Relatives for Justice (RfJ) have issued a statement on last month’s inquest findings regarding the killings of four nationalists by the Brit Army: Sean O’Farrell (age19), Kevin Barry O’Donnell (age 21), Peter Clancy (age 23) and Patrick Vincent (age 20). Established in 1991, RfJ is an Irish based human rights organization providing support to the bereaved and injured of the conflict.
Justice Michael Humphrey, a member of the High Court in Northern Ireland, also serves as the presiding coroner for Northern Ireland, issued a ruling declaring the statements of the British Government were “demonstrably untrue” and the shooting of the four members of the IRA was “Not Justified”. They were shot in the back, the occupying army firing almost 600 bullets at the four. The RfJ statement:
Next week marks the 33rd anniversary of the shooting dead of the four young men in Clonoe, County Tyrone. Since that date the British state has covered up the ambush and murders. These men were deliberately killed, the rule of law was disregarded, and the British state lied. They fought for a human rights compliant inquest while the state vehemently resisted that. Today Justice Humphries delivered a damning judgment which found that the killings were not justified, they were unreasonable and unnecessary. The British state planned and executed these men, including shooting them dead while they fled or lay incapacitated. There was no intent to arrest. The intent was always to kill.
This is exactly why the Legacy Act was introduced. Why the question of human rights compliant inquests remains resisted by the state. The British state wants to get away with murder.
Bring Them Down The movie incorporates the lush Irish countryside, as much as the excellent ensemble of actors (Barry Keoghan, Colm Meany, Christopher Abbott, Nora Jane Noone) in this tense but compelling film – Help – this makes no sense. While set in Ireland the themes are biblical, Shakespearean and universal to the human condition.
The setting is a Hatfields and McCoy feud between two shepherding families that share the same mountain for the grazing of their sheep. The grudges, resentment, shared family trauma, weight of history and repression are as familiar as the Irish countryside. These families have been shepherding in these mountains for 500 years.
Some would criticize the film for gratuitous violence, but director Chris Andrews uses it effectively to impress that internal scars and its generationally taught repression are more tragic than any external, physical scar.
This cinematic thriller exposes the toxicity that can be passed down in the father/son relationship through the generations. This movie has no winners, no Hollywood ending.
Don’t go expecting Darby O’Gill’s little people, but this powerful movie will thrill, entertain and leave one pondering for time to come. Bring Them Down was filmed largely in County Wicklow but set in the West of Ireland.
Director Chris Andrews successfully incorporates the Irish language throughout the film. Popcorn worthy.
Ipso Facto Irish Unity Ipso, the well-established European survey and polling company, recently released a poll regarding Irish unification. While not yet at a majority in the gerrymandered Six Counties, there has been an increase of support for a United Ireland. Support remains very strong in the Republic of Ireland (26 counties).
The repeated failure of the Irish government to take a leadership role concerning this momentous decision is both inexplicable and frustrating. There is a complete dereliction of duty to the Irish nation by the Irish Government. The Dublin Administration must and should be laying a foundation to outline the economic and social benefits of a 32 County State.
Many Irish Government officials will be visiting the U.S. during the month of March. Take this time to press them to live up to their historical, moral and national responsibility to invigorate All-Ireland institutions and normalize the common community of the Island of Ireland.
Dail Donnybrook The Dáil Éireann (pron. Dahl Erin, Irish Parliament) provided feisty entertainment at its organizational meetings of the new (reconstituted old) Government. The new (old) Government needed 88 votes to gain a majority; the Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael coalition was a few votes short.
The coalition brought in many of the independent T.D.’s (member of parliament) to meet the magic number. But they tried to turn the Independents loose to be able to have speaking time on the Dail floor count as opposition members, as opposed to part of the governing majority bloc of speaking time. The coalitionists had their cake and wanted to eat it too.
The government was being a greedy and Sinn Féin and other smaller parties brought the selection of the new Taoiseach (pron. Tee Shuck, P.M.) to a stand still until the matter was resolved to reflect reality. The Ceann Comharle or Chairperson (Head of Council) eventually ruled that any T.D. that was part of the governing coalition would be part of the allotted speaking time on the floor of the Dail set aside for the governing majority and not part of the oppositions allotted time.
T’was very cheeky of the F.F./F.G. coalition to attempt this naked power grab. Fianna Fáil’s Micheal (pron. me-hawl) Martin was subsequently voted in to return to the position of Taoiseach, presiding over the new/old coalition.
Ceann Comharle Ceann Comharle (pron. Key-on Corla) is like the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, although they are not a party leader. This year’s new Ceann Comharle is T.D. Verona Murphy, Independent, from County Wexford, the first time a woman has held the position. An interesting fact is that since the position is supposed to be a neutral presider over the Dáil, they get a free pass for the next general election and do not need to run in their district, they are automatically returned.
I had the pleasure of getting to know Ceann Comharle Dr. John O’Connell many moons ago while I was living in Dublin. I was introduced by my fellow Clevelander, James Wagoner, to Dr. O’Connell, for which I am most grateful.
The Ceann Comharle provided me ready access to Leinster House and sessions of the Dáil and to an even more important to a hungry college student, invitations to the Dáil dining room. Dr. O’Connell was a remarkable and colorful politician, as well as an accomplished member of the medical community.
He first entered the Dáil with the Labour Party, then was an independent and eventually a member of Fianna Fáil. He served as a member of the European Parliament (MEP) as well as the Seanad Éireann. He served as Taoiseach Albert Renyolds Minister of Health.
Dr. John worked as a go-between to the Brit Government and the IRA in the 1970s. As a sitting MEP, he visited Bobby Sands while on hunger strike. Dr. John, a significant and vibrant Irish leader, passed on in 2013.
