Posted by Jim on September 23, 2017
A look at an infamous event in the Tan War in County Dublin, 97 years
ago this week.
A rampage by the notorious ‘Black and Tans’ on the night of Monday,
September 20 followed the deaths of two of their number who were shot
dead while in Smyth’s pub, Balbriggan earlier that day.
The sack began around 11pm as lorries loaded with Black and Tans arrived
in the town from the barracks at Gormanston and directly proceeded to
shoot, burn and loot the town in a systematic spree of horrific
violence.
In Clonard Street, 20 houses were destroyed leaving helpless and
terrified inhabitants to flee into the fields surrounding the town.
Several pubs were looted and burned including Derham’s Pub and McGowan’s
pub on George’s Hill.
Local businesses were also targeted with Deeds and Templar Hosier
completely destroyed. This factory had employed 130 workers and an
additional 180 who did work for it from home.
There was only one house targeted on Hampton Street and it was that of
John Gibbons, who was taken for ‘questioning’ concerning the shootings
earlier that day.
Also at the barracks was the town’s barber James Lawless, both men
protesting their innocence.
They were later taken to Quay Street where they were beaten and stabbed
to death, their bodies found the next morning as the smoke from burned
out town still rose in an eerie silence.
A terrified population sought refuge wherever they could, many going to
Dublin to stay with relatives as news of the carnage spread throughout
the land.
Others with nowhere to go or those who did not want to leave slept in
makeshift straw homes in the fields around the town.
The English press covered the destruction.
“To realise the full horrors of that night, one has to think of bands of
men inflamed with drink, raging about the streets, firing rifles wildly,
burning houses here and there loudly threatening to come again tonight
and complete their work,” according to the Manchester Guardian.
A British civil servant in Dublin Castle, Mark Sturgis, felt no remorse.
He wrote in his diary: “Worse things can happen than the shooting up of
a sink like Balbriggan.”
The policy of ‘unofficial’ reprisals was sanctioned at the highest
level. The OC of the British forces in Ireland, General Sir Nevil
Macready, defended it privately.
“Where reprisals have taken place, the whole atmosphere of the
surrounding district has changed from one of hostility to one of
cringing submission.”
Posted by Jim on
The US administration has been urged to reverse a decision to abolish
the post of special envoy to the north of Ireland.
The US State Department confirmed earlier this month that the post had
been “retired” and its responsibilities assigned to the Bureau of
European and Eurasian Affairs.
The first US special envoy to was Senator George Mitchell, who was
appointed in 1995, while Richard Haass undertook the role during George
W Bush’s administration. The involvement of the US government in the
north of Ireland has diminished substantially in recent years in line
with the normalisation of British rule.
The last person to hold the post was Senator Gary Hart but he was not
replaced following Donald Trump’s election victory. Senator Hart
condemned the proposal to abolish the diplomatic role as “a sad, even
tragic, decision”.
Now 25 members of the US Congress have written to the US Secretary of
State Rex Tillerson urging him to reconsider abolishing the post. It has
been signed by Republicans as well as Democratic members of Congress.
The letter notes that “40 million Americans of Irish descent have begun
to speak out on this issue” and describes the 1998 Good Friday Agreement
as “one of America’s most successful foreign policy accomplishments in
recent memory”.
The letter highlights the threat Brexit poses to the peace process after
the Westminster parliament passed legislation to allow British
negotiators breach the 1998 peace deal. Sinn Fein is seeking to rescue
the agreement by making it a protocol of the Brexit withdrawal treaty.
The Ancient Order of Hibernians has urged members of Congress who take
an active interest in Ireland to oppose Tillerson’s plans.
It described the proposal to scrap the north envoy as “appalling” and
wants US Congress members to “push back”.
The AOH has sent letters to the members of the U.S. Senate Committee
on Foreign Relations and the Congressional Friends of Ireland caucus
asking them to voice their objection, said a statement.
“Nearly twenty years ago, the historic Good Friday Agreement ended ‘the
Troubles’ in Northern Ireland, proportionately one of the deadliest
conflicts in world history.
“All parties to the conflict have acknowledged the leadership of United
States Special Envoy to Northern Ireland George Mitchell was pivotal in
reaching that historic accord,” said AOH National Political Education
Chairman, Neil F. Cosgrove.
“The Good Friday Agreement is a landmark in U.S. Diplomacy and prima
facie evidence of American leadership in the cause of peace and justice.
“It is therefore shocking that Secretary of State Tillerson has
announced plans to eliminate the position of Special Envoy to Northern
Ireland while many objectives of the Good Friday Agreement are yet to be
realized and at a time when the Agreement, and the peace it fostered, is
at risk,” Cosgrove stated.
Continued Cosgrove: “Apparently, Secretary Tillerson, and many in the
government on both sides of the aisle, have confused the transitory
peace which is a cessation of violence with the much greater vision of a
permanent peace articulated in the Good Friday Agreement; a peace based
on ‘parity of esteem and of just and equal treatment.’
“Twenty years on, we are still far from the goal of true peace. We need
only look at recent actions targeting those who wish to express their
identity through the Irish language and reports that the Catholic
community of Northern Ireland faces disproportionate hurdles in
accessing housing to see that the Good Friday Agreement aspiration of
‘parity of esteem’ has yet to move from paper to practice.
“In the nearly twenty years since the Good Friday Agreement was signed,
a Bill of Rights for Northern Ireland has yet to materialize and
attempts to address the legacies of the past with justice have
continually met with obstruction.
“The most tangible symbol of the Good Friday Agreement, the power shared
devolved Northern Ireland parliament, is currently in collapse with no
sign of restoration.
“Brexit, which the communities of Northern Ireland as a whole rejected,
threatens economic upheaval to a fragile Northern Ireland economy and a
return to “hard borders” in Ireland both physical and psychological.”
Posted by Jim on
by Jude Collins (judecollins.com)
If you drive around the north of Ireland you’re sure to come across one
of the signs: three words that test our notion of democracy. They are
‘FREE TONY TAYLOR’.
Tony Taylor is in prison because the former Secretary of State Theresa
Villiers thinks it’s a good idea that he should be. “His early release
from prison under the Good Friday Agreement has been revoked” is a more
official way of putting it but it amounts to the same thing. Which is
internment.
Decades ago, in the 1950s, internment was seen as part of the state’s
machinery. We lived in a unionist-controlled state, so of course they
were going to put in prison anybody they thought had a face that didn’t
fit. People who were Irish language enthusiasts, people who were active
members of the GAA, people who just happened to live in a strongly
republican area. Into prison they went, and they came out only at Her
Majesty’s pleasure.
Then we had internment in the 1970s, and the nationalist population had
become sufficiently bold to see that internment didn’t have to be as
inevitable as the weather, that if the government could shove into jail
anyone they selected with no questions asked, we were living in a …what?
Police state? Corrupt state? Call it what you will but nationalists and
republicans in the 1970s made their feelings about internment clear.
Tony Taylor is a member of the Republican Network for Unity. That means
he doesn’t think much of the political line adopted by Sinn Fein. On
Friday, after a visit to Maghaberry prison, the Mayor of Derry City and
Strabane District Council Maoliosa McHugh has declared his support for
the release of Tony Taylor. So too have Sinn Fein’s Raymond McCartney,
Martina Anderson and Elisha McCallion.
That’s good. Although it’s a pity that eighteen months had to pass
before protest at Taylor’s detention should assume a markedly higher
profile.
Taylor’s case is one that tests our commitment to democracy. It’s safe
to say his thinking would be different from, even contrary to that of
most nationalists and republicans. But that’s exactly the point. If we
only agitate for rights in the case of those who agree with us, we’re
behaving in a way that says “I’m all for democracy but for my lot only –
the others can look after themselves.”
There are a lot of people – not all unionists – who would say there’s no
smoke without fire, Theresa Villiers must have had good security
information to decide to intern Taylor. Except that’s not how justice
works. You put people in jail when you’ve evidence that they’ve done
wrong – evidence that stands up in court, is robust enough to withstand
scrutiny. If Theresa Villiers or the justice system doesn’t have such
evidence, then Tony Taylor, like the rest of us, is innocent until
proved guilty.
Our shame should be that it took so long for his case to receive support
at an official level.
Posted by Jim on
A sudden and violent attempt to suppress the Catalan independence
movement by the Madrid government has shocked those struggling for
self-determination across the world.
Describing the independence referendum in Catalonia as a “democratic
imperative”, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams TD said that the people
there must be allowed to decide their own future.
He was speaking after Spanish national police stormed ministries and
buildings in Barcelona belonging to Catalonia’s regional government to
put a stop to the referendum.
The Guardia Civil, which acts with the authority of Madrid’s interior
ministry, searched for “evidence” regarding the vote.
In the early hours of the morning armed officers arrived at various
Catalan ministries, including the economy department, foreign affairs
department, and social affairs department. More than a dozen Catalan
officials were arrested, including the chief aide to Catalonia’s deputy
prime minister.
Mayors of Catalan towns who back the referendum were also interrogated
and threatened with arrest, while documentation relating to the poll was
seized.
Pro-independence crowds formed outside the regional ministries in
support of the provincial government and in protest against the raids
and searches.
For some, their brought back painful memories the Spanish Civil war in
the 1930s, when republicans and socialists, supported by the Catalan
government, died fighting against the fascist dictatorship of General
Franco.
“It is unacceptable for there to be political prisoners in a European
democracy. The [governing party] Partido Popular leads us to an
authoritarian regression that cannot be tolerated,” a spokesperson for
Podemos said on social media.
Carles Puigdemont, the president of the Catalonian government, said the
Madrid authorities had “de facto suspended” home rule in Catalonia.
Thousands of additional Guardia Civil have now been sent to the area
ahead of the referendum. The growing police presence and aggressive
crackdowns are fuelling mounting protests among the Catalan population,
with thousands taking to the streets of Barcelona, and dock workers
refusing to provide services to the police arriving on ferries.
The secession referendum is scheduled for October 1, and top regional
officials insist the vote will go on as scheduled.
There is strong support in Ireland for Catalan independence.
“The future of Catalonia should be decided by the Catalan people,” Mr
Adams said.
“Those who truly cherish the principles of democracy, have nothing to
fear from Catalonia having an independence referendum. In fact, given
that significant numbers of Catalans have repeatedly expressed their
desire to vote on their political future, the referendum should be
embraced as a democratic imperative.
“The Spanish Government has a moral responsibility to respect the
legislation passed by the Government of Catalonia. Mariano Rajoy’s
administration should engage in meaningful discussions with Catalan
representatives to ensure that the vote goes ahead, and without
coercion.
“To prevent the referendum from taking place would be an affront to
democratic ideals. Let the people of Catalonia have their say.”
Scottish Cabinet secretary for external affairs Fiona Hyslop said “that
all peoples have the right to self-determination and to choose the form
of government best suited to their needs, a principle which is
enshrined in the UN Charter.”
She said that the governments in London and Edinburgh had been able “to
come together to agree a process to allow the people to decide”.
“It is essential that democracy and civil rights are respected in all
countries,” she added.
Posted by Jim on September 21, 2017
The film ‘Bobby Sands: 66 Days’ is due to make its television premiere on Sunday evening on BBC Two Northern Ireland.
John Monaghan. Irish News. Belfast. Wednesday, September 20, 2017
The documentary on Bobby Sands was written and directed by Brendan J Byrne
A DOCUMENTARY about Bobby Sands – which faced criticism from Unionists after it emerged that public money had been used to make it – will make its television premiere on BBC NI at the weekend.
The film, ‘Bobby Sands: 66 Days’, charts the IRA hunger striker’s life and imprisonment and is based on extracts from his prison diaries.
Written and directed by Ardoyne-born Brendan J Byrne, the extracts are read by west Belfast actor Martin McCann and the film combines archive news footage, custom animation and dramatic reconstruction.
The 27-year-old IRA prisoner died after spending 66 days on hunger strike in the Maze prison in May 1981.
Released in cinemas last summer, it will be shown for the first time on television on BBC 2 NI at 9pm on Sunday.
The film proved hugely popular amongst cinema-goers across Ireland when released last year, recording the Republic’s highest opening weekend returns for an Irish-made documentary, taking in more than €50,000.
In The North it came fifth in the box office chart on its debut weekend, finishing ahead of the combined audience total for both Star Trek and Ghostbusters.
Unionists reacted with anger to the news that the film had received tens of thousands in public funding from the BBC and Northern Ireland Screen.
Northern Ireland Screen revealed they gave £76,000 to the project, while the BBC did not disclose how much it contributed.
Former Fermanagh and South Tyrone MP, the Ulster Unionist Tom Elliott, last year said that the decision to award public money for the film was “disgraceful”.