SAOIRSE32

Sinn Féin

Published: 29 June, 2005

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams, MP for West Belfast, has welcomed today’s commitment by Minister for Education Angela Smith to give Gaelscoil an Lonnain, Falls Road, formal recognition. Gerry Adams has raised this matter with the Minister in the recent past and spoke to her again yesterday:

“The commitment which Angela Smith has now given will secure the future of Gaelscoil an Lonnain for the next 3 years. This Irish medium primary school has been playing a vital role in the life of the lower Falls community on a shoestring budget. The fact that Gaelscoil an Lonnain will now receive support from the Department of Education is the good news which parents, children and staff in this school have been waiting to hear. I now hope that this breakthrough will enable everyone in Gaelscoil an Lonnain to prepare for the new school year in September.” ENDS

RTE

29 June 2005 20:34

Five men from Co Mayo have been sent to prison after the High Court found them to be in breach of court orders preventing them obstructing the building of a gas pipeline owned by Shell.

Sending the men to prison, Mr Justice McMenamin said the men could not take the law into their own hands.

The judge said the men had indicated that they had obstructed the construction and would continue to obstruct it. He said he had no alternative but to commit them to prison until they purged their contempt.

Council on behalf of Shell, Mr Pat Hanratty, said it was with great regret that the company had taken this step.

Shell, which wants to build the pipeline from the offshore Corrib gas field, had sought committal of the men to prison for their refusal to obey two injunctions preventing them from obstructing work.

Four of the five men had been obstructing pipeline construction work on some of their own lands.

Following today’s High Court decision, the five men, Philip McGrath, Willie Corduff, Vincent McGrath, James Brendan Philbin and Michael O’Seighin, were taken to the Bridewell Garda Station.

Caitlin O’Seighin, Mr O’Seighin’s wife, said she was very proud of her husband for standing up for what was right.

Willie Corduff said he was devastated. He said the men were being put in jail for trying to protect the health of their families.

The Mayo Independent TD, Dr Jerry Cowley, who was in court, said it was a scandal that the five were going to prison.

He said the community near Rossport, Co Mayo, was living in mortal fear because of safety concerns over the pipeline.

This morning, Mr Justice Finnegan gave them some time to consider but all five refused to give assurances that they would not obstruct construction work in the future.

BBC

Orde recommended 17 PSNI stations close

The chief constable has recommended to the Policing Board that 17 rural PSNI stations close.

Most of the stations are in County Fermanagh.

Sir Hugh Orde’s recommendations are expected to be discussed at a private session of the Policing Board in Belfast on Thursday.

They follow a review by the chief constable of more than 60 police stations in which there was consultation at local level.

Eight of the 17 stations have already been run-down.

Almost half the locations on the list are in Fermanagh and include Rosslea and Kinawley.

Some of the other stations are Castlerock, Ardglass, Moy and Dromore in County Tyrone.

The others are understood to be Moneymore, Castlewellan, Plumbridge, Ballygawley, Caledon, Ballnamallard, Derrygonelly, Irvinestown, Lisbellaw, Newtownbutler and Tempo.

This move has been on the cards, but it has now been put before the Policing Board for approval where it will likely be the subject of heated debate.

BBC

Andrew McCartney said a ‘bug’ was found in the kitchen ceiling

A suspected bugging device has been found at the home of a prominent republican.

Andrew McCartney said the ‘bug’ was found in a kitchen ceiling cavity at his house in Londonderry’s Branch area.

It was uncovered as electricians rewired an extension. Mr McCartney said the device had two aerials, batteries and a microphone.

Sinn Fein is blaming the intelligence services for placing it there. Mr McCartney wants an explanation.

He said he and his family needed an explanation for this “invasion of privacy”.

“Because I am a republican, is that a justification for placing a listening device in my home, invading my privacy and the privacy of my wife and children?”, he asked.

SF Foyle assembly member Raymond McCartney said this was “just the latest evidence that the PSNI, Special Branch and British Military Intelligence have no intention of entering a new mode”.

‘Explanation’ call

“Although it is impossible to determine how long this sophisticated device was in place, it has to be assumed that it was placed there with the authorisation of either British Secretary of State Peter Hain or his predecessors,” Raymond McCartney said.

He said he intended to call on Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams to demand an explanation from the British and Irish governments.

Last year, the party displayed two listening devices which it claimed to have uncovered.

SF said that one had been found at the party’s Connolly House headquarters and another at the Belfast home of a woman who works for party president Gerry Adams.

One device was recently put up for auction on the internet, but was later removed by the site owners.

Newshound

(by Brian Kennaway, Irish Times)

A Google search on “Drumcree” reveals there has been an enormous amount written over the last decade about this seemingly intractable problem.

After a decade of “Drumcree Sundays”, and as we approach “Drumcree 11″, perhaps the time has come to analyse the Drumcree phenomena and look at its impact both within the Orange Order and in the wider community.

As one who attended the early Drumcree rallies in 1995 and 1996 in support of what I still see as a “just cause” – the right to peacefully walk the public roads as an affirmation of civil liberties – I discern a hardening of attitudes over the years.

The violence associated with the protests has escalated. In 1995-96 it was minimal on “the hill”, although the protests, badly organised as they were across Northern Ireland, did not win friends and influence people to the Orange cause.

The impact on ordinary decent Orangemen was devastating. One Presbyterian elder commented as he resigned from the institution: “I did not join the Orange Order to block roads.”

Although the leadership assured membership that they would not allow this to happen again, the violence did escalate over the years, particularly in 1998 and 2002. The impact of the violence directed towards the Crown forces by members of the institution, many of whom were wearing Orange regalia, should not be lost on the wider community.

While many walked away from the institution because of this overt violence, others held on in the vain hope that things would be dealt with. The promises of discipline by the leadership soon turned to pledges of support, as those charged with offences after Drumcree 2002 appeared in court and were found guilty of riotous behaviour. This added insult to injury as far as the truly authentic Orangeman was concerned.

The Drumcree phenomena is unfortunately not restricted to the events on Drumcree hill. The election of David Trimble as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party on September 8th, 1995, has often been attributed to the part he played in the resolution of the protest earlier that year.

This has been associated in the public mind with the now famous holding hands aloft with Ian Paisley – which the media insist was on the Garvaghy Road, though it was in fact in Carlton Street, Portadown, where the Orange Hall is situated.

As Dean Godson points out in his biography of Trimble, not everyone is agreed that Drumcree was a positive attribute, and it may have cost him as much support as it gained him.

The Belfast Agreement of 1998 only added fuel to the fire where the Drumcree protest was concerned. What began in 1995 as a “civil rights” protest quickly became an anti-agreement protest.

Although the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland never came out against the agreement, and refused to do so when a “no” resolution was proposed, the institution is perceived to be anti-agreement because the leadership of the Grand Lodge clearly identified themselves with the “no” campaign.

This complex confusion of issues only added to the multifaceted nature of the Drumcree problem and made its resolution even more difficult.

The consequences for the Orange Order in the midst of all this confusion was that we confirmed our worst stereotype as bowler-hatted bigots. The order therefore continued to lose membership among middle Ulster, and those young Protestants of intellectual ability who might have been tempted to throw in their weight with the Orange cause, failed to do so in any significant numbers.

As the institution continued to be ravaged internally with failed strategies and duplicitous dealings it did not present an attractive image of the future, at least not the attractive future which post-conflict Protestants desired.

Relationships between the two communities, already polarised as a direct result of 30 years of sectarian conflict, are further entrenched by loyalist paramilitary presence at sensitive Orange parades in Belfast.

While the violence itself had a negative impact on the image of the Orange institution, that negative impact could have been lessened if the leadership had taken a firm hand and exercised discipline. That they had not the courage to do so has been clearly demonstrated.

Former executive officer of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland George Patton wrote: “Once Orangemen allow themselves to betray biblical Protestantism they deny their raison d’être.”

Clearly any human institution claiming to be based on the Bible and professing to maintain the principles of the Reformed faith, should reflect upon the instructions contained in the Bible.

Paul instructed Christians: “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18).

June 29, 2005
________________

The Rev Brian Kennaway, Presbyterian minister at Crumlin in Belfast, is a former convenor of the education committee of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland.

This article appears in the June 27, 2005 edition of the Irish Times.

Newshound

(Patrick Murphy, Irish News)

The IRA has already decided its future. That is the inevitable conclusion to be drawn from its current campaign of image transformation. While Ian Paisley and Bertie Ahern debate the semantics of disbandment versus standing down, the organisation has already begun to soften its image, so that its transformation from active to passive will be internally painless and externally acclaimed.

Evidence that the long march back to Stormont has already begun comes from the unusual haste with which political embarrassments are being put to rest. Gareth O’Connor’s body was located in Newry Canal with an uncanny precision, which could only have been inspired by those who put it there.

The British and Irish governments are hiring a forensic expert to find other missing IRA victims. He will apparently be so skilled that Gerry Adams is confident that all the bodies will be found.

In Derry the IRA admitted after 30 years that it had killed 14-year-old Kathleen Feeney – a confession which would have been more difficult following the appointment of a Sinn Féin member as deputy first minister.

But the IRA is not only remodelling its product – it is also changing its logo.

Last Sunday it held its annual parade to Wolfe Tone’s grave in Bodenstown, Co Kildare. The event has been traditionally led by a colour party wearing black berets and black or khaki jumpers.

But this year was different. Gone were the paramilitary trappings and in their place a colour party wore green blazers. It could have been a parade led by tennis umpires at Wimbledon.

Whether they were republicans or guests, the image they gave the commemoration was similar to that of US war veterans on parade – or members of the Royal British Legion marching down Whitehall on Remembrance Sunday.

This marks the emergence of the new IRA – the paramilitary group which likes to say ‘yes’. It will be an organisation where old soldiers will never die – they will just undergo a rebranding of their market image.

So not only is the war over and won, the Provisional IRA is over too. For its successful transformation from paramilitary to para-political it must pursue three inter-linked strands of spin – claim continuity of structure; reinforce its assertion of victory and, to justify its victory claim, it must then rewrite Irish history.

Structural continuity is not new. A year ago, for example, 20 aging men assembled in a Dublin hotel to commemorate the IRA raid on Armagh barracks in June 1954 when 250 rifles, 37 Sten guns and nine Bren guns were stolen in broad daylight. They assembled at 3pm – the same time as the raid in which 18 British soldiers were quietly tied up and not a shot was fired.

Thus the concept of an old comrades’ association already exists and, more significantly, it does not depend on disbanding the organisation or giving up its weapons. Previous generations of republicans simply recognised defeat and made way for the next generation.

By saying that there can never be an armed republican struggle again in Ireland, the Provisional IRA has abandoned that tradition – hence its popularity in Dublin and London. In the advertising genre of “I can’t believe it’s not butter” critics might regard this as a case of “I can’t believe it’s not the SDLP”.

Assuming that it was fighting for a 32-county, socialist republic, claims of a PIRA victory are also hard to justify. To date there are no 32-county structures; socialism seems to have been squeezed out somewhere between Downing Street and the White House and, since the Good Friday Agreement, Ireland is permanently partitioned by consent. None out of three sounds suspiciously like defeat.

To justify its victory claim it must now rewrite its history and suggest that its 30-year struggle was not for Irish unity and independence but for the Good Friday Agreement – implausible but possible. But because of its claimed genetic links back through 1916 to Wolfe Tone, it must also claim that every republican since then also fought for the agreement – even more implausible but read the speeches.

The PIRA’s actions represent a perfectly legitimate political tactic which will have overwhelming support in Ireland and abroad. It will bring political power and, in many eyes, that will be sufficient justification for its actions. What it will do with that power is another matter.

In the meantime its decision has been made. In justifying its future, the PIRA must of necessity also rewrite Ireland’s past.

Irish history will never be the same.

June 29, 2005
________________

This article appeared first in the June 28, 2005 edition of the Irish News.

BBC

Police captured Curry on CCTV near Mr Thompson’s home

A train driver who planted a car bomb in Bolton as part of a terrorist feud which spilled over from Northern Ireland has been jailed for 20 years.

Stanley Curry, 47, took part in the attack on a friend of former paramilitary leader Johnny Adair.

Curry, from Birmingham, had put the bomb under the car of John Thompson, but part of it fell off.

Curry was found guilty at Preston Crown Court of conspiring to cause an explosion. He had denied the charge.

The attack was a result of reprisals between warring factions of loyalist UDA groups in Northern Ireland.

Mr Thompson, a former UDA lieutenant nicknamed “Fat Jackie” by his comrades, fled to Bolton in February 2003 after a feud among loyalist terror groups in Belfast.

A simulated explosion showed the damage the bomb could have done

Mr Adair had been a commander of the West Belfast ‘C’ Company of the Ulster Freedom Fighters which had broken ranks with the rest of the UFF.

John Gregg and Robert Carson, members of the opposing faction, were then shot dead in a taxi in Belfast.

Curry, originally from Moreton on the Wirral, blamed “Adair’s lot” for the killings, he told police.

A bomb was placed under Thompson’s red Ford Escort, which was parked outside his home in Halliwell, Bolton, on 16 December 2003.

‘Potentially fatal’

He got into the car to go to work and after going over a speed bump heard a loud bang.

A small detonator had exploded, but not with enough force to set off the bomb, which was placed directly under the driver’s seat.

Trial prosecutor Mark Ellison had said: “It was only that technical failure, clearly we suggest wholly unintended by those intending to blow him up, that enabled him to walk away from what would have been very serious injuries or death.”

Curry hired a van the day before the bomb was discovered and was caught on CCTV near Mr Thompson’s home.

Painstaking work

Police carried out a simulated explosion on a similar-sized car, using a similar-sized device to the one found, to show the damage which could have been caused if the bomb had detonated.

Ch Supt Dave Lea, from Greater Manchester Police, said: “It was fortunate that this device did not explode properly as Mr Thompson could have been left with potentially fatal injuries.

“A dedicated team of officers were deployed to piece together the events surrounding the bomb being placed and identify the person responsible.

“It involved hours of painstaking work to identify relevant CCTV images. Forensic teams also spent hours re-constructing the device in a bid to trace any DNA evidence, which may have been left behind.”

BBC

Wright and Fisher were both convicted of murder

The mother of a man murdered by two soldiers in Belfast 13 years ago has vowed to fight on until his killers are thrown out of the Army.

Jean McBride’s 18-year-old son Peter was shot dead by two Scots Guards in Belfast in 1992.

She was speaking at the High Court after losing a third legal action to force the Ministry of Defence to expel Mark Wright and James Fisher.

Mrs McBride said she now intended to take her case to the European Court.

“I don’t think there is a judge in Northern Ireland with the bottle to stand up against the establishment, so it looks like we’ll have to take our case to Europe,” she said.

In June 2003, the Court of Appeal ruled by a 2-1 majority that the Army was wrong not to discharge the soldiers.

Instead, they made a legal declaration that the reasons adopted by the Army Board were not so exceptional as to permit the retention of the two soldiers.

Dismissing the case, Mr Justice Weir held that the decision to retain the soldiers remained effective even though the majority of judges found that there was no basis for it.

Wright and Fisher were sentenced to life for murder in 1995, but three years later were released from prison and allowed to rejoin their regiment.

At their trial, Wright and Fisher said they believed Peter McBride was carrying a bomb.

But the judge found they were lying as they had already stopped and searched him.

BBC

Twenty nine people died in the Real IRA attack

A man charged in connection with the Omagh bombing has been freed after the charge against him was dropped.

Anthony Joseph Donegan, 34, from Dundalk, was released on the order of the Public Prosecution Service.

Mr Donegan was charged in connection with the car used to carry the 1998 Real IRA bomb, which killed 29 people, including the mother of unborn twins.

Raymond Kitson of the PPS said the file from police had been “considered and the test for prosecution was not met”.

He said the PPS had studied the file sent to them by the Police Service of Northern Ireland “very, very carefully” before making the decision.

The charge put to Mr Donegan when he appeared before Enniskillen Magistrates Court in February was that between 11 and 16 August 1998, he made available to another person a maroon Vauxhall Cavalier car knowing it might be used for terrorism.

Inquiry call

Michael Gallagher, whose son died in what was Northern Ireland’s worst terrorist atrocity, said he was disappointed that approaching the seventh anniversary of the bombing no-one had been convicted.

“I think a full cross-border public inquiry is the only way we are going to get to the truth of what happened,” he said.

Sean Gerard Hoey, 35, of Molly Road, Jonesborough, South Armagh, is the only man still in custody charged with the bombing.

He was charged in May with the murders of the 29 people killed in the bombing.

BBC

The weapons were found at Coventry Airport

Two women and a man have been cleared of funding terrorist gun smugglers.

Belfast Crown Court judge Mr Justice Girvan said he could not be sure the trio knew they were sending money to America to buy guns and ammunition.

Maria Brogan, 30, McCamphill Pk; Patricia O’Kane, 29, Hillside Ave, both Dunloy; and Sean Burns, 29, Clonard Plc, Belfast, had denied the charges.

They had claimed they had been used and duped into sending more than £60,000 to five people in America.

The judge told the court that after “careful consideration,” the Crown had not satisfied him “beyond a reasonable doubt” that they had “knowledge of the intended purpose” of the money they sent to the States.

The judge said that “accordingly, the court must acquit each defendant” of the charge of facilitating terrorist funds between January and July 1999.

Handshakes

Mr Justice Girvan added that he would “follow as closely as possible” the practice of the jury system and would therefore not give reasons for the acquittals.

As he cleared the trio Ms Brogan gave a sharp intake of breath and put her hands to her face while all three received hugs and handshakes from friends and family in the public gallery.

During the trial, Mr Justice Girvan had heard that that following investigations in the US, four people were arrested and convicted of gun smuggling: Conor Claxton, 32; Ms O’Kane’s partner, Martin Mullan; 35, Anthony Smyth, 48; and Siobhan Browne, 35.

However, the US authorities are still hunting for Ms Brogan’s brother, Michael, after the authorities in the UK and US uncovered 90 guns, 82 magazines for use with AK47 assault rifles and 1,066 assorted bullets hidden in posted packages.

Security personnel at Coventry Airport uncovered guns, magazines and bullets when they X-rayed 19 “seemingly innocuous packages” that had been sent to the Republic of Ireland from Florida in July 1999.

Just a note to say that if you make a comment, it will have to be moderated before it will appear. This is so the spammers cannot post their poker and drug ads by the hundreds. Thank you for your patience.

Belfast Telegraph

By Jonathan McCambridge
29 June 2005

Police have seized a rocket launcher following a major intelligence-led operation against dissident republican crime, it can be revealed.

A 42-year-old man is being questioned today by detectives following a series of searches in Co Derry.

Yesterday’s arrest is the latest in a series of operations against an alleged all-Ireland organised crime ring and is connected to previous searches earlier this month.

The PSNI Organised Crime Unit made the arrest near Dungiven during an operation in which 12,000 suspected counterfeit cigarettes were recovered.

A safe was also seized during further searches in Londonderry and Garvagh.

It has emerged that a ‘Mark 15′ type rocket launcher has been recovered by detectives.

The weapon, which has the capacity to kill and cause extensive damage, is the type which has been used in previous occasions to attack police and Army bases.

The searches follow a joint PSNI/Garda operation against alleged money laundering earlier this month.

On that occasion, 11 searches were carried out at homes and businesses in Co Derry and £35,000 was recovered. Garda teams from Dublin also carried out searches in Donegal as part of the same operation, in which suspected counterfeit cigarettes were seized.

The smuggling of cigarettes is known to be very lucrative, and the Organised Crime Task Force annual report warned that the illicit market was a threat to the Exchequer.

Belfast Telegraph

By Brendan McDaid
29 June 2005

A five-year-old Derry girl who suffers from a rare and incurable brain disease is on her way to Disney World thanks to the generosity of local people.

Thousands have been raised following a special concert held in Derry at the weekend and an appeal through the Belfast Telegraph.

The family of Rhiannon Bates had expressed their hope just weeks ago of taking her on a dream holiday to Florida before the rapidly progressing degenerative brain disease prevents her from realising where she is.

Choirs and musicians from across Derry joined forces to raise the money needed during a concert at the Holy Family Church in Ballmagroarty.

Rhiannon has to wear a protective helmet and was today returning from London were she has been receiving two days of intensive treatment which it is hoped will help slow the progress of her condition.

Rhiannon, from Rockfield, developed the disease three years ago and there is no known cure.

The money raised from the concert will now fund the Florida trip for Rhiannon and her parents Alan and Shauna in September.

Rhiannon’s aunt, Martina Ramsey, who is helping to co-ordinate a series of fundraising events, including further concerts across the city, today said thanks to local people for their support.

She said: “The concert was amazing. It all went very well and it was a great tribute to her.

“We don’t know yet exactly how much was raised but it is enough to take Rhiannon and her parents to Disney World.

“We want to thank everybody who helped make this a success.”

Rhiannon was this week attending the Brain Wave programme in Somerset where experts tried to stimulate parts of her brain that are still living through exercises and mental activities.

Ms Ramsey, who accompanied her niece said: “It is an amazing programme and we are starting her on a new diet which in some children with similar conditions has reduced seizures by up to 50%.”

Mrs Ramsey is now set to organise further concerts to help purchase specialist equipment which will allow Rhiannon’s parents to continue the sensory development work at home.

“We will have to do this twice a day for the rest of her life” she said, adding: “This will help her with things like her colours. She used to know them all but she doesn’t now.

“We have been to the Royal on Belfast last week and they told us she was regressing quite quickly and this programme is to try and pull that back a bit.”

BreakingNews.ie

29/06/2005 - 08:48:44

A teenager is recovering in hospital today after being shot in a paramilitary-style attack.

The 17-year-old was shot in both knees in Carrickmannin Gardens, on the Kilcooley Estate, Bangor.

A police spokesman appealed for witnesses to the shooting, which happened at about 11.30pm yesterday.

BBC

Roisin Orr and Ryan Robinson were shaken by the attack

A man and woman have escaped injury in a petrol bomb attack on their house in County Down.

The incident took place in the Brayside Grove area of Castlereagh at about 0245 BST, the police said.

The petrol bomb hit the front door of the house and ignited causing scorch damage. A pane of glass was shattered but the couple were uninjured.

Roisin Orr, 19, said she believed the house was attacked by people who mistakenly thought she was Catholic.

She said the house where she and her 21-year-old fiance Ryan Robinson live had also been attacked last weekend.

Ms Orr said she was targeted because she had an Irish name.

“To narrow-minded people it automatically makes me a Catholic living in a loyalist estate, but I’m not, I’m a Presbyterian,” she said.

Police, who have taken a number of items away for scientific examination, have appealed for information.