SAOIRSE32

BBC

Michael McIlveen died after being attacked in Ballymena

A 15-year-old boy who was attacked by a gang in County Antrim has died in hospital from his injuries.

Michael McIlveen and a friend were confronted by a group in an alley at Garfield Place, Ballymena, on Sunday.

A relative said the attackers hit Michael with a baseball bat and “jumped on his head”. His friend escaped.

Michael managed to get home where the extent of his injuries was realised. Four men and a juvenile are being questioned about the sectarian assault.

The police have launched a murder inquiry.

The teenager had been treated in Antrim Area Hospital where his family had been at his bedside.

‘Sectarian nature’

His aunt told the BBC he had been working during the day and had gone out to get a pizza. He was just leaving the restaurant when he was attacked at about 0030 BST.

She believes he was targeted because he was a Catholic.

The police district commader for Ballymena, Superintendent Terry Shevlin, said the motive for the assault “was of a sectarian nature”.

He said there appeared to have been an initial “altercation” at a cinema in the town, before the victim was chased to the scene of the attack.

Mr Shevlin said police had increased patrolling in Ballymena, but said the community had to do more to combat sectarianism.

Secretary of State Peter Hain said it was a “sickening sectarian attack” which dragged Northern Ireland “back to the dark days of the past”.

“His family are grieving tonight and my thoughts are with them at this terrible time,” he said.

“Those who are responsible for this murderous attack must be brought to justice and anyone with any information must bring it to the police.”

Daily Ireland

TEENAGER ‘critical’ on Life-support machine after Loyalists attack him in town centre - Tinderbox atmosphere in area as frightened residents ask politicians to show leadership

By Connla Young
8 May 2006

A deadly assault on Catholic youth prompts fears of another summer of hate in the North.
A teenager was in critical condition last night after being savagely beaten by loyalists early yesterday.
The family of 16-year-old Michael McIlveen gathered at his bedside at Antrim Area Hospital last night after doctors warned that the teenager was not expected to survive the night.
The former St Patrick’s College student was placed on a life-support machine hours after being attacked by a gang of loyalist youths at Garfield Place in Ballymena at around 12.30am yesterday.
A hospital spokesman described the young man’s condition as “critical”.
Daily Ireland understands that the teenager was chased by loyalists after visiting a Ballymena cinema on Saturday night.
After being caught and beaten, the attack victim made his way to a neighbour’s house. He later returned to his Dunclug home, where he complained of being unwell. It is understood his condition deteriorated and an ambulance was called.
Locals said that, after attacking the teenager, the loyalist gang had attacked a Catholic-owned home in the Granville Drive area of the town.
The PSNI said the force was “investigating a motive for the attack” on Michael McIlveen.
Two men were arrested in connection with the assault (**now four). Police said the men were assisting them with their inquiries.
Philip McGuigan, Sinn Féin assembly member for North Antrim, said there was no doubt that the attack was sectarian.
“There have been a number of attacks of a sectarian nature but it seems this is going to have very serious consequences for the young lad involved. People are going to lose their lives unless political leadership is shown across the board. Action is needed now to avoid further acts like this and the kind of summer we had last year.”
Ballymena SDLP councillor Declan O’Loan said he had no doubt the attack was sectarian.
“This is a terrible tragedy and I want to extend my sympathy to the family, who I know are in a deep sense of shock. I would urge everybody in the community to show a level of restraint. Any public disorder could lead to further tragedy. I hope the full facts of the situation are issued publicly. I have been worried something like this would happen in Ballymena,” said Mr O’Loan.
In an attempt to manage the potential fall-out from the attack on Michael McIlveen, senior PSNI officers briefed members of the local District Policing Partnership and elected representatives in the town yesterday.
Tensions in the town’s Dunclug estate were said to be on a knife edge last night. There was a large security force presence in the area.

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Two weeks ago, Michael McIlveen’s 20-year-old friend Kirk McCaughern was stabbed after an altercation in the centre of Ballymena.
As he recovered at home from his injuries, Mr McCaughern told Daily Ireland he believed his attackers had tried to kill him because was a Catholic.
The PSNI later charged Mr McCaughern in relation to the incident that had led to his stabbing. To date, no one has been charged with stabbing or assaulting Mr McCaughern.
Nationalist representatives in the bitterly divided town have warned in recent months that lives could be put in danger if the sectarian attacks in the area continue.
Last year, dozens of attacks were registered against Catholic-owned property in the Ballymena area. Paint bombers targeted several churches in the district, and arsonists attacked two Catholic schools.
In nearby Aghogill, several Catholic residents were forced to flee their homes after being singled out in loyalist arson attacks.
Last July, Kathleen McCaughey had to flee her family home of 50 years. Less than a month later, a close family relative fled her home in the loyalist village after arsonists had torched it.
In an unprecedented move, the PSNI handed out fire blankets and smoke alarms to Catholic families in the district last August in case firebombers attacked. Residents were told days later that they were under threat from loyalist paramilitaries.
Numerous petrol and paint-bomb attacks were carried out on Our Lady’s Church in Harryville throughout last summer. The church has been the scene of two loyalist blockades in the past decade.
Tensions were so high in the town last September that the local parish priest postponed Mass.
At the height of the attacks in August, the PSNI launched a special operation to protect Catholic-owned property in the area. Operation Striker covered 50 Catholic-owned houses, churches, schools and GAA sports grounds.

Daily Ireland

Windows are broken by loyalists

By Connla Young
8 May 2006

A man whose home was attacked at the weekend has said he was targeted for being a Catholic.
A window in Michael Conway’s home in Garvagh, Co Derry, was broken by a mob of loyalists early yesterday.
The incident took place only a week after a Catholic-owned hotel was targeted in a similar incident several hundred metres away.
Mr Conway, who runs a taxi business in the town with his wife Siobhán, told Daily Ireland last night that he would not be forced from his home.
The weekend’s sectarian attack was the third time the family had been targeted in recent years.
“We were targeted simply for being Catholic. It’s coming up to the time of the year for it.
“Our sons were attacked three weeks ago. The boys who did this are known to me. Everybody in the town knows who did it.
“But I’ll be standing where I’m at. My family have been here for over 100 years. The last time something like this happened, the Protestant community stood by us. A lot of neighbours contacted us and already they are contacting us again. We know the people who did this don’t represent them. They represent nobody.”
An emotional Siobhán Conway said: “It was a rude awakening and very frightening. Your initial thought is: What is happening here?”
Daily Ireland has learned that loyalists in the town last week targeted an elderly Catholic family.
East Derry SDLP assembly member John Dallat demanded tough PSNI action to catch the culprits.
“Michael and Siobhán Conway were in bed when they heard six or seven bangs at their living-room window and knew immediately that they were under attack.
“Siobhán rushed downstairs and managed to get a very good description of the thugs involved, and a full statement has been given to the police.
“I have demanded that those involved are arrested immediately and fast-tracked through the legal system. The Conway family work hard running a taxi business which is available to everyone.
“The pensioners who had their home attacked on Thursday night were severely traumatised when I visited them the following morning.
“The Housing Executive is currently renovating their home and they were so looking forward to a few years of comfort, peace and happiness.
“Sadly, well-known sectarian bigots who have little or no support among anyone in the community are determined to ruin their dream.
“This current spate of attacks began when a Catholic boy was set upon by three thugs who drew up in a car three weeks ago. On that occasion, the youth was rescued by others who came to his aid,” said Mr Dallat.
The SDLP man said he feared that tensions would rise in the area in the run-up to the marching season.
“I believe this is a ‘warm-up’ for the marching season and consequently I have asked for an urgent meeting with the Parades Commission to discuss a number of parades scheduled for Garvagh in the coming weeks.
“I don’t believe it is prudent to allow these to proceed in their present form, leaving families exposed to the danger that their homes will be attacked again with the potential for further damage to people or their property.
“Those involved are misrepresenting good relations between Catholics and Protestants. Sadly, however, we still have DUP representatives rushing to the defence of these thugs and they need to accept that they are being used time and time again. That must stop.”
The PSNI confirmed that the force was treating the attack on the Conway family as sectarian and confirmed that two men are being questioned.

Irelandclick

by Evan Short

Veteran ANC member, Robert McBride, made a special trip to Belfast this weekend to give the annual Bobby Sands lecture on Friday Night.

Hundreds gathered in the Devenish to hear the former member of the ANC military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe, draw parallels between the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa and the fight for Irish freedom.

Now the Chief of Police in Johannesburg, McBride talked of his ancestor John McBride who took part in the 1916 Rising and was present in the GPO.

He also remarked that what the hunger strikers died for was an extension of the cause of the men and women of 1916.

Born in Durban in 1963, Robert McBride became famous in South Africa during apartheid as being a leading member of Umkhonto we Sizwe and spent time on Death Row, before the fall of the regime.

He took part in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission before becoming Police Chief for Johannesburg’s East Rand district.

Emphasising the significance of the hunger strikers’ cause he commented on how it inspired movements around the world such as the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and how they had helped develop the groundwork for a strong political movement from which Irish republicans were now benefiting.

The speech was warmly received by those who attended with Robert McBride leaving to a standing ovation.

Journalist:: Evan Short

Sinn Féin

Published: 8 May, 2006

Sinn Féin Assembly member for North Antrim Philip McGuigan has said that unionist politicians in Ballymena and the areas MP Ian Paisley cannot ignore their responsibility for creating the conditions which gave rise to the sectarian attack on a young Catholic man in the town over the weekend. Mr McGuigan said that he would be contacting the Irish government to insist that they began to take some action to guarantee Irish citizens safety in the town.

Mr McGuigan said:

“This young man was brutally attacked by a unionist mob some of whom were armed with weapons. Our thoughts are obviously with the young man and his family at this time.

“Saturday nights attack is the latest in a long line of attacks on Catholics, their homes churches and schools in the wider Ballymena area.

“Unionist politicians and in particular the DUP who control the local council cannot ignore their responsibility for creating the conditions which have given rise to violent attacks upon Catholics in this area by unionist gangs.

“The DUP fail to engage in any power sharing on the Council. The local MP Ian Paisley went AWOL last summer at the height of the last anti-Catholic campaign which saw an attempt to ethnically cleanse a neighbouring village.

“The DUP failure to create conditions in Ballymena where the small Catholic community can live and work in peace does raise serious questions about the ability of the DUP to share power at any level with the representatives of the nationalist and republican community. Time and again when they get the opportunity to do so they fail to step up to the mark instead preferring to play to the lowest common denominator within their community.

“I will be today contacting the Irish government about the situation in Ballymena. Last year victims of unionist violence in the area did meet with the Irish government. They do have a responsibility to take some action to ensure the safety of Irish citizens in this area who are being faced with this unacceptable situation.” ENDS

Irish Independent

IRISH people and emigrants abroad are being called on to observe a minute’s silence for victims of the Famine.

The Committee For The Commemoration Of Irish Famine Victims believes the 19th-century disaster is as important in the State’s history as the 1916 Easter Rising. The group is calling on people in the 32 counties as well as emigrants living abroad to observe a minute’s silence at 2pm on May 28.

Every year on that day the Dublin-based commemoration committee leads a small procession from the city’s Garden of Remembrance to the Famine Sculptures in the docklands.

The committee is also lobbying the Government to designate an annual all-Ireland memorial day to the victims of the Famine.

Committee chairman Michael Blanch said that every household had a relative who had died in the Famine. “It was only three generations ago and the victims were both Catholic and Protestant, so any commemoration can build bridges between the two communities.

“Every country remembers disasters in its history whether it is the Holocaust or America’s 9/11 atrocity, and we cannot understand why Ireland doesn’t have an annual event.”

Mr Blanch envisages that the location of the commemoration could be rotated every year between the four provinces, and believes that the memorial day would be a gesture of solidarity towards all people who have suffered in famines.

The 150th anniversary of the Famine was marked in 1995 and the GAA also moved the 1947 All-Ireland football final to New York’s Polo Grounds to honour the centenary.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has suggested that the Famine could be incorporated into the National Day of Commemoration - a annual ceremony to mark Ireland’s war dead.

But the committee said this occasion specifically remembered dead Irish soldiers, and not civilians which comprised the Famine victims.

**Note: According to CAIN, Joe McDonnell started his hunger strike on Friday, 8 May 1981. The IRIS biography of Joe has the starting date as Sunday, May 9, only if you look at a 1981 calendar, Sunday was the 10th.

Click on thumbnail to view CRAZYFENIAN’s photo of the Joe McDonnell mural.

IRISH HUNGER STRIKE 1981 Website

**Please visit this excellent site to read Joe’s biography, originally published in IRIS November 1981. This site is a personal tribute by the webmaster, well done with lots of information and photos and very moving.

Joe McDonnell

‘A deep-thinking republican with a great sense of humour

THE FOURTH IRA Volunteer to join the hunger-strike for political status was Joe McDonnell, a thirty-year-old married man with two children, from the Lenadoon housing estate in West Belfast.

A well-known and very popular man in the Greater Andersonstown area he grew up, married and fought for the republican cause in, Joe had a reputation as a quiet and deep-thinking individual, with a gentle, happy go-lucky personality, who had, nevertheless, a great sense of humour, was always laughing and playing practical jokes, and who, although withdrawn at times, had the ability to make friends easily.

As an active republican before his capture in October 1976, Joe was regarded by his comrades as a cool and efficient Volunteer who did what he had to do and never talked about it afterwards.’

>>>READ ON

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CELTIC LYRICS

Joe McDonnell

by Brian Warfield
Click photo to view - Image from >>here

Oh my name is Joe McDonnell
From Belfast town I came
That city I will never see again
For in the town of Belfast
I spent many happy days
And I loved that town in oh so many ways
For it’s there I spent my childhood
And found for me a wife
I then set out to make for her a life
Oh but all my young ambition
Met with bitterness and hate
I soon found myself inside a prison gate

And you dare to call me a terrorist
While you look down your gun
When I think of all the deeds that you have done -
You have plundered many nations
Divided many lands
You have terrorized their people
You ruled with an iron hand
And you brought this reign of terror to my land

Through the many months internment
In the Maidstone and the Maze
I thought about my land throughout those days
Why my country was divided
Why I was now in jail
Imprisoned without crime or without trial
And though I love my country
I am not a bitter man
I’ve seen cruelty and injustice at first hand
And so one faithful morning
I shook bold freedom’s hand
For right or wrong I tried to free my land

Then one cold October’s morning
I was trapped in the lion’s den
And I found myself in prison once again
I was committed to the H-Blocks
For fourteen years or more
On the “blanket” the conditions they were poor
Then a hunger strike we did commence
For the dignity of man
But it seemed to me that no one gave a damn
Oh but now I am a saddened man
I’ve watched my comrades die
If only people cared or wondered why

Oh may God shine on you, Bobby Sands
For the courage you have shown
May your glory and your fame be widely known
And Francis Hughes and Ray McCreesh
Who died unselfishly
And Patsy O’Hara, and the next in line is me
And those who lie behind me
May your courage be the same
And I pray to god my life was not in vain

And though sad and bitter was the year of 1981
All was not lost, but it’s still there to be won

© Brian Warfield