THE Sunday World had a fascinating, super, soaraway exclusive on recently deceased Portadown loyalist Muriel Gibson. Which meant that the Belfast Telegraph had a fascinating, super, soaraway exclusive on her too, because the BelTel website on Monday is a parking space for the most click-friendly content from its Sunday tabloid sisters, the Sunday World and Sunday Life.
It seems Muriel wasn’t actually called Muriel by her chums in the fashionable loyalist literary salons of north Armagh. It seems her pals called her ‘Madame Defarge’, the revenge-crazed anti-hero of the Dickens novel, A Tale of Two Cities.
Squinter’s going to be honest here and say that he didn’t know that in the citadel of Loyal Ulster they are in the habit of giving each other nicknames taken from the literary classics. But every day’s a school day and the knowledge that when the LVF in Portadown, Lurgan, Craigavon and Tandragee weren’t killing Catholics they spent their down time immersed in the pursuit of intellectual insight only increases his admiration for that fine loyal yeomanry.
So Squinter called a few friends in the Markethill area and asked, “Can this be true?” And came the answer, “Yes.”
It appears the quartermaster of the LVF in the early 90s was called ‘Moby-Dick’, and while that made him popular with the ladies in the Flag and Flute, it was in fact unconnected to the dimensions of his loyal lanyard.
“He was a man who had been guilty of many heinous crimes,” a pal told Squinter. “And the knowledge of those horrors led him to question the nature of fate and free will, just like the author of Moby-Dick, Herman Melville. It so happens that he was indeed hung like a donkey, but that was just a coincidence.”
Meanwhile, LVF leader Billy Wright may have been known by the media as ‘King Rat’, but away from the public glare his paramilitary colleagues called him ‘Jay Gatsby’.
Squinter was told by a loyalist source: “Like Gatsby, Billy earned a fortune from shady activities and he also loved to throw wild parties. Okay, nobody at Gatsby’s parties ended up with one behind the ear in a lime pit, but the similarities remain. LVF members were all massive fans of F. Scott Fitzgerald, of course, so it was kind of inevitable that Billy would get the Gatsby nickname. As with Gatsby, Billy was beset by class anxiety and crowd isolation. Gatsby exorcised his demons by frantic social climbing. Billy just killed Catholics.”
Meanwhile, a cymbal-player in the Richhill Rising Sons of Swinger Fulton’s Mad Mate has been telling Squinter of the fascinating nickname given to his former commander in the LVF/UDR.
“They guy never went anywhere without a copy of Homer’s ‘Iliad’ in his back pocket. We’d be taking a break from digging a hole for a dead Taig and while the rest of us would be sitting around smoking and talking about Albert Camus and irrationality or Cormac McCarthy’s debt to Hemingway, he’d have his head in the Iliad. He once told me he was fascinated by the poem’s epic themes of conflict, fate, honour and whacking people. All of us in the mid-Ulster LVF and 2 UDR had read the Iliad, of course, and so while his friends and family called him Ratface, we started calling him Agamemnon. There was something about the contradiction of his selfishness and raw courage that reminded everybody in the Mahon Barracks mess of the Mycenaean warrior-king. Incredibly, while Agamemnon was famously murdered by his wife and her lover, he got bumped off by his fancy woman and her dealer.”
Next week in the Sunday World/BelTel:
• Johnny ‘Mad Dog’ Adair on studying the Classics as a mature student.
• How will the UVF’s Ballysillan Book Club survive without Winkie Irvine?
How the DUP joined the Ballymena rubber chicken circuit
Gather ye round and a story I’ll tell
Of how the brave DUP rang the race warning bell.
How they saved Ballymena from the outsider threat
And how Loyal Ulster is e’er in their debt.
In the Year of Our Lord Twenty and twenty five
The once-proud wee town had become a grim dive.
Once packed with flute bands and Protestant kirks,
It was now full of Romas and barber-shop Turks.
And the newcomers didn’t know how to behave,
No ‘Great mornin’, hi’, no warm, cheery wave.
And in no time at all the place was a mess
And where it would stop was anyone’s guess.
Robbers and rapists and criminals various,
Milking the state with schemes most nefarious.
Taking our jobs while lazing at home,
Worshipping voodoo, Islam and Rome.
And thoughts of the past saddened ordinary folk,
The days of cheap heroin and talcum-free coke.
Good times when community brightened the day,
With weed on the slate from the bold UDA.
So the DUP hollered ‘Enough is enough!’
It’s time to get serious, time to get tough.
No more Romanians destroying the town,
No more Filipinos dragging us down.
It’s the end of the influx of military-aged blokes
And we don’t care how much libtard anger it stokes.
But though we’re about to step up to the mark.
Can we just say a word on our mates in Moy Park?
They need lots of people to do things with chicken,
But some of those jobs tend to gross out and sicken.
And we see when it’s smoke break time at Moy Park,
Those jobs are best done by folk who are dark.
So we’ll say no to migrants while welcoming guests
Handy at cutting up wings, legs and breasts.
We’ll keep out the Bulgarian, Indian and Turk,
Except for the ones game for slaughterhouse
work.
And if our position remains somewhat murky,
At Christmas the factory will send us a turkey.
And they’ll pluck it and dress it and gut out the gore
From an XXL bird that won’t fit through the door.
And while we continue to keep out foreign vermin,
We’ll ring up the Moy Park HR to determine
How many brown workers they need for their shifts,
And then we’ll be smothered with chicken-based gifts.
As the tired workers yawn and head home to their billets,
We’ll fill up our freezers with southern fried fillets.
And for every 10 Roma our lobbying brings,
We’ll get chilli goujons and barbecue wings.
And of course we’ll keep saying we’re doing our best,
To keep out the thugs who have shit on our nest,
But we’ll keep making space for the brown factory guys,
So we can keep on enjoying the garlic-herb thighs.
Reaffirming the Many and Deep Ties Between Ireland and America.
News June 06, 2025 by Irish Echo Staff
As I undertake my first official visit to the United States as the Minister of State for Diaspora and International Development this week to engage with Ireland’s diaspora, I am reminded of the rich foundation of ancestral ties and close economic, diplomatic and political links that have developed between Ireland and America.
These links predate the foundation of both countries. For centuries, Irish immigrants have come to the U.S., making this country their home, and contributing to every aspect of life, work and society. It is amazing to note that over half of all U.S. Presidents have ancestry rooted in the island of Ireland.
In turn, events in the U.S. had a huge influence on Ireland. The ideals of the American Revolution inspired Irish independence movements. Political support from the U.S. was instrumental in the foundation of Ireland. The role of the Irish diaspora here is recognized in the 1916 proclamation of independence and Ireland sent its first ever Ambassador to Washington D.C. following the formal establishment of diplomatic relations in 1924.
The United States’ deep and sustained engagement with Northern Ireland has been one of the most significant success stories in American foreign policy. The signing of the Good Friday Agreement, which brought peace to Northern Ireland, could not have happened without American support and perseverance. As a result, we have seen a whole generation grow to adulthood outside of the shadow of violence.
The depth of our bilateral relationship goes beyond peace and politics, as important as these strands are.
Over the last number of decades we have seen a deeply integrated and mutually beneficial economic relationship develop between Ireland and America; one that is now valued at over one trillion dollars, creating prosperity and jobs for large numbers of people on both sides of the Atlantic.
Ireland is now one of the world’s most prosperous, creative and dynamic economies, with the U.S. our most significant trading and investment partner. Our companies invest more than $350 billion in America, delivering over 200,000 jobs located across all 50 states. In return, more than 900 US-owned firms have their European headquarters in Ireland, providing 180,000 jobs.
A rising tide lifts all boats and the Irish Government is determined to protect and deepen this relationship, which delivers significant benefits for both countries and peoples.
We do not want to see disruption with tariffs and uncertainty. Tariffs are counter-productive; they drive inflation, hurting consumers on all sides. Now is the time to get into a substantive, calm, measured and comprehensive dialogue with the United States. This is also the position of the EU. I welcome the pause in further threatened U.S. tariffs of 50% until July 9 to allow negotiations to take place.
The EU-U.S. trade and investment relationship is the biggest in the world. More than €4.2 billion worth of goods and services are traded between the EU and U.S. daily. Disrupting this deeply integrated relationship will have serious consequences for all concerned.
The EU has outlined its willingness to negotiate a zero-for-zero tariff agreement with the U.S. and remains committed to constructive negotiations with the goal of achieving frictionless and mutually beneficial trade. Ireland supports this position and will continue to advocate for such an outcome.
The current uncertainty does not define our relationship however. Regardless of the outcome, our ambition remains to strengthen our political, cultural, economic and trade relationship with the U.S. at all levels.
We have a valued diaspora in America. Over 31.5 million people claim Irish ancestry here. The main purpose of my visit this week is to hear from this community and to ensure our relationship with Irish America is a dynamic one that meets their needs and can adapt to evolving circumstances. This will be the first of many consultations in the United States this year as the Government develops its new Diaspora Strategy to support our Irish community overseas.
We are also committed to supporting our communities and strengthening ties through an increased presence in America. So far this year, Ireland has appointed our three newest Honorary Consuls – in Detroit, Michigan, Orlando, Florida and Buffalo, New York. This brings our total number of Honorary Consuls to 14; each playing a vital role in promoting Ireland, supporting Irish communities and strengthening the bonds between those communities and Ireland.
The growth of our Honorary Consul network is just one element of the Irish Government’s commitment to enhance our presence across the United States.
The openings of our new Ireland House in New York last September and another in Chicago in March, is another expression of this commitment and has facilitated even greater engagement with our diaspora in those regions as well as promoting our business links through our excellent State Agencies, IDA Ireland, Enterprise Ireland, Tourism Ireland, and Bord Bia.
Next year America will celebrate 250 years of independence. It will be a great occasion that will provide an opportunity for reflection
on the significant contribution of Irish America as we mark such an important anniversary.
We are living in turbulent times, but one thing that remains true and continues to hold is the strong bond of friendship that exists between Ireland and the United States of America. Ireland has played a significant role in the story of America, a role we wish to continue long into the future.
Neale Richmond TD is Minister of State at Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs with special responsibility for Diaspora and International Development.
Lost a great friend and top Hibernian. I’ve known Jimmy for 25 yrs and we fought many a battle together. Its now your time for some rest, God bless you, Jimmy, we are all better to have met you.
This Irish whiskey BBQ sauce recipe will have your guests licking their fingers with delight. Getty
Irish whiskey and BBQ sauce are a match made in heaven for beef, chicken, ribs, lamb, kebabs, burgers, sausages… anything you fancy!
Happy barbecue season! I thought that I’d give you my special BBQ sauce and basting sauce recipes, which will help turn your barbecue into something really special.
Both sauces can be used for beef, chicken, ribs, lamb, kebabs, burgers, sausages – everything really except fish (you can if you wish – but I wouldn’t).
The first thing to note is that you should not coat your meat with your barbecue sauce until it is almost finished cooking. The reason for this is that the sugars and tomatoes in a BBQ Sauce will caramelize and burn on the outside of the meat before it is actually cooked on the inside.
Instead, you use a basting stock while it is cooking to keep it moist and add flavor. Use a 1” paintbrush to coat the basting sauce over the meat as it is cooking.
When your food is cooked, brush the BBQ sauce over the meat and then give it another few minutes on the grill to glaze and finish the flavoring.
Simply put everything in a pot and bring to the boil. Turn off the heat and let it cool completely before using it to moisten your meats as they cook.
Irish whiskey BBQ sauce recipe
Ingredients:
50ml/quarter-cup olive oil
1 medium onion
5 cloves garlic
1 red chili (deseeded)
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 green pepper
2x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
50g/ 2 oz brown sugar
4 tbsp honey
50ml/quarter cup soy sauce
300ml/ 2 cups tomato ketchup
100ml/ 1 cup brown sauce
1 tbsp Treacle
1 tbsp Sesame OIl
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 tbsp Worchester sauce
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Juice and zest of 1 orange
1 tsp Tabasco sauce
½ tsp cracked black pepper
100ml/ 1 cup water
100ml/ 1 cup Irish whiskey
Method:
Chop all the vegetables roughly and put them into a large pot.
Add all the other ingredients. Bring everything to the boil.
Turn down the heat and simmer the sauce for 30 minutes.
Blitz the cooked sauce in a food processor and it’s ready to use straight away or, if you have the time, put it in the fridge overnight to help the flavors develop.
Simply brush the sauce over your meat (when it is cooked to your liking) and give it another few minutes on the barbecue to let it add that shiny, crispy, tasty glaze that will have your guests licking their fingers with delight.
Both sauces can be used for beef, chicken, ribs, lamb, kebabs, burgers, sausages – everything really except fish (you can if you wish – but I wouldn’t).
My BBQ Sauce is also excellent for rubbing on Chicken Wings for roasting in the oven.
Coat them well and cook, uncovered, in a pre-heated medium oven (around 150°C or 300°F) for about 25 minutes.
Both sauces can be made in advance and kept in the fridge for up to a week.
