SAOIRSE32

An Phoblacht

**Archive article from last year

BY MICHELLE BOYLE
15 December 2005

Inside Long Kesh - Donegal republicans visit historic site

“Imagine what it would be like to be locked up naked in solitary confinement, 24 hours a day, and subjected to total deprivation of not only, common everyday things, but of basic human necessities, such as clothes, fresh air, exercise and the company of other human beings. Imagine what it is like to be in this situation in surroundings that resemble a pigsty, and that you are crouched naked upon the floor in a corner, freezing cold, amid the lingering stench of putrefying rubbish with crawling, wriggling white maggots, all around you, bloated flies pestering your naked body, the silence nerve-wrecking, your mind in turmoil. In short imagine being entombed, naked and alone.” — Bobby Sands

These were the chilling words used by a Blanket man to describe the conditions in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh during the infamous Blanket Protest. Words, which 30 years on still send a shiver down the spine of those who reads them. The H-Blocks will no doubt hold this imagery for many who lived through these times. But perhaps most will remember it as the place where, in 1981 led by Bobby Sands, ten men died on hunger strike.

Recently a delegation of Donegal republicans visited Long Kesh. Among them Sinn Féin representatives Councillor Pádraig Mac Lochlainn, Councillor Gerry McMonagle, Udarás member Gráinne Mhic Géidigh and Councillor Pearse Doherty.

Long Kesh lies just outside Lisburn, ten miles from Belfast. The H-Blocks are set on a stretch of long bogland, in low-lying water tables. So it is not surprising that the prisoners had to endure cold, damp conditions. Pearse Doherty observed: “The whole place was designed to curtail the human spirit. It is clearly designed to break down the revolutionary. As the Hunger Strikers proved that didn’t work.”

Walking through the gates of Long Kesh you can’t help but think of the hundreds of families whose steps you are tracing. Families, who week after week went on this journey, through the same gates, being searched by the same warder, to see their loved ones, year after year.

Letterkenny Councillor Gerry McMonagle pointed out the hardship and turmoil that the families endured during these times: “Women would have to leave Strabane at half past seven in the morning because visiting in the Blocks started at ten O’Clock. From ten until 12. These women would have to ensure that they were home again before two to get the children off school, and make the dinner. This trip was done twice a week, which was hard on the families making such long journeys and juggling with the running of a home virtually singled handed. They were hard times for the women who had to do this, but they never questioned anything, just did what they had to do.”

Today Long Kesh lies empty, nature reclaiming her, until all-party agreement can be reached on its future. Trees grow through the Nissen huts that were once ‘the Cages’, time taking its toll on the structures. There is a sadness hanging over the place and around the whole site. Images of hundreds of internees, can’t help but fill your mind. Walls scream out at you, harbouring the darkest secrets of human suffering.

For republicans Long Kesh also holds proud memories, memories of defiant men, who refused to bow to the torture they endured. Bonds were built, that would never be broken. Events took place that would shape the future of republicanism.

Undoubtedly, one of the most emotive places in the H-Blocks is the prison hospital, where the Hunger Strikers gave their young lives. Walking through the corridors to the ward, is a dismal journey. The H-Blocks are cold, solid concrete buildings, harbouring damp, and holding on to every chill in the air. The rooms where these men died are much like the rest of the prison — cold, dreary and damp. The rooms are tiny. Inside them lie the beds where they died.

Buncrana Mayor Pádraig Mac Lochlainn was seven years old at the time of the Hunger Strike. He was in England and holds particular memories of the period. “For me the emotional part was going into the room where Bobby Sands died. I’ll never forget it. It sticks in my head, in my memory as a young lad. My father was imprisoned in England at the time and it came across the radio that Robert Sands MP has just gone into a coma. The grief was unbelievable, I remember the grief in the house. All the women breaking down and crying. Talking to people in my age group, it was unbelievable the impact it had on them all.”

To the ordinary person the H-Blocks may seem nothing more than another empty building. But for republicans it is more than this. It is much more than another historical site. It was in these rooms according to Pádraig Mac Lochlainn that Irish men took the struggle to the attention of the world.

“It is a hugely important place from an international perspective. The Hunger Strikes were a massive international event. The Thatcher Government, which had taken over in 1979, tried to break down republicanism and to criminalise Ireland’s fight. That Hunger Strike without doubt told the world that these are political prisoners and that they are fighting a struggle to remove the British, and they are not criminals. It was absolutely, massively important.”

It is in these cold buildings that hundreds of men were interned from 1971. Men robbed of their youth, interned without trail and thrown in Long Kesh for years on end.

The issue of what should happen to Long Kesh has been the subject of much discussion. After visiting the site members of this delegation said their belief that the site should be preserved has been re-affirmed. Pádraig Mac Lochlainn commented: “It has to be a museum, its part of all of our history and we should perhaps see it as a centre for peace and reconciliation. There is no question that part of it should be a museum, fixed up and restored. I would also be in support and my party is in support of the idea of a multi-purpose sporting facility.”

For those who endured its torture, the memory of Long Kesh is etched across their minds never to be effaced. For the rest of society we can only imagine what those men went through. Perhaps we cannot even imagine. It is clear that Long Kesh holds many secrets. It is a symbol of an era when ordinary working-class Irishmen, stood up and took on the might of the British Empire. Whatever your political allegiance, you cannot deny the historical importance of Long Kesh. Hunger Strikes, prison escapes, Blanket Protest. There is little that the walls of the Long Kesh have not seen. Long Kesh, The H-Blocks if only walls could talk.

An Phoblacht

Photo: The funeral of Thomas Ashe

BY SHANE MacTHOMÁIS

Born in 1885 in the small village of Lispole, near Dingle, County Kerry, Thomas Ashe was educated locally. He qualified as a teacher in the De La Salle Teacher Training College in Waterford City, later taking up the position of Principal at Corduff National School in Lusk, County Dublin.

Ashe had great interest and involvement in the nationalist movement and was a member of the Irish Volunteers and Conradh na Gaeilge. Through his links with these organisations, Ashe was recruited into the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Evidence of the respect in which he was held was witnessed by the fact that he was chosen to visit America on a fundraising trip. It was during this time that he met the likes of John Devoy, Joe McGarrity and Roger Casement. The years leading to the 1916 Rising saw Ashe take up a more prominent role and by Easter Sunday 1916 he was the Commanding Officer of the Dublin 5th Battalion of the Volunteers.

During the Rising Ashe and his battalion of just 48 men led many successful attacks and ambushes on military barracks around the North Dublin area. This group successfully demolished the Great Northern Railway Bridge, thus, disrupting access to the capital. In addition, they captured the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) barracks at Ashbourne, County Meath. The fight to gain control lasted six hours during which time eleven RIC men were killed and over 20 were wounded. By comparison, the Fingal Battalion lost only two men and five were wounded. Ashe and his men captured three other police barracks with large quantities of arms and ammunition which kept their highly successful guerrilla war going. When news of the surrender reached Thomas Ashe he laid down his arms and was arrested, court martialed and sentenced to death. The sentence was later commuted to life imprisonment.

He was released as part of the General Amnesty in June 1917. On his release, Ashe immediately became involved once more in the independence movement. Thomas Ashe was elected President of the Irish Republican Brotherhood, taking the place of the executed Pádraig Mac Piarais. He travelled the country campaigning for Sinn Féin, making speeches, which the authorities deemed were “calculated to cause disaffection”.

Thomas Ashe was re-arrested for sedition and incitement of the population on 15 July 1917 and sent to Mountjoy Jail. He demanded that he be given Prisoner of War status including the right to wear his own clothes and associate with his fellow inmates. When the authorities refused his demand, Ashe and six of his fellow prisoners went on hunger strike. Ashe was put in a straitjacket and force fed by the authorities. All requests to Ashe to end the hunger strike were refused. He was adamant in his conviction saying: “They have branded me a Criminal. Even though if I die, I die in a good cause.”

Administered by a trainee doctor, the process of feeding was often quite brutal. On the third day, Ashe collapsed shortly after the brutal procedure. It was later discovered that the tube had pierced his lung among other complications. He was released immediately from the prison and be taken to the nearby Mater Hospital. Two days later, he died of heart and lung failure.

After lying in state at City Hall, Ashe’s cortege made it’s way through Dublin to Glasnevin Cemetery on 30 September 1917. It is estimated that 30,000 people lined the streets, some having travelled great distances and overcoming such obstacles as limited transport to attend.

At the graveside, three Volleys fired a volley and then Michael Collins stepped forward and made a short and revealing speech in English and Irish. His English words were: “Nothing additional remains to be said. That volley which we have just heard is the only speech which it is proper to make above the grave of a dead Fenian.” Leaving the Irish population in no doubt what was needed to gain independence.

The death of Thomas Ashe had a striking affect on the attitude of the Irish people. The Rising of 1916 now became the focal point of passion by reason of the sacrifices of the signatories of the Proclamation. The brutal manner of the death of Ashe, superimposed upon the summary executions of the 1916 leaders and other atrocities committed by the crown forces, galvanised the nation. Committees sprang up all over the country to pay tribute to the memory of this brave man, and indirectly fuel the fire of Irish independence.

On 25 September 1917 Thomas Ashe died as a result of force feeding.

Daily Ireland

TOMMY McKEARNEY
28/03/2006

In the days before well-off parents began buying Chopper bicycles, PlayStations and iPods for their children, pampered youngsters would sometimes receive a wooden rocking horse to play with. Although the timber toy couldn’t pull a milk float or win the Derby, it kept children occupied while grown-ups got on with adults’ business. When you think about it, the old rocking horse shares similarities with the non-executive, shadow assembly that Britain is offering the Six Counties.
This assembly will sit without either power or purpose. Lacking an executive, the gathering will not have a remit to administer and if it cannot administer, what function has it got apart from keeping the participants busy playing at politics?
Nobody, after all, really believes that the DUP will join an administration with Sinn Féin in the foreseeable future. Last week, Peter Robinson sat in the BBC’s Hearts and Minds studio repeating ad nauseam, his party’s condemnation of republicans. His performance was informative because, without offering one piece of evidence to support his position, he remained resolutely rejectionist.
For those still unsure about the impenetrable DUP mindset, party chairman Maurice Morrow speaking on the same programme, removed residual doubts. He made the incredibly contemptuous claim that few people in the North now remember the effects of discrimination in the allocation of public sector housing. Mr Morrow, MLA for Fermanagh/South Tyrone appeared ignorant of the fact that Sinn Féin’s spokesperson on housing, Michelle Gildernew, is the niece of a family evicted during the now famous Caledon sit-in, 30-odd years ago.
It would be naïve to think that the British prime minister is unaware of unionist intransigence. Tony Blair’s difficulty, though, is that he is now marking time before Gordon Brown replaces him in Number Ten. With Iraq in chaos, an education initiative requiring Tory support to get through the Commons and his party’s funding in tabloid scandal zone, this premier wants to leave office without also adding the Good Friday Agreement to his list of failures. By imposing this squabble-shop on us, Blair is simply buying time to make good his escape.
Meanwhile, the NIO is pressing ahead with its alternative to a power-sharing executive as Peter Hain abolishes quangos and moots restoring housing allocation, among other powers, to proposed supercouncils. The Good Friday Agreement is dying, Brown won’t be bothered reviving it and republicans would be better off looking past it, and to the future.
Tommy McKearney is a former member of the IRA and now works as an organiser for the Independent Workers’ Union.

Daily Ireland

Laurence McKeown
27/03/2006

A statement from, ‘The Unionist Group’ appeared in the press this past week. The group describes itself as made up of members of the Ulster Unionist Party drawn from various constituency associations across the north and representing an informal coming together of members of the party. In their opening paragraph they state that they initially met with members of Coiste na nIarchimí in 2003 and then later with other parties including loyalists, the SDLP, Alliance, Official Republican Movement, the IRSP and ministers of both governments. As a member of the Coiste delegation who met with the group – and continues to meet with them – I can state that the meetings are insightful, sometimes heated, but always good-mannered. When we break for the evening we leave on good terms. The way meetings should be – even between those of very different political persuasions.
The statement from the group refers to “healing and growth in this society” and a “better understanding within and between all parts of these islands”. It speaks about possible mechanisms for a truth process and has possibly been prompted by the recent television programmes. There also seems to be influences from the Healing through Remembering project which seeks to look at how we can address the legacy of the conflict. There are aspects of the statement I wouldn’t agree with – which is fine. It is clearly a discussion document rather than a statement of policy.
But it was not so much the content of the statement that interested me. The most significant element of it was that it was a very public declaration that discussions with republican ex-prisoners had taken place – and the individuals involved signed their names to the statement. Any uneasiness I ever felt in engaging with unionists was never about the content of the discussions but the fact that such meetings had to be kept quiet, hidden away, almost secretive.
People meeting and talking is a very human, social, positive and ultimately productive practice. Unfortunately, all too often, progressive voices within the unionist community have felt the need to constantly look over their shoulders. While it’s crucial to know where you have come from, the problem with looking over your shoulder all the time is that you’re unable to focus on the path ahead – and inevitably end up going around in circles. Hopefully the path ahead, at least for some, is coming more sharply into focus.

Laurence McKeown was a republican prisoner for 16 years in Long Kesh and spent 70 days on the 1981 hunger strike. He is the author of a doctoral thesis, co-author of the feature film H3 and plays The Laughter of Our Children and A Cold House.

BBC

A trade union has said it believes a one-day strike has advanced the cause of protesting public service workers.

Nipsa also warned that more strikes “may be on the way” unless the government withdraws its pension proposals.

Thousands of public sector workers have taken part in the industrial action across Northern Ireland.

Bus and rail services were cancelled and some 65,000 pupils who use school buses had to make other plans.

A small number of schools closed. School meals and library services were badly hit.

About 2,000 people joined a march and rally at Belfast City Hall as part of the UK-wide day of industrial action.

There were also lunchtime rallies at Guildhall Square in Londonderry, the courthouse in Omagh and at the Diamond in Enniskillen.

The dispute is over the age at which public sector workers can retire on a full pension. Currently it is 60 - but the government wants to change it to 65.

There were traffic delays in parts of Northern Ireland, but no reports of serious congestion.

Morning rush hour traffic coming into Belfast was heavier than normal with delays reported on some major routes.

School canteens, leisure centres and bin collections were also affected.

The Southern Education and Library Board (SELB) said the strike had an impact on several school services and on library provision.

Most drivers of board buses - which carry about 15,000 pupils - reported for work.

However, 14,000 students in the board area are transported by Translink vehicles.

The Western Education and Library Board said more than 8,000 pupils out of almost 12,000 had been transported to school in board-operated buses. It said that there had been minimal disruption to catering services.

Unions involved in the strike included Nipsa, Siptu, TGWU, ATGWU, Amicus and Unison.

Albert Mills from the Transport and General Workers Union said strikers had to take action to protect pension arrangements.

Brian Campfield, deputy general secretary of Nipsa, said he believed the protesters had advanced their cause.

“We didn’t go out to stop children going to school or people going to work,” he said.

“We went out on strike today to send a clear message to the deputy prime minister that local government workers are not prepared to accept these attacks on their pension scheme.”

He said more strikes were possible if the government did not withdraw its proposals.

However, Nigel Smyth from the employers organisation, the CBI, said the strike was an example of trades unionism at its worst.

“If the trade unions get their way somebody has to pay for this,” he said.

BBC

An artist’s impression of part of the new scheme

The government has given the go-ahead for a £300m regeneration of a run-down part of Belfast city centre.

The Royal Exchange Scheme, proposed by Ewart Properties Ltd, centres on the North Street area and could create up to 2,000 jobs.

Plans include a new shopping centre, anchored by a department store.

The project will not be completed until 2011. It is estimated that 1,000 people will help build the development and 2,000 people will be employed there.

On Tuesday, Social Development Minister David Hanson that it was time “to awaken the potential of these streets and buildings”.

It is understood that Brown Thomas is the key target to become one of the anchor tenants in the shopping centre.

The new scheme will also be delivered by an international team

Apart from the stores and other retail units, there will be restaurants, bars, cafes, 200 apartments and offices as well as a hotel, with parking for 700 cars.

A regeneration scheme is already under way in the nearby Victoria Square area, and this new scheme will also be high quality and delivered by an international team, according to the developers.

Ben Rainford, managing director of ING Real Estate Development UK, one of the partners said: “Royal Exchange will revitalise the area with a mix of complementary uses and public squares for the benefit of the whole of Belfast.”

The other partner in the development is Snoddens Construction from Lisburn, County Antrim.

Derry Journal

28 March 2006

TWO DERRY republicans have hit out at the Northern Ireland Prison Service after they were refused entry to Maghaberry Prison.
The men - who are representatives of the Irish Republican Prisoner Welfare Association - were visiting a Fermanagh republican in the Co. Antrim jail on Sunday when they were turned away at the gates.
Prison officers took the action after one of the men attracted the attention of a drugs sniffer dog.
The men claim they were among eight people refused a prison visit at the weekend.
One of the representatives hit out at the prison authorities and accused them of attempting to control visits.
“This is nothing more than an excuse by the prison service to control visits to the jail,” he said.
“The dog sniffed as usual but it didn’t sit down as it is supposed to. It was on that pretext alone that the visit was stopped.
“We believe the prison service is simply trying to isolate people. The two people stopped were anti-drugs activists.
“One works in a bar and organises meetings on drug awareness in Creggan. If anything, he may have been contaminated and that may have triggered the dog’s response.
“But this had nothing to do with drugs. This is now a regular occurrence. The prison authorities are stopping and allowing visits when it suits them. It is just their way of controlling access to the jail.”
A spokesperson for the Northern Ireland Prison Service hit back at the allegations.
He added: “The Northern Ireland Prison Service strongly rejects the accusation that passive drugs dogs are used to control visits to prisoners.
“The use of passive drug dogs is an effective measure in helping to stem the flow of drugs into prisons. Their use has been vindicated by the courts.”

Posted via email by Danielle Ni Dhighe:

I recently came into possession of a copy of the Irish Republican
Socialist Party’s Hunger Strike Bulletin No. 2 from October 1980
during the first hunger strike. It includes a letter from Irish
National Liberation Army hunger striker John Nixon. All four pages
have been scanned and are available at:

http://www.morrigan.net/irsm/hsb1.jpg
http://www.morrigan.net/irsm/hsb2.jpg
http://www.morrigan.net/irsm/hsb3.jpg
http://www.morrigan.net/irsm/hsb4.jpg

Danielle Ni Dhighe
Coordinating Committee Member
Irish Republican Socialist Committees of North America
danielle@irsm.org - http://www.irsm.org/irsm.html

Irish Examiner

28/03/2006 - 7:04:16 AM

The US Senate Judiciary Committee has approved sweeping election-year immigration legislation that would clear the way for 11 million illegal aliens to seek US citizenship without having to leave the country first.

After days of street demonstrations that stretched from California to the grounds of the US capital, a coalition of Democrats and Republicans also agreed to strip out proposed criminal penalties for residents found to be in this country illegally.

“All Americans wanted fairness, and they got it this evening,” said Senator Edward Kennedy, the Massachusetts Democrat who played a pivotal role in drafting the legislation.

The legislation still must pass the full Senate, and its differences with an immigration in the House of Representatives must be resolved before a final act is sent to President George Bush for signing into law. That will probably take months.

In general, the bill is designed to strengthen the Border Patrol, create new opportunities for so-called guest workers and determine the legal future of the estimated 11 million immigrants living in the US illegally.

In purely political terms, the issue threatened to fracture Republicans as they head into the congressional election campaign: one group is eager to make labour readily available for low-wage jobs in industries such as agriculture, construction and meatpacking; the other is determined to place a higher emphasis on law enforcement.

That was a split Bush was hoping to avoid after a political career spent building support for himself and his party from Hispanics, now the largest minority population in the country.

The committee met as several thousand demonstrators rallied. Many were members of the clergy who donned handcuffs and sang “We Shall Overcome”, the unofficial anthem of the civil rights era.

“The first Christian value is love thy neighbour,” read some of the signs.

After a weekend of enormous rallies – as many as 500,000 people in Los Angeles, California – thousands of students walked out of class in California and Texas to protest proposals in Congress to crack down on illegals.

In Detroit, protesters waved Mexican flags as they marched to a downtown federal office building.

Senators on all sides of the issue agreed that illegal workers hold thousands of jobs that otherwise would go unfilled at the wages offered.

The agriculture industry is “almost entirely dependent on undocumented workers”, said Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California, the state with the nation’s largest agricultural industry. “It is unrealistic to think the workers will go home, because they work here and the agriculture industry is dependent on them.”

“America should not have to choose between being a welcoming society and being a lawful society,” Bush said. ”We can be both at the same time.”

He has said he favours a guest worker program, but it is unclear whether the administration would insist on a provision to require illegal immigrants already in the country to return home before they are allowed to apply for citizenship.

The panel agreed with ease to double the size of the Border Patrol over the next several years and decided on a closer vote to make sure that humanitarian organisations are sheltered from prosecution should they provide non-emergency assistance to illegal residents.

Belfast Telegraph

By Linda McKee
28 March 2006

Hundreds of victims affected by the Troubles could be missing out on money to which they are entitled.

The Northern Ireland Memorial Fund was set up to provide practical help and support to victims and survivors, and has helped more than 7,000 people.

But the organisers of the fund fear that many eligible people could have missed out because they are living outside Ulster.

“The fund believes many of those affected are from other parts of the UK, such as soldiers who served here and their families, or those who were caught up in incidents outside Northern Ireland,” a spokesman said.

The fund plans to launch a campaign to raise its profile across the UK.

“We believe that many who could be eligible for assistance are simply not aware of the fund,” the spokesman said.

“Whilst we have helped over 7,000 people in Northern Ireland, we are conscious that there may even yet still be those both locally and further afield who have yet to benefit from the help we offer.”

The fund can be contacted by emailing nimf@nics.gov.uk or phoning 028 90522 0069.

Daily Ireland

Website causes a stir with dramatic depictions of historic Irish rebel heroes

by Anthony Neeson
28/03/2006

**Click photos to view - many more on artist’s site

A unique art exhibition featuring the leaders of the 1916 Rising is to go on public display to mark the 90th anniversary of the historic event.
Lost Dreams is a series of paintings by the Dublin artist Caoimhghin Ó Croidheáin.
The idea of the series is to explore Irish history in a visual way, to represent well-known Irish figures not as strict historical paintings but in more of a modern interpretation of their lives and their times.
The artist has exhibited widely throughout Ireland. His work consists of drawings and paintings and features local scenes as well as images from his travels to the west of Ireland and abroad. His social and political themes range from the local to the global.
However, it is his paintings of the 1916 leaders that is causing a stir on his website www.gaelart.net. “I’ve always had an interest in Irish politics and history,” said Mr Ó Croidheáin.
“But we don’t see Irish historical figures portrayed in culture, particularly film-making because it is so expensive.
“The idea was to select a set of political leaders for a series of paintings.
“I didn’t want to paint them as strict historical figures but rather make them modern, using abstract and colour.
“The difficulty here is that all the photographs of the leaders are in black and white so even trying to guess the colour of the eyes was a problem.”
The artist said he had thought long and hard before embarking on the series.
There are other Irish leaders from history on his website including Theobald Wolfe Tone and Eoghan Rua Ó Néill (Owen Roe O’Neill) but there are notable exceptions, such as Daniel O’Connell.
“Daniel O’Connell was essentially a monarchist and he very much looked after his class interests.
“I’ve concentrated on those leaders who were revolutionary and progressive.
“I’m interested in the leaders who were concerned for the ordinary people of Ireland.
“I’ve asked friends of mine, if we had an Artists Square in Dublin like they have in Budapest, which seven leaders would they pick. That made for an interesting exercise.”
Caoimhghin Ó Croidheáin’s Lost Dreams can be viewed on the website www.gaelart.net.
The paintings will go on show at Oideas Gael in Glencolumbkille in Co Donegal in July.

RTÉ

28 March 2006 16:21

The Taoiseach has told the Dáil he believes the British authorities are co-operating with an investigation into the 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings.

Senior Counsel Patrick MacEntee is the sole member of a commission inquiring into aspects of the loyalist bombings, which killed 33 people.

Last month, Mr MacEntee was granted an extension of his investigation until the end of May, after co-operation from what he described as ‘certain entities’.

During today’s Dáil proceedings, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte asked if this referred to the British authorities, or to loyalist paramilitaries.

Mr Ahern said the assumption in his department was that the co-operation was from British authorities, which had not given information before.

The Taoiseach also told deputies that the Attorney General had ruled out taking a case to the European court to force the British government to release documentation.

Sinn Féin’s Caoimghin Ó Caoláin asked if Mr Ahern would call on his predecessor, Liam Cosgrave, to co-operate with the MacEntee investigation, but Mr Ahern said Mr Cosgrave had made his position clear and he did not want to comment further.

Thirty three people died in loyalist bombings in Dublin and Monaghan on 17 May, 1974. Nobody was ever brought to justice for the atrocity.

Part of the terms of reference for the commission is to inquire into the failure of the gardaí to follow up on a number of leads, including an alleged sighting of a British Army corporal in Dublin at the time of the bombings.

BN.ie

28/03/2006 - 15:32:42

The Northern Ireland Policing Board today extended the consultation period over the introduction of 50,000-volt Taser guns following pressure from human rights campaigners.

Policing Board chairman Desmond Rea revealed that at a private meeting the board had decided to ask Chief Constable Hugh Orde to seek further opinion about his plans to purchase 12 Taser guns.

Board members agreed that the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PNSI) should undertake an equality screening exercise on the impact of the introduction of the weapons and to ensure that all groups were given a say on the limited introduction of the guns.

They also committed the Board to seeking the views of human rights advisers on the plan.

Earlier today Amnesty International claimed Tasers were lethal weapons which could kill children, the disabled, pregnant women and the mentally ill.

Patrick Corrigan of Amnesty International said: “Arming all PSNI officers with a potentially lethal device that delivers a 50,000 volt electric shock, causing the subject to collapse in intolerable pain, would not be a wise or welcome move.”

SDLP Policing Board member Alex Attwood urged colleagues to take more time to consider the plan.

Democratic Unionist Board member Ian Paisley Junior supported the introduction of the weapon, arguing Tasers were designed to protect the public from suspected criminals.

BBC

A Sinn Fein delegation has pressed for a £10bn peace dividend at a meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain.

MEP Bairbre de Brun said the cash should be channelled into all-Ireland strategies as well as tackling social and economic disadvantage.

She said the money should be spent over 10 years.

The delegation to the Stormont meeting included Mitchel McLaughlin and Caoimhghin O’Caolain TD.

Mr McLaughlin said: “We made the point to Mr Hain and his principle advisers, that after 10 years a peace dividend has not yet emerged, and if it were to emerge it would be a major accelerator for building confidence in a political process.

“We believe that both governments should look at ways to eradicate regional socio and economic disparities and encourage the development of all-Ireland strategies along the border corridor.”

After the meeting, Mr Hain said he had highlighted several investment initiatives.

“Over the next three years alone to the end of the current budget period, the capital expenditure plans contained in the investment strategy approach £4bn.

“The investment strategy is already showing real progress on the ground with a number of the projects identified already off the drawing board.”

He said spending on public services by 2007/8 would be £16bn, which was 50% higher in real terms than when Labour first came to power.

Belfast Telegraph

By Jeremy Laurance
28 March 2006

New research suggesting that vitamin C can be effective in curing cancer will renew interest in the “alternative” treatment for the terminal disease.

Three cancer patients who were given large intravenous doses over a period of several months had their lives extended and their tumours shrunk, doctors reported yesterday.

A 49-year-old man diagnosed with terminal bladder cancer in 1996 was still alive and cancer-free nine years later, having declined chemotherapy and radiotherapy in favour of regular infusions of vitamin C.

A 66-year-old woman with an aggressive lymphoma who had a “dismal prognosis” in 1995 was similarly treated and is still alive 10 years later. A 51-year-old woman with kidney cancer that spread to her lungs diagnosed in 1995 had a normal chest X-ray two years later. The findings were confirmed by pathologists. Although they do not prove the vitamin cured the cancer they do increase the “clinical plausibility” of the idea, the researchers say.

Vitamin C therapy was first promoted by Linus Pauling, the Nobel prize winner, 30 years ago. Dr Pauling’s claims sparked the continuing boom in sales of vitamin C, but attempts to confirm his findings failed and high-dose vitamin C became an “alternative” therapy.

The latest study, published in the Canadian Association’s Medical Journal, could trigger renewed interest in Dr Pauling’s claims. Studies show that vitamin C is toxic to some cancer cells but not to normal cells. The problem has been delivering a high enough dose.

The researchers say attempts to replicate Dr Pauling’s work failed because they used oral doses of the drug which is rapidly excreted. However, injections achieve blood levels 25 times higher that persist for longer. At these very high doses, the blood level of vitamin C is high enough to selectively kill cancer cells.

Several clinical trials of vitamin C therapy are about to start, including one at McGill University, Montreal, the authors say.