Web layout by SAOIRSE -- Irish Freedom
June 13, 1998
Send links, events notifications, articles, comments etc, to the editor at: saoirse@iol.ie marked "attention web-editor".
The proceedings were chaired by Colum Ó Floinn, Republican Sinn Féin. Wreaths were laid on behalf of the Republican Movement, by Michael Ryan, Limerick , on behalf of the National H-Block Committee by Des Long and on behalf of IRSP Ennis by Paddy Kennedy.
Sarah Murphy, South Armagh gave a very moving oration in which she outlined the whole struggle and the sell-out by former Republicans and promised the struggle would continue until the Brits leave Ireland. The hunger strikers did not die in vain.
The proceedings ended with the piper Christy Leo playing Amhrán na bhFiann. The Special Branch took the names of young people and the main speaker.
Kieran McDonagh (36) and Paddy McDonagh (35), both with addresses in Dundalk were driving two separate cars, a BMW and a Toyota Carina on a quiet country road at Carrickaneena, Co Louth just before 5pm when they were met by a large force of 26 County police.
The driver of the BMW attempted to escape the trap, but was rammed and stopped by one of the police cars. Immediately the two men were dragged from their vehicles — and in a scene evocative of British and Free State tyranny towards their captives in the 1970s were hooded and handcuffed on the side of the road before being set upon and savagely beaten. At 2pm on May 25, James MacGuill, lawyer for Kieran McDonagh attended his client at Dundalk barracks where he photographed his injuries. Of the two men, Pat McDonagh’s injuries are believed to be greater with suspected broken ribs. Unfortunately his lawyer did not take photographs.
An examination of the vehicles revealed approximately 440lbs of home-made explosives was being carried in the Toyota Carina. The BMW was said to contain 500lbs along with a booster tube packed with explosive material and a quantity of cortex detonating wire. The drivers were then brought to Dundalk police barracks for interrogation. It is believed they are dissidents from the Provisionals.
On May 26, the two men appeared before the Special Court in Dublin where Paddy McDonagh could be seen showing signs of 26 police brutality — a black eye and extensive bruises to the face. Det Supt Michael Finnegan told the court that both men were initially detained by members of the ERU at 5.05pm and brought to the barracks. Questioned by Defence Counsel, Michael O’Higgins, Finnegan said he understood there was a violent struggle when the men were detained and both had resisted arrest and tried to flee across the border.
Cross-examined by Stephen McCann for Kieran, Det Supt Finnegan said both men had complained they were assaulted by state police. McCann said his client complained that police had assaulted him and called both men “fat bastards” and “stupid c . . . s”.
They were each charged with possession of 938lbs of improvised explosive mixture, a booster tube and detonating cord with intent to endanger life. They were also charged with possession of explosives in suspicious circumstances. The men were remanded in custody until June 11.
The leaked memo drafted by senior British civil servant at the Northern Ireland Office, Tony Canavan, was reported recently in the Glasgow Herald under the title “Gaelic Faces Ulster Threat”. The European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages is due to be signed up to by the member-states of the EU.
The leaked memo reveals that the British government would only sign up for Welsh and not for either Scottish Gaelic or the Irish language. It appears that Scottish Gaelic is being excluded merely to make the British government look as if it isn’t caving in to the Unionists in the Six Counties when it refuses to sign the Charter for the Irish language.
In the leaked memo Canavan says: “Welsh clearly will be specified. Mr Wilson (the Minister for Gaelic) — other Scottish Office Ministers have not yet considered the issue — is keen to specify Gaelic also at the time of ratification. This could present serious problems for us. If Irish was the only Celtic indigenous minority language not to be specified, nationalists and Irish language supporters would be critical . . .
"Our preference should therefore be for Irish and Scottish to be unspecified. At least at the time of ratification.”
Alasdair MacCaluim of the Scottish Branch of the Celtic League criticised the decision by the British not to sign the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, calling it “a Unionist Veto which extends to Scotland.”
In a statement on April 25 MacCaluim said “we have always felt that the Irish language should not be a political pawn in the Peace Process and that it should be afforded protection under the Charter. The idea that Scottish Gaelic should be a pawn in Irish politics or indeed a sacrificial lamb for the peace process is not only ludicrous, but it also highly offensive.”
The organisation will stress support for traditional Republican principles and will be tied strictly to political prisoners dependants funds through CABHAIR.
A central Committee representative of Boston, Chicago, New York and New Jersey was elected to meet as a group once a month to formulate organisational activities which will include publicity, culture and education.
The meeting, which was preceded by an Irish breakfast, was attended by Joe O’Neill and Cathleen Knowles McGuirk of the Ard Chomhairle (National Executive) of Republican Sinn Féin, who when speaking thanked all present for their support over the years and especially during this period in the continued struggle for Irish Freedom and Independence.
“The fact is the cash payment was kept secret,” he said. “We are entitled to ask why a company would hand over such a large amount of money to a government minister.
“We have a right to know how public money is applied especially in relation to important services such as communications.
“This latest scandal confirms that ‘golden circles’ and ‘cosy cartels’ are still alive and well and growing rich on the backs of ordinary people,” Joe Lynch concluded.
The fascist gang which, locals claim, contain both youths and adults, used the grounds of Hazelwood school as their vantage point from whence they launched stones at nationalist homes at 8.30pm. A number of windows were broken in the attack.
One resident said he contacted the British Colonial police (RUC) at 8.35pm to tell them his windows had been smashed, but they did not arrive until 9.15pm. By that time, he claimed several other houses had windows broken. “This is just one of all kinds of incidents which have been going on up here”, he said. He added that the gang seemed “well organised.”
This march is undoubtedly one of triumphalism and domination over the nationalist people of north Belfast who have from 1969 and beyond to the present day have suffered the full onslaught of Orange State violence.
In 1996 this same Orange march was followed by attacks on nationalists areas and over 40 nationalist families were intimidated from their homes, as nationalists were forced back by British paramilitary police and the British army.
We in Republican Sinn Féin call on the nationalist people of Belfast to stand firm against such shows of triumphalism and sectarianism. Let this British made Orange state know we are off our knees.
We don’t ask to be free from sectarian marches.
We demand to be free from them.
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Among the incidents in a Belfast RUC barracks was the firing of blank shots at a ‘nationalist’ RUC man by two loyalist members who allegedly shouted: “We have had enough of you, Fenian bastard” before firing off a volley of blanks.
The two loyalists were given a slap on the wrist and a small fine for their actions . The ‘nationalist’ former member speaking to a Belfast newspaper on May 27 said he was appalled at the disciplinary hearing: “I couldn’t believe these guys were not dismissed, They should have been drummed out of the force. I remember sitting with other Catholic colleagues afterwards and saying ‘What chance have we got if they cannot take that moral leap to say this will not be accepted’.”
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Web layout by SAOIRSE -- Irish Freedom June 13, 1998 Send links, events notifications, articles, comments etc, to the editor at: saoirse@iol.ie marked "attention web-editor". |