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

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

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

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

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



THE ANATOMY OF AN AFTERNOON : THE STORY OF THE GIBRALTAR KILLINGS........

By Michael O'Higgins and John Waters. From 'Magill Magazine' , October 1988.

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

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

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



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

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



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

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

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

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



BLACK AND TANS IN LEINSTER HOUSE.

That front page article can be read here.

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

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

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



WICKLOW , LIMERICK , DUBLIN AND SLIGO -

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

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

Thanks for reading , Sharon.

---

---

---

LEINSTER HOUSE : A "MILITARY INSTALLATION" OPERATING A SHOOT-TO-KILL POLICY ?

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

Tyrone and Fermanagh were held within the occupied area , which was to benefit farther from slices of Donegal and Monaghan. It was a cruel, cynical trick to play on men who had by now no retreat. The Free State Government faced the fact that it had enforced, in blood , a Treaty which now turned out to be a fraud - the most courageous decision open to them was to denounce the Treaty on the ground that the pledges that moved Collins and Griffith to sign it had been dishonoured by the British , which would mean facing a very angry people.

It is to the credit of members of the government that they urged their colleagues to make an honest announcement to the people that Britain had broken yet another Treaty with Ireland. Colonel Paddy O'Connor, senior officer at the Curragh , led an army revolt - it was he directed the attack on the Four Courts in 1922. He was a very good friend of mine before the parting of the ways in 1921, and we saw a great deal of each other again after he retired from the army. O'Connor threatened he would lead a Brigade into East Donegal and he would resist the British armed forces , which must go in there to establish the new border, let what would come of it.

O'Connor and his associates did not plan any steps in support of Tyrone and Fermanagh , but merely to resist an attempt to push the Boundary outwards - a more energetic protest in the name of Michael Colloins would have become them better. The limits to the army revolt indicated the way out of the difficulty - to suppress the findings of the Boundary Commission and abide by the territorial arrangement of the 1920 Act. (MORE LATER).



THE ANATOMY OF AN AFTERNOON : THE STORY OF THE GIBRALTAR KILLINGS........

By Michael O'Higgins and John Waters. From 'Magill Magazine' , October 1988.

Despite the fact that these 'Rules of Engagement' , drawn up by the military for the military , were to represent the central plank of the Crown and SAS case at the inquest , Paddy McGrory, apart from occasional passing references in cross-examination , never made any serious attempt to question their validity in a civil situation. Again, as with the PII certificates , he appeared to be content to allow the jury draw conclusions on its own.

According to police and military witnesses , a number of important things happened in the days leading up to Friday 4th March 1988 : Chief Inspector Ivor Lopez of the Gibraltar police was given details of an evacuation plan for the area where the bomb was expected - he was to be in charge of this part of the operation. The plan would require large numbers of police personnel , twenty-six for traffic duty alone, but he was not given any indication when the plan might be required to be put into action.

The SAS soldiers were rehearsed in arrest technique by members of the Gibraltar police force , whom the soldiers referred to as 'Joes'. The procedure was for the soldiers to approach the IRA ASU members and put them down to the ground with their hands well out from their bodies, at which point the Gibraltar 'Joes' would step in to make the arrests proper. Following on from the assessment that a remote control device was to be used, police photographers went up the Rock and took photographs from the most likely places where 'line-of-sight' could be obtained by a bomber of a car parked in the assembly area. A 'Joint Operations Room' , or Ops Room, was set up at a secret location in Gibraltar, from where the operation was to be controlled. The exact location was not revealed during the inquest. (MORE LATER).



16 YEARS YOUNG WHEN HE JOINED THE MOVEMENT TO WHICH HE DEDICATED 89 YEARS SERVICE.

Dan Keating (right) and Ruairí Ó Brádaigh : Ruairi was born on 2nd October (1932) and Dan died on 2nd October (2007).

On this date (2nd October) in 2007 , Dan Keating (born 2nd January, 1902) died , aged 105.

Dan was born in the townland of Ballygamboon, Castlemaine, Co Kerry. In 1917, he went to work in Tralee at Jerry McSweeney’s Grocery, Bar and Bakery. Jerry McSweeney’s uncle, Richard Laide, was shot in the attack on Gortalea barracks which was the first barracks to be attacked in Ireland. Dan joined the Fianna in Tralee in 1918 and about two years later he joined the Irish Republican Army. Others to join at that time were Gerry Moyles, Donnchadh Donoghue, Tommy Vale, John Riordan (Kerry All-Ireland footballer), Jerry O'Connor (better known as 'Uncy'), Matt Moroney and Paddy and Billy Griffin.

In the meantime, Dan met a soldier who used to frequent the bar where he worked and during conversations procured a rifle from him. This was then handed over to Johnny O'Connor of the Farmers' Bridge unit. Dan was later to join this unit which included men of the calibre of Johnny Duggan, Johnny O'Connor, Timmy Galvin, Moss Galvin, Jack Corkery, Jim Ryle, Mick Hogan and Jamesy Whiston. This unit was very active from 1920 to 1924 and many of its members took part in the Headford ambush which claimed the lives of approximately 20 British soldiers. Volunteers Danny Allman and Jimmy Baily also lost their lives at Headford. Dan took part in the ambush at Castlemaine in which eight RIC and Black-and-Tans were killed. Gerry Moyles was severely injured in this encounter. The last ambush in Kerry took place in Castleisland on the night before the Truce and Dan also participated in this. Four RIC members were killed in this action and Volunteers Jack Shanahan, Jack Prenderville, John McMahon and John Flynn also lost their lives.

In 1922 Dan was transferred to a unit in Tralee which was commanded by Tommy Barton of Ballyroe when they occupied Ballymullen barracks for a period of three months. Dan took part in the attack on Listowel barracks, now occupied by the Free Staters, in which one Free Stater was shot dead. In Limerick, Dan, along with comrades from Kerry, fought the Free State troops over a period of ten days. Republican Volunteers Patrick Foran, Charlie O'Hanlon and Tom McLoughlin lost their lives there. Dan was then sent to Tipperary to instruct Gerry Moyles to return to Kilmallock but on the way they were surrounded by Free Staters. After a battle at Two Mile Bridge Dan and his comrades were taken prisoner and held in Thurles barracks for two days before being conveyed to Portlaoise jail where he was held for six months. This was to be the first of many times he was interned by the Free State. During this period in Portlaoise the jail was burned and Volunteer Paddy Hickey from Dublin was shot dead. Dan was then transferred to the Curragh Internment Camp and was held there until March 1923. A Free State soldier named Bergin from Nenagh, who became friendly with the Republican prisoners and acted as a courier to Republicans on the outside, was executed by the Staters.

Dan was charged with possession of a shotgun in 1930 and was issued a summons but did not attend court and was fined £1. In the true Republican tradition he refused to pay and was sent to Limerick and held for one week. During a court case in Tralee involving Johnny O'Connor and Mick Kennedy, in which they refused to recognise the court, their supporters in the courthouse cheered loudly and when things died down the judge ordered Dan Keating to be brought up before him and gave him three months for contempt. Dan was jailed in Cork with Johnny O'Connor but after a hunger strike by Johnny both were released after three weeks. The next time Dan was interned was after O'Duffy’s visit to Tralee; he was sentenced to six months in Arbour Hill. Dan was later captured in Carrigans in Clonmel by a policeman who had previously arrested him in Tralee and was taken first to Thurles and from there to the Curragh where he was held for three years and six months. In this period the camp was burned and Barney Casey from Longford was shot dead. Dan was also on active service in England during the early 1940s.

Dan returned to work in Dublin and operated as a barman in the Eagle House, James Street, the Cornet and the Kilmardenny public houses. His other great interest was Gaelic games, and indeed between football and hurling he has attended more than 140 All-Ireland senior finals including replays, which must be a record in itself. When Dan retired he returned to Kerry in 1978 and resided at Ballygamboon, Castlemaine. In 2004 Dan Keating replaced George Harrison of Mayo and New York as the fourth Patron of Sinn Féin Poblachtach since 1986, following in the footsteps of such illustrious Republicans as Comdt-General Tom Maguire and Michael Flannery of Tipperary and New York. During his long, healthy and adventurous lifetime Dan has seen many splits and deviations from Republican principles, but he remained loyal and true to the end. He died in Tralee on 2nd October 2007, after a short illness , and was buried on 5th October in Kiltallagh cemetery, Castlemaine, County Kerry and, at the time of his death, was the oldest man in Ireland. An audio interview with Dan can be listened to here.



LEINSTER HOUSE : A MILITARY INSTALLATION WITH A 'SHOOT-TO-KILL' POLICY FOR THOSE WHO BREACH THE GATES.

'MAG Man' at Leinster House authorised to open fire in certain situations ?

One of Irish readers came across this little gem on a discussion board which focuses on Dublin/Irish issues of interest and, whilst s/he cannot vouch for the accuracy of the post, our reader does vouch for the author of the post whom , we are told, is well briefed on matters to do with the Free State military :

" There is a detachment of Military Police on duty inside the perimeter of Government Buildings (which of course includes Leinster House). There is also a detachment of infantry personnel who provide a fire piquet duty. Anything that happens inside the gates of Leinster House is their responsibility, as military law applies. In effect Leinster House is a Military Installation while there are military personnel on duty. This may seem far fetched. It's not.

Anyone remember that man that drove the mixer truck up to but without touching the gate? He was within miliseconds of death. The MAG man (General Purpose Machine Gun) was about to fire a burst into the cab if the truck had hit the gate. That soldier had to take time off (a day or two) because of how close he came to killing a man.

When may an Irish soldier on guard duty fire ball (live bullets) ammunition without warning? 1 In defence of his own life. 2 In defence of his comrades life. 3 To prevent himself from being forcibly disarmed. 4 For the safety of the post concerned. 5 To prevent destruction to government property.

A bit over the top for a few protesters breaching the gates of Leinster House? Perhaps, but remember that truck driver. Protest by all means, that's our right. But for gods sake never even think of breaching the gates or any part of the periphery of Leinster House! "

(This is the post in question , on this thread , from the site mentioned above)

The same poster , apparently a man with some working knowledge of the subject , went on to state the following in relation to this issue : "The NCO i/c of the installation judges whether a situation warrants military action.....the closest it came to firing on a man (to my knowledge) was that early morning when a man drove a mixer truck up to within a few inches of the gate. Its true that the MAG man did release his safety and put his finger inside the trigger guard as he saw and heard the truck approach, and was prepared to fire a burst into the cab had the vehicle hit the gates.....my point in the post was that while there IS a possibility that a riotous group breaching the perimeter of Leinster House (or indeed any military post) COULD cause the guard to open fire.....there are no exceptions to the standing order to shoot...."

Make of that what you will , but personally I wouldn't be surprised if it's true - there is huge levels of public resentment towards the inmates of that institution and they themselves are aware of that : if the worst comes to the worst (the 'worst' as they themselves would view it, anyway...) and they are forced to make a stand in defence of their standard of lifestyle, then what better venue to do it from than "...a military installation.." ?



"MOVE ALONG NOW. NOTHING REALLY NEW TO SEE HERE...."

Gerry Adams , Irish republican recruitment officer for a British paramilitary 'police force' in Ireland.

As our post title says , there is nothing really new in this 'development' , but if nothing else it might help convince those that are still of the opinion that (P) Sinn Féin remain an 'Irish republican party' that , in fact, they are about as 'republican' as the SDLP or Fianna Fáil. PSF support for the institutions of this State (and the State itself) and for the apparatus of the British-occupied Six Counties area was first signalled in 1986 when that grouping went constitutional , thereby expelling itself from the Republican Movement. Since then , it has further morphed into a 'catch-all' party for disaffected and/or floating Workers Party/SDLP/Fianna Fáil supporters and over the years has had to ditch more of its political 'principles' in order that it may hold on to those new members and voters.

For instance , in 2007 , the grouping held a 'Special Ard Fheis' in Dublin to secure confirmation from as many of its members as possible that the RUC/PSNI were , after all , 'acceptable' (although it did prove to be 'a [Westminster] bridge too far' for some of them, who promptly left the grouping, finally realising that they actually were on a slippery slope downwards) and when that confirmation was obtained , Chief Constable Adams hailed it as a "truly historic" occasion which , when compared with the last lemming throwing itself off a cliff, sounds about right to me : "The decision we have taken today is truly historic," , declared Chief Constable Adams , "this is one of the most important debates in the history of republicanism and of this country. Let's not be upset by how others respond to today's decision. The higher they build their barriers the stronger we become," he declared , not acknowledging that in assisting Westminster to 'govern' its last part-colony, his grouping were strengthening a "barrier" , not weakening it , something his own 'Youth Wing' could have told him.

"It is not something we would discuss, but we certainly would encourage people to apply....obviously when people are looking at future careers it is an option and good luck to people who decide to take it...." - the words of one of the two (P) Sinn Féin elected representatives , quoted in the first link , above. It's a sorry state of affairs , indeed, when 'republican' reps encourage their neighbour to join enemy forces. It used be only the Workers Party , SDLP and Fianna Fáil that did that......



THE 'PEACE DIVIDEND'.

This politician , Ian Paisley Jnr , was paid £3456 a week , every week, last year , and is only one of dozens on money like that : their 'peace dividend' , paid by the same taxpayers that are having to make weekly decisions of whether to put food on the table or part-pay a bill.

The above figure comprises 'expenses' of £2087 a week and a wage of £1369 a week , but the '350 Pounds An Hour' is a third issue - that figure is in reference to this wee nixer that 'Baby Doc' managed to secure for himself , for doing 'consultancy work' for a business entity in Africa. Not bad takings for someone who began his political 'career' as a 'researcher and aide' to his father , another politician who verbally slammed the British every day except payday. Like others of their ilk, the Paisleys have financially prospered from Britains interference in Irish affairs and 'Jnr' has made himself available , at a price, to travel the 'Empire' to show others how to do it, too. 'Spreading the Gospel' , you might say....



MY KINGDOM , MY CASTLE.

Is this where you go if you want to make a payment to ensure that your planning application is accepted...?

That there is systematic corruption in planning and environmental decision making in this State is beyond question and, unfortunately, also beyond question is the fact that any 'official investigation' into that corruption was always going to be carried out via the Irish maxim 'an Irish solution to an Irish problem' ie 'give the impression that we're going to clamp down on it'.

The first 'official' response is usually to deny it ever actually happened or , if the evidence is too strong to be side-stepped in that fashion , then blame a 'glitch in the system' or some such nonsense. If the incident continues to attract attention it will then be 'referred to a committee of inquiry' and/or a (toothless) Tribunal will be established to get to the bottom of the issue (!) and if/when a report is published , it will be referenced a few times in a newspaper and then be ignored. Some of the major players involved may get a slap on the wrist which they will begrudgingly accept like martyrs to a Cause , promoting themselves as 'entrepreneurs' who simply tried to take a shortcut 'as there were jobs/environmental concerns/future contracts' etc at stake.

That the Tribunal established by the politicians here in this State in relation to corruption in the planning process was established in a manner which ensured that its findings could not be used as the basis of criminal proceedings might very well have given a 'green light' to politicians in the Six Counties that , should the worse come to the worse and 'awkward' questions are asked re planning applications there , then an equally toothless tribunal can be established to , eventually , brush the matter under the carpet , in the hope that most people by then will have lost interest in the case - and who could blame them for that ; 'Over a period of 15 years, the tribunal steadily grew more complex and costly. It produced 60,000 pages of evidence, 76,000 pages of correspondence, heard from 400 witnesses and sat for 917 days....' (from here).

My reference , above, to the Six Counties is in relation to recent changes * made by the Stormont administration in regards to issues of planning which will limit , if not extinguish, any appeals process and which will open the door for property developers to be able to brush aside environmental and social concerns in regards to what they want to build, and where. In my opinion , this raises the issue as to whether those politicians in the Occupied Six Counties have been looking over the British-imposed border in admiration of the manner in which their cousins in Leinster House (ab)used the planning process and decided that they , too, want a piece of the action?(*That link is accurate save for the term "country" which is mistakenly used in reference to six Irish counties.)



VOTE 'YES' ON FRIDAY 4th OCTOBER 2013 : MAKE THEM WORK FOR A LIVING.

"How else can I be expected to sustain my present lifestyle....?"

This coming Friday (4th October 2013) I'll be casting a 'Yes' vote in the hope that enough citizens of this State will do the same and, between us, we can commence with the abolition of the useless State Senate. It is nothing more than a taxpayer-funded political creche for young wannabes and an old folks home for retiring politicians, each one of whom drains the State of over €60,000 a year in wages with 'expenses' on top of that. As well as the outrageous waste of taxpayers money poured into this institution, it offers a platform for publicly unelected politicians to grandly pontificate on issues which otherwise they usually wouldn't care about and affords them publicity to promote themselves to their party leadership as a future 'safe pair of hands' ie HMV at the State cabinet table.

Indeed, in campaigning amongst the various 'special nominating bodies' for election to the State Senate, one of the candidates expressed his distaste for the manner in which that institution was constituted ("...its electoral system was an affront to democracy...") but appears to have had a change of heart since winning a seat. There are more than enough politicians in Leinster House with that air about them without gifting them a second , expensive, venue to operate from. Vote 'Yes' on Friday 4th October 2013 for State Senate abolition (even though , if a 'Yes' vote is achieved, it will be at least two-and-a-half years before that ineffective institution is abolished) , and while you're there, vote 'NO' to the establishment of a new State 'Court of Appeal' : we don't need more Judges and legal secretaries etc on the State payroll , chomping at the bit to lighten the already sparse public purse. We can't afford them and, even if we could, they're not worth it.



Thanks for reading , Sharon.

---

---

---

ENGLISH WIN FIRST PRIZE IN THE LOTTERY OF LIFE (!)

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


But to let on to hope that the Six Counties would choose to stay in would be transparent nonsense : the real issue was what provision the Treaty would make to force the Six-County Government (sic) back after it had opted out. This end would be achieved by a clause in the Treaty which would impose on the Six Counties a Boundary Commission which , on the basis of local option, would leave Stormont with only an uneconomic farm around Belfast.

Inviting Arthur Griffith to exult over the territorial transfer which must come from local option , Lloyd George let on to discover the Glens of Antrim , which would want to opt out of 'the North'. Some phrase would have to be inserted to contain that area , and so it was - "....so far as may be compatible with economic and geographic conditions.." . Griffith , with his mind on the Glens area and Lloyd George's on Tyrone and Fermanagh, was surely very tired or very bothered , or a man of very limited gifts, not to relate this wording with alert suspicion to Lloyd George's talk of "an uneconomic farm around Belfast".

Indeed , it was a shade reckless of Lloyd George to risk going so close to stating that the Boundary Commission could invoke these words against such use of local option as would reduce 'the North' to an "uneconomic farm around Belfast". However ; the Boundary Commission arrived at its finding and word of it was allowed to leak into a British daily newspaper - the finding was what Lloyd George had in mind from the outset.... (MORE LATER).



THE ANATOMY OF AN AFTERNOON : THE STORY OF THE GIBRALTAR KILLINGS........

By Michael O'Higgins and John Waters. From 'Magill Magazine' , October 1988.

The rules for 'Operation Flavius' were specially drawn up based on the standard 'Rules of Engagement' for all British Army operations - up to the Gibraltar inquest these had remained classified , to the extent that even 'Soldiers A-D' were not actually allowed to read them before the operation, but by the end of the second week of the inquest many members of the British press had mysteriously acquired copies of them.

The specially adapted rules for 'Operation Flavius' were briefly as follows : military personnel were to operate as directed by the Gibraltar Police Commissioner or by officer(s) designated by him to control the operation. If the latter requested military intervention they were to assist the local police in arresting the IRA ASU , but were to do all in their power to protect the lives and safety of members of the public and security forces. They were not to use force unless requested to do so by the Police Commissioner or in order to protect life , in which case they were not to use "more force than is necessary".

They were only to open fire if they had reasonable grounds for believing that an action was about to be committed which was likely to endanger life "and if there is no other way to prevent this". A warning was to be given before firing and this was to be "as clear as possible and include a direction to surrender and clear warning that fire will be opened if the direction is not obeyed". However , they could fire without warning if the giving of such warning was "clearly impracticable" or likely to cause a delay in firing which might lead to death or injury. It was specifically stated in the 'Rules of Engagement' that the military were not to enter or fire at any person on Spanish territory or territorial waters. (MORE LATER).



PICKET AND PUBLIC MEETING IN SUPPORT OF MARTIN COREY.

Martin Corey , an Irish republican from Lurgan in County Armagh, was sentenced to life imprisonment in December 1973. At that time he was only 19 years old. He was to spend the next 19 years of his life in jail until he was finally released without signing anything in June 1992. But, without warning and with no explanation, he was taken back into custody by the British on 16th April 2010 , where he remains to this day.

The 'Release Martin Corey Campaign' (Dublin) will be holding a picket this Saturday (28th September 2013) on the traffic isle facing the GPO in O'Connell Street , Dublin , from 12 Noon to 2pm , and a public meeting re this injustice will be held afterwards in a near-by venue. All Welcome!



'WE ENGLISH HAVE WON FIRST PRIZE IN THE LOTTERY OF LIFE'.

A British propaganda tool for 'the colonies'.

'A' is the Army

That dies for the Queen;

It's the very best Army

That ever was seen.



'B' stands for Battles

By which England's name

Has for ever been covered

With glory and fame.



'C' is for Colonies,

Rightly we boast

That of all the great nations

Great Britain has most.

.....and so on and so on : a bed-time story book , believe it or not, written by a Mary Frances Leslie Miller (aka Mrs Ernest Ames) , a Canadian born in 1853 , and who died at 76 years of age in 1929. Another pro-British propagandist , Major Vivian Street , explained in a nutshell the methods employed by himself and those like Mary Miller (incidentally , Mr Street maintained the 'connection' to children by associating with the 'Save the Children Fund' organisation....) - "In order that it may be rendered capable of being swallowed, propaganda must be dissolved in some fluid which the patient will readily assimilate..."

In this wee corrupt little Statelet , the "fluid" that the propagandists are using is called 'austerity' and , whilst the use of such propaganda seems to be working (as , it appears, an ever-increasing number of people now share the opinion that 'times are tough and we all have to scale back..') , the "fluid" itself is poisoning society : "....austerity has protected the rich at the expense of the rest. In practice, it has produced the single biggest transfer of resources from low and middle-income people to the rich and powerful in history. The main beneficiaries of this transfer have been parts of the corporate sector (mostly multinationals) and wealthy individuals..." (from here.)

To make matters worse , some people are of the opinion that if the present State administration of Fine Gael and Labour are removed from Office , at least half or some of our troubles will be over - not so, unfortunately. The damage has been done and it will take more than mere 'cosmetic change' or propaganda to fix things. The patient needs surgery. And quickly.



MORE PICS FROM 'EVE RALLY' IN DUBLIN , SATURDAY 21ST SEPTEMBER 2013.

RSF President Des Dalton speaking at the 'Eve Rally' in Dublin on Saturday 21st September 2013.

As mentioned previously , Des Dalton and Cait Trainor (who Chaired the event) both delivered fine speeches on the day , as did Peggy King , Diarmuid Mac Dubhghlais and Galway man Brian Kilcommins.

The RSF Colour Party at the Rally.

A crowd gathered on the traffic isle and 'foot traffic' came to a standstill on both sides of O'Connell Street giving , overall , an accumulated crowd of hundreds , during the hour and twenty minutes that the Rally was on. As expected , State operatives , uniformed and in plain clothes, monitored the proceedings but apart from 'name checking' those in attendance at the Garden of Remembrance and , later, those on the traffic isle , they kept themselves to themselves.

An RSF banner on display at the Rally.

The only 'minus point' during proceedings (the "incident" I referred to in that earlier post) was in connection to the leaflet 'packs' which myself and three other supporters were tasked with distributing : as stated , we were given 400 such 'packs' - a total literature count of 1,800 pieces - between us (100 'packs' each) which , from experience , we knew would not suffice for the job at hand , and we spent the last two weeks attempting to get at least double that amount each , but to no avail....

Piper and Colour Party , Saturday 21st September 2013.

.....and , true enough , our fears were well founded : twenty-five minutes before the Rally ended , frantic phone calls were made to John at the GPO from myself and the other two girls , as we had all ran out of leaflet 'packs' but , as it happened, John had only about twenty of them left for his own use and told us he was just about to phone us to ask that we get to the GPO with all available material as it was needed for distribution there !

'Snapper' snapped at the Rally !

But apart from the leaflet shortage (....and the continuing shortage of raffle tickets to sell at the monthly raffle!) the Rally went like clockwork - the RSF team at the Garden of Remembrance ensured that the Parade was well presented and that it made its way to the GPO on time and the RSF team at the GPO ensured that the Parade had a stage and lectern to assemble at when it reached the GPO and the team the put the amp system together made sure that all those delivering a speech could be heard. A great result for the Movement ; congrats to all concerned , and please note that more pics and a transcript of the speeches delivered at the Rally will be published in the October 2013 issue of 'Saoirse' , which goes to print on Wednesday 2nd of that month.



RUC / PSNI / GAA : ONE LETTER IN THE DIFFERENCE.....

RUC/PSNI - on the ball when it comes to propaganda.

Regular readers will know that I'm not a big sports fan and it's not an exaggeration to say that the only 'value' I put on 'things sporting' would be to avail of the match , game , contest etc to leaflet the crowd , sell raffle tickets or , indeed, to take advantage of the occasion to hold a republican rally at. And , it seems , the British armed forces in this country share my opinion in that regard : from a propaganda point of view , it is understandable that said 'peace keeping' forces should seek to integrate with the 'natives' and, fully aware that most of the Irish people are sports mad and will go to almost any length and put up with , it seems, no end of injustice and spare no expense when it comes to satisfying their sporting urges (!) , the Brits don't only seek to capitalise on the actual sports field but in brochures and other forms of marketing , too.

And , depending on the moral code and values of the sporting organisation which is selling the advertising space in the brochure , money talks and nothing else , it seems , matters. But when the sporting organisation in question was formed for "the social elevation" of the Irish people such an organisation does itself no favours , to put it mildly, by cosying up to those who not only do not have "the social elevation" of the Irish at heart but who have a long and bloody history of working against that "elevation". But 'money talks' and , unfortunately , the GAA is all ears - so they should hear this protest against them promoting a British 'police force' in Ireland : "The hierarchy of the GAA has, like so many before them, betrayed the principles the organisation was founded on in return for monetary gain.....the RUC/PSNI have no place on a GAA pitch nor should they be endorsed by them....." (more here). No doubt that the GAA bosses will be made aware of that statement and no doubt , either, but that they will ignore it. Because it would cost them some of their profit to heed it.

Incidentally , the biggest and most sought after 'prize' in the GAA sporting calendar is the 'Sam Maguire Cup' but perhaps we can expect that to change if RUC/PSNI advertising money is at stake - after all , that British 'police force' couldn't be expected to keep paying good Sterling to any sporting organisations which 'supports terrorism'....



"F*CKING SHOWER OF CLOWNS. PUSHOVERS...."

Anglo - at least one of those it sinned against has forgiven it....

The State 'banking regulator' , the Central Bank , has looked at the main player in the banking sector collapse in this State and , practically , shrugged its shoulders and muttered 'So What'. Or at least that's the way I have interpreted its most recent press release in relation to the issue : "The Central Bank has reviewed the issues arising in the tapes of call recordings at Anglo Irish Bank (now Irish Bank Resolution Corporation Limited (in Special Liquidation)) which were released to date in the Irish Independent. The tapes raised concerns that Anglo may have deliberately misrepresented its financial position when it sought financial support from the Central Bank in 2008. The Central Bank has examined Anglo’s interaction with the Central Bank at the time in relation to this matter. No new issues have been identified that relate to suspected criminal offences having occurred and as a result, the Central Bank does not intend, and is not required, to make any further statutory reports of suspected criminal offences to An Garda Síochána or the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement in relation to this matter" (from here).

Very humane indeed of this 'regulator' , considering the offender was not very humane in relation to it and also considering that it - Anglo - played a huge part in bankrupting this State and its citizens. Especially so when you take into account that Anglo bosses knew exactly what they were doing , as they gambled with money they hadn't got , and lost. But they were 'bold' in their defeat - "We need the fucking loans because we’re running out of money. We gave you the term sheet. Can we have the money? Get into the fucking simple speak: We need the moolah, you have it, so you’re going to give it to us, and when would that be? Because if they don’t, don’t give to us on Monday they have a bank collapse, potentially, if the fucking money keeps running out the door, the way it has been running out the door. Yeah and we’ll be saying: Yeah, because a stress, because HBOS were fucking sold and Lehman’s went bust and fucking Bank of America fucking took over Merrill’s and other fucking non-normal things happened, you cunt.....fucking shower of clowns...pushovers..." (from here and here).

Yet the 'regulator' is happy to 'let it go' , without even a cosmetic slap on the wrist for the wrongdoers.But that's the way 'business' is done in this banjaxed , banana 'republic' , where the only thing wrong with 'pulling a stroke' is being caught or , rather , used to be getting caught. If you were a 'little guy' - a mechanic or painter and decorator etc - doing a nixer and the 'regulator' caught you , you will be punished. But if you're a well-connected 'big fish' caught 'doing a nixer' with billions of Euro which was not your own, well.... '....no issues of suspected criminal offence identified...'. "Fucking shower of clowns" is right , but I suspect it's us taxpayers they were talking about.

Thanks for reading, Sharon.

---

---

---

'EVE RALLY' 2013 - A FEW WORDS AND A FEW PICS.....

EVE OF ALL-IRELAND RALLY : BRIEF REPORT , SOME PICS AND MORE TO FOLLOW....

A member of the RSF Colour Party , Des Dalton and Cait Trainor at the Eve Rally , Saturday 21st September 2013.

Republican Sinn Féin Poblachtach held a very successful Annual Eve of the All-Ireland Rally in O'Connell Street in Dublin on Saturday 21st September 2013 , in unexpectedly hot weather , with hundreds of people stopping to observe the proceedings.

RSF Colour Party and RSF flags.

The event was Chaired by RSF Ard Chomhairle member Cait Trainor and RSF President , Des Dalton , delivered a brief speech during the proceedings , in which he mentioned ,to loud applause, that the trade union movement should be more active in this tough financial climate in fighting to , at the very least, maintain the living standards and working conditions of its members.

A section of the crowd at the Rally.

The Rally had formed-up at about 1.30pm at the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square and left there at 1.45pm , with an unrequested and unnecessary State Garda 'escort' , and marched down O'Connell Street to the GPO , where a crowd had already gathered as, indeed , had another Garda 'escort' , comprising both uniformed and plain clothed members of the State 'security service' but , despite that provocation, the event was trouble-free , save for the usual low-level interference (name , address etc) from that 'service'.

Cait Trainor making her way to the lectern.....

...and getting proceedings underway.

Finally , for now , a 'snapper' snapped at the Rally -

- and we will have a few more words and pics ready for Wednesday night (25th September 2013) , and something to say about an 'incident' that occurred about half an hour before the Rally ended , which directly affected myself and three other people....

Thanks for reading, Sharon.

---

---

---

"THESE IRISH ARE REALLY SHOCKING , ABOMINABLE PEOPLE , NOT LIKE ANY OTHER CIVILISED NATION...."

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

Michael Collins pleaded a plan for evolving clear of the limitations Britain had in mind for the Irish parliament (sic) : "We will operate a dark hand within all government departments" , he told Dick Barrett, who was executed with Liam Mellows , Rory O'Connor and Joe McKelvey (pictured here) at Mountjoy Jail on December 8th , 1922 , "to make certain that all government departments push forward along national lines." By "dark hand" , Collins meant, no doubt, manipulation by the IRB ('1169...' Comment - it should be remembered that the IRB accepted the 1922 Treaty as offering that which it was fighting for and it later dissolved itself) .He became the victim of his own great gifts as a conspirator. ( '1169....' comment - the 'dark hand' by Collins, in reality, was the 'wink and nod' that he gave , as if he was 'conspiring' to carry on the fight in relation to securing a British withdrawal from the Occupied Six Counties. His actions proved otherwise.)

The road Collins took to the Treaty was a road of retreat, but what of Arthur Griffith , and how much of an influence on Collins was Griffith , or was Griffith in his eyes merely another 'Eoin MacNeill', to be pushed along by an IRB conspiracy ? Home Rule was Griffith's goal , but the 1920 Act must provide an escape from partition in the Treaty version of it before he could undertake to help guide the people back to it. The Treaty must contemplate all Ireland. Lloyd George agreed.

But the Six County Government (sic) was a fact, and that fact too must be contemplated. The Treaty would , therefore, extend to all Ireland, but it must give the Government of the Six Counties a right of choice , to stay in or opt out. Thus , in signing the Treaty, Arthur Griffith signed an instrument relating to all Ireland.(MORE LATER).



THE ANATOMY OF AN AFTERNOON : THE STORY OF THE GIBRALTAR KILLINGS........

By Michael O'Higgins and John Waters. From 'Magill Magazine' , October 1988.

Sometime after the SAS arrived in Gibraltar, and before March 4th , 1988 , an advisory group was formed to assist the Commissioner - this included Soldiers 'E' and 'F' of the SAS , Soldier 'G' , 'Mister M' (who was in charge of the surveillance) , and others. Over the Friday and Saturday , March 4th and 5th 1988 , a number of briefings took place of each of the elements involved in the operation , culminating in the Commissioner's own briefing of all the personnel involved, at midnight on the Saturday.

Meanwhile , Mr Canepa issued instructions that an Operational Order be prepared to cope with the situation : this was a police document outlining personnel requirements , the objectives of the operation (ie 'the arrest of the IRA ASU') and emphasising the importance of using minimum force. It also dealt with details of the surveillance operation, the defusing of the expected bomb , and procedures for gathering evidence for the subsequent trial of the IRA members.

This Order was issued to all senior Gibraltar police officers involved in the operation, including the Head of Special Branch whose officers would be armed and who was therefore instructed to give his men a detailed briefing in the 'Rules of Engagement' : those 'Rules' would be a recurrent theme of the inquest , the 'rock' upon which the Crown and soldiers' case was founded. (MORE LATER).



ANNUAL EVE OF ALL-IRELAND RALLY , DUBLIN.

" One of the largest public rallies seen in Dublin for years was held by Sinn Féin at the GPO on the eve of the All-Ireland Football Final . Headed by a Colour Party and a pipe band , a parade of more than 2,000 people marched from Parnell Square through the main city thoroughfare as a protest against the continued unjust imprisonment of Irishmen without charge or trial . Contingents from all over the country took part and many carried banners and placards including groups from England and Scotland . In the Ulster section was a strong representation of the Derry supporters who thronged the capital city for the Final . One placard they carried asked - ' Why are Six-County Nationalists interned in the Curragh?' ....."(From 'An tÉireannach Aontaithe/The United Irishman' newspaper , November 1958.)

Those attending the Rally (on Saturday 21st September 2013) are requested to join same at 1.45pm at the Garden of Remembrance in Parnell Square , from where (and at which time) the parade will be leaving from to make its way to the GPO in O'Connell Street.

The organisers have assembled 400 'leaflet packs' for distribution on the day , a total of 1,800 items of republican literature : 300 of the 'packs' contain five items each and the other 100 'packs' contain three items each. And I am one of those who has been tasked with distributing same , so look out for me somewhere between O'Connell Bridge and the Ambassador Theatre and, if you bump into me, please take a 'pack' , or two, as I hardly ever get to attend the actual Rally itself , as the leaflet 'packs' have to be distributed first. See you there!

.

18TH SEPTEMBER 1867 : "THESE IRISH ARE REALLY SHOCKING , ABOMINABLE PEOPLE.....

.......NOT LIKE ANY OTHER CIVILISED NATION." - the words of Britain's 'Queen' Victoria (pictured) , on hearing about the 'Manchester Outrage' , as she called it. Her comments were replied to by one of the 'uncivilised Irish' people she was speaking about : "I will die proudly and triumphantly in defence of republican principles and the liberty of an oppressed and enslaved people..." - the words of 18-years-young William Allen , from Bandon, County Cork.

The "Outrage" , as far as the British are concerned , anyway , began on the 11th September that year (1867) (....although , in reality, it began for us Irish in 1169) when , in the early hours of the morning of Wednesday , 11th September 1867 , two men were arrested by police in Shudehill , Manchester, on suspicion that they were about to commit a robbery. The two men were charged under the 'Vagrancy Act' and were detained in police custody , and it was then they were recognised (by fellow Irishmen in British police uniforms) as Colonel Thomas J.Kelly and Captain Timothy Deasy , two known Fenians.

Their comrades in Manchester , which was the 'Bandit Country' of its day , vowed to free the two men and , on the 18th of September , 1867, as a prison van carrying the two men (and a 12-years-young boy , plus three female prisoners) was travelling on the Manchester to Salford road , on its way to 'deposit the cargo' in Belle Vue Gaol on the Hyde Road in Gorton , Manchester, accompanied by a team of 12 horse-mounted policemen , it was attacked by about 50 Fenians . Kelly and Deasy were handcuffed and locked in two separate compartments inside the van , guarded by a police Sergeant , a Charles Brett, and, as such , were unable to assist their comrades outside. The mounted police escort fled the scene on seeing the number of attackers but Brett was obviously unable to do so : the Fenian rescuers were unable to force open the van and advised Brett that it would be for his own good to open the doors and let the prisoners go. Brett refused the offer , and was looking through the keyhole to further assess his situation when one of the rescuers decided to shoot the lock apart - the bullet went through the keyhole and hit Brett in the head , killing him instantly. One of the female prisoners had the good sense to take the keys from his pocket and hand them out through an air vent to those outside , and Kelly and Deasy were taken to safety.

Twenty-six men were later arrested and tried for playing a part in the rescue , and five of them were detained to stand trial , on 1st November 1867, for their alleged part in what the British called the "Manchester Outrage" : all five were actually sentenced to be hanged , but one was granted clemency and another was 'pardoned' as the evidence against him was found to be perjured. The other three - William Allen, Michael O’Brien and Michael Larkin - the 'Manchester Martyrs' , were hanged in front of thousands of baying spectators on Saturday , 23rd November 1867 , in Salford, Manchester ,outside the New Bailey Jail.

In an address to the court , William Philip Allen , 18, stated - "No man in this court regrets the death of Sergeant Brett more than I do, and I positively say, in the presence of the Almighty and ever-living God, that I am innocent; aye, as innocent as any man in this court. I don't say this for the sake of mercy: I want no mercy—I'll have no mercy. I'll die, as many thousands have died, for the sake of their beloved land, and in defence of it. I will die proudly and triumphantly in defence of republican principles and the liberty of an oppressed and enslaved people. Is it possible we are asked why sentence should not be passed upon us, on the evidence of prostitutes off the streets of Manchester, fellows out of work, convicted felons—aye, an Irishman sentenced to be hanged when an English dog would have got off. I say positively and defiantly, justice has not been done me since I was arrested. If justice had been done me, I would not have been handcuffed at the preliminary investigation in Bridge Street; and in this court justice has not been done me in any shape or form. I was brought up here and all the prisoners by my side were allowed to wear overcoats, and I was told to take mine off. What is the principle of that? There was something in that principle, and I say positively that justice has not been done me. As for the other prisoners, they can speak for themselves with regard to that matter. And now, with regard to the way I have been identified. I have to say that my clothes were kept for four hours by the policemen in Fairfield station and shown to parties to identify me as being one of the perpetrators of this outrage on Hyde Road. Also in Albert station there was a handkerchief kept on my head the whole night, so that I could be identified the next morning in the corridor by the witnesses."

" I was ordered to leave on the handkerchief for the purpose that the witnesses could more plainly see I was one of the parties who committed the outrage. As for myself, I feel the righteousness of my every act with regard to what I have done in defence of my country. I fear not. I am fearless —fearless of the punishment that can be inflicted on me; and with that, my lords, I have done." However , he then added the following - "I beg to be excused. One remark more. I return Mr. Seymour and Mr. Jones my sincere and heartfelt thanks for their able eloquence and advocacy on my part in this affray. I wish also to return to Mr. Roberts the very same. My name, sir, might be wished to be known. It is not William O'Meara Allen. My name is William Philip Allen. I was born and reared in Bandon, in the County of Cork, and from that place I take my name; and I am proud of my country, and proud of my parentage. My lords, I have done."

Michael Larkin ,32, lived in the Banagher region of County Offaly and was a tailor by trade. He was not of good health and himself and his two comrades were captured as they carried him away from the scene of the rescue. He , too, addressed the court : " I have only got a word or two to say concerning Sergeant Brett. As my friend here said, no one could regret the man's death as much as I do. With regard to the charge of pistols and revolvers, and my using them, I call my God as witness that I neither used pistols, revolvers, nor any instrument on that day that would deprive the life of a child, let alone a man. Nor did I go there on purpose to take life away. Certainly, my lords, I do not want to deny that I did go to give aid and assistance to those two noble heroes that were confined in that van—Kelly and Deasy. I did go to do as much as lay in my power to extricate them out of their bondage; but I did not go to take life, nor, my lord, did anyone else. It is a misfortune there was life taken; but if it was taken it was not done intentionally, and the man who has taken life we have not got him. I was at the scene of action, when there were over, I dare say, 150 people standing by there when I was. I am very sorry I have to say, my lord, but I thought I had some respectable people to come up as witnesses against me; but I am sorry to say as my friend said—I will make no more remarks concerning that. All I have to say, my lords and gentlemen, is that so far as my trial went, and the way it was conducted, I believe I have got a fair trial. What is decreed a man in the page of life he has to fulfil, either on the gallows, drowning, a fair death in bed, or on the battle-field. So I look to the mercy of God. May God forgive all who have sworn my life away. As I am a dying man, I forgive them from the bottom of my heart. God forgive them."

Michael O'Brien ,31, from Ballymacoda in Cork, was a lieutenant in the US Army and was better known in England by the name 'William Gould'. He delivered the following speech to the court : "I shall commence by saying that every witness who has sworn anything against me has sworn falsely. I have not had a stone in my possession since I was a boy. I had no pistol in my possession on the day when it is alleged this outrage was committed. You call it an outrage, I don't. I say further my name is Michael O'Brien. I was born in the county of Cork and have the honour to be a fellow-parishioner of Peter O'Neal Crowley, who was fighting against the British troops at Mitchelstown last March, and who fell fighting against British tyranny in Ireland. I am a citizen of the United States of America, and if Charles Francis Adams had done his duty towards me, as he ought to do in this country, I should not be in this dock answering your questions now. Mr. Adams did not come, though I wrote to him. He did not come to see if I could not find evidence to disprove the charge, which I positively could, if he had taken the trouble of sending or coming to see what I could do. I hope the American people will notice this part of the business." He then read a passage from a paper he was holding - "The right of man is freedom. The great God has endowed him with affections that he may use, not smother them, and a world that may be enjoyed. Once a man is satisfied he is doing right, and attempts to do anything with that conviction, he must be willing to face all the consequences. Ireland, with its beautiful scenery, its delightful climate, its rich and productive lands, is capable of supporting more than treble its population in ease and comfort. Yet no man, except a paid official of the British Government, can say there is a shadow of liberty, that there is a spark of glad life amongst its plundered and persecuted inhabitants. It is to be hoped that its imbecile and tyrannical rulers will be for ever driven from her soil amidst the execrations of the world. How beautifully the aristocrats of England moralise on the despotism of the rulers of Italy and Dahomey—in the case of Naples with what indignation did they speak of the ruin of families by the detention of its head or some loved member in a prison. Who has not heard their condemnations of the tyranny that would compel honourable and good men to spend their useful lives in hopeless banishment?"

"They cannot find words to express their horror of the cruelties of the King of Dahomey because he sacrificed 2,000 human beings yearly, but why don't those persons who pretend such virtuous indignation at the misgovernment of other countries look at home, and see that greater crimes than those they charge against other governments are not committed by themselves or by their sanction? Let them look at London, and see the thousands that want bread there, while those aristocrats are rioting in luxuries and crimes. Look to Ireland; see the hundreds of thousands of its people in misery and want. See the virtuous, beautiful and industrious women who only a few years ago—aye, and yet—are obliged to look at their children dying for want of food. Look at what is called the majesty of the law on one side, and the long deep misery of a noble people on the other. Which are the young men of Ireland to respect—the law that murders or banishes their people or the means to resist relentless tyranny, and ending their miseries for ever under a home government? I need not answer that question here. I trust the Irish people will answer it to their satisfaction soon. I am not astonished at my conviction. The Government of this country have the power of convicting any person. They appoint the judge; they choose the jury; and by means of what they call patronage (which is the means of corruption) they have the power of making the laws to suit their purposes. I am confident that my blood will rise a hundredfold against the tyrants who think proper to commit such an outrage. In the first place, I say I was identified improperly by having chains on my hands and feet at the time of identification, and thus the witnesses who have sworn to my throwing stones and firing a pistol have sworn to what is false, for I was, as those ladies said, at the jail gates. I thank my counsel for their able defence, and also Mr. Roberts, for his attention to my case."

All three men shouted the words "God Save Ireland!" at different times during the 'trial', perhaps realising that , then , as now , the British were going to get their 'pound of flesh' one way or the other. Nowadays , however , they sometimes take it in another fashion.

God Save Ireland!



LOYALISTS AGAIN THREATEN TO 'DIG UP CATHOLIC DEAD...'

Pro-British loyalists in the Six Occupied Counties have again threatened to 'piss on Catholic graves'.

Although I am not inclined towards religion at all , I don't hold a grudge against those who are and would never seek to dissuade them from 'believing' or interfere with their right to do so. Each to his/her own etc , in that regard, but it's just not an issue of interest to me.

If you do a 'Google Search' for 'Carnmoney Cemetery Loyalist threat' you will find that this latest threat is not a recent development from these religious and sectarian bigots - '....these loyalists desecrated almost 30 graves at Carnmoney Cemetery on the outskirts of North Belfast on Sunday 20 May 2006......last year around 200 loyalists gathered outside Carnmoney Cemetery and disrupted the blessing of the graves. They also threatened to dig up the graves of Catholics in the cemetery while in 2003, a group calling itself the Loyalist Action Force, a cover name used by the UVF, issued a death threat against local priest Fr White.....threatened to urinate on the graves of Catholics unless the bodies are disinterred and removed from Carnmoney cemetery in County Antrim....worshippers were forced to run a gauntlet of sectarian abuse as they attended an annual blessing-of-the-graves ceremony at the multifaith graveyard.....up to 200 loyalist protesters disrupted a Catholic church service at a cemetery on the outskirts of Belfast today. The mob, some of who were waving placards and blowing horns and whistles, gathered at the Catholic Blessing of the Graves service at Carnmoney Cemetery in Newtownabbey.....more than 20 memorials at Catholic graves in the cemetery were vandalised....crosses were smashed and headstones overturned....'

And they have their supporters , too , in their community -

- misguided , certainly , and that's bad enough , but when you take into account that those bigots and their supporters have political and financial backing from Stormont and Westminster , it changes the scenario from frightening to dangerous and gives our readers abroad some idea of the moral destruction that Britain has foisted on the Irish and, indeed, on the peoples of every other country they have 'kept the peace' in. Even after the British withdraw completely from this country - and they will , eventually - that sick mindset will still be prevalent amongst some of those they leave behind but it will be then possible to prove to that type that they are 'reacting' to a 'threat' which actually doesn't exist and never did exist : the 'Catholic threat' was just one avenue used by British political and military strategists to 'keep their people loyal'. In the meantime , however , this problem will continue and the 'British Bulldog' will continue to bare it's borrowed 'teeth'.



TWO THUGS FIGHTING OVER YOUR LUNCH MONEY.

Fine Gael says it wants it all , but it's partner-in-crime , Labour, says let's not be greedier than we have to be - let's just take some of it , and leave the rest until later. The issue is that there are two main problems with the FG/Labour position - the money that both are looking for is that leftover from the last times they took income from the citizens of this State and there is now no more to give , plus the fact that those being threatened are only too aware that the money they will take - whether it's Fine Gael's 'all' , Labour's 'some' or a compromise amount - will only be a stopgap until they want more. Also known is the fact that it is being taken for the wrong reason ie not to improve the State health system or to assist the young , old, employed or unemployed , or to upgrade the poor education system, but to pay back a debt for monies borrowed by State politicians to 'bridge the financial gap' created by gangsters , thieves and rogues in the banking field and their equally greedy colleagues in the property market who financially ruptured this backward State by gambling with money they didn't own and/or who built shoddy dogbox-size apartments ('flats') and marketed them for outrageous prices.

One thing is certain : however much they take this time will drive more people over the brink - emigration , family break-ups , unemployment and suicides will increase whilst the number of us staying here , for family or other circumstantial reasons , will be told to shoulder the financial burden , thus leading to more family break-ups , unemployment etc. Our elderly are '....going to bed at 7pm to remain warm because they could not afford to heat their homes...choosing between food and fuel...can no long afford to keep their pet, and were no longer meeting friends because they could not afford a cup of tea in a café......the price of liquid fuel rose 25%, electricity prices jumped 32% and health insurance premiums have soared 108%.....' The solution is not to get so-called 'different political faces' to run the system - rather it is to implement a different system. And to do so whilst there are still people here to benefit from it.



JAMES REILLY NEEDS......

.....A BAILOUT.

Enough said!

Thanks for reading, Sharon.

---

---

---