THE IRA : the new IRA is younger , more radical and has seen little of life other than violence.......
By Ed Moloney.
From 'Magill' magazine, September 1980.

The unease and leftward shift in Republicanism allied to the change of attitude on Federalism has led inevitably to talk of there being two identifiable wings in the Movement , one led by the spokesman for the 'radicals' , Gerry Adams, and the other led by Dáithí Ó Conaill.

Twice last year (1979) the tensions between the two men surfaced briefly - the first was in reaction to Gerry Adams' fiercly socialist oration at Bodenstown and the other was at a special weekend conference of 200 Sinn Fein leaders in Athlone last October : by co-incidence , the Dublin 'Sunday World' 'newspaper' published that weekend an essentially accurate report claiming that Federalism was about to be abandoned and the Provos were about 'to lurch to the left' . The article also talked about the "waning influence" of Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and Dáithí Ó Conaill .

The effect of the article when it landed on breakfast tables at the Hudson's Bay and Shamrock Lodge hotels , where the Provo delegates were staying , was to say the least traumatic . According to one source the uproar from rural delegates was such that Adams was forced to deny other reports that there were Marxists in the Provos : another source stated that there would have been a walkout had he not denied it . Needless to say leading Provisionals are not keen to talk about that Athlone conference - " We wouldn't want to air that sort of thing in the press" , said Dáithí Ó Conaill , " we don't have any fundamental differences and any we do have will be settled internally ." But according to another source , Athlone was something of a victory for the traditionalists in that Marxism is now a dirty word in the Provos.......

(MORE LATER).



THE KITSON EXPERIMENT.
Review by Cathal McGivern of Roger Faligot's 1983 book 'Britain's Military Strategy in Ireland : The Kitson Experiment'.
From 'IRIS' Magazine , 1983.

This book is a detailed survey of Britain's military confrontation with the IRA . Roger Faligot, a well-known Breton-French journalist and author , argues that with the putting into practice of British General Frank Kitson's theory of low intensity operations , the deployment of the SAS, M16's dirty tricks department , and tough measures against political prisoners , the Occupied Six Counties have become a laboratory to experiment with new methods of controlling civilian populations .

Frank Kitson , who became a full general in July 1982 and commander-in-chief of the British Land Forces had served in British colonial wars in Kenya , Malaya and Cyprus before coming to Ireland . His book 'Low Intensity Operations : Subversion , Insurgency and Counter Insurgency' was published in 1971 , but later withdrawn from circulation . From 1970 to 1972 , Kitson was in Ireland commanding the British Army's 39th Infantry Brigade which covered Belfast . Roger Faligot's account of the implementation of Kitson's theories in Ireland , which came into full operation about 1975 , makes fascinating , if chilling , reading .

Though Kitson had no sympathy for the hundreds of Irishmen thrown into prison without trial on August 9th 1971 he was a reluctant participant in internment for he knew that , carried out as it was without any real knowledge of IRA infrastructure , it would not only fail to put the IRA out of action , but would intensify support for it in the nationalist areas.......

(MORE LATER).



THE UNDAUNTED WOMEN IN ARMAGH.......

The full story of the republican prisoners in Armagh Jail has yet to be told. It has yet to be sung , and properly described , other than as an after-thought in public speeches - "...and of course the women in Armagh.." Republicans have a right to be proud of those women who, from the Divis Flats grandmother doing six months for what an Orange judge called "riotous behaviour" to the young IRA Volunteer inside for the second time and not yet 25-years-old , have managed, whether they numbered 12 or 120 , to maintain their resistance to the most vicious prison system in Europe. The words that follow , says writer Patricia Collins , were written to encourage more of those women to come forward and tell their story , and are based on conversations with several
ex-prisoners , and on visits and letters from those women presently imprisoned. They were written in the hope of jogging the memory of all those women who wrongly think their contribution to Ireland's future peace is not worth mentioning.
From 'IRIS' magazine , August 1984.

One of the women POW's in Armagh Jail stated - " Strip-searches are used not only to humiliate , but as a deterrent of inter-prison visits , which are the only contact we have with loved ones . We have since the introduction of the practice 15 months ago repeatedly petitioned the British 'NIO' to have the strip-searches regulation withdrawn on moral grounds , but the response has been in favour of prison Governor Murtagh's decision that the measures should stand 'in the interest of security' - a completely invalid argument . Today , strip-searching remains a 'standard practice' , punishments continue , psychological maltreatment is a systematic 'must' . But all these we can , and we will , overcome .

The years have taught us that survival lies in the ability to mentally apply yourself to the situation . What have Murtagh and his administration to show for their efforts to subdue republican prisoners ? And while we maintain our stance , such will be the case , because the system is dependent on us in order to function fully - we can exist without it , and we will ."

Marion Coyle is another republican prisoner who has fought the system from the outside and the inside : she has now served nine years of a fifteen-year sentence imposed on her following her arrest in 1975 . It had been expected that Marion - who has suffered ill health in recent months - would , with remission , be released in January 1986 but she has now been informed that the previous one-third remission granted to women prisoners in Limerick Jail will in future be reduced to one-quarter , which is the remission rate allowed to male prisoners . She will be the main sufferer from this 'reform'.......

(MORE LATER).

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90th Anniversary of An Céad Dáil Éireann (the First Dáil Éireann) : held in Wynn's Hotel , Dublin , on Tuesday , 20th January 2009.


Ruairí Ó Brádaigh , Wynns Hotel , Dublin , Tuesday 20th January 2009.

Approximately sixty people gathered in a room in Wynn's Hotel , Dublin , on Tuesday 20th January 2009 , to hear various Irish Republican speakers outline what that political event of 90 years ago means to them - all the speeches , and the many contributions from the crowd , shared one common theme : that the present institution in Kildare Street in Dublin , and those that sit in same, share absolutely no linear connection to the people , or the actual institution , which met in Dublin's Mansion House on January 21st , 1919 .
The Wynn's Hotel lecture began at 7.45pm and ended at 10.15pm : proceedings were Chaired by Des Dalton , and amongst the other Irish Republicans that spoke during the evening (in Irish , French and English) was Tomás Ó Clérigh , Richard Walsh , Róisin Hayden , Seán Ó Brádaigh , Séamus Ó Súilleabháin , Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and Séan Ó Sé . Following the main speakers , a 'Question and Answer' session was held , with many from the audience taking part . Our National Anthem was then sung by all present , the audience was thanked for braving the wet and windy elements (and for not being intimidated by the State 'elements' , who were inside and outside the hotel) , the 'Top Table' people were beseeched by autograph hunters (!) and , eventually , all present retired to the private function room where refreshments were being served. Overall , the function was a fitting and proper tribute to An Céad Dáil Éireann , an institution with which Republican Sinn Féin is proud to be associated.
We publish with this post five more photographs from that evening , with another five photographs published on our 'Sister' blog , which we have linked to at the end of this post. A full report and other photographs will be published in the February 2009 issue of 'Saoirse' , which will be published on the 4th of that month.

Comparing notes!

Crowd section.

The view from near the back of the venue.

Reading and writing at the 'Top Table' !


Séan Ó Brádaigh, Richard Behal and Ruairí Ó Brádaigh.

As stated above , five more photographs from that event can be viewed here. Also , please note that our usual 'three-in-one' post will be published this Friday or Saturday.
Thanks!
Sharon.

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90th Anniversary of An Céad Dáil Éireann (the First Dáil Éireann) (Above photo from here.)

"Ireland to-day reasserts her historic nationhood the more confidently before the new world emerging from the war, because she believes in freedom and justice as the fundamental principles of international law; because she believes in a frank co-operation between the peoples for equal rights against the vested privileges of ancient tyrannies; because the permanent peace of Europe can never be secured by perpetuating military dominion for the profit of empire but only by establishing the control of government in every land upon the basis of the free will of a free people, and the existing state of war, between Ireland and England, can never be ended until Ireland is definitely evacuated by the armed forces of England...."
(From here.)

Help us to celebrate our past. And fight for our future!
Thanks!
Sharon.

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THE IRA : the new IRA is younger , more radical and has seen little of life other than violence.......
By Ed Moloney.
From 'Magill' magazine, September 1980.

In 1974 , Dáithi Ó Conaill praised the UWC Loyalist strikers ; they showed "...tremendous power and acted in a responsible way.." , he said . On several occasions since he has described moves by Loyalist paramilitary groups towards the idea of Northern independence as 'encouraging' .

Although Federalism remains the official policy of Sinn Fein it has now being rejected by the radical and Northern-dominated IRA Army Council - one Army Council member explained why : " We are opposed to it because of the historic abuse of power by the Loyalists in the North of Ireland . Federalism wouldn't unite the Irish people but perpetuate sectarian division." ('1169...' Comment : in other words , 'a sop to Loyalists': and that from the 'rebels' that went on to administer British 'rule' in the Six Counties!)

Dáithi Ó Conaill's thinking as represented by his public statements between 1972 and 1975 led directly to the Feakle and post-Feakle Talks but is now light years away from the Northern 'radicals' . Provisional members in the North are said to be 'more sectarian' than their Southern counterparts not least of all because of the bloody carnage in Belfast and elsewhere in the Six Counties ; their view of Northern Unionists is said to be influenced by left-wing groups like the People's Democracy ie that the Northern State is irreformable and so are most Northern Unionists . ('1169...' Comment : the 'Northern State' is "irreformable" as long as it continues to be reared on the poisoned milk from Westminster .)

(MORE LATER).




BLACK PROPAGANDA AND BLOODY MURDER.......
British Army Captain John Colin Wallace.

First it was the Maguire family - claiming they had been wrongly convicted of bombings in London on faulty forensic tests and circumstantial evidence . Then the Birmingham Six were shown to have been the victims of another miscarriage of British 'justice' . Now , in the most bizarre case of all , a former British Intelligence officer , who served in the North of Ireland , has claimed that he was framed for a killing he didn't commit .
British Captain John Wallace , now serving ten years for manslaughter , claims that his conviction was part of a plan to destroy his credibility because he knew too much about covert operations in Ireland - on both sides of the border . Frank Doherty talked to Wallace and to another former British Intelligence officer , Captain Fred Holroyd , who is lobbying politicians to re-open a case which is as potentially embarrassing for the British Secret Service as the Wright case in Australia has proved to be.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , December 1986 .

British spy Fred Holroyd stated : " This is another of those strange cases with Irish links , where forensic evidence is of crucial importance . I have no doubt that Colin Wallace is innocent . I have never seen a more clear-cut case in my life ."

Fred Holroyd has spent more than a year probing the affair , visiting Wallace every month in Lewes Jail to report progress . Holroyd states - " I have got some MP's interested in it , but I believe I'm fighting for more than the reputation of an innocent man . I'm fighting against the shadowy people with whom Colin and I both worked with when we were in British Intelligence in Ireland , and they are very powerful people . In December (1985) they are going to give Colin parole - maybe they think that will keep him quiet . But he is determined to clear his name . I don't think he will ever give up his fight for justice."

[END of 'BLACK PROPAGANDA AND BLOODY MURDER.......']
(Next : 'The Kitson Experiment' - from 1983)



THE UNDAUNTED WOMEN IN ARMAGH.......

The full story of the republican prisoners in Armagh Jail has yet to be told. It has yet to be sung , and properly described , other than as an after-thought in public speeches - "...and of course the women in Armagh.." Republicans have a right to be proud of those women who, from the Divis Flats grandmother doing six months for what an Orange judge called "riotous behaviour" to the young IRA Volunteer inside for the second time and not yet 25-years-old , have managed, whether they numbered 12 or 120 , to maintain their resistance to the most vicious prison system in Europe. The words that follow , says writer Patricia Collins , were written to encourage more of those women to come forward and tell their story , and are based on conversations with several
ex-prisoners , and on visits and letters from those women presently imprisoned. They were written in the hope of jogging the memory of all those women who wrongly think their contribution to Ireland's future peace is not worth mentioning.
From 'IRIS' magazine , August 1984.

One of the women POW's stated - " In February 1982 we ended the protest and moved into the 'system' ; immediately on telling Prison Governor Thomas Murtagh that we were available for work he told his staff that each and every one of us was to be given cleaning chores until such time as other work was allocated to us . On his assessment we were within a few days designated to orderly duties , laundry and work-room (stitching) - all unproductive and menial tasks . Having placed us in the positions he considered suitable , Murtagh then embarked on a campaign of harassment and intimidation . Our ending the protest , rather than satisfying , had in fact increased Murtagh's hunger to bring republicans not merely to their knees but to grovel on their bellies .

His first tactical move was to integrate us with loyalists and ordinary prisoners throughout the jail . During the protest we had been segregated from other prisoners . Our numbers by now had been greatly reduced , many having been released , and this enabled him to maintain us in small compact groups . This 'Unit-network-of-prisoners' is derived from the fact that smaller groups are more easily controlled and constant vigilance of each prisoner is possible . Every movement , word , spoken or gesture, is noted and recorded in the prison journals and daily scrutinised by Governor Murtagh himself .

That 'Unit' theory failed to produce the results presupposed by Murtagh - he had hoped that division would cause disunity and eventually lead to the collapse of the internal prisoner-company structure . His failure caused him once again to resort to intimidation : threats to forfeit remission , punishments , solitary confinement . All have proved equally unproductive . In November 1982 , Murtagh implemented the strip-search and , since his appointment as Governor , almost two years ago , he has sought to discourage , degrade and demoralise republican prisoners . His controlling reign has been spent organising and maintaining a campaign of psychological torture against us......."

(MORE LATER).

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90th Anniversary of An Céad Dáil Éireann(the First Dáil Éireann)-


- a Lecture on this subject will be held on Tuesday 20th January 2009 , at 7.30pm , in Wynn's Hotel, Lower Abbey Street,Dublin 1. The Clár (Programme of Events) is as follows :

7.45pm - Cathaoirleach (Chairperson) , Des Dalton, will open proceedings.
8pm - Reading of the Declaration of Independence,as Gaeilge agus i mBéarla, by Tomás Ó Clérigh agus Richard Walsh.
8.15pm - Reading of An Scéal Ó Dháil Éireann Chum Saor-Náisiún an Domhain (the Address to the Free Nations of The World) in English and French (Appel aux Nations),by Róisin Hayden agus Séan Ó Bradaigh.
8.30pm - Reading of the Democratic Programme of Dáil Éireann by Séamus Ó Súilleabháin.
8.45pm - Lecture on the First Dáil Éireann by Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Uachtarán (President) ,Sinn Féin Poblachtach.
10pm - Questions from the floor followed by a social hour.

An Clár for the 90th Anniversary Lecture.

On January 21st , 1919 , the First Dáil Éireann met in the Mansion House, Dublin. The Declaration of Independence , the Address to the Free Nations of the World and the Democratic Programme of Dáil Éireann were read. On Tuesday , January 20 , 2009 , Republican Sinn Féin will host a lecture by Ruairí Ó Brádaigh to commemorate the anniversary. Republicanism is currently under threat from revisionist historians , politicians and the media so it is imperative we bring the truth to the people. It is through people like you that we can do this. We hope to see you on Tuesday night , January 20th 2009 at 7.30pm in Wynn's Hotel in Dublin City Centre. All Welcome!
Thanks!
Sharon.

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Saturday, January 10, 2009:
Day 15 of Israeli War On Gaza...
"Dear Editors, Journalists and Friends,
Most of the Gaza Strip plunges into deep darkness since the start of this war. I find several hardships to send out this report due to power problem. Today, a rocket targeted my uncle's house. My house got several splinters and rocket shrapnel. Thanks to God, we all safe but I don't know what will happen next. I live east of Gaza, Toffah area, were artillery shells rained down every single moment...."

From this blog , which we have been following for the last while : it needs no futher comment from us , only a request that you read it as often as you can . It may not be 'on air' for too long...
Sharon.

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THE IRA : the new IRA is younger , more radical and has seen little of life other than violence.......
By Ed Moloney.
From 'Magill' magazine, September 1980.

For an Economic Resistance Campaign to be really successful it clearly needs to get into the business of making demands on the State , both North and South of the border . Building campaigns around the demand for jobs or better housing will lead , say the republican 'traditionalists' , to a de facto recognition of Leinster House and whatever institution it is that Humphrey Atkins can devise in the North of Ireland to replace Stormont . So far an uneasy compromise has been reached which allows for agitation in the South but only glorified social work in the North .

The most significant change in the 'Eire Nua' document has come in the present differing attitudes of the IRA Army Council and Sinn Féin to the core of the 1972 document , that is - federalism or the creation of strong Provisional government in Ireland when the British withdraw . Underlying Federalism was an implicit hope that it would mollify Northern Unionists and persuade them that , however un-realistic * the chances of re-unification , the Provisionals didn't really bear them any ill will .

The Provos were even prepared to give them a large measure of self-government should the distant dream * of re-unification be realised . The Provisional leader most closely identified with Federalism is of course Dáithí Ó Conaill -as the Director of Publicity of the IRA between 1972 and 1975 , Ó Conaill spoke more often of the need to build a 'United Ulster' than a 'United Ireland' , and even banned * the latter phrase from Provisional vocabulary for a while . (* '1169...' Comment : What rubbish ! To claim that any Irish Republican leader would seek to have the term 'United Ireland' banned within that organisation is simply ludicrous ! Certain descriptions ie 'Northern Ireland'/'the Province' etc are self-censored by republicans themselves as they are geographically (and morally) inaccurate , but the term 'United Ireland' would not have been self-censored , never mind internally "banned". The author's use of the terms "un-realistic" and "distant dream" speaks volumes of where he is coming from ie a slightly nationalist perspective rather than a republican one...)

(MORE LATER).



BLACK PROPAGANDA AND BLOODY MURDER.......
British Army Captain John Colin Wallace.

First it was the Maguire family - claiming they had been wrongly convicted of bombings in London on faulty forensic tests and circumstantial evidence . Then the Birmingham Six were shown to have been the victims of another miscarriage of British 'justice' . Now , in the most bizarre case of all , a former British Intelligence officer , who served in the North of Ireland , has claimed that he was framed for a killing he didn't commit .
British Captain John Wallace , now serving ten years for manslaughter , claims that his conviction was part of a plan to destroy his credibility because he knew too much about covert operations in Ireland - on both sides of the border . Frank Doherty talked to Wallace and to another former British Intelligence officer , Captain Fred Holroyd , who is lobbying politicians to re-open a case which is as potentially embarrassing for the British Secret Service as the Wright case in Australia has proved to be.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , December 1986 .

Before he died , Jonathan Lewis had told his wife that he was worried about his business and said that if anything happened to him she was to "look out for" 'Mr Y' - the business associate mentioned at the trial . Now Amanda Metcalf , Holroyd's witness , is convinced that Colin Wallace is innocent - " I feel terrible ," she says , " I am also scared , because if Colin Wallace is innocent there could be someone walking around looking for me because of what I saw..."

British Captain Fred Holroyd's quest to prove Wallace's innocence has brought him to another witness - an angler who was fishing on the River Arun around midnight on the day of the killing . This fisherman saw a man searching the riverbank with a torch and claims that the man was not Colin Wallace .

The British spy's solicitor , James Morgan-Harris, has been trying to have the case re-opened since Wallace decided to go public shortly after seeing Fred Holroyd on TV . The solicitor , James Morgan-Harris , has been concentrating on the forensic evidence , which he believes is crucial because the case against Wallace was largely circumstantial : forensic tests on the body of Jonathan Lewis after it was pulled from the River Arun would have shown how many drinks he had taken and , if the barmaid at the 'Golden Goose' pub is right - that the dead man was drinking there at a time when police say he was in Wallace's car boot - then those tests would have shown that he had more than one drink . But , despite the anomalies in the whole affair , the British Home Office has refused requests from the solicitor to have the case re-opened . Due to the 'Irish link' , perhaps.......

(MORE LATER).



THE UNDAUNTED WOMEN IN ARMAGH.......

The full story of the republican prisoners in Armagh Jail has yet to be told. It has yet to be sung , and properly described , other than as an after-thought in public speeches - "...and of course the women in Armagh.." Republicans have a right to be proud of those women who, from the Divis Flats grandmother doing six months for what an Orange judge called "riotous behaviour" to the young IRA Volunteer inside for the second time and not yet 25-years-old , have managed, whether they numbered 12 or 120 , to maintain their resistance to the most vicious prison system in Europe. The words that follow , says writer Patricia Collins , were written to encourage more of those women to come forward and tell their story , and are based on conversations with several
ex-prisoners , and on visits and letters from those women presently imprisoned. They were written in the hope of jogging the memory of all those women who wrongly think their contribution to Ireland's future peace is not worth mentioning.
From 'IRIS' magazine , August 1984.

The women POW's in Armagh Jail wrote - " Easter 1981 : Thomas Murtagh was appointed Governor of this prison . The anti-republican policy was reinforced with greater vehemence . We were in the coming months to experience greater hardships than those created by Governor George Scott. When the hunger-strike ended on October 3rd (1981) , there followed from the 5th October onward a 28-day 'breathing space' . This was enforced by James Prior in the hope that within that time we would reconsider our position , end the protest and comply with the system .

During the 28 days no loss of remission was to be imposed as a penalty for breaches of prison rules which arose from the protest . After the 28-day reprieval period we had decided to continue our protest , but agreed that five women would go 'into' the system as an exploratory exercise to discover which position would produce the greatest effect : working to achieve our aims within the system or outside it and it became apparent to us that the former strategy would enable us to strike at the very heart of the issue .

Throughout the following year of 1982 a few more women prisoners infiltrated the system while an adequate number maintained the protest , a strategy which created even greater problems for the prison administration .The administration had to contend with the protest , and an even more alarming situation which had been quietly developing under their very noses since the infiltration exercise . Governor Thomas Murtagh reacted as we believed he would - lashing out with the heavy-handed treatment . Daily , women were charged with petty offences which ensured solitary confinement , lock-ups , loss of visits , parcels and remission . The women who had ventured into the system received the worst of this treatment ; they had consolidated their position , formed a structure and grasped every opportunity to advance company policy . In response , Murtagh not only meted out the most severe punishments to them , but also used emotional blackmail......."

(MORE LATER).

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1169 And Counting will be back....




" Here's to the crazy ones.

The misfits.

The rebels.

The troublemakers.

The round pegs in the square holes.


The ones who see things differently.

They're not fond of rules.

And they have no respect for the status quo.


You can praise them, disagree with them, quote them,

disbelieve them, glorify or vilify them.

About the only thing you can't do is ignore them.

Because they change things.


They invent. They imagine. They heal.

They explore. They create. They inspire.

They push the human race forward.


Maybe they have to be crazy.

How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art?
Or sit in silence and hear a song that's never been written?
Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?

We make tools for these kinds of people.

While some see them as the crazy ones,
we see genius.

Because the people who are crazy enough to think
they can change the world, are the ones who do...."
(From here)

...ON WEDNESDAY 7th JANUARY 2009 .
(Our last '3-in-1' post can be seen here)

Athbhliain faoi Mhaise Duit!
Happy New Year!
Sharon.

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Dáithí Ó Conaill:1938-1991.

"We believe in the establishment of a National Parliament representative of the people of Ireland. In an Ireland where social justice is a reality and not a political catch-cry. In an Ireland where our language and culture enhance our life and are not objects of scorn and derision . In an Ireland where past dissensions are a forgotton memory and Irish people, irrespective of creed, live in peace and prosperity."
(Dáithí Ó Conaill, Bodenstown oration, 1970.)

The Annual Dáithí Ó Conaill Commemoration was held today , Thursday , 1st January 2009 , in Glasnevin Cemetery , Dublin . Approximately fifty people were present , all of whom were harassed in one way or another by one or more of the Special Branch operatives in the Cemetery . The proceedings were chaired by Des Dalton and the main Oration was delivered by Tomás Ó Cléirigh who, during a riveting speech , emphasised how the political society on this isle is the complete opposite of that which Dáithí Ó Conaill worked for : that , instead of a fair and equal society , we have a corrupt 'mé féin' culture , politically imposed and encouraged by the imposters and their 'Yes Men' in Leinster House , for whom no deed is below contempt .
The full text of Tomás Ó Cléirigh's speech and some photographs of the Commemoration can be seen in the January 2009 issue of 'Saoirse', which will be published on January 7th next.
Following the Commemoration , most of those present retired to a local pub for refreshments , which had been organised in advance by the Organising Committee . We publish with this post five photographs of the Commemoration , with another five published on our 'Sister' blog , here.

Tomás Ó Cléirigh delivering the main Oration.

Section of the crowd.

Matt (Colour Party)and Mags , before the Commemoration.

Tomás Ó Cléirigh and Des Dalton.

Laying the Wreath/Middle section of the crowd.

More pics at the above-mentioned link :Slán go fóill anois agus go raibh maith agat!
Sharon.

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REPUBLICAN COMMEMORATIONS : JANUARY 2009.


Dáithi Ó Conaill Commemoration , Thursday, January 1st 2009 (New Year's Day) : Assemble at the Gates Of Glasnevin Cemetery , Dublin , at 12.45pm . Main Speaker Tomas Ó Clerigh, Dublin.


Seán Sabhat Commemoration , Sunday, January 4th 2009 : Assemble at Bedford Row , Limerick at 1.45pm for Parade to Mount St Lawrence Cemetery.


Feargal Ó hAnnluain Commemoration, Sunday January 11th 2009 : Assemble at the Cathedral , Monaghan, at 2pm , for the Parade to Latlurgan Cemetery.

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CABHAIR Christmas Swim , 25th December 2008 :



Nollaig Shona from Cabhair!



The 32nd Annual CABHAIR Christmas Swim was held yesterday at the 3rd Lough of the Grand Canal in Inchicore , Dublin , watched by a crowd of about 100 people.
Seven Special Branch men blocked both entries/exits and , between them , managed to deter at least another 100 people from attending , at one point threatening to arrest a 15-year-old boy and demanding that two adults hand-over their cameras until after the event . All three incidents were managed and dealth with by the CABHAIR representatives present. Apart from the State harassment , the day was a resounding success!
Six swimmers took to the waters of the freezing-cold Grand Canal between the hours of 10am and 1.30pm , with each of those brave souls diving-in at least twice , if not three times , each . As usual , CABHAIR had organised a mini-bonfire , food , drink , music and a raffle for the swimmers : both prizes in that raffle were won by two of the six lads , with one winner donating his prize , a wood-burn POW-made plaque , back to CABHAIR , asking that it be auctioned to the highest bidder and the money put in the kitty! So , between the swimming , the food and drink , the music and the craic , the crowd also had an auction to entertain them - and €35 was instantly added to the CABHAIR coffers !
The weather was kinder to us than we had expected - it was dry , a bit chilly (even for those of us that kept our clothes on!) and overcast - cloudy , no sunshine , but no rain , frost or ice! So , no complaints there....
All-in-all , apart from the Special Branch harassment , it was a fantastic few hours spent , in a good Cause , on the banks of the Grand Canal on a Christmas Day: approximately 100 friends , all republican-minded ,sharing stories , exchanging presents , making arrangements around the fire , drink and mince-pie in hand , singing along with the Irish ballads ! CABHAIR are to be highly recommended for all their work in , once again, putting this event together , and the crowd recommended for ignoring and braving the pure thuggery of the State for again attempting to close this fund-raiser down . As one of those who helped the organisers said at the swim site in his speech - " As long as the British military and political presence remains on this isle , there will be those who oppose it . And as long as there are those that oppose that presence there will , unfortunately , be POW's . But as long as there are POW's so , too, will there be Irish Republican organisations like Cabhair to assist those prisoners and their families..."

We publish some photographs of the 32nd CABHAIR Swim with this post , and more pics can be seen here and on these two 'Indymedia' threads. Go raibh maith agat agus slán go fóill anois!

'Support the prisoners' and 'Boycott Shell' posters.

Mini-Santa with some CABHAIR goodies!

Feeding the Canal Crew and Guests!

One of Santa's Reindeer !

"OH GOD ! What was I thinking...?"

"Hope this thing has a deep end..."

"Bring that wall over here , lads..."

(More pics on the above-mentioned links.)
Thanks, Sharon.

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DON'T LET THIS...



...SPOIL YOUR CHRISTMAS !

Take yourself (and the shocked children!) to the CABHAIR Christmas Swim -



- 12 Noon , Christmas Day , Grand Canal , Inchicore , Dublin : opposite Kelly's 'Black Horse Inn' pub .

A CABHAIR Crew visited the site this morning (Christmas Eve) to check it over and sent us these two photographs -

Swim site , as seen from the end of the Naas Road....

...and as seen from the far side of the Lough.

- word is that two of the Cabhair Crew had to physically restrain their other two colleagues as they simply couldn't wait to jump in . So all four decided to cross the road to Kelly's Pub to 'quench their thirst' for sampling liquids....
MORE LATER - pic's and report to follow as soon as possible after the event .
Thanks!
Sharon.

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UP THE REPUBLIC - OUR DAY WILL COME !

NOLLAIG SHONA DAR LEITHEOIRI !

Ar eagle an dearmaid ....

Ba bhrea an rud e siocháin bhuan bunaithe ar an gceart a bheith againn in Éireann . Is i an bronntanas is fearr a d'fheadfaimis a thabhairt duinn fein agus dar gclann .

Coinniodh an ceart agus an tsiocháin uainn le breis agus ocht gcead bliain , de bharr ionradh , forghabhail agus miriaradh na Sasanach. Socrú ar bith a dheantar in ainm mhuintir na hÉireann agus a ghlacann le riail Shasana agus a dhaingnionn an chriochdheighilt , ni thig leis an ceart na an tsiocháin bhuann a bhunu .

Ni dheanfaidh se ach la na siochána buaine a chur ar an mhear fhada agus an bhunfhadb a thabhairt do ghluin eile . Tharla se seo cheana nuair a siniodh Conradh 1921 agus cuireadh siar ar mhuintir na hÉireann e in ainm na siochána . Is mór ag Sinn Féin Poblachtach Éire a bheith saor agus daonlathach , an cuspoir ceanna a bhi i gceist ag Wolfe Tone agus ag na Poblachtaigh uile anuas go dti 1916 agus an la ata inniu ann .

Rinne a lan fear agus ban croga iobairti mora , thug a mbeatha fiu , ar son na cuise uaisle seo .

CEART . SAOIRSE. DAONLATHAS .

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A PEACEFUL CHRISTMAS TO OUR READERS !

Least we forget ....

A just and permanent peace in Ireland is most desirable . It is the greatest gift we could give to ourselves and our children . We have been denied justice and peace for more than eight centuries , because of English invasion , occupation and misrule of our country .

Any arrangement which , in the name of the Irish people , accepts English rule and copperfastens the Border , will not bring justice and lasting peace . It will only postpone the day of permanent peace , handing over the basic problem to another generation .

This happened before when the Treaty of 1921 was signed and was forced on the Irish people in the name of peace . Republican Sinn Féin cherishes the objective of a free , democratic Ireland , as envisaged by Wolfe Tone and all Republicans down to 1916 and our own day . Many brave men and women sacrificed a lot , even their lives , for this noble Cause .

JUSTICE . FREEDOM . DEMOCRACY .
(From the '1169...' Crew , December 2008. PLEASE NOTE : we are on a short break from normal posting , although we will post details of how the CABHAIR swim went and possibly a few other posts. We will return to 'normal' early in the New Year. Go raibh maith agat! Sharon.)

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CHRISTMAS TIME....

...when we all tend to get distracted by the prevailing pressures : but some of us keep our eye on the ball as well! Almost seventy years ago , a dedicated group of Irish Volunteers went on a Christmas 'shopping spree' with a difference - "...and when he stood up straight again he saw the muzzle of a revolver pointed in his face..."

At this time of year especially Irish Republicans remember those that give us our past -

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.)




" Eighty-six years ago, in December 1922, the Curragh Camp was the scene of a terrible tragedy; it was the execution, by firing squad, of seven young men in the Military Detention Barracks, now the Curragh Prison. The full story of the events of the week from 13 December 1922, when the men were arrested, to 19 December 1922, when they were executed, is not now known. All of the people involved are dead, and with them their stories. It appears that all official records of the executions have been lost or destroyed....."
(From here)

FOR THE RECORD.....

Between 17 November 1922 and 2 May 1923 , seventy-seven Republican prisoners were removed from their prison cells and shot dead by order of the Free State administration . In this post we name those 77 men and list where each man was executed and the date of same : we do so in the hope that , after the search engines have archived this information it will be retrieved by those who , like us , are of the opinion that these men should not be forgotten.

1922 :
James Fisher , Dublin , November 17.
Peter Cassidy , Dublin , November 17.
Richard Twohig , Dublin , November 17.
John Gaffney , Dublin , November 17.
Erskine Childers , Dublin , November 24.
Joseph Spooner , Dublin , November 30.
Patrick Farrelly , Dublin , November 30.
John Murphy , Dublin , November 30.
Rory O Connor , Dublin , December 8.
Liam Mellows , Dublin , December 8.
Joseph McKelvey , Dublin , December 8.
Richard Barrett , Dublin , December 8.
Stephen White , Dublin , December 19.
Joseph Johnston , Dublin , December19.
Patrick Mangan , Dublin , December 19.
Patrick Nolan , Dublin , December 19.
Brian Moore , Dublin , December 19.
James O' Connor , Dublin , December 19.
Patrick Bagnel , Dublin , December 19.
John Phelan , Kilkenny , December 29.
John Murphy , Kilkenny , December 29.

1923:
Leo Dowling , Dublin , January 8.
Sylvester Heaney , Dublin , January 8.
Laurence Sheeky , Dublin , January 8.
Anthony O' Reilly , Dublin , January 8.
Terence Brady , Dublin , January 8.
Thomas McKeown , Louth , January 13.
John McNulty , Louth , January 13.
Thomas Murray , Louth , January 13.
Frederick Burke , Tipperary , January 15.
Patrick Russell , Tipperary , January 15.
Martin O' Shea , Tipperary , January 15.
Patrick McNamara , Tipperary , January 15.
James Lillis , Carlow , January 15.
James Daly , Kerry , January 20.
John Clifford , Kerry , January 20.
Michael Brosnan , Kerry , January 20.
James Hanlon , Kerry , January 20.
Cornelius McMahon , Limerick , January 20.
Patrick Hennesy , Limerick , January 20.
Thomas Hughes , Westmeath , January 20.
Michael Walsh , Westmeath , January 20.
Herbert Collins , Westmeath , January 20.
Stephen Joyce , Westmeath , January 20.
Martin Bourke , Westmeath , January 20.
James Melia , Louth , January 22.
Thomas Lennon , Louth , January 22.
Joseph Ferguson , Louth , January 22.
Michael Fitzgerald , Waterford , January 25.
Patrick O' Reilly , Offaly , January 26.
Patrick Cunningham , Offaly , January 26.
Willie Conroy , Offaly , January 26.
Colum Kelly , Offaly , January 26.
Patrick Geraghty , Laoise , January 27.
Joseph Byrne , Laoise , January 27.
Thomas Gibson , Laoise , February 26.
James O' Rourke , Dublin , March 13.
William Healy , Cork , March 13.
James Parle , Wexford , March 13.
Patrick Hogan , Wexford , March 13.
John Creane , Wexford , March 13.
Séan Larkin , Donegal , March 14.
Tim O' Sullivan , Donegal , March 14.
Daniel Enright , Donegal , March 14.
Charles Daly , Donegal , March 14.
James O' Malley , Galway , April 11.
Francis Cunnane , Galway , April 11.
Michael Monaghan , Galway , April 11.
John Newell , Galway , April 11.
John McGuire , Galway , April 11.
Martin Moylan , Galway , April 11.
Richard Hatheway , Kerry , April 25.
James McEnery , Kerry , April 25.
Edward Greaney , Kerry , April 25.
Patrick Mahoney , Clare , April 26.
Christopher Quinn , Clare , May 02.
William Shaughnessy , Clare , May 02.

The above-listed 77 men did not take up arms in the belief that they were fighting for the establishment of a morally-corrupt so-called 'half-way-house' institution , nor did they do so to assist the British in the 'governance' of one of their 'part' colonies : that which those men and many others fought for remains to be achieved . You can help present-day Irish Republicans to achieve that aim.......

....and , each December , you can help us in another way, too .
Thanks!
Sharon.

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THE IRA : the new IRA is younger , more radical and has seen little of life other than violence.......
By Ed Moloney.
From 'Magill' magazine, September 1980.

An Economic and Resistance Campaign was re-emphasised in the updated 'Eire Nua' document and a committee headed by Post Office Engineering trade unionist Paddy Bolger was set up to devise a policy for the next Ard Fheis . The Economic Resistance Campaign forsees the involvement of Sinn Fein in trade union struggles like the PAYE marches and opposition to the 'National(sic) Wage Agreement', and to push Republican issues at grass roots trade union level . It also intends to encourage housing , unemployment and social agitation by the Republican Movement .

Those two developments reflect a political change in Republican thinking that is part and parcel of the IRA's 'long war' scenario : if the IRA must stay around to fight that war , say the 'radicals' , then Sinn Fein must have something other than the initially intoxicating but in the long term irrelevant slogan of 'Brits Out!' . ('1169...' Comment : the 'Brits Out!' slogan , when aimed at Westminster as is the case when used by Irish republicans , is not "irrelevant" - far from it : until that political and military 'connection' is broke there will be no political improvement in the Six County situation . And Sinn Fein has "something other" than mere 'slogans' to offer.)

But those two developments and in particular the Economic Resistance Campaign are at the root of conservative unease with the move leftwards : not only is the term 'Economic Resistance' uncomfortably reminiscent of the 'communist' Officials and their concept of a 'National Liberation Front' but it also smacks of the same politics that led to the 1970 split over recognition of the 'two States' in Ireland........

(MORE IN 2009).



BLACK PROPAGANDA AND BLOODY MURDER.......
British Army Captain John Colin Wallace.

First it was the Maguire family - claiming they had been wrongly convicted of bombings in London on faulty forensic tests and circumstantial evidence . Then the Birmingham Six were shown to have been the victims of another miscarriage of British 'justice' . Now , in the most bizarre case of all , a former British Intelligence officer , who served in the North of Ireland , has claimed that he was framed for a killing he didn't commit .
British Captain John Wallace , now serving ten years for manslaughter , claims that his conviction was part of a plan to destroy his credibility because he knew too much about covert operations in Ireland - on both sides of the border . Frank Doherty talked to Wallace and to another former British Intelligence officer , Captain Fred Holroyd , who is lobbying politicians to re-open a case which is as potentially embarrassing for the British Secret Service as the Wright case in Australia has proved to be.
From 'MAGILL' magazine , December 1986 .

British military spy John Colin Wallace decided to contact his colleague Fred Holroyd, after seeing him on television , to look for help : " We were introduced by our Chief , Craig Smellie. I recognised Holroyd right away , even though in those days he wore a beard and dressed like a tramp as part of his undercover mission which took him south of the border . "

Holroyd revealed on the TV programme some details of the dispute between MI5 and MI6 to which Wallace traces his problems . Like him , Holroyd had been forced to quit his spy job , moving to Rhodesia where he became a Major in command of an Army battalion fighting black guerrillas .

Wallace says - " I wrote to Captain Holroyd that night , reminding him of the time when we met in the MI6 office in Ulster (sic) and asked for help in clearing my name ." Holroyd responded right away and , within weeks , he had turned up 'new evidence' to prove that Wallace could not have killed Jonathan Lewis . A vital witness , Amanda Metcalf , was interviewed by Holroyd who discovered that Metcalf had served Jonathan Lewis at her parents hotel , 'The Golden Goose' , on the A27 motorway close to the sea-side town of Arundel , long after police said Lewis must have been lying unconscious in the boot of Wallace's BBC car . Amanda Metcalf said Lewis looked grim and worried , and was with another man . Wallace believes that that man was the real killer - a business friend of Lewis who has a criminal record.......

(MORE IN 2009).



THE UNDAUNTED WOMEN IN ARMAGH.......

The full story of the republican prisoners in Armagh Jail has yet to be told. It has yet to be sung , and properly described , other than as an after-thought in public speeches - "...and of course the women in Armagh.." Republicans have a right to be proud of those women who, from the Divis Flats grandmother doing six months for what an Orange judge called "riotous behaviour" to the young IRA Volunteer inside for the second time and not yet 25-years-old , have managed, whether they numbered 12 or 120 , to maintain their resistance to the most vicious prison system in Europe. The words that follow , says writer Patricia Collins , were written to encourage more of those women to come forward and tell their story , and are based on conversations with several
ex-prisoners , and on visits and letters from those women presently imprisoned. They were written in the hope of jogging the memory of all those women who wrongly think their contribution to Ireland's future peace is not worth mentioning.
From 'IRIS' magazine , August 1984.

On February 7th , 1980 , 32 women prisoners in Armagh Jail began a 'no-wash' protest : in an old jail like that , dirt accumulates far more quickly than in modern prisons . The women's periods were a particularly dangerous time for infection and several women did develop skin diseases and bowel troubles , yet their morale was higher than it had ever been .

While people on the outside were watching horrified , the women prisoners managed to remain completely united , supportive of each other , and determined to carry the protest through to the bitter end . And this they did , inflicting a defeat on prison governor George Scott's regime in the process .

The women's participation in the first hunger-strike further showed their determination : on December 1st 1980, Mairead Farrell , Mary Doyle and Mairead Nugent joined the fast . They remained on the Prison Wing , confined in an excreta-covered cell for almost two weeks , before they were transferred to the Hospital Wing of the jail . Their condition was deteriorating rapidly . The women ended their protest on December 19th 1980 , one day after the H-Block hunger-strikers , only after they had received official confirmation from the Republican Movement that the strike had in fact ended . The three women remained in the Hospital Wing until December 23rd 1980 , and were then removed and thrown back into their cells and immediately put back on lock-up , with no parcels allowed and complete loss of privileges . Subsequently the 'no-wash' protest ended in all the jails on March 1st 1981 , as Bobby Sands embarked on his hunger-strike . The women POW's were moved to clean cells where they maintained their 'no-work' protest.......

(MORE IN 2009).

(PLEASE NOTE : this is our last '3-in-1' post for 2008 - we are not quite finished yet for the year , as we will be posting CABHAIR Swim updates and other pieces , but we will not be posting any more '3-in-1' articles untill the New Year. We will , however , be back before Christmas Day and between then and the New Year with other comments etc - Thanks!)
Sharon.

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