SAOIRSE32

Daily Ireland

Sinn Féin must name the “authorised officer” who sanctioned a post office raid that resulted in the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe, it was claimed yesterday.
Former colleagues of the officer gathered in Limerick yesterday for a private memorial to mark the tenth anniversary of his killing by an IRA gang.
He was shot dead on June 7 1996, in Adare, Co Limerick during an attempted IRA raid on a post office van in the town. Speaking after Monday night’s RTE True Lives programme on the issue, Murder on Main Street, Senator John Minihan claimed that Sinn Féin’s disregard for institutions of the Irish state and its servants had been exposed.
“I have always argued that the killing of Jerry McCabe was intentional, calculated and cold-blooded.
“Last night’s programme reinforced my belief,” he said.
Sinn Féin had called for the four men jailed for the incident to be released under the Good Friday Agreement, but the government was forced to back down after a public outcry sparked by the outrage of Detective McCabe’s widow Anne.
Senator Minihan, a PD general election candidate in Cork South Central, said Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, having first denied any IRA involvement, went on to state that the killing of Jerry McCabe was wrong and that it had been authorised at a low level by a so-called “authorised” person.
“If Mr Adams believes the killing was wrong he has an obligation to name that ‘authorised officer’,” the senator said.
Senator Minihan added that he could not accept the claims of Kerry North TD Martin Ferris that he was entirely ignorant of the circumstances of the killing.
“As a member of Dáil Éireann he too is duty-bound to name the ‘authorised officer’.
“The Irish people deserve better and it saddens me that some are willing to put up with this two-fingered salute from the double act of Adams and Ferris.”
“Jerry died to protect this peaceful society.
“And this peace must be defended by all right-thinking people.”

Newshound

(Maeve Connolly, Irish News)

The family of murdered Ballymena teenager Michael McIlveen have expressed concern at comments made by a DUP councillor at a council meeting.

The DUP’s Davy Tweed had said he “questioned the upbringing” of 15-year-old Michael who died last month, a day after an attack in Ballymena which police have said was sectarian.

Mr Tweed also claimed “people associated with the family” had since intimidated Protestants in the town and that Protestant students were scared to go to school and in some cases had been told “they’ll be taken off the school bus and have their throats cut”.

However, the teenager’s uncle, Francis McIlveen, said the comments “can’t hurt Michael”.

“Things like that make us stronger. We have more important things to worry about, like the family,” h said.

The family has consistently called for no retaliation and urged politicians to work together to heal sectarian division in the Co Antrim town.

Mr McIlveen said Michael was an average teenager with Catholic and Protestant friends whose main interest was playing sport.

“If his upbringing was what [Mr Tweed] said it was why was Michael not carrying weapons with him?” he said.

Mr McIlveen said he had asked police to tell him if there had been any threats made against Protestants in the wake of his nephew’s death but that he had not been made aware of any.

At Monday night’s council meeting Mr Tweed had said there was an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing of Protestant families from the north of Ballymena.

The DUP councillor claimed that these families had reacted with “disbelief” to the sympathy shown to the McIlveen family.

Mr McIlveen questioned this and said the Protestant community had offered “great support” and that Mr Tweed would have known this had he visited the family.

“Where does this stop? We are trying to keep kids above the ground and not under. Do we want someone else to die and someone else to die…? Things need to be changed.

“Did anyone say anything at the [council] meeting about Gina’s grieving and her heartbreak for losing her son?”

He called for elected representatives to meet “people working on the ground on both sides”.

“Politicians need to go to them and see what help they need. They need to stop talking and start acting. I’m pleased the motion was passed and maybe it’s a good sign for things to come.”

A Sinn Féin proposal for the creation of a council committee dealing with sectarianism was rejected by the unionist-dominated council at Monday’s meeting.

The SDLP proposed a motion expressing “deep regret and sadness” at “the sectarian murder” and an acceptance of Bishop Patrick Walsh’s call at Michael’s funeral for “a united voice on justice, equality and rights and a united voice condemning all public manifestations of sectarianism”.

This too was defeated and replaced with a DUP motion which referred to the “recent tragic death of a 15-year-old boy in the town of Ballymena”.

The motion called for councillors to support the good relations initiative set up during the year by the outgoing DUP mayor.

The initiative involved meetings between Church leaders, the business community and educationalists and although it was created by the then DUP mayor it did not have the full support of the party.

The McIlveen family has called on politicians to support the mayor’s lead.

PROFILE: Ex-rugby player who is a staunch Orangeman

Ballymena DUP councillor Davy Tweed is a former Ireland rugby international who won his council seat after his involvement in the loyalist protest at a Catholic church in the town.

He is a member of the Orange Order and entered politics when his lodge was banned from marching through the nationalist village of Dunloy in the mid-1990s.

This ban led to a nine-month loyalist picket outside the Church Of Our Lady, Harryville.

Mr Tweed had been a DUP councillor on Ballymoney council but following his support for the Harryville protest he was asked to run in Ballymena where he was successful in the 1997 elections.

He has unsuccessfully tried on several occasions to overthrow the Parades Commission decision to ban members of Dunloy LOL 496 from marching through the village.

In 1997 he and three other senior internal critics of the Orange Order were the subject of a disciplinary hearing after 30 Orangemen staged a demonstration outside the order’s Belfast headquarters against the decision of its education committee to speak to the Parades Commission.

June 8, 2006
________________

This article appeared first in the June 7, 2006 edition of the Irish News.

:::u.tv:::

Northern Ireland Assembly members have been given until Monday to make their position clear on a committee preparing for devolved government.

By:Press Association
08/06/2006 14:49:02

After three days of deadlock over who should chair the Preparation for Government committee at Stormont, Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said stalemate was not an option.

“I know that many people across Northern Ireland share my frustration at the failure to get this crucial committee up and running,” he said.

“Matters simply cannot rest here.

“Despite the current procedural deadlock, a way has to be found to move forward if the restoration of devolution is to become a reality.

“I want the parties to reflect carefully on this over the weekend and I have asked my officials to make contact with them to see where we can establish common ground.

“We will need to be clear where we are going by Monday.”

Mr Hain had intended the Preparation for Government Committee at Stormont to identify key issues which would have to be addressed ahead of the November 24 deadline for the restoration of power sharing.

Talks on restoring devolution in Northern Ireland are also expected later this month, possibly June 26 and 27, involving Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

However over the past three days, the Rev Ian Paisley`s Democratic Unionists have been blamed by four other parties - Sinn Fein, the Ulster Unionists, the SDLP and the Alliance Party - for the stalemate over the committee chair.

Over the past three days, the committee explored a variety of proposals on how it should be chaired.

The DUP wanted Assembly Speaker Eileen Bell to chair proceedings but she refused, insisting it would not be appropriate.

The DUP also suggested that their South Antrim MP the Rev William McCrea or the leader of the cross-community Alliance Party David Ford should chair it.

Mr Ford said he was not interested in the idea unless the chairmanship was rotated among the five parties taking part - a proposal which had the support of Sinn Fein, the nationalist SDLP, the Ulster Unionists and Alliance.

Sinn Fein initially proposed that it and the DUP should share the chairmanship of the committee between them.

Another proposal that Mrs Bell and the two Deputy Speakers in the Assembly, the DUP`s Jim Wells and Sinn Fein`s Francie Molloy, should chair its proceedings was also explored.

However in a letter to the parties yesterday explaining how she had sought legal advice, Mrs Bell reaffirmed her view that she could have no role on the committee.

Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness accused the DUP of adopting blocking tactics and claimed the British and Irish Governments, as a result, would soon have to take hard decisions on the Assembly and the future direction of the political process.

The Mid Ulster MP said: “The vast majority of parties who support the Good Friday Agreement, who respect democratic mandates and who want to see the political institutions put back in place cannot be expected to be held to ransom while the DUP debate whether or not to come on board.

“The DUP need to indicate and indicate soon that they are serious about this project. If they continue to set themselves against progress then the two governments are obliged to act.

“They cannot allow a repeat of the sort of farce the DUP subjected us to this week.

“If progress towards restoring fully functioning political institutions cannot be made before the end of this month then the two governments should move ahead, close the Assembly and stop the MLA salaries.”

One of the DUP`s representatives on the committee, Ian Paisley Junior, however, rejected criticism which was directed at his party by the rival Ulster Unionists and the SDLP as well as Sinn Fein.

The North Antrim MLA claimed the committee was `a half baked idea` by Mr Hain to `spare the blushes of Sinn Fein` over its boycott of Assembly debates.

“Why are Sinn Fein boycotting the Assembly but wanting to run an Assembly committee?” he asked.

“They wanted a power grab to hold the chair. Get a neutral person into the chair and let us discuss the issues under a neutral chairperson.”

Irish Examiner

By Donal Hickey and Paul O’Brien
08 June 2006

KERRY North Sinn Féin TD Martin Ferris yesterday insisted he would not inform on any IRA members at large and wanted for the killing of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe in Adare 10 years ago.

The TD was contacted by the garda’s widow, Ann McCabe, who sought his assistance in obtaining information about her husband’s death. He said he had no knowledge of the events surrounding the botched post office robbery which claimed the garda’s life.

Mr Ferris said he was once victim to an informer and could not be disloyal to the IRA. He also refused to condemn the killing.

“I have been an IRA volunteer in my lifetime … I would never betray that loyalty to an organisation I once belonged to.”

Mr Ferris was castigated by Defence Minister Willie O’Dea, who represents the Limerick East constituency.

“Martin Ferris has given us the Sinn Féin definition of justice. He will not condemn the cold-blooded killing of Det Sgt Jerry McCabe and he will not encourage anyone with information about the killing to give information to the gardaí,” the minister said. “Sinn Féin has forfeited the right to talk about justice.”

Mr Ferris did say the pain of the McCabe family came across in a documentary on RTÉ last Tuesday.

He said it was an awful wrong inflicted on the McCabe family but, while he disapproved of the killing, he would not condemn an IRA operation.

“Nothing I can say, or anyone else can say, can lessen their pain or hurt,” he told Radio Kerry.

Mr Ferris also admitted he was a friend of Kevin Walsh, one of those convicted in relation to Adare killing.

The Special Criminal Court, in 1999, sentenced four men to jail terms from 11 to 14 years for the manslaughter of the Kerry-born garda. The case is not closed.

Irelandclick

Belfast’s Clonard Monastery’s ‘festival of faith’ goes global with the launch of new hi-tech website

By Damian McCarney

The eagerly anticipated annual Novena at Clonard Monastery will get underway in just under a week and this year it has become a global event. As always, the innovative organisers have sought to bring a new dimension to the popular event and this year every minute of the Novena will be broadcast live on the internet.

www.clonard.com

Fr Adrian Egan, one of the organisers of the ‘festival of faith’ showed the Andersonstown News the Redemptorists’ impressive website which will enable Christians from around the world to tune in to the Novena.

A live web-cam installed at the back of the church provides an excellent view of the church’s ornate altar and should make logging on the next best thing to enjoying the unique atmosphere of the Novena.

“We will be broadcasting live on the internet with both sound and vision.

“Over past years we recorded versions of sermons each day which people could download from the website and, of course, people would send their petitions and thanksgivings, or sign the guestbook on the site.

“However, this web-cam means that anybody in any part of the world can log on and see the Novena live, with audio. This will be a feature of Clonard services throughout the year, not just for the Novena,” said Fr Egan.

Of course, this is only the latest in a long line of eye-catching initiatives that the Clonard clergy have used in order to attract people to the event.

Promotional campaigns in the past have included Guinness and Carlsberg-style posters, and this year their posters are based on Mastercard adverts – ‘There are some things money can’t buy… for everything else there is… Clonard Novena’.

Such promotions help to ensure that the Novena remains enormously popular at a time when church congregation numbers throughout Ireland have been in sharp decline.

Fr Egan believes that there are many reasons behind the Novena’s continued success.

“We are very good at what we do,” quipped Fr Egan. “No, there is something very special about the atmosphere of the Novena.

“There is a great sense of welcome, and a sense of belonging. There is also a carnival atmosphere which is very enjoyable.

“People come because the Novena addresses very real issues in their daily lives. When they come to Clonard they do not have to pretend to be something that they are not – they can be themselves.

“It taps in to the fact that there are is a lot of searching going on in people’s hearts to make a sense of their lives – there is the pressure of a material world, and many people find that it is an empty life and think, there must be more than this. So there is a sense of trying to find what’s missing over the nine days,” said Fr Egan.

That is what brings the people, as many as 135,000, flooding into Clonard. However, what makes their visit so enjoyable is down to hard graft of an extended army of helpers.

“We have an incredible team of lay people volunteers. As many as 100 people give freely of their time in a whole range of jobs such as reading, cleaning, Eucharistic ministers, running the canteen and many other jobs.

“We held a retreat for them last Saturday and 80 people were at it; that shows the number of people involved. They are so devoted, as some of them take their holidays from work in order to spend their time here helping us.”

So what can people expect this year? The theme tackled by the preachers next week is the challenge of the sacraments.

“It is about going back to basics, the core values of faith which are the sacraments.

“They are the manifestation of the message of Christ and the values of the bible, and encapsulate what people search for these days,” said Fr Egan.

This year’s line-up of preachers are Fr Peter Burns, who is currently the rector of Clonard; Fr Brendan Keane, who is an experienced missioner and preacher but who is currently based in Limerick; Fr Noel Kehoe, a former accountant, who was ordained last year and is also based in Limerick and, finally, Ciaran O’Callaghan, a native of Dundalk based in Dublin who teaches scripture in Maynooth and Milltown.

“They are four strong, good preachers with interesting things to say. They have very different styles but each is passionate about what they do and preach,” said Fr Egan.

Highlights of the Novena will be, as always, the special Masses for the sick on Saturday (June 17) and a special blessing for babies and children on Sunday (June 18).

The final service of each night provides a time for quiet reflection and has become increasingly popular, and the organisers hope to see the trend for young people to attend in large numbers to continue.

Among the 15,000 people who will be welcomed through the doors of the beautiful church each day, Fr Egan hopes that there will be a few people who may have drifted from the church in the past and wish to renew an interest in the faith.

“We are also appealing for people who haven’t been to church for a long time, who have maybe drifted or given up, but are looking for a way back in, to participate in the Novena.

“They are more than welcome, as we offer an open door for all to join us.

“Everyone is welcome no matter who you are, where you come from, what you’ve done or where you’ve been,” said Fr Egan.

A full listing is provided for anyone who wishes to attend any of Clonard’s events during this year’s Solemn Novena.

Journalist:: Damien McCarney

Daily Ireland

Eileen Walsh travels to Donegal to pay homage to guitarist

The sun was bursting out of the skies in Ballyshannon, Co Donegal last weekend and, if it had its hat on, it was probably a dusty black leather Stetson, as thousands upon thousands of rockers descended on the town for the 5th Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival. (Photo from >>here)
The annual event has grown in popularity at such a rate that organisers believe it will soon eclipse the long-running Ballyshannon Folk Festival for visitors.
A mammoth 64 gigs took place over the bank holiday weekend, in bars and hotels, on the street and in the Rory Gallagher Theatre, and almost all of them were free.
Former Mama’s Boys guitarist Pat McManus and his band performed a blistering open-air set. Fit as a flea and dangerously handsome, McManus had the crowd in the palm of his hand as he strutted about on stage, even swinging his guitar over his head at one point and playing it behind his back.
The concert was packed with music lovers of all ages from all over the world and from closer to home.
Long-haired lovers from Liverpool and beyond chilled out in the afternoon sun, mesmerised by the man on stage. I’d go to see him again at the drop of a hat, Stetson or otherwise.
This was not the case with Brush Shiels and his band Skid Row however.
Originally, many moons ago, Skid Row’s line-up included Phil Lynott on vocals, and later Gary Moore.
Lynott and Moore both left the band some years afterwards. Brush Shiels stood his ground meanwhile and still plays the length and breadth of Ireland with the band he started in the 1960s.
Unfortunately, Shiels has been cursed with a bad stage persona. It’s like watching an annoying version of Eamonn Dunphy with a guitar.
He never stops talking, and is particularly fond of stories about himself. While he is undoubtedly a good musician, you can kind of understand why all the cool guys left his band.
When he plays, he is ideal as a crowd pleaser but, after listening to covers of everything from Hey, Mr Tambourine Man and It’s All Over Now Baby Blue to Hey Jude (which he murdered in cold blood) and even a World Cup Song, the whole place took on the feel of a rock and roll wedding. It was like Stars On 45 for rockers.
Downpatrick tribute band Double Vision played a great set however. They had a fantastic drummer and a really good guitarist with ridiculous hair. It was hard to concentrate as he threw back his mane at every whip about, especially as his double in the audience was doing the same. Quite amusing to watch, and great for the ego if you’re having a bad hair day yourself.
One of the best acts at the festival was German tribute group Brute Force and Ignorance. Another band that I would rush to see again but, this time, the lead singer had done the decent thing and got his hair cut.
Boy, could these guys play. I could have listened to them all night. Their guitar sound was so streamlined and polished that, at times, you nearly forgot you were at a live outdoor gig.
The venue for the final concert of the festival was Dorrian’s Hotel. First up were Moonchild who played a blazing set to a packed house.
Amazingly, their lead singer, Mark Langan, looks, sings and plays like Rory Gallagher. Headliners for the night were English tribute band Sinnerboy who rocked their heads off until the early hours.
This was my first visit to the Rory Gallagher International Tribute Festival. I arrived in Ballyshannon a virgin, musically speaking, of course. Being ridiculously young, I hadn’t heard much of Gallagher’s music before, but now my love affair with him has only just begun.

Daily Ireland

by Ciarán Barnes

The Arts Council of Northern Ireland has been forced to review its policy of funding loyalist bands.
The internal evaluation comes on the back of a Daily Ireland story last year which revealed the organisation had handed over almost £100,000 (€145,000) to ‘kick the Pope’ bands.
Some of those to benefit from the huge cash injection included the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) supporting South Belfast Young Conquerors, the Ballee Blues and Royals in Ballymena and the Drumdeg flute band from Keady, Co Armagh.
The money that the arts council gave to the bands came from the National Lottery, which insists on the cash being spent on good causes.
Loyalist bands that successfully applied for funding claimed instruments and uniforms were bought with the grants.
After nationalist politicians raised concerns about how the funding was allocated the arts council was forced into a review.
Daily Ireland understands a report on the matter was completed recently, but will not be finalised until the end of the year. The arts council will then decide what future support to offer the sector.
Sinn Féin East Derry assemblyman Francie Brolly welcomed the review.
He said: “Many people have been asking very serious questions about how public money is being spent by the arts council.
“The money it gets is there to be spent on all groups across the North, not just a select few. It is time the arts council prioritised allocating funding on an equal basis.”
A spokesman for the arts council said: “It is routine for the arts council to periodically review each of its schemes to ensure that its resources are being allocated most effectively, and the review of the musical instruments scheme has recently been completed. This review, which will be presented to council at the end of June 2006, will inform the arts council’s decision on the future of the scheme.”

Daily Ireland

Man who supplied car not arrested because he was useful to police

by Ciarán Barnes

The RUC knew within two months of the Loughinisland massacre that a police agent had been involved but failed to arrest him, security sources confirmed yesterday.
The Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF) informant code-named ‘Mechanic’, who provided the getaway car used in the June 1994 murder of six Catholics, told his handlers of his role in the killing spree in August 1994.
He revealed to police the names of the paramilitaries he gave the red Triumph Acclaim to, but stressed that he did not know what the vehicle was to be used for – a claim still accepted by security sources.
Within days of his admission the RUC arrested a number of people in Belfast and Co Down in connection with murders. They were later released without charge.
Despite his involvement in Loughinisland, ‘Mechanic’ was not arrested and allowed to continue to work for the RUC until 1997 when his cover as an informer was blown. With the UVF determined to kill him he was spirited out of the North and given £10,000 by the RUC. During a police debriefing session after his exodus he again admitted his role in the Loughinisland attack.
A security source offered a reason as to why ‘Mechanic’ was never charged. He said: “This man’s role [in Loughinisland] was a very minor one. I am 100 per cent certain that when he got the car he had no knowledge of what it was to be used for. He was a valuable informant who kept the RUC well briefed on UVF activities in north Belfast. Arresting him for this would have been counterproductive,” added the source.
“There was hardly any evidence to charge him with anyway, all the police had was a non-recorded admission which could easily be retracted. He had no knowledge of what the car was to be used for, of that I am certain.”
Eamon Byrne, Barney Green, Malcolm Jenkinson, Daniel McCreanor, Patrick O’Hare and Adrian Rogan died in the Loughinisland attack. They were watching Ireland play Italy in a World Cup match when the UVF gang struck.
The Police Ombudsman is currently probing the RUC’s original Loughinisland investigation. A separate ombudsman probe into allegations of collusion between a north Belfast UVF unit based in the Mount Vernon estate and the RUC Special Branch is also expected to mention the massacre. Agent ‘Mechanic’ was a leading member of this gang.
Last week his close friend and former Mount Vernon UVF boss Mark Haddock was seriously injured in a gun attack by his former colleagues.
Haddock, who was also an RUC agent, is recovering in hospital. It is believed he provided the PSNI with information that led to the arrest of a man and a woman in Belfast on Tuesday in connection with the Loughinisland massacre. Both were released without charge.

Belfast Telegraph

Party urged to sever links with PUP

By David McCord
08 June 2006

A UVF murder victim’s father is to meet the UUP’s only MP in a bid to persuade her to totally repudiate the party’s Progressive Unionist Party link-up.

Lady Sylvia Hermon spoke last month of her “deep distress” at her party’s Stormont alliance with PUP leader David Ervine.

But she also stated that the move would be “worthwhile” if it helped bring about loyalist decommissioning and halted murders.

Raymond McCord Snr, whose son was beaten to death by a UVF gang in 1997, has revealed that he will be holding face-to-face talks with the North Down MP this weekend.

“I believe Lady Sylvia is an honourable woman,” he said.

“I will be asking her to fully renounce her party’s link with the PUP and to support a public inquiry into my son’s murder.”

Lady Sylvia told the Belfast Telegraph: “Having talked to Raymond McCord at length, I can honestly say that I share many of his concerns and so I certainly welcome the opportunity to discuss them further when we meet on Saturday.

“With Raymond, I know there will be straight talking and that’s very much to be welcomed.”

Mr McCord has repeatedly accused the two main unionist parties of failing to speak up for UVF victims from the Protestant community.

The Ulster Unionist Party came under further pressure over its PUP link-up last week as a result of the gun attack on leading loyalist Mark Haddock.

In a separate development last week, eight Co Antrim men were jailed over a UVF “photo shoot” in Newtownabbey in January 2003.

Among those imprisoned was a one-time PUP activist, Colin Greer. He was the keyholder of the Monkstown shop premises where the publicity stunt was being staged.

Greer, the son of former Newtownabbey PUP councillor Billy Greer, received two concurrent 12 month sentences.

Police stormed the shop premises using CS gas and discovered an Uzi sub-machine gun, a replica sub-machine gun and a Chinese assault rifle, as well as UVF paraphernalia.

The judge in the case, Mr Justice Girvan, said the photoshoot was designed to show that the UVF was “still in business” with “willing volunteers”.

BBC

The leak occurred at the Thorp complex at Sellafield

The operator of Cumbria’s Sellafield nuclear reprocessing plant is facing a criminal prosecution over a leak of radioactive material.

Acid containing 20 tonnes uranium and 160kg (353lb) of plutonium spilled from a ruptured pipe into a sealed cell at the site’s Thorp complex.

The spillage, discovered in April 2005, may have happened eight months earlier.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) case faces a preliminary hearing at Whitehaven Magistrates’ Court.

The HSE alleges operator British Nuclear Group Sellafield Ltd (BNGSL) breached conditions attached to the Sellafield site licence, which was granted under the Nuclear Installations Act 1965.

It says the company failed to ensure that safety systems were in good working order and that radioactive material was effectively contained.

No-one was hurt and no radioactive material escaped into the atmosphere, as a result of the spillage.

Work at the Thorp complex was halted when the leak was discovered.

Reuters.co.uk

Wed Jun 7, 2006 6:30 PM BST

LONDON (Reuters) - Video footage of the IRA’s bombing of Manchester city centre in 1996 were released on Wednesday for the first time.

The bomb, one of the largest to explode in Britain during peace-time, did not kill anyone.

Although a coded warning had led to the evacuation of the area more than 200 were injured and the city’s Arndale Shopping Centre, which had earlier been packed with Sunday shoppers, was totally devastated.

The images were released by Greater Manchester Police after officers concluded there was little chance of catching anyone for the offence.

“In consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, we have concluded that at this time there is no realistic possibility of a prosecution,” Deputy Chief Constable Dave Whatton said.

“This has allowed us to release new material that we have held for the last 10 years,” he said in a statement.

The bomb, planted in a small lorry which left a crater 40 feet wide and 15 feet deep, came only a few months after a bomb ripped through Canary Wharf in London in February killing two people.

32CSM Message Board

Posted by ‘Con’

MANCHESTER BOMB INVESTIGATION

Greater Manchester Police

Video onsite

Greater Manchester Police has conducted a review of the investigation into bombing of Manchester city centre in 1996.

Deputy Chief Constable Dave Whatton said: “The Manchester bomb had a tremendous impact on the lives of people in the area, which is why we have thoroughly reviewed the case. A team of officers from GMP’s Anti-Terrorist Unit carried out a detailed analysis ahead of the 10th anniversary of the incident.

“In consultation with the Crown Prosecution Service, we have concluded that at this time there is no realistic possibility of a prosecution. This has allowed us to release new material that we have held for the last 10 years.

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

“Any speculation about individuals alleged to be linked to the incident is unhelpful as there is insufficient evidence to substantiate charges.

“As with all major investigations if new information comes to light it would be considered.”

INA/Irish Hunger Strikes Chapter 42

Today, 8 June, in 1981, Thomas McElwee began his hunger strike.

“Thomas McElwee was born into a large family of eight girls and three boys. He lead the typical life of a nationalist lad in the South Derry countryside, full of promise but very little chance to rise in the world. Young Tom wanted to study to become a mechanic, but the only opportunity to do so was in Ballymena, Paisley-land, where he was harassed and had his tools stolen. So, he settled into work around his home near the town of Bellaghy on the Tamlaghtduff Road. Frank Hughes was his cousin and their large family and his were close. The McElwee boys, like the Hughes boys and the other nationalist families were constantly harassed by the RUC, UDR and British army.

Thomas and Benedict were arrested and taken away for questioning regularly. Still, it came as a surprise when the phone rang with the news of the premature bomb explosion and the condition of the two boys. Fighting the Brits force for force was not necessarily surprising in South Derry.”

Click on above link to read more

~~~~~~~~~~~

Thomas McElwee

“Sincere, easy-going and full of fun.

THE TENTH republican to join the hunger strike was twenty-three-year-old IRA Volunteer Thomas McElwee, from Bellaghy in South Derry. He had been imprisoned since December 1976, following a premature explosion in which he lost an eye.

He was a first cousin of Francis Hughes…”

>>>Read Thomas McElwee’s biography at Irish Hunger Strike 1981 Website

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

CAIN

Monday 8 June 1981

Tom McElwee, then an Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner, joined the hunger strike.

Thursday 11 June 1981

A general election was held in the Republic of Ireland. [When counting was completed a minority government was formed between a coalition of Fine Gael (FG) and Labour. On 30 June 1981 Garret FitzGerald replaced Charles Haughey as Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister). Two H-Block prisoners were elected to the Dáil.]

Friday 12 June 1981

The British government published proposals to change the Representation of the People Act making it impossible for prisoners to stand as candidates for election to parliament.

Monday 15 June 1981

Sinn Féin (SF) issued a statement to say that a Republican prisoner would join the hunger strike every week. [This was seen as a stepping-up of the hunger strike. Paddy Quinn, then an Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner joined the strike.]

Monday 22 June 1981

Michael Devine, then an Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) prisoner, joined the hunger strike.

Monday 29 June 1981

Laurence McKeown, then an Irish Republican Army (IRA) prisoner, joined the hunger strike.

Tuesday 30 June 1981

The British government issued a statement on prison policy in Northern Ireland. The government said that it would not grant special category status and would retain control of the prisons.

Irish Independent

TOP loyalist Mark Haddock is prepared to testify against a former boxer accused of trying to kill him, a court has heard.

Ronald Bowe (29), is the second man to be charged with the attempted murder of the alleged Special Branch agent.

Haddock (37), was shot six times as he stepped out of his car for a meeting in Newtownabbey, County Antrim, last Tuesday.

The outlawed UVF is suspected of authorising the assassination bid of one of its former commanders. He was gunned down while on trial for the attempted murder of a nightclub doorman.

His one-time trusted friend, Darren Moore (36), has already been charged with involvement. The accused was remanded in custody.