Saturday, November 03, 2007

EDENTUBBER MARTYRS : 50TH ANNIVERSARY .
Volunteer Paul Smith ,Bessbrook, Co. Armagh.
Volunteer George Keegan,Co. Wexford.
Volunteer Paddy Parle,Co. Wexford.
Volunteer Oliver Craven , Newry, Co. Armagh.
Michael Watters ,Co. Louth , was the owner of the cottage where the tragedy occurred in November 1957.

The Commemoration , at which Ruairí Ó Brádaigh will speak, will be held on Sunday November 4 , 2007 : those attending are asked to assemble at 'The Border Inn' at 2.30pm .
Others may attempt to Honour Ireland's Republican Dead , but not one true Irish Republican entered this Struggle to obtain a position in , and a salary and pension from , Leinster House , Stormont or Westminster . Show your support for those who oppose the sell-outs : march with us on November 4 next.






Friday, November 02, 2007

BRITISH OCCUPATION AND THE LONDON 'TIMES' .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

An article in 'The London Times'newspaper of December 9 , 1957 , entitled 'Actors In The Political Scene' , stated : " The country families of the North of Ireland , after surrendering control to the captains of industry for a long period , are well established in the present government."

There , perhaps , is the key to the whole situation : the 'lords of land' and the 'barons of industry' who together make up the Tory-Unionist Ascendancy , the 'master-minds' with Britain's Tories , of the anti-freedom struggle in Ireland. These are the 'gentry' who imposed their views on the Orange rank-and-file under the guise of religion - the ones who stand to lose most by separation from Britain .

It is those gentlemen who act as Britain's puppets in Ireland : even those who consider themselves as 'left-wingers' can be enticed to forget where they came from.......
(MORE LATER).



A PORTRAIT OF IRELAND , by Saoránach.......
First published in the Republican Bulletin - Iris Na Poblachta , November 1986.

Dr Mary Kelly wrote : " The knowledge of the contribution of Republican violence to the establishment of the State , as well as the Republican definitions and ideology learned by many through both school and family , cannot be easily dismissed from consciousness as simply the emotional 'cult of 1916' (Conor Cruise O' Brien, quoted in 'The Irish Times' , November 1983) . Yet many are dependent for their knowledge of the situation in the North on the media - especially television which , owing to censorship , is extremely narrow and limited in its coverage .

This has the consequence of presenting the violence as unmotivated and irrational , a procession of inexplicable events led by a tiny minority of violent men . I would thus expect considerable confusion and lack of understanding in the South of the forces which contribute to the continuance of the violence . I would further argue that , in the long term , ignorance rarely contributes to the resolution of conflict. "


Another paper , called 'Class , Clientelism and the Political Process in the Republic of Ireland' (here,page 4) , by Ellen Hazelkorn of The Dublin Institute of Technology is an analysis of what passes for politics in the 26 Counties.......
(MORE LATER).



ROBERT EMMET - THE DARLING OF ERIN.......

Margaret McKearney looks at the life and death of one of Ireland's most enduring heroes.
From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.

Events went dramatically wrong for Robert Emmet : on the appointed day his plans began to unravel - Michael Dwyer and his promised 300 men did not get the word until Sunday July 24 and , the previous day , an excess of men had moved in to Dublin from Kildare and could not be concealed in the existing depots so they spread out around the city pubs and some started drinking . Others , after inspecting the existing arsenal and finding many pikes but few muskets or blunderbusses , went home unimpressed .

Because he had alerted other countries and still had the element of surprise , Emmet decided not to postpone the Rising ; thus , shortly after seven o' clock on Saturday July 23rd , 1803 , Robert Emmet in his green and gold uniform stood in the Thomas Street , Dublin , depot and , to the assembled rebels , read out his proclamation , declaring that the Irish nation was about to assert itself in arms against foreign rule .

Again events conspired to thwart the rebels - coaches commissioned for the attack on Dublin Castle were lost and erroneous information supplied that encouraged pre-emptive strikes , meant that confusion reigned . Also , the novel rocket signals failed to detonate . Emmet's own forces , who were to have taken the Castle , dwindled away and , throughout the remainder of that evening , there were skirmishes at Thomas Street and the Coombe Barracks but he decided to terminate operations and leave the city.......
(MORE LATER).







Thursday, November 01, 2007

EDENTUBBER MARTYRS : 50TH ANNIVERSARY .
Volunteer Paul Smith ,Bessbrook, Co. Armagh.
Volunteer George Keegan,Co. Wexford.
Volunteer Paddy Parle,Co. Wexford.
Volunteer Oliver Craven , Newry, Co. Armagh.
Michael Watters ,Co. Louth , was the owner of the cottage where the tragedy occurred in November 1957.

The Commemoration , at which Ruairí Ó Brádaigh will speak, will be held on Sunday November 4 , 2007 : those attending are asked to assemble at 'The Border Inn' at 2.30pm .
Others may attempt to Honour Ireland's Republican Dead , but not one true Irish Republican entered this Struggle to obtain a position in , and a salary and pension from , Leinster House , Stormont or Westminster . Show your support for those who oppose the sell-outs : march with us on November 4 next.






Wednesday, October 31, 2007

BRITISH OCCUPATION AND THE LONDON 'TIMES' .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

On December 12th , 1957 , 'The Irish Independent' newspaper reported - " Early yesterday morning a jeep-load of British soldiers accompanied by a member of the RUC crossed the border into the republic at Tyholland Frontier Post on the Monaghan-Armagh road . They were part of a Six-County 'police patrol' operating along the Armagh-Monaghan border . Mr. M. Crowley , the Customs Officer on the republic side , thought at first that the patrol had lost its way and allowed it to return to the Six Counties unchallenged . A few minutes later , however , the same vehicle again crossed the border into the republic , but this time Mr. Crowley stood in the centre of the road and forced the patrol to stop .

He informed the N.C.O. in charge that they were invading republic territory and that the vehicle and arms were liable to seizure . He then told the RUC man that he should have been aware of the patrol's position . The RUC man left the jeep and returned on foot to the Six Counties . Mr Crowley telephoned his Chief at Clones , Monaghan , and telephoned Garda Superintendent Collins , also stationed in Monaghan . When the Gardai arrived a few minutes later , the British soldiers had returned to the Six Counties . The matter was immediately reported to the Revenue Commissioners who referred it to the Department of External Affairs . A number of people who were passing the Customs Post at the time saw what happened ."


A jeep-load of British troops to 'reinforce' one RUC 'guide' !

Another article in 'The London Times' , entitled ' Actors In The Political Scene' , exposed the links between "...the country families and the Captains of Industry......."
(MORE LATER).



A PORTRAIT OF IRELAND , by Saoránach.......
First published in the Republican Bulletin - Iris Na Poblachta , November 1986.

Dr Mary Kelly wrote - " Four frames were used which can be summarised briefly , if rather grossly , as follows : a republican frame , highlighted in some of the representations of the IRA in 'The Irish News'newspaper and to a lesser extent in 'The Irish Press' newspaper. This overlapped with the committed 'men of violence' frame highlighted in some of 'The Irish Times' coverage , but particularly in that of 'The Irish Independent'newspaper.

This frame again veered towards the 'terrorist' frame , central in 'The News Letter', 'The Belfast Telegraph' and 'The Times'(London) which overlapped with the 'animals/scum' frame which characterised some of the reports in 'The Mirror' and 'The Express'. "


The understanding that people in the 26 Counties have of events north of the border is confused and ambivalent . Mary Kelly continued on to talk about that confusion and ambivalence , and mentioned Conor Cruise O'Brien in relation to same.......
(MORE LATER).



ROBERT EMMET - THE DARLING OF ERIN.......

Margaret McKearney looks at the life and death of one of Ireland's most enduring heroes.
From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.

Arms depots were established in Dublin for the manufacture and storage of weapons for the incipient rising . Former soldiers mixed their practical skills with the scientific knowledge that Robert Emmet had acquired on the continent , and an innovative rocket device was produced .

Elaborate plans were drawn up to take the city and in particular Dublin Castle: supporters from the surrounding counties of Kildare , Wicklow and even Wexford were pledged to assist . Emmet bided his time waiting for an opportune moment when English troops would be withdrawn to serve in the renewed war in France , but his hand was forced when a premature explosion on the evening of July 16 , 1803 , at the Patrick Street depot, caused the death of John Keenan .

Though there was no obvious wide scale search or arrest operation by the British following the explosion , the leadership of the movement decided to set July 23 , 1803 (the following Saturday) as the date for the rising . Emmet hoped that success in Dublin would inspire other counties to follow suit . Patrick M. Geoghegan, in a recent publication , says that "...the plan for taking Dublin was breathtaking in its precision and audacity . It was nothing less that a blueprint for a dramatic coup d'état . Indeed , over a century later , Pearse and Clarke would also refer to the plan for their own rising..."

Emmet's plan depended on two factors - arms and men . As Geoghegan states , when the time came , Robert Emmet had not enough of either.......
(MORE LATER).







Tuesday, October 30, 2007

BOOT-BOYS FOR THE 'UNION' .....


Former British soldier gets 3 years’ jail for urinating on dying woman.

'A man who urinated on a disabled woman and sprayed her with shaving foam as she lay dying in the street was jailed for three years yesterday.
Anthony Anderson, 27, Hartlepool, was sentenced for outraging public decency when he degraded 50-year-old Christine Lakinski, who had collapsed in July this year.
Teesside Crown Court heard how Anderson, a former soldier, was celebrating his 27th birthday on the day he degraded his victim. She had been visiting friends and was walking home with some laminate flooring when she collapsed, striking her head as she fell.
She was spotted by a girlfriend of one of Anderson’s friends and a group gathered around her body. Anderson kicked her on the foot, then poured a bowl of water over her prone body, but she did not respond. Anderson then told his friends he was going to urinate on the woman as one of them filmed it on his mobile phone. In an ordeal lasting around 30 minutes Anderson also used shaving foam from a can to further degrade his victim.
Outside court, Ms Lakinski’s family read a statement, which said:
“We would like to thank the judge for his decision to jail Anthony Anderson.
We hope that prison will give him time to reflect on his disgusting actions as well as the opportunity to look at his conscience.
We remain totally shocked that anyone could behave in such an appalling way.”


Anderson was with his friends Scott Clement and Simon Whitehead when the humiliation took place, the court heard. The group left her motionless on the pavement and no-one thought to ring an ambulance until they had got ready to go nightclubbing, some 20 minutes later. Paramedics arrived about an hour after she collapsed, and found no sign of life. A postmortem revealed she died from pancreatic failure. Police traced the 999 call to Mr Clement and Anderson was arrested that night in a nightclub.'
(From here.)

A not unusual example of the calibre and mentality of British 'peace-keepers' that have 'served their country' , and not only on these shores . Not only are they unfit for any other job , but they are unfit to belong to the human race. May that poor woman Rest In Peace .






Monday, October 29, 2007

BRITISH OCCUPATION AND THE LONDON 'TIMES' .......

From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

A 'division' was indeed reached , we say , to meet the realities of the British Imperial situation - not the Irish one . And while it is true that this division was accepted in Dublin (by the British-established Free State Government) , in Belfast (by the British-established Stormont Government) and in London (by the British Imperial Government which contrived the whole thing) , it was never accepted by the Irish people .

'The Times' newspaper says that Mr de Valera and his government have "...happily.." accepted Partition which "...will survive , so far as can be seen , into the indefinite future.." 'The Times' has been more noted for wishful thinking than prophecy in regard to Irish affairs . The only hope for peace in Occupied Ireland , says 'The Times' , lies in the suppression of Republican Militants . The British Army of Occupation is dismissed with this reference -

" The British soldiers are rightly available to reinforce police and auxilaries , if and when occasion arises . " The 'occasion' must arise pretty often for , three days later , 'The Irish Independent' newspaper (December 12 , 1957) reported the following.......
(MORE LATER).



A PORTRAIT OF IRELAND , by Saoránach.......
First published in the Republican Bulletin - Iris Na Poblachta , November 1986.

For those who have the time and inclination to study some of the problems and take stock of our situation , I recommend a recent book called 'Ireland : A Sociological Profile', published by the Institute of Public Administration and the Sociological Association of Ireland.

Here in over 400 pages are 19 different papers on various aspects of Irish life today , written by a team of sociologists . The editors claim that it "...addresses key aspects of institutions and structures in both parts of Ireland.. " (sic) and gives "...a distinctive , if not complete , portrait of Irish society ." This book , it must be stressed , does not offer solutions , but tells us what we are , warts and all . The proposal of solutions is not the sociologist's job , in academic terms anyhow . But for those who would like to take stock of Irish society in 1986 , prior to making plans and devising policies , this is as good and as up-to-date an account of our society as one is likely to get .

Most of our readers would be interested in the chapter called 'Power Control and Media Coverage of the Northern Ireland Conflict', by Mary Kelly of the Department of Sociology in University College ,Dublin. Her paper is based on painstaking research of the media over several years , and she shares her analysis with us . Dr Kelly distinguishes , for instance , four frames in which IRA activity in the Six Counties is reported . It is basically a matter of the terminology used , as can be seen by the following sample.......
(MORE LATER).




ROBERT EMMET - THE DARLING OF ERIN.......

Margaret McKearney looks at the life and death of one of Ireland's most enduring heroes.
From 'Fourthwrite' magazine, Autumn 2003.

Following the signing of the Peace of Amiens by France and England in March 1802 the United Irishmen that were being held as prisoners in Fort George were released and many such as Thomas Russell and Thomas Addis Emmet made there way to Paris . Emmet returned to Ireland in October 1802 and began to plan for a rising . On March 1803 , at a meeting in Corbet's Hotel , 105 Capel Street , Dublin , Emmet briefed his key organisers .

In April 1803 Emmet rented an isolated house in Butterfield Lane in Rathfarnham as a new base of operations and Michael Dwyer, a 1798 veteran , suggested his young niece as a suitable candidate to play the role of the 'housekeeper' .

Born in or around the year 1778 , Ann Devlin soon became Robert Emmet's trusted helper and served him loyally in the months ahead . Shortly afterwards he leased a premises at Marshalsea Lane, off Thomas Street, Dublin, and set up an arms depot there.......
(MORE LATER).