A north Belfast nationalist who was arrested by the British colonial police (RUC) on Monday, November 24 received a chilling message written on a sympathy card and addressed to his dead brother on November 26.
The man’s ordeal began when he was arrested by the RUC in the early hours of November 24, handcuffed and bundled into a Land Rover.
“I was beaten in the back of the Land Rover on the way to the station and took pains to my chest when I got there. I have heart trouble and a doctor sent for an ambulance and I was taken to the Mater,” he said. The man who did not wish to be named said he was taking the threat seriously.
Inside the card the message reads: “UFF Second Battalion. From your friends who can’t wait to see
you again. Just missed you at the Mater, you lucky ****. Won’t be so lucky next time. Say hello to brother. We’ll get the right one next time. See you soon.”
The brother referred to on the card was killed by a loyalist death-squad five years ago.
The man is said to be mystified as to how loyalists discovered he was in hospital or how they discovered his mother’s address. “I just don’t know how they got my mother’s address. She has only moved there recently,” he said. The explanation probably lies in the fact that the RUC are in constant collusion with the loyalist death-squads. Logically the man who is now in a defenceless position due to the Provo surrender has consulted his lawyer about being placed under the British colonial office’s Key Persons Protection Scheme.
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President of all Ireland.
— Martin McGuinness describing Mary McAleese,
AP/RN
November 6, 1997. Yet only 26 out of 32 counties had a vote in the election — hardly an “All-Ireland” election.
. . . He was a key member of an Irish American peace delegation which played a major role in securing the first [Provisional] IRA ceasefire in August 1994 . . . His role in helping to secure the ceasefire is only now being fully acknowledged . . . Funding the [Provisional] Sinn Féin political office in Washington . . .
— Niall O’Dowd writing about American billionaire, ‘Chuck’ Feeney,
Ireland on Sunday,
November 16, 1997.
The Northern Ireland Civil Service has 3,200 senior employees, but just 24.9% of these are Catholics, the lowest share among any of the sectors examined in the report.
— Fair Employment Commission report,
Irish Times,
November 17, 1997.
We have to control and minimise their effects.
— Gearóid Ó hEara, Derry Provisional, about the policing role they envisage for themselves towards opponents of the current process to modernise British rule in the Six Counties, on
Talkback,
Radio Ulster, November 20, 1997.
Mindful of Bobby’s extraordinary sacrifice, we remain fully committed to supporting the aims and objectives for which he died. We would, however, have grave reservations with the current political negotiations and maintain a close interest in the developing situation.
— Public statement by the family of hunger-strike martyr, Bobby Sands,
Irish News,
November 28, 1997.
We have the money now to really tackle long-term unemployment, drug abuse, crime, educational inequalities, and health care inadequacies. The emphasis should be on investment to cure the problems rather than on measures to simply ameliorate them.
-- Colm Rapple, economics columnist,
Sunday Business Post,
November 30, 1997.
Traditional baggage [ie Republican principles] has been literally abandoned. [Provisional] Sinn Féin is taking part in talks that it knows will not secure Republican goals — A power-sharing executive and cross-Border bodies with executive powers will be the best on offer.
— Suzanne Breen,
Magill
magazine, December 1997.
In practice, the party [Provisional Sinn Féin] is learning to live with Partition. It is in the Dáil (sic), in Stormont and well on its way to Westminster.
— Suzanne Breen.
Fra Browne . . . alleges that it [Provo Sinn Féin] was teeming with “spin doctors”. He says “these people kept telling me that the Movement had changed and that I needed to change. But I said that I hadn’t changed and the Movement hadn’t changed. It was only the people at the top who had changed.”
— Suzanne Breen.
All the heavies from the Belfast Brigade weighed in and stood at the back of the hall in an attempt to put us under pressure to vote the right way. The leadership tried to take over the meeting. A [Provisional] Sinn Féin official from Dublin told a local man who tried to speak to “shut the fuck up”.
— Description of a 1996 Provo political organisation meeting in Louth to discuss the Mitchell Principles. Suzanne Breen.
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The death took place during October of Michael Magan of Caltra, Co Galway. An active Republican, Michael had been in poor health and was in hospital for several years.
His last campaign was the Maastricht referendum in 1994 when he distributed the Republican Sinn Féin leaflets calling for a “No” vote. He had by then moved to live in Ballygar.
Earlier in Caltra he was a diligent seller of
SAOIRSE,
disposing of four dozen copies to the public each month. Michael will be missed by his comrades who worked with him.
Galway Comhairle Ceantair was represented by Brendan Madden, Tynagh, and Seán Kenny, Gurteen at the removal from the funeral home in Ahascragh to Caltra Church. Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, Uachtarán, Sinn Féin Poblachtach was among the Republicans in attendance.
Sympathy is expressed to his wife, his father and mother and other family members.
As dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.
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CABHAIR (Irish Republican Prisoners Dependants Fund) sends greetings to all Republican prisoners who support a British withdrawal from Ireland and a 32-County Irish Republic.
CHRISTMAS Greetings Dickie Wallace, Portlaoise prison and to all POWs. From Christy Dunne and Stephan Cleary, Limerick.
CHRISTMAS greetings to all Republican POWs in Portlaoise and Limerick prisons and POWs at home and abroad from Mick Hanley.
CHRISTMAS and New Year greetings to Mick Hegarty and all Republican POWs in Limerick and Porlaoise prisons. From the true Republicans in Shannon town, County Clare. Tiocfaidh ár lá.
CHRISTMAS and New Year greetings to Republican POWs Limerick and Portlaoise jails from the Republican Movement, Limerick.
CHRISTMAS greetings to all Republican POWs in Portlaoise and Limerick jails. From Republican Sinn Féin, Limerick.
CHRISTMAS greetings to all Republican prisoners who are committed to a British withdrawal from Ireland, from Republican Sinn Féin, Raheny.
CHRISTMAS greetings Dickie Wallace, POW, Portlaoise jail. From your wife Amy and children, Michelle, Richard and Orla. xxxx
CHRISTMAS greetings to Dickie Wallace, POW, Portlaoise jail. Have a nice Xmas, Dickie, from your Mam, brothers and sisters, Limerick.
CHRISTMAS greetings Dickie Wallace POW, Portlaoise jail, and all political prisoners at home and abroad. From the Lynch family, Limerick.
CHRISTMAS greetings to Republican prisoners at home and abroad, especially our comrade Josephine Hayden in Limerick jail. From Cumann na mBan.
CHRISTMAS greetings to our colleague Josephine Hayden, Limerick jail and all Republican prisoners who support the All-Ireland Republic. From Cumann Wolfe Tone, Tamhlacht, BÁC.
CHRISTMAS greetings to all Republican prisoners who support the All-Ireland Republic. From Peig and Paddy King, Raheny, Dublin.
CHRISTMAS greetings to all Republican prisoners who support the All-Ireland Republic. From Comhairle Ceantair Átha Cliath, Republican Sinn Féin.
CHRISTMAS greetings to all Republican prisoners who support the All-Ireland Republic. From Cumann Áine Ní Dhoibhlin, Republican Sinn Féin, Dublin.
CHRISTMAS greetings to Josephine Hayden, POW, Limerick jail and the Republican prisoners in Portlaoise jail. From Líta Ní Chathmhaoil.
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At its
November meeting the Ard Chomhairle of Republican Sinn Féin extended deepest sympathy to the Lynch family, Dungiven, Co Derry on the death of Bridie; to the McCauley family, Derry city who lost four members of their family tragically; the Jordan family, Jonesborough, Co Armagh on the death of Kevin; the family of Paddy Feeney, Ballygar, Co Galway, who died on November 4; and the family of Helmut Clissman.
At the
Annual General Meeting of Comhairle Uladh, Republican Sinn Féin votes of sympathy were passed to the following: the Lynch family, Dungiven, Co Derry on the death of Bridie; to the McCauley family, Derry city who lost four members of their family tragically; the Jordan family, Jonesborough, Co Armagh on the death of Kevin.
MURRAY,
Deepest sympathy is extended to Tom Murphy on the death of his uncle John Murray, late of Patrickswell, Co Limerick, who died in London. From Republican Sinn Féin, Limerick.
MURRAY,
Deepest sympathy is extended to Tom Murphy on the death of his uncle John Murray. From the Republican Movement, Limerick.
MURRAY,
Deepest sympathy is extended to Tom Murphy on the death of his uncle John Murray. From Joe Lynch and Mick Hanley, Limerick.
TUOHY,
Deepest sympathy is extended to Joe Tuohy, Connolly Park, Tralee, Co Kerry on the death of his mother during November. From Kerry Comhairle Ceantair, Republican Sinn Féin.
TUOHY,
Deepest sympathy is extended to Joe Tuohy, Connolly Park, Tralee, Co Kerry on the death of his mother during November. From the Sheehy/Rice Cumann, Republican Sinn Féin, Tralee, Co Kerry.
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CONGRATULATIONS
and best wishes to Martin Calligan, a great Veteran Republican, Kilmurry McMahon, Co Clare, who was 85 years of age on November 18 last. From the staff of
SAOIRSE.
CONGRATULATIONS
to Cathleen Knowles and Dermot McGuirk, who were married on October 21 and best wishes to Dermot for a speedy recovery. From Comhairle Uladh, Republican Sinn Féin.
CONGRATULATIONS
to Líta Ní Chathmhaoil, Ard-Rúnaí, Sinn Féin Poblachtach, who was recently conferred with a BA degree from Trinity College Dublin. From Comhairle Uladh.
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