RSF Bodenstown Address 2018

Posted by Jim on June 16, 2018

An abridged version of the main oration was delivered by Republican Sinn
Fein Ard Chomhairle member, John Joe McCusker, following the party’s
annual commemorative parade to the grave of Theobald Wolfe Tone last
weekend.
If we were to come here today and speak in the negative of the cause of
Ireland; if we were to reconcile the position of those supporting the
maintenance of the union with Britain as it is and remains pressed upon
the Irish people; even if our land were but reduced to a void mass of
rock and soil and rendered as a ‘void space of ground’ and then if we
were to allow the most ruthless and strongest of beings to seize,
plunder and enslave all those of its inhabitants, and we not raise a
hand to defend them; then at all times in our lives we would have to
turn the body from the soul and die.

Yet we are here today to defend the Irish Republic proclaimed in Dublin
1916. We are here to decry those who support the undemocratic and
illegal union of our country and Britain and we are here to declare the
rights of our ancient and proud land of Ireland. Irish Republicanism is
a living breathing body and soul and I salute and welcome you all to the
holiest place on Irish soil, Bodenstown Graveyard.

Theobald Wolfe Tone Dublin, was the leader of the United Irishmen, Henry
Joy McCracken, Belfast and Thomas Russell, Cork (the man from God knows
where) are also well-remembered leaders. These men believed in the
Republican philosophy which was spreading across the world at this time,
where the people of the nation state would cast off the old colonial
system which brutalised the indigenous and the downtrodden peoples of
society.

Republicanism created a new platform whereupon the people set aside
their religious and or ethnic background and pursued the growth of
pluralism and individual freedom and equality. This emphasising the core
principles of the Christian faith, “that all ‘men’ are created equal”
and should have the equal right to pursue his or her career without
state impediment. Naturally it goes without saying therefore that the
people of another state or country should have no right or design with
malign intent or otherwise, upon the governance of another people and
their country.

When Arlene Foster stated that Unionism transcended the narrowness of
Nationalism and that Unionism was pluralist in outlook she was
absolutely wrong. I stated in Bundoran many years ago that
Republicanism transcends the narrowness of Nationalism and invited the
people of the Protestant community in the Six Occupied Counties to join
with us in establishing the 32-County All-Ireland Republic.
Republicanism has pluralism as its foundation stone. This was the
thinking in the minds of Theobald Wolfe Tone, Henry Joy McCracken and
Thomas Russell (incidentally all these men came from the Protestant
Christian faiths) when they ventured forth all those years ago. That a
sometimes narrow nationalism has become a fellow-traveller and imposed
upon the principles of Republicanism is unfortunate. The Republican
Movement stands full square with the principles of Wolfe Tone and the
United Irishmen of 1798.

In this regard Prof J C Beckett points out, “..that the struggle of 1798
was largely a struggle of Irishmen against Irishmen. The Yeomanry and
the Militia, both Irish, with the largely Catholic Militia responsible
for crushing the United Irishmen Rising of 1798. Politics, idealism,
religion, property and family loyalty were all issues that cut across
one another and were liable to set a Catholic Militia man, skilled in
the use of a bayonet against a Protestant Republican who had hasty
training with a pike.” (p201 Ireland History of a Nation).

The Unionism which Arlene Foster speaks of refers to a union governed by
a Constitutional Monarchy and this, at present, deems that the Monarch
must be of one particular faith. This at the very core of this Unionism
is not pluralism. Might I say that as far as we are concerned, if this
system is working perfectly well for the English people then there is
nothing wrong with this and this is their business. Again, we would
say to the Unionist people in the north of our country: look at
Republicanism. Ask why these men, Wolfe Tone, Henry Joy McCracken and
Thomas Russell sought to unite Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter and to
cast off the influence of a foreign power. Speak to your Republican
neighbours and ask us how we can accommodate you in a new All-Ireland
Republic.

The RUC/PSNI has delayed plans to sell disused stations at Aughnacloy
and Castlederg as well as Warrenpoint which may have a future customs or
security role, alongside some in County Fermanagh which may also be used
to facilitate a “hard border”. The Fermanagh Herald this week quoted
Cllr John Coyle SDLP, who had this to say, “We are the most westerly
point of the ‘UK’ and stations in Co Fermanagh may be earmarked for
extra resources. While Kesh is closed, both it and Lisnaskea are
first-class bases that are being well-maintained and perfectly placed to
facilitate whatever plans may be in the pipeline.” Where does the SDLP
find these people? Perhaps he could become a militia man and help the
British police the undemocratic partition of our country.

The chief of the RUC/PSNI has called for an additional 400 paramilitary
police to assist with security along the border and the Garda have
prepared armed units to assist them to secure the Hard Border should
this come into existence.

The days, weeks and months ahead shall decide many serious issues on the
proposed way forward for our country. Partition has not served as a
solution to the difficulties of Ireland indeed it remains the source and
well spring of our woes. Chief of these is the perpetuation and
kindling of sectarian hatred.

Regarding the status of the Six Occupied Counties, the Good Friday
[Stormont] Agreement goes no further than what was stated back in 1949.
When the British passed the Ireland Act accepting the Independence of
the Free State and they included that the Six Counties would not cease
to remain part of His Majesty’s dominions and of the “UK” without the
consent of the Parliament of the ‘six counties’ (sic).

We have been treated with arrogance and disdain by our English
overlords. They know that the odds were always stacked against the
people of Ireland and that democracy could be set aside at any juncture
in history.

Such was the case with the collapse of Grattan’s Parliament; the
continuing disenfranchisement of the Catholic/nationalist population for
a further one hundred and thirty years; the stalling of the Home Rule
legislation; the partition of our country despite the majority voting
for the separatist party Sinn Fein which underpinned the declaration of
the Irish Republic at the GPO in 1916; the gerrymander of the north (our
Six Counties) forcing countless tens of thousands to leave our shores
thereby affording the British a sectarian majority with which to hold
our country; the disenfranchising of the landless class throughout the
first fifty years of the corrupt state.

With jobs, housing and one man one vote, the demographics of the north
would long ago have secured a vote for unity. Not indeed that this bar
is necessary in the constitution upheld by Irish Republicans, but
nevertheless, from a malign perspective, these are the chains which bind
us and I must relate them as they are. This then remains the bar which
Irish Nationalists and Republicans and indeed the Protestant and
Dissenter must ascend, in order to secure the peaceful residence of our
own country.

Now finding that Nationalist Ireland has moved to this new ground in the
interests of peace, we see that the sands are shifting again. The
Stormont Agreement is now not fit for purpose. For Irish Republicans
who were too awake for the cunning of the English, it was never fit for
purpose. However, as an example to modern Ireland it becomes
demonstrably clear that all agreements with the Brits are exercises in
stealth management. Suddenly with the possible advent of a
Nationalist/”Republican” majority the halls of Stormont Castle are no
longer the attractive bastion that the British desire – and they paying
for it all. Their intent in this regard, as with Brexit, is to stall
for time and produce more obstacles, develop new strategies. Listen at
the door, blackmail, bribery and coercion.

One way or another Irish Republicans will not have too long to wait to
witness the intent in the outplaying of these events.

The intent of Irish Republicans is to abolish the border and secure the
32-County All-Ireland Republic.

Long live the Irish Republic. An Phoblacht Abu!

———————————————————————-

Battle of Benburb

Posted by Jim on June 15, 2018

The 17th century dawned in Ireland during the 9 years war of the northern Chieftains against the Crown. By 1602 that conflict was over; Red Hugh O’Donnell had been poisoned, the Irish had capitulated, and Queen Elizabeth was dead. Against the treachery that threatened their heirs and families, the noblest Chieftains of the north   The O’Neill, the O’Donnell, and the Maguire   left Ireland forever in what became known as the Flight of the Earls.

The Irish were leaderless, the Clan system had been broken, the great Gaelic Houses destroyed, and a foreign power had been established in possession of the land. The conquest of Ireland was finally complete; or so it appeared. Beneath it all, the Bards kept the heritage alive. Outlawed poets started hedge schools; Priests said Mass at stone altars in the hills and glens; the music, the language, and the learning survived – but the British were determined to stop even that limited bit of Celtic culture. After the flight of the earls, James I of England, declared that the recently departed northern Chieftains had been conspiring to rebel, and their estates were forfeit to the Crown.

Four million acres of Ulster were given to men called Undertakers – loyal Englishman who agreed to undertake the dispossession of the Irish. Soldiers, drapers, fishmongers, vintners, haberdashers and anyone seeking free land became the new owners of Ulster. A contemporary writer named Stewart, son of a Presbyterian minister, wrote that they were “for the most part the scum of both nations, who from debt or fleeing justice came hither hoping to be without fear of man’s laws.” They hunted the Irish like animals, drove them into the woods, mountains, and moors where thousands perished of starvation within sight of lands that their clans had owned from time immemorial. Before their eyes, an alien nation was planted on the fair face of Irelands proudest province.

But the Irish would not starve and die in their own fertile land. Their rage grew daily until an uprising was planned by Rory O’ Moore, Phelim O’ Neill and his brother Turlough, The Maguires of Fermanagh, the Magennis, O’ Reilly and the MacMahons. O’Moore had patiently worked for years among the leading Irish families, Irish Generals in the Continental armies, and other Irish exiles to oust the British. Then, on the night of October 21, 1641, the remnants of the northern clans burst forth sweeping the terrified Undertakers before them. Descendants of the old Clans O’Neill, Magennis, O’Hanlon, O’Hagan, MacMahon, Maguire, O’Quinn, O’Farrell, and O’Reilly burst forth from the hills and, in a few hours, made Ulster their own again. A few days later, Phelim O’Neill was proclaimed head of an Ulster army, and by early 1642, Leinster and Munster joined the fight for freedom; still later, Connaught joined. The Crown, poured men and arms into Ireland to fight the rebels. The Irish gentry formed the Confederation of Kilkenny to direct the resistance, and, believing that the new King, Catholic born Charles I, was a friend of Ireland, they confirmed their stand for ‘faith, country, and King’. The Irish Chieftains yielded for the sake of unity.

In England, a struggle between King Charles and his Puritan Parliament developed into a civil war. As his situation grew worse, King Charles began to court the Confederation. Futile negotiations frustrated the fighting spirit of the Irish, and they began to suffer defeat after defeat until, in despair, they considered coming to terms with the English. Suddenly, from the Boyne to the sea, Ulster shook with the news: Owen Roe has come!

On July 6, 1642, with 100 officers in his company, Owen Roe O’Neill, landed in Donegal. A mere boy when he had left Ireland with his uncle, Hugh O’Neill, during the Flight of the Earls, he had won distinction as a military commander in the Irish Brigade of the Spanish Army. A trained soldier and military leader, he had returned to lead the fight for Ireland’s freedom. He was given command of the northern army which he rebuilt and began to challenge the English on the field of battle. In short order, he regained all that had been lost due to the procrastination of the Confederation, but jealous of his growing power, they hampered his efforts at every turn.

Then, on June 5, 1646, England sent their best field commander, General Monroe, against Owen Roe. This would silence the young upstart forever. Monroe had 6,000 men and a full compliment of field artillery. O’Neill had only 5,000 men and no artillery. The two armies met at the junction of the river Oonah and the Blackwater adjacent to the village of Benburb – a place that would live forever on the lips of the storytellers, for it was here, in one masterful battle, that Owen Roe proved his superiority and that of his army. Monroe’s men were fresh and he set them up so that he would have the advantage of the sun at his back. O’Neill kept Monroe’s nerves and the nerves of his men on edge for several hours in that hot sun while his men harassed them with hit and run skirmishing raids. Finally, when the sun had shifted to behind his back, O’Neill gave the word “Sancta Maria,” and launched a whirlwind attack. His cavalry captured Monroe’s guns, and his infantry overwhelmed the English legions driving them into the river. In one short hour, O’Neill had wiped out the pride of the British army. 32 standards were taken; Lord Ardes and 32 officers were captured; cannon, baggage, and 2-months provisions were taken; and 1,500 horses were now in Irish possession. 3,300 of Monroe’s army lay dead on the field, while Owen Roe lost but 70. Ulster had been won by Owen Roe O’Neill. The Confederation fearing his growing power, would eventually turn on O’Neill, and everything would be lost in the end. But for a brief while, all of Ireland was talking about Owen Roe O’Neill, and the Battle of Benburb on June 5, 1646.

Annex or Answers?

Posted by Jim on June 14, 2018

Brian Horner looks at the challenges posed to the DUP.

While our schools are crumbling and our NHS is in crisis, Theresa May chooses to throw cash at 10 MPs in an attempt to keep her place in Number 10 – Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat Leader.

The former permanent secretary to the Treasury, Nick Macpherson ttweeted: “DUP will be back for more … again and again. They have previous in such matters.”

The Labour first minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, called the agreement outrageous, describing it as a “straight bung to keep a weak prime minister and a faltering government in office”.

The SNP leader, Nicola Sturgeon, expressed anger that the money was being paid outside the Barnett formula, which is designed to distribute funds fairly between devolved nations:

In concluding this grubby, shameless deal the Tories have shown that they will stop at nothing to hold on to power – even sacrificing the very basic principles of devolution.

This £1bn is currently with the Treasury and Parliament haven’t voted on its allocation, so this raises the question for many: When will this money be timetabled for allocation and will it be released during PM Mays tenure? A question the DUP cannot answer, but they continually echo deputy leader Nigel Dodds MP, when he says that outrage at the deal was “hypocrisy of the highest order”, saying the deal would deliver for all the people of the Northern Ireland – and the United Kingdom.

The argument continues that the Conservative government has found a way of making sure the payment to the DUP isn’t ‘Barnettable’ – as described by Gina Miller.

Even before the extra cash given to Northern Ireland, the province was already benefiting from £11,000 public spending per head of population, compared to just £8,800 for England – how is this fair? A question I posed to the DUP via email, but haven’t received a reply.

The questions for the DUP don’t end with their supply and demand deal, the most prevalent at home at present is their views on abortion and the pressure the vote in the Republic of Ireland when the public voted to repeal the Eighth Amendment of the Constitution Act 1983 amended the Constitution of Ireland by inserting a subsection recognising the equal right to life of the pregnant woman and the unborn.

Abortion in Northern Ireland is being blocked by Theresa May’s deal with the DUP, Sinn Féin’s leader, Michelle O’Neill, claims, blaming the party’s confidence deal with the Conservatives for holding back women’s rights.

After meeting the Northern Ireland secretary, Karen Bradley, Ms O’Neill said she was convinced the government was unwilling to move on the issue because of the deal with the Democratic Unionists, whose MPs support May’s minority government.

Ms O’Neill’s comments come as the supreme court narrowly dismissed a legal challenge to Northern Ireland’s tough abortion laws, saying there was no jurisdiction to consider the latest case because there was no actual or potential victim of an unlawful act involved in it.

A majority of judges, however, added that Northern Ireland’s abortion law was incompatible with the right to respect for private and family life as guaranteed by the European convention on human rights.

Many argue that he DUP are increasingly at odds with society on issues such as abortion and their opposition to same sex marriage. These arguments are not coming from opponents, but editors of newspapers such as The Newsletters Editor, Ben Lowry.

Mr Lowry argues that the DUP is out of step with the electorate for two reasons:

1 – DUP vote is more varied than it ever was (debateable)

2 – Society is becoming more liberal than the DUP can keep up with

DUP have also had its elected members, Jim Wells, refer to woman who get abortions as Nazis on the BBC Nolan Show. Sammy Wilson commenting in the HoC that outrageous claim that, without abortion laws, these children would have been: “Discarded and put in a bin before they were ever born” – PR disasters, a continuing theme for the DUP when it comes to societal issues, it seems.

Theresa May has praised “the Irish people” for the success of the Repeal the Eighth campaign, yet the Prime Minister is currently in a difficult situation as she strategically needs to maintain the DUP’s support.

Any speculation that the Republic’s victory would lead to a reconsideration of values by Northern Ireland was dispelled in another speech by Arlene Foster after the constitutional amendment, in which she condemned campaigners taking to the streets in celebration. Foster declared:

The DUP is a pro-life party and we will continue to articulate our position. Abortion is an extremely sensitive issue, and not one that should have people taking to the streets in celebration.

A change from Ms Fosters view in when in the UUP when she stated that Ireland’s stance on abortion as “downright insulting” to women, calling the country’s constitution “an archaic crutch to the Roman Catholic church.” No more “Home Rule is Rome Rule”

Sinn Fein’s leaders held up a sign at Dublin Castle reading ‘The North Is Next’, while in London, female ministers put pressure on Theresa May to demonstrate her feminist credentials by backing reform.

Westminster could legislate in the absence of the Northern Ireland Assembly, but this would undermine the Good Friday Agreement as much as the Brexit most of us voted to avoid in NI.

The party now finds itself in familiar hypocritical territory: threatening to self-implode if it doesn’t get the same Brexit treatment as the rest of Britain, while simultaneously relishing its divergence on basic rights like same sex marriage and abortion.

The DUP have also another elephant in the room; working class Loyalism and their failure to work in their favour, despite promising them the moon and the stars during the last election.

It has been argued that the DUP have used jingoism to retain their position of power, but used the working class to ensure that their (slim) lead is retained, but this is now being challenged more and more on social media and within working groups.

Currently there is a vein of Loyalism who want to move break the stereotype that exists when working class loyalism is referred to. At present he Mitchell Peace Institute a Queens University are facilitating discussions that are allowing Republicanism and Loyalism discuss what the working a working class voice needs and how representation can be facilitated regarding social issues; at the core of some thinking is that he DUP need to earn their vote from Loyalism, not just assume that it will be given. Loyalism is asking the mature question: “What’s in it for our community?”

Then we come to Brexit. The DUP have issued all sorts of warnings over Brexit, but have failed to give any assurances on the ongoing issue.

Most recently Arlene Foster has reiterated her red-line that:

No Prime Minister could ever agree to any arrangement which would threaten the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.

Michel Barnier responded:

it would not be feasible to extend the European Commission’s backstop plan – under which Northern Ireland would remain part of the EU customs union after Brexit – to include the whole of the United Kingdom.

Without labouring the point, DUP have only one position on Brexit; They don’t want a hard border, but are unsure on how to express their position, without alienating themselves with the British public. Again. They have jumped inboard the May Ship and have total disregard for NI and the impact a Brexit will have on its people and ultimately, the Union.

We then come to the situation of Irish reunification. The DUP leader has said she will leave the country if there is a united Ireland. In other words, she wouldn’t accept democracy via a border poll, which her predecessor Peter Robinson is in favour of (despite wanting to change he goalposts of the GFA to a “majority of one”), much to the dismay of many unionists.

The DUP have helped keep the deepening conversation of Irish reunification alive by pushing their closed agenda in Britain and in turn exposing their fault lines and what they oppose and why. One journalist on Twitter questioned why the treasury wont publish the exact money given to NI and wouldn’t this money be better divided between “the entire UK”

DUP must take heed of census figures in 2011 showing a narrowing gap between the two main religions in NI, putting the Protestant population at 48%, just 3% ahead of the Catholic one (45%).

Figures from 2016 show that among those of working age, 44% are now Catholic and 40% Protestant.

The difference is even more marked among schoolchildren, with 51% Catholic and 37% Protestant.

Only among the over-60s is there a majority of Protestants, with 57% compared to Catholics on 35%.

Ironically, three years from now we will end up on the centenary of the NI state, where we actually have a state that has a Catholic majority; Will the SoS call for a border poll in 2021 if the majority want it?

Overall, societal questions exist for the DUP to answer on Brexit, working class Loyalism, the supply and demand timetable and issues such as same sex marriage and abortion issues and a border poll; These questions aren’t going away, and as society moves on, will the DUP continue to annex itself from us or give us answers?

  Brian Horner has a background in the education sector and is now retired in the Portstewart area.

NEW YORK STATE FREEDOM for ALL IRELAND BULLETIN

Posted by Jim on

May 2018

A chairde:

FFAI ISSUES UPDATE

A-False claims raise Legacy Consultation concerns- British Prime Minister Theresa May’s patently untrue claims that British crown forces were the only ones being investigated for legacy killings, sparked charges that she misled Parliament, and raised concerns about legacy bad faith. Statistically investigations of British killings amounted to less than a third. Unlike Republicans such as Gerry McGeough and Seamus Kearney, no British trooper has been jailed. May’s appointee Karen Bradley published a consultation paper for hundreds of legacy killings, outlining four devices: (1) Historical Investigations Unit-(HIU),taking over investigations done by the Ombudsman and Historical Enquiries Team;(2) Independent Commission on Information Retrieval (ICIR)for private requests by family members about the deaths of loved ones;(3)Oral History Archive (OHA) collecting research and new and existing oral history on the Troubles; (4)Implementation and Reconciliation Group (IRG)to review implementation. Bradley took plans Britain agreed in the 2014 Stormont House Agreement and put them up for renegotiation, then offered 150 million pounds in legacy funding, set aside years ago but never released. Bradley echoed May’s false claims and said “that is why we needed a consultation”.

Nationalists and human rights groups reacted angrily. Relatives for Justice and the Pat Finucane Centre took out a half-page ad in the GUARDIAN NEWSPAPER publicly charging that May had misled Parliament. She was even refuted by former Justice Minister

David Ford, current Victims Commissioner Judith Thompson and PSNI constabulary statistics. May’s rhetoric raised questions about whether Britain intended the new legacy mechanisms to give truth to victims or cover to crown forces. A potential national security blanket, DUP veto, or quota on investigations of British killings which ignores collusion, provide opportunities for a state forces cover-up. Meanwhile the British have refused to stop veterans groups from instructing former troopers to ignore requests for cooperation by the Ballymurphy Massacre Inquest.

B-Foster wants military covenant as Stormont absence hits 500 days- Democratic Unionist Party head Arlene Foster wants the “military covenant” in the north as another concession to get talks restarted, 500 days since the collapse of the Stormont Assembly. The military covenant would give preference to former British troopers and Ulster Defense Regiment members in housing, school placements, and medical waiting lists etc. Martin McGuinness resigned over Foster’s refusal to stand aside while her Renewable Heat Initiative, “money to burn” scandal was under investigation. Foster approved a plan which pays a profit to burn fuel, costing 500 million pounds. She blames her advisors. Talks had ended in a Valentine’s Day breakup after a compromise that would have allowed an Irish language act with Ulster Scots and an overriding Respecting Languages Bill. That compromise dropped objections to Foster, despite the continuing inquiry. Now Foster wants more concessions.

C-Corbin neutrality not enough for Unionists- Jeremy Corbin, of the British Labour Party made his first visit to the north since becoming leader of the opposition. He was slammed by unionists for saying he would be neutral in any border poll under the terms of the Good Friday agreement and that he regretted all deaths in the conflict, without one-sided condemnation of the IRA. Corbin, who had visited the north and Sinn Fein during the conflict, took pains to state that he was not advocating a border poll and that he was against all violence. He was merely saying he would abide by the agreement. However this even-handedness brought angry reaction from Unionists, led by Gregory Campbell of the DUP who wanted a special meeting with relatives of those killed by Republicans. Campbell is one of ten DUP MPs propping up Theresa May as Prime Minister.

D-RUC partied in the back of Loughgall death van-A former member of the Royal Ulster Constabulary bragged about holding parties in the bullet-ridden van where IRA Volunteers were killed by the SAS in a May 1987 ambush. The revelation was posted on a Facebook page administered by former SAS members. It appeared alongside photographs of the van and slain Volunteers. Eight IRA members and a civilian were killed in the incident now due for a legacy inquest. Some members of this feared IRA Unit were believed shot after capture. The van was hit by 125 bullets. The post boasted that RUC members held parties in the van during continuity training in 1988, while a former SAS member posted underneath “it was one of the best nights of my career”. Relatives of the dead were shocked and hurt. A sister of one of those killed, Mairead Kelly said it was “depraved” and “no one with common decency would make fun of the dead”. Brian Arthurs said his brother Declan “gave his life in a struggle for the freedom of his country.” Meanwhile, the DUP continues to condemn dignified commemorations for slain IRA members.

          REMEMBERING PATRIOTS WITH PRIDE

Special congratulations to George McLaughlin, Seamus Boyle and all of those who helped dedicate headstones for Thomas Darragh and Robert Cranston, two of the six Fenians rescued in a great escape from imprisonment in Australia and brought safely back to America on the Catalpa. The ceremony took place on May 5,2018 in Philadelphia.

Congratulations also to all those in Suffolk County who were responsible for the Thomas Clarke-Kathleen Daly Clarke and who were honored by the Tyrone AOH in Thomas Clarke’s hometown of Dungannon. A full account of the ceremony is posted on the New York State web site and am arranging to deliver their plaque from Ireland.

On July 22,2018 the anniversary of Robert Emmet’s rebellion, there will be a special rededication and unveiling of a monument to the Emmet family in Beechwood Cemetery ,New Rochelle at 3pm.

The family plot includes the graves of Thomas Addis Emmet, a United Irishman leader, among other family members who were patriots of Ireland as well as the United States. There will be a reception afterwards at the Heritage on McLean Avenue. For information call-718-877-0345.

YOUR FFAI EFFORTS ARE MAKING A DIFFERENCE!

Having just returned from Ireland ,I was deeply moved by how much our AOH FFAI work has meant to victims of British rule. At a meeting with Mark Thompson in Dungannon about a dozen families turned up. Each of them mentioned how important Mark’s Emergency Tour in January, the Congressional letter, and Congressional hearing were to them. They feel they have been told lies and stonewalled by the British for decades, when they ask for the truth about the murders of their loved ones. These families think that the British will use the DUP to cancel out any pressure for justice in the north, but that American pressure can make a difference.

These families who have suffered so much, are grateful for our AOH FFAI help and are counting on us to continue. Mark is willing to return and also to enlist speakers from families of campaigns like the Ballymurphy Massacre which will be making headlines as the inquest begins this fall.

Every County who hosted an event last year had a tremendous success. I would like to host more tours and need your help for venues so I can propose something for our State President’s approval.

Looking forward to the National Convention, meeting FFAI leaders from around the Country and sharing some of the ideas that have worked for us in New York with other states!

Please contact me at MGALVINESQ@AOL.COM.

Martin Galvin

The DUP – deaf to the winds of change

Posted by Jim on June 12, 2018

By Jude Collins (judecollins.com)

I wonder how it feels to be a unionist these days. There was a time
when, at the mention of a united Ireland, unionists (and a considerable
swathe of ‘nationalists’) recoiled in horror or dissolved in laughter.
There were even ‘nationalist’ politicians in the south who called on
Sinn Fein and others to get real, focus on the bread-and-batter issues,
scrap irrelevant talk of a united Ireland. But what was once seen as a
binary choice – bread and butter versus a united Ireland – has quite
suddenly become one and the same thing. And this has happened,
compliments of our new friend Mr Brexit.

As I write this I’m listening to Alex Kane and Alison Morris on The
Nolan Show, discussing the latest ballistic missile to hit the DUP. This
time it comes from Paddy Ashdown, former leader of the Lib Dems and
former British army officer. He says that if he was living here, he’d be
looking seriously at what a united Ireland has to offer. What was once
the unthinkable has now become the everyday topic for discussion.

The introduction of abortion and before that gay marriage in the south
are sending reverberations well beyond southern society. We didn’t need
a piece of cardboard with the statement/threat ‘The North is next’ to
tell us that it is becoming more and more out of step
with… well, everybody. You mightn’t approve of all the game-changing
matters, but that doesn’t stop them being game-changers. The British
were just digesting the thranness of their life-support tube, the DUP,
when wham/bang, things happen which make the DUP look even more out of
touch. We know they’re out of touch with the rest of the North’s
population on Brexit — you can’t argue with a 56% – 44% vote — but now
they look out of touch on social matters as well. They’re certainly out
of touch with the young people who voted in huge numbers for gay
marriage and abortion. And you may be sure that, like it or not, young
northerners will largely take a similar view. So that’s Brexit and
social matters the DUP look very right-wing and antiquated on. Add the
changing demographic picture in the north and it’s beginning to look
more a case of when a united Ireland will come rather than if.

We may sometimes not like what History delivers, but being on the wrong
side of history can be painful. Instead of finding ways to be on its
right side, the DUP prefer to mock opponents, pat themselves on the back
for having got the role of king-maker at Westminster, and whistle ‘The
Sash’ while dusting off their bowler hats for the Twelfth. A wind of
change is rattling around the DUP ears and they are so insulated, they
hear nothing.