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04/01/2007 - 13:23:16

British prime minister Tony Blair is threatening to pull the plug on plans to restore devolution in the North unless Sinn Féin and the DUP resolve their differences over policing and power-sharing.

Mr Blair has cut short his holiday in the US to try and convince the two sides to reach agreement on the matter before Assembly elections scheduled for March.

Last week, Sinn Féin agreed to hold a special ard fheis to take a vote on ending the party’s opposition to the PSNI.

However, it said last night that the meeting was now in doubt due to the negative response of the DUP.

The unionist party has said it will judge republicans on their deeds rather than their words before agreeing to share power at Stormont.

Mr Blair said today an election would only take place if the two sides can resolve their differences, but expressed confidence that both parties would honour their commitments.

Belfast Telegraph

By David McKittrick
Wednesday, January 03, 2007

The Irish language has been given official status in Europe, taking its place as the 23rd language of the European Union. The move yesterday received curiously little attention in the Republic of Ireland, given that the language has at times been regarded as a semi-mystical part of the national identity.

This may, however, have been due to the fact that, both in Ireland and throughout Europe, the move had little or no opposition, so that no controversy arose over the enhanced status of the language.

It is very much in line with the EU philosophy of encouraging linguistic diversity which, in addition to the adoption of major languages, has led to the granting of semi-official status to tongues such as Basque, Catalan and Galician. Irish, also referred to as Gaelic, will not, however, be on a par with languages such as English, French and German. Europe’s institutions will not, for example, be required to translate all legislation into Irish.

The move will mean the creation of 29 new posts in translation, revision and publication. These posts and the hiring of interpreters, will cost around €3.5m a year.

Irish has so far been accorded the status of a treaty language, which means it has been regarded as an authentic text for treaties. As from 1 January, however, all key EU legislation will be translated into Irish, with provisions put in place so that Irish can be spoken at council meetings.

The possibility of further extending the use of Irish will be formally reviewed in several years time.

The language is widely spoken in the Irish Republic, partly because it retains its traditional status as a compulsory part of the school curriculum. While the Irish have a strong streak of internationalism, the language, though it has had its ups and downs, is a familiar part of life. This does not suit all school pupils, however, since Irish is a difficult language to learn.

A census in 2002 indicated that 40 per cent of the population can speak Irish, with more than a quarter claiming to do so on a daily basis. A small number of people, especially in the west of the country, regard it as their first language while thousands of children attend schools where they are taught in Irish.

Ironically, many more languages are to be heard in modern Ireland due to the large-scale influx in recent years of immigrants from countries such as Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia. There is a political consensus that the Irish language should be promoted, though there are differences about how much effort and money should be put into that process.

Since the south of Ireland obtained independence almost a century ago, successive governments have treated the language as emblematic of the country’s identity and sought to keep it alive.

A government minister said recently: “The fact that we have almost 100,000 people throughout the country who speak Irish on a daily basis outside of school, is undoubtedly due to the constitutional, legal and practical protection afforded to Irish in a post-independence society.”

Last month the government unveiled a 20-year strategy designed to promote a bilingual society “where as many people as possible use both Irish and English with equal ease”. The objectives include continuing development of Irish language broadcast services and aid for parents who wish to educate their children through Irish.

The EU is also currently incorporating the Romanian and Bulgarian languages into its services. In 2004 it adopted nine new official languages, including Czech, Hungarian, Polish, Slovak and Slovene.

IRIS no 91

ON January 1, the sixteenth anniversary of his untimely death, Republicans gathered at the Republican Plot in Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin to commemorate Dáithí Ó Conaill, who at the time of his death was Vice-President of Republican Sinn Féin.

Led by a colour party of Cumann na mBan and Republican Sinn Féin members, the parade marched from the gates of the cemetery to the graveside where proceedings were chaired by Des Dalton, Vice-President, Republican Sinn Féin. A wreath was laid by Tomás Ó Curraoin, Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle, Gaillimh and Seán Mac an Iomaire, Gaillimh said a decade of the Rosary as Gaeilge.

Seán Ó Sé played a lament as the flags were dipped and the oration was delivered by Donal Varian, Cork who said:

“Dáithí Ó Conaill was born in Cork in 1938. His introduction to the Republican Movement was brought about at the age of 17 through the influence of his brother Eoin, a member of Na Fianna Éireann.

“Dáithí joined the ranks of the Irish Republican Army, and following a period of training with other Cork Volunteers he became active in the 1956 IRA Border Campaign. On January 1, 1957 he was second in command of the Pearse Column which carried out a raid on Brookeborough RUC Barracks in Co. Fermanagh. His comrades Seán South and Fearghal O’Hanlon were killed in this raid and other volunteers were wounded. The survivors made their way back across the border and were arrested by the Garda Síochána.

“Ó Conaill was imprisoned for six months. This was his first term of imprisonment in his struggle for Irish Freedom. On his release he was interned in the Curragh Concentration Camp by the Free State Government and on September 27, 1958 he escaped along with his comrade Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and both men went on the run.

“With most of the IRA Leadership under arrest or interned by the Free State Government Dáithí Ó Conaill became Director of Operations under the then Chief of Staff, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh.

“In 1959 following an ambush by the RUC and B Specials he was shot, badly wounded and captured. On recovery he received an eight year sentence and remained in Belfast Jail until his unconditional release in September 1963.

“During his period of imprisonment, Sinn Féin stood Dáithí as a candidate in Cork City for the General Election, winning approximately 2,00 first preference votes (5.25% of the vote). He narrowly missed taking the fifth and final seat on an abstentionist policy.

“In 1969 following the IRA split Dáithí then became an activist in the ranks of the Provisional Republican movement. He served on the first Provisional Irish Republican Army Council and represented the Army Council with others at negotiations with the British Government and other interested bodies. He worked at the procurement of arms from Czechoslovakia and the setting up of Noraid in the USA. He also spent long periods on the run.

“Dáithí’s role in the Republican Movement was not solely within the ranks of the IRA but he also participated in a direct role politically in the ranks of Sinn Féin.
“One of the highlights of his period of involvement politically was with the National H-Block/Armagh Committee where he proposed that Bobby Sands would contest the Westminster by election for Fermanagh/South Tyrone during the 1981 hunger strike.
This proposal was adopted by the Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle in March 1981.

“Having spent some time away from the movement in the mid 60s while living in Donegal he became involved in a very successful local co-operative venture. The co-op was located in a remote, economically depressed and neglected area plagued by emigration and unemployment. Working with Fr McDyer the founder of the co-op Dáithí realised that people, when given the opportunity and direction could manage and improve the quality of their lives.

“The concept of ÉIRE NUA was born. With his old comrade and friend Ruairí Ó Brádaigh and others they developed the ÉIRE NUA Document.

“A statement calling for an alternative form of government for the nine counties of Ulster was the official launching of ÉIRE NUA. One week later Ruairí Ó Brádaigh, the then President of Sinn Féin issued a statement endorsing the proposals. For a period of years ÉIRE NUA was the policy promoted by Sinn Féin and the Republican Movement and achieving recognition by many distinguished bodies worldwide, though never receiving the support of the Free State Government, understandably so as it would undermine their comfortable positions.

“Following a change of leadership at presidential level ÉIRE NUA was removed from the agenda of Sinn Féin by Gerry Adams the then president of Sinn Féin.

“Having the foresight, both Ó Conaill and Ó Brádaigh began to recognise Adams’ leadership away from Republicanism. This belief was consolidated with the changing of the Constitution of Sinn Féin and the entrance to the Free State Parliament.

Ó Conaill and Ruairí Ó Brádaigh gave leadership in opposing the decision to drop abstentionism, again recognising Adams long term intention to take the Republican Movement into the role of administrators of British Occupation and so called British Justice.

“We have seen, over the generations, he meaning of British Administration and Justice by fellow Irishmen - reprisals, executions, imprisonment and harassment.
“That foresight once again came to the fore in 1986 with the reconstitution, through the continuity lines of Republicanism of Sinn Féin Poblachtach and the re-adoption of ÉIRE NUA.

“Ó Conaill’s final contribution to this organisation and to the People of Ireland three days before his death was a document “Towards a Peaceful Ireland”.

“It should be evident to most people by now that the unresolved national question is the root cause of our nations’ problems.

“Various political solutions have been tried to date and have failed. The Dublin administration has never made a serious effort to produce worthwhile proposals while the British have blundered from one failure to another. Conflict and instability have continued and will continue. The latest so-called political solution is the Stormont Agreement signed on Good Friday 1998. While the Agreement is to secure British rule and safeguard the future of the 26-County State, it has only succeeded in creating ongoing constraints on the right of all the people of Ireland to self determination.

“If we are truly to commemorate the memory of Dáithí Ó Conaill and his comrades within the ranks of Sinn Féin Poblachtach and the wider Republican Movement we must put aside our individual ambitions and differences and work in an unselfish manner for a British withdrawal and a United Ireland.”

The ceremony ended with the playing of Amhráin na bhFiann by Seán Ó Sé and the Cathaoirleach thanked all those who attended in very bad weather.

Belfast Telegraph

By Chris Thornton and Matthew McCreary
Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Sinn Fein’s attempt to present a united front on policing came under fresh pressure today after two prominent republicans accused the party of trying to silence opposition.

And the Belfast Telegraph can reveal that the party is facing the loss of one fifth of its sitting Assembly party in what may be a significant indicator of internal problems.

Former Sinn Fein MLA John Kelly, a founder of the Provisional IRA, and Brendan Hughes, a former Maze hunger strike leader, claimed that threats were made towards republicans “who seek a wider debate on the policing matter”.

In a published letter, the two men allege that a number of people have been warned by Sinn Fein “that they must not attend independent meetings organised by republicans around the policing issue”.

They also state that the Sinn Fein leadership is afraid of facing the possibility of an electoral challenge from within republicanism.

“It is not the threat of physical attack that Sinn Fein leaders fear. This is evident from the way they continue to go about their daily lives.

“It is the possibility of republicans fed up with Sinn Fein lies and deceit deciding to mount an electoral challenge that send shudders of anxiety through the leadership circles,” the letter to the Irish News read.

It continued: “We are concerned that in a bid to stifle wider discussion within the republican community, Sinn Fein is pursuing a strategy of threat against dissenting voices.

“They are disguising their own menace by attributing violent intent to those voices. Such voices are healthy in a republicanism unafraid of critical self-examination.”

The claims have been dismissed by Sinn Fein. A party spokesman told the Belfast Telegraph: “This is total nonsense. It has no basis in fact or reality.”

Five members of the party’s 24 in the Assembly are off the ballot, with another expected to stand down before the elections on March 7. This may not translate into a loss of seats but it may represent a sign of discontent within the party.

Among the members who will not be seeking re-election are Geraldine Dougan, MLA for Mid-Ulster, who stated that her decision was for personal reasons, but who has also been quoted as saying that she has concerns about policing.

North Belfast MLA Kathy Stanton will also not be seeking re-election. Two others - Davy Hyland and Pat O’Rawe - were both de-selected by the party, although their situation is not fully resolved. Sinn Fein is also without Michael Ferguson, who died last autumn.

In 2003 three members of the Sinn Fein Assembly party also left before that year’s elections. They included Mid-Ulster Assemblyman Mr Kelly, who resigned from Sinn Fein over differences with the leadership, Mick Murphy, who was de-selected in South Down, and Pat McNamee who stepped down in Newry and Armagh because of ill-health

BBC

Sinn Fein’s Gerry Adams has called for anyone with information about the bodies of people killed and secretly buried by the IRA to come forward.

Jean McConville was a mother of 10

He said he expected work to start this spring to implement the work of a government-appointed forensics expert.

He said those involved must “have all the information possible to make their efforts a success”.

Nine people murdered and secretly buried by the IRA during the 1970s became known as the Disappeared.

The remains of four have been found, the latest in 2003.

IRA members involved in the killings have previously visited burial sites with a forensics expert.

Three decades

Speaking on Wednesday, Mr Adams said he was mindful not to raise expectations by the families.

“However, if there is any other information available which might help I am appealing for those with it to now bring it forward,” he said.

“This is particularly the case in respect of the disappearance of Charlie Armstrong, whose family I have met a number of times.”

Mr Adams said he wanted “this matter finally resolved”

He added: “This tragedy has gone on for almost three decades. The families have suffered enormously. I want to make 2007 the year this matter is finally resolved for these families.”

The remains of mother of 10 Jean McConville, who the IRA claimed had been an “informer” who passed information to the British security forces, were discovered in 2003.

In 1999, the IRA admitted they had killed Mrs McConville and several other of the Disappeared, but alleged some of them had been informers.

Mrs McConville, who was a widow, was killed after she went to the aid of a fatally wounded British soldier outside her home in west Belfast’s Divis flats.

Her remains were finally found at Shelling Hill beach in County Louth in the Irish Republic in August 2003.

BBC

A Sinn Fein assembly member who was de-selected as an assembly election candidate before Christmas has resigned from the party.

Davy Hyland has resigned from Sinn Fein

Davy Hyland said he is still deciding whether to run as an independent in the forthcoming election.

Mr Hyland, who represented Newry and Armagh, said he was saddened at being “de-selected by text”.

“I leave Sinn Fein secure in the knowledge that I have remained true to my republican principles,” he said.

He said that there was disquiet locally about the policing issue and said there should be more debate and consultation with the community.

“You need a full, frank and open discussion on this matter because it has massive implications for everyone on this island,” he said.

He said that he had received a lot of support since the de-selection and would gauge opinion in the constituency before he decided if he would run as an independent candidate.

The week before Mr Hyland was de-selected, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams met PSNI chief constable Sir Hugh Orde against a backdrop of growing pressure on republicans to support the police as part of the deal to restore devolution.