1169 And Counting.....

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...

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

BRITISH OCCUPATION AND THE LONDON 'TIMES' .

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

In some ways it is a pity the 'London Times' newspaper isn't more widely read in Ireland . The issue of December 9 , 1957 , for example , makes interesting reading : that Imperial organ set us straight on partition and Irish independence , and should be made required reading for the front-benchers of Fianna Fail and Fine Gael:

" It's (ie the Six Occupied Counties) resolution to remain under the Crown and to keep the Union Jack flying has not swerved . The second problem is the perennial one of keeping the peace. The Free State , now a republic ('1169..' Comment - ... a banana republic, only..) came into being because a minority of Irishmen felt so strongly that they were prepared to fight . ('1169..' Comment - shame on that 'minority' , to be sure . Didn't they know that the Empire had troublesome natives in other colonies to be dealing with ? No damn consideration , what !)

The men ('1169...' Comment - ...and women!) who fought were hailed as heroes and martyrs . This is understandable enough as a common accompaniment of militant patriotism but , as always happens in such cases , it proved easier to encourage young men to use the gun than to persuade them that the time for doing so was past . The Northern Ireland Government (sic- a puppet administration , guided by Westminster) has to-day perpetually to be on its guard against murderous raids carried out by gangsters who see themselves as patriots following in the footsteps of heroic fathers....... "
(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.

Son of Dr Robert Emmet and Elizabeth Mason, with the father serving as state physician to the vice-regal household : however , the good doctor wasc a social reformer who believed that in order to achieve the emancipation of the Irish people it was first necessary to break the link with England .

Born into this household on March 4th , 1778 , Robert Emmet was baptised on March 10th in St Peter's Church of Ireland in Aungier Street , Dublin . The young Robert attended Oswald's School in Dropping Court , off Golden Lane , Dublin . From there he went to Samuel Whytes School in Grafton Street , quite near his home , and later to the school of the Reverend Mr Lewis in Camden Street .

He entered Trinity College , Dublin, in October 1793 at the age of fifteen and a half where he practiced his oratorical skills in the Historical and Debating Societies . One of his friends at TCD was the poet Thomas Moore.......
(MORE LATER).

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

IGNORING OUR HISTORY...

" We really must enter a protest against the way in which Irish history is written by some English historians. In Wright's History of Ireland we find the following gratuitous assertion offered to excuse De Clare's crime: "Such a refinement of cruelty must have arisen from a suspicion of treachery, or from some other grievous offence with which we are not acquainted." If all the dark deeds of history are to be accounted for in this way, we may bid farewell to historical justice. And yet this work, which is written in the most prejudiced manner, has had a far larger circulation in Ireland than Mr. Haverty's truthful and well-written history. When Irishmen support such works, they must not blame their neighbours across the Channel for accepting them as truthful histories."
(From here)
"Historical justice..." ? Not if this political brothel has anything to do with it.......

Monday, October 22, 2007

O'Donovan Rossa , by Brian Na Banban.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

In their hearts plant the seeds of his story ,
In their minds light the dream of his soul ,
And point them the road that he travelled -
The rough road to Liberty's goal .

Diarmuid O Donnabháin Rossa ,
Glory to God for his life ,
For the glorious memory he leaves us
To strengthen our hearts in the strife ,
Till the cause that he lived for has triumphed ,
Till the darkness of thraldom has fled ,
And Ireland , unfettered, shall honour
The names of her patriot dead !

[END of 'O Donovan Rossa']
(Next: 'British Occupation And The London Times Newspaper' - from the same source.)

PRISONERS RIGHTS - the mark of a civilised society .......

From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.
By Siobhan O'Dwyer.

To invoke another memory from the past , it is time to get up off our knees and to dissent loudly from the brutal oppression of whole groups of people by the US and Britain and to stand again with the republican prisoners , their families and supporters against a criminalisation policy that is just wrong .

We have the power to stand against the 'New World Order' and there is no better place to start than in our own back yard with our own people .

[END of ' PRISONERS RIGHTS - the mark of a civilised society ']
(NEXT : ' Robert Emmet - The Darling Of Erin' , from the same source)

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Victims of the Great Hunger...
'The Times' editorial of September 30, 1845, warned; "In England the two main meals of a working man's day now consists of potatoes." England's potato-dependence was as excessive as Ireland's. Grossly over-populated relative to its food supply, England faced famine unless it could import vast amounts of alternative food. But it didn't take merely Ireland's surplus food; or enough Irish food to save England. It took more; for profit and to exterminate the people of Ireland. British Queen Victoria's economist, Nassau Senior, expressed his fear that existing policies "...will not kill more than one million Irish in 1848 and that will scarcely be enough to do much good." When an eye-witness urged a stop to the genocide-in-progress, Trevelyan replied: "We must not complain of what we really want to obtain." Trevelyan insisted that all reports of starvation were exaggerated, until 1847. He then declared it ended and refused entry to the American food relief ship Sorciére. Thomas Carlyle, influential British essayist, wrote; "Ireland is like a half-starved rat that crosses the path of an elephant. What must the elephant do? Squelch it - by heavens - squelch it." 'Total Annihilation' suggested The Times leader of September 2, 1846; and in 1848 its editorialists crowed "A Celt will soon be as rare on the banks of the Shannon as the red man on the banks of Manhattan..."

PLEASE HELP US TO GET A TRUE RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OF BRITISH INTERFERENCE IN IRISH AFFAIRS .
Thank You ,
Sharon.

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Armed Irish Republicans on patrol in British-Occupied Ireland .

Take a few minutes to listen to this, then - if you can - give an hour or two for this :
PICKET FOR POLITICAL STATUS....
On Saturday, October 20, 2007, at 12.45pm, a Republican picket will be held at the GPO in Dublin's O'Connell Street in support of political status for Irish Republican prisoners .
All Welcome !

Friday, October 19, 2007

O'Donovan Rossa , by Brian Na Banban.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

They made him an exile , an outlaw ,
They slandered him living and dead ;
But his love or his hate never wavered ,
'Till the spirit God gave him had fled .

His crime was that Ireland , his Mother ,
Had called him to dare and to dree,
That one day her bonds might be riven ,
That one day her limbs might be free
From the chains of the English enslaver -
And proudly he answered her call ,
Nor cared what the future might bring him ,
So Ireland were freed from her thrall .

Bear him back to that Mother who loves him ,
Bear him back to the land he loved well ,
Go forth 'mong the children of Ireland ,
The tale of his triumph to tell.......
(MORE LATER).

ECONOMY IN CRISIS - An Historical Perspective.......

By any standards the economy of Ireland , North and South , can be described as being in a sorry mess with crisis , recession and imminent bankruptcy the most constant themes of economic discussion , intermittently over the last decade and ceaselessly in the last three years . In this article , Peter Graham surveys the factors which have produced this economy , and the historical role of foreign and native Irish capital.

From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982.

As the unemployment spectre receded somewhat , Irish trade unions also began to flex their muscles again through the 1960's - a hopeful development which nonetheless was defused with the introduction of centralised wage baggaining at the beginning of the 1970's .

But the 'profit principle' of capitalism , native or foreign , always predominant , was to halt this industrial progress . Recession came on the scene in 1974 and foreign capital began to be pulled out as speedily and as clinically as it had come in . By that time , too , the Free State had abandoned its economic sovereignty , such as it was , having become the very junior member of the EEC with all its restrictions .

Even agriculture , which in cash terms appeared to benefit from this membership , continued its ceaseless trend of putting profit in the pocket of the large farmer - still producing only cattle - and saw the small , poorer farmers continue to grow even poorer or disappear altogether.......
(MORE LATER).

PRISONERS RIGHTS - the mark of a civilised society .......

From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.
By Siobhan O'Dwyer.

I would ask people who oppose the way that the 'war on terrorism' is being used to wipe away the few remaining legal safeguards left to ordinary people and to impose a system of fear and oppression across the West as well as in the targeted countries of the Middle East , to stand up now for the rights of republican prisoners and their families .

The republican prisoners in Maghaberry and elsewhere would not be in prison if it were not for the political situation in Ireland .

That is an unfashionable and scary truth for many people who prefer to think that the capitulation of 'mainstream' Provisional republicanism is actually a victory and that those who oppose the 'new' regime can be easily labeled 'Terrorists' and 'Dissidents' and therefore deserve all they get.......
(MORE LATER).

Thursday, October 18, 2007

PICKET FOR POLITICAL STATUS....

On Saturday, October 20, 2007, at 12.45pm, a Republican picket will be held at the GPO in Dublin's O'Connell Street in support of political status for Irish Republican prisoners .
All Welcome !

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

O'Donovan Rossa , by Brian Na Banban.
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

Diarmuid O Donnabháin Rossa -
Honour and love to the name ,
There is nought in it mean or ignoble
It speaks not of serfdom or shame .

It tells of a life lived for Ireland ,
Of a heart fond and fearless and true -
Of a spirit untamed and defiant,
That the foeman could never subdue .

They chained him , they starved him , they scourged him ,
They tried every devil-spent plan :
To blacken the heart of the hero ,
To shatter the mind of the man.......
(MORE LATER).

ECONOMY IN CRISIS - An Historical Perspective.......

By any standards the economy of Ireland , North and South , can be described as being in a sorry mess with crisis , recession and imminent bankruptcy the most constant themes of economic discussion , intermittently over the last decade and ceaselessly in the last three years . In this article , Peter Graham surveys the factors which have produced this economy , and the historical role of foreign and native Irish capital.

From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982.

On the industrial scene , significantly , from the 1930's right up to the 1960's , the only really successful development was when state investment created the semi-state bodies such as the Irish Sugar Company, the Milk Board, Aer Lingus and Irish Shipping. Private capital again failed to respond to the challenge of nominal political independence , and the Free State economy remained tied virtually completely to Britain .

Throughout the period as well , the possible political consequences of massive unemployment , poverty , rural decline and economic stagnation - the 'breeding ground' for revolutionary upheaval - were avoided by the traditional release valve of almost continuous emigration on a massive scale .

The establishment of the Industrial Development Authority in 1958 marked the beginning of a new era . Where Irish capital had failed , now foreign capital was to be attracted by every possible means - economic protectionism was abandoned and , by tax concessions , grants and the outlay of public funds , foreign capital - particularly American - was wooed into a desperate 26-County economy . Certainly , foreign capital taught the native variety a lesson in industrialisation , as through the 1960's and early 1970's - at a massive cost borne by the taxpayer themselves - foreign industrial development brought with it for the first time the hint of industrial prosperity.......
(MORE LATER).

PRISONERS RIGHTS - the mark of a civilised society .......

From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.
By Siobhan O'Dwyer.

The hostile treatment of these prisoners can also be related to the ' New World Order ' : the fact that hooded and manacled men are seen on TV screens in Guantanamo Bay, having been flown half way across the world without a trial or even being charged , means that many people have forgotten the meaning of Justice , Democracy or Human Rights or are at least willing to turn a blind eye .

There has been no mass movement to demand that those men be freed or at least charged and tried in a court of law and there is little or no outcry against the treatment of our own republican prisoners and their families here .

This is the main difficulty that the prisoners , their families and supporters face - how to separate the impact on ordinary people of 'the war on terrorism' from their right to demand that there is at least a right to due legal process and to be treated in a humane manner . Bernadette McAlliskey said recently that while she didn't agree with the ideological position of republican prisoners in the 1970's , 1980's , 1990's and up to today , that did not stop her standing with their families and friends to demand that they be treated with dignity and respect.......
(MORE LATER).

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

PICKET FOR POLITICAL STATUS....

On Saturday,October 20,2007, at 12.45pm, a Republican picket will be held at the GPO in Dublin's O'Connell Street in support of political status for Irish Republican prisoners .
All Welcome !

Monday, October 15, 2007

THEY ARE HELD IN BELFAST JAIL .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

DETAINED FOR POSSIBLE TRIAL :

J. Carville , Lurgan , County Armagh .
D. Casey , Coalisland , County Tyrone .
C. Grimes , Coalisland .
J. McGorry , Mountjoy , Dungannon , County Tyrone .
K. Mallon , Coalisland .
Seán O' Neill , Coalisland .
Seán Devlin , Coalisland .
Paddy O' Neill , Coalisland .
F. Talbot , Coalisland .
D. Devlin , Coalisland .
J. O' Donnell , Coalisland .
P. O' Neill , Coalisland .
D. McAlinden , Derryloughlin , Coalisland , County Tyrone .

[END of 'They Are Held In Belfast Jail']
(Next : O'Donovan Rossa , by Brian Na Banban. - from the same source)

ECONOMY IN CRISIS - An Historical Perspective.......

By any standards the economy of Ireland , North and South , can be described as being in a sorry mess with crisis , recession and imminent bankruptcy the most constant themes of economic discussion , intermittently over the last decade and ceaselessly in the last three years . In this article , Peter Graham surveys the factors which have produced this economy , and the historical role of foreign and native Irish capital.

From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982.

The Second World War, inevitably , and even more than any other British foreign war , had its effects on the Irish economy : fuel and raw materials , necessary to be imported for any real industrial advance , were almost impossible to attain but , at the same time , the total necessity of self-sufficiency forced the introduction of compulsory tillage for crop production on the farms .

In the economic world of widespread destruction and scarcity after the war , it could have been boom-time for the Free State economy , with a ready market for its agricultural produce , and a chance fior its manufacturing industries to quickly expand but , once more , there was scarcely any growth during this period because of the refusal of private Irish capital to invest .

Massive increases in subventions to farmers in the post-war period , far from encouraging tillage , saw surpluses in such subsidised crops as wheat and sugar beet , scarcities in other crops and the return to cattle as the Free State's main economic prop . Much the same was happening in relation to the industrial scene in the State.......
(MORE LATER).

PRISONERS RIGHTS - the mark of a civilised society .......

From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.
By Siobhan O'Dwyer.

The families of Irish Republican prisoners are also subjected to fear and humiliation every time they visit Maghaberry Gaol as they are singled out for 'special attention' from the sniffer dog to force them to take closed visits , which are usually refused ; parcels , books , papers for the prisoners are often 'mislaid' or take weeks to arrive and the families must share the visiting areas and the waiting rooms with known loyalist paramilitaries .

Visits are often cancelled after the visitors have arrived at the prison , often having travelled long distances with young children . Republican prisoners have agreed to undergo drug tests in order to prevent their family members and in particular the children , having to undergo the humiliating and frightening experience of being faced with this large sniffer dog .

By refusing , the Prison Service has shown that they are not interested in facilitating proper family contact for prisoners but only in enforcing a degrading regime . This hostile treatment can be related to the 'New World Order'.......
(MORE LATER).

Saturday, October 13, 2007

LEST WE FORGET...

Thomas Ashe, Kerry, 5 days, 25 September 1917 (force fed by tube , died as a result).
Terrence McSweeny, Cork, 74 days, 25 October 1920.
Michael Fitzgerald, Cork, 67 days, 17 October 1920.
Joseph Murphy, Cork, 76 days , 25 October 1920 .
Joe Witty, Wexford , 2 September 1923.
Dennis Barry, Cork, 34 days, 20 November 1923.
Andy O Sullivan , Cork, 40 days, 22 November 1923.
Tony Darcy, Galway, 52 days, 16 April 1940.
Jack 'Sean' McNeela, Mayo, 55 days, 19 April 1940.
Sean McCaughey, Tyrone ,22 days, 11 May 1946 (hunger and thirst Strike).
Michael Gaughan, Mayo , 64 days, 3 June 1974.
Frank Stagg, Mayo , 62 days, 12 February 1976.
Bobby Sands, Belfast , 66 days, 5 May 1981.
Frank Hughes , Bellaghy (Derry), 59 days, 12 May 1981.
Raymond McCreesh , South Armagh , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Patsy O Hara , Derry , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Joe McDonnell , Belfast , 61 days, 8 July 1981.
Martin Hurson , Tyrone , 46 days, 13 July 1981.
Kevin Lynch, Dungiven ( Derry) ,71 days, 1 August 1981.
Kieran Doherty , Belfast , 73 days, 2 August 1981.
Tom McIlwee , Bellaghy (Derry) , 62 days, 8 August 1981.
Micky Devine , Derry , 60 days, 20 August 1981.

"Dear Christ! the very prison walls
Suddenly seemed to reel,
And the sky above my head became
Like a casque of scorching steel;
And, though I was a soul in pain,
My pain I could not feel."
('The Ballad of Reading Gaol', by Oscar Wilde, written after his release from Reading prison on 19 May 1897.)

Friday, October 12, 2007

THEY ARE HELD IN BELFAST JAIL .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

DETAINED FOR POSSIBLE TRIAL :

J. Campbell , Belfast , County Antrim .
M.P. Cassidy , Maghera , County Derry .
H. Cassidy , Maghera .
J. Cassidy , Maghera .
R. J. Cunningham , Newry , County Down .
P. Smith , Newry .
S. Maguire , Belfast .
I. McGovern , Dungannon , County Tyrone .
L. Lavery , Cookstown , County Tyrone .
M. McLoughlin , Dundalk , County Louth .
J. F. Lee , County Fermanagh .
P. Brewster , County Fermanagh .
F. Carey , County Fermanagh .
J. McEvoy , Lurgan , County Armagh .
E. Matthews , South Armagh .
(MORE LATER).

ECONOMY IN CRISIS - An Historical Perspective.......

By any standards the economy of Ireland , North and South , can be described as being in a sorry mess with crisis , recession and imminent bankruptcy the most constant themes of economic discussion , intermittently over the last decade and ceaselessly in the last three years . In this article , Peter Graham surveys the factors which have produced this economy , and the historical role of foreign and native Irish capital.

From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982.

Efforts to control foreign food imports , guarantee farm prices and divert ever-increasing amounts of public money into agriculture did not have the effect of stimulating development but , rather , because of the ability of big farmers to profit from these schemes , had the effect of transforming wealth to them at the expense of the small farmers .

The protectionism of Free State government economic policy , which continued right up until the late 1950's , did not get any major response from Irish capital : rather than risk his money in creating industry , the wealthy Irishman invested in Britain . The high interest rates guaranteed by the Free State government for scarce investment money became another burden on public spending , as under-financed industries rose and soon collapsed .

What small industries did grow behind the tariff walls were geared to the small home market , while the resultant high costs made any foray into the export market wholly unrealistic . The Second World war , too , left its mark.......
(MORE LATER).

PRISONERS RIGHTS - the mark of a civilised society .

From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.
By Siobhan O'Dwyer.

Republican prisoners in Maghaberry Gaol are in the sixth week of a dirty protest as part of their campaign for segregation from Loyalist prisoners and for political status. The very words 'dirty protest' and 'political status' invoke bitter and sad memories of the late 1970's and early 1980's .

However , the republican prisoners and their families today are facing a very different set of political circumstances than pertained then - that of the political and military defeat of 'mainstream republicanism' ('1169...' Comment - ....by which the author means the Provisional organisation) . The prisoners are faced with a situation where they are sharing wings and landings with loyalist prisoners , which has led to a number of incidents of republican prisoners being beaten , scalded and having their food tampered with . A number of death threats have been made against them .

The Stormont Prison Service continue to deny that the prisoners are subjected to beatings or have anything to fear but their words mean nothing , as they also denied the brutal treatment meted out to the Blanket Men. The setting up of a Commission to 'look into the situation in Maghaberry Prison' , while welcome , does not fill me with any confidence that Britain has any real interest in resolving the situation......
(MORE LATER).

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

THEY ARE HELD IN BELFAST JAIL .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

DETAINED FOR POSSIBLE TRIAL :

F. Cullen , Coalisland , County Tyrone .
J. Cullen , Coalisland .
P. McGee , Belfast .
L. McKinney , Derry City .
T. McCool , Derry City .
W. Robinson , Tyrone .
P.J. McGorry , Mountjoy , County Tyrone .
J. Robinson , Mountjoy .
F. T. Donnelly , Armagh .
K. Carson , Enniskillen , County Fermanagh .
F. Goodwin , Enniskillen .
E. Goodwin , Enniskillen .
D. Cox , Enniskillen .
E. Mulholland , Lurgan , County Armagh .
E. Murphy , Dublin .
P. Gillespie , Magherafelt , County Derry .
J. Kavanagh , Belfast .
P. Kavanagh , Belfast .
(MORE LATER).

ECONOMY IN CRISIS - An Historical Perspective.......

By any standards the economy of Ireland , North and South , can be described as being in a sorry mess with crisis , recession and imminent bankruptcy the most constant themes of economic discussion , intermittently over the last decade and ceaselessly in the last three years . In this article , Peter Graham surveys the factors which have produced this economy , and the historical role of foreign and native Irish capital.

From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982.

Far from putting into practice the self-sufficiency of Arthur Griffith's Sinn Fein doctrines , with the logical attempt to create industrial capitalism behind tariff walls , fed by the rural hinterland , the new Free State government concentrated its limited economic stimulation on increasing the cattle and diary export trade which was the foreign money earner . Food , demanding tillage for its production , continued to be imported .

The nettle of import tariffs to foster home capital-inspired industry was left to the de Valera government to grasp , and grasp it he immediately did : once again , the national issue becomes entangled in the Irish economy with the introduction of tariffs becoming embroiled in the withholding of land annuities from Britain, and the economic war which ensued .

In the six years until its settlement , the economic war damaged mainly the agricultural cattle trade but also , by impoverishing the rural population , it reduced the home market for developing industries . Nevertheless , even this pressure from an economic nationalist campaign did not see the switch from cattle to tillage which was necessary for the attainable self-sufficiency in food ......
(MORE LATER).

DIVIS FLATS : Building Towards A Demolition Campaign .......
Divis Flats , at the bottom of the Falls Road in West Belfast , have acquired a reputation for 'trouble' - of all kinds - and social deprivation ever since they were built in the 1960's . They have also endured some of the severest British repression meted out during the past 14 years , and replied with some of the fiercest resistance . Local resident and community activist Jim Faulkner examines the new resurgence of morale in the flats complex and the prospects it faces in its biggest battle yet - for total demolition .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 .

There is a need now for a new demolition campaign led by Divis residents themselves : the first task of the campaign must be to confront the Stormont administration on its policy for Divis , and to use the Sinn Fein public representatives , whom Divis people helped to elect , to apply whatever political pressure is at their disposal if that administration refuses to agree to further demolition .

Surveys have indictated that half the people want to stay where they are - but in houses , not flats , and that the other half might be prepared to move if there was somewhere to move to . What this means is that the demand for new building at Poleglass and elsewhere in West Belfast is of as much concern to the people of Divis as it is for other West Belfast nationalists .

There is certainly a need for Divis Residents' Association to co-ordinate its campaign with other groups , such as the newly-formed West Belfast Housing Action Group which is currently campaigning for better housing throughout the West Belfast area . There is , then , great hope for the future of Divis , and it is up to the people of Divis themselves to transform this hope into reality which decent two-storey houses can offer them and their children - in a future community of a new Pound Loney.

[END OF ' DIVIS FLATS : Building Towards A Demolition Campaign']
(NEXT : 'Prisoners Rights - The Mark Of A Civilised Society' , from 2003.)

Monday, October 08, 2007

THEY ARE HELD IN BELFAST JAIL .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

HELD WITHOUT CHARGE OR TRIAL :

H. O' Neill , 9 California Street , Belfast .
P.E. Davey , 8 Upton Street , Belfast .
J.J. Martin , 11 Kildare Street , Belfast .
J. Sullivan , 13 Ward Street , Belfast .
James McParland , 63 Ballymurphy Road , Belfast .
Séan McParland , 63 Ballymurphy Road , Belfast .
G. Maguire , 50 Alexandra Street West , Belfast .
Dominic Adams , 8 Varna Street , Belfast .
James Drumm , 12 Glassmullin Gardens , Belfast .
S. Gibson , 127 McDonnel Street , Belfast .
Séan McNally , 14 Glenview Street , Belfast .
Jimmy Steele , 20 Clondara Street , Belfast .
P.J. Larkin , 126 Ardilea Street , Belfast .
Frank Maguire , Main Street , Lisnaskea , County Fermanagh .
M. O' Reilly , Coa , Ballinamallard , County Fermanagh .
Leo McCormack , Dublin (After four years sentence) .
G. Higginbotham , Dublin .
(Next : a list of those 'Detained For Possible Trial')
(MORE LATER).

ECONOMY IN CRISIS - An Historical Perspective.......

By any standards the economy of Ireland , North and South , can be described as being in a sorry mess with crisis , recession and imminent bankruptcy the most constant themes of economic discussion , intermittently over the last decade and ceaselessly in the last three years . In this article , Peter Graham surveys the factors which have produced this economy , and the historical role of foreign and native Irish capital.

From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982.

Once in power , the attention of the 'new ruling class' was not merely concentrated on the oppression of republican militarists : in 1923 the wages of a wide range of workers , from dockers to manufacturing employees , were cut to levels below those of the pre-1913 lock-out . In the North , the new unionist administration followed suit .

The trade union movement throughout Ireland was effectively attacked to the extent that , within five years of the establishment of the two partitionist states , its membership was reduced by one third , social welfare considerations were given the minimal attention and social conditions in general enforced a solution to unemployment in the thousands who emigrated throughout the 1920's .

The world depression of 1929 saw a major slump in the North of Ireland's export industries , particularly the biggest ship-building and linen firms . The Free State situation was not as seriously affected initially , being agriculture-based , and prices generally holding up . But the agricultural economy itself had remained stagnant since the foundation of the Free State (and was to remain so for decades) .......
(MORE LATER).

DIVIS FLATS : Building Towards A Demolition Campaign .......
Divis Flats , at the bottom of the Falls Road in West Belfast , have acquired a reputation for 'trouble' - of all kinds - and social deprivation ever since they were built in the 1960's . They have also endured some of the severest British repression meted out during the past 14 years , and replied with some of the fiercest resistance . Local resident and community activist Jim Faulkner examines the new resurgence of morale in the flats complex and the prospects it faces in its biggest battle yet - for total demolition .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 .

The 'street-party' success of the Divis Residents' Association was short-lived , its main problem being that it failed to attract the active participation of a representative cross-section of the Divis community and focussed largely on the personality and leadership of Fr. Pat Buckley himself , and when he was transferred to another parish early this year (1983) the Divis Residents' Association became very much a shepherdless flock .

The activities engaged in by the Association in its heyday were essentially geared towards a restoration of morale but had no lasting effect , and its AGM in the autumn of 1982 attracted only a handful of Fr. Buckley's helpers .

However , developments outlined in this article which have taken place since the elections augur well for the group's future , with this year's AGM approaching and the likelihood of a more broadly-based committee of residents being elected.......
(MORE LATER).

Saturday, October 06, 2007

INJUSTICE :
" While these pages were passing through the press, a circumstance has occurred which so clearly illustrates the position of the Irish priest, that I cannot avoid mentioning it. A gentleman has purchased some property, and his first act is to give his three tenants notice to quit. The unfortunate men have no resource but to obey the cruel mandate, and to turn out upon the world homeless and penniless. They cannot go to law, for the law would be against them. They are not in a position to appeal to public opinion, for they are only farmers. The parish priest is their only resource and their only friend. He appeals to the feelings of their new landlord in a most courteous letter, in which he represents the cruel sufferings these three families must endure. The landlord replies that he has bought the land as a "commercial speculation," and of course he has a right to do whatever he considers most for his advantage; but offers to allow the tenants to remain if they consent to pay double their former rent—a rent which would be double the real value of the land. Such cases are constantly occurring, and are constantly exposed by priests; and we have known more than one instance in which fear of such exposure has obtained justice. A few of them are mentioned from time to time in the Irish local papers. The majority of cases are entirely unknown, except to the persons concerned; but they are remembered by the poor sufferers and their friends. I believe, if the people of England were aware of one-half of these ejectments, and the sufferings they cause, they would rise up as a body and demand justice for Ireland and the Irish; they would marvel at the patience with which what to them would be so intolerable has been borne so long...."
(From here)

It was those that organised , supported and/or otherwise made possible such acts of barbarism that people like the late Dan Keating fought against : his fight has inspired others to follow in his footsteps . The crimes committed by the British on this isle will guarantee as many 'Dan Keatings' as it takes to resolve the issue of British interference in Irish affairs . And that issue can only be resolved by the British withdrawing politically and militarily from these shores . Even if it takes another 838 years...

Friday, October 05, 2007

THEY ARE HELD IN BELFAST JAIL .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

HELD WITHOUT CHARGE OR TRIAL :

M. McBurney , 56 Durham Street , Belfast .
M. Murray , 14 Beechfield Street , Belfast .
T. McGrogan , 40 Commedogh Drive , Belfast .
L. McParland , 63 Ballymurphy Road , Belfast .
Art Rox , 23 Kilroad Street , Belfast .
Séan O' Cearnaigh , 26 Pound Street , Belfast .
J. Madill , 31 Oakman Street , Belfast .
John McNeill , Glendun , County Antrim .
J. Dullaghan , 4 Clyde Street , Belfast .
P. Doyle , 45 White Rock Crescent , Belfast (Interned after three months sentence) .
G. Robinson , 23 Vulcan Street , Belfast .
K. O' Kane , 45 Princes Park , Whiteabbey , Belfast .
W. Kennedy , 24 Balaclava Street , Whiteabbey , Belfast .
G. McCotter , 27 Upton Street , Belfast .
(MORE LATER).

ECONOMY IN CRISIS - An Historical Perspective.......

By any standards the economy of Ireland , North and South , can be described as being in a sorry mess with crisis , recession and imminent bankruptcy the most constant themes of economic discussion , intermittently over the last decade and ceaselessly in the last three years . In this article , Peter Graham surveys the factors which have produced this economy , and the historical role of foreign and native Irish capital.

From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1982.

In arriving at the two partitionist states it was more the independent power of Irish nationalism , rather than economic forces , which were at work . Although the early twentieth century had seen , under James Larkin and James Connolly, a major upsurge of trade union membership and working-class militancy in the 1913 lock-out, it was the middle-class (which had condemned the 1916 Rising) which speedily re-assessed the force of nationalism .

So that by 1918 middle-class influence had already infiltrated into a Sinn Fein which , within three years , would sell-out the Republic for the Treaty , whilst labour had to accept that it must wait and stand out of the political arena .

For the Irish capitalist class in the 26-Counties , the establishment of the Free State in 1922 achieved its aims . The victims on the republican side in the Civil War were overwhelmingly the small farmers , agricultural labourers and city workers , fighting on for a Republic which embraced the socialist principles of James Connolly, Padraig Pearse and Liam Mellows- not necessarily a politically-conscious struggle , but one which intuitively recognised that the Republic must mean the wealth of Ireland for the people of Ireland.......
(MORE LATER).

DIVIS FLATS : Building Towards A Demolition Campaign .......
Divis Flats , at the bottom of the Falls Road in West Belfast , have acquired a reputation for 'trouble' - of all kinds - and social deprivation ever since they were built in the 1960's . They have also endured some of the severest British repression meted out during the past 14 years , and replied with some of the fiercest resistance . Local resident and community activist Jim Faulkner examines the new resurgence of morale in the flats complex and the prospects it faces in its biggest battle yet - for total demolition .
From 'IRIS' magazine , November 1983 .

The Divis Residents Association was set up towards the end of the 1981 hunger-strike by Father Pat Buckley, a curate of St Peter's parish , and with the assistance of some local women organised a successful 'clean-up campaign' to repair the environmental devastation of that riotous summer .

The new Association restored relationships with the Housing Executive which had been curtailed by its more militant predecessor , the Divis Demolition Committee, and met the Tory housing minister at Stormont , David Mitchell, to discuss total demolition . Mitchell praised the Association for their efforts but made no firm commitment to any additional demolition over and above the two blocks - Whitehall and Farset - already scheduled to be knocked down because of their proximity to the new Westlink motorway .

In August 1982 Fr Pat Buckley's residents' association organised a festival in Divis Flats to restore community morale - and it too was a great success , with games and open-air concerts which woke everyone up and brought neighbours out to socialise in a way which had not been seen since the high-rise complex replaced the old terraced streets of the Pound Loney neighbourhood in the 1960's . But that 'success' was short-lived.......
(MORE LATER).

Thursday, October 04, 2007

DAN KEATING : January 2, 1902 - October 2, 2007.

UPDATE: Removal tonight (THURSDAY 4th OCTOBER) at seven thirty from Tralee Nursing Home to Kiltalla Church (four miles past Castlemaine).
Funeral mass tomorrow (FRIDAY 5th OCTOBER) at twelve noon.

DAN Keating was born in 1902 in the townland of Ballygamboon, Castlemaine, Co Kerry. In 1917, Dan 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 Dan 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 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.
Dan's 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 ad 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.

Dan Keating died in Tralee on October 2, 2007, after a short illness.
I measc Laochra na nGael go raibh sé .
(From here )
The authors of this blog have met Dan on many an occasion at various republican functions over the years : we have had the honour and the pleasure to sit-in on and partake in some of the many conversations with the man. His wit and historical wisdom and knowledge will be sorely missed , but his comrades will ensure that those attributes are passed-on as best we can to future generations.
Slán go fóill , A Chara.