SAOIRSE32

An Phoblacht

BY JOANNE CORCORAN

With Sinn Féin’s Céad Bliain year coming to a close the party has produced a set of limited edition cards honouring republican women. The Mná na hÉireann — Unfinished Revolution cards, which resemble playing cards, show photos of women from 1798 through to the present day who have contributed to the cause of Irish freedom, accompanied by their biographies.

Caitríona Ruane, who took charge of the Céad Bliain Committee in 2004 says she got the idea for the cards after a trip to America. “I was in the US a couple of years ago and picked up two sets of cards produced by the Library of Congress, paying tribute to great African-Americans and ‘Women who Dare’,” she told An Phoblacht this week.

“A while after that, myself and Mary Lou McDonald organised a women’s conference in Down and used the women’s cards as discussion points for speakers. Following that conference we thought the card idea would provide an excellent vehicle to honour some of the republican women who have given so much to the cause over the last few centuries.”

Carol Jackson of the Céad Bliain Committee was responsible for the production of the cards, with An Phoblacht providing most of the photographs of the women from the paper’s extensive archives.

Volume One is due to be launched by Gerry Adams and Caitríona Ruane on 12 December at 12pm in the Culturlánn in West Belfast. A launch with Mary Lou McDonald in Dublin will take place at a later date.

Among the 48 women honoured in the first volume are Síghle Humphreys (1899-1994), who participated in the Civil War, and spent the rest of her life fighting for republican causes; Sheena Campbell (1962-1992), who was instrumental in developing Sinn Féin’s electoral strategy until she was murdered by the UVF; Máire Comerford (1893-1982), a prominent member of the Anti-Partition League; Kathleen Largey (1943-1979), a ballad singer who invested her time in prisoner welfare and Annie-Mary Burke Gildernew (1918-1998), a life-long republican best known for the squat in 9 Kinnaird Park, Caledon, Tyrone, which eventually led to the first civil rights march.

“Some of the women we have honoured are very well-known, like Máire Drumm, Mairéad Farrell and Countess Markievicz,” Ruane says. “But there are many there, like Sidney Gifford Czira, Ethel Lynch, Bridie Dolan and Anne Parker, who were incredible women and committed republicans, but probably aren’t spoken about as much as they should be. These cards are about reclaiming those women and letting people know what they did.”

Ruane is aware that 48 cards aren’t sufficient to honour all the women who have fought for republicanism and says this is why the party hopes to produce more volumes in the coming years.

The cards can be purchased from the Sinn Féin bookshop for £10/€15 in the run-up to Christmas and will make ideal keepsakes from the Sinn Féin Céad Bliain year.

An Phoblacht

Photo: Seánna Walsh

Last July the face and voice of Seánna Walsh conveyed the dramatic announcement of the formal ending of the IRA’s armed campaign. Beamed across the globe, media commentators agreed on one thing — that the IRA’s choice was appropriate.

Séanna Walsh served over 21 years as a republican prisoner of war in both the cages and H-Blocks of Long Kesh. He was among the first republicans to go ‘on the blanket’ after his arrest in 1976, the year that the British Labour Government began it policy of attempting to criminalise IRA prisoners.

Séanna was a friend and cellmate of Bobby Sands, the Officer Commanding in the H-Blocks and the first of the Hunger Strikers who died in 1981.

Since his release Séanna has played a key role in working with Sinn Féin’s negotiating team. Recently he was appointed as Head of the party’s Cultural Department.

Here, Séanna and Fearghal Mac Ionnrachtaigh, another member of the party’s re-organised and revitalised Cultural Department, spoke to An Phoblacht about the role of Irish in the republican struggle and the departments ambitious and radical plans.

An Phoblacht: What initially sparked your interest in the Irish language?

Séanna: I first got an interest in Irish in primary school and developed it at secondary school. I was in Loch an Iúir Gaeltacht in Donegal when Internment erupted across the North. Within 18 months I found myself in prison, in the Cages of Long Kesh. I dived into the language with a passion. It was clear to me at a fairly early stage that the Irish language was much more than a medium of communication, that wrapped up in it was the history of conflict and dispossession, genocide and emigration.

How important is the restoration of Irish language to republican objectives?

Fearghal: Republican objectives are underpinned by three defining strands — the political, the socio-economic and the cultural. The cultural aspect of our struggle was elevated by radical language revivalists like Pádraig Mac Piarais. He placed the cultural struggle within the confines of the wider national struggle when he stated that a free Ireland must not only be free but Gaelic speaking while a Gaelic speaking Ireland must not only be Gaelic speaking but free also.

Just as the revival efforts of the Gaelic League provided the dynamic for the Irish revolution in the last century, we believe that in the new dispensation, a rejuvenated and determined Republican Movement can utilise the language to such an extent that it can characterise our struggle in the new millennium.

The consequences of the colonial legacy of Anglicisation created a false sense of identity that relegates the language to that of an icon. The current process of nation building requires a detailed strategy that involves the construction of a decolonised identity to which the repossession of the Irish language is central.

In the Algerian Revolutionary, Frantz Fanon stressed that the colonialised must first ask the question, ‘In reality, Who am I?’ in order to re-define their national identity.

A process of decolonialisation demands that the language transcends its current symbolic status in order to achieve meaningful status and full rights for all its users. There is an onus on republicans to place a greater emphasis on the protection and promotion of the language amongst the Irish people through empowering and inspiring the learning and speaking of Irish.

In the era of globalisation, the Irish language, in surviving and flourishing can provide a link to our past and symbolise the ability of the weak and the small to survive in struggle with the strong and the big.

Our involvement in the redefinition of Irish identity will make it a liberating one which gives all of those who live on this island, irrespective of age, creed, class or political outlook, ownership of the Irish language in a rights-based society built on equality and justice.

Séanna, you are well known as one of the longest-serving republican prisoners, but you are also synonymous with the Gaelicisation of the H-Blocks. Describe the importance of the language, in your experience, to imprisoned republicans.

Séanna: In the cages of Long Kesh and during the Blanket Protest the Irish language, as it had done previously in Irish prisons, became a mainstay of republican prisoner development and resistance.

During the Blanket, we had nothing but our bodies to use as a weapon of protest, and we utilised the Irish language as a symbolic and practical means of resistance.

It legitimised our sense of cultural distinctiveness and gave us strength to 11; Snodaigh were dragged off to Leinster House.

We managed to organise the annual Slógadh events which were fairly successful, in Rath Cairn, Dún Chaoin and Gaoth Dobhair.

We have kept the momentum going on our Foras na Gaeilge project and helped in having Gráinne Mhic Ghéidigh elected in the Údarás elections.

We ensured that the issue of the Irish language has stayed on the negotiations agenda with both governments.

We supported and were involved in the ‘Stádas’ campaign but we have not been as active on the ground among language activists as we should have been. We have identified a number of campaigning issues, North and South, and we will be seeking to organise and mobilise around them in the coming year.

The most interesting aspect of our reinvigorated Roinn a’ Chultúir will be our project to turn Sinn Féin from an English speaking party, which is fairly good on the language question, to a bilingual party involved in all areas of radical language development and promotion.

We intend to have a series of language awareness weekends, a sort of Slógadh for English speakers. This to be backed up by a series of language classes for all our major spokespersons and office workers. We will then focus on activists at cumann level. Any programme we put together will be organic and flexible, so that it can develop in different ways and at a different pace from area to area.

Séanna has spoken about the Gaelicisation of the party as a central part of the departments plans, what inspired this?

Fearghal: The initial impetus derived from a visit to the Basque Country where a group of us met with a team of cultural activists within Herri Batasuna who succeeded in developing a radical programme of language acquisition within their movement.

In 1991, Batasuna successfully implemented a five-year plan that involved all party members learning to write and speak their native language, Euskara. In the Basque Country, the leadership shown by Batasuna on this issue became the catalyst for a resurgence of national culture and identity amongst the Basque people.

Batasuna has transformed into a bilingual party and has since moved to the position where all party business is now conducted in Basque. The original five-year plan took seven years and having attained bi-lingual status they continued to develop it over the years since.

A consequence of the Batasuna strategy has been that the other political parties in the region have moved to adopt their language policies to ensure they are not left behind on the issue.

Similarly, by providing positive leadership on the language issue, republicans can become the driving force in the process of building a new Ireland. This approach has proved successful in regard to the pro-active direction given by Sinn Féin on Irish unity.

The party’s stated aim of, ‘creating a bilingual society at every level’ is dependent first on the creation of a bilingual movement that can vigorously pursue this objective. Reviving Irish with the aim of creating a bilingual society is a daunting challenge. However, the purpose of building a New Ireland is to respond positively to daunting challenges.

How does the party intend to implement a ‘radical programme of language acquisition’ for republican activists?

Feargal: The battle for hearts and minds has been identified as the key first step in the Gaelicisation strategy. A cultural awareness/education program is currently being developed with the aim of convincing activists about the importance of the language in the struggle to achieve our political objectives. It will centre upon the historical legacy of cultural oppression and colonialisation, and motivate activists on the need to reinforce our sense of national identity through the restoration of the language. It will make up part of the Education Departments’ induction programme for new members.

The program will be summarised as a day-long seminar with presentations, discussions and workshops to be launched in the New Year at Irish language residentials, organised in each province. These will be modelled on the annual Slogadh but will appeal to both Irish speaking and non-Irish speaking activists. Various intensive language courses of different levels will be piloted in conjunction with a cultural awareness focus.

We also aim to target personnel in each Cúige who can identify potential teachers throughout the country to be trained in the delivery of intensive language courses.

We will provide intensive training courses for potential Irish teachers and have sought the advice of language acquisition experts to aid in designing specific courses for party activists. The five-year plan will require people, funding, time and commitment. It will require leadership, participation and endorsement.

Our longer term objective is to deliver the cultural awareness program followed by intensive language courses to all existing activists throughout the country creating a bilingual party, fully educated and re-focused on the centrality of the Irish language and culture to our project of nation building.

In light of its ambitious nature of the plan, has the party leadership been encouraged by it?

What we intend to do is unlike anything that’s ever been tried before in this country. We intend to put in place classes for our broad membership, but also a one-to-one programme with leadership spokespeople. We want to see a situation in the short to medium term where our main spokespersons are able to talk about their specialist area of interest in both Irish and English, it doesn’t matter if it’s policing, the Peace Process, agriculture or human rights.

We intend to bring a radical, staged approach to our work with Foras na Gaeilge and Údarás na Gaeltachta. We’ve got to ensure that we don’t fall into the trap set by civil servants and bureaucrats, that we don’t become just administrators of government funds. We’ve got to ensure that we bring our vision of creating a bilingual society in the short-term into being on this island.

As regards the Údarás, we are still on a learning curve. Gráinne is very eager and committed and knows the type of Ireland she and we want to create. With practical, on the ground help and assistance, we are confident of providing a first-class service from a first-class Údarás representative.

How successful has Sinn Féin been in promoting the language and do you envisage the language playing a prominent role in the party’s agenda in the time ahead?

Séanna: Sinn Féin has a consistent record on Irish and successfully held the British Government to account on a range of commitments made during negotiations. Amongst other achievements, Sinn Féin was instrumental in the establishment of the cross-border language body Foras na Gaeilge and the formation of Comhairle na Gaelscolaíochta and Iontaobhas na Gaelscolaíochta which have revolutionised the development of the Irish medium sector in the Six Counties.

While recognising our achievements on Irish language issues as commendable, especially compared to the indifferent approach of all other nationalist political parties in Ireland, Sinn Féin aims to develop from being a party which campaigns on Irish language issues to a party that epitomises the struggle for repossession of the language.

Similarly, the successful growth of the Irish-medium education sector cannot be overestimated. This was recently emphasised by Séanna who stated that, ‘we have worked tirelessly to ensure that Irish-medium education is put on a firm foundation and built upon throughout the North. It is now time to look at all the adults across the country who would like to be able to speak it but haven’t got around to it.’

In the words of the late republican and language activist, Mairtín Ó Cadhain: ‘The Irish language is the reconquest of Ireland — the reconquest of Ireland is the salvation of Irish’

An Phoblacht

Casement Park raided

PSNI raiding Casement Park

PSNI raids in West Belfast last week connected with last year’s Northern Bank robbery caused anger in nationalist circles, especially as one of the premises targeted was Antrim GAA’s Casement Park headquarters.

The raids, which come at a sensitive time for the GAA, have caused even more people to question the wisdom of the organisation’s decision to lift Rule 21 and allow members of the British forces play Gaelic games.

The home of Aidan Digney, a member of the West Belfast Glasgow Celtic supporters’ club, Eire go Bragh, was also raided.

Both raids were carried out on Friday 2 December just hours after the PSNI were granted a 60-hour extension to hold and question 24-year-old Chris Ward, the Northern Bank employee arrested last Tuesday 29 November.

And reacting to the latest raids Sinn Féin Assembly member Michael Ferguson accused the PSNI of returning to, “1970s style policing”.

“Overkill”

On Friday a large number of PSNI and up to 15 Land Rovers stormed into Casement Park on the Andersonstown Road in West Belfast at approximately 7am. They told staff that the raid was part of an ongoing investigation into “organised terrorist crime”. The raiders took files and documents relating to wages and accounts including cheque books.

Confirming that Chris Ward worked part time in Casement Park Social Club, Gerry McClory, Vice Chair of the County Antrim Board, said there was something something sinister about the approach.

“It was complete overkill. It was an attempt to discredit our members. We have nothing to hide and have assisted the PSNI with their inquiries. Do you think we have £26 million hidden in the changing rooms?”

President of the GAA, Séan Kelly said: “We know what the PSNI are doing. Even if it is coincidental, we are not happy. It is too much. GAA supporters across the country aren’t going to be influenced by such actions by the PSNI.”

The GAA have said they will be reporting the matter at the “highest level to the Dublin Government”.

’70s style policing

Meanwhile, a man whose home was raided by the PSNI on Friday 2 December in connection with the 2004 Christmas bank robbery has described the raid as “nonsensical”.

Aidan Digney who is a member of Eire go Bragh CSC, the same club as Chris Ward, was speaking after six PSNI vehicles arrived to search his West Belfast home.

“They told me they were there in relation to the robbery and asked whether I had any money or walkie talkies in the house that they should know about.”

Digney said he, his wife and children were put in the kitchen of his Poleglass home while the PSNI carried out searches.

West Belfast Assembly member Michael Ferguson said the PSNI raid was reminiscent of the interrogations of the 1970s.

“This is symptomatic of the Castlereagh interrogations that took place in the depths of the conflict. These raids are designed to put immoral pressure on Chris Ward and criminalise this young man who has always maintained his innocence.”

Sinn Féin

Published: 8 December, 2005
Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams MP said that the not guilty verdicts in the case against three people charged in relation to what was dubbed ‘Stormontgate’ prove conclusively what Sinn Féin have been saying all along
about the case.

Mr Adams said:

“This operation was a blatant example of political policing aimed at collapsing the political institutions.

“Faceless securocrats subverted the democratic wishes of the electorate north and south who voted for the Good Friday Agreement.

“The collapse of this case should now focus attention onto the Special Branch and those responsible for planning, carrying out and authorising this entire operation.

“Their activities have continued unabated since then to the detriment of the conflict resolution process, including of course the arrest last week of respect Sinn Fein Assembly member Francie Brolly in a Special Branch smear
operation.” ENDS

BreakingNews.ie

08/12/2005 - 13:07:16

A Dublin Sinn Féin member who was jailed for four years for IRA membership was freed on bail by the Court of Criminal Appeal today pending the outcome of a legal challenge to anti terrorist legislation.

The court freed Niall Binead on his own bond of €1,000 and two independent sureties of €10,000 each. It also ordered him to sign on twice a week at Crumlin Garda Sation, to surrender his passport and not to associate with anyone convicted of a scheduled offence.

Ms Justice Fidelma Macken said the court was satisfied that having regard to the changed circumstances in which Binead will not get an early appeal and in which the Supreme Court will hear legal arguments which will affect the appeal it was justified to grant bail to Binead.

Binead (aged 36), of Faughart Road, Crumlin was jailed for four years by the Special Criminal Court last year after he was convicted of membership of an illegal organisation on October 10, 2002. His co accused, Kenneth Donohoe (aged 27), of Sundale Ave, Mountain View , Tallaght, was freed on bail by the Court of Criminal Appeal last month.

During their trial the court heard that gardaí found a list of TD’s - including three former Justice Ministers - at Binead’s home. Binead is a former secretary of a south Dublin Sinn Féin cumann and was a close associate of Sinn Féin TD for Dublin South Central Aengus O’Snodaigh.

The Court of Criminal Appeal adjourned an appeal by the two men against their convictions last month after hearing that a challenge has been allowed to the Supreme Court on legal issues in another case which are similar to issues in their appeal.

The challenge before the Supreme Court is against the current practice whereby the defence is unable to challenge through cross examination the basis of a Garda Chief Superintendent’s belief that someone is a member of an illegal organisation.

The Supreme Court has allowed an appeal on whether the right to a fair trial under Article 38 of the Constitution has been infringed by not allowing the defence to challenge the basis of the Chief
Superintendent’s belief. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the appeal early in the New Year.

BBC

Police raided Sinn Fein offices at Stormont

Three Belfast men at the centre of an alleged IRA spying incident at Stormont have been acquitted of all charges.

The men, whose arrests led to the collapse of the power-sharing executive in 2002, claimed the case against them had been politically motivated.

At an unlisted hearing at Belfast Crown Court, Ciaran Kearney, William Mackessy and Sinn Fein’s Denis Donaldson were told all charges were being dropped.

The prosecution offered no evidence “in the public interest”.

The three were arrested following a police raid on Sinn Fein’s offices at Parliament Buildings on 5 October 2002, when documents and computer discs were seized.

They were subsequently charged with a total of seven offences.

Mr Donaldson, 55, from Aitnamonagh Crescent who was Sinn Fein’s head of administration at Stormont, and his son-in-law Mr Kearney, 34, of Commedagh Drive had been accused of having documents likely to be of use to terrorists.

Mr Mackessy, 47, from Wolfend Way was charged with collecting information on the security forces.

Denis Donaldson was Sinn Fein’s head of administration at Stormont

However, on Thursday, Prosecuting QC Gordon Kerr told Mr Justice Hart that the Director of the Public Prosecution Services was offering no further evidence in their case.

Mr Kerr told the court that directions as to prosecutions were kept under “continuing review”.

“The director has concluded that having regard to the materials placed before him and his duties as a public authority under the Human Rights Act 1998 that the prosecution for the offences in relation to the accused are no longer in the public interest.”

Mr Justice Hart said that the proper course of action was to return verdicts of not guilty and told the men they were “free to go”.

Afterwards, Mr Donaldson said the “charges should never have been brought”.

“It is a prosecution that should never have been brought.”
Ciaran Shields
Solicitor

“It was political policing and political charges and the fact that we were acquitted today proves that,” he said.

Mr Mackessy said he felt “disgusted with the British government for bringing charges”.

Solicitor Ciaran Shields who represented Mr Donaldson and Mr Mackessy, said they felt they were “victims of a political operation by elements within the security forces who deliberately used their position to hamper political progress in this country”.

‘Sensitive documents’

“This case had huge implications, not just for our clients and their families but for the community as a whole in the sense that these arrests led to the collapse of the power-sharing executive,” he said.

The solicitor claimed they had learned of a Special Branch operation known as Operation Torsion, which was “designed to incriminate republicans”.

However, Mr Shields added that its details did not feature in any of the documents given to them by the DPP.

In a statement, the PSNI said the men were entitled to the presumption of innocence.

The government is determined that confidence will be rebuilt and that devolved government in Northern Ireland will be restored

Northern Ireland Office

“The background to this case is that a paramilitary organisation, namely the Provisional IRA, was actively involved in the systematic gathering of information and targeting of individuals,” it said.

“Police investigated that activity and a police operation led to the recovery of thousands of sensitive documents which had been removed from government offices.

“A large number of people were subsequently warned about threats to them.”

The PSNI said its investigation into the matter had now concluded.

The Northern Ireland Office said the case was “solely a matter for the prosecuting authorities and not for the NIO”.

“It is also a matter of record that it was the actions of paramilitaries in gathering and removing these documents and the damage that was done to political confidences as a result that led to the suspension of the NI Assembly,” said a spokesman.

“The government is determined that confidence will be rebuilt and that devolved government in Northern Ireland will be restored. It will continue to work tirelessly to achieve that goal.”

Following the arrests, the Reverend Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists and the Ulster Unionists, led at that time by then First Minister David Trimble, threatened to collapse the executive with resignations.

The British government then suspended devolution in the province, embarking on direct rule for the last three years.

BBC

A man arrested as part of the Northern Bank robbery investigation has had the charges against him dropped.

Peter Kelly, 30, from Drumboniff Road, Newry, had been charged with collecting and recording information likely to be of use to terrorists.

The charges related to his job as a BT technician seconded to the Department of Finance and Personnel at Stormont.

It had been claimed computers seized at his workplace contained details of civil servants and prison staff.

At his first court appearance a police inspector claimed the computer equipment contained the details of 36,000 civil servants, including 3,300 working for the police and 70 prison staff.

‘Never charged’

After the charges were withdrawn at Belfast Magistrates Court, Mr Kelly’s solicitor, Niall Murphy, said there had been “no justification to link his client’s name to the bank robbery”.

“He was never charged with any offence in connection with the robbery,” Mr Murphy said.

“The information that he accessed was freely available to many other people in his workplace.”

The solicitor said Mr Kelly would be pursuing his case with the Police Ombudsman and would issue proceedings against the chief constable and any other relevant party for malicious prosecution.

Irelandclick.com

Squinter takes a festive look at the original Christmas rhyme and gives it a twist, West Belfast style

‘Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

But out in the driveway a baseball-capped hood
Was stood by my car and up to no good.

A screwdriver he placed in the lock of the Ford
And in no time at all the engine had roared.

The children who should have been snug in their beds
Were necking the cider and out of their heads.

While I tried to take a nice winter’s nap
The smicks at the corner put on gangsta rap.

So I jumped in a black hack and went to see Pete,
A cousin of mine who lives off Albert Street.

The driver was smoking so I sat in the back
When suddenly I felt a tremendous big whack.

The fella behind us had braked far too late
By the look of him he’d had a few over the eight.

The women beside me in jammies and slippers
Gave me the name of their lawyer, ‘he’s great with the whippers.’

I started to walk, it was cold but quite fine
Then nipped into the boozer for a glass of mulled wine.
Inside was a typical Christmas pub scene
The beep and the buzz of the poker machine

The juke box playing a Cliff Richard song
With four drunken pool players singing along.

I drank up for I knew I’d a long way to go
And hadn’t got far when it started to snow.

My face was soon frozen, my two feet quite numb
When before me appeared a young girl and her chum.

‘Hi mister,’ she said, ‘could you give us a light?’
And under that streetlamp I got quite a fright.

Her face was bright orange, her hands they were blue
And on the back of the right one was an ‘Anto’ tattoo.

I muttered ‘no, sorry’ and went on my way
And her chum said she thought I was definitely gay.

A roar and a blur and I dived to the right
As a kid on a quad emerged from the night.

Now wet and dirty and thoroughly depressed
Cursing my luck and clearly distressed

I turned the next corner and what did I find
But a gang of street drinkers with mischief in mind.

Blue bags, blue bottles and boxes of beer
Those boozers perked up when they saw me appear.

I thought it best to cross over the street
When they all crossed too I went white as a sheet.

I took to my heels with the smicks on my tail
And soon was caught up by the gang’s alpha male.

He jumped on my back and we fell in the snow
And as I struggled I thought, what a cat way to go.

But suddenly I spied a big white Land Rover
And as quick as it started the trouble was over.

The top Trevor asked if I wanted a lift
As he picked me out of that chilly snowdrift.

I said I was grateful that he’d helped me out
But I don’t want the neighbours to call me a tout.

So I pulled out my mobile to phone up a cab
But I’d used all my credit on too much oul’ gab.

Then what to my wondering eyes should appear
But Santa, a sleigh and eight big reindeer.

As Santa stroked Rudolf and petted his fur
Big Trevor asked, is this your vehicle sir?

Poor Santa looked kind of resigned to his fate
When Trevor discovered his tax out of date.

And St Nicholas tested the big cop’s endurance
When he said he’d forgotten to renew his insurance.

And then for the kids Christmas died a sad death
When the coppers smelt Smirnoff upon Santa’s breath.

As Santa was thrown in the back of the Jeep
With his beard all atremble he started to weep.

And I heard him exclaim as he looked back at me
‘Collusion’s not an illusion and SS RUC!’

I trudged home in anger with thoughts dark and dire
Got changed and then took my old seat by the fire.

I made a hot whiskey with lemon and lime
And watched Home Alone for the 48th time.

And as midnight Mass bells pealed soft in the night
I nodded off thinking that Christmas is shite.

Irelandclick.com

PSNI Assistant Chief Constable Paul Leighton yesterday defended his organisation’s high-profile investigation of the Northern Bank robbery - including last Friday’s controversial raid at Casement Park in Co Antrim.

Mr Leighton was speaking at a full meeting of the North’s Policing Board after further allegations that a “senior intelligence officer” leaked information about the investigation to BBC journalist Brian Rowan.

Top Antrim GAA official Gerry McClory accused the PSNI of “playing with words” about the circumstances of the Casement Park raid.

Claiming that a “community impact assessment” was conducted during the preparations for the raid, ACC Paul Leighton also alleged that a briefing was given to GAA officials as the raid began.

“As we approach the anniversary, a 24 year-old male has now been charged with robbery,” Mr Leighton said.

“His detention period was extended beyond seven days for the first time in Northern Ireland, the first time such powers have been used.

“The use of these powers was a reflection of the seriousness and the complexity of the investigation, and his detention was reviewed by two judges and a high court judge, all confirming the legality of the application.

“As part of that investigation, and linked to the arrest and charge of this person, a search of Casement Park took place. A full community impact assessment was conducted during the planning of the operation.

“In planning the resourcing for the operation, the fewest possible resources were committed commensurate with the task.
Officers of the club were contacted as the search began and part of the briefing they were given included the information and the likely duration of the task,” Mr Leighton said.

However Antrim GAA vice-chair Gerry McClory accused the PSNI of “talking codswallop” and “playing with words”.

Criticising the PSNI’s overall approach to the Casement Park raid, Mr McClory continued, “They didn’t consult the GAA about any community impact assessment. There was no briefing given to officials.

“He is playing with words. I am giving you facts. They arrived in force to search Casement Park at seven o’clock in the morning, moving from the side of the road over to the gates at around nine when the groundsman arrived, and then they started searching after that.

“Neither the county chairman, the county secretary, the county treasurer or myself as acting chairman of Casement Park Social Club were given any pre-notice of the raid.

“I got a call from one of the voluntary staff to say the PSNI were there to raid and as I was travelling to Casement I got a call from Chief Inspector Peter Farrar to tell me there was going to be a search.

“While the officer in charge of the search was courteous and provided the basis for the raid, the question remains why they could not have done this differently,” Mr McClory said.

“We had nothing to hide and would have had no difficulty co-operating, as we did so earlier in the year when they came to Casement about the same investigation.

“They talk about community impact assessment, but they haven’t even bothered to consider the impact this incident could have on attracting community and business sponsors to Casement Park,” Mr McClory said.

Journalist:: Staff Reporter

Irelandclick.com

Chris Ward

West Belfast Northern Bank employee Chris Ward has claimed he has been set up by the PSNI after being charged with the £26.5 million robbery at the bank last year.

Ward (24) from Colinmill in Poleglass is charged with robbing the Northern Bank of £26.5 million or thereabouts on 20 December 2004 and that a firearm was used to commit the offence.

He was charged after eight days of questioning during which he took part in 50 interviews.

The PSNI have admitted that the case against Ward is based on circumstantial evidence and that surveillance equipment was placed in his Belfast home and in holiday accommodation in Fuerteventura.

Chris Ward appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court yesterday (Wednesday).

When charged with the offence at Antrim PSNI station in the early hours of Wednesday, the West Belfast man protested his innocence saying; “Police have bugged my house, a holiday in Spain, went through all my phone records, my bank accounts, hounded my friends - even going as far as Australia - and have tortured me in an attempt to frame me with the Northern Bank robbery.

“Police have failed in all of these counts. They have held me longer than the hostage takers who seized me last year and indeed have held me in a police station for longer than anyone in the history of the North of Ireland.”

At the short hearing yesterday the defendant, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, spoke only to confirm that he understood the charges.

Ward’s family including his father Gerry, mother Rose and older brother Gerard, who were taken hostage during the robbery, were in court to hear the charge read. Mrs. Ward broke down in tears during the hearing.

Detective Inspector Sean Wright from the PSNI said that he believed he could connect Ward to the charge.

Niall Murphy from Kevin Winters solicitors defending, asked the Detective Inspector to confirm that his client had no criminal record, had told police that he was going on holiday, had no known history of violence and had repeatedly denied being involved in the robbery and that the case against Ward was circumstantial. Continued from front…

The PSNI officer confirmed that this was all correct and said that there were four main strands of the investigation including Ward’s actions on 18 and 19 December, his actions on 20 December, his ongoing witness account and his work rota.
The PSNI are alleging that Ward manipulated the work rota in order to create a window of opportunity.

“There are four main thrusts of this investigation,” said Detective Inspector Wright.

“This is an ongoing investigation, while Mr Ward has been charged the investigation continues,” he added.
Mr Murphy said that he would be applying for High Court bail for Ward in the very near future.

Ward was remanded in custody to appear at Belfast Magistrates Court via video link on 4 January.

Journalist:: Roisin McManus

Belfast Telegraph

**From yesterday

PSNI trying to frame me, says accused

By Chris Thornton
07 December 2005

Police bugged Northern Bank employee Chris Ward on holiday in Spain while building the case that brought him to court today charged with stealing £26.5 million.

Details of the extensive police operation against the bank official were revealed when Ward appeared at Belfast Magistrates Court this morning as the second man accused of carrying out the heist.

The bank worker denies taking part in the robbery - which has been blamed on the IRA - and in a statement read out in court he accused police of attempting to “frame me”.

Ward did not speak during today’s hearing, but signalled to his family in the public gallery to keep their chins up.

The 24-year-old carried the first million pounds out of the bank during the December 20 robbery while his family was being held hostage.

He and another official, Kevin McMullan, then loaded more than £25m in cash for robbers to drive away in a lorry, making it the biggest cash robbery in UK history. Mr McMullan’s wife was held hostage during the robbery.

The court heard today that police believe Ward manipulated the bank’s work rota to create “a window of opportunity” for the robbery.

His solicitor, Niall Murphy, said in court that Ward drew up the rota four days before the robbery, and alleged that neither his client nor Mr McMullan had been originally scheduled to work on the day of the heist.

Detective Inspector Sean Wright confirmed during the hearing that police used “intrusive surveillance” while Ward was on holiday in Spain.

The court also heard that Ward was interviewed 50 times in the last eight days - with ten of those interviews concentrating on his own bank account.

Ward also alleged that police bugged his home at Colinmill, Poleglass, although that was not confirmed during the hearing.

The detective inspector told the court that when he charged Ward with the robbery at one o’clock this morning, the bank worker replied: “Police had bugged my house, the holiday in Spain, went through all my phone records, my bank accounts, hounded my friends, even going as far as Australia, and have tortured my family in an attempt to frame me with the Northern Bank robbery.”

He said police “have held me longer than the hostage takers who seized me last year”.

Detective Inspector Wright said the case against Ward is circumstantial.

Mr Murphy told the court: “My client denies absolutely this offence and, such as it is, the police case in its entirety.”

Magistrate Ken Nixon remanded Ward into custody until January 4.

Another man, 23-year-old builder Dominic McEvoy from Kilcoo, Co Down, was charged with the robbery last month.

Belfast Telegraph

By Conor Sweeney
08 December 2005

Catholic victims of loyalist death squads complained of a “media bias” in favour of the family of Robert McCartney yesterday.

In Brussels to launch a campaign to get an international inquiry into loyalist murders, the group Relatives for Justice said their voices are being ignored.

“If it’s not an IRA victim, no one wants to know. If it’s not one of the McCartney sisters speaking, the media aren’t interested,” claimed Robert McClenaghan, whose grandfather was killed in a bar bomb attack in 1971. The group is also seeking to highlight alleged collusion by British intelligence services.

Mr McClenaghan rejected the suggestion the campaign was being used by Sinn Fein for its own political ends, arguing it was the only party prepared to take an interest.

He said he would like to build a broader coalition with Protestant victims, but they “don’t want to know” as soon as he raises questions about collusion between the PSNI and loyalist paramilitaries.

Independent Newspapers coverage was directly criticised by Hugh Jordan, the father of IRA member Pearse Jordan, whom Hugh believes was killed by loyalist death squads in November 1992 while driving his car.

He said false claims that his son had bomb equipment were released by the RUC immediately after the killing, but were later shown to be untrue.

Belfast Telegraph

By Linda McKee
08 December 2005

Loyalist terrorist Michael Stone will come face to face with the widow and brother of one of his murder victims in a BBC2 series scheduled for next year.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu will preside over the series which will document encounters between the perpetrators and victims of the Northern Ireland Troubles.

Stone came to international notoriety in 1988 when he launched a grenade attack on mourners at Milltown Cemetery.

He later said his primary targets had been Sinn Fein leaders Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and Danny Morrison.

Stone will be confronted during the BBC2 series by the widow and brother of one of his murder victims, Dermott Hackett.

Catholic father-of-one Mr Hackett was shot 15 times by the UDA/UFF as he drove his bread van along the Omagh to Drumquin Road on May 23, 1987.

SDLP politician Denis Haughey said he believed the “unreasonable harassment” of Mr Hackett by police may have made him a target.

In 1989, Stone was sentenced to 684 years in prison for this murder, five other murders and six attempted murders. He was later released as part of the Good Friday Agreement.

BBC controller, Roly Keating, said it took a very long time to persuade people to take part in the programme and convince them that good could come of it.

“The programmes do not try to achieve a reconciliation, but at least there is some catharsis,” he added.

Belfast Telegraph

Call to celebrate historic city

By Claire Regan
08 December 2005

The people of east Belfast should be shouting from the rooftops about their small patch of world being the birthplace of its greatest footballer, most famous ship and one of the best loved children’s writers.

That’s the view of former Belfast Lord Mayor Jim Rodgers who thinks that people in the city are “too modest” in claiming their direct link with some of the best known names on the globe.

There aren’t many parts of the world with a population of around 60,000 and a geographical area of just 30 square miles that can boast having produced the likes of George Best, the magnificent Titanic, the Chronicles of Narnia writer CS Lewis and singer Van Morrison.

But east Belfast can, and should be making much more of the connection, Mr Rodgers said.

The Ulster Unionist councillor, who was born and bred in the east of the city, said: “We have undersold ourselves in the past which is sad because we have so much to sell.

“You’ve heard in the nativity story that wise men always come from the east. Well, that’s been proved in our part of the city.

“Now’s the time for us to stop being modest and starting shouting from the rooftops about what we have to offer here.

“There’s no doubt that some parts have become terribly run down over the years. Let’s hope now that all of us promote ourselves to let the world know what we have to offer and to provide incentive for many of our young people to come forward and make their name.

“We’ve already made a start with incentives like the Titanic Quarter, but there’s more to do.”

Mr Rodgers’ comments come after the eyes of the world focused on east Belfast at the weekend when the people of Northern Ireland came out in their tens of thousands to celebrate the life of Manchester United legend George Best at his public funeral. Best grew up on the Cregagh estate and was always fiercely proud of his roots.

The east of the city is in the spotlight once again this week with the premiere of massive Disney adaptation of The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, based on CS Lewis’ top-selling The Chronicles of Narnia.

Lewis was born close to the Belmont Road in Dundela Villas (later demolished to make way for Dundela Flats) on November 29, 1898. At that time, Belfast was one of the most thriving cities in Europe, largely down to the world famous Harland and Wolff shipyard which had just launched the Oceanic, then the largest ship afloat.

Lewis grew up in the shadow of the yard and said the inspirational sights of shipbuilding completely captivated him as a child.

Just over a decade after his birth, the awe-inspiring Titanic, the new largest ship afloat, was built and launched from Harland and Wolff. Almost a hundred years after it sank on its maiden voyage in April, 1912 ,with the loss of 1,500 lives, the ship is still the focus of fascination.

The people of Belfast were for a long time almost ashamed of its link with the ill-fated passenger liner but that has been replaced with pride in more recent years.

The Government announced spectacular plans for the Titanic Quarter which will transform a 185-acre site in the harbour area into Europe’s largest waterfront development with a £1bn investment.

cregan@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Belfast Telegraph

By Kathryn Torney
08 December 2005

Two Belfast schools were today celebrating 20 years of integrated education.

Hazelwood Primary and Hazelwood College will join together tonight for a special carol service at St Anne’s Cathedral.

The Hazelwood schools were the second integrated schools to be founded in Northern Ireland when they were established by parents in 1985.

They opened in a warehouse in York Lane and in the early days had no financial support from government.

By September 1986, they had moved to their respective permanent campuses both sited in locations under the Cave Hill and have since secured new buildings.

In this their 20th year, various events are planned to commemorate the vision of the founding parents.

Pupils, parents, past students and patrons of integrated education will attend tonight’s concert.

Comedian Frank Carson will also be in attendance and has flown over from his home in England for the event.