Thursday, May 06, 2010


Aitheasc an Uachtaráin Ruairí Ó Brádaigh don 85ú Ard-Fheis de Shinn Féin in Óstlann an Spa , Leamhcán , Co. Atha Cliath , 21ú agus 22ú Deireadh Fómhair , 1989 /
Presidential Address of Ruairí Ó Brádaigh to the 85th Ard-Fheis of Sinn Féin in the Spa Hotel , Lucan , County Dublin , 21st and 22nd October 1989.....


" Tá ár teanga náisiúnta agus ár saíocht náisiúnta ag teacht faoi bhrú ó fhorais idir-náisiúnta, Béarlacha don chuid is mó , i gcónaí.

Ní gá ach scéal na teilifíse a lua. Ach is gá a lua freisin go mbaineann cuid an-mhór den deacracht sna scoileanna ní amháin le drochshampla an rialtais agus na Roinne Oideachais (dream nar fhéach leo téacsaí-nua Gaeilge a sholáthar don chlár léinn nua sa Mheán teist i mbliana mar shampla) ach freisin ón staid mhishásúil ata ag an Gaeilge de thoradh an chonartha a ceanglaíodh leis an gCómhargadh.

I dtéarmaí praiticiúla níl aon soláthar ardoideachais ach go háirithe ar fáil do phobal na Gaeilge agus na Gaeltachta ón stát 26 Chontae - Saorstát a bunaíodh , dar le go leor dá lucht tacaíochta ag an am , mar go mbeadh seans ag an dream nua a thiocfadh i gceannas dul i mbun tharrtháil na Gaeilge láithreacht......! "

(MORE LATER).





BETRAYAL.......
The (State) Gardaí used John Corcoran (pictured) as a (P)IRA informer. They allowed him to be killed by another (P)IRA informer, and have since refused to investigate his murder*.
From 'MAGILL' magazine, Christmas Annual 1997.
By Ursula Halligan and Vincent Browne.
(* '1169...' Comment - their word, not ours.)

Twelve years on, the pain and anguish of her husband's death remain an open sore for the Corcoran family. That sore has been exacerbated by the public admissions of the IRA informer Seán O Callaghan to the murder* of John Corcoran and by the gardaí's apparent failure to pursue the matter vigorously.

In 1988, Seán O Callaghan handed himself over to British police and admitted three murders* , including that of John Corcoran. He was sentenced to over 500 years but ended up serving only eight years. A senior garda source confirmed that O Callaghan made a confession about the murder* to the RUC in 1988 and that this was passed onto the Irish State gardaí.

In addition, O Callaghan gave detailed, graphic and consistent accounts of the murder* to at least three newspapers - The Kerryman, The Sunday Times and The Boston Globe ; the latter two interviews were given while he was still in prison. However, 12 years after the murder* , Seán O Callaghan has never been questioned by gardaí about his role in that event.......
(MORE LATER).





TRADE UNIONS AND THE HUNGER-STRIKE.......
From 'IRIS' magazine, November 1981.









In Longford/Westmeath , the late IRA Volunteer Martin Hurson received 4,573 votes and narrowly missed a seat - his candidacy was endorsed by the Longford Trades Council.

Kieran Doherty came second in his area and many of the votes which elected him came from workers in the furniture-making and meat-packing industry which dominate the constituency. In one chicken-processing factory in Monaghan town , Kieran took 100% of the vote and this was reflected, though not absolutely , in most of the area.

The late INLA Volunteer Kevin Lynch contested the Waterford seat ; his campaign , which was led by an ex-SFWP member, was responsible for the defeat of the SFWP candidate , Paddy Gallagher , who had also been defeated in the previous State general election. In the other areas they contested , the prisoner candidates beat the discredited State Labour Party into fourth place and helped to expose a self-styled Limerick 'socialist' for the fraud he is.......
(MORE LATER).







Monday, May 03, 2010

Between 1917 and 1981 , 22 Irish Republican POW's died on hunger-strike....





Thomas Ashe, Kerry, 5 days, 25 September 1917 (force fed by tube , died as a result).
Terrence MacSwiney, Cork, 74 days, 25 October 1920.
Michael Fitzgerald, Cork, 67 days, 17 October 1920.
Joseph Murphy, Cork, 76 days , 25 October 1920 .
Joe Witty, Wexford , 2 September 1923.
Dennis Barry, Cork, 34 days, 20 November 1923.
Andy O Sullivan , Cork, 40 days, 22 November 1923.
Tony Darcy, Galway, 52 days, 16 April 1940.
Jack 'Sean' McNeela, Mayo, 55 days, 19 April 1940.
Sean McCaughey, Tyrone ,22 days, 11 May 1946 (hunger and thirst Strike).
Michael Gaughan, Mayo , 64 days, 3 June 1974.
Frank Stagg, Mayo , 62 days, 12 February 1976.
Bobby Sands, Belfast , 66 days, 5 May 1981.
Frank Hughes , Bellaghy (Derry) , 59 days, 12 May 1981.
Raymond McCreesh , South Armagh , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Patsy O Hara , Derry , 61 days, 21 May 1981.
Joe McDonnell , Belfast , 61 days, 8 July 1981.
Martin Hurson , Tyrone , 46 days, 13 July 1981.
Kevin Lynch, Dungiven (Derry) ,71 days, 1 August 1981.
Kieran Doherty , Belfast , 73 days, 2 August 1981.
Tom McIlwee , Bellaghy (Derry) , 62 days, 8 August 1981.
Micky Devine , Derry , 60 days, 20 August 1981.


The hunger strike is part of a very ancient Irish tradition, although it seems that James Connolly was the first to use it in 1913 as tool of political protest in 20th century Ireland.
From 20 September 1917, Irish internees used the hunger strike as a means of trying to secure their rights from an implacable enemy.
Thomas Ashe, former principal of Corduff National School,was the first to die after an attempted force-feeding.
Fasting as a means of asserting one's rights when faced with no other means of obtaining redress is something that has been embedded in Irish culture from ancient times. Even when the ancient Irish law system,
the Laws of the Fénechus, which we popularly called the Brehon Laws from the word breitheamh, a judge, were first codified in AD 438, the law relating to the troscad, or hunger strike, was ancient.

The hunger striker gave notice of their intent and, according to the law tract
Di Chetharslicht Athgabhála, if the person who is being fasted against does not come to arbitration, and actually allows the protester to die, then the moral judgement went against them and they endured shame and contempt until they made recompense to the family of the dead person. If they failed to make such amends, they were not only damned by society but damned in the next world. They were held to be without honour and without morality.
The ancient Irish texts are full of examples of people fasting to assert their rights and shame powerful enemies into accepting their moral obligations. St Patrick is recorded to have done so according to
the Tripartite Life of St Patrick. And, in the Life of St Ailbe, we found St Lugid and St Salchin, carrying out ritual fasts to protest.
Even
King Conall Dearg of Connacht fasted when he found his rights infringed. And the entire population of Leinster fasted against St Colmcille when he rode roughshod over their rights. The poet Mairgen mac Amalgado mac Mael Ruain of the Deisi fasted against another poet Finguine over an act of perceived injustice.
The troscad continued in Irish law throughout the centuries until the English conquests proscribed the native law system and foisted English law on Ireland through a series of Acts between 1587 and 1613.
Nevertheless, individual fasts against the cruelties of the English colonial administration are recorded several times over the subsequent years....


On Saturday , 8th May 2010 , a ballad session featuring The Beermats , Pato Cullen and Paddy Sweeney will be held in the 79'r pub in Ballyfermot ,Dublin, to remember the 22 Irish men who have died on hunger-strike since 1917. Doors open at 8.30pm , admission per person is Five Euro and a raffle for POW craft and other prizes will be held on the night.
All Welcome!
Sharon.