SAOIRSE32

:::u.tv:::

Relatives of those who fought and died in the Easter Rising, the War of Independence and the Civil War, today shared stories of the years after 1916.

By: Press Association
SUNDAY 16/04/2006 17:36:56

In the Gresham Hotel on Dublin`s O`Connell Street, grandchildren, many of them elderly, shared stories of the Easter Rising and spoke of their honour at witnessing the state tribute.

Seán Heuston - **See story below

Glowing with pride and adorned with medals awarded by the government of the 1920s, they explained the importance of being able to play a small part in the commemoration.

Pat Cummins, the nephew of a War of Independence soldier, said he was delighted to live to see the military parade resurrected.

The 85-year-old former Dublin Fianna Fail TD added: “Thank God I am alive to see today. It was a lovely occasion.

“It gives everybody an opportunity to appreciate the wonderful role that the Defence Forces carry out to preserve peace at home and abroad.”

Others noted the pride and enthusiasm among the ordinary people on the streets.

Muriel McAuley, from Limerick, grand-daughter of Tomas McDonagh, a leader in the Rising and fierce ally of Padraig Pearse, spoke of her pride that the rebels` memory was publicly marked.

“It went very well, we are very proud and pleased to see it acknowledged,” she said.

“It was stunning to see the memory of the Easter Rising. Along the route you could hear the enthusiasm … people are becoming proud and not ashamed to be proud, that makes us proud.”

The 66-year-old, who asserted her staunch republican stock by revealing Padraig Pearse was her mother`s godfather, added: “It is nice for people not to be afraid to be patriotic because there are so many people afraid to be proud of the nation as a result of the Troubles.”

The relatives also attended a dinner at Dublin Castle along with dignitaries and politicians to round off the day`s events.

Robert Norton, whose grand uncle Peter Wilson was shot dead by a British sniper as he surrendered, recalled the parade of 1966 which he marched in.

He said:”I was very impressed and I remember the Easter parade of 1966, I marched in it myself.”

Mr Wilson, who died aged 47, fought under 19-year-old commander Sean Heuston with about 20 others at the Mendicity Institution on the River Liffey. Though rebels originally only intended to hold the building for several hours they kept British forces at bay for two days.

Heuston was executed by firing squad on May 8 in Kilmainham Jail, the youngest of the rebels to meet that fate.

————-

BBC History

How Sean Heuston Died

by Father Albert O.F.M. Cap.
(The Capuchin Annual, 1966).

FROM A LETTER BY THE LATE FATHER ALBERT, O.F.M. CAP.

I am glad to be able to comply with your request for “some particulars about the closing scenes of Sean Heuston’s life.” Shortly after Easter Week, 1916, I gave a rather full account for publication in The Catholic Bulletin, but owing to the censor restrictions it could not appear in print. The following is a brief summary of what came under my notice on Sunday night, May 7th. Father Augustine and myself were notified that we would be required at Kilmainham Gaol the following morning as four of the leaders in the Rising were to be executed.

(Click photo to view - image from >>here)

At 1.30 am a military motor car came for us to Church St., and on our arrival at Kilmainham we were brought to the wing of the jail in which our friends were confined.

Father Augustine went to Eamon Kent’s cell and I to Com. M. Mallin’s. I did not remain long as he was on his knees in prayer with two friends. Having visited Con. Colbert and Eamon Kent, I went to Sean Heuston’s cell at about 3.20 am. He was kneeling beside a small table with his Rosary beads in his hand and on the table with a little piece of candle and some letters which he had just written to some relatives and friends. He wore his overcoat as the morning was extremely cold and none of these men received those little comforts that are provided for even the greatest criminals while awaiting sentence of death. During the last quarter of an hour we knelt in that cell in complete darkness, as the little piece of candle had burned out, but no word of complaint escaped his lips. His one thought was to prepare with all the fervour and earnestness of his soul to meet Our Divine Saviour and His Sweet Virgin Mother to Whom he was about to offer up his young life for the freedom and independence of his beloved country. He had been to Confession and had received Holy Communion early that morning and was not afraid to die. He awaited the end not only with the calmness and fortitude which peace of mind brings to noble souls, but during the last quarter of an hour he spoke of soon meeting again Padraig MacPhiarais and the other leaders who had already gone before him. We said together short acts of faith, hope, contrition and love; we prayed together to St. Patrick, St. Brigid, St. Columcille and all the Saints of Ireland; we said many times that very beautiful little ejaculatory prayer: Jesus, Mary and Joseph, I give you my heart and my soul. This appealed very much to him. But though he prayed with such fervour for courage and strength in the ordeal that was at hand, Ireland and his friends were close to his soul.

In his last letter to his sister – a Dominican nun – he wrote:

Let there be no talk of “foolish enterprises.” I have no vain regrets. If you really love me, teach the children the history of their own land and teach them that the cause of Caitlin ni h-Uallachain never dies. Ireland shall be free from the centre to the sea as soon as the people of Ireland believe in the necessity for Ireland’s freedom and are prepared to make the necessary sacrifices to obtain it.

In his last message to me he said:

Remember me to the boys of the Fianna. Remember me to Miceal Staines and to his brothers and to all the boys at Blackhall Street.

At about 3.45 am a British soldier knocked at the door of the cell and told us time was up. We both walked out together down to the end of the large open space from which a corridor leads to the gaol yards. Here his hands were tied behind his back, a cloth tied over his eyes and a small piece of white paper about four or five inches square, pinned on to his coat over his heart. Just then we saw Father Augustine with Com. M. Mallin come towards us from the cell where they had been. We were now told to be ready. I had a small cross in my hand, and though blindfolded, Sean bent his head and kissed the Crucifix this was the last thing his lips touched in life. We now proceeded towards the yard where the execution was to take place, my left arm was linked in his right, while the British soldier who had handcuffed and blindfolded him walked on his left. As we walked slowly along we repeated most of the prayers that we had been saying in his cell. On our way we passed a group of soldiers. These I afterwards learned were awaiting Com. Mallin who was following us. Having reached a second yard I saw there another group of military armed with rifles, some of them were standing and some sitting or kneeling. A soldier directed Sean and myself to a corner of the yard, a short distance from the outer wall of the prison. Here there was a box (seemingly a soap box) and Sean was told to sit down on it. He was perfectly calm and said with me for the last time My Jesus, mercy.

I scarcely had moved away a few yards when a volley went off, and this noble soldier of Irish freedom fell dead. I rushed over to anoint him. His whole face seemed transformed, and lit up with a grandeur and brightness that I had never before noticed.

Later on his remains and those of the others were conveyed to Arbour Hill military detention barracks, where they were buried in the outer yard, in a trench with holds the mortal remains of Ireland’s noblest and bravest sons. Never before did I realise that man could fight so bravely, and die so beautifully and so fearlessly as did the heroes of Easter Week. On the morning of Sean Heuston’s death, I would have given the world to have been in his place, he died in such a noble and sacred cause and went forth to meet……………..*

*Rest of letter is missing.

Capuchin priest Fr Aloysius administered the last rites of the Catholic Church to Pearse and Connolly and liaised with General Maxwell. Read his diary of these events >>here

Sunday Life

Alan Murray
16 April 2006

THE PSNI has now confirmed that it took a legally-held firearm off murdered Sinn Fein official Denis Donaldson in 2002.

The gun was taken from the MI5 agent’s home after sensitive security documents were uncovered at the house in west Belfast.

Donaldson is believed to have been among the 200 plus members of Sinn Fein and the IRA, including many convicted terrorists, who were granted firearms certificates after the Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998 in a ’side deal’ negotiated with the British Government.

Donaldson, who was murdered in Donegal two weeks ago, had a terrorist conviction for his involvement in an IRA attack in 1971.

That conviction would normally debar someone from obtaining a certificate to keep a weapon.

But Sunday Life has learned that the gun that could have saved his life in the attack at his hideaway in Glenties, Donegal had been taken from him over three years ago.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that Donaldson had held a Beretta pistol and possibly a shotgun for hunting purposes at his Aitnamona Crescent home when it was raided in October 2002, in an operation to recover sensitive government documents stolen from Stormont.

Transcripts of conversations between Tony Blair and George Bush and personal details of at least one Army officer’s car were recovered.

Last month in a statement the police said that no firearm was recovered during the planned search of Donaldson’s home.

But when Sunday Life pressed about whether Donaldson had been allowed to possess a legally held firearm and what had happened to it, the PSNI issued another brief statement last week saying a gun had been taken into custody sometime after the search of his west Belfast home.

“A weapon lawfully held at an address at Aitnamona Crescent in Belfast was taken into police possession. It is not outstanding. It was one weapon and it was lawfully held,” the statement read.

Sunday Life

Chris Anderson
16 April 2006

A mural commemorating the Orange Order’s Drumcree protest is to be given a major facelift in the run-up to the marching season.

Republicans have daubed the letters ‘PIRA’ across part of the Portadown painting, which looks out onto the route Orangemen follow on their parade to the church.

The weather has taken its toll on the Dungannon Road mural which was a common sight on TV screens around the world at the height of the Orange Orders’ Drumcree protest a few years ago.

And there were rumours that it would be removed by loyalists as part of a clean-up of murals in the area.

Images of sporting heroes have replaced paramilitary scenes on gable walls in the area in recent weeks.

However, loyalist sources in Portadown said the Drumcree mural, along with one of murdered LVF leader, Billy Wright at nearby Union Street would be retained.

“There was never a question of the Drumcree mural being removed,” one source said.

“The Drumcree parade protest is part and parcel of Portadown’s recent cultural history.

“It is a world-wide image. The new mural will let the wider community know the people of Portadown haven’t given up on the Drumcree parade even if the local Orangemen have,” claimed the loyalist source.

Stephen Breen
16 April 2006

A west Belfast teenager escaped death after he was brutally attacked by a gang of hammer-wielding thugs in the early hours of yesterday.

Terrified Jim Reynolds (16), from Ballymurphy Road, told us he was targeted by five men and two women who he can identify.

Jim believes he was attacked because he witnessed the murder of Ballymurphy father-of-six Gerard Devlin in February.

Said Jim: “They were trying to kill me. I know who they are and I have passed all their names to the police.

“I can hardly walk but I wanted to come out of hospital because I didn’t want my mummy being on her own.

“I was very lucky to have escaped and I just curled up in a ball when they started hitting me. I probably wouldn’t have been able to get away if they hadn’t have tried to get upstairs,” he said.

“They are animals and they just want me dead because I am a witness and because I am friends with the Devlin family.”

The gang smashed their way into Jim’s home in the early hours of Saturday morning and attacked him with hammers as he lay sleeping on the settee.

He suffered two sprained ankles, cuts to his arms and severe bruising to his knees.

But as some of the gang raced upstairs to attack Jim’s mother, Margaret and her other children, the teenager punched one of the men and managed to escape.

And even as Sunday Life was interviewing the young man, members of the gang were taunting the assault victim outside his home.

The teenager’s mum has vowed to move from the area, following the attack on her son.

She said: “That’s some Easter present my family received but it is just the latest in a series of attacks against my family.

“I will never forget the screams of my son to help him and I honestly thought he was dead. They even threatened to gut my ten-year-old daughter,” she added.

“This whole thing has to end because I’m at my wits end. I have lived here for 15 years but I’m now going to leave the area because I can’t take anymore.”

Four people - three men in their twenties and a woman in her thirties - were arrested in connection with the assault, police revealed last night.

Sunday Life

Stephen Breen
16 April 2006

THE UDA leadership in north Belfast has told its members it is giving up extortion, drug dealing and criminality.

Sunday Life understands the claim was made by a veteran UDA prisoner at a secret meeting - attended by 200 members of the terrorist group - in the area last Thursday.

But many of the organisation’s members believe the statement was only made to prevent the UDA’s ruling ‘inner council’ from ousting the north Belfast leadership, which includes Ihab Shoukri and Alan McClean.

The crunch summit was held after we revealed last week how death threats were issued to three senior loyalists after they had accused the local leadership of drug-dealing and criminality.

The threats were issued to veteran Sammy Duddy, UPRG spokesman John Bunting and another loyalist.

Ihab Shoukri is believed to have spoken at the meeting, where he defended the gambling habits of his brother, Andre.

A leading UDA figure from the Ballysillan area is also believed to have told the meeting that north Belfast remains “a strong unit” and will resist any attempt to topple its leaders.

More meetings are expected to be held over the coming weeks to discuss the future of the UDA in the north of the city.

We spoke to a number of UDA members who attended the meeting, which they described as tense.

Said one senior source: “The meeting was called on Thursday and a well-respected UDA man told the crowd north Belfast was giving up criminality.

“Ihab (Shoukri) also spoke up and said it was nobody’s business what sort of money Andre was spending at the bookies, because it was ‘his own money’.

“The members were told the UDA in north Belfast can sustain itself and is capable of dealing with anyone who takes action against it.

“But there were many members who didn’t speak out because if they do, they are worried they will receive threats in the same way Sammy Duddy did.

“Many members also believe the statement is a smokescreen, and they will be back to the drugs and the criminality once the heat around the Shoukris dies down.”

No one from the UPRG was available to comment on last week’s meeting.

sbreen@belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Sunday Life

Alan Murray
16 April 2006

THE Police Ombudsman is considering legal action against the BBC to obtain a videotaped interview with a former RUC detective who may have crucial information about police spies in the UVF.

The BBC has already refused a request from Raymond McCord snr to view the tape. His son, also Raymond, was murdered by the terrorists in 1997.

It’s understood a similar request by Nuala O’Loan met with the same response.

The interview - with ex-detective Trevor McIlwrath - was taped several months ago.

It is believed to contain allegations about the activities of police informers inside the north Belfast UVF - including their involvement in killings.

Mr McCord has made a statement to the Ombudsman saying he believes the tape could assist the probe into allegations that RUC agents inside the UVF engaged in murder.

He told Sunday Life: “I have asked the BBC to allow me to see this tape, but they refused.

“Any material that helps the Ombudsman’s investigators to piece together the activities of police agents within the UVF in north Belfast should be given to her office.

“I believe the BBC has a duty to assist the Ombudsman in conducting what is a very serious investigation.”

The Public Prosecution Service is yet to rule on whether former Special Branch agent-handlers should face charges in relation to the activities of spies inside the UVF.

Mrs O’Loan is expected to wait until the PPS reaches its decision before publishing her long-awaited report.

However, her lawyers are considering whether to launch a court action to force the BBC to hand over the tape.

One Belfast lawyer said: “If the tape contains material which relates to her investigation, she may be well within her rights to obtain it to view its contents and take any action which might be warranted arising from it.

“If she didn’t view the tape, it could be argued that her investigation did not examine all the available evidence.”

A spokesman for the Ombudsman said: “The McCord inquiry is ongoing and we are continuing to pursue a number of lines of inquiry. It’s unlikely the inquiry will be completed before end of the month.”

No one from the BBC was available for comment.

Sunday Life

Alan Murray
16 April 2006

THE widow of a prison officer has been driven from her east Belfast home by a drug-fuelled UVF unit.

The heartbroken widow was forced to abandon her home of 37 years in the Ballybeen estate in Dundonald after being threatened by a baseball bat-wielding thug.

When police responded to a 999 call, their vehicles were stoned.

A prison officer who helped the woman to move her belongings said he was “sickened” by the attack.

He said: “Here’s a widow who has spent 37 years living in Ballybeen, who scattered her husband’s ashes in the back garden, but who is now homeless and heartbroken.

“The thugs who did this call themselves loyalists, but they’re just gangsters,” he said.

Police confirmed yesterday that officers attended an incident in which a man armed with a baseball bat tried to batter his way into a woman’s home.

A police vehicle was damaged and a woman officer injured.

Two days later, when two families were escorted to their homes to collect property, more stones were thrown.

Said one senior loyalist: “David Ervine has done great work in the Newtownards Road area and in other parts of east Belfast, but this crew in Ballybeen is just the pits.

“The UVF said it was ridding the Knocknagoney and Tullycarnet areas of LVF drug-dealers, but around here there are all-night parties and people are being threatened on a daily basis by the UVF men who control the area.”

Guardian

Mike Browne
Sunday April 16, 2006
The Observer

A notorious loyalist murderer is facing 20 years behind bars after being returned to jail for breaching his Good Friday Agreement release licence.

Glenn ‘Shrek’ Haggan, 29, joins a small number of Good Friday Agreement prisoners rejailed for licence breach, including Johnny ‘Mad Dog’ Adair. He was returned to Maghaberry Prison on 7 April after PSNI officers arrested him as he walked near his home in Sunningdale Gardens, Lurgan.

Haggan was jailed in 1995 after pleading guilty to the murder of schoolboy Gavin Malcolm. Haggan and three friends were drunk when they picked on Malcolm, 15, as he made his way home from school. They kicked him repeatedly, but ran off when he tried to attract the help of a passing motorist. When the driver failed to stop, they returned, dragged him into a nearby block of flats, and pushed him 50ft to his death from a fourth-floor window. He was so badly beaten that police thought he had been the victim of a hit-and-run.

At their trial the gang was said by the judge to have acted like a ‘pack of hyenas’. Haggan, who gave evidence against his accomplices, was sentenced to be detained at the Secretary of State’s pleasure, which is usually the equivalent of a life term.

However, he served only three years before being released under the Good Friday Agreement, after the mid-Ulster UVF accepted him as a paramilitary prisoner in jail. He later joined Billy Wright’s LVF, set up in 1996. He went on to become a leading LVF figure. Two of his accomplices received 12-year terms while the fourth received two years for withholding information.

Since his release, Haggan has received convictions for driving offences and assault, including against his former wife, but has repeatedly secured non-custodial sentences. He has also been repeatedly shot and beaten by rivals.

BN.ie

**Don’t hold your breath waiting for any investigation results

16/04/2006 - 18:06:55

A man was shot dead by police attempting to stop a suspected stolen car in Northern Ireland today.

An officer opened fire as the silver BMW reached a vehicle checkpoint in Ballynahinch, Co Down.

Another three men and two women in the car were arrested and taken for questioning.

The Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman, Nuala O’Loan, has launched a probe to establish whether the shooting was necessary to protect lives.

Amid unconfirmed reports that the dead man was trying to run from the scene when he was hit, his body lay just feet from the car.

A priest from a nearby Catholic Church was called to his side after the shooting, at around 11.30am.

By that stage the man, who was the driver, was already dead.

The body was later removed after forensic experts had trawled the area for clues.

The BMW is believed to have travelled from Ballykinlar, about 12 miles away, and may have been heading for Belfast.

Officers were alerted and set up a check point in Church Street, right outside the town’s police station.

Several shots were fired at the car, although it was unclear if it tried to drive through the roadblock.

Jim Wells, a Democratic Unionist MLA for the area, insisted that the officers involved had little time to weigh up their options.

He said: “Police obviously had to make a split second decision based on the information they had.

“As a result of that, shots were fired and a man has died. We must wait now until the investigation is completed.”

But the SDLP’s Alex Attwood demanded answers from the police, and tough disciplinary measures if required.

“The use of lethal fire in the circumstances of this case is highly questionable and, on the facts known at present, it is very hard to determine what level of threat existed against the police and other people, who it is reported were at the scene,” the West Belfast MLA claimed.

“This requires the police to say up front what has happened, for any officer on the ground or at command level to be suspended where appropriate, and for the police to work with the Police Ombudsman and Policing Board to further consider any use of live fire, including the use of live fire in the circumstances of this case.

“This is an enormous tragedy for the family, and it requires an enormous response from the policing institutions. Any wrongdoing must be prosecuted and any other failure must be faced up to and corrected.”

The Ombudsman’s chief of investigations, Justin Felice, urged anyone who saw what happened to get in touch.

He said: “My investigators are up at the scene, they have taken control of the scene and they are going to conduct an independent investigation in respect of the circumstances leading up to this incident.

“I would like to make a witness appeal to anybody who may have seen this incident to contact the Police Ombudsman’s Office.”

One of the last fatal shootings the Police Ombudsman investigated also involved officers opening fire on a car.

Neil McConville, 21, from Craigavon, Co Armagh was shot after a surveillance operation near Lisburn Co Antrim in April 2003. The car he was in failed to stop at a checkpoint.

The outcome of that investigation has yet to be made public.

BN.ie

16/04/2006 - 17:03:47

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today said he hoped parades would mark the Easter Rising each year until the centenary in ten years’ time as 120,000 people thronged Dublin’s streets in tribute to those who fought and died for Irish freedom.

In the largest military display in memory of the fallen heroes of 1916, and the first since 1971, 2,500 Defence Forces personnel marched through the capital.

In a solemn and respectful memorial to all those killed in the bloody battles of the Rising, President Mary McAleese laid a wreath at the front of the GPO - the focal point of the rebellion.

Mr Ahern and the President looked on as the tricolour above the iconic building was lowered to half mast and Captain Tom Ryan, of the sixth Infantry Battalion, re-enacted the reading of the Proclamation of the Republic.

As relatives of the rebels gathered after the parade, an emotional Bertie Ahern told reporters he was reminded of the sacrifice hundreds of men and women committed to in order to liberate the nation.

“My most moving moment of the day was when I laid a wreath in Stonebreaker’s Yard in Kilmainham, which carried a chilling reminder of the execution of the 1916 leaders there 90 years ago,” he said.

Mr Ahern remarked that he hoped the military parade would continue in a low-key manner each year until the centenary of the Rising in 2016.

The military display saw Defence Forces and Irish Navy personnel in full military uniform with the latest equipment and vehicles march through the capital as half a dozen Army bands provided music.

Gardaí estimated crowds along the mile route from Dublin Castle to the GPO at around 120,000.

The Army Equitation School, Defence Forces Medical Corps, an Garda Siochana, UN veterans and ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen joined the procession.

Onlookers standing behind crash barriers saw giant Armoured Personnel Carriers, 1.75-tonne artillery guns, Explosive Ordnance Disposal armoured vehicles, an Aardvark mine sweeper and several MOWAG tanks in the parade.

Also included were vintage artillery guns, which were issued to the Defence Forces in 1949 and are used in the presidential 21-gun salute.

An Irish Air Corps fly-over of light military aircraft and the Government Lear Jet drew loud applause and cheers.

Hundreds of dignitaries, including British Ambassador Stewart Eldon, viewed the parade from viewing stands facing the GPO.

Former political leaders, TDs, Senators and diplomats stood as the crowds joined in a rendition of Amhran na bhFiann, the national anthem.

Mark Durkan, SDLP MP, was the only political leader from the north to attend.

“Today was a very appropriate commemoration,” he said. “But I hope that commemorations in the future will be even more dignified and inclusive and won’t have as strong a military presence.”

The nationalist leader said it was unfortunate, but not surprising, that unionist politicians had declined an invitation to attend.

The Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said: “The commemorations were a great showcase for the defence forces. It was a great showcase for the Irish Army, for the services at home and abroad, and great to see them all.”

Mr Kenny added that the day’s event should be seen as a long dress rehearsal for Centenary commemorations in 2016.

Green Party leader Trevor Sargent hailed the parade as a symbol of a modern Ireland.

“Ireland’s proud service in United Nations’ peacekeeping missions is a modern example of the self-sacrifice espoused by the 1916 leaders,” Mr Sargent said.

However, he added that the executed rebels would be horrified to see how the Irish language is being marginalised within society today.

“The idealism of the 1916 leaders was as much to do with Ireland’s integrity and identity as well as its independence,” he explained.

Former Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, congratulated the organisers of the event which he said was very important for the defence forces and the general public.

“It was high time that we had a parade like this. Too much time had elapsed. It was fantastic for the defence forces and the public and I hope that it continues on an annual basis,” he said.

Labour Party leader, Pat Rabbitte, said: “It was a splendid opportunity for the defence forces, the Navy and the Air Corps to put their capabilities on display.

“It will take more time to consider the wider implications of today’s event, as we drift towards the centenary celebrations of the 1916 Rising in 10 years.”

32CSM Message Board

Posted on 15/4/2006 at 02:46:09 by The Sovereign Nation

This statement was issued anonymously to The Sovereign Nation.

The leadership of Óglaigh na hÉireann extend revolutionary greetings to our volunteers and supporters on this the 90th anniversary of the Easter Rising. We offer our continuing condolences to the families of all those who have died in the pursuit of Irish freedom. Their memory is an inspiration to us all. We also send solidarity greetings to our imprisoned comrades at home and abroad. We salute your courage and your continued resistance to the policy of criminalisation.

The Republican position is again under threat by revisionists within the Free State establishment. Their attempts to misrepresent the Republican position will be exposed by those who still hold true to Republican ideals. This Easter those who have usurped Irish sovereignty will parade past the GPO and attempt to reclaim the legacy of 1916. Republicans will again resist the attempts of constitutional nationalists to portray themselves as the legitimate successors of Pearse and Connolly.

We remember with pride the ten Óglaigh na hÉireann and INLA volunteers who died 25 years ago in the pursuit of political status and we reaffirm, in their memory, our commitment to the ending of British rule in Ireland and the restoration of national democracy and national sovereignty.

Former comrades have usurped the constitution of Óglaigh na hÉireann and have accepted Britain’s right to interfere in our affairs. This is an intolerable situation and the leadership of Óglaigh na hÉireann pledge to remain true to our constitution and its aims and objectives.

Irish sovereignty is being undermined on a daily basis, not only by the British Army in the north, but also by the American warplanes which land illegally in Shannon. Our national resources are being stolen by multinational capitalists and their Free State allies. Republicans stand for the complete ownership of Irish national territory and its resources for the benefit of the Irish people in accordance with the proclamation of the Republic.

The causes of the conflict in Ireland remain unchanged. Britain refuses to declare its intent to withdraw and the so called government of the Irish people refuses to demand their withdrawal. While this remains the case Óglaigh na hÉireann will continue to exist to defend Irish sovereignty and the Irish nation.

32CSM Message Board

Posted on 16/4/2006 at 09:45:34 by The Sovereign Nation

EASTER ORATION 2006

Oration At Arbour Hill By the Chairman of 32 County Sovereignty Movement Mr Francis Mackey

Friends, Comrades

Today marks the 90th anniversary of one of the most momentous occasions in the history of the Irish people’s struggle, to end foreign occupation in our country and to fulfil the right of national self-determination free from outside interference.

Today we remember with pride and honour the leaders of the rising who acted legally and in good faith when they set about planning their strategy which ended in their murder and the murder of the Provisional Government.

We remember all republicans who made the ultimate sacrifice with their lives 90 years ago and through every generation to the present day. Those men and women were not in the republican movement for glory or self gain, they were principled and believed their actions were correct in the face of the massive opposition from the colonial invader.

Today republicans face even stiffer opposition because today not only do we face the illegal interference from the British Government, we are faced with the quislings in the Dublin Government and regrettably from the Provisional Movement whose leadership have totally usurped the position of the men and women of 1916.

Today in our capital city we witness Provisional Sinn Fein in collusion with Fianna Fail attempt to rewrite our history.

We listen to their bleak attempt at saying they are the inheritors to fulfil the legacy of 1916 and it is further disgusting to hear both parties claiming to be republican when both have signed up to an agreement that to use their words, “under international law” gives legitimacy to British Rule in Ireland.

British rule in Ireland was never legitimate, not in 1916, not in the years that followed and most certainly not today.

British rule in Ireland will never have legitimacy whilst that Government holds an illegal sovereign claim to the occupied 6 Counties.

The attempts by Sinn Fein, the British Government and Dublin to enter into agreement in writing revisionist politics for the Irish people is wrong and when something is wrong it will fail.

The failure of Stormont today is history repeating itself. It failed before and is doomed to failure again and it does not matter if Gerry Adams, Martin Mc Guinness and all the rest crawl on their bellies to get into it, it will fail because the single fundamental issue of Irish National Sovereignty has been usurped by all the parties allied to the British agreement of 1998.

Sinn Fein and Fianna Fail today claim lineage to the leaders of 1916, yet their actions are alien to that great document of 1916. The Proclamation clearly states, “The Provisional Government of the Irish Republic to the People of Ireland” and goes on to declare “ the right of the people of Ireland to the ownership of Ireland and the unfettered control of Irish destinies, to be sovereign and indefeasible”.

Where does Sinn Fein’s and Fianna Fail’s actions protect and uphold that position.

They are hypocrites to proclaim support for the men and women of 1916 whilst seeking to administer British rule in Ireland and having signed away the sovereignty of the Irish people in 1998.

Every generation the Irish people have asserted their right to National freedom and National Sovereignty.

The Proclamation goes on to proclaim the Irish Republic as a Sovereign Independent State. And the leaders of 1916 pledged their lives to protect it.

A far cry from not only usurping it but actively pursuing the British Agenda.

At this point in time the 32 County Sovereignty Movement are the only organisation in Ireland with a legitimate challenge to British Rule in Ireland under international law.

We see the vast opposition to having this case heard, never the less we see the value in pursuing that case in defending the position of those who we are gathered here today to commemorate and we question the failure of Sinn Fein to support this challenge.

We acknowledge the legitimacy of other groups and organisations opposing British rule and we see there is more uniting us than what keeps us apart, therefore I call again for Unity of purpose from all groups and individuals to unite and enhance the challenge.

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of the 1981 Hunger Strike when the British Government denied the right of Irish POW’s to have political status.

Ten brave men died as a result of the intransigence of the British Government who were trying to criminalise the republican struggle.

That Government failed and today we have a similar situation whereby republican prisoners are being denied their rights as political prisoners. In English Gaols POW’S are being denied the right to be close to their families and loved ones. The British Government are refusing to repatriate them back to Ireland

So too in gaols in Ireland we witness attempts to criminalise not alone the individual prisoner but to criminalise any attempt to oppose British Rule in Ireland and to criminalise any organisation that upholds and defends the Sovereignty of the Irish people.

To those POW’s who are standing steadfast on the principles of why you find yourself in gaol, I congratulate for holding your legitimate position.

We recognise the extent to which the establishment will go to criminalise you but do not give in to them, just think of the sacrifice of Pearse and Connolly, of Thomas Mc Donagh, Sean Mc Diarmada, Thomas Clarke, Eamon Ceannt and Joseph Plunkett.

Remember Bobby Sands, Francis Hughes, Raymond Mc Creesh, Patsy O’Hara, Joe Mc Donnell, Martin Hurson, Kevin Lynch, Kieran Doherty, Thomas Mc Elwee and Michael Devine and think of the sacrifice they endured not only to get their five demands which was ultimately Political Status but to protect and defend the legitimacy of the political struggle in upholding Irish National Sovereignty.

Remember too the Irish people rose up in the past and will again when republicans re-emerge as a significant force in upholding the Sovereignty of the Irish people.

Remember also the contrast between 1916 and 1981 when the leaders of 1916 were murdered. It was described in poetic terms as “A Terrible Beauty Being Born”.

The Irish people rose up in support of protecting their Sovereignty and ratified the Proclamation some two and a half years later when the people of Ireland Declared their Freedom.

What happened then was the British continued to deny the people their democratic rights. A foreign Treaty was accepted by some, a civil war ensued and De Valera moved to accepting the principles of the Treaty which partitioned our country. He in turn executed republicans as a warning to anyone who would uphold Irish National Sovereignty or defend it.

Following the Hunger Strike again the Irish people rose in support of the republican position. Republicans entered the election trail and became the largest Nationalist party in the occupied area and what did Sinn Fein do with this support. They like Fianna Fail accepted a partitionist treaty and having signed it became critical of Irish men and women for upholding Irish National Sovereignty, indeed they went further with the issue of threats against those who upheld their constitution.

So in recognising the plight of the POW’s we acknowledge the political climate and we must ensure that the murder of the 1916 leaders and the 1981 Hunger Strikers will never be forgotten and that the sacrifice of all republican volunteers was not in vain.
Republicans have a moral duty to uphold the principles for which they died.

Today as Fianna Fail and the leaders of Sinn Fein masquerade as republicans we must recognise them for what they are. They are Home Rulers.

In 1916 Home Rule under British Sovereignty was becoming a reality. The 1916 leaders knew this would have a devastating long term effect on the political landscape and their actions 90 years ago must be recognised as a brave attempt, detrimental to their own lives, in pushing the political landscape forward with a republican focus. They succeeded, it was others who usurped their position and moved to accept the foreign treaty.

Today Sinn Fein are a Home Rule party having usurped the Sovereignty of the Irish Nation. They now find themselves in a dilemma. They continue to use republican speak to get into Stormont but cannot challenge the British Government. They are confined within that agreement to work with and administer the will of the British Government.

Last week the British Minister Peter Hain told the Irish people in his assurances to the Unionist parties, “if the DUP and SF can’t agree on administering British Rule” new legislation will be brought in outside the conditions of the GFA.

In other words the British Government will do what they have to, to protect their position. The GFA is dead. The Brits have changed the rules to strengthen and protect their illegal sovereign claim.

Hain also stated that any working arrangement with Dublin will not be Joint Authority. He said, “the constitutional position of the British Government is safeguarded”.

Sinn Fein need to tell us what they got out of this for the Irish people and how did they further the aims of the 1916 leaders.

The answer is obvious they got nothing, they did what the Brits wanted assisted by informers and agents so that Sinn Fein policy and strategy was based on a British agenda.

The Sinn Fein leadership failed the men and women of 1916 and they have failed the Irish people today.

As we leave here today let us remember why it is important to assemble here at Arbour Hill and remember our responsibilities to uphold the Sovereignty of the Irish people with pride and that we rededicate ourselves to it’s defence as we intensify our challenge to the Legality of British Rule in Ireland.

Go Raibh maith agat.

ORATION ENDS.

BN.ie

16/04/2006 - 11:15:14

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern today pledged to continue to work for peace and reconciliation in Ireland as wreaths were laid in Dublin’s Kilmainham Gaol in honour of the 1916 Easter Rising revolutionaries.

In the first of a series of State ceremonies marking the 90th anniversary of the rebellion at a private service in the jail, Mr Ahern urged people to strive for a new future.

“As we look to the future, we must be generous and inclusive so that all of the people of Ireland can live together with each other and with our neighbours in Great Britain on a basis of friendship, respect, equality and partnership,” he said.

“And every day, in every place, we will continue to work for peace, for justice, for prosperity and for reconciliation between all who share and who love this special island.”

The ceremony was the first of a series of events to be held across the country culminating in a military parade of 2,500 troops past the iconic GPO, were the Proclamation of the Republic was read out.

Mr Ahern said holding a commemoration 90 years on from the rebellion was testament that our generation still cherishes the ideals of the courageous men and women who fought for Ireland in Easter week and during the War of Independence.

He said it showed the honour and respect Ireland has for their selfless idealism and patriotism. And he said it was a symbol of our gratitude for the great sacrifices they made for us.

“Today is a day of remembrance, reconciliation and renewal. Today is about discharging one generation’s debt of honour to another,” he said.

“Today, we will fittingly commemorate the patriotism and vision of those who set in train an unstoppable process which led to this country’s political independence.”

Mr Ahern was joined in Kilmainham by invited guests including Fr Joseph Mallin, son of the Commandant of the Irish Citizen Army Michael Mallin and the only surviving child of any of the 1916 leaders.

“Michael Mallin’s generation fought heroically to vindicate the Irish people’s right to self-determination and it is fitting that we rightly honour them,” Mr Ahern said.

In a solemn tribute to those who fought to liberate Ireland, wreaths were laid only yards from where many of the leaders of the Rising, including Padraig Pearse, were executed in the Stonebreaker’s Yard – also known as the Execution Plot.

Mr Ahern said the vision and bravery of Mallin, Pearse, James Connolly and Thomas J Clarke and the other 1916 revolutionaries, in their lives and in their deaths, was recognised by the Irish people.

He noted that only two years after the Rising the people of Ireland backed the cause of an Independent Republic by a massive and sweeping majority.

“The justice of the cause, not simply the willingness to fight for it, contributed much to its success,” Mr Ahern said.

“The men and women of Easter 1916 gave their lives so that Ireland could gain her freedom.

“The generations that came after them used that freedom to support peace across the world through the efforts of our Defence Forces, Óglaigh na hEireann.”

BN.ie

16/04/2006 - 13:36:47

Tens of thousands of spectators lined the streets of Dublin toay as Ireland marked the 90th anniversary of the Easter Rising.

In the first commemorative military display in memory of the heroes of 1916, 2,500 Defence Forces personnel marched through the capital.

President Mary McAleese joined Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at the front of the GPO on O’Connell Street, the spot where the bloody rebellion began.

The Tricolour above the iconic building was lowered to half mast as Captain Tom Ryan, of the sixth Infantry Battalion, re-enacted the reading of the Proclamation of the Republic.

President McAleese inspected a guard of honour before laying a wreath in memory of those who fought and died for Irish freedom in 1916.

Throngs of crowds looked on in silence from every available vantage point as politicians, dignitaries and relatives of the 1916 rebels stood for a minute’s silence.

British ambassador Stewart Eldon was among the invited guests who watched from viewing platforms facing the GPO as the last post was sounded and the national flag was returned to full mast.

And in a fitting tribute to the revolutionaries, spectators joined in a rendition of Amhran na bhFiann, the national anthem.

A military parade led by the army band wound its way through the crowded city streets as the Air Core and Garda air support units flew overhead.

The largest-ever military display witnessed in Ireland included Defence Forces and Irish Navy personnel in full military uniform with the latest equipment and vehicles.

The Army Equitation School, Defence Forces Medical Corps, an Garda Siochana, UN veterans and ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen also joined the procession.

Onlookers standing behind crash barriers saw giant Armoured Personnel Carriers, 1.75-tonne artillery guns, Explosive Ordnance Disposal armoured vehicles, an Aardvark mine sweeper and several MOWAG tanks in the parade.

Also included were vintage artillery guns, which were issued to the Defence Forces in 1949 and are currently used in the presidential 21-gun salute.

Over half a dozen Army bands provided the music.

An Irish Air Corps fly-over of light military aircraft and the Government Lear Jet drew loud applause and cheers.

The Defence Forces personnel were drawn from several barracks around the country.

Green Party leader Trevor Sargent, who sat in the viewing stand with government and opposition members, hailed the parade as a symbol of a modern Ireland.

“Ireland’s proud service in United Nations’ peacekeeping missions is a modern example of the self-sacrifice espoused by the 1916 leaders,” he said.

However, he added that the executed rebels would be horrified to see how the Irish language is being marginalised within society today.

“The idealism of the 1916 leaders was as much to do with Ireland’s integrity and identity as well as its independence,” he explained.

FormerTaoiseach Albert Reynolds congratulated the organisers of the event which he said was very important for the defence forces and the general public.

“It was high time that we had a parade like this. Too much time had elapsed. It was fantastic for the defence forces and the public and I hope that it continues on an annual basis,” he said.

Dublin’s Rising celebration in 1966

Labour Party leader, Pat Rabbitte, said: “It was a splendid opportunity for the defence forces, the Navy and the Air Corps to put their capabilities on display.

“It will take more time to consider the wider implications of today’s event, as we drift towards the centenary celebrations of the 1916 Rising in 10 years,” he said.

BBC

A man has been shot dead by police at a vehicle checkpoint in Ballynahinch, County Down.

A police spokesman said a number of shots were fired at a car in Church Street on Sunday morning.

It is understood the dead man was driving the vehicle. Three men and two women who were also in the car have been arrested.

The Police Ombudsman’s office has been informed about the incident and has launched an investigation.

Part of the main Belfast to Newcastle Road in the town has been closed.