . Dr Kelly distinguishes , for instance , four frames in which IRA activity in the Six Counties is reported . It is basically a matter of the terminology used , as can be seen by the following sample.......
(MORE LATER).

ROBERT EMMET - THE DARLING OF ERIN.......

Margaret McKearney looks at the life and death of one of Ireland's most enduring heroes.
From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.

Following the signing of the Peace of Amiens by France and England in March 1802 the United Irishmen that were being held as prisoners in Fort George were released and many such as Thomas Russell and Thomas Addis Emmet made there way to Paris . Emmet returned to Ireland in October 1802 and began to plan for a rising . On March 1803 , at a meeting in Corbet's Hotel , 105 Capel Street , Dublin , Emmet briefed his key organisers .

In April 1803 Emmet rented an isolated house in Butterfield Lane in Rathfarnham as a new base of operations and Michael Dwyer, a 1798 veteran , suggested his young niece as a suitable candidate to play the role of the 'housekeeper' .

Born in or around the year 1778 , Ann Devlin soon became Robert Emmet's trusted helper and served him loyally in the months ahead . Shortly afterwards he leased a premises at Marshalsea Lane, off Thomas Street, Dublin, and set up an arms depot there.......
(MORE LATER).

Saturday, October 27, 2007

A CALLOUS SELF-SERVING CAREERIST .
Due to his recent salary increase, Bertie Ahern now 'earns' (...is paid..) €1291 a day !

This is the same bumbling half-wit that recently found himself being 'investigated' by the very Tribunal that he and his equally morally corrupt colleagues in Leinster House were forced (by public opinion) to establish : the same Bertie Ahern that co-signed most of the 1,615 cheques drawn on the Fianna Fail leaders allowance account from 1984 to 1992 (... better known as 'The Haughey Years'..) : the man who , when asked in September 2006 about political appointments to State Boards replied - ” I might have appointed somebody but I appointed them because they were friends , not because of anything they had given me . ” : the same political and moral degenerate who stood in front of the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis in April 1997 and pledged - ” No-one , no-one , is welcome in this party if they betray the public trust . I say this and I mean this with every fibre of my being. ”

Obviously , his 'being' lacks 'fibre'. As Oscar Wilde put it - " Society sooner or later must return to its lost leader , the cultured and fascinating liar." But , in this case - without the 'cultured' bit...

Friday, October 26, 2007

BRITISH OCCUPATION AND THE LONDON 'TIMES' .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

The 'London Times' newspaper has learned little Irish history since the Pigott Forgeries, but that little doesn't stop it pontificating on our problems . What it doesn't know it invents . Here is the imperial line on the Irish Question , and Messers. de Valera and Costello might take note : the border is not a creation of the British Government , according to the 'Special Correspondent' who wrote the article 'Thirty Years After Partition' for the special supplement . That 'Correspondent' exlains -

" Charges and counter-charges have been launched . But the basic position is perfectly clear . A division was reached - and accepted in Dublin , in Belfast and in London - to meet so far as was practical the realities of a difficult situation . This situation , as has been shown , was not of Northern nor of British making . "

The basic position may be 'perfectly clear' to The Times and its readers ('the best quality people in England' , according to its own advertisements...) but it is also , amazingly enough , perfectly clear to the Irish people . Our conclusions in regard to this "basic position" differ more than somewhat.......
(MORE LATER).

A PORTRAIT OF IRELAND , by Saoránach.
First published in the Republican Bulletin - Iris Na Poblachta , November 1986.

The Ireland of 1986 is beset by many social problems . Most of us are aware of this . We know there is material and cultural deprivation and that unemployment is at record levels , both North and South .

Our society seems to drift along , leaderless . The problems are now so great that only radical change will solve them . Those who look to the British , Loyalist and 26-County establishments in Ireland for positive and honest national leadership will look in vain . To take one example - it is sad indeed to see sincere Gaeilgeoirí (ie 'Irish speakers') going to the 26-County Minister for Education , Mr Patrick Cooney, to ask him to take action to halt the alarming decline in the Irish language in our schools . Ná bí ag caint !

Those who would wish to change a lot of things in Irish society cannot plan a way ahead without first taking a hard look and making a realistic assessment of how and where we are now and how we got here . Never was the need for a radical alternative more necessary than today.......
(MORE LATER).

ROBERT EMMET - THE DARLING OF ERIN.......

Margaret McKearney looks at the life and death of one of Ireland's most enduring heroes.
From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.

There were four branches of the United Irishmen in TCD and Robert Emmet was secretary of one of them . However , after an inquisition , presided over by Lord Chancellor Fitzgibbon, Emmet became one of nineteen students who were expelled for United Irishmen activity .

Although not active in the 1798 Rising, Robert Emmet was well known to the authorities and by April 1799 , when Habeas Corpus had been suspended , there was a warrant issued for his arrest , which he managed to evade and , early in 1801 , accompanied by a Mr Malachy Delany of Cork , he travelled throughout Europe , and made Paris his headquarters - it was there that he replaced Edward Lewis as the liaison officer between Irish and French Republicans .

While in Paris , Emmet learned about rockets and weapons , and studied a two-volume treatise by a Colonel Tempelhoff which can be examined in the Royal Irish Academy, with the marginal notes given the reader some insight into Emmet's thinking.......
(MORE LATER).

Thursday, October 25, 2007

TARA WAS OLD WHEN CHRIST WAS BORN...

"Picking up yeomanry reinforcements along the way, the combined British force of about 700 troops lost no time in forming up at the bottom of the hill to attack the rebels who had posted themselves behind defenses such as old walls and ditches. An attack up the hill was quickly launched and met strong resistance from the rebels but the superior firepower of the military combined with a well-executed bayonet charge drove the rebels from the hill, dispersing them with much slaughter...."

....and now a like-minded foe has come back for the Hill itself , intent on causing as much destruction as it wants...