On Wed, July 5, 2023, the Irish Voice newspaper, in New York, went to print for the last time. Founded 36 years ago by Niall O’Dowd and edited by Debbie McGoldrick the community’s beloved source for Irish news will be sadly missed. Well done and well said Niall O’Dowd and all at Irish Central.
This editorial was carried in the final print edition of the paper. t
“The final Irish Voice editorial invokes the message of its first one more than 30 years ago – a united Ireland will become a reality.
In the first issue of the Irish Voice in November 1987, we stated right away that a united Ireland was the only long-term solution to the failed partition of Ireland in 1922, and our stance has not changed.
In fact, there are very few impartial observers who would quibble with the notion that in the intervening 36 years, prospects have never looked brighter than now for Ireland to finally unite.
The demographic reality is what we pointed to in that first issue, and that is now self-evident in the extraordinary growth in the nationalist community to the point that unionism is now in the minority.
There was one other issue that transformed the landscape — the sheer stupidity of the British and their embrace of Brexit.
In a single flourish, they made clear that only English nationalism mattered, and democratic decisions against Brexit by voters in Northern Ireland (and Scotland) carried no weight.
Instead, the Tory government, led by that lying liar Boris Johnson, patently sought to bring down the Brexit structure he had agreed on with the Irish government. Northern Ireland became a pawn in his petty game to stay in power, but the man who wanted to emulate Churchill looked and acted more like Mo in the Three Stooges than Sir Winston.
If there was ever a two-fingered salute from London to Belfast and Dublin, that was delivered on Brexit by the Tory government under Johnson.
The extent of the UK’s Brexit mistake is evident, and a recent poll showed that only 34 percent of British would vote for Brexit if a referendum were held again.
Of course, now that real politics have to happen in restoring the dormant Northern Ireland Assembly, the unionists have once again become like the proverbial ostriches, refusing any and all political initiatives. They act like they still have a majority but it is just another self-delusion.
Our best guess? There will be no Assembly, but a form of joint authority will be imposed by the two governments if they have the cojones.
After a few years of that, a border poll around 2035 will finally deliver the Irish dreamtime of a country reunited. They will say it cannot be done, but they said exactly the same about the peace process. Erin Go Bragh.
Brexit was a huge boon for Irish and Scottish nationalists, and we would wager if we were writing an editorial 36 years from now, it would be under the auspices of a united Ireland.
So in this final editorial of the Irish Voice, it is fitting to discuss the gathering pace for a future united Ireland. It has been the Holy Grail for all Irish nationalists.
But the dream never died for millions of Irish nationalists during that 100 years. Sometimes the flame flickered and almost burned out.
The Troubles are a dim memory for many in the North these days, but at their height, they represented the great turning point in Irish history when nationalism said no.
Today, across Northern Ireland, thousands of Orange Men will be parading for the 12th of July commemorations. But what is the future of the loyal orders?
What is the place of the Orange Order in the 21st Century? Are they just quirky historical relic, or do they have an active role in today’s society?
A few months ago, I got a tour of Clifton St Orange Hall in Belfast as part of the North Belfast Festival. It was fascinating to see inside the building that many of us pass if you are ever on the Westlink. If I remember correctly, the statue of King Billy on the roof is the only horse statue in Northern Ireland.
I was very impressed with our tour guide, who honestly answered every question asked of him; they really should do tours more often as it is a fascinating building.
My granny was from the Shankill, and while I never met my great-grandfather, he may have been a member of the Orange Order and had meetings in this building. Not sure what he thought of his daughter running off with a guy from the Falls. I can’t imagine he was too happy.
Clifton St Orange Hall is frozen in time, like walking into 1920. All the rooms are as they would have been 100 years ago, I suspect the only thing that has changed are the drinks prices in the function hall.
The memorials to the dead of the First World War are pretty extensive and quite touching. WW1 decimated the ranks of Orange Lodge members, and the ghosts of those young men who never came home haunt the very fabric of the building.
I have been thinking a lot about trauma lately. What we went through in the troubles was pretty bad, but WW1 was a different level of slaughter. No PSTD or trauma counselling back then; you just got on with life as best you could. You can see that the various memorials were their way of dealing with the trauma and, dare I say it, an attempt to justify or explain the senseless slaughter of WW1.
I was at a talk the other week by the Orange Order Historian Dr David Hume. It is a measure of how far we have come as a society that there was a talk about the Orange Order in the James Connolly Centre on the Falls Road. Dr Hume was listened to with respect, and he answered all questions honestly and truthfully – it was a model of how to talk about contentious topics with civility and grace.
David put the order in the historical framework of the various fraternal organisations that have existed over the centuries. There are the obvious ones like Freemasons but also the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, the Fraternal Order of Eagles, the Independent Order of Rechabites, the Templars of Honor and Temperance, the Independent Order of Foresters, the Knights of Columbus, and the Loyal Order of Moose. Wikipedia has a whole list of them.
Processions are marches are also standard across many cultures and traditions. From religious processions to trade union marches, they are a part of our social history.
The Orange Order could better communicate what it is about, but I think the problem is they struggle to explain to themselves why they still exist. If you ask them why they do what they do, the most common answer is because their father did it, and their grandfather etc – it’s tradition.
Catholics view the Orange Order as triumphalist and supremacist, only interested in walking where they are not wanted. But like everything in Northern Ireland, the truth is a thousand shades of grey.
Without dialogue and understanding, both sides fill the vacuum with suspicion. I remember being friendly at Queens with a young Orangeman from Portadown. He once said to me – “You lot think we are plotting the downfall of popery, but we are not; we are sitting around arguing about what sandwiches to have on the twelfth!”
As you age, you realise the importance of respecting and understanding other people’s views. I go out of my way on Slugger never to criticise people personally, and I will not lie; it is a struggle as it is a lot easier and more fun to rip into people.
How different would Drumcree have been if both sides had listened to each other respectfully?
But it is easy to look back and wonder what if. Those of us who remember those dark days know that neither side was willing to compromise; we all took sides. We gave into our worst instincts as a society, and the Quinn boys and Michael McGoldrick paid the price.
Despite the attempts of some politicians to reopen old wounds, we are lucky that nearly all parades pass off peacefully today. Most people greet Orange Order parades with a shrug of the shoulders.
To be honest, even after all the talks and tours, I still don’t get the attraction of the Orange Order to people. But that is life – there are many things I don’t understand the appeal of, but millions of people still do them.
Today is likely to be the last parade to the field in Belfast. They plan to shorten the route in future years. The plans are interesting because it shows even with the weight of tradition, things change.
I know from experience the comments will descend into the usual back and forth, but can I ask you to try something different today? Before jumping into the comment box, take a moment to pause and think about why you think the way you do. What is your reaction when you hear the words Orange Order? Are you echoing the views of your parents? Your side? The media? Maybe you don’t care either way. It is fascinating to pause and think about why we believe what we do. But I know you won’t as self-reflection requires work, and it’s easier to just parrot our default positions.
JOE McDONNELL was the fifth Hunger Striker
to die due to the intransigence of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and
her government.
Born on 14 September 1950, the fifth of
eight children in a family from the Lower Falls in west Belfast, Joe eventually
married and moved to Lenadoon.
Joe volunteered to replace his good friend
and comrade Bobby Sands, who he was captured with on active service in October
1976, joining the hunger strike on 9 May.
A well-known and very popular man in the
Greater Andersonstown area, Joe had a reputation as a quiet and deep-thinking
individual, with a gentle, happy go-lucky personality, who had, nevertheless, a
great sense of humour, was always laughing and playing practical jokes and who,
although withdrawn at times, had the ability to make friends easily.
He had joined the Republican Movement soon
after the introduction of internment without trial in August 1971. He was
himself interned on the prison ship Maidstone in 1972 and in Long Kesh from
1973 to 1974.
Arrested and jailed for a commercial
bombing operation, Joe was sentenced in September 1977 to 14 years’
imprisonment. He joined the Blanket Protest fro the restoration of political
status and was denied visits unless he wore the prison uniform. His wife,
Goretti, and their two children had not seen him in the more than three and a
half years since he was sentenced up until the hunger strike and his dying days.
In June 1981, Joe was a general election candidate
in the Sligo/Leitrim constituency and narrowly missed becoming a TD by 315
votes.
Joe McDonnell died on 8 July 1981 after 61
days on hunger strike.
The death of Joe McDonnell
IRA Volunteer and Hunger Striker Joe
McDonnell, from Lenadoon in west Belfast, passed away at 5:15am on Wednesday 8
July after 61 agonising days on the Hunger Strike. His wife Goretti had
maintained an almost constant vigil by his side but, with a callous act of
disregard for her feelings when he died, the RUC called her in, ostensibly to
identify the body.
From Wednesday evening through to the
Friday morning, Joe’s body had lain in state in the family home. During this
time, thousands of people filed past the coffin to pay their respects to the
fallen Volunteer.
In a reflection of the effect the Hunger
Strike had throughout nationalist Ireland, those filing past came from
throughout the country. There were people from Dublin, Sligo, Leitrim,
Crossmaglen, Tyrone and further afield.
Individuals who paid their respects included
relatives of other Hunger Strikers – Rosaleen Sands, mother of Bobby; and
Pauline McGeown, wife of Pat who was at that time on hunger strike. A
particularly poignant visit was that of Jimmy Dempsey, whose 16-year-old son
John, a member of Fianna Éireann, had been shot dead by a British soldier in
the disturbances following Joe McDonnell’s death. Also present was Joe
McDonnell’s brother Frankie, one of the longest-serving Blanket Men who had
been released for 12 hours to attend the funeral.
It was a measure of the ripple effect that
the Hunger Strike – and more particularly British intransigence and brutality –
were having on the nationalist community that at the same time another Blanket
Man, Tommy Cosgrove, was out on temporary release to attend the funeral of his
sister, Nora McCabe, killed by an RUC plastic bullet, also in the disturbances
following the death of Joe McDonnell.
• Joe McDonnell’s wife Goretti, his
children and his brother Frankie pay their respects
At midday, the coffin was sealed and a
Tricolour and the black beret and gloves of an IRA Volunteer were pinned to it.
With British Army helicopters hovering noisily and provocatively overhead, the
cortege moved off. Led by a lone piper, it made its way to Oliver Plunkett
Church at the top of Lenadoon for Requiem Mass.
After the service the coffin was carried
towards Milltown Cemetery. Joe’s three brothers were among those carrying the
coffin and it was flanked by his wife Goretti and their children Bernadette and
Joseph and other members of the immediate family. When the cortege reached the
Andersonstown Road the coffin was place on trestles and an IRA firing came
forward and rendered a final salute.
After observing a minute’s silence the IRA
firing party disappeared into a nearby garden. A barrage of high-velocity
gunfire was heard as it became obvious that British crown forces were
attempting to kill or capture members of the IRA firing party. Simultaneously,
the British Army and RUC opened up on the cortege with a hail of plastic bullets
amidst scenes of pandemonium and panic. In the assault, one of the mourners (a
brother of then Sinn Féin Vice-President Gerry Adams) was shot and seriously
wounded.
The head of the funeral cortege had moved
on a few minutes before the attack and was making its way towards Milltown. Six
IRA Volunteers took the coffin on their shoulders for the last leg of the
journey to the Republican Plot.
Chairing the graveside proceedings was
Eamon McCory of Sinn Féin. He extended the sympathies of the Republican Movement
to the family and went on to condemn the SDLP and the Dublin Government who had
not applied sufficient political pressure on British Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher. As a result, Thatcher was claiming that not one responsible person in
Ireland was asking her to concede the prisoners’ 5 demands.
• IRA firing party honour of their comrade Joe McDonnell
After the blessing, conducted by Father
Matthew Wallace, John Joe McGirl, Chairperson of Leitrim County Council and
election agent for Joe McDonnell in the 26-County general election, gave the
oration.
Speaking of the deceased Hunger Striker, he
said:
“He has died rather than debase the cause
he served, rather than live with the forced tag of criminality on him. His
courage is an inspiration, not only to his fellow prisoners, not only to the
Irish people who admire such courage – the world stands in wonder and
admiration, accepting that men such as Joe McDonnell are not criminals but
patriots.”
John Joe McGirl went on to lambast British
policy in Ireland, saying:
“The policy of England and the English
government towards Ireland down through the years has been one of jailing,
shooting and hanging. Today, this week, their policy has changed somewhat. They
have left over hanging and replaced it with the rubber bullet, plastic bullet
and live round.
“Men, women and children are murdered in
the streets of Belfast and Derry and in the occupied part of the north-eastern
Six Counties. I want to say here that the responsibility for this lies with the
British Government, and I say to the British Government that she has no right
in our country and never had, and that the way forward is for her to withdraw
her forces from the occupied part of our country and let the Irish people
resolve their differences themselves.
“She is not here as a friend, she is here
as a treacherous foe, and we recognise her as such.”
In conclusion he said:
“We will build Joe McDonnell a memorial, we
will build so many of his comrades who are buried here a memorial, and their
memorials will be the freedom and the unity of the Irish people.”
Throughout the 26 Counties there were
numerous vigils, reflecting the growing anger of the population, and in the
North (as previously mentioned) two people were killed by crown forces in the
aftermath of Joe’s death.
More worrying for the British was the
continued and growing support abroad.
In the United States there were numerous
protests in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco to name but a
few. There were also many demonstrations in Australia and New Zealand.
In France, lawyers formed a commission
tasked with investigating conditions in the H-Blocks. French parliamentarians
wrote to the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Geneva, asking it to take action in
support of the two newly-elected H-Blocks TDs, Kieran Doherty (Cavan/Monaghan)
and Paddy Agnew (Louth).
In Italy, an incendiary bomb exploded on
the roof of the British Consulate and there were protests and demonstrations in
Belgium and Portugal.
Hemmed in by high mountain ridges, an azure blue sea and cascading mountain streams Bantry Bay is a place of idyllic beauty where the landscape changes with every mood of wind and sky.
Bantry Bay is located in County Cork, Ireland. The bay runs approximately 35 km from northeast to southwest into the Atlantic Ocean.
It boasts a long and colorful history and strong association with the sea. It was used over the centuries as a safe haven for seafarers and was the landing spot for two separate French invasions attempting to free the Irish from British rule, most notably the invasion led by Theobald Wolfe Tone in 1796. Today, a life-sized statue of Wolfe Tone stands at the top of the town square.
Visitors can get a unique insight into Bantry’s interesting past by following the Heritage Trail with information boards erected all around the town. Pop into the Bantry Museum to catch up on local history in the summer months. The Kilnaruane Pillar Stone 3km outside the town is a monument of early Christian times and the town graveyard, once the site of a Franciscan monastery, has a famine cross in memory of the hundreds of victims of the Irish famine.
Bantry House, the home of the former Earls of Bantry has spectacular views overlooking the Bay and is well worth a visit. Built in 1690 it has a collection of tapestries, furniture, and art treasures and the restored gardens are home to subtropical plants and shrubs. Climb the “one hundred steps” at the back of Bantry House to marvel at the awesome view across the Bay.
Bantry Town is a hive of activity with water sports, boating, sailing, rowing, birdwatching, and golf. It is the gateway to Whiddy Island with ferries departing daily from the Pier. Experience the thrill of the sea with a deep-sea angling trip or go for a relaxing day’s fishing at Lough Bofinne.
It is also a hub for walkers with easy access to the Sheep’s Head Way and Beara Way – signposted walking routes. There are shorter local looped walks, one along the stunning seafront promenade. Cyclists are also spoiled for choice with a number of routes.
Bantry Bay – the world-famous son
The song was written in the latter half of the 1800s by James Lynam Molloy from County Offaly, a lawyer who lived most of his life in England and was the composer of many other well-known songs.
Molloy (1838-1909) was born in Cornalaur, not too far from Clara, (the home village of the now-famous golfer, Shane Lowry) he went to school at St Edmund’s, the oldest Catholic school in England, then to the Catholic University in Dublin, in 1855, the year of its opening.
His songs have certainly gladdened the hearts of millions. And yet, today, the man is little remembered in his own country despite being the composer of such enduring songs as Love’s Old Sweet Song, The Kerry Dance, Bantry Bay, and many, many others. ‘Bantry Bay’ is a much loved and cherished Irish song and has been recorded by many famous artists, particularly the iconic Irish Tenor, John McCormack, Frank Patterson and ‘The Irish Tenors.’
As you know the British Government is progressing legislation in Westminster that will end the rights of families bereaved in the conflict to an inquest, judicial investigation, and access to the courts. They will grant immunity in exchange for an untested statement.
These proposals are opposed by all victims, all Irish and British political parties, the Irish Government, US Congress, the EU, and the UN.
The proposals are designed solely to stem the stream of revelations on the role of Britain in the murder and cover-up of citizens. The cost will be to truth, justice, reconciliation, and our peace agreements.
At present the legislation is in the House of Lords before passing to the House of Commons. This week the House of Lords voted to remove the immunity clauses from the Bill. Did the British Government see sense and listen to the Lords? No, they committed to adding the immunity clauses back when the legislation returns to the House of Commons.
This is a government that listens to no one not even their own House of Lords. But that was not the end of the actions this week.
(NOTE: Tell your U.S. Senators & Representatives that they need to hold the British Government to account: return to working jointly with the Irish government, honor the Stormont Agreement of 2014, scrap Legacy legislation, & end unilateral action in the areas of legacy, truth, & justice. https://ujoin.co/campaigns/2405/actions/public?action_id=2646)
In August 1971 the British Government authorized the introduction of Internment. This gave the government the power to indefinitely detain someone in prison without a trial. Yes your read that right, you could be arrested and jailed without any trial. It was a power used in a decade from partition through to 1975. It was used to imprison my grandfather in the late 1930s and early 1940s. It was used against two of my uncles in the 1970s.
The same powers were used to imprison Gerry Adams in 1972. Records show that the British did not even follow their own “legal” procedures when interning Gerry and others. A court has recently found that his detention was illegal. This in turn overturned a conviction for attempting to escape while interned in jail.
Not only was internment morally repugnant and unjust, it was also illegally operated in many cases.
You would think that a British Government would hang its head in shame at Internment without trial. That they would move to redress this denial of the basic right to liberty and years lost to illegal detention.
But no, Lord Caine from the British Government has stated that they will introduce a further amendment to their legislation to stop Gerry Adams and others from seeking compensation for unlawful detention during internment.
The British government is standing over an unjust and illegally operated scheme that was imprisoned without trial over two thousand people.
Denied justice in 1971. Denied justice again in 2023. The British solution to a British problem: cover up and change the law.
Is mise,
Ciarán
Ciarán Quinn is the Sinn Féin Representative to North America. Each week he writes a letter from Ireland with news and analysis. It is featured in the weekly Friends of Sinn Féin USA Newsletter. Be sure you are subscribed to stay up to date.
