Posted by Jim on March 31, 2018
The Proclamation and William Henry West
By Ciaran Murray, for Come Here to Me
The Proclamation first read aloud by Pearse on the steps of the GPO on
Easter Monday is a document synonymous with Easter Week and the birth of
the modern Irish State. Widely accepted to have been composed by Pearse
himself, there remain very few physical copies in existence.
Though it was intended for 2,500 copies of the Proclamation to be
printed in Liberty Hall and distributed around the country, it is likely
that fewer that 1,000 actually were, and these were entrusted to Helena
Moloney for transport to the GPO. Sean T. O’Kelly, the second President
of Ireland would from here take these and billpost them around the north
and south inner city. The paper upon which they were printed was of poor
quality, so very few remain. Fewer still exist of a facsimile of the
Proclamation issued by the Irish Citizen Army for the first anniversary
of the Rising in 1917 of which there is believed to be a sole surviving
copy.
The responsibility for printing the document lay with Michael Molloy and
Liam O’Brien, two Volunteers, and Christopher Brady who had until now
overseen the printing of ITGWU Weekly, “The Worker’s Republic.”
Compositor’s and printers by trade, these men were approached by James
Connolly in the run up to Easter week and asked to forego the planned
parading of Volunteers in St. Anne’s Park on Easter Sunday morning and
to instead meet him in Liberty Hall for a task he had prepared for them.
Upon arrival, Connolly and Thomas MacDonagh, also present, handed them a
sheet of paper with the words of the Proclamation inscribed upon it and
remarked “Do if you wish to, and if not we won’t be the worse friends.”
All three accepted the job.
As the men launched into their work, it became obvious that they would
not have enough print to finish the job. The machine upon which they
were to perform their task, an old Wharfdale Double- Crown machine upon
which the Irish Worker was printed was wholly inadequate for the task at
hand, the paper of an inferior quality, and print for the machine
severely lacking. Different fonts had to be used, (the wrong font for
the letter ‘e’ is used in over twenty instances,) many letters had to be
fashioned out of others (in several cases, a capital ‘E’ was made from
fashioning the type out of a capital ‘F’ and adding wax,) and eventually
the men realised they would not have enough type and would simply have
to borrow some more.
The type was borrowed from an Englishman named William Henry West, a
printer whose premises were located on Stafford Street. Following the
tradition of Wolf Tone, the protestant revolutionary who Stafford Street
would eventually be named after, West appears to have been sympathetic
towards the cause for Irish Freedom. Census returns for 1911 list West
as 41 years of age, with an address at Brigid’s Road Upper, Drumcondra.
His job title is “Letterpress Printer” and his religion is given as
“Cooneyite.” Cooneyism was an offshoot of a home based church movement
known as the “two by twos” which gained some traction in Ireland in the
late 19th and early 20th Century in Ireland. It was known as an
“itinerant” religion and its lay people called “tramp preachers” due to
the homeless and destitute nature of their calling.
West was printer of choice for the ITGWU and appeared twice in the
courts alongside Jim Larkin. In January 1913, he appeared as a
co-defendant with Larkin in a case in which Mr. William Richardson was
claiming a sum of #500 after allegedly having been libeled in the Irish
Worker. In September of that year, he appeared in a bankruptcy case
involving himself, with the creditor bringing the case again him the
same Mr. William Richardson, still looking to eek out punishment for his
alleged libeling. In examination of his firms accounts, William Henry
West had listed the ITGWU’s debt as a “bad debt,” or one which he deemed
unrecoverable. West’s examination by the prosecution is below:
Mr. Larkin owes you #227 for the printing The Worker- isn’t Mr. Larkin
the proprietor of The Worker?
He is, and he owes me #227.
Have you put that down as a bad debt?
Yes, because it is a bad debt.
Why?
Because I cannot get it.
Can you not recover it from Mr. Larkin?
I wish you could show me how. (laughter)
Has Mr. Larkin refused to pay the amount?
Well, he cannot pay.
He refused to pay?
No.
Did you ask him for it?
Of course, often. But he can’t pay what he hasn’t got.
You know that Mr. Larkin is Secretary of the ITGWU?
Yes, I have heard so.
And can you not recover this amount by suing him for it?
Do you think I would do that, when he’s my best customer? (laughter)
The case also makes reference to debt owed by other organisations,
including the Labour Party and a drama class at Liberty Hall, and asked
whether he could not sue for payment, to which he replied “I don’t
believe in suing, I’ve never sued anybody in my life,” again to
laughter.
The Witness Statement of Commandant Liam O’Brien states that on Easter
Sunday, upon realising their shortage of type, Michael Molloy was
ordered by Connolly to West’s printers along with a messenger and
Citizen Army man employed by the Worker’s Republic who was known to him
by the name ‘Dazzler.’ West provided the type, under the auspices that
it was to be returned to him intact or compensated if lost- it was his
livlihood after all. Of course, this wasn’t to be as Liberty Hall was
first, pounded by shells from the Helga, and gutted by fire. When
entered by British soldiers after the fighting had died down, they found
the second half of the type still on the machine.
What happened to West after Easter Week, I can find no reference. But
his is another story of the many from the Rising — the English
protestant printer who supplied the type for the Irish Proclamation.
Posted by Jim on
Two former British soldiers are to stand trial charged with murdering an
Official IRA man in Belfast 46 years ago, a judge has ordered.
The former paratroopers, who remain anonymous, were present when Joe
McCann was shot dead by the British Army in Belfast in April 1972.
A judge ruled that they have a case to answer following a preliminary
inquiry at the city’s Magistrates Court.
McCann, one of the Official IRA’s most prominent activists, was unarmed
and tried to run to safety when he was confronted by British soldiers
and shot dead after a chase on foot through the Markets area of south
Belfast
A bogus police investigation conducted at the time resulted in no-one
being prosecuted. Five years ago, a report by the now-scrapped
Historical Enquiries Team concluded the killing was “not justified”.
In 2016, murder charges were brought against the two men, known only as
Soldier A and Soldier C to protect their identity. Both defendants were
present during last week’s preliminary inquiry hearing, which finally
cleared the way for the trial.
The prosecutions have been bitterly opposed by unionists who have
expressed outrage because McCann was a legendary figure, often described
as the ‘Che Guevara of the IRA’, whose funeral was one of the biggest
ever seen in Belfast. Doug Beattie, the Ulster Unionist Party Justice
Spokesperson, described him as “a ruthless and dangerous terrorist”.
Outside court the McCann family’s lawyer called for the trial to get
underway without delay.
Rosie Kinnear of KRW Law said: “Since April 15, 1972, it has been the
family’s firm assertion that Joe was murdered.
“Nearly 46 years later, the decision of the court to return Soldier A
and Soldier C for trial in the Crown Court on murder charges has
vindicated that belief.”
Ms Kinnear added: “The McCann family welcome this significant decision
and are eager for the trial to take place as soon as possible.”
LOUGHINISLAND PETITION
Meanwhile, relatives of six Catholic men killed in the 1994
Loughinisland massacre have delivered a petition to Downing Street
demanding truth and justice.
Campaigners were joined by Sinn Fein MPs Chris Hazzard, Paul Maskey and
Mickey Brady and South Down representative Emma Rogan.
A delegation later met British Direct Ruler Karen Bradley and
representatives of the British Labour Party. Part of last year’s
documentary ‘No Stone Unturned’, which examines the case, was also shown
in Westminster.
The six victims died when an armed gang burst into the Heights Bar
during an Irish World Cup game and opened fire. A 2016 Police
Ombudsman’s report found there had been collusion involving the then RUC
police.
Speaking after her meeting with Ms Bradley, Emma Rogan said “the DUP and
British government must end their blockage of legacy inquest funding and
ongoing denial of truth and justice for the Loughinisland families”.
She added: “The British government must move now to release legacy
funding, as agreed in the most recent phase of talks, and bring this
injustice to an end.”
COLLUSION
Meanwhile, a booklet has been published providing fresh details about
the case of Damien Walsh, which also involved collusion, on the 25th
anniversary of his death.
The teenager was shot dead by Johnny Adair’s notorious ‘C Company’ as he
worked at the Dairy Farm shopping centre near Twinbrook on the outskirts
of west Belfast on March 25 1993.
Family and friends gathered on Sunday to remember the 17-year-old and
re-dedicated a plaque erected in his memory and for the launch of the
booklet by victims group Relatives for Justice.
It reveals the gun used to kill the teenager, and another weapon used in
the attack, were part of a large consignment brought into the north by
UDA member and British army agent Brian Nelson.
In 2010 a police Historical Enquiries Team report also revealed that an
undercover British army unit was watching the building at the time of
the killing. Soldiers watched as the killers’ car left the scene but
then gave the RUC police the wrong make and number.
Sinn Fein’s Mairtin O Muilleoir said it had been a privilege to attend
the commemoration and “witness the grace and dignity” of Damian’s mother
Marian. She told us “the British State trained, armed, ordered and
protected her son’s UDA killers”, he said.
Posted by Jim on
EASTER COMMEMORATION ATTACKED BY PSNI
The PSNI have this afternoon attacked an Easter commemoration in Lurgan,
County Armagh, injuring a woman and dramatically raising tensions ahead
of a weekend of commemorative events.
It is understood to be the first time in years that a commemorative
event has been attacked by the Crown Forces.
The event was organised by Republican Sinn Fein to honour all those who
died in the cause of Irish freedom, and featured a colour party in
military-style clothing.
In a disturbing scene at the Edward Costello Memorial Garden, two
separate teams of PSNI suddenly moved in on the small commemoration.
There were screams and hand-to-hand combat before a stand-off ensued.
Many of those attending the event were elderly. The woman hurt in the
attack is 76 years of age and suffers from poor health, according to her
daughter. It is thought there were a small number of arrests.
Last year, five republicans were charged with taking part in an illegal
parade, several months after the same commemoration in the town.
SAORADH
In Newry, there were also tensions at an event this morning. A
commemoration organised by Saoradh was confronted by the PSNI police who
displayed a banner declaring they had “no notice of this public
procession/meeting” and threatening to prosecute those who participated.
Armoured PSNI vehicles circled the cemetery for the duration of the
event, some with surveillance equipment.
The main Saoradh-backed event by the National Republican Commemoration
Committee was due to begin at the International Wall in west Belfast at
2.30pm, where a similar colour guard gathered, watched by PSNI
helicopters.
Similar parades, held in Coalisland in County Tyrone in 2016 and Derry
last year, saw military-style guards of honour and colour parties, to
the fury of unionists.
A Saoradh spokesman said “those who remain true to the ideals and
principles of the 1916 Proclamation need to publicly re-dedicate
ourselves to the achievement of that vision”.
“The historical significance and symbolism of gathering in Belfast, the
birthplace of Irish republicanism, will not be lost on the grassroots.”
1916 RELATIVES
Thousands of republicans are attending Easter parades across the north
this weekend to mark the 102nd anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising.
In Dublin this afternoon, the 1916 Relatives Association held its annual
Commemoration of the Easter Rising in the Garden of Remembrance in
Parnell Square.
The role of women in the 1916 rising has been hailed as “critical” at
the ceremony. Noreen Byrne, a granddaughter of a 1916 combatant, said up
to 300 women took part in the Rising, and that they were “strong,
independent women prepared to resist prescribed roles.”
The ceremony was attended by several hundred people, many of whom were
related to those that fought in the Rising.
SINN FEIN
One of the largest parades is expected to be in west Belfast on Sunday
and organised by Sinn Fein and the National Graves Association Belfast.
Assembling at Beechmount Avenue at 1.30pm, those taking part in the
parade will make their way to Milltown Cemetery where the party’s
northern leader Michelle O’Neill will address the crowd.
Falls Cultural Society and IRA ‘D’ Company will also hold a parade
assembling at Barrack Street at 11.30am before marchers make their way
to the Garden of Remembrance on the Falls Road where speeches will be
made and wreaths laid.
Sinn Fein Dublin’s Easter Commemoration takes place at 2:30pm at the
Garden of Remembrance at Parnell Square in the city.
RSF
Republican Sinn Fein is holding a series of commemorations across
Ireland over the Easter period. Its largest event is in Dublin, the
National Easter Rising Commemoration. It assembles at the Garden of
Remembrance at 1.45pm for March to the GPO, O’Connell Street, Dublin.
32SCM
The 32 County Sovereignty Movement will support a parade organised by
the 1916 Commemoration Committee in Dublin on Monday. Participants will
make their way from the Garden of Remembrance at 11.30am to the GPO
where the proclamation will be read out. It will then proceed to Arbour
Hill for wreath laying and speeches. Members of Irish Republican
National Congress were also expected to attend.
The IRSP will gather at the Dunville Park on the Falls Road at 11am
before proceeding to Milltown Cemetery where spokesman Ciaran Cunningham
will give an address.
That march will be followed by the Worker’s Party parade which assembles
at Beechmount Avenue at 2.30pm before making its way to Milltown
Cemetery.
Eirigi Dublin is holding 1916 commemorations on Easter Sunday at 2pm,
Bluebell Cemetery, Old Naas Road and 3pm Mount Street Bridge, Dublin 2.
Tyrone National Graves will hold their annual Easter gathering on Monday
in Carrickmore, County Tyrone, at 3pm.
The annual Drumboe Commemoration organised by Drumboe Martyrs
Commemoration Committee takes place at 2.30pm on Easter Sunday, meeting
at the Old Fire Station in Stranorlar.
Newly formed socialist republican group Lasair Dhearg will also hold its
first Easter commemoration on Monday with those taking part gathering at
the main gates at Milltown Cemetery in Belfast at 1pm.
The Republican Network for Unity held its annual Fianna Eireann
commemoration from Ardoyne Avenue in north Belfast at noon today.
Posted by Jim on
” In today’s United States, Americans who believe in fairness and democracy would not defend a Congressional District that had been gerrymandered in such a way as to keep Blacks permanently out of power. And if Blacks —despite the original gerrymander—succeeded in becoming the majority, no fair American could criticize them for welcoming their reversal of fortune, and their overcoming of disenfranchisement.
Similarly, when Catholics overc…ome the original gerrymander of the artificial State of Northern Ireland— which turned them into second-class citizens in their own country— no fair person can begrudge their overcoming disenfranchisement, discrimination, and exclusion.
That is the point I make in this letter which the News Letter of Belfast (a strongly Unionist/Loyalist/Protestant newspaper) graciously published.”—Fr. Sean Mc Manus
Counting Catholics is not sectarian head-counting
but countering the original sectarian headcount
Letters to Editor. Fr Sean McManus. News Letter. Belfast. Friday, March 30, 2018
I have never been a “count the Catholics” type of guy.
However, acknowledging that there will soon be a majority of nationalists/republicans (‘Catholics’) in Northern Ireland is not indulging in sectarian head-counting.
It is, rather, countering and righting the original sectarian headcount and gerrymander on which the British ‘Government of Ireland Act, 1920’ was based.
The founder of the artificial state of Northern Ireland, Edward Carson, and other unionist leaders, at the time, spelled out clearly why counties Donegal, Cavan and Monaghan had to be excluded from the new, unheard of state: those three counties had too many Catholics. As simple as that. Their inclusion would have made a Protestant caliphate impossible.
Now almost 100 years later, the folly of such an artificial creation is evident — made more obvious by Brexit. As Martin Luther King, Jr. used to like to quote: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.” (Theodore Parker. 1810-1860).
One also has to be careful whom one quotes: the celebrated abolitionist Parker was virulently anti-Catholic!
Father Sean Mc Manus, President, Irish National Caucus, Washington, DC
Posted by Jim on March 30, 2018
RADIO FREE EIREANN will broadcast this Saturday MARCH 31st on WBAI Radio 99.5FM or WBAI.ORG at 12 noon-1pm New York time or 5pm-6pm in Ireland or anytime after the program on WBAI.ORG – Archives
RFE will have a live report by GER DEVERAUX,in Belfast about the Saoradh Republican Easter Commemoration at the International Wall in Belfast.
Belfast born Suffolk Long Island County Legislator now a Democratic candidate for Congress,KATE BROWNING, will preview her speech at the upcoming Easter Commemoration near the Thomas Clarke Monument, where the 1916 patriot leader lived before returning to organize and lead the Easter Rising. She will also preview upcoming commemorations at the Cohalan and Nassau County Courthouses and tell us about how she came to be running for Congress.
We will have major announcements about measures introduced this week in the New York State Senate and Assembly honoring the centennial of Ireland’s 1918 Vote for Freedom which gave a democratic mandate to the Easter Rising and Proclamation as well as announcements about other Easter Commemorations.
John McDonagh and Martin Galvin co-host.