Amen!

Posted by Jim on May 23, 2019

British soldiers should remain subject to the rule of law

Posted by Jim on May 22, 2019

Colonel David Benest CO 2 Para.1994-97 writing in the Guardian…

I have read both the Widgery and the Saville reports into Bloody Sunday, and for reasons not well explained the responsibility of the army chain of command seems wholly absent.

In fairness to the army, most officers and soldiers, for most of the time, have performed commendably in very difficult circumstance between 1969 and 2007 – the formal end of British forces’ operations in Northern Ireland. Some have not. And in the event that a command ethos of brutality and murder takes over, we should not be all that surprised at the consequences. This to me is the essence of Bloody Sunday, where specific orders were ignored, an officer opened fire above Rossville Flats – contrary to law – and then the “Derry effect” of those gunshot echoes probably convinced other soldiers that they were indeed under fire. I am not blaming the then commanding officer, alone, for this insubordination .

The defence secretary, Penny Mordaunt, is attempting to strengthen legal protections for troops facing investigation over alleged historical offences – but veterans of Northern Ireland won’t be covered by this. General Lord Dannatt claims he is serving the interests of the army by challenging the plan in the House of Lords: he argues that Northern Ireland should also be exempt from the law because all theatres of war need to be treated the same. Surely the argument of a former chief of the general staff should be that all cases of serious crime committed by our soldiers be investigated and, if need be, prosecuted – without exception. Only on this basis can high morale and good discipline be ensured.

A comparison with supposed amnesties regarding terrorists is simply missing an obvious point: the armed forces are intended to represent the law in situations where law has been absent through usual means. The problem here is that a prevalent ethos of “regimental loyalty” can supersede all other considerations, and that exposing wrongdoing is thus disloyal – historical accounts of the British army during the Troubles have made this clear. This can only be countered by investing in an ethical education for all ranks of the armed forces. Defence humanists can only agree with this cause

Official Communication from the UFA

Posted by Jim on May 21, 2019

Tom Beirne for NY State AOH Treasurer

Posted by Jim on

• 35 Year member of Ancient Order of Hibernians, Division 9, NY County

• Past Division President, Past NY County President, Past NY State Director, Past National AOH Hunger Chairman, Past member of National AOH Charities Board, Current NY State AOH Chairman for Catholic Action

• A dedicated Hibernian, family man, a worker, and a proven leader.

• Helped organize the 2015 Papal Mass in Madison Square Garden in September 2015, with close to 100 Hibernian volunteers present.

• Chairman of 200th Anniversary of Old St. Patrick’s Cathedral 2009 through 2015 (Cornerstone laid 1809, Cathedral dedicated 1815)

• Chairman of National 175th Anniversary of the Ancient Order of Hibernians, May 2011, NYC.

• Initiated and Organized (2) multi-state solo runs by Hibernian Ultra Endurance Runner Tom McGrath, with fundraisers every night o A (250) mile run from NYC to USNA at Annapolis, Maryland in July 2012 raising money for the Barry Monument; o A (225) mile run in December of 2017 from Boston to NYC to benefit The American Wheelchair Mission.

• Executive Board Member of Archbishop John Hughes Memorial Committee, erected a 15’ tall Bronze monument in November of 2015.

• Co-Chair of National AOH, 100th Anniversary of 1916 Rising Commemoration, April 2016.• Chairman of Month’s Mind Mass for Martin McGuinness, Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, April 24, 2017.

• Co-Chairman of Knock visionary John Curry reburial. John Curry died in 1943 and was buried in an unmarked grave on Long Island. Cardinal Timothy Dolan celebrated a requiem Mass in May of 2017 with relatives of John Curry and hundreds of pilgrims from Knock at the reburial in the cemetery adjacent to Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral.

• Eagle Scout, Assistant Scoutmaster Boy Scouts of America, Eagle Scout Dad, married to Virginia and Proud father of Sean, Margaret, & Audrey Beirne.

McGOVERN-THOMPSON LAUNCH GROUNDBREAKING BOOK

Posted by Jim on

FREEDOM for ALL IRELAND
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE MAY 18,2019

McGOVERN-THOMPSON LAUNCH GROUNDBREAKING BOOK ON BRITISH COLLUSION IN AMERICAN TOUR
A groundbreaking new book shows Britain armed, directed, paid and protected loyalist agents to carry out murders in Tyrone and Derry, then denied blame. Professor Mark McGovern, joined by Mark Thompson of Relatives for Justice, will begin a seven state American launch of COLLUSION COUNTERINSURGENCY in NORTHERN IRELAND, on June 2nd.They will present shocking new findings in public events and Congressional meetings in a tour organized by the Ancient Order of Hibernians and Relatives for Justice, but now supported by a growing list of Irish-American groups. AT STAKE A central claim used by British officials to justify their campaign during the Troubles is the statistic that crown forces were only responsible for 10% of the north’s killings. This figure, compiled decades ago, accounts for only those directly killed by British troopers or the Royal Ulster Constabulary.The number gets cited to claim the British played an impartial role in a sectarian war between nationalists and unionists. It is also used to claim that legacy investigations of killings should be artificially limited to a 10% fraction of conflict related inquiries.
Meanwhile nationalists in Tyrone, south Derry and across the north saw a pattern of murders committed with hallmarks of deep British state force collusion. Loyalist killers traveled freely in heavily patrolled areas where nationalists could not move without being stopped. Crown patrols often spiked hours before murders then vanished. Covert camera surveillance was disabled. Loyalists had precise intelligence of the sort only available to British forces, from searches of locations. HALLMARKS Mark McGovern, Professor of Sociology at Edge Hill University in England, studied dozens of these killings in Tyrone and South Derry, applying academic research standards. Helped by Mark Thompson and Relatives for Justice, Professor McGovern combined original eyewitness accounts, and unpublished materials, with court transcripts and British military studies to put together a shocking new look at British collusion. His findings raises questions on hundreds of murders that were attributed to loyalists, but may have been carried out as part of an overall British strategy.
Anyone familiar with any loyalist murders in Tyrone or South Derry during the late 1980s and early 1990s will find new facts detailed here. There is even new information about the murder of my own close friend, American citizen and Bronx resident Liam Ryan.
Professor McGovern and Mark Thompson will appear at a series of not to be missed events, that will include New York City, Philadelphia, Washington DC, Rutherford New Jersey, Boston, Newport, Rhode Island, Fairfield, Connecticut and Albany. They will reveal startling new facts and personally signed books will be available for purchase.

AOH Freedom for All Ireland Chair Martin Galvin added:

“The British deny using loyalist criminals to commit murders. Again and again victims’ families asked how else could low level loyalist killers get away with so many murders? How could criminals get through heavily patrolled areas undetected and undetectable? How did they turn off cameras, wipe tapes, and make British patrols vanish, unless these loyalist criminals were backed by planning, approval, and direction at a high level within the British military and constabulary? Victims’ families deserve to have the shocking truth told. The AOH is proud to help bring that truth to Americans who need to hear it.” SCHEDULEThey will premiere in Philadelphia on Sunday June 2nd at the MacSwiney Club,510 Greenwood Avenue, Jenkintown Philadelphia, beginning at 1:30pm,organized by Gerry McHale and Pearse Kerr.(267-767-7854).This venue was specifically chosen in memory of Liam Ryan, the former Clan na Gael member, whose murder is one of those investigated in the book, and who attended events there .On Monday June 3rd. Professor McGovern and Mark Thompson will be in New York City for an event at O’Lunneys Time Square, 145 West 45th street starting at 7pm.They travel to Washington DC for a series of key Congressional briefings on Wednesday June 4th and Thursday June 5th and are arranging an event at the prestigious National Press Club. Malachy McAllister’s case will also be highlighted during these briefings.On Thursday June 6th,they will appear in Rutherford, New Jersey at an event now being organized by Malachy McAllister. Professor McGovern and Mark Thompson will speak on Friday ,June 7th at the Watertown AOH Hall, 151 Watertown Street, near Boston, organized by Jack Lahey-(603-560–8192)and starting at 7pm.They go to the Newport Rhode Island AOH Hall, from 1pm to 3pm on Saturday, June 8th organized by Kevin Doyle.(401-641-8183)On Sunday June 9th,Bridgeport AOH will hold an event at the Gaelic American Club, 74 Beech Road in Fairfield, Connecticut starting at 2pm. (Tom Keane-203-256-8033-203-913-0375)
They will finish in Albany with a Monday evening June 10th event at the Irish American Heritage Museum,370 Broadway, at 7pm before meeting Irish American Legislators on Tuesday morning at the State Capitol.