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Daily Ireland

Ex-INLA leader McGlinchey’s son denies ‘Provo-bashing’ forum

By Connla Young

A well-known republican has outlined the reasons behind the cancellation of a political forum, claiming the event was “hijacked” by elements with no connection to the proceedings.
Dominic McGlinchey, a son of the former INLA leader of the same name, says his decision to speak out was prompted after several days of “reckless and dangerous” media speculation on the event in Toome, Co Antrim, which was to include “a broad section of republican opinion”.
Speaking to Daily Ireland yesterday, 29-year-old Mr McGlinchey from Co Derry, said the event was “hijacked by people who had no input whatsoever into organising it”. He also dismissed media reports claiming the well-publicised meeting was organised to debate forming a military strategy.
“A lot of the speculation has been very wreckless and dangerous. This meeting was not arranged to debate forming a military strategy,” he said.
“It was intended to be a meeting of political minds. The meeting was about the coming together of a broad section of republican opinion, to either agree or disagree. It wasn’t meant to be about Provo or Sinn Féin bashing.”
Mr McGlinchey also hit out at the implication that the meeting was to be a platform for dissident opinion.
“It was made clear to everyone who was invited that Sinn Féin are the main players within republicanism and without them being present at the meeting there was no point in it taking place.
“I wasn’t pressurised by the provisional movement into cancelling it. This was intended to be one in a series of meetings arranged to analyse our past. It was about what has taken place over the last 30 years and the last 600 years.
“It was intended to be about what have we learned from Connolly and Costello, who talked about having an umbrella where no one was marginalised.”
Reports in several weekend newspapers speculated that a large number of individuals in south Derry were moving away from mainstream republicanism.
A former member of Sinn Féin, Mr McGlinchey says he is not aware of any split within the ranks of that party in south Derry.
Despite claims to the contrary, Mr McGlinchey insists no political or paramilitary organisation was invited to the cancelled meeting.
“Only individuals were invited to attend this meeting, people were invited as individuals, including members of Sinn Féin. There was to be no top table, just one chairman who would have directed the debate.
“At the minute republicanism is fragmented but we are all after the same goal. We want a united Ireland and we all want a better society than that endured by our fathers and mothers.
“In the end, with the way things went, the meeting would have divided republicans rather than united them and the meeting was cancelled for that very reason.
“To divide republicans would have been to go against the original objectives.”