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

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


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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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



PICKET AND PUBLIC MEETING IN SUPPORT OF MARTIN COREY.

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

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



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

A British propaganda tool for 'the colonies'.

'A' is the Army

That dies for the Queen;

It's the very best Army

That ever was seen.



'B' stands for Battles

By which England's name

Has for ever been covered

With glory and fame.



'C' is for Colonies,

Rightly we boast

That of all the great nations

Great Britain has most.

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

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

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



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

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

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

The RSF Colour Party at the Rally.

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

An RSF banner on display at the Rally.

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

Piper and Colour Party , Saturday 21st September 2013.

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

'Snapper' snapped at the Rally !

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



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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

Thanks for reading, Sharon.

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

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

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

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

RSF Colour Party and RSF flags.

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

A section of the crowd at the Rally.

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

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

...and getting proceedings underway.

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

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

Thanks for reading, Sharon.

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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



ANNUAL EVE OF ALL-IRELAND RALLY , DUBLIN.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

God Save Ireland!



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

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

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

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

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

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



TWO THUGS FIGHTING OVER YOUR LUNCH MONEY.

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

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



JAMES REILLY NEEDS......

.....A BAILOUT.

Enough said!

Thanks for reading, Sharon.

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FREE STATERS INVITE THEIR POLITICAL COUSINS TO A PARTY.

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


It would be unthinkable that anything in the bare pattern of the Government of Ireland Act 1920 should be accepted by Michael Collins and recommended to the people by him for acceptance ; Collins was prepared to climb down from the Republic to the low ground of Home Rule, but only for a united Ireland. He was realist enough to see that restrictions on the powers of an Irish parliament could be set aside progressively , quickly, under pressure of strong national support for the steps to undo them. ('1169...' Comment : unfortunately for the Cause of full Irish freedom and for those who pursue that nobel objective, those with a mindset like that which Collins had would soon become extremely comfortable , morally , financially and politically, in their 'restricted Irish parliament' and proved that , in order to protect their position, they would turn against their fellow Irish men and women. And THAT is the 'realism' of the situation.)

The only limitation which time and sentiment would not remedy is partition , which strengthens itself with new interests with the years. The Treaty was more like the Government of Ireland Act 1920 then Collins would have wished but he was convinced 'Clause XII' of the Treaty (Article 12) of the Treaty would remedy its great weakness , partition.

In hastily-written articles which form his book , 'The Path to Freedom' ,Collins sets out his view clearly - "North-East Ulster is about to get back into the pages of Irish history.....if they join in, the Six Counties will certainly have a generous measure of local autonomy.....if they stay out, the Boundary Commission, arranged for in 'Clause XII' , will be certain to deprive 'Ulster' of the counties Tyrone and Fermanagh. Shorn of those two counties, 'Ulster' will shrink into insignificance. Thus , union is certain." ('1169...' Comment - again , Collins was naive in not allowing for the 'comfort factor' in that those ensconced in the Free State 'parliament' would not at all welcome the addition of two (or the full six) 'extra' counties into their little fiefdom as their political careers could be on the line due to the 'new entrants' ie 'if it's not broke, don't fix it'. Their political career was paying nicely just as it is, thanks anyway...)(MORE LATER).


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

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

(MORE LATER).

'Mister O' (a British intelligence operative) informed the Gibraltar authorities that if confronted, the three IRA members would be likely to use their weapons or, alternatively, use a detonating device to set off the bomb prematurely, if it was indeed radio controlled. The reason they expected a radio controlled device , 'Mister O' told the inquest , was that this would be safer from the point of view of the bombers, as it would allow them make good their escape before setting off the bomb from Spain. The possibility of a timer was considered , he said, but rejected, because of the Enniskillen experience ie they believed the IRA would be unlikely to risk repeating the high numbers of civilian casualties which resulted from the use of a timer device on that occasion.

The car, according to 'Mister O' , would most likely be driven onto the Rock on the Monday night or Tuesday morning prior to the changing of the guard ceremony. They considered briefly the possibility that the car would be driven in on the Sunday but dismissed it as "unlikely" , and also discounted the possibility that the IRA ASU might use a 'blocking car' ie a car with no bomb used to reserve a parking place in the assembly area , to be replaced with the real car bomb at some point closer to the parade. This , they thought, would be "an over-complicated and unnecessary procedure" .

'Mister O' did not speak directly to any of the personnel involved in the actual operation , not even to the Police Commissioner, but briefed his own representative who in turn briefed the Commissioner and the others. 'Mister O's representative was not a witness at the inquest , and it was on the basis of 'Mister O's intelligence reports ('1169...' [short] Comment - (!)...) that Police Commissioner Canepa first made the decision to request back-up from the British Ministry of Defence : the expected operation was such , he decided , that the largely unarmed Gibraltar police would be incapable of dealing with it , and in response to his request , the SAS were sent to Gibraltar. (MORE LATER).



ORANGEVILLE TWO - FOR THOSE WHO THOUGHT IT COULDN'T GET ANY WORSE....

An armed guard of pro-British paramilitary 'police force' is sometimes a required prerequisite in British-occupied Ireland before children can reach their school.

An anti-Irish loyalist gun-gang in the six occupied counties of Ireland , which claims it operates on a political level, has stated , on Friday 6th September 2013, its intention to take "military action" against school children in Belfast. The group , the 'Red Hand Defenders' (considered by most commentators to be a 'Kitsonian' group established in Ireland by the British) are known to be motivated more by religion than politics and consider all not of their 'faith', especially Catholics, to be "legitimate targets". If Irish republicans had made a similar threat against schoolchildren and their parents the issue would have received much more publicity than it has and republican leaders would have been loudly and repeatedly called on to see to it that the threat was withdrawn , but because to do so now would highlight the fact that the 1998 'Peace Treaty' (the Stormont Treaty) has , to all intent and purpose, failed *, this subject will be brushed under the carpet as silently and as quickly as possible. To expose this continuing sectarian attitude on the part of some of the minority in Ireland who consider themselves to be 'British citizens' would further raise the issue of 'solutions to the problem' and would give succor to the Irish republican answer regarding that issue - that of a complete British military and political withdrawal from all of Ireland. How many more children have to be threatened before the truth in that answer is realised ? (* except , that is, for those who have forged well-paid political careers out of that 'failed answer'.)



FOURTH TIME. AND COUNTING.....

" It's NOT a fair cop....."

We have mentioned instances of this light-fingered behaviour before (see '€17,000 Not Left Untouched : €13,000 And Counting (Down).....' , here) and feel it is our duty to keep you up-dated on recent developments re Garda stations and crime-scene money being held within same, although a 'senior Garda officer' seems to be of the opinion that we can all move along regarding this incident , as there is nothing to see here - "At this stage it is not yet clear whether the money has been stolen or mislaid and searches are being carried out to determine if it could have been moved and lodged elsewhere..." . At a guess , we would say that it definitely has been "lodged elsewhere" ! The "it" in question is said to be a sum of money , to the value of €4,000 which , apparently , has been 'mislaid' on the premises (or perhaps 'mislaid' in another premises!) , much like the €9,000 that was 'mislaid' in Balbriggan Garda barracks and a total (to date!) of €27,000 'mislaid' between Malahide barracks and Coolock barracks , both of which are located in Dublin.

This blog is of the opinion that all such money should not be kept in a Garda barracks - any Garda barracks - and would be much safer in a bank. At least that way , people with a longer track record of 'misplacing' other people's money could show the Gardaí how it's done properly....



WELCOME TO THE (CONSTITUTIONAL) REVOLUTION.

Chris Andrews who, on the one hand, left a constitutional nationalist political party and, on the other hand, joined a different constitutional nationalist political party.

This has , by all accounts, sent political shock-waves through the 'Establishment' here in this State , as Mr. Andrews hails from a very respected (by the State 'Establishment', that is) Fianna Fail background and would have been , at one time, considered to be 'Top Table' material. So much so, in fact, that when, last year, a Fianna Fail 'insider with good contacts' was tweeting comments attacking his(/her) own party leadership , the name 'Chris Andrews' never surfaced as a likely candidate. In August that year (2012) , he and Fianna Fail parted company , and he used that same Twitter account to have a pop at the party he is now a member of - Provisional Sinn Féin :

Tweets from @brianformerff, later identified as Fianna Fail Leinster House member Chris Andrews:

Friday, Mar 23, 3.12pm @MaryLouMcDonald Hard to take SF/Adams lecturing Bertie on being corrupt after all they have done!! Keep out of it. #mahon

Thursday, Mar 29, 11am [twitter handle deleted] I agree with a lot of your views but given what SF has done to innocent people its a bit much listening to you pontificate.

11.01am [twitter handle deleted] Was it not corrupt to bury mother of 10 Jean Mc Conville. Is that acceptable to you. Selective outrage i thinks!!

11.03am [twitter handle deleted] What about the ink cartridges! was that okay? Hard to take SF being moralistic!! Its not their thing!

1.43pm [twitter handle deleted] knows all about killing given the amount of people Sinn Féin Reps killed over the years. #jeanmcconville

Wednesday, Apr 18, 12.39pm [twitter handle deleted] Ordinary working class people who have guns stuck in their face by your friends. they are the ones terrorised.

The "ink cartridge" comment was in relation to Aengus Ó Snodaigh's fondness for the black-stuff but Aengus knows it's 'only politics' and didn't hold a grudge - he used his own Twitter account to welcome his new colleague into the folded party fold although , as you can see, not all respondents spared the ink in reply! Anyway - Mr. Andrews is bound to feel at home in his new party just as surely as Tweedledee would feel as comfortable if he 'morphed' into.....Tweedledee. And if some existing members don't like it , their Boss will purchase their 'support' by telling the 'house rebels' that Andrews membership 'will bring in more cash'. Well , we all have bills to pay....



FREE STATERS INVITE THEIR POLITICAL COUSINS TO A PARTY.

It could only happen in a partial ex-colony in which the 'leaders' are smitten - mentally, morally, and emotionally - by their (old?) imperial bosses , whom they have an overwhelming desire to impress. It excites them to do so, and allows them to consider themselves to be 'every bit as good' as those that once spat down on them from the 'big house'.

The State 'Establishment' have issued invites to the British 'royal family' , the British government and Six County (and Free State) loyalists to stand side-by-side with them at the GPO in Dublin at Easter 2016 - the centenary of the 1916 Rising - to 'celebrate' what Free State Foreign Minister Eamon Gilmore has called "a dual history". If this goes ahead as planned by Mr. Gilmore and his careerist colleagues and is deemed by them to be a 'success', this blog can EXCLUSIVELY REVEAL!!! that 'Leinster House Productions' (LHP) , a Dublin-based 'not for profit' fit-up theatre company which specialises in comedy and farce, will establish a subsidiary company , 'Póg Mo Thóin Productions' , to sell the concept to , for instance, the French , in that 'PMT Productions' could assist the Palais Bourbon to hold State commemorations for the Vichy forces and their comrades who collaborated assisted the visiting German tourists who insisted on staying there.

Scholars amongst our readers (and we have LOADS!) will of course notice the link between the British 'royal family' and the Germans. Those struggling to make that connection should contact 'LHP' for advice. Make sure you leave your wallet/purse, and your principles, at home.

SECOND 'SPEER' STRIKE!

"Are you sure this isn't just an ecumenical matter....?"

We posted about this issue last week (see above link) and we considered that to be the end of the matter , as far as we were concerned , anyway - lightening not supposed to strike twice and other Biblical stuff like that etc and, considering that it's adults that are involved , we presumed that both sides would find another way to solve their dispute , away from the glare of the media. Silly us - it has happened again , and, again, in the name of "righteousness".

There was apparently no one head-butted this time , so the 'cops' more than likely won't be banging-in 'injury' claims although, of course, there's always next week to 'bank' on , when George may need to be "saved" again (excuse the puns!) . Incidentally , the good Reverend was first "saved" in 1980 , but we don't think it was from the blue rinse brigade , whereas his wife was "saved" a year earlier.

On a serious note , however - we wish George and Jacqueline all the best , and trust that this situation will be resolved before the RHD (see above piece) gets involved , as that outfit would probably seek to terrorise the elderly just as quickly as they do the kids. The only group to benefit from their introduction to this scenario would be the 'cops' , but the latter might then have to spend any (ill-gotten) gains on genuine medical attention. And, God 'save' us , that would upset them.



A LESS-THAN-USELESS FAILED INSTITUTION.

No , not Leinster House - that it is the above goes without saying!

I refer to the so-called 'League of Nations' organisation which , on this date in 1923 - 10th September - recognised part of a country , Ireland, as "a nation" and allowed it membership , as "a nation". This despite the fact that the application was endorsed by a (Free State) political administration which was in turmoil and had only just 'officially' emerged from a war with its 'neighbour' , Britain , the affects of which were still being felt in the country as a whole and, indeed , are still being felt to this day, as the issue , unfortunately , remains unresolved.

The 'main man' at the time , in this then war-torn State, William T. Cosgrave - an Irish 'poacher turned gamekeeper' - was delighted that the Free State was 'allowed' to join the then four year-old 'League' , which was considered by both the home-grown and foreign political 'Establishment' as a "sacred circle" and the British representative in that failed grouping , amongst others, gave what was described at the time as an "...eloquent speech....(a) spontaneous manifestation of good-will toward Ireland (sic) ....(in which) felicitations were extended... (to the new member)..."

And why wouldn't Westminster (and its 'friends' at the time) welcome an acknowledgement by Cosgrave and his ilk that , to all intent and purpose, they agreed with the Brits that the part of Ireland handed back to 'the Irish' was indeed considered to be a 'nation', as it helped propagate the lie that the (still occupied) six north-eastern counties of Ireland were "part of the Empire". Cosgrave died 48 years ago but the political fault-line he so ably gave succor to in 1923 (and before and after that year) lives on after him. Nothing to be proud of.



THE REAL WINNERS....

....WERE THE REPUBLICAN MOVEMENT!

Clare and Cork supporters mingled with those present to cheer-on and shout for Coventry City and a good few toffs cheerio'd for Cambridge and Chippenham , whilst myself and the 'Raffle Rangers' worked quietly away (!) in the background , selling tickets and rounding-up stubs , marking those handed back , doing the bookwork and turning away dozens of people who asked for tickets - an 'own goal' for us , I know, but ours is not the reason why...

Anyway - when we did eventually get the show on the road on Sunday last , 8th September , in the 'Raffle Hotel' , we had to do battle with three giant-screen televisions and a rowdy crowd , the noise from which just wasn't enough to stop Larry , from Dundrum , in Dublin, drowning them all out with the roars he made on hearing his name and ticket number - 477 - being called out as the winner of the first prize - €200 - and he wandered off , delighted with himself , not really caring , I think, if his team won , drew or lost! But before he went a'wanderin' , we got him to pull out the second prize , €100, which was won by Luke , from Meath, on ticket number 297. Luke , a farmers son if ever I saw one, was a bit shy at first , but then again he did have to make himself known to four women at a table situated at the top of the room, with all the slaggin' that goes with that!

Luke scarpered , so we got our third prize (€40) pulled from the drum by Jenny , a lounge girl, and Cathal, from Waterford, had the ticket , number 458, and gratefully accepted the few quid. Prize number four (€20) was won by Macey , from Dublin , on ticket 237 and, as one of the few Dubs on the premises that afternoon, we had to escort the poor girl back to the comfort zone of the 'Dubs Corner' but not before we jobbed her : she drew ticket number 264 from the drum , our fifth prize (€20) , which was won by an almost Dub - Liam , from Wicklow , which sometimes serves its purpose in keeping the high winds away from the Capital (....told you I'd say something , Liam !) .

Prize number six was won by Emma , 'the girl from God knows where' , who won €20 on ticket 152 which she bought from our Gavin , and one of our best ticket sellers , Pat M , sold ticket 132 to Dan , who won the seventh prize worth €20 : our last prize went to Gerry , from Waterford , who won €20 on ticket 506 , having bought his ticket from one of our sellers in Dungarvan. We had the usual craic in a busy venue populated by a good-spirited crowd and will be back there again in October coming , when all money raised will be going to the Cabhair organisation. And we know we are going to be welcomed , regardless of which other 'teams' will be on the premises. We can forecast the winners already...!



Thanks for reading, Sharon.

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"TO RENDER THE TRANSPORTATION OF FELONS AND VAGABONDS...."

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


Free State Senator Mrs Wyse-Power asked Ernest Blythe where , in the Treaty, it was stipulated that land annuities should be paid to Britain. Blythe told her the government never disputed the liability , but thought it a just claim , saying there was no specific reference in the Treaty to this debt , to which Mrs Wyse-Power stated - "All this time I voted with those who believed in paying annuities. We now learn for the first time there was no specific agreement , but an assumption by the Executive that it was a just debt."

Blythe reminisced a little , saying that Churchill and he going into the matter agreed together that even a case could be made that the annuities could be charged against Ireland on legal grounds it would be a lot more becoming to Ireland to consider this money honourably due to Britain. Senator Bennett , a government supporter, suggested that a committee of the Senate be set up to examine all the relevant documents and report back. He drew Blythe's anger on himself : The Minister would not attend any meeting of such a committee , no official of his Department would attend and no documents would be submitted. The government wanted no rustling of documents touching on the pact of 1925 , for that pact is a strange story.

People forget that the British Government reacted to the setting up of Dáil Éireann , the sovereign assembly of the Irish people in 1919, on two levels - political and military. On the first it enacted the 'Government of Ireland Act 1920', which partitioned the country and proposed to set up two parliaments. On the second, to scare the people into the strait-jacket of the Government of Ireland Act , the Black and Tans were let loose on Ireland. Republicans scarce glanced at the Government of Ireland Act because they were too busy defending the Republic against the Tans. (MORE LATER).



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

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

The one representative of these intelligence sources to give evidence at the inquest was 'Mister O' , the first witness to require the assistance of the brown and beige curtain , on only the second day of the hearing. 'Mister O' said that he was a senior security services officer involved in the investigation of terrorism , especially in the activities of the IRA , and had had the responsibility of briefing all of the military and police personnel involved in the Gibraltar operation, though he does not appear to have been on the Rock at any time before or during the operation.

During the inquest he was referred to in at least one British newspaper as the "mastermind" behind the operation , but this was incorrect : his role appears to have been confined to supplying the information - there was no reference at the inquest to him being kept up to date with developments or reported back to afterwards.

'Mister O' supplied the initial information that the IRA planned to attack the changing of the guard in Gibraltar on March 8th , 1988 , that a three-man (sic) IRA Active Service Unit (ASU) had been dispatched with orders to plant a bomb which would kill as many soldiers as possible and that it would most probably be detonated by remote control. 'Mister O' passed on the information that the three IRA members in question were all experienced and extremely dangerous terrorists, and "almost certainly" armed and he also supplied details of the identities of the IRA ASU which was expected and of their histories.(MORE LATER).



"TO RENDER THE TRANSPORTATION OF FELONS AND VAGABONDS...."

'Transportation beyond the sea, either within His Majesty's dominions or elsewhere outside His Majesty's dominions...'

On this date (4th September) in 1884 , the British ended their 'Irish policy' of penal transportation to New South Wales in Australia. 'Official' transportation in Ireland (as a court sentence) is believed to have begun in the sixteenth century as a method of (British) State control over those it deemed to be 'troublesome' individuals or groups ie as in the way that the authorities of the day, in Cromwellian times , considered there to be too many Irish Catholics in Ireland (how dare they live in their own country!) and, judging them to be 'a bad influence' on the overall population, the British banished huge numbers of them (us!) to the West Indies. In the 17th century, when 'civilisation' (!) finally caught-up with us 'Europeans' (debatable , I know...) it was considered 'unenlightened' to have the death penalty on the statute books for certain offences and transportation - to North America - was used instead , until about the mid-1780's , when the 'Yankees' got uppity about things like that and New South Wales became the main 'depository'. In Ireland, the act of dispatching 'vagabonds' to this new venue was given full legal approval in 1786.

Neither the old venue nor the new one (North America and New South Wales) were named as 'sentence' was delivered by the British courts , merely that the subject(s) be transported to a place ".....beyond the sea, either within His Majesty's dominions or elsewhere outside His Majesty's dominions (or) to some of His Majesty's plantations in America or to such other place out of Europe..." and such was the 'success' of the venture that by 1790 the law allowing for this punishment was 'tweaked' "....to render the transportation of such felons and vagabonds more easy and effectual..." . It is thought that , in total, at least 26,500 Irish 'felons and vagabonds' found themselves stranded in New South Wales , for the 'crime' of being Irish Catholics in Ireland. Before being taken to the docks for the deport order to be carried out , those poor people ("convicts") were kept under lock and key in Cork city gaol or Newgate or Kilmainham , in Dublin, in rat and disease-infected conditions , which made deportation attractive. Conditions were 'improved' , however , with the opening of new detention centres - Smithfield (Dublin) and Spike Island (Cork), which basically meant that the rats , and the diseases they carried, had a bigger area to target.

On 26th September 1791 , the British ship , 'Queen' , carrying its 'cargo of convicts' , was the first ship to dock in Port Jackson , having sailed directly from Ireland , and conditions on board and the treatment of 'the cargo' was bad , to say the least : one such instance , weeks after that first landing, gives a flavour of 'life' on board - 'On 17th October 1791 in Sydney there was an enquiry held in regards to the conduct of Master Richard Owen and Second Mate Robert Stott of the 'Queen' and to examine the complaint made by convicts of not having received the ration of provisions that was directed by contract to be furnished them during the passage.....(but).....the Magistrates found that from the particular circumstances of the fraud it is impossible for us to determine with any precision what those deficiencies are, so as to enable us either to redress the complainants or punish the defendants....' (from here) and this practice , and those conditions , continued until 1853, the year in which the last such ship, the 'Phoebe Dunbar' , left from Dublin with a full 'cargo'. Incidentally , the last 'convict' transportation ship to sail from England to Australia was the 'Hougoumont' , which landed in Western Australia in January 1868. Sixty-three 'expelled' Irish Fenians , who had been 'convicted' in Ireland but imprisoned in England, were on board.

Dennis Doherty , from Derry , pictured whilst in captivity in Port Arthur prison in Tasmania , 1876. He had been forcibly taken there - 'transported' - in 1833 : he was imprisoned for 43 years , during which time he is known to have received at least 3,000 lashes of the whip and lost the sight of one eye as a result. When he was bundled on board the 'coffin ship' , he was only 19 years young.

It is recorded that some 39,000 Irish people - 9,000 of whom were female - were transported , as convicts, from Ireland to Australia over the 62-year period that this British policy was enforced : the average time spent in custody was seven years , although sentences of ten years , fourteen years and life were also handed down , depending on the circumstances involved ie was the 'convict' "guilty" of petty theft , agrarian unrest or was he/she involved in political campaigning?

That was then , this is now ; forced 'transportation' of Irish people for economic reasons , whilst the (native) 'fat cats' get even fatter , and secure for themselves and their families the position of being able to stay in their own country to watch their children grow. Dennis Doherty (above) didn't deserve his fate - that should be reserved for the 'fat cats'.



1913 SEMINAR A SUCCESS , AS WAS THE BUNDORAN COMMEMORATION.

The 1913 Lockout seminar organised by Republican Sinn Féin and held in Wynn's Hotel in Dublin on Tuesday last , 27th August 2013, was a great success , with a full house present and a different aspect of the Lockout addressed by each of the four main speakers. The contribution from RSF President , Des Dalton , can be viewed here , community activist Rita Fagan's address can be seen here , Dr. Kevin Bean's contribution is available to view here and Malachy Steenson's address can be seen here.

The Bundoran Hunger-Strike Commemoration , which was organised by the Bundoran/Ballyshannon H-Block Committee and held on Saturday 31st August last , was very well attended and went as planned : those who don't mind using 'Facebook' can view pics from the event here whilst those who don't like using 'FB' will have to get themselves a copy of the September 2013 issue of 'Saoirse' (which, incidentally , goes to print today , Wednesday 4th September!) and 'read all about it'!



TRADE UNION MUGS.

First things first : I am an active and vocal long-standing member of a trade union (SIPTU) and, indeed , my first union activity was to campaign , as a member of an inner-city (Dublin) youth group , against the then proposed merger of two trade unions into one 'super union' : young and all as we were at the time - early teens (it was , after all , 23 years ago!) - we recognised that if the ITGWU and the FWUI were to amalgamate the result , if amalgamation went ahead (and it did, despite our best efforts) , would result in a 'green light' to the 'business negotiator'-type that exist in all such organisations (the type that are more concerned with obtaining a cushy well-paid office job than they are with fulfilling the actual mandate of that job) and, from my own experience with that 'super union' , our (young) fears were well founded.

And that is the main reason why myself and dozens of other union members that I know of and, truth be told, thousands of us , stayed away from the trade union-organised 1913 Lockout Commemoration which took place in Dublin last Saturday (31st August, 2013) : it would have been nauseating to watch those that have more in common with the bosses and the business elite - Michael D. Higgins , Eamon Gilmore , Ruairi Quinn , Jack O' Connor and David Begg , amongst others - 'pay homage' to the working class and the unemployed whilst , at the same time, financially squeezing those same people to within an inch of their salary (and sanity) , pausing only to lay plans to do more 'squeezing' this coming October.

Just before he was arrested by the Dublin Metropolitan Police in 1913 , James Larkin had vowed to the assembled crowd that "The hunger that we have awakened will not be satisfied by bread alone...." and , hopefully , the "hunger" that the above-mentioned trade union and political 'wide boys' will awaken in those they purport to serve will devour them some day soon. And I pray that it won't take another 23 years....



"THAT WOULD BE AN ECUMENICAL MATTER..."

"Ah feck this religious business..."

May your God and mine forgive me for the following - as far as I can recall , this is the first post specifically about religion that we have published on this blog , as it's a subject that we avoid on purpose : to each his/her own and all that and , whilst it's a subject that can raise the ire quicker , sometimes, than matters political can , it's not something we keep our 'radar' tuned to. Having said that , our 'Junior' , who has a wicked sense of humour, came across a recent story of a riot in an Irish church during a service. The parishioners had , apparently , divided themselves into two 'camps' , although it's not clear if the man who 'pulled the organ' was for or against the group that interrupted proceedings by singing 'We Shall Not Be Moved'. You could say that 'Speers' were almost thrown and , bizarrely, the man at the centre of the storm had to be rescued by a third mob , who are better known for starting riots , getting 'injured' in them, stopping them , then claiming compensation : more here.....



COMHAIRLE CEANTAIR , COVENTRY , COLCHESTER , CAMBRIDGE , CHIPPENHAM....

...Chile , Colombia , Clare and Cork !

The Dublin Comhairle Ceantair of Sinn Féin Poblachtach will be 'taking on' all the above-mentioned football teams (or at least doing battle for the attention of their supporters!) on Sunday next , 8th September , in the usual sports hotel venue , as the Movement will be holding a 650-ticket raffle and, seeing as it was on that very date in 1908 (8th September) that Pádraig Pearse opened St. Enda's school in Dublin , my money is on the republicans to emerge as the real winners! If you haven't got a ticket for the raffle , tough (!) - there's none left for sale! And I'll be posting the names of the winners here , just to rub it in...!

Thanks for reading, Sharon.

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