SAOIRSE32

BBC

New unit for mentally ill opens

Up to 34 patients can be housed at the unit

Northern Ireland’s first regional secure unit for severely mentally ill patients has opened in south Belfast.

It means adults who need secure medical accommodation will no longer have to go to Carstairs in Scotland or be housed in a long stay psychiatric ward.

The medium secure Shannon Clinic, at Knockbracken Healthcare Park, will provide services for up to 34 patients.

Each of the £9m facility’s three wards will have individual patient rooms as well as communal areas.

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety said the clinic will form an important part of the regional network of Forensic Mental Health Services being developed in Northern Ireland.

The clinic, which has 120 staff, will take referrals from special hospitals, courts and prisons, psychiatric intensive care units and community forensic mental health teams.

Rehabilitation

Its services are for people from throughout Northern Ireland, some, but not all of whom, may have had contact with the judicial system.

The service will provide assessment, treatment, care and rehabilitation with many patients remaining at the clinic for up to two years.

Dr Fred Browne, the clinic’s lead clinician, said they would be working in partnership with the families of patients.

“The reality is that the services we have had so far have been inadequate and underdeveloped, they have been rather outmoded in a number of areas, so this new service will provide a great improvement in the quality and standard of care,” he said.

He said that they had also tried to be open with people who live in the area and may have concerns about the facility.

“In the last few days we have had perhaps 1,000 people come and visit the new unit and they have been very positive,” he said.

“I think what people need to consider in this situation is how this new service compares with what was available beforehand.”

High security mental health services will continue to be provided by specialist hospitals in other parts of the UK.

Sinn Féin

McLaughlin welcomes calling of election

Published: 5 April, 2005

Sinn Féin Westminster Candidate and Party Secretary Mitchel McLaughlin has welcomed the announcement by British Prime Minister Tony Blair that there will be a general election on May 5th.

Mr McLaughlin said,

“Sinn Fein welcomes the anticipated announcement that there will be a general election on May 5th. This announcement was the worst kept secret and Sinn Féin have been on the campaign trail for several weeks now”.

“We look forward to putting our record and our policies in front of the people and are confident that we will return both more MP’s and councillors across the North in these elections”.

“However we have decided as a mark of respect to the Pope not to erect any election posters until after the funeral on Friday and are calling on other parties to do likewise”. ENDS

BreakingNews.ie

Benefits of border university hailed

05/04/2005 - 18:19:31

A third level institution based in the counties along the border could make a significant difference in tackling the negative impact of the partition, it was urged today.

A development group warned there was a massive need for extra public investment to combat the social impact the border has had on nearby communities.

A new research report – The Emerald Curtain – has highlighted the immediate and harmful effects the border has had on thousands of people including ex-prisoners, displaced people and the southern Protestant community.

Brian Harvey, one of the researchers, said the study found that additional Government expenditure on public services was essential.

The report, which was commissioned by the Triskeie Community Training and Development, recommended a third level institution based in the central border counties could make a significant difference to tackling the negative impact.

Mr Harvey said: “In Monaghan and Cavan there is no third level institution and there are problems with the Health Service.

“For two reasons a third level institution should be built in those areas. It would mean that late teenage children and students in their early twenties could stay in the Cavan Monaghan region.”

The chief researcher said that the area also feels it has been abandoned by the Government.

Mr Harvey said a low technology industry had built up in the region and a third level facility, such as an institute of technology, would help to upgrade those businesses.

The researchers, who said they would be highlighting the recommendations to the Government, found that there were central pieces of land along the border region that were considered to be in a state of deprivation.

The study also pointed towards a need to develop a North-South framework and agreement on various areas such as education qualifications.

The report found that around 2,000 ex-prisoners from the North and around 2,000 with a Southern background settled along the border with their families.

“This group continues to face difficulty in accessing employment due to both legal and illegal discrimination.

“Legal barriers prevent the holding of vehicle licenses and travel,” the report found.

Around 11,000 displaced people arrived in the southern border counties during the Troubles.

Mr Harvey said the study found that the people do not seem to have prospered educationally or economically.

The research found there were still some significant problems among the southern Protestant community which has faced discrimination.

It called for the Equality Authority to investigate the situation of the Protestant minority community in the southern border counties and to look at ways to address issues of intimidation and discrimination.

BreakingNews.ie

Finucane family vow not to back restricted inquiry

05/04/2005 - 19:35:13

The family of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane tonight reacted angrily to reports that the British government is to press ahead with controversial new laws limiting the scope of inquiries.

Mr Finucane’s son Martin said if the Inquiries Bill – permitting the British government to hold evidence sessions in private – is pushed through, the family would withhold co-operation from the inquiry.

“The family has made its position quite clear regarding this new legislation. If it goes ahead we certainly could not accept it or participate with the inquiry.”

According to Ulster Television the British government intends to press ahead with the legislation before the dissolution of Parliament.

Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy agreed last year to hold an inquiry into the murder of Mr Finucane, who was shot dead in front of his family in 1989.

But he indicated that because of national security concerns, new legislation would have to be drafted to allow evidence to be considered in public.

Last month, Canadian Judge Peter Cory, who investigated allegations of security force collusion in the murder, criticised the Government’s plans.

Judge Cory, whose report led to the British government agreeing to an inquiry, wrote a letter to a Washington Committee stating that new legislation would make a meaningful inquiry impossible.

He added: “If the new act were to become law I would advise all Canadian judges to decline an appointment in light of the impossible situation they would be facing.”

San Francisco Chronicle

**There are some sweet pictures of little Brendan on site

The world mourns people’s pontiff
EMBRACED: A heartfelt gesture changed perception of AIDS

Julian Guthrie, Chronicle Staff Writer
Monday, April 4, 2005

Brendan O’Rourke was born three months premature and weighed only 1 pound 13 ounces at birth. He fought with the energy of 10 little boys to live.

In the days before he died seven years later, he gave his mother gifts she can still feel: hugs filled with a strength that belied his debilitating condition and that seemed to tell her to stay strong.

In between those years, Brendan lived a life that fused the ordinary with the extraordinary. With bright blue eyes, caramel-colored freckles and ears that would take years to grow into, Brendan was a blur of energy. He loved his toys and games and taunting his siblings. But he also possessed something else, a hard-earned acceptance of life as good and bad.

On Sept. 17, 1987, when Brendan was 4, he did something that captivated a crowd in San Francisco and drew international attention. The little boy, wearing a blue suit, white shirt and red tie, was in the basilica of Mission Dolores. He was one of 62 AIDS patients waiting to be blessed by Pope John Paul II. When the pope passed by, Brendan exclaimed, “Hi Viva Papa!” and touched the startled pontiff’s ear. The pope turned and embraced Brendan.

Elaine O’Rourke spent part of Sunday showing off pictures of the widely publicized papal embrace, billed as one of the most emotional events of the pope’s tour of America. She sat in her family home in Novato and talked of her son’s sweet but abbreviated life and the family’s medical saga, enduring faith and profound reverence for the Holy Father.

She said she and her family, devout Irish Catholics, prayed that the pope’s death Saturday was happy and comfortable.

Looking toward the fireplace mantle, where Brendan’s photos were illuminated by candles, she said, “Hopefully, Brendan was on hand in heaven to greet the pope with one of his hugs.”

There is no anger in O’Rourke’s voice, no questioning why this happened to her son, to her family. She said she never felt let down by God.

“People look for big miracles in terms of cures,” she said. “But there are smaller favors, too, that can come your way. We had so many special favors we received. We had time with Brendan. That was a gift. We learned the lesson that life is precious and you never know how long you will live or how long your loved ones will live. We had peace through our faith.”

She had a hard time describing what it felt like to see her son embraced by the leader of her church. It was riveting, of course. But it was also a lesson and a symbol, she said.

“It was a way for the Catholic church to demonstrate compassion for people with AIDS, to de-politicize it and to give AIDS a human face,” said O’Rourke. “It also showed that this is what you do with people who are suffering: You embrace them.”

O’Rourke, who teaches first grade at a Catholic school in Terra Linda, said her son contracted AIDS through a blood transfusion shortly after his birth on Oct. 5, 1982. He wasn’t diagnosed, however, until he was 4 — just two months before the pope’s visit to Mission Dolores.

It was a time when the disease was still widely misunderstood and carried a heavy stigma, including the misconception that the disease could be transmitted even through casual touch. The pope’s hug sent a message that those with HIV and AIDS should not be feared.

The O’Rourkes, both native San Franciscans, worried about the reaction among the families and children at Brendan’s school, St. Cecilia’s in the city’s Parkside neighborhood.

“They held a big meeting for all of the parents to discuss this,” O’Rourke said. “Everyone was really wonderful.”

She said Brendan understood he had something wrong with his blood and knew he was diagnosed with HIV, which in his case quickly turned into AIDS. He had a small Toys R Us backpack where he kept his IV pump, which sent the antiviral drug AZT into a catheter in his chest. The backpack went everywhere with him.

“Brendan had a lot of grace. He dealt with his illness very well. I think part of it comes from his being a fighter from birth,” O’Rourke said. “He was a special kid. I remember how he was unusually good at being around old people and sick people. He was never afraid — like some children are — of people who are disabled or in wheelchairs.”

After the meeting with the pope in San Francisco, O’Rourke took her son on two pilgrimages in search of divine intervention.

The first was to Lourdes, France, where many Catholics go to pray to the Virgin Mary. The second was to Rome, to attend a ceremony for the beatification of Father Junipero Serra, founder of California’s first missions, and to receive Communion from their beloved Pope John Paul II.

O’Rourke said Brendan did receive Communion from the pope. And, the two shared another emotional embrace. Again, photographers were on hand to capture the hug. The pope is seen smiling gently. Brendan smiled broadly, his small hands clasped around the back of the pontiff’s neck.

Brendan would survive for another two years, finally succumbing to his illness on Aug. 17, 1990. He had a calendar on his wall at the hospital and was counting the days until he would turn 8.

Brendan Silverio O’Rourke would be 22 today. His sister, Emily, is now 25. His brother, Rory, is 24. Both are electricians, like their father, John O’Rourke. All three spent Sunday doing volunteer work in the community.

Elaine O’Rourke says she thinks of Brendan every day. She eyes a picture of her daughter at graduation and imagines Brendan would have shared her looks. She can hear her son’s voice and laugh.

And, she says, she always feels his hugs.

E-mail Julian Guthrie at jguthrie@sfchronicle.com

News Letter

Unlocking Memories Of The Men Behind The Wire

By Liz Kennedy
Tuesday 5th April 2005

Inside Stories (Memories from the Maze and Long Kesh Prison) is a controversial exhibition which opens on Thursday. The art installation will take the form of three separate documentary screens, which will tell a trio of personal stories about prison life.

Director Cahal McLaughlin recorded separately the testimonies of three men. He brought them back inside the empty compounds and filmed loyalist Billy Hutchinson; republican Gerry Kelly, and prison officer Desi Waterworth. Hutchinson said that he had agreed to do the film and go back into the prison “as an emotional journey”. He recalled that when he was sentenced to life as an “angry boy of 18″, he felt as if he was helpless.

“There you were inside in the mid 1970s. We could see what was wrong and we thought we knew how to correct it, watching a society that was tearing itself apart, in different ways, not necessarily in bad ways. Politicians were actually reinforcing the situation.” That was certainly the view of politics that Billy’s father had brought him up to hold: “My father was a socialist and he detested politicians. He said the only privilege you’ll get as a Protestant is that you’ll get a slum quicker.

“I was more than happy to do this film.

Whenever you see portrayals of loyalists, it’s about Neanderthals with knuckles trailing. I wanted to tell the story of people who are institutionalised. Gusty Spence set up a good regime for us, of people looking after people.

“I played football, ran or studied. We didn’t have freedom in a physical sense, but we had freedom of mind.” If Hutchinson went in as an angry boy, he came out as a mature man.

“I saw things in a different way. I came out understanding republicanism better and loyalism better. One thing Gusty always taught us was that it wasn’t just about understanding yourself, it was about understanding the enemy.” Director McLaughlin felt that it was important to film inside the actual prison. He thought that the wire, the Nissen huts, the yard, the cells and the circle would stimulate memories and guide the narratives.

“I had done some work with ex-prisoners, but it didn’t feel very satisfactory. The idea was to take people back to a site of significance.

“It was quite poignant going in with Billy. He remembered things that he had completely forgotten. It took a couple of years to get to the finished films.

“First of all I wanted to do the smart director thing and intercut the stories, but I realised that would be unfair to the stories. “They will be on three separate screens and three separate spaces at Catalyst Arts. It’s all about segregation as well as the power of people telling their own stories. Visitors can choose how much or how little they watch.

The films will eventually go to the Imperial War Museum as part of a series of place and memory.” Cahal McLaughlin is a professional documentary maker and senior lecturer in Media Arts at Royal Holloway College, University of London. His recent research includes the audio-visual recording of testimonies from political conflict and he has produced articles and videos on Ireland and South Africa.

In his film, Gerry Kelly says that the “British system” could not break down republican solidarity.

Prison officer Desi Waterworth’s experience is also documented and he gives the view of professionals who were effectively imprisoned: “You knew who you were working with. You could depend on that person. Your life was on the line. That person was watching your back and you were watching theirs. If I seen a member of staff being attacked by six prisoners, I’d be in; you looked after each other.” Inside Stories is open to the public from Friday until May 7. In addition to the screening, a public discussion will be chaired by Kate Turner from Healing Through Remembering. It will take place in the gallery on Wednesday, April 20, at 2pm. Catalyst Arts Gallery is at 5 College Court, Belfast. Details at 028 9031 3303.

l.kennedy@newsletter.co.uk

Random Ramblings from a Republican

Read about Tri-colour banned in 6 Counties - 1954

~~~~~~~~~

Daily Ireland

Slap a ban on Ireland’s fur farms

The fur industry has been working on a whole new line to provide an outlet for its product. No longer limited to full-length mink coats or fox-fur jackets, fur trim is now the rage. From suit collars to glove linings, fur trim is being used as an accessory for many fashion items and it can be found in fashion boutiques and in large department stores throughout the country. In the US fur-trimmed items currently are a half billion-dollar industry.
As with full-length fur, fur trim is a frivolous luxury responsible for appalling animal cruelty and millions of animal deaths each year. The number of animals killed for fur trim is now expected to overtake the number of animals killed for full-fur garments.
Although some consumers may dismiss fur trim as less harmful to animals, that little bit of fur is just as deadly as the fur required for an entire coat. Many compassionate consumers are also unaware that they are in fact buying real fur items and unaware of the suffering involved.
Recently two shops in Dublin Airport and one in the city centre removed garments from their rails and returned them to their Irish designer when it was pointed out to management that the garments contained real fox fur trimmings.
There are currently six mink farms and at least one fox farm in the Republic of Ireland. Last month, Green Party TD, Dan Boyle, introduced a Private Members Bill in the Dáil to ban fur farming. Although the Bill received strong support from opposition parties it was opposed by the government parties and defeated by just seventeen votes
Fur farming has already been made illegal in Britain and Northern Ireland, from January 2003. It is also illegal in Austria and is being phased out in Italy. Fox farming is illegal in Sweden and is being phased out in Holland. Many other European countries are considering bans. When England and Wales were introducing their ban the Scottish Parliament decided to pass a similar law. Although there were no fur farms in Scotland, the ban was considered necessary to prevent fur farmers from England and Wales relocating to Scotland once the English and Welsh bans took effect.
Considering that six fur farms already exist here in Ireland, there is a need for similar legislation to be introduced to ensure that fur farms from other countries don’t relocate here. From a purely long-term economic and social perspective it makes sense to limit the expansion of the fur farming industry before it does become bigger, as it would be much more difficult to introduce a ban if hundreds of jobs depended on it.
At present the fur industry in Ireland is of minor importance to the Irish economy. Pelts are exported for processing elsewhere, so it is not even a major employer. In reply to a Dáil question by Michael Lowry, TD in March, the Minister for Agriculture and Food, Mary Coughlan, said, that according to Central Statistics Office data the approximate export value of skins for mink was only €1.6 million. During the Dáil debate on the issue Minister Coughlan opposed a ban and said, “Any market opportunities resulting from a ban here would be immediately exploited by producers elsewhere. Thus, a unilateral ban here would not make any contribution to overall animal welfare.” In other words, if animals are going to be subjected to cruelty we might as well do it - why let some other country profit from our moral stand. I wonder would the Donegal minister take the same approach to abortion and euthanasia and say that “a unilateral ban here would not make any contribution to the overall” right to life, as people would just go elsewhere? Somehow I don’t think so. Perhaps the Ministers disappointing response and her pro-fur farming position is influenced by the fact that 50 per cent of these fur farms are located in her home county of Donegal. The Irish Fur Breeders Association is also located in her own constituency.
An opinion poll carried out in October 2004 found that 63 per cent of those polled agreed that fur farming should be banned here. 95 per cent said that they would not wear a fur coat. Although it is clear that a majority of people support a ban on fur farming, the Department of Agriculture and Food has said that expansion of existing fur farms would be acceptable.
The government and the Department of Agriculture need to take account, not just of public opinion, but also of possible future EU animal welfare legislation. There is clear scientific evidence of serious animal welfare problems in fur farming as a recent report by the European Commission’s Scientific Committee on Animal Health and Animal Welfare found.
These include: fox and mink performing repeated meaningless behaviours, such as pacing around the walls of their cages over and over again; caged fox killing their own young; farmed mink biting and sucking their own fur or even self-mutilating their tails or limbs.
Although Ireland’s six existing mink farms are licensed the one farm with silver and Artic fox is not licensed. Astonishingly, fox farms do not have to be licensed and this is why the number of fox farms is uncertain. Mink farms are required to be licensed by the Department of Agriculture & Food. Although the Department does carry out welfare checks on fur farms from time to time, the licence conditions are aimed specifically at protecting the environment from escaped mink rather than protecting the welfare of the farmed mink themselves.
Farmed fox and mink are kept in rows of wire cages in long open-sided sheds. Both fox and mink spend their entire lives confined in these cages; they are never let out to exercise. Mink are semi-aquatic animals and show a strong need to have access to water for swimming, which they do not have on farms. They are also solitary animals and yet on the farm are forced to live in close proximity to other mink.
Foxes by their very nature are fearful animals but have no place to hide in cages. They cannot develop any of the complex social relationships they would naturally. The Arctic fox is totally unsuited to our climate; they are adapted to live in the snowy environment in the Arctic regions of Eurasia, North America, Greenland and Iceland.
The Cork-based animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming has been campaigning on this issue for a few years now.
CIWF, which has researched the issue extensively and brought it to public attention, believes it is unethical to impose suffering on animals to produce a non-essential product.
The vast majority of the Irish public agree.
It’s time our government and Minister Coughlan followed the Northern Ireland example and introduced a ban.

Patricia McKenna is a former Green Party MEP for Dublin. She is an active campaigner on a range of issues from justice to human rights to the environment and food safety.

Daily Ireland

**This is such a worthwhile endeavor. I have family members who have struggled with their children’s congenital heart defects, and having a a special cardiac care nurse available would have made all the difference to them. Can you imagine having a wee baby with such a serious problem and not having anyone to turn to with all the questions, fears and worries you would have? It is a nightmare.

Kids hit by heart disease

Latest figures show that almost 230 children from the North of Ireland are born with a congenital heart illness every year.
Of these, about 100 will need surgery and then highly specialist care when they leave hospital. For this reason, two charities – the Northern Ireland Chest, Heart and Stroke Association (NICHSA) and Heartbeat – are fundraising for a children’s heart nurse for the North.
Other shocking figures collated by the charities highlight the seriousness of the problem. Chest, heart and stroke illnesses are responsible for two out of three illnesses, kill twice as many people as all the cancers combined and is the number one cause of disability in the North.
When heart illness strikes a child, however, it is all the more difficult for the patient and family to cope. For a family living with a congenital heart condition, specialist knowledge and hands-on expertise is essential. When she was just a few weeks old Brenda and John Fisher’s daughter, Chloe, was diagnosed with Fallots Tetraology, a heart defect which affects the working of the heart and lungs.
Chloe was too young to undergo the vital surgery she needed. Every day her parents watched her struggle to breathe, her skin blue from lack of oxygen.
When Chloe was finally operated on she was brought back to the family home in Kilkeel, Co Down – miles from the nearest hospital.
“I was sent home with a delicate baby,” Brenda recalls. “Despite his training your GP cannot be a heart specialist.
“I could phone ward staff in the hospital but it’s not the same as having a specialist member of staff come to see your baby at home,” she said.
Chloe is now five years of age. She still wears clothes for two-year-olds because her heart condition means she hasn’t grown at the same rate as other children.
The children’s heart charity, Heartbeat and the NICHSA hope to raise enough money to appoint a children’s heart nurse to help families who find themselves in the same frightening position as the Fishers.
The nurse will be specially trained in children’s heart conditions, and will be able to answer questions that worry parents.
“What we’re offering is support, comfort and expert information,” said Myrtle Neill, Director of Health at NICHSA.
“Statistics indicate that over 100 families across the North would benefit from such a service each year,” she said.
The charities are asking for donations from the public. People can donate or read further information on a children’s heart nurse for the North by logging on to www.nichsa.com

RTE News

Report on impact of border on Protestants

05 April 2005 16:57

The Equality Authority has been urged to investigate the situation of the Protestant community in the Republic’s border counties.

The call has come from the authors of a new report on the impact the border has had on the area.

The report also calls on the authority to ensure that employers cannot discriminate against most people with criminal records.

Entitled ‘The Emerald Curtain’, the report looks at the way communities in the Republic have been affected by the border.

The report launched this morning says that overall there needs to be rapid progress on cross-border institutions as well as investment in areas such as transport, health, education and social services.

The Protestant community in the area still faces significant problems such as discrimination. The report says the Equality Authority should investigate its situation and make recommendations to reverse it.

It also shows that around 4,000 ex-prisoners and their families, along with 11,000 displaced persons, settled in the border region during the Troubles. Many in both groups say they still feel isolated and discriminated against.

The report also reveals that many women remain in low-paid, insecure jobs.

BreakingNews.ie

Orange Order Chaplain at centre of Papal joke storm

05/04/2005 - 15:38:36

A clergyman, at the centre of a storm over mimicking the ailing Pope, almost provoked a walkout when he told jokes about the Pontiff at a previous function, it emerged tonight.

The Rev Stephen Dickinson is facing calls to resign after his impression of the John Paul II at a gospel rally near Lisburn Co Antrim in February.

The Co Antrim-based Presbyterian Minister admitted making a joke at the Pope’s expense but denied mocking his struggle with Parkinson’s disease.

Mr Dickinson, Grand Chaplain of the Orange Order, said he had “taken the mickey” out of Pope John Paul II but had not meant to cause any offence.

“The joke was neither meant to be anti-Catholic, nor was it anti-Parkinson’s,” he said.

“I would unreservedly apologise to anybody who would take offence at what was reported,” he added.

But Ulster Unionist councillor Jim Dillon said today that Mr Dickinson had also caused great offence last September at the Lord Mayor of Lisburn’s inaugural dinner.

“He left a lot to be desired. There was nearly a walkout because he was derogatory about the Catholic faith and the Pope.

“Any Catholics that were there were offended. Some Protestants also felt uncomfortable,” he said.

Mr Dickinson, who is resisting calls to resign, accused Mr Dillon of jumping on the bandwagon.

“I told jokes about Dr Paisley who was sitting there that night,” he said.

“Dave Allen used to tell jokes about the Pope. The jokes I told were nothing like his and the BBC put him in a TV slot,” he added.

Mr Dickinson claimed his actions were being blown out of all proportion.

“It is mischievous. It happened in February and is only reported two days after the Pope has died.

“People are now saying they are offended but why did it take them so long?” he added.

But Sam Foster, a former Stormont Environment Minister, who had to retire because of Parkinson’s disease, labelled his impression of the Pope an absolute disgrace.

“You don’t make mockery of Parkinson’s disease. You don’t make a mockery of any disease whatsoever,” he said.

“I think it is totally and entirely uncalled for, grossly offensive and very, very insulting.”

Alliance councillor for Belfast David Alderdice said that while religious leaders should be allowed a sense of humour, Mr Dickinson’s actions displayed a lack of understanding and sensitivity.

“Making jokes at the expense of someone who was extremely ill at the time, no matter who it was, is something Rev Dickinson obviously needs to think hard about,” he added.

BreakingNews.ie

Omagh: Murphy further remanded

05/04/2005 - 11:52:00

Colm Murphy, whose conviction for an offence connected with the Omagh bombing in 1998 was quashed, was further remanded until next October, when he appeared briefly at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today.

Prosecution solicitor Mr Denis Butler told the court that he was seeking a remand in Murphy’s case until October 4 next.

Murphy’s solicitor, Mr Michael Farrell, expressed some concern about the length of time a decision in the case was taking, but in the circumstances he agreed to the adjournment.

The court remanded Murphy on continuing bail until October 4.

Murphy was freed on bail last January after he signed a bail bond, lodging €50,000 in cash with the court, agreeing to sign on daily at Dundalk garda station, to reside at Plaster, Mountpleasant , Dundalk and not to apply for a passport.

Murphy was jailed for 14 years by the Special Criminal Court in January 2002 for playing a role in the Omagh bomb which killed 29 people, including a mother pregnant with twins, and injured over 300 in 1998.

He was the first person to be convicted in either the Republic or Northern Ireland in connection with the Real IRA bombing, the worst terrorist atrocity in the history of the thirty years of the troubles.

But in January the Court of Criminal Appeal overturned the conviction and ordered a retrial after finding that the court of trial had failed to give proper regard to altered garda interview notes and that there had been “an invasion of the presumption of innocence” in the judgement on Murphy.

During a 25-day trial in 2001 and 2002, Murphy, (aged 52), a father of four, building contractor and publican who is a native of Co Armagh with an address at Jordan’s Corner, Ravensdale, Co Louth had pleaded not guilty to conspiring in Dundalk with another person not before the court to cause an explosion in the State or elsewhere between August 13 and 16, 1998.

BreakingNews.ie

Two in court charged with IRA membership
05/04/2005 - 07:57:03

Two men charged with IRA membership and explosives and firearms offences will appear before the Special Criminal Court in Dublin today.

Gareth Kelly, (aged 23), of Clondalkin and Robert Humphreys, (aged 44), of Ballyfermot were arrested last month as part of a Garda operation against dissident republicans.

Both men were charged with IRA membership during a brief appearance at the three-judge, non-jury Special Criminal Court.

Kelly was also charged with the unlawful possession of a .38 inch Colt revolver and six rounds of ammunition at his home in March.

Humphreys was charged with the unlawful possession of explosive substances - one improvised electrical detonator, two coils of electrical wire for detonating explosives and two panel-mounted time delay relays.

Both men are set to appear in the Special Criminal Court at 10.30am today.

Belfast Telegraph

Missing boy appeal

By Debra Douglas
05 April 2005

Police in Belfast last night appealed for help in tracing a 15-year-old boy who has been missing for almost one week.

Martin Begley was last seen in the Upper Whiterock area of west Belfast on March 29.

He is described as being 5′6″ tall, of slim build with a swarthy complexion and dark hair.

Anyone with information is asked to contact detectives at Grosvenor Road on 9065 0222 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

BreakingNews.ie

McCartneys take murder fight to Europe

05/04/2005 - 09:20:54

The family of murdered Belfast man Robert McCartney are taking their campaign for justice to the heart of Europe today.

They are travelling to Brussels to meet key figures in the European Parliament.

Their visit, which includes speaking to the different political groupings, will culminate in a meeting with the president of the European Parliament, Joseph Borrell.

Mr McCartney, a 33-year-old father of two, was stabbed to death after a pub brawl in Belfast city centre on January 30.

Catherine McCartney, one of his five sisters, said they would be highlighting the difficulties they were having in persuading witnesses to the murder to come forward to give evidence.

“We want to find out what Europe can do in terms of practical support for our campaign. We are very frustrated that still no one in the bar has come forward to the police or the Ombudsman directly with any evidence,” she said.

Meanwhile, a 31-year-old man questioned by detectives in connection with the murder was last night released without charge.

He was arrested after presenting himself at a Belfast police station with his solicitor.

The McCartney family have blamed IRA members for the murder and for subsequent intimidation of witnesses.

The republican group later expelled three of its members allegedly involved in the fatal attack, while Sinn Fein suspended seven of its members.

Police investigating the incident have quizzed a total of 12 men but so far no-one has been charged with the murder.

BBC

New unit for mentally ill opens

Northern Ireland’s first regional secure unit for severely mentally ill patients has opened in south Belfast.

It means adults who need secure medical accommodation will no longer have to go to Carstairs in Scotland or be housed in a long stay psychiatric ward.

The medium secure Shannon Clinic, at Knockbracken Healthcare Park, will provide services for up to 34 patients.

Each of the £9m facility’s three wards will have individual patient rooms as well as communal areas.

The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety said the clinic will form an important part of the regional network of Forensic Mental Health Services being developed in Northern Ireland.

The clinic, which has 120 staff, will take referrals from special hospitals, courts and prisons, psychiatric intensive care units and community forensic mental health teams.

Rehabilitation

Its services are for people from throughout Northern Ireland, some, but not all of whom, may have had contact with the judicial system.

The service will provide assessment, treatment, care and rehabilitation with many patients remaining at the clinic for up to two years.

Dr Fred Browne, the clinic’s lead clinician, said they would be working in partnership with the families of patients.

“The reality is that the services we have had so far have been inadequate and underdeveloped, they have been rather outmoded in a number of areas, so this new service will provide a great improvement in the quality and standard of care,” he said.

He said that they had also tried to be open with people who live in the area and may have concerns about the facility.

“In the last few days we have had perhaps 1,000 people come and visit the new unit and they have been very positive,” he said.

“I think what people need to consider in this situation is how this new service compares with what was available beforehand.”

High security mental health services will continue to be provided by specialist hospitals in other parts of the UK.

IRISH REPUBLICAN INFORMATION SERVICE (no. 11)

Teach Dáithí Ó Conaill, 223 Parnell Street, Dublin 1, Ireland

Phone: +353-1-872 9747; FAX: +353-1-872 9757; e-mail: saoirse@iol.ie

Date: 4 AIbreán / April 2005

Internet resources maintained by SAOIRSE-Irish Freedom

In this issue:
1. Bundoran remembers our patriot dead
2. Tomás Mac Curtáin remembered in Cork
3. No improvement in Maghaberry conditions
4. Údarás: SFP i lár an aonaigh i gconamara
5. Special Branch harassment continues
6. 26-county police criticised in human rights report
7. British spyposts emitting raw sewage in south Armagh
8. Public inquiry call for Rosemary Nelson
9. Death of Pope John Paul II

1. BUNDORAN REMEMBERS OUR PATRIOT DEAD

ON Easter Monday, March 28, 2005, a Garden of Remembrance was officially opened in Bundoran, Co Donegal to honour those who gave their lives in the cause of the All-Ireland Republic.

The parade assembled at the East End and marched behind a piper and the Tricolour through the town to the Garden where a crowd of approximately 1,000 people heard Joe O’Neill declare the Garden officially open when he asked Martin McGrath, Jimmy McElhinney, Emmet Dillon and Pat Barry to open the gates. He said the garden was to remember the ‘brave patriots who, in the face of the enemy, never showed cowardice or betrayal, but at all times showed dignity and respect for the cause they had fought for’. Joe than called on Fr Des Wilson to bless the Garden.

Music for the afternoon was provided by The Fenians, Peggy Kelly, Frankie McKiernan and Joe O’Neill, and included Four Green Fields, Michael Gaughan, Boys of the Old Brigade etc and some Irish airs.

Richard Walsh, Derry, read the 1916 Proclamation and Pat Barry, Bundoran, recited The Mother by Padraig Pearse.
The families of the Volunteers 1973-1984 unveiled a magnificent Celtic Cross while Eileen McElhinney, Letterkenny, read the Roll of Honour to Paddy Carty, Seán Crow Loughran, Dermot Crowley, Anton Mac Giolla Bhríde and Ciarán Fleming.

The families and friends of Bobby Sands, Francie Hughes, Ray McCreesh, Patsy O’Hara, Joe McDonnell, Martin Hurson, Kevin Lynch, Kieran Doherty, Thomas McElwee, Mickey Devine, Michael Gaughan and Frank Stagg unveiled 12 plaques in their honour.

Brendan McLoughlin, an ex-hunger striker who was in the cell next to Joe McDonnell, unveiled a plaque to Wolfe Tone and all who gave their lives for Irish freedom and all who gave their lives because of England’s occupation. Declan Curneen sang a song he composed in memory of Ciaran Fleming, and Ann O’Neill Pastor sang Shall My Soul Pass Through Ireland.

Dr Seán Maguire, son of the late General Tom Maguire, the last faithful member of the Second All-Ireland Dáil Éireann who died in 1993 at the age of 101, unveiled a plaque to the 10 hunger strikers 1917-1946.

A wreath was laid on behalf of all those who died on hunger strikes by Ann O’Neill Pastor and Mary Ward, widow of the late Pat Ward, Donegal, whose early death can be attributed to hunger strikes. Phyllis Cullen and Mary O’Neill laid a wreath of the Five Volunteers. Ann Sheerin and Margaret McGrath laid a wreath at the Wolfe Tone Plaque. A decade of the Rosary was recited by Fergus McCabe.

The flag was lowered by Bill Tompkins, Boston, USA while the piper, Seán Doyle, played a lament. Séamus McGowan and Mick Cullen unveiled a plaque on the wall outside the gate.

Joe then introduced Fr Des Wilson who gave a very fitting oration. Joe thanked all those who attended and all those who made the Garden possible.

The ceremonies concluded with the playing of Joe McDonnell, The Men Behind the Wire and then Amhrán na bhFiann.
A Souvenir Programme is available from Joe for €7 including postage.

2. TOMÁS MAC CURTÁIN REMEMBERED IN CORK

ON Sunday, April 3 the Mac Curtáin/Mac Suibhne Cumann, Republican Sinn Féin, Cork held a commemoration outside the home of the murdered Lord Mayor, Tomás Mac Curtáin, in Blackpool, Cork.

The proceedings were chaired by Terence Varian and a wreath was placed on behalf of RSF by Alfie Mc Avoy. A decade of the Rosary was said, followed by a lament by a lone piper. Terence Varian then gave the oration in the course of which he gave the history of Tomás Mac Curtáin “Irish patriot and soldier, in pursuit of liberation and the establishment of a sovereign, independent Irish Republic”.

3. NO IMPROVEMENT IN MAGHABERRY CONDITIONS

IN A statement on April, Richard Walsh, PRO, Republican Prisoners’ Action Group said that as previously reported, the Republican Prisoners’ Action Group met with the Six County Human Rights Commission in Belfast on February 24.
The statement continued: “In response to this meeting, the HRC have sent a member of staff to meet with a representative of the Republican POWs in Maghaberry.

“The opportunity to brief the HRC on the conditions in the jail has been welcomed by the POWs. An RPAG delegation was sent to meet with Monsignor Faul, who is due to visit Maghaberry and meet with the Republican Prisoners in the coming week.

“The British Irish Rights Watch group has also agreed to meet with us in the near future. Private letters also continue to be censored. The screws have been reported to be banging the doors of cells every hour during the night. However, progress has been made on one issue: legal aid has been granted in order to pursue a judicial review against the lack of provision of a bus for prisoners attending legal visits (such transportation is already provided for family visits).”

4. ÚDARÁS: SFP I LÁR AN AONAIGH I GCONAMARA

I dtoghlach Chonamara don Údárás fuair Tomás Ó Curraoin, iarrthóir Shinn Féin Poblachtach, 848 vótái den chéad rogha, sin méadú de 219 nó 34.82% ar thoghcháin 1999.

Bhí sé san iomaíocht go dtí an 13ú chomhaireamh nuair a bhí 1,229 bainte amach aige.

As we go to press the full picture is not available of the count for the Galway constituency in the Údarás na Gaeltachta elections.

Suffice to say that Tomás Ó Curraoin increased his vote by 35% on his 1999 performance - from 629 to 848 first preferences. He was in seventh place for six seats and remained in the running until the 13th count. A full account will be given next month.

Bhí Tomás ar bhárr an chomhairimh sna boscaí i mBearna (2 bhosca), Na Forbacha, i mBuaile Beag agus i mbosca amháin i gCnoc na Cathrach ar imeall chathair na Gaillimhe.

Tá Tomás ag dlúthaí a chuid tacaíochta i gcónaí agus ag cur leis. Is féidir a rá go bhfuil Sinn Féin Poblachtach i lár an aonaigh maidir le Gaeltacht Chonamara de!

5. SPECIAL BRANCH HARASSMENT CONTINUES

IN A statement on April 3 the Vice-President of Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton has spoken out against the latest case of 26 County Special Branch harassment of RSF members.

“In yet another example of the ongoing Special Branch campaign of intimidation directed against members of Republican Sinn Féin, five of our members, including a 16 year old girl were accosted by seven armed Special Branch members in Dublin on Saturday, April 2. They were on their way to an RSF education seminar in Parnell Square when they were set upon.

“Without identifying themselves five Special Branch men seized one of the men and handcuffed him, a second car containing two Special Branch members then arrived. They singled out the woman and the 16-ear-old girl for a full body search. At this point the young girl became very distressed. They threatened all with arrest if they refused to give their date of birth, which by law they are not obliged to. They held the group for about 20 minutes.

“This type of harassment is not new to members of Republican Sinn Féin and is part of a concerted campaign of intimidation. All with the purpose of criminalisng and isolating RSF and its members. This state campaign has also included the illegal seizing of 11.000 euro by the Special Branch last November, again with the intention of disrupting our normal political activities. Such terror tactics will not deter Republican Sinn Féin or its members from continuing to campaign for an end to the British occupation of our country and the building of a New Ireland.”

On March 28 the home of a Republican Sinn Féin member in the Ballyseedy/Ballymacelligott area of Kerry was raided and searched at 8am by three members of the 26-County political police.

6. 26-COUNTY POLICE CRITICISED IN HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT

AN independent human rights audit of the 26-County police has found that procedures and operating practices within it “can lead to institutional racism” particularly in relation to Nigerians, Travellers and Muslims.

Some members of the 26-County Police expressed concern to the authors of the audit “about the increase in racist attacks and the lack of police action to tackle these.”

The report, which was published on March 31, also recommends a review of bullying and anti-harassment procedures saying some Gardai questioned during the audit expressed concerns in this regard.

The audit also found “little evidence that human rights are embedded” in the 26 County Police force’s policy or operational procedures.

It recommends that the 26-County Department of Justice review the role of the Garda in enforcing immigration law. Its role in this area had sometimes undermined its efforts to develop good relations with minority communities, the report found.
The audit does not make easy reading for Garda management and the Dublin government coming as it did on the same day, April 1, the Nigerian student Olukunle Elukanlo returned to Ireland after strong public reaction to his deportation. There has also been strong criticism of the handling of other recent deportations.

The audit was carried out by Ionann and was commissioned by the 26 County Police force’s Human Rights Working Group. This group was established following Council of Europe initiative on policing and human rights, which took place between 1997 and 2001.

Some 4000 questionnaires were sent out to serving members and civilians working for the 26 County Police in July 2003. The questionnaires were sent to one-third of those serving between the ranks of garda and sergeant and one-third of the civilian staff.

All those ranked inspector to superintendent were sent a questionnaire. Some 1.242 were completed and returned.
Ionann also interviewed 20 of the force’s most senior officers and 25 community groups also took part in the process.

* Among the 15 main recommendations are as follows:
* Identify and tackle institutional racism.
* Deal robustly with racist crime and protect vulnerable communities.
* Undertake a human rights impact assessment of existing and forthcoming policy and operational procedures and establish systems to monitor compliance with human rights.
* Provide more support for staff to report human rights abuses.

7. BRITISH SPYPOSTS EMITTING RAW SEWAGE IN SOUTH ARMAGH

A REPORT in the Belfast Daily Ireland newspaper said that the British army is letting raw sewage flow openly from its heavily fortified spy posts on hilltops across south Armagh.

Photographic evidence shows that sewage is running from the posts, which were supposed to have been taken down under the terms of the 1998 Stormont Agreement.

Brian Finnegan, PRO of the South Armagh Demilitarisation Committee, said on March 31: “The SADC have made photographs available that have been taken by demilitarisation activists over the last few months.

“One of these photos shows an open sewage pit inside the perimeter of a spy post.

“The British army go on to claim that residue is treated on site and emitted as a ‘clear harmless liquid’. The committee have also made available a number of photographs taken by environmentalists which show a wide strip of bright green grass running down the hillside below a number of spy posts,” he added.

“The natural plant life, predominantly heather, is not in evidence. Close-up photos reveal a putrid sludge below unnatural grass. Pipes emerging from the posts are seen to be emitting anything but a harmless liquid.”

8. PUBLIC INQUIRY CALL FOR ROSEMARY NELSON

A COMMEMORATION to mark the sixth anniversary of murdered Lurgan solicitor Rosemary Nelson on March 16 heard calls for the findings of the inquiry into her death to be made public.

Rosemary Nelson (40) was killed by an under-car booby trap bomb outside her home in Lurgan on March 15, 1999 in an attack claimed by the British-backed loyalist death squad the Red Hand Defenders. No one has yet been charged with her murder.

The commemoration in Belfast was attended by friends of the murdered human rights lawyer as well as members of women’s welfare groups, loyalists and Republicans, who all gathered in Belfast’s Linen Hall Library.

Belfast solicitor Pádraigín Drinan said the inquiry’s terms of reference would result in key information about Mrs Nelson’s murder being withheld from the public. “This inquiry will come under the terms of the 1998 Police Act and that gives the secretary of state the final say-so as to what information is released to the public.

“So what we have is not a public inquiry but a private one that can conclude that everything is all right, and the public will not have the chance to scrutinise that. “It makes a mockery of the term ‘public inquiry’,” she said.

Representatives from Relatives for Justice, the Rape Crisis Centre and the Children’s Law Centre also attended.
There have been consistent allegations that there had been state collusion in the death of Rosemary Nelson.

Her case is one of four that the Canadian Judge Peter Cory said should be investigated by the British government through a public inquiry.

Rosemary Nelson had given legal advice to the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition and also represented the family of Sam Marshall, a Lurgan nationalist murdered just metres from an RUC barracks in the town.

Before her murder, she had complained that RUC men had issued death threats to her.

After her funeral, hundreds of nationalists marched to Lurgan RUC barracks with placards proclaiming “Rosemary Nelson - murdered by the RUC”.
Letters were read out from African National Congress representatives and human-rights groups from the United States. They criticised the British government’s handling of the murder and called for a full public inquiry.

Ms Drinan said, “We lost a good friend and a good solicitor in Rosemary Nelson. Her murder was a blow to all those who work for justice.

“We must ensure she is not only remembered but that her murder is fully and thoroughly investigated.”

9. DEATH OF POPE JOHN PAUL II

AFTER a very long illness Pope John Paul II died on April 2. In a statement Republican Sinn Féin Vice-President Des Dalton paid him tribute. “Coming as he did from a country which like Ireland had endured many years of foreign occupation by more powerful neighbours, Irish people identified strongly with Pope John Paul. He remained throughout his life a tireless campaigner for human rights throughout the world and was particularly concerned about the growing gap between the northern and southern hemispheres. The voiceless and downtrodden have truly lost a champion of their cause.”

ENDS

BBC

McCartney murder police free man

Police have released a man without charge after questioning him about the murder of Robert McCartney, who was stabbed to death in a Belfast bar.

The 31-year-old man went to a police station with a solicitor on Sunday to be interviewed.

Mr McCartney, 33, who was from the Short Strand area, was stabbed to death after a row in a bar near Belfast city centre on 30 January.

His family has blamed IRA members for the murder.

Suspensions

They have also accused the IRA of subsequent interference with evidence and witnesses.

The IRA has expelled three members over the stabbing and Sinn Fein subsequently suspended seven of its members while the police investigation takes place.

Mr McCartney’s five sisters and his partner Bridgeen Hagans have launched a campaign in an attempt to bring the killers to justice.

Catherine McCartney said of the man’s questioning on Sunday: “We expected this to happen and we think it’s part of the strategy to trivialise the charges. We know what they are (IRA) at.”