Thursday, March 31, 2005
Official IRA/UVF Meetings
In chapter 7 of Joe Tierney's great book, The Dublin And Monaghan Bombings And The Murder Triangle, he writes about an interview he held with veteran republican Cathal Goulding who had close contacts with the UVF throughout the early years of the 1970s. The following is Tierney's account on pages 146/147:
"For a time senior figures in the UVF such as Gusty Spence, Ken Gibson and its leader Jim Hanna (no relation to Billy Hanna) expressed an interest in socialism and they believed they and the Officials had many things in common. In August 1973 a meeting to discuss such issues was held in the West County Hotel outside Dublin, attended by high-powered delegations from both organisations. The meeting, which was top secret, lasted all day and was held in a conference room in the hotel. The Official IRA delegation was led by the party leader Thomas MacGiolla and included Goulding and Sean Garland. The UVF side was led by Jim Hanna accompanied by Billy Mitchell and other senior figures whose names Goulding could not remember. At the end of the day-long meeting the delegates repaired to the bar for drinks and some informal discussion. Towards the end of the evening, according to Goulding, Jim Hanna pulled him to one side and told him he wished to speak to him in confidence. Goulding said:
He asked me if we, the Official IRA, would be willing to carry out bank robberies here in the South and they, the UVF would claim them. Then, if we wished, they would carry out similar robberies in the North and we could claim them. He said army intelligence officers he was in contact with in the North had asked him to put the proposition to us as they were anxious to bring about a situation in the South where the Dublin government would be forced to introduce internment. When I refused to accept his proposition, as we were already on ceasefire, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Look, there's no problem. You see those car bombs in Dublin over the last year, well we planted those bombs and the army provided us with the cars. There's no problem.' When I asked him how the bombings were carried out, he said the 1972 bombs were planted in false petrol tanks in both cars. He said they travelled down the main road from Belfast to Dublin and were stopped at a Garda checkpoint at Swords [in north County Dublin] but because the cars were not reported stolen and the Gardai found nothing suspicious in them they were allowed to proceed.
Following the Goulding interview, I (Joe speaking here) spoke to former Gardai who served in Swords at the time and they confirmed that a permanent Garda checkpoint was positioned on the Dublin-Belfast road, north of Swords at the time.
Goulding said he was shocked at the proposition but because he had known Hanna and Mitchell for some time and had met them a number of times previously he decided to continue with the meetings in his efforts to bring about working-class solidarity across the two communities. However, when the big bombs exploded in Dublin and Monaghan nine months later, Goulding decided to end the contacts as he believed the UVF was not serious about socialism and that he and his colleagues were being strung along."
Extraordinary stuff yet again from Mr Tierney and I don't doubt a word of it. Clearly the British State was up to its knees in collusion and criminality and was responsible for the murder of innocent Irish civilians. It's enough to make you sick.I would recommend that you order Joe Tierney's amazing book if you can. To do so, email:
dublinmonaghan@eircom.net
"For a time senior figures in the UVF such as Gusty Spence, Ken Gibson and its leader Jim Hanna (no relation to Billy Hanna) expressed an interest in socialism and they believed they and the Officials had many things in common. In August 1973 a meeting to discuss such issues was held in the West County Hotel outside Dublin, attended by high-powered delegations from both organisations. The meeting, which was top secret, lasted all day and was held in a conference room in the hotel. The Official IRA delegation was led by the party leader Thomas MacGiolla and included Goulding and Sean Garland. The UVF side was led by Jim Hanna accompanied by Billy Mitchell and other senior figures whose names Goulding could not remember. At the end of the day-long meeting the delegates repaired to the bar for drinks and some informal discussion. Towards the end of the evening, according to Goulding, Jim Hanna pulled him to one side and told him he wished to speak to him in confidence. Goulding said:
He asked me if we, the Official IRA, would be willing to carry out bank robberies here in the South and they, the UVF would claim them. Then, if we wished, they would carry out similar robberies in the North and we could claim them. He said army intelligence officers he was in contact with in the North had asked him to put the proposition to us as they were anxious to bring about a situation in the South where the Dublin government would be forced to introduce internment. When I refused to accept his proposition, as we were already on ceasefire, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Look, there's no problem. You see those car bombs in Dublin over the last year, well we planted those bombs and the army provided us with the cars. There's no problem.' When I asked him how the bombings were carried out, he said the 1972 bombs were planted in false petrol tanks in both cars. He said they travelled down the main road from Belfast to Dublin and were stopped at a Garda checkpoint at Swords [in north County Dublin] but because the cars were not reported stolen and the Gardai found nothing suspicious in them they were allowed to proceed.
Following the Goulding interview, I (Joe speaking here) spoke to former Gardai who served in Swords at the time and they confirmed that a permanent Garda checkpoint was positioned on the Dublin-Belfast road, north of Swords at the time.
Goulding said he was shocked at the proposition but because he had known Hanna and Mitchell for some time and had met them a number of times previously he decided to continue with the meetings in his efforts to bring about working-class solidarity across the two communities. However, when the big bombs exploded in Dublin and Monaghan nine months later, Goulding decided to end the contacts as he believed the UVF was not serious about socialism and that he and his colleagues were being strung along."
Extraordinary stuff yet again from Mr Tierney and I don't doubt a word of it. Clearly the British State was up to its knees in collusion and criminality and was responsible for the murder of innocent Irish civilians. It's enough to make you sick.I would recommend that you order Joe Tierney's amazing book if you can. To do so, email:
dublinmonaghan@eircom.net
Good Old Charlie!
I have said many times that I feel the British monarch will wither and die within this century. After what has happened today with Charles and the media, I remain convinced! He today voiced his dislike of facing the media as he posed with his sons by muttering: "Bloody people".
BBC Royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell was also on the receiving end of a tongue-lashing from the Prince:
"I can't bear that man. I mean he's so awful. He really is," said Charles.
Oh dear! How will the monarchists react to this? One could be forgiven for thinking that Charles is doing his best to destroy what little credibility these unelected heads of state have! But hey, I'm not complaining!
BBC Royal correspondent Nicholas Witchell was also on the receiving end of a tongue-lashing from the Prince:
"I can't bear that man. I mean he's so awful. He really is," said Charles.
Oh dear! How will the monarchists react to this? One could be forgiven for thinking that Charles is doing his best to destroy what little credibility these unelected heads of state have! But hey, I'm not complaining!
Schiavo dies in Florida
Terri Schiavo has died in Florida.She was on her 13th day without water.
This has been a very tragic case indeed and her family have certainly sufffered alot in the last number of weeks.At least now Terri Schiavo can rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.
This has been a very tragic case indeed and her family have certainly sufffered alot in the last number of weeks.At least now Terri Schiavo can rest in peace. My thoughts and prayers are with her family.
Maybe I'm A-maze-d...Actually I'm Not
I see the British government has identified the Maze jail site as the only suitable location for Northern Ireland's new national sports stadium.
So the site that they've chosen happens to be a site that most people in Ireland's north oppose. Isn't that strange? Actually, no.It's not. I see that IJP made the point over at Slugger, when speaking to Everything Ulster, that "the whole plan all along with the stadium was to offer it in an unacceptable location, get people like yourself to oppose it, and then not build it at all."
Personally, I've found that IJP tends to talk alot of sense.I think this instance is no exception.
So the site that they've chosen happens to be a site that most people in Ireland's north oppose. Isn't that strange? Actually, no.It's not. I see that IJP made the point over at Slugger, when speaking to Everything Ulster, that "the whole plan all along with the stadium was to offer it in an unacceptable location, get people like yourself to oppose it, and then not build it at all."
Personally, I've found that IJP tends to talk alot of sense.I think this instance is no exception.
Treasure Ireland?
Inspired by Dan Cruikshank's Around the World in 80 Treasures, Ciaran O'Kelly over at Neither Indifferent Nor Sceptical has made a post asking for suggestions for crappy treasures. He has mentioned Blarney Castle and Stonehenge.I suggested the Spire.If you have visited United Irelander over the last few months you will be aware of my attitude towards the big grey pole!
Why not offer your own crappy suggestions? You can do so here.
Why not offer your own crappy suggestions? You can do so here.
Thursday Thoughts:Play the Morality Card?
There was a very interesting post by Pete Baker over at Slugger O'Toole on March 23, which focused on a study by The Economic And Social Research Institute in the Irish Times.What I found particularly interesting was the piece by Patsy McGarry, Irish Times Religious Affairs Correspondent, who writes on attitudes towards "family and sexuality" throughout the island:
"It is on issues of family and sexual morality that Catholics and Protestants on the island find most common ground.Both have deeply held views against abortion, with opposition highest among regular Church attenders.
"Where most family/sexual morality related issues are concerned, Catholics and Protestants on the island have "experienced a substantial shift towards the liberal positions common in most European countries.[emphasis added]
"But the family is still as highly valued as in the past, and marital infidelity is still widely disapproved of.
"The study concludes that on all the major issues, the Republic and Northern Ireland, and Protestants and Catholics within both parts of Ireland, are closer to each other than to most other national popualtions in Europe.
"It was particularly notable that Northern Ireland as a whole, and Protestants within Northern Ireland, are quite at a remove from Britain on these issues".[emphasis added]
These are interesting findings but what I found most interesting was the comment by Slugger contributor Billy Pilgrim:
"We had an American poster - I think it was Millie - who suggested a while back that the reunification argument should look to George W Bush's example and bring "moral issues" into the debate.
"She made the point that the family unit is still strong in Ireland - north and south, Catholic and Protestant. She also stressed that this strong emphasis on family, while broadly shared across the island of Ireland, has been in a long-term process of change in Britain.
"Whether this is good or bad is up to yourself, but it may potentially be a new issue within the reunification debate: family-friendly Ireland, contrasted with the more individualistic "there's no such thing as society" Britain."
I think this is a very valid point and one that should not be dismissed. There are similarities in the values and ideals that are held by the Irish people north and south of the border.Could this be a useful thing to highlight in the reunification debate? Should we play the morality card?
"It is on issues of family and sexual morality that Catholics and Protestants on the island find most common ground.Both have deeply held views against abortion, with opposition highest among regular Church attenders.
"Where most family/sexual morality related issues are concerned, Catholics and Protestants on the island have "experienced a substantial shift towards the liberal positions common in most European countries.[emphasis added]
"But the family is still as highly valued as in the past, and marital infidelity is still widely disapproved of.
"The study concludes that on all the major issues, the Republic and Northern Ireland, and Protestants and Catholics within both parts of Ireland, are closer to each other than to most other national popualtions in Europe.
"It was particularly notable that Northern Ireland as a whole, and Protestants within Northern Ireland, are quite at a remove from Britain on these issues".[emphasis added]
These are interesting findings but what I found most interesting was the comment by Slugger contributor Billy Pilgrim:
"We had an American poster - I think it was Millie - who suggested a while back that the reunification argument should look to George W Bush's example and bring "moral issues" into the debate.
"She made the point that the family unit is still strong in Ireland - north and south, Catholic and Protestant. She also stressed that this strong emphasis on family, while broadly shared across the island of Ireland, has been in a long-term process of change in Britain.
"Whether this is good or bad is up to yourself, but it may potentially be a new issue within the reunification debate: family-friendly Ireland, contrasted with the more individualistic "there's no such thing as society" Britain."
I think this is a very valid point and one that should not be dismissed. There are similarities in the values and ideals that are held by the Irish people north and south of the border.Could this be a useful thing to highlight in the reunification debate? Should we play the morality card?
Wednesday, March 30, 2005
Sickening
I had the misfortune to come across this blog which I feel is disgusting and in terrible taste.One must wonder about the mindset of such people and some of the comments left on this particular blog are shocking.What am I talking about? See here.
I notice alot of visitors to the blog have found it funny.I fail to see the humour in this.This is way over the line.
Edit: Upon reflection I've decided to disable the link to the site in question as I realise I am only giving the blog more visitors and encouraging their deplorable actions.The people responsible for that blog should be ashamed of themselves.
I notice alot of visitors to the blog have found it funny.I fail to see the humour in this.This is way over the line.
Edit: Upon reflection I've decided to disable the link to the site in question as I realise I am only giving the blog more visitors and encouraging their deplorable actions.The people responsible for that blog should be ashamed of themselves.
Inhumane
I have not commented on the major issue that is in America right now involving Terri Schiavo who is currently being starved to death, mainly because I've found the whole case quite confusing.It's a case which raises issues about the pro and cons of euthanaisia as well as the technicalities of the legal system.To be honest, as I listened to Americans comment on the matter, I found the whole thing even more confusing.
In my opinion though, I think she is being put through an awful ordeal and that it is incredibly inhumane to allow the poor woman to starve to death by depriving her of food and water.For my part, I am not against euthanasia when it involves a situation where you are putting a terminally ill person who is suffering, out of their misery.What we are seeing here, however, is a woman who is being made to suffer and who is being put through misery, along with her family who want her to be given food and water.
I believe the attitude of Mr Michael Schiavo has been appalling and I feel this has been a very sad and disturbing case.Ronan Mullen of the Irish Examiner has written a very good article on this issue which you can read here.
In my opinion though, I think she is being put through an awful ordeal and that it is incredibly inhumane to allow the poor woman to starve to death by depriving her of food and water.For my part, I am not against euthanasia when it involves a situation where you are putting a terminally ill person who is suffering, out of their misery.What we are seeing here, however, is a woman who is being made to suffer and who is being put through misery, along with her family who want her to be given food and water.
I believe the attitude of Mr Michael Schiavo has been appalling and I feel this has been a very sad and disturbing case.Ronan Mullen of the Irish Examiner has written a very good article on this issue which you can read here.
'What If'?Wednesday-Vote on Irish Unity
What if there was a vote on Irish unity tomorrow?Would it pass or would it fail?Let's say the North had voted marginallly for Irish unity, would the vote in the south be a foregone conclusion?I don't believe so.I think there would be a number of issues that would come into consideration:
1) The cost - Where would reunification hit Irish people in their pockets? Would they be faced with heavy taxes?
2) Security - Would they be faced with a terror campaign from the loyalists?
3) Would they be faced with a different political system?A federal structure, for example?
4) Would it be worth it to change the culture/traditions of the State? A new flag, anthem etc.
These are just some of the issues that Irish people would be faced with and my take on these points would be:
1) The cost would be worth it since unity is the right thing for the island.I would like to see the EU help pay for alot of the cost too.
2) The issue of security would really depend on how unity was achieved.If it takes place in the right way, I don't feel the threat would be too bad. Nonetheless, there would surely be some form of threat from the loyalists.
3) There would surely be a different structure of government.This would have to be made clear well before even the North's vote on unity.I think most Irish people would accept that this would have to be the case.
4) There would need to be a new flag, anthem, as well as other changes.I would accept these changes for the greater good and I would trust that so too would most Irish people.
Overall, massive changes would be in order but I'm confident that most Irish people would still vote Yes to Irish reunification.
1) The cost - Where would reunification hit Irish people in their pockets? Would they be faced with heavy taxes?
2) Security - Would they be faced with a terror campaign from the loyalists?
3) Would they be faced with a different political system?A federal structure, for example?
4) Would it be worth it to change the culture/traditions of the State? A new flag, anthem etc.
These are just some of the issues that Irish people would be faced with and my take on these points would be:
1) The cost would be worth it since unity is the right thing for the island.I would like to see the EU help pay for alot of the cost too.
2) The issue of security would really depend on how unity was achieved.If it takes place in the right way, I don't feel the threat would be too bad. Nonetheless, there would surely be some form of threat from the loyalists.
3) There would surely be a different structure of government.This would have to be made clear well before even the North's vote on unity.I think most Irish people would accept that this would have to be the case.
4) There would need to be a new flag, anthem, as well as other changes.I would accept these changes for the greater good and I would trust that so too would most Irish people.
Overall, massive changes would be in order but I'm confident that most Irish people would still vote Yes to Irish reunification.
Passing the Buck
Justice Minister Michael McDowell has criticised the security industry following the theft of more than €2m from a cash-transit van in Dublin this morning.
In a statement released to the media, Mr McDowell said: "The security industry has let down the wider community through an apparent procedural lapse which has enabled criminals to realise a significant amount of money."
Labour Party TD Joe Costello, however, said Mr McDowell must take some responsibilty for today's robbery.
"It has taken four years to put the private security firms legislation through the Dail and I had to intervene on a couple of occasions with the Taoiseach to try and get it moving along," Mr Costello said.
I agree with Mr Costello.The Justice Minister is trying to pass the buck but he needs to hold his hands up and accept responsibility.Sinn Fein labelled him the "Minister for Injustice", I would say he's more like the Minister for Incompetence.
In a statement released to the media, Mr McDowell said: "The security industry has let down the wider community through an apparent procedural lapse which has enabled criminals to realise a significant amount of money."
Labour Party TD Joe Costello, however, said Mr McDowell must take some responsibilty for today's robbery.
"It has taken four years to put the private security firms legislation through the Dail and I had to intervene on a couple of occasions with the Taoiseach to try and get it moving along," Mr Costello said.
I agree with Mr Costello.The Justice Minister is trying to pass the buck but he needs to hold his hands up and accept responsibility.Sinn Fein labelled him the "Minister for Injustice", I would say he's more like the Minister for Incompetence.
And They Say We Know Nothing!
I went out for a drink with some friends of mine on Monday night and I couldn't help overhearing a conversation taking place beside me. An Englishman and two Irishmen were discussing the IRA and they discussed where the IRA had gone wrong with one of the men saying it was the killing of Robert McCartney only for the other Irishman to reply:
"No, the mistake they made was Omagh."
And to think some northern nationalists feel we here in the south know nothing about the political situation!
"No, the mistake they made was Omagh."
And to think some northern nationalists feel we here in the south know nothing about the political situation!
Tuesday, March 29, 2005
Top Ten Tuesday-Unionism
I felt for this edition of Top Ten Tuesday it would be good to put down what I feel are the top ten things to do with unionism.So without further ado:
1. Resilience - Unionists are a resilient bunch and have withstood much hardship.
2. More tolerant - They are far more tolerant than unionists of previous generations.
3. Better attitude towards south - They have a better attitude towards the rest of the island than in the past, which is welcome.
4. Better attitude with religion - The sectarianism is not as bad and, like the Republic, attitudes toward religion have evolved.
5. Loyal - Unionists have been very loyal to Britian and the monarchy, probably more than the mainland British have been.
6. No mainstream loyalist support - Most unionists do not support those with links to unionist paramilitary groups.
7. Patriotic - Unionists are clearly very proud to be British.
8. Good values - Unionists do still place an importance on values and morals.
9. Ulster-Scots heritage - The Ulster-Scots heritage has been important and has helped shape other nations, such as America.
10. Strong-willed - Unionists, like nationalists, are a very determined lot.
So there you have it.Feel free to comment on my choices or to offer your own views.
1. Resilience - Unionists are a resilient bunch and have withstood much hardship.
2. More tolerant - They are far more tolerant than unionists of previous generations.
3. Better attitude towards south - They have a better attitude towards the rest of the island than in the past, which is welcome.
4. Better attitude with religion - The sectarianism is not as bad and, like the Republic, attitudes toward religion have evolved.
5. Loyal - Unionists have been very loyal to Britian and the monarchy, probably more than the mainland British have been.
6. No mainstream loyalist support - Most unionists do not support those with links to unionist paramilitary groups.
7. Patriotic - Unionists are clearly very proud to be British.
8. Good values - Unionists do still place an importance on values and morals.
9. Ulster-Scots heritage - The Ulster-Scots heritage has been important and has helped shape other nations, such as America.
10. Strong-willed - Unionists, like nationalists, are a very determined lot.
So there you have it.Feel free to comment on my choices or to offer your own views.
Bloody Blogger!
Blogger has been a pain in the arse for me today! I lost a post that I had written and tried to publish.I'm disappointed because it was the greatest post ever written and it would've changed your life entirely.You would have been talking to your grandchildren about it.Well, not really.Actually it was only about the IRA's use of the money from the Northern Bank raid.
I'm still pissed off that I lost it, though!
I'm still pissed off that I lost it, though!
Monday, March 28, 2005
Monday Madness-Easter Silence
Today is Easter Monday and the streets of Dublin's city centre will be quiet.My question is - why?On Easter Monday, 1916, the most important moment in this island's history occurred when the Easter Rising took place and the struggle to remove the British from Ireland began in earnest.It was on Easter Monday that the great patriot Padraig Pearse read the Proclamation of the Republic from the steps of the GPO.It was on this day that the tricolour was raised (although it was not seen at the time as the national flag by the rebels).All these significant moments took place and yet we here in Ireland do not celebrate them properly.Why the hell not?
The French celebrate Bastille Day, the Americans celebrate July 4th, yet it seems we here in Ireland are not allowed to celebrate a political event.We have to make do with celebrating a patron saint.Why can't we do both?Why can't Easter Monday be a day where Irish people fill the streets of Dublin's city centre to watch a parade honouring what took place in 1916?
As I understand it, this used to be the case before but the parade was scrapped.I know there was much celebration for the 50th anniversary of 1916 in 1966.I say it's time to revive the parade honouring the Easter Rising.
Will it be revived? Of course not.In Ireland, we're not allowed be proud of what happened in 1916 and during the War of Independence because of later events and because the Provos have disgraced the name of the Irish Republican Army.Instead, we must make do with vile characters like Fintan O'Toole, John A.Murphy and Kevin Myers denigrating what those men and women fought for.
It's trendy to bash where we've come from now that there's plenty of euros lining the pockets of the middle class.
I for one am proud of what took place in 1916.It woke the Irish nation from its slumber.I want the opportunity to celebrate that event with my compatriots by waving my country's flag which those rebels hoisted aloft over Dublin during the rebellion.I want to pay tribute to their sacrifice and I want their courageous efforts to be acknowledged by this generation and future generations.
Let's see it happen.
The French celebrate Bastille Day, the Americans celebrate July 4th, yet it seems we here in Ireland are not allowed to celebrate a political event.We have to make do with celebrating a patron saint.Why can't we do both?Why can't Easter Monday be a day where Irish people fill the streets of Dublin's city centre to watch a parade honouring what took place in 1916?
As I understand it, this used to be the case before but the parade was scrapped.I know there was much celebration for the 50th anniversary of 1916 in 1966.I say it's time to revive the parade honouring the Easter Rising.
Will it be revived? Of course not.In Ireland, we're not allowed be proud of what happened in 1916 and during the War of Independence because of later events and because the Provos have disgraced the name of the Irish Republican Army.Instead, we must make do with vile characters like Fintan O'Toole, John A.Murphy and Kevin Myers denigrating what those men and women fought for.
It's trendy to bash where we've come from now that there's plenty of euros lining the pockets of the middle class.
I for one am proud of what took place in 1916.It woke the Irish nation from its slumber.I want the opportunity to celebrate that event with my compatriots by waving my country's flag which those rebels hoisted aloft over Dublin during the rebellion.I want to pay tribute to their sacrifice and I want their courageous efforts to be acknowledged by this generation and future generations.
Let's see it happen.
What's the Irish word for Useless?
I see place names on signposts in Gaeltacht areas will only be in Irish from today.English versions of place names have been removed from the signs, as part of plans to give equal status to the Irish language.
The new regulations introduced by Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Eamon O'Cuiv come into legal effect today.
Wow, this will really help the Irish language! The revival of our native tongue has begun!
The new regulations introduced by Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs Minister Eamon O'Cuiv come into legal effect today.
Wow, this will really help the Irish language! The revival of our native tongue has begun!
Greek Tragedy or Irish Farce?
Oh, how we celebrated that night in Athens as Cian O'Connor and Waterford Crystal won gold for Ireland in last summer's Olympic games in Athens! Alas, the International Equestrian Federation has ruled that Mr O'Connor must hand back his Olympic gold medal.The IEF found that Waterford Crystal had two banned substances in its system during the games.
The judicial committee - based in Zurich - last night disqualified O'Connor from all competitions relating to the games and banned him for three months.
Mr O'Connor has again said he had done nothing wrong.He said he was delighted that the sports body had accepted that neither he nor his vet were involved in any deliberate attempt to affect the performance of his horse.
What a shambles! At the time, I sung Cian O'Connor's praises as I'm sure most of us did, but we are all left feeling very foolish now.If there was no deliberate attempt to cheat then he is losing his medal due to a typical Irish cock-up.Acting like gobshites and eejits on a global stage will lead to situations like this and in the eyes of world sport, our country is a laughing stock.It's a joke.
The judicial committee - based in Zurich - last night disqualified O'Connor from all competitions relating to the games and banned him for three months.
Mr O'Connor has again said he had done nothing wrong.He said he was delighted that the sports body had accepted that neither he nor his vet were involved in any deliberate attempt to affect the performance of his horse.
What a shambles! At the time, I sung Cian O'Connor's praises as I'm sure most of us did, but we are all left feeling very foolish now.If there was no deliberate attempt to cheat then he is losing his medal due to a typical Irish cock-up.Acting like gobshites and eejits on a global stage will lead to situations like this and in the eyes of world sport, our country is a laughing stock.It's a joke.
We Must Not Forget
It is Easter Monday and on Easter Monday in the year 1916, the glorious Easter Rising took place as Irishmen and Irishwomen stood up to the might of the British Army and demanded freedom for Ireland.The British would pummel the rebels with their artillery and they would slaughter innocent Irish civilians as they sought to quell the rebellion.While the British may have succeeded in putting down the rebellion, the Irish people succeeded ultimately since the Rising is still honoured and celebrated to this day.
God bless the men and women who gave their lives to give me the freedom I now hold and the Irishness I so cherish. The Irish people must never forget their sacrifice.
God bless the men and women who gave their lives to give me the freedom I now hold and the Irishness I so cherish. The Irish people must never forget their sacrifice.
Sunday, March 27, 2005
Happy Easter!
Well it's Easter Sunday and I hope you all have a great day.I won't be making any more posts today so have a good one and don't eat too many Easter eggs!
Best wishes.
Best wishes.
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Saturday Survey
Hero of the Week: Joe Tierney: I'm pretty sure I'm the only blogger covering his book, The Dublin And Monaghan bombings And The Murder Triangle, but this man is a hero for putting the truth about British State/loyalist collusion in the public arena.
Villains of the Week: Sinn Fein/IRA: The IRA this week released a statement in which they said: "The IRA has spelled out its position in relation to the killing of Robert McCartney. It was wrong, it was murder, it was a crime". Yet Paula McCartney said yesterday that the IRA had allowed one of its men expelled over his role in the murder back into its ranks. "They have admitted that this person was indeed a criminal, they expelled him from their ranks because he was a criminal and now he's been brought back in again," said Ms McCartney.
How do you sleep at night, Mr Adams?
Funniest Moment of the Week: Northern Ireland's Performance: They were destroyed by the English! The goals just kept coming!
Dunces of the Week: 24% of West Germans: Apparently 24% of West Germans feel it would be better if the Berlin Wall was still in place! Fools.
Celebrity of the Week: Angelina Jolie: This week she was named the world's sexiest woman in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005 poll which was voted for by more than 15 million in 27 countries. Well done to her but she certainly wouldn't have got my vote!
Quote of the Week: "I just believe in trying something. If it doesn't work, at least you've tried. I just hope it happens in my lifetime." - George Best
Well said, George. I agree with you 100 per cent. We should have an all-Ireland team.
United Irelander's Busiest Day of the Week: Wednesday - 150 Visits
Villains of the Week: Sinn Fein/IRA: The IRA this week released a statement in which they said: "The IRA has spelled out its position in relation to the killing of Robert McCartney. It was wrong, it was murder, it was a crime". Yet Paula McCartney said yesterday that the IRA had allowed one of its men expelled over his role in the murder back into its ranks. "They have admitted that this person was indeed a criminal, they expelled him from their ranks because he was a criminal and now he's been brought back in again," said Ms McCartney.
How do you sleep at night, Mr Adams?
Funniest Moment of the Week: Northern Ireland's Performance: They were destroyed by the English! The goals just kept coming!
Dunces of the Week: 24% of West Germans: Apparently 24% of West Germans feel it would be better if the Berlin Wall was still in place! Fools.
Celebrity of the Week: Angelina Jolie: This week she was named the world's sexiest woman in FHM's 100 Sexiest Women in the World 2005 poll which was voted for by more than 15 million in 27 countries. Well done to her but she certainly wouldn't have got my vote!
Quote of the Week: "I just believe in trying something. If it doesn't work, at least you've tried. I just hope it happens in my lifetime." - George Best
Well said, George. I agree with you 100 per cent. We should have an all-Ireland team.
United Irelander's Busiest Day of the Week: Wednesday - 150 Visits
Solution To My Dilemma
I posted yesterday about the dilemma I would face when England played Northern Ireland due to the fact that I can't stand either team.Well, my dilemma was solved for me prior to the game - I decided to support England.Perhaps it was Garth Crook's interview with Sven Goran Erikkson as they discussed playing against a 'British' team or perhaps it was hearing God Save The Queen played prior to the match.I did notice they only played the anthem once which must have disappointed alot of England fans since they had no anthem to boo.Nonetheless, I made my mind up to support England.Thankfully, England got the win (with a scoreline I expertly predicted) and they thoroughly deserved it.Northern Ireland were a shambles and were made to look like a pub team.Though, to be fair, they are really.
What annoyed me though was why I had to watch the BBC NI coverage.I wanted to hear from Gary Lineker and Co. not Jim Magilton and whoever the other two were! I had to put up with nonsense about the 'great NI fans'. These are the great fans that hounded out poor Neil Lennon, yes? The commentators seemed to go into ecstasy whenever the NI players strung a few passes together.A useless shot by Michael Owen was hailed as a superb save from Maik Taylor! (though to be fair his other saves were excellent)
So it's yet another loss for England Junior, oops I mean Northern Ireland! I couldn't help but feel sorry for the nationalists who play for that joke of a team but, the fact is, they shouldn't be playing for the team at all.It is not inclusive and is not geared towards those of a nationalist tradition in Ireland's north.For that it deserves to be boycotted.
Now if only I had put money on a 4-0 England win...
What annoyed me though was why I had to watch the BBC NI coverage.I wanted to hear from Gary Lineker and Co. not Jim Magilton and whoever the other two were! I had to put up with nonsense about the 'great NI fans'. These are the great fans that hounded out poor Neil Lennon, yes? The commentators seemed to go into ecstasy whenever the NI players strung a few passes together.A useless shot by Michael Owen was hailed as a superb save from Maik Taylor! (though to be fair his other saves were excellent)
So it's yet another loss for England Junior, oops I mean Northern Ireland! I couldn't help but feel sorry for the nationalists who play for that joke of a team but, the fact is, they shouldn't be playing for the team at all.It is not inclusive and is not geared towards those of a nationalist tradition in Ireland's north.For that it deserves to be boycotted.
Now if only I had put money on a 4-0 England win...
Simply Dreadful
What a dreaful performance by the Irish team.Two points thrown away! I predicted an Irish win( by two goals it must be said) but I was left bemoaning Israel's Abas Suan after his 90th minute strike.As his shot rifled the net my heart sank.What is most disappointing though is the fact that we got what we deserved.We were too negative and did not go for the second goal.At this level, one goal is never enough and Israel always looked likely to grab a dramatic late goal.Unfortunately for us, they did.This leaves Ireland in a bad way and I fully expect France to beat Switzerland and top the group.We're not out of the running yet but had we won, we would've been in a great position.Why must we always do things the hard way?
We must pick ourselves up and make up for this bad result by beating Israel at Lansdowne Road on the 4th of June.There are alot of Irish people who want to spend their summer in 2006 in Germany.Let's hope they'll be able to.
We must pick ourselves up and make up for this bad result by beating Israel at Lansdowne Road on the 4th of June.There are alot of Irish people who want to spend their summer in 2006 in Germany.Let's hope they'll be able to.
Prediction Time
OK, I'm going to give some predicitions for the football matches on Saturday.Here goes:
Israel o Ireland 2
England 4 Northern Ireland 0
Italy 3 Scotland 1
Wales 2 Austria 0
The match I'm really interested in though is the one taking place in Tel Aviv and I hope the boys in green do the nation proud and grab all three points.That would be a fantastic result and it's certainly a possibility.Come on, Ireland!
Israel o Ireland 2
England 4 Northern Ireland 0
Italy 3 Scotland 1
Wales 2 Austria 0
The match I'm really interested in though is the one taking place in Tel Aviv and I hope the boys in green do the nation proud and grab all three points.That would be a fantastic result and it's certainly a possibility.Come on, Ireland!
Friday, March 25, 2005
United is Best
I haven't been commenting on the news in recent days as I have been absorbed in Joe Tierney's book, which I have been serialising on United Irelander.One bit of news that I have been meaning to talk about though concerns the comments made by Irish legend George Best who this week called for an all-Ireland team.He said:
"I just believe in trying something.If it doesn't work, at least you've tried. I just hope it happens in my lifetime."
Amen to that.I have called for an all-Ireland team on this blog before.See here.
What amuses me is those NI supporters who believe an all-Ireland team is beneath them! That's rich coming from a team that is likely to be decimated by the English at the weekend! An Ireland team with Keane and Lennon in the centre would be very difficult to beat.Indeed, Ireland could be one of the top ten teams in the world for the next 20 years if we pooled our resources together.I would have no problem with the IFA running things since the FAI are a shambles.
Let's see it happen.Let's listen to the greatest player to ever emerge from this island and let's unite the two teams.United we stand, divided we fall.Well...divided NI will fall that's for sure!
"I just believe in trying something.If it doesn't work, at least you've tried. I just hope it happens in my lifetime."
Amen to that.I have called for an all-Ireland team on this blog before.See here.
What amuses me is those NI supporters who believe an all-Ireland team is beneath them! That's rich coming from a team that is likely to be decimated by the English at the weekend! An Ireland team with Keane and Lennon in the centre would be very difficult to beat.Indeed, Ireland could be one of the top ten teams in the world for the next 20 years if we pooled our resources together.I would have no problem with the IFA running things since the FAI are a shambles.
Let's see it happen.Let's listen to the greatest player to ever emerge from this island and let's unite the two teams.United we stand, divided we fall.Well...divided NI will fall that's for sure!
Metaphysik
Fun Irelander Feature-My Dilemma
So there's some big football matches coming up this weekend and I find myself left with quite a dilemma when it comes to the England vs NI match.The dilemma being that I don't really give a damn about either team.As far as I'm concerned, the Northern Ireland team is basically England junior.For example, what will happen with the anthems?Will they play the same song twice or will one suffice?At least if they play God Save The Queen twice the loyalists will be happy...
I don't support England when it comes to sport.However should I support them this weekend?I'm not so sure.After all, there will be a few nationalists who will play for the NI team.You'll be able to pick them out.They'll be the ones not singing to the unionist anthem!
I just don't now what to do for that match.I'm not going to care who wins.I suppose a 0-0 score wouldn't be too bad.As for the REAL Irish team, I'm sure we will get a result in Tel Aviv with the legendary Roy Keane taking part.Come on you boys in green! And by that I mean IRELAND!
I don't support England when it comes to sport.However should I support them this weekend?I'm not so sure.After all, there will be a few nationalists who will play for the NI team.You'll be able to pick them out.They'll be the ones not singing to the unionist anthem!
I just don't now what to do for that match.I'm not going to care who wins.I suppose a 0-0 score wouldn't be too bad.As for the REAL Irish team, I'm sure we will get a result in Tel Aviv with the legendary Roy Keane taking part.Come on you boys in green! And by that I mean IRELAND!
Oh, Those Funny Yanks!
While checking out Gavin's Blog recently, I came across this great clip from The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Show.You can see it here.I have been checking out numerous clips from this show and I have found some hilarious ones.Guaranteed to put a smile on your face!
For an amusing report on gay marriage in America, see here.
For an amusing report on Prohibition parties in America, see here.
For a very amusing report on an e-mail service that notifies you when the rapture comes, (my personal favourite) see here.
And lastly, for a report on a town that Dr. Phil says is the most messed up in America, see here.
These clips are probably the funniest I have ever put on United Irelander and I really wish The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was shown on this side of the Atlantic!
For an amusing report on gay marriage in America, see here.
For an amusing report on Prohibition parties in America, see here.
For a very amusing report on an e-mail service that notifies you when the rapture comes, (my personal favourite) see here.
And lastly, for a report on a town that Dr. Phil says is the most messed up in America, see here.
These clips are probably the funniest I have ever put on United Irelander and I really wish The Daily Show with Jon Stewart was shown on this side of the Atlantic!
Friday Fun's Fascinating Fact
Apple seeds are poisonous! The toxin in them is cyanogenic glycoside a.k.a. cyanide.
I guess lots of apple seeds a day will keep the doctor away.Since you'll be dead...
I guess lots of apple seeds a day will keep the doctor away.Since you'll be dead...
Thursday, March 24, 2005
Thursday Thoughts:MI5
I've been reading Joe Tierney's extraordinary book, The Dublin And Monaghan bombings And The Murder Triangle, and a very interesting part of the book is in relation to MI5 involvement in political affairs.The following excerpt is taken from page 265:
"As mentioned in chapter 1, the decision by loyalists, assisted by their undercover allies in the various branches of the security forces, to bomb the Republic was taken shortly after the signing of the Sunningdale Agreement in December 1973 - long before the start of the UWC strike.The objective of both the bombings and the strike was twofold: (a) to collapse the Agreement and undermine the British Prime Minister of the time, Harold Wislon, whom sections of the right-wing British establishment believed was a closet communist with links to the Soviet Union and who was soft on republicanism and (b) to force the Dublin government into cracking down hard on activites of the IRA.
On a visit to Dublin in 1972, as leader of the Labour Opposition, Harold Wilson had said in a speech that he could envisage a united Ireland within fifteen years.The speech outraged those right wing elements, including a group of right wing officers within MI5, who Wilson himself believed later plotted against him.
In an interview with two British journalists, Barry Penrose and Roger Courtiour, in 1976, and shortly after his resignation, Wilson claimed that a right wing MI5 faction had been collaborating with American and South African intelligence to organise a smear campaign against him in the 1974/75 period. 'I'm not certain,' Wilson declared, 'that for the last eight months when I was Prime Minister I knew what was happening fully in Security.' He complained that the security services were incapable of distinguishing between socialism and communism and that a story had been put about of a 'pro-Soviet cell in No 10'. He alleged a level of interference by the security services that bordered on professional treachery and suggested a Royal Commission be set up to examine their accountability."
This is amazing stuff from an amazing book.This is why I'm surprised that the only blogs to have commentated on this book have been United Irelander and The N.Irish Magyar.Indeed, if one looks up the book's author 'Joe Tierney' in Technorati, United Irelander is found to be the only blog serialising his book.Why won't more people acknowledge Joe Tierney's story?
"As mentioned in chapter 1, the decision by loyalists, assisted by their undercover allies in the various branches of the security forces, to bomb the Republic was taken shortly after the signing of the Sunningdale Agreement in December 1973 - long before the start of the UWC strike.The objective of both the bombings and the strike was twofold: (a) to collapse the Agreement and undermine the British Prime Minister of the time, Harold Wislon, whom sections of the right-wing British establishment believed was a closet communist with links to the Soviet Union and who was soft on republicanism and (b) to force the Dublin government into cracking down hard on activites of the IRA.
On a visit to Dublin in 1972, as leader of the Labour Opposition, Harold Wilson had said in a speech that he could envisage a united Ireland within fifteen years.The speech outraged those right wing elements, including a group of right wing officers within MI5, who Wilson himself believed later plotted against him.
In an interview with two British journalists, Barry Penrose and Roger Courtiour, in 1976, and shortly after his resignation, Wilson claimed that a right wing MI5 faction had been collaborating with American and South African intelligence to organise a smear campaign against him in the 1974/75 period. 'I'm not certain,' Wilson declared, 'that for the last eight months when I was Prime Minister I knew what was happening fully in Security.' He complained that the security services were incapable of distinguishing between socialism and communism and that a story had been put about of a 'pro-Soviet cell in No 10'. He alleged a level of interference by the security services that bordered on professional treachery and suggested a Royal Commission be set up to examine their accountability."
This is amazing stuff from an amazing book.This is why I'm surprised that the only blogs to have commentated on this book have been United Irelander and The N.Irish Magyar.Indeed, if one looks up the book's author 'Joe Tierney' in Technorati, United Irelander is found to be the only blog serialising his book.Why won't more people acknowledge Joe Tierney's story?
Wednesday, March 23, 2005
'What If'?Wednesday-Justice for Victims
What if we lived in a society where the families of the victims of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings could get justice?In Joe Tierney's book, The Dublin and Monaghan Bombings And The Murder Triangle, he names and shames men involved in the atrocity who haven't faced the courts for their crimes.
The man responsible for the Dublin bombing:
David Mulholland
The principal suspects involved in stealing the car and planting the Monaghan bomb:
Stewart Young
Nicko Jackson
Cha Gilmore
Others invovled in the Monaghan bomb:
Ross Hearst
Sammy Whitten
Nelson Young
Now I'm sure Mr Tierney would be more than willing to share his information with the authorities so can we now trust that the Gardai will undertake measures to investigate these men and bring them into custody?
The man responsible for the Dublin bombing:
David Mulholland
The principal suspects involved in stealing the car and planting the Monaghan bomb:
Stewart Young
Nicko Jackson
Cha Gilmore
Others invovled in the Monaghan bomb:
Ross Hearst
Sammy Whitten
Nelson Young
Now I'm sure Mr Tierney would be more than willing to share his information with the authorities so can we now trust that the Gardai will undertake measures to investigate these men and bring them into custody?
Tierney's Conclusion
Joe Tierney's conclusion is both shocking and eye-opening and he discusses MI5 involvement in murders in Ireland.Tierney discusses the allegations made by Harold Wilson that a right wing MI5 faction was organising a smear campaign against him.He mentions James Miller, a former MI5 undercover agent who, in an interview with the Sunday Times in March 1987, claimed he was part of an MI5 plot to help promote the Ulster Worker's Council strike in 1974 which led to the collapse of the executive.On page 269, Tierney says this:
"As we know only too well, the strike Miller talks about was the cover used by loyalists and their security forces allies - such as Brian X and George X to mention just two - to bomb Dublin and Monaghan and bring down the executive.
So what have successive Irish governments done about people like Miller and his dirty tricks handlers such as Brian X and George X?Have they taken up such matters with the British government?The answer is we simply don't know because we will not be told.But what we do know is that for the best part of thirty years the authorities in Dublin have known about British Army and RUC dirty tricks in the North - and indeed sometimes in the South.We also know that for twenty-eight years the Garda Siochana have known who carried out the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.They also know that members of the British security forces - including the RUC - were involved.In 1992 the then Fianna Fail government press secretary, P.J. Mara, an intelligent man with a sharp brain, told me (Joe speaking here) during an interview that 'no one was in any doubt that the British Army were involved in the bombings'.
In an interview on the ITV documentary on the bombings, the former Garda commissioner, Eamonn Doherty, told the programme: 'I didn't believe at the time that the loyalists acted alone and I don't believe it now.'
This is incredible stuff.Tierney sums up things on pages 273/274:
"Mr Blair must be persuaded to order an investigation within the Ministry of Defense to flush them out.They must not be allowed to hide from justice any longer.For thirty years republicans (and indeed loyalists) have done their time for the crimes they committed during the conflict.It is now the turn of the soldiers.There cannot be a law for one side only."
I agree with Joe Tierney one hundred per cent and he has written perhaps the most hard-hitting, eye-opening book that I have ever read.The information in his book is startling.Mr Tierney must be praised for his efforts to bring the truth into the public light.Publishers have intimidated him and attemtped to stop his story from being told.I truly hope that Mr Tierney's efforts gain acknowledgement and recognition and I hope that the blogosphere will do its bit to promote the truth about the murder that went on in Ireland.Murder which was in part aided and orchestrated by British intelligence and State forces.The truth must be told.Mr Tierney is telling it.Let his efforts be recognised and his shocking revelations be given proper attention.
For a copy of this incredible book, email:
dublinmonaghan@eircom.net
"As we know only too well, the strike Miller talks about was the cover used by loyalists and their security forces allies - such as Brian X and George X to mention just two - to bomb Dublin and Monaghan and bring down the executive.
So what have successive Irish governments done about people like Miller and his dirty tricks handlers such as Brian X and George X?Have they taken up such matters with the British government?The answer is we simply don't know because we will not be told.But what we do know is that for the best part of thirty years the authorities in Dublin have known about British Army and RUC dirty tricks in the North - and indeed sometimes in the South.We also know that for twenty-eight years the Garda Siochana have known who carried out the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.They also know that members of the British security forces - including the RUC - were involved.In 1992 the then Fianna Fail government press secretary, P.J. Mara, an intelligent man with a sharp brain, told me (Joe speaking here) during an interview that 'no one was in any doubt that the British Army were involved in the bombings'.
In an interview on the ITV documentary on the bombings, the former Garda commissioner, Eamonn Doherty, told the programme: 'I didn't believe at the time that the loyalists acted alone and I don't believe it now.'
This is incredible stuff.Tierney sums up things on pages 273/274:
"Mr Blair must be persuaded to order an investigation within the Ministry of Defense to flush them out.They must not be allowed to hide from justice any longer.For thirty years republicans (and indeed loyalists) have done their time for the crimes they committed during the conflict.It is now the turn of the soldiers.There cannot be a law for one side only."
I agree with Joe Tierney one hundred per cent and he has written perhaps the most hard-hitting, eye-opening book that I have ever read.The information in his book is startling.Mr Tierney must be praised for his efforts to bring the truth into the public light.Publishers have intimidated him and attemtped to stop his story from being told.I truly hope that Mr Tierney's efforts gain acknowledgement and recognition and I hope that the blogosphere will do its bit to promote the truth about the murder that went on in Ireland.Murder which was in part aided and orchestrated by British intelligence and State forces.The truth must be told.Mr Tierney is telling it.Let his efforts be recognised and his shocking revelations be given proper attention.
For a copy of this incredible book, email:
dublinmonaghan@eircom.net
The Monaghan Bomb - Chapter 6
The Monaghan attack was carried out exclusively by Armagh loyalists working under the direction of Billy Hanna in Lurgan and included UVF and UDA men.They fouled up the operation and scored an own goal by planting the bomb outside a Protestant pub, killing four Protestants. (from page 115)
Taken from page 125:
"In 1992, during research for this book, I interviewed a number of Gardai who had worked on the Monaghan bomb investigation at the time.They provided me (Joe Tierney speaking here) with the names of Stewart Young, head of the UVF's second battallion in mid-Ulster, Nicko Jackson, UDA commander in Portadown who today lives in a council flat in Portadown spending much of his time in the local pubs and Cha Gilmore, who was not a serious player on the paramilitary scene.Others involved were Ross Hearst from South Armagh, Sammy Whitten from Portadown and Nelson Young, Stewart's brother.Young, Nicko and Cha were the principal suspects who had been involved in stealing the car and planting the bomb.They also provided the name of the farmer who organised the farm haggart in which to store the bomb as well as the owner and driver of the getaway car.They received part of their information from senior RUC officers in Portadown (the remaining intelligence they received from local loyalist informers on the border) with whom they had been liaising on such matters over a long number of years.They were 100 per cent satisfied their information was correct."
Joe Tierney goes on to say that the Gardai also gave him the name of the principle RUC officer who supplied the intelligence.He was reluctant to talk to Joe but after much persuasion he agreed.He seemed extremely nervous to Joe and his hands and lips trembled.He said to Joe that Young and Nicko had planted the bomb and Charlie had helped steal the car.
From page 125:
"A number of days before the bombing, Billy Hanna had visited a pub in Portadown to put the final touches to the operation.The bomb had been assembled by members of the British Army in a vacant house in a housing estate in the Edgarstown area of Portadown.The house had later been pulled down to make way for new housing.The British soldiers did not travel down to Monaghan and had nothing further to do with the bombing after they made the bomb, the RUC officer said."
From page 126:
"From exhaustive research I carried out in the Portadown area since 1992, I established that none of the Monaghan suspects were ever interviewed about the bombing.For a number of years during the 1970s, Stewart Young worked as an agent for the RUC - even while active as a killer terrorist - and was controlled by senior RUC officers within the county Armagh area.
For the Gardai the Monaghan investigation on the ground was led by Detective Sgt. Colm Browne, who almost single-handedly broke the entire story.He personally inteviewed almost all of the witnesses, including the loyalist informers who provided him with the vital information which allowed him to piece together almost the entire picture.He also visited and interviewed RUC officers in the North but he was not aware at that stage of the British Army's involvement.Nor was he aware that the RUC were withholding crucial pieces of the jigsaw for their own personal reasons.
At the end of the investigation it was Browne who wrote the comprehensive report on the Monaghan attack, which was passed by his boss Chief Supt John Paul McMahon to Garda H.Q. in Dublin.When I (Joe speaking here) spoke to Browne during research for this book he refused to cooperate.He is not a lover of the media."
Isn't this just absolutely extraordinary?Joe Tierney has named the men directly involved in the Monaghan bomb, men who were never even interviewed about the bomb, and he has also uncovered proof of British involvement in the making of the bomb.Joe Tierney is letting the truth be known and letting the Irish public know what happened.
Taken from page 125:
"In 1992, during research for this book, I interviewed a number of Gardai who had worked on the Monaghan bomb investigation at the time.They provided me (Joe Tierney speaking here) with the names of Stewart Young, head of the UVF's second battallion in mid-Ulster, Nicko Jackson, UDA commander in Portadown who today lives in a council flat in Portadown spending much of his time in the local pubs and Cha Gilmore, who was not a serious player on the paramilitary scene.Others involved were Ross Hearst from South Armagh, Sammy Whitten from Portadown and Nelson Young, Stewart's brother.Young, Nicko and Cha were the principal suspects who had been involved in stealing the car and planting the bomb.They also provided the name of the farmer who organised the farm haggart in which to store the bomb as well as the owner and driver of the getaway car.They received part of their information from senior RUC officers in Portadown (the remaining intelligence they received from local loyalist informers on the border) with whom they had been liaising on such matters over a long number of years.They were 100 per cent satisfied their information was correct."
Joe Tierney goes on to say that the Gardai also gave him the name of the principle RUC officer who supplied the intelligence.He was reluctant to talk to Joe but after much persuasion he agreed.He seemed extremely nervous to Joe and his hands and lips trembled.He said to Joe that Young and Nicko had planted the bomb and Charlie had helped steal the car.
From page 125:
"A number of days before the bombing, Billy Hanna had visited a pub in Portadown to put the final touches to the operation.The bomb had been assembled by members of the British Army in a vacant house in a housing estate in the Edgarstown area of Portadown.The house had later been pulled down to make way for new housing.The British soldiers did not travel down to Monaghan and had nothing further to do with the bombing after they made the bomb, the RUC officer said."
From page 126:
"From exhaustive research I carried out in the Portadown area since 1992, I established that none of the Monaghan suspects were ever interviewed about the bombing.For a number of years during the 1970s, Stewart Young worked as an agent for the RUC - even while active as a killer terrorist - and was controlled by senior RUC officers within the county Armagh area.
For the Gardai the Monaghan investigation on the ground was led by Detective Sgt. Colm Browne, who almost single-handedly broke the entire story.He personally inteviewed almost all of the witnesses, including the loyalist informers who provided him with the vital information which allowed him to piece together almost the entire picture.He also visited and interviewed RUC officers in the North but he was not aware at that stage of the British Army's involvement.Nor was he aware that the RUC were withholding crucial pieces of the jigsaw for their own personal reasons.
At the end of the investigation it was Browne who wrote the comprehensive report on the Monaghan attack, which was passed by his boss Chief Supt John Paul McMahon to Garda H.Q. in Dublin.When I (Joe speaking here) spoke to Browne during research for this book he refused to cooperate.He is not a lover of the media."
Isn't this just absolutely extraordinary?Joe Tierney has named the men directly involved in the Monaghan bomb, men who were never even interviewed about the bomb, and he has also uncovered proof of British involvement in the making of the bomb.Joe Tierney is letting the truth be known and letting the Irish public know what happened.
Misinformation
Taken from page 112:
"After the first three-month burst, the Gardai began to scale down their investigation and by the summer of 1975 it was, for all intents and purposes, at an end.The RUC had officially pulled down the shutters and the Gardai appeared helpless to press the issue.Despite the overwhelming success of the investigation in unearthing the names of the bombers and their modus operandi, the government was not informed of the developments.The Minister for Justice, Mr Cooney, was not told that the Gardai had a list of suspects - with solid evidence against one of them - nor that the RUC were refusing to cooperate.As the Minister responsible for the Gardai and the courts he was entitled to know this."
Taken from page 113:
"Whilst Mr Fitzpatrick (Tom Fitzpatrick, Minister for Lands) and Mr Cooney (Justice) acted quite honourably and told the truth, as far as they knew it, the information given to them and to the Dail - and consequently the public - was a monstrous and bare-faced lie, and typified the kind of misinformation the public is subjected to by the State.Not only, as I have repeatedly stated throughout this book, did the Gardai know the 'identity of the culprits', but they knew how the operation was carried out from beginning to end.In interviews with the Sunday Independent in July 1993, following the Yorkshire Telelvision documentary on the bombings, four former government Ministers said they were never told that the Gardai had names."
Mr Cooney told the paper:
"The Gardai and the RUC may well have been discussing names, but nothing came before me." (from page 114)
"After the first three-month burst, the Gardai began to scale down their investigation and by the summer of 1975 it was, for all intents and purposes, at an end.The RUC had officially pulled down the shutters and the Gardai appeared helpless to press the issue.Despite the overwhelming success of the investigation in unearthing the names of the bombers and their modus operandi, the government was not informed of the developments.The Minister for Justice, Mr Cooney, was not told that the Gardai had a list of suspects - with solid evidence against one of them - nor that the RUC were refusing to cooperate.As the Minister responsible for the Gardai and the courts he was entitled to know this."
Taken from page 113:
"Whilst Mr Fitzpatrick (Tom Fitzpatrick, Minister for Lands) and Mr Cooney (Justice) acted quite honourably and told the truth, as far as they knew it, the information given to them and to the Dail - and consequently the public - was a monstrous and bare-faced lie, and typified the kind of misinformation the public is subjected to by the State.Not only, as I have repeatedly stated throughout this book, did the Gardai know the 'identity of the culprits', but they knew how the operation was carried out from beginning to end.In interviews with the Sunday Independent in July 1993, following the Yorkshire Telelvision documentary on the bombings, four former government Ministers said they were never told that the Gardai had names."
Mr Cooney told the paper:
"The Gardai and the RUC may well have been discussing names, but nothing came before me." (from page 114)
Chapter 5 Cont'd...
Taken from pages 108/109:
"But the refusal of the RUC in Belfast to cooperate did not deter the Gardai.The identification of Mulholland from file photographs was a significant breakthrough.According to a former high-ranking garda officer (now retired) ,Mulholland, shortly after his release from RUC custody, was approached by RUC Detective Inspector Frank Murray, who was based in Lurgan.Murray, a Catholic, was a close friend of the Gardai and visited Garda headquarters in Dublin regulalrly.At the request of the Gardai Murray persuaded Mulholland, due to the overwhelming evidence against him from witnesses in Parnell Street and the threat of extradition, to turn informer on the bombings.A short time later a similar approach was made to Hanna - after Mulholland named him as the leader of the gang - and he too agreed to cooperate.In return for their 'full and frank' cooperation both men were offered immunity from prosecution.The deal was worked out by Ned Garvey in Garda headquarters with Frank Murray acting as go-between, but it did not have official RUC approval and was merely a personal thing between Murray and Garvey.Because of the great sensitivity surrounding the deal, Garvey, who was effectively running the investigation from his office in the Phoenix Park, did not inform his boss, Commissioner Patrick Malone.Malone was a weak leader and during his term of office effectively did what Garvey instructed him to do.During an interview with my (Joe speaking here) colleague Glen Midleton from Yorkshire Television in 1992, Malone admitted that Garvey ran the bombing investigation and that he knew little of what was happening in it."
Tierney writes on page 110 that "By the end of July the Gardai had pieced together 95 per cent of the entire operation" but that "apart from Mulholland the evidence against the remaing suspects was unproveable.They had been fingered by loyalist colleagues who were not prepared to go to court to give evidence against them.And there was no forensic evidence against any of them." Tierney details how Hanna and Mulholland "paid a heavy price for their cooperation with the Gardai".According to Tierney, on Sunday night, 27 July 1975, thirteen months after the bombings, Hanna was shot dead by Robin Jackson who was accompanied by Harris Boyle, Wesley Somerville and Stewart Young, another senior Portadown UVF man.Tierney writes that:
"it is believed by loyalists now in mid-Ulster that Hanna's murder was set up by the army, who found out about the contacts with Murray and hence the Gardai but who decided to conceal the truth from Jackson, in case Jackson decided to follow suit and also start informing."
24 hours after Hanna's death, Mulholland and his family fled to Chester in England where they've lived ever since.In 1993 following the Yorkshire teevision programme on the bombings, Mulholland was interviewed by the Gardai but flatly denied involvement and was released. (from page 111)
"But the refusal of the RUC in Belfast to cooperate did not deter the Gardai.The identification of Mulholland from file photographs was a significant breakthrough.According to a former high-ranking garda officer (now retired) ,Mulholland, shortly after his release from RUC custody, was approached by RUC Detective Inspector Frank Murray, who was based in Lurgan.Murray, a Catholic, was a close friend of the Gardai and visited Garda headquarters in Dublin regulalrly.At the request of the Gardai Murray persuaded Mulholland, due to the overwhelming evidence against him from witnesses in Parnell Street and the threat of extradition, to turn informer on the bombings.A short time later a similar approach was made to Hanna - after Mulholland named him as the leader of the gang - and he too agreed to cooperate.In return for their 'full and frank' cooperation both men were offered immunity from prosecution.The deal was worked out by Ned Garvey in Garda headquarters with Frank Murray acting as go-between, but it did not have official RUC approval and was merely a personal thing between Murray and Garvey.Because of the great sensitivity surrounding the deal, Garvey, who was effectively running the investigation from his office in the Phoenix Park, did not inform his boss, Commissioner Patrick Malone.Malone was a weak leader and during his term of office effectively did what Garvey instructed him to do.During an interview with my (Joe speaking here) colleague Glen Midleton from Yorkshire Television in 1992, Malone admitted that Garvey ran the bombing investigation and that he knew little of what was happening in it."
Tierney writes on page 110 that "By the end of July the Gardai had pieced together 95 per cent of the entire operation" but that "apart from Mulholland the evidence against the remaing suspects was unproveable.They had been fingered by loyalist colleagues who were not prepared to go to court to give evidence against them.And there was no forensic evidence against any of them." Tierney details how Hanna and Mulholland "paid a heavy price for their cooperation with the Gardai".According to Tierney, on Sunday night, 27 July 1975, thirteen months after the bombings, Hanna was shot dead by Robin Jackson who was accompanied by Harris Boyle, Wesley Somerville and Stewart Young, another senior Portadown UVF man.Tierney writes that:
"it is believed by loyalists now in mid-Ulster that Hanna's murder was set up by the army, who found out about the contacts with Murray and hence the Gardai but who decided to conceal the truth from Jackson, in case Jackson decided to follow suit and also start informing."
24 hours after Hanna's death, Mulholland and his family fled to Chester in England where they've lived ever since.In 1993 following the Yorkshire teevision programme on the bombings, Mulholland was interviewed by the Gardai but flatly denied involvement and was released. (from page 111)
Investigation Cul-De-Sac - Chapter 5
'This is the bastard we are looking for and we have enough evidence on him to stick him away.'Detective Superintendent Dan Murphy had worked night and day on the investigation and he was now confident he had the right man for the Parnell Street bomb.According to a number of gardai present he paced up and down the floor at the Garda conference holding aloft a photograph of David Alexander Mulholland, the 36-year-old part-time UDR man from Killycomaine in Portadown.
'So what's holding us;can't we get cracking and have him extradited?' asked a detective sitting on a chair within feet of Murphy.'Do you want to get us all fucking sacked?' barked Murphy as his face reddened and the veins in his neck swelled out.Officers could only speculate that the case for extradition was being blocked somewhere higher up the line. (from page 107)
Mulholland had been easily identified and he drew attention to himself by driving the wrong way up a one-way street and showing impatience while attempting to park his bomb-car.
The following passage is taken from page 108:
"As the pieces of the jigsaw began to fall into place, Dan Murphy and Colm Browne visited Belfast to investigate the background to the car hijackings.Arrangements were made with the RUC for the two men to visit Tennant Street police station, which polices the Shankill area where two of the cars were hijacked.But the visit turned out to be a disaster.Murphy and Browne were asked by the duty officer to sit in the station's waiting room while he went to look for a senior officer.Twenty minutes later he returned to say no one was available to see them.When they asked if they could visit the areas where the cars were hijacked and speak to the owners they were told it was too dangerous and were advised not to go.Angered and frustrated at the lack of RUC cooperation, the two men left for Derry to investigate reports (which turned out to be false) that the explosives used in Dublin had first been delivered to Derry, where a senior UDA man there was supposed to have delivered them to Dublin.Dan Murphy later told colleagues that the visit to Tennant Street was one of the worst experiences of his life.The atmosphere in the station was so hostile he feared he and Browne would not get out alive.
Joe Tierney is here exposing the shameful lack of cooperation on the part of the RUC.
'So what's holding us;can't we get cracking and have him extradited?' asked a detective sitting on a chair within feet of Murphy.'Do you want to get us all fucking sacked?' barked Murphy as his face reddened and the veins in his neck swelled out.Officers could only speculate that the case for extradition was being blocked somewhere higher up the line. (from page 107)
Mulholland had been easily identified and he drew attention to himself by driving the wrong way up a one-way street and showing impatience while attempting to park his bomb-car.
The following passage is taken from page 108:
"As the pieces of the jigsaw began to fall into place, Dan Murphy and Colm Browne visited Belfast to investigate the background to the car hijackings.Arrangements were made with the RUC for the two men to visit Tennant Street police station, which polices the Shankill area where two of the cars were hijacked.But the visit turned out to be a disaster.Murphy and Browne were asked by the duty officer to sit in the station's waiting room while he went to look for a senior officer.Twenty minutes later he returned to say no one was available to see them.When they asked if they could visit the areas where the cars were hijacked and speak to the owners they were told it was too dangerous and were advised not to go.Angered and frustrated at the lack of RUC cooperation, the two men left for Derry to investigate reports (which turned out to be false) that the explosives used in Dublin had first been delivered to Derry, where a senior UDA man there was supposed to have delivered them to Dublin.Dan Murphy later told colleagues that the visit to Tennant Street was one of the worst experiences of his life.The atmosphere in the station was so hostile he feared he and Browne would not get out alive.
Joe Tierney is here exposing the shameful lack of cooperation on the part of the RUC.
Sequence of events according to Joe Tierney
Below is a rough guideline of the events of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings according to Joe Tierney:
a) Robin Jackson, from Hanna's own town of Lurgan, transported the explosives from south Armagh to the Coachman's Inn car park in a chicken lorry.
b) William Henry's blue Austin Maxi 1800 was driven directly to Dublin (without any stops on the way save delays due to the UWC strike) by one of the four men ('Freddie and the Dreamers' - loyalists named after the pop group) who hijacked it that morning.It took the driver approximately two and a quarter hours to travel from Belfast city centre to Sheephouse south of Drogheda.As Belfast city and many of the roads leading to the border were in chaos due to the strike, the driving time was extremely short and begs the question: did the driver have some kind of security clearance?
c) David Mulholland was collected by William Scott's green Hillman Avenger.
d) Alot of detail is described by Joe here which I won't go into.
e) Each bomb driver collected his bomb separately from Hanna in the Coachman's Inn car park between approximately 1.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. in the afternoon, with a time lapse of approximately 40 minutes between each collection.The bombs were constructed extremely well so that 100 per cent of each bomb exploded with the detonation.
Hanna became paranoid about the Gardai, fearing his men might get caught at a checkpoint.He instructed all drivers who drove a vehicle into Dublin that morning to travel separate routes to check the roads were clear.Mr Tierney goes into alot of detail here around page 102/103.
Something interesting that Joe writes is on page 104:
"It must not be forgotten that the Talbot Street and Parnell Street bombs were planted on one side of O'Connell Street only.This, say military experts, was highly intelligent military planning by people who knew what they were doing.It meant that in the immediate wake of the bombings the chaos and confusion would largely be confined to one side of O'Connell Street and would not block the escape route of the bombers fleeing north."
a) Robin Jackson, from Hanna's own town of Lurgan, transported the explosives from south Armagh to the Coachman's Inn car park in a chicken lorry.
b) William Henry's blue Austin Maxi 1800 was driven directly to Dublin (without any stops on the way save delays due to the UWC strike) by one of the four men ('Freddie and the Dreamers' - loyalists named after the pop group) who hijacked it that morning.It took the driver approximately two and a quarter hours to travel from Belfast city centre to Sheephouse south of Drogheda.As Belfast city and many of the roads leading to the border were in chaos due to the strike, the driving time was extremely short and begs the question: did the driver have some kind of security clearance?
c) David Mulholland was collected by William Scott's green Hillman Avenger.
d) Alot of detail is described by Joe here which I won't go into.
e) Each bomb driver collected his bomb separately from Hanna in the Coachman's Inn car park between approximately 1.30 p.m. and 3.30 p.m. in the afternoon, with a time lapse of approximately 40 minutes between each collection.The bombs were constructed extremely well so that 100 per cent of each bomb exploded with the detonation.
Hanna became paranoid about the Gardai, fearing his men might get caught at a checkpoint.He instructed all drivers who drove a vehicle into Dublin that morning to travel separate routes to check the roads were clear.Mr Tierney goes into alot of detail here around page 102/103.
Something interesting that Joe writes is on page 104:
"It must not be forgotten that the Talbot Street and Parnell Street bombs were planted on one side of O'Connell Street only.This, say military experts, was highly intelligent military planning by people who knew what they were doing.It meant that in the immediate wake of the bombings the chaos and confusion would largely be confined to one side of O'Connell Street and would not block the escape route of the bombers fleeing north."
Preparing to Bomb - Chapter 4
The UDA, which was formed in 1972, was seen as too big, too cumbersome and lacking in experience to carry out the 1974 Dublin bombings.When the time arrived for the big hit the UVF was the obvious choice for the task.It had bombed Dublin before and got away with it - it could do it again.The 1972/73 attacks were carried out by members of the UVF Brigade staff on the Shankill Road in Belfast.At the time the organisation was still small and largely confined to the city.The 1974 operation was by and large organised from County Armagh. (from Ch. 4, page 86)
Gusty Spence, who organised and trained the UVF met 42-year-old plumber Billy Hanna who was a part-time member of the UDR.Hanna was chosen to lead the operation to bomb the South.Hanna fraternised with members of the British Army.He became friends with members of 3 Brigade.These men were mostly squaddies who carried out foot patrols around the town or drivers but as time went by Hanna became more friendly with the soldiers, including intelligence personnel, and began inviting them to his home in Huston Park for 'cups of tea'.(Taken from p89)
Hanna went on fishing trips with the men, while he was commanding officer of the illegal Ulster Volunteer Force in mid-Ulster, and as time progressed, he was introduced to more important members of the British army.Middle-ranking officers of the intelligence corps based at army H.Q. in Lisburn began visiting Hanna's home in Lurgan on a regular basis. (also from page 89)
One former UVF man, now in his seventies, who was a member of Billy's squad and whom Gardai named as having been involved in the Dublin bombings, told me ( Joe speaking here obviously) during research for this book that Billy worked as a UVF agent for arm intelligence officers in Lisburn.He said two middle-ranking officers in plain clothes travelled down from Lisburn once a fortnight in a van to meet Billy an give him instructions on what they wanted done. (from page 90)
What Joe Tierney is describing here is the British army colluding with a UVF terrorist who was the orchestrator of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.Extraordinary.
Gusty Spence, who organised and trained the UVF met 42-year-old plumber Billy Hanna who was a part-time member of the UDR.Hanna was chosen to lead the operation to bomb the South.Hanna fraternised with members of the British Army.He became friends with members of 3 Brigade.These men were mostly squaddies who carried out foot patrols around the town or drivers but as time went by Hanna became more friendly with the soldiers, including intelligence personnel, and began inviting them to his home in Huston Park for 'cups of tea'.(Taken from p89)
Hanna went on fishing trips with the men, while he was commanding officer of the illegal Ulster Volunteer Force in mid-Ulster, and as time progressed, he was introduced to more important members of the British army.Middle-ranking officers of the intelligence corps based at army H.Q. in Lisburn began visiting Hanna's home in Lurgan on a regular basis. (also from page 89)
One former UVF man, now in his seventies, who was a member of Billy's squad and whom Gardai named as having been involved in the Dublin bombings, told me ( Joe speaking here obviously) during research for this book that Billy worked as a UVF agent for arm intelligence officers in Lisburn.He said two middle-ranking officers in plain clothes travelled down from Lisburn once a fortnight in a van to meet Billy an give him instructions on what they wanted done. (from page 90)
What Joe Tierney is describing here is the British army colluding with a UVF terrorist who was the orchestrator of the Dublin and Monaghan bombings.Extraordinary.
The Dublin and Monaghan Bombings
The 1972/73 Dublin bombings were organised and executed by the UVF led by Jim Hanna and Billy Mitchell (both of whom travelled to Dublin to plant the bombs) with help from four British army intelligence officers based at army headquarters in Lisburn, Co Antrim.
The 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings were also organised and executed by the UVF led by County Armagh man Billy Hanna with help from six British army officers, four of whom were based at army headquarters in Lisburn and two of whom were based at battalion headquarters in Kitchen Hill in Lurgan.
The above information is taken from an astonishing book written by former RTE, BBC and Channel 4 journalist Joe Tierney.The book, The Dublin and Monaghan Bombings and the Murder Triangle, was published by Joe himself, and he goes into detail about the Dublin and Monaghan bombings which claimed thrity-three lives in the single worst atrocity in the history of The Troubles.Not one individual has been made to pay for these crimes but Mr Tierney exposes those involved.
Mr Tierney claims that Granada TV (who own Yorkshire TV, which produced a documentary on the issue which Mr Tierney was involved in) attempted to prevent the publication of this book and that they have intimidated publishers Mercier Press into pulling out of publication.Over the next few days on United Irelander I will post some of the shocking information contained in this book.
The 1974 Dublin and Monaghan bombings were also organised and executed by the UVF led by County Armagh man Billy Hanna with help from six British army officers, four of whom were based at army headquarters in Lisburn and two of whom were based at battalion headquarters in Kitchen Hill in Lurgan.
The above information is taken from an astonishing book written by former RTE, BBC and Channel 4 journalist Joe Tierney.The book, The Dublin and Monaghan Bombings and the Murder Triangle, was published by Joe himself, and he goes into detail about the Dublin and Monaghan bombings which claimed thrity-three lives in the single worst atrocity in the history of The Troubles.Not one individual has been made to pay for these crimes but Mr Tierney exposes those involved.
Mr Tierney claims that Granada TV (who own Yorkshire TV, which produced a documentary on the issue which Mr Tierney was involved in) attempted to prevent the publication of this book and that they have intimidated publishers Mercier Press into pulling out of publication.Over the next few days on United Irelander I will post some of the shocking information contained in this book.
Tuesday, March 22, 2005
The Last Queen?
I read with delight on A Tangled Web the news that Camilla Parker Bowles will become Queen unless Parliament legislates to strip her of her right to the title.
I have always felt sure that the monarchy would meet its demise within the 21st century.Recent developments have left me more sure than ever.The British public cannot stomach this woman and there will be murmurs of disgruntlement when she heads to the throne.Those murmurs will gradually become louder.
So we'll have a Republic of England (with Wales probably) and a Republic of Scotland.Are we to be then left with a Republic of Ireland and a Republic of Northern Ireland.I don't think so!
It will be a United Ireland, baby!Bring on Camilla Windsor!
I have always felt sure that the monarchy would meet its demise within the 21st century.Recent developments have left me more sure than ever.The British public cannot stomach this woman and there will be murmurs of disgruntlement when she heads to the throne.Those murmurs will gradually become louder.
So we'll have a Republic of England (with Wales probably) and a Republic of Scotland.Are we to be then left with a Republic of Ireland and a Republic of Northern Ireland.I don't think so!
It will be a United Ireland, baby!Bring on Camilla Windsor!
Top Ten Tuesday-Terms I Hate
For this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday I thought I would make a list of the top ten terms I hate in Irish politics.So without further ado:
1. Ulster (when referring to the 6 counties) - There are nine counties in Ulster, not six.
2. Northern Ireland - I hate this term.It has adopted a British meaning.I prefer the term Ireland's north.
3. Great Britain and NI - I hate it when the Brits use this for sporting occasions etc. It's an insult to the Irish people.
4. United Kingdom - What's united about it?I can't stand this term either.
5. Northern Irish - I can't stand it when people from the North are called 'Northern Irish' by the Brits.There's no such thing as 'Northern Irishness'.
6. The Republic - I hate it when the Brits and others call the 26 counties 'The Republic'.That could mean France, America, etc.Call us Ireland!
7. Eire - This is another word for the south that I hate.Eire?Call us Eirinn if you must.
8. Free Staters - This is the word that certain morons in the North call Irish people in the south.It just proves they're uneducated.
9. Loyalists - What are they loyal to?Their blood lust?
10. Republicans - Dissidents have sullied this term with their criminality.
So there you have it.Feel free to comment on my choices or to offer your own views.
1. Ulster (when referring to the 6 counties) - There are nine counties in Ulster, not six.
2. Northern Ireland - I hate this term.It has adopted a British meaning.I prefer the term Ireland's north.
3. Great Britain and NI - I hate it when the Brits use this for sporting occasions etc. It's an insult to the Irish people.
4. United Kingdom - What's united about it?I can't stand this term either.
5. Northern Irish - I can't stand it when people from the North are called 'Northern Irish' by the Brits.There's no such thing as 'Northern Irishness'.
6. The Republic - I hate it when the Brits and others call the 26 counties 'The Republic'.That could mean France, America, etc.Call us Ireland!
7. Eire - This is another word for the south that I hate.Eire?Call us Eirinn if you must.
8. Free Staters - This is the word that certain morons in the North call Irish people in the south.It just proves they're uneducated.
9. Loyalists - What are they loyal to?Their blood lust?
10. Republicans - Dissidents have sullied this term with their criminality.
So there you have it.Feel free to comment on my choices or to offer your own views.
Monday, March 21, 2005
Irish Primary Classes 'Second Highest' in Europe
The average size of Irish primary school classes is the second highest in Europe, according to figures compiled by the Irish National Teacher's Organisation.
The organisation said there was an average of 24 pupils in each Irish primary school class, compared to just 17 in Greece and 15 in Luxembourg.
The INTO said the figures showed the Government had alot of work to do to meet its commitment to reduce average class size to 20.
It is important that the Government meets its commitment to reduce the average class size to 20.I must have had close to thirty kids in my primary class, though the number in my secondary school classes was alot lower.Smaller classes means more time for teachers to focus on the kids and to develop their abilities and personalities. Sort it out, Mary Hanafin!
The organisation said there was an average of 24 pupils in each Irish primary school class, compared to just 17 in Greece and 15 in Luxembourg.
The INTO said the figures showed the Government had alot of work to do to meet its commitment to reduce average class size to 20.
It is important that the Government meets its commitment to reduce the average class size to 20.I must have had close to thirty kids in my primary class, though the number in my secondary school classes was alot lower.Smaller classes means more time for teachers to focus on the kids and to develop their abilities and personalities. Sort it out, Mary Hanafin!
Sinn Fein Are Silent - McCartneys
The McCartney family has accused Sinn Fein of forming a conspiracy of silence to protect those resposnible for the murder.
Gemma McCartney claimed today that the pub was "more or less full" of Sinn Fein and IRA members when the row that led to the killing of Robert McCartney broke out.
She claimed these people were now involved in a conspiracy of silence that had been built up by a number of republicans who were present at the time.
I would criticise Sinn Fein right about now but some people have said my criticism of Sinn Fein has been unfair.So this time, I won't.I don't need to.The words of Ms McCartney tell you more than I ever could.
Gemma McCartney claimed today that the pub was "more or less full" of Sinn Fein and IRA members when the row that led to the killing of Robert McCartney broke out.
She claimed these people were now involved in a conspiracy of silence that had been built up by a number of republicans who were present at the time.
I would criticise Sinn Fein right about now but some people have said my criticism of Sinn Fein has been unfair.So this time, I won't.I don't need to.The words of Ms McCartney tell you more than I ever could.
Monday Madness-Sectarian Scum
Sickening sectarianism is alive and well.Today, a 12-year-old Catholic girl in north Belfast was attacked by a gang of youths.The police have not ruled out a sectarian motive.
The group of youths pulled her to the ground and kicked her at Old Throne Park in the Whitewell Road at about 1700 GMT on Sunday.She was treated for facial injuries and bruising.
What can you say?The people who did this are degenerates.They are scumbags who don't deserve to see the light of day.What kind of twisted people dare attack a 12-year-old girl?Because she is a Catholic she deserves to be kicked in the face?Can you iamgine what this poor girl must be feeling?Can you imagine what her family must be feeling?
I would be devastated if something like this happened to a member of my family.
The sad thing is, the people who did this, if caught, will likely get a slap on the wrist in today's society.The bastards should be locked up for life, in my opinion.
The group of youths pulled her to the ground and kicked her at Old Throne Park in the Whitewell Road at about 1700 GMT on Sunday.She was treated for facial injuries and bruising.
What can you say?The people who did this are degenerates.They are scumbags who don't deserve to see the light of day.What kind of twisted people dare attack a 12-year-old girl?Because she is a Catholic she deserves to be kicked in the face?Can you iamgine what this poor girl must be feeling?Can you imagine what her family must be feeling?
I would be devastated if something like this happened to a member of my family.
The sad thing is, the people who did this, if caught, will likely get a slap on the wrist in today's society.The bastards should be locked up for life, in my opinion.
SDLP Launch United Ireland Blueprint
So I see the SDLP has today launched it's proposals for achieving a United Ireland within the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.Permit me to analyse some of them:
A Northern Ireland Assembly would remain with all its cross-community protections, but as a regional parliament of a United Ireland rather than the United Kingdom.
No, I can't agree with this.The creation of the Northern Ireland state was a disgrace and there should be no acknowledgement of this embodiment of discrimination in a United Ireland.I would prefer a regional parliament for a nine-county Ulster.
The right for differeing sections of the population to identify themselves as British or Irish, and to hold passports of either would remain, as would co-operation between London and Dublin.
Good ideas.I have no problem with these proposals.
Just as there is Northern Ireland representation in the Irish upper house, the Senate, at present those who wished it should still have representation in the House of Lords after unity.
I've no problem with this, either.
But instead of sending MPs to the House of Commons, the North would elect TDs to the Dail - and would have far greater representation there than in Westminster and therefore greater power.
I agree with this also.
Overall, I think the proposals are sound and impressive but I do not agree with retaining a Northern Ireland Assembly.At least the SDLP are making an effort though which is more than can be said for Sinn Fein, whose own proposals for Irish unity seem to be to make Ireland's north as unpleasant for unionists as possible in the hope that they will up and leave the place.
A Northern Ireland Assembly would remain with all its cross-community protections, but as a regional parliament of a United Ireland rather than the United Kingdom.
No, I can't agree with this.The creation of the Northern Ireland state was a disgrace and there should be no acknowledgement of this embodiment of discrimination in a United Ireland.I would prefer a regional parliament for a nine-county Ulster.
The right for differeing sections of the population to identify themselves as British or Irish, and to hold passports of either would remain, as would co-operation between London and Dublin.
Good ideas.I have no problem with these proposals.
Just as there is Northern Ireland representation in the Irish upper house, the Senate, at present those who wished it should still have representation in the House of Lords after unity.
I've no problem with this, either.
But instead of sending MPs to the House of Commons, the North would elect TDs to the Dail - and would have far greater representation there than in Westminster and therefore greater power.
I agree with this also.
Overall, I think the proposals are sound and impressive but I do not agree with retaining a Northern Ireland Assembly.At least the SDLP are making an effort though which is more than can be said for Sinn Fein, whose own proposals for Irish unity seem to be to make Ireland's north as unpleasant for unionists as possible in the hope that they will up and leave the place.
Sunday, March 20, 2005
Oh Olivia!
This has nothing to do with politics but has anyone checked out the beautiful and talented Ms Olivia Lee on television recently?I have seen her interviewing Will Smith for a T4 special on his movie Hitch and she recently interviewed Keanu Reeves for a T4 special on his latest movie Constnatine.She is one of the most attractive women I've seen on TV in a long time!
Those of you who have E4 can see her interviewing Keanu Reeves tonight at 11pm.Tune in to see her.She's well worth it, trust me!
You can see a picture of her here.
Those of you who have E4 can see her interviewing Keanu Reeves tonight at 11pm.Tune in to see her.She's well worth it, trust me!
You can see a picture of her here.
Let's Get Political
If there's one thing I've learned in the three months I have been blogging, it is that weekends, especially Sundays, tend to be slow.I understand that since it's a day of rest and people have better things to do than use the net.With that in mind, I'd like to take this opportunity to say that in the next few days, United Irelander will see an increase in edgier, political stuff.Recently, things have been pretty light-hearted.
I hope this week proves more thought-provoking and interesting.
I hope this week proves more thought-provoking and interesting.
Sunday Scrutiny-Ryan Tubridy
OK, I'll scrutinise a non-political figure this week.So Ryan Tubridy - what's the deal with this guy?Why the hell is he the hottest thing on Irish TV right now?Is there something I'm missing?I watched his show, Tubridy Tonight, last night and it's like a poor man's Tonight Show with Jay Leno.At least Leno is funny and can crack a few jokes.Leno also has great guests (no disrespect to Denis Taylor or Steve Davis but they're not exactly superstars).Even the music is a rip-off of Leno's show!
I know Tubridy has a radio show.I don't listen to it because I don't like listening to the radio in the morning so I don't know what he's like on that but I just don't get the fascination with this guy.He presented the Rose of Tralee show a couple of years ago as well, if I'm not mistaken.
Am I the only one who doesn't buy into the hype that surrounds this guy?
I know Tubridy has a radio show.I don't listen to it because I don't like listening to the radio in the morning so I don't know what he's like on that but I just don't get the fascination with this guy.He presented the Rose of Tralee show a couple of years ago as well, if I'm not mistaken.
Am I the only one who doesn't buy into the hype that surrounds this guy?
Blame the Speech - Adams
In this post that I made on March 5th, I drew your attention to a part of Gerry Adams' speech at the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis which I found to be most interesting where Adams said:
"We know that breaking the law is a crime.But we refuse to criminalise those who break the law in pursuit of legitimate political objectives."
Well now Mr Adams has told an American audience that he got his speech wrong!(hat-tip to One Angry Man) Adams told the Council on Foreign Policy in New York that when he said it is okay to "break the law in pursuit of legitimate political objectives", he should have used the past tense.
Aw, poor Gerry!The man can't even get his speeches right!The message to Sinn Fein supporters is clear.Your party President is either a liar, or else an idiot!
"We know that breaking the law is a crime.But we refuse to criminalise those who break the law in pursuit of legitimate political objectives."
Well now Mr Adams has told an American audience that he got his speech wrong!(hat-tip to One Angry Man) Adams told the Council on Foreign Policy in New York that when he said it is okay to "break the law in pursuit of legitimate political objectives", he should have used the past tense.
Aw, poor Gerry!The man can't even get his speeches right!The message to Sinn Fein supporters is clear.Your party President is either a liar, or else an idiot!
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Saturday Survey
Heroes of the Week: Welsh Rugby Team: It has to be, hasn't it?They have secured their first Grand Slam since 1978.I'm sure few Irish people would begrudge them that.Well done to them.
Villains of the Week: Loyalist Thugs: This week loyalist thugs stoned Carmel Hanna of the SDLP at a bonfire site in Belfast.Disgraceful.
Funniest Moment of the Week: Eamonn's Caption: I liked Eamonn's caption in response to my post on Wednesday.You can see it here.
Dunce of the Week: Young Irelander: Behold my idiocy here.
Celebrities of the Week: U2: This week the legendary Irish band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Well done to them.Richly deserved.
Quote of the Week: "The McCartneys need to be very careful.To step over that line, which is a very important line, into the world of party political politics, can do a huge disservice to their campaign." - Martin McGuinness
Horrible and despicable words of warning from the IRA Army Council member.
United Irelander's Busiest Day of the Week: Tuesday - 252 Visits (New record)
Villains of the Week: Loyalist Thugs: This week loyalist thugs stoned Carmel Hanna of the SDLP at a bonfire site in Belfast.Disgraceful.
Funniest Moment of the Week: Eamonn's Caption: I liked Eamonn's caption in response to my post on Wednesday.You can see it here.
Dunce of the Week: Young Irelander: Behold my idiocy here.
Celebrities of the Week: U2: This week the legendary Irish band were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.Well done to them.Richly deserved.
Quote of the Week: "The McCartneys need to be very careful.To step over that line, which is a very important line, into the world of party political politics, can do a huge disservice to their campaign." - Martin McGuinness
Horrible and despicable words of warning from the IRA Army Council member.
United Irelander's Busiest Day of the Week: Tuesday - 252 Visits (New record)
McCartney Family To Take Campaign to Europe
The McCartney sisters are planning to address the European Parliament in the next leg of their campaign to secure justice for their murdered brother Robert.
Irish MEP Mairead McGuiness said today that the impact will be significant - she said Europe is a closer and stronger force than the US in relation to the Northern peace process.
I don't know how Mairead McGuiness can say the Europeans are a closer and stronger force for the peace process than the Americans!Ignoring that foolish statement, I wish the McCartney sisters well as they continue their campaign.It would be a terrible shame if their fight for justice became ignored as we move on from St.Patrick's Day.I wish the family all the best as I'm sure the whole of Ireland does.
Irish MEP Mairead McGuiness said today that the impact will be significant - she said Europe is a closer and stronger force than the US in relation to the Northern peace process.
I don't know how Mairead McGuiness can say the Europeans are a closer and stronger force for the peace process than the Americans!Ignoring that foolish statement, I wish the McCartney sisters well as they continue their campaign.It would be a terrible shame if their fight for justice became ignored as we move on from St.Patrick's Day.I wish the family all the best as I'm sure the whole of Ireland does.
Well Done Wales
Well, my gut instinct failed me.Wales got the win by 32 points to 20 and they thoroughly deserved it.Ireland were outplayed and outclassed.At times it looked like the Irish were charging at a red brick wall!Wales have today won their first Grand Slam since 1978.
I would like to congratulate our Celtic cousins.We Irish must now look on the bright side.At least we finished above England...
I would like to congratulate our Celtic cousins.We Irish must now look on the bright side.At least we finished above England...
Criminals Protest About Criminalization
An estimated 200 Sinn Fein supporters have gathered outside the GPO in Dublin to protest against, what they describe as, attempts to criminalise the Republican Movement.
Addressing the crowd, Sinn Fein's Dublin TD Sean Crowe says the Republican struggle is stronger than at any time in recent history.
Sean Crowe is obviously talking out of his arse and it would be easy to dismiss this protest as a joke, but I take offence to this latest stunt by Sinn Fein.I don't want supporters of criminality gathering in my city and spewing out their republican propaganda.It was bad enough that Dublin had to be the scene of the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis where Adams spouted his vile garbage.
The GPO was the scene of a great moment in Irish Republican history.Sinn Fein are hijacking it so they can justify their criminality in the modern era.Disgraceful.
Addressing the crowd, Sinn Fein's Dublin TD Sean Crowe says the Republican struggle is stronger than at any time in recent history.
Sean Crowe is obviously talking out of his arse and it would be easy to dismiss this protest as a joke, but I take offence to this latest stunt by Sinn Fein.I don't want supporters of criminality gathering in my city and spewing out their republican propaganda.It was bad enough that Dublin had to be the scene of the Sinn Fein Ard Fheis where Adams spouted his vile garbage.
The GPO was the scene of a great moment in Irish Republican history.Sinn Fein are hijacking it so they can justify their criminality in the modern era.Disgraceful.
Say it ain't so!
Chris Gaskin over at Balrog has found an interesting survey which determines your natural home in the political sphere.
The survey can be attempted here.
I would like to say for the record that I think this survey is deeply flawed since it said that my natural home was...wait for it...Sinn Fein!Nooooo!Labour came second.I wouldn't have minded getting Labour but Sinn Fein?I think there's some securocrats behind that survey...
The survey can be attempted here.
I would like to say for the record that I think this survey is deeply flawed since it said that my natural home was...wait for it...Sinn Fein!Nooooo!Labour came second.I wouldn't have minded getting Labour but Sinn Fein?I think there's some securocrats behind that survey...
Time to Slay a Dragon
Well it's time for yet another one of my predictions in the Six Nations.As I write this, France are leading Italy by 44 points to 13.Hang on Italy!As for Ireland's match, my gut instinct is telling me that Ireland will win and that they will beat Wales by more than 13 points.I'm backing Ireland to win the Championship.
Oh, by the way, hang on Italy!
Oh, by the way, hang on Italy!
Friday, March 18, 2005
Naked Britney Spears!
Check out Britney Spears naked!You can see her here.
What do you mean is there a twist?Of course not...
What do you mean is there a twist?Of course not...
Friday Fun-News in Brief
US talk show king Jerry Springer is to replace Britain's Trisha with a new daytime show on ITV.Trisha's show ended in October when she left for Five.Springer's show will be a British version of his US show.
Nice to see ITV coming up with some top-notch factual programming!
Antipodean actress Nicole Kidman this week admitted that she dreamed of being a witch when she was young.
That's weird because apparently when Mary Harney was young, she dreamed of being an inept Health Minister.
Steven Spielberg is behind moves to bring Baywatch to the big screen.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, eh?Hopefully Spielberg just wants to unleash a shark on the entire cast.
Nice to see ITV coming up with some top-notch factual programming!
Antipodean actress Nicole Kidman this week admitted that she dreamed of being a witch when she was young.
That's weird because apparently when Mary Harney was young, she dreamed of being an inept Health Minister.
Steven Spielberg is behind moves to bring Baywatch to the big screen.
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, eh?Hopefully Spielberg just wants to unleash a shark on the entire cast.
A Unique Way to Make Money...
There's a guy who is looking for $50,000 by June 30th or else he's going to eat this bunny.
What am I talking about?See for yourself here!
What am I talking about?See for yourself here!
Fun Irelander Feature-Drunken Stupidity
I see there were quite alot of arrests throughout Ireland yesterday as people became a bit too exuberant over St.Patrick's Day.I myself acted pretty dumb as my post this morning indicated.Drinking can be quite fun in moderation but there is an ugly side to it.Below, I give you the things I hate about drinking:
- The hangover - It's horrible to wake up and find that your head feels like it's been hit with a chair.Hopefully this won't have actually happened to you the night previously.
- The loss of inhibitions - This can be fun, but when it gets to the point where you're laughing hysterically at the giant 7 foot bloke with the funny beard, that's not fun at all.
- Chat-up attempts - When I'm drunk I tend to think that I'm a real ladies man.This can lead to embarrassing situations.Like the time I chatted up the two Swedish ladies and asked them if they liked Abba.I'm sure they liked Abba more than they did me.
- Having to go to the toilet over and over through the night.
- Throwing up after alot of drinking.Also, finding out the next day that you also threw up on your brand new jeans. (a discovery I made this morning)
- The loss of balance - It's not pleasant when you have to hang on to a lamppost for dear life.
- Drinking on an empty stomach - When you can feel the beer filling up in your belly, you know you're in for a rough night.
- Getting close to a woman who seemed very attractive at the time.
- Realising the above the next morning.
- The horrible aftertaste you're left with.I still can taste the drink from last night!
So there you have it.Some things I really hate about drinking.Then again, I'll probably end up going out drinking again this weekend.It's not easy being Irish.Or responsible...
DUP and UUP Fail to Agree
The DUP and UUP have failed to agree on an anti-Sinn Fein electoral pact ahead of the upcoming British general election.
Representatives of the two parties attended talks arranged by the Orange Order (the Orange Order?So much for them leaving behind politics!) today to discuss the possible pact, which would mainly be aimed at preventing Sinn Fein from becoming the largest Northern party at Westminster, which remains a possibility in the May election.
Despite failing to reach a deal, the DUP did agree to study UUP proposals for a joint unionist campaign in the May ballot.
Although I have no time for Sinn Fein and feel they are keeping the border in place through their criminality, I will shed no tears over unionism's failure to reach a deal!
Representatives of the two parties attended talks arranged by the Orange Order (the Orange Order?So much for them leaving behind politics!) today to discuss the possible pact, which would mainly be aimed at preventing Sinn Fein from becoming the largest Northern party at Westminster, which remains a possibility in the May election.
Despite failing to reach a deal, the DUP did agree to study UUP proposals for a joint unionist campaign in the May ballot.
Although I have no time for Sinn Fein and feel they are keeping the border in place through their criminality, I will shed no tears over unionism's failure to reach a deal!
Friday Fun Philosophy
I tried this last week and got some interesting responses.So this week I ask you:
What is it to be a person?
Let's hear your views.
What is it to be a person?
Let's hear your views.
Hapland
Since it's Friday Fun I thought I'd give you another game to try.This one is a Flash game caled Lapland.It's quite a good puzzle game and it should keep you entertained.
You can find it here.Let's see how you do!
You can find it here.Let's see how you do!
Friday Fun's Fascinating Fact
Women wishing to enter Canada to work as strippers must provide naked photos of themselves to qualify for a visa!
You've got to admire Canadian efficiency.They're years ahead of us!
You've got to admire Canadian efficiency.They're years ahead of us!
Confessions of an Irish Soul
Well, I hoped you enjoyed St.Patrick's Day yesterday.As for myself, the day was a mixed success.And by that I mean it was a disaster.It started off well enough.I met my friends and we made our way into Dublin's city centre which was packed due to the parade.We then walked about for a bit trying to find a place to drink.This was about 1:30 pm.Finally we found a pub called Confessions which I have never been to before.It wasn't that busy thankfully and on the third floor of the place there was a pool table, toilet and one of those arcade poker machines.
We also had a view of the people walking along the streets below.Did I mention the third floor was empty?Needless to say we were delighted to be there and things looked pretty good for the rest of the day...until I messed up.
Unfortunately I woke up Paddy's Day quite tired and therefore I wasn't hungry.I didn't think I would be drinking until quite late.My friends had other ideas.In the pub, I started drinking very fast and had consumed two pints very quickly.I was drinking faster than my friends which is rare.This was a poor move on my part since I was drinking on an empty stomach.We left Confessions after about an hour and a half due to an influx of people when the parade had finished.I was quite merry as me and my friends made our way to another pub, I believe it was called International.There, I consumed another five pints (all I had eaten was a bag of crisps and some sweets).By about 7:30, I was quite drunk.
I can recall feeling the need to throw up as I bundled my way past my friends to the toilets.Doing so I knocked over my pint which went down some girl's leg.She hurled obscenities at me as I made my way to the toilet.I didn't care.I did throw up in the bathroom before rejoining my friends.At that stage I just wanted to fall asleep.My friends seemed pretty concerned about me so they got me a taxi and sent me home.I got home at some point after 8pm and fell asleep.
As I sit here, sore head and all, I am very annoyed at how I handled myself yesterday.I should've eaten before drinking and I should've paced myself better.While St.Patrick's Day was alright, I never got to enjoy St.Patrick's night!
I now sit here quite hungry but also with a horrible taste in my mouth.Top of the morning indeed.
We also had a view of the people walking along the streets below.Did I mention the third floor was empty?Needless to say we were delighted to be there and things looked pretty good for the rest of the day...until I messed up.
Unfortunately I woke up Paddy's Day quite tired and therefore I wasn't hungry.I didn't think I would be drinking until quite late.My friends had other ideas.In the pub, I started drinking very fast and had consumed two pints very quickly.I was drinking faster than my friends which is rare.This was a poor move on my part since I was drinking on an empty stomach.We left Confessions after about an hour and a half due to an influx of people when the parade had finished.I was quite merry as me and my friends made our way to another pub, I believe it was called International.There, I consumed another five pints (all I had eaten was a bag of crisps and some sweets).By about 7:30, I was quite drunk.
I can recall feeling the need to throw up as I bundled my way past my friends to the toilets.Doing so I knocked over my pint which went down some girl's leg.She hurled obscenities at me as I made my way to the toilet.I didn't care.I did throw up in the bathroom before rejoining my friends.At that stage I just wanted to fall asleep.My friends seemed pretty concerned about me so they got me a taxi and sent me home.I got home at some point after 8pm and fell asleep.
As I sit here, sore head and all, I am very annoyed at how I handled myself yesterday.I should've eaten before drinking and I should've paced myself better.While St.Patrick's Day was alright, I never got to enjoy St.Patrick's night!
I now sit here quite hungry but also with a horrible taste in my mouth.Top of the morning indeed.
Thursday, March 17, 2005
Survey-What Kind of Irish Person Are You?
Since today is a celebration of all things Irish, I thought I'd come up with this little survey which will determine the kind of Irish person you are.Ready?Here goes:
Q1:What will you do on St.Patrick's Day?
(a) Keep it simple.Go to the parade or pub.
(b)Listen to Irish music throughout the day, see the parade and head to pub.
(c) I'll start a fight with a west-Brit.
(d)I'll ask everyone what the fuss is all about.
Q2:What will you drink on St.Patrick's Day?
(a)Guinness.
(b)Shamrock Shakes.
(c)My own blood from all the fighting I'll do.
(d)I'll drink nothing
Q3:What will you wear on St.Patrick's Day?
(a)Dunno.A shamrock, maybe a scarf.
(b)All green.Even my underwear.
(c)Celtic top,Celtic hat, tricolour...
(d)I'll wear what I usually wear.
Q4:What do you think of the parade?
(a)It's OK.Not bad.
(b)It's essential to showcase our culture.
(c)Prepares me for the heavy drinking later.
(d)I think it's crap and embarrassing.
Q5:Why is St.Patrick's Day important to you?
(a)It's our chance to celebrate our country
(b)It's our chance to show we're the best
(c)It's a chance to drink alot.
(d)Well, we get a day off.
OK, now to see what kind of Irish person you are:
Mostly (a) - You're a true Irish person.Like Roy Keane or those ladies from The Corrs.
Mostly (b) - You're a true Oirish person.You try too hard.Like Keith Duffy.You're embarrassing Ireland!You should've signed up for the new series of Big Brother.
Mostly (c) - You're dangerously Irish.Are you a Provo?I bet you've considered being one at some point.Either that or you're a clueless Irish American.Wise up.
Mostly (d) - You're about as Irish as Tony Cascarino.Who are you kidding?If you really were born in Ireland you have alot of learning to do!Start today!
Q1:What will you do on St.Patrick's Day?
(a) Keep it simple.Go to the parade or pub.
(b)Listen to Irish music throughout the day, see the parade and head to pub.
(c) I'll start a fight with a west-Brit.
(d)I'll ask everyone what the fuss is all about.
Q2:What will you drink on St.Patrick's Day?
(a)Guinness.
(b)Shamrock Shakes.
(c)My own blood from all the fighting I'll do.
(d)I'll drink nothing
Q3:What will you wear on St.Patrick's Day?
(a)Dunno.A shamrock, maybe a scarf.
(b)All green.Even my underwear.
(c)Celtic top,Celtic hat, tricolour...
(d)I'll wear what I usually wear.
Q4:What do you think of the parade?
(a)It's OK.Not bad.
(b)It's essential to showcase our culture.
(c)Prepares me for the heavy drinking later.
(d)I think it's crap and embarrassing.
Q5:Why is St.Patrick's Day important to you?
(a)It's our chance to celebrate our country
(b)It's our chance to show we're the best
(c)It's a chance to drink alot.
(d)Well, we get a day off.
OK, now to see what kind of Irish person you are:
Mostly (a) - You're a true Irish person.Like Roy Keane or those ladies from The Corrs.
Mostly (b) - You're a true Oirish person.You try too hard.Like Keith Duffy.You're embarrassing Ireland!You should've signed up for the new series of Big Brother.
Mostly (c) - You're dangerously Irish.Are you a Provo?I bet you've considered being one at some point.Either that or you're a clueless Irish American.Wise up.
Mostly (d) - You're about as Irish as Tony Cascarino.Who are you kidding?If you really were born in Ireland you have alot of learning to do!Start today!
Some Facts (cough) about St.Patrick
St.Patrick is far too often misrepresented here in Ireland.Myth and the truth converge to create all manner of confusion.Below, I have set the record straight:
- St.Patrick is not Welsh.He actually had an Irish grandmother.
- He was not kidnapped by Irish raiders.He hired raiders to take him across the sea because Wales isn't as good as Ireland.
- St. Patrick was not an Irish Republican but he may have been an Irish publican.
- St. Patrick hoped there would never be a red and white saltire in his honour.
- St.Patrick did send the snakes out of Ireland but he kept a few in case some zoos needed them.
- St.Patrick said it was alright to break Lent for the 17th of March.
- St.Patrick invented the shamrock.
- St.Patrick didn't like Cork.
- St.Patrick didn't think his name would catch on in Ireland.
- St.Patrick thought parades were stupid.
There, now you know better. (note-if you're a student who stumbled on this blog and have an essay on St.Patrick to do, forget everything you just read.Have a pint instead.Make sure it's Guinness)
Read Between The lines
I watched the Insight programme on UTV on Wednesday night where there was a debate with members of the four main parties in Ireland's north.Representing the IRA (oops, I mean Sinn Fein) was Conor Murphy.When asked by the presenter what his position was on the idea that the IRA should go away, he said:
"Yes, they should go away.I think all armed groups on the island should go away."
Sounds great, doesn't it?Except...well, you have to look at such statements from the warped mindset of the Shinners.In other words, you must read between the lines.See when Sinn Fein refers to "all armed groups" they also refer to the British army.So from Conor and his colleague's perspective, the IRA should go away...but not until the British army goes away.
It's all a matter of reading between the lines.
"Yes, they should go away.I think all armed groups on the island should go away."
Sounds great, doesn't it?Except...well, you have to look at such statements from the warped mindset of the Shinners.In other words, you must read between the lines.See when Sinn Fein refers to "all armed groups" they also refer to the British army.So from Conor and his colleague's perspective, the IRA should go away...but not until the British army goes away.
It's all a matter of reading between the lines.
Happy St.Patrick's Day!
Well, it's Paddy's Day!Regardless of your political views or religious beliefs I hope you can enjoy the day and I urge you to think nicely of Ireland today and the nice things about this place.If you're having trouble doing that, check out this.
I intend to see the parade in the city centre this year.It's the first time I've gone to it in years.I'll more than likely be out drinking with some friends later on as well.I'm hoping I don't get involved in any scuffles!
Anyway, I hope you all have a great St.Patrick's Day.And remember - it's not about how much green you wear;it's about how much green you throw up! (note-if you're under 18, ignore this comment)
I intend to see the parade in the city centre this year.It's the first time I've gone to it in years.I'll more than likely be out drinking with some friends later on as well.I'm hoping I don't get involved in any scuffles!
Anyway, I hope you all have a great St.Patrick's Day.And remember - it's not about how much green you wear;it's about how much green you throw up! (note-if you're under 18, ignore this comment)
Wednesday, March 16, 2005
Bush 'Looking Forward' to Meeting McCartneys
US President George W Bush has said he is looking forward to meeting the five sisters and partner of murdered Belfast man Robert McCartney.They have already had talks with Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy in their quest for justice.The women believe the IRA is shielding Mr McCartney's killers.
"I am looking forward to meeting these very brave souls who have committed themselves to a peaceful solution, and hopefully their loved one will not have died in vain," Mr Bush said.
I am no fan of George W Bush.The truth is, I wanted the other guy to win the recent US election.What was his name?Jim something?Anyway, though I have alot of issues with some of Bush's policies I am well aware that he takes a no-nonsense approach towards terrorism.
I hope he takes this attitude towards Sinn Fein/IRA tomorrow.If Bush wants to show that he respects Ireland and the Irish people, there's no better way to do it than to lay into the Sinn Fein criminals.Don't disappoint us, Mr Bush.
"I am looking forward to meeting these very brave souls who have committed themselves to a peaceful solution, and hopefully their loved one will not have died in vain," Mr Bush said.
I am no fan of George W Bush.The truth is, I wanted the other guy to win the recent US election.What was his name?Jim something?Anyway, though I have alot of issues with some of Bush's policies I am well aware that he takes a no-nonsense approach towards terrorism.
I hope he takes this attitude towards Sinn Fein/IRA tomorrow.If Bush wants to show that he respects Ireland and the Irish people, there's no better way to do it than to lay into the Sinn Fein criminals.Don't disappoint us, Mr Bush.
Create a Caption
Alot of sites ask you to pick a caption for a picture so I thought I'd do the same.
How about you give a caption for this.
How about you give a caption for this.
'What If'?Wednesday-Pluralist Paddy's Day
What if St.Patrick's Day was an event that all communities in the North could enjoy?Ideally this would be the situation at present.Unfortunately though, there will be no St.Patrick's Day parade in Belfast this year.It seems that even a figure like St.Patrick, who came to Ireland before we made a real mess of everything, can still become dragged into the tribalism of this island.
I think it's a shame that St.Patrick's Day can't be enjoyed by all communities in Ireland's north but what is the answer?Ban the parade altogether?I don't think so.Nor do I think the answer is to ban all emblems and symbols.As far as I'm concerned, the St.Patrick's Day parade in Belfast should go ahead.Unionists clearly have issues in terms of having to deal with their Irishness but nationalists shouldn't suffer because of that.The 12th of July celebrations aren't respected by all communities in the North but God forbid we attempt to ban parades on the 12th of July!
The simple fact is, St.Patrick's Day is a celebration of Irishness.The French have Bastille Day, the Yanks have the 4th of July, while we get Paddy's Day.It is our chance to show our patriotism and show we love our nation.There is NOTHING wrong with that.Why is it OK for me, a nationalist from Dublin to celebrate St.Patrick's Day and my identity, but not a nationalist in Belfast?Why is it OK for people in Dublin, Cork, Galway etc. to celebrate their nation but not a nationalist in the North?They have a right to celebrate the Irish nation just as much as anyone else in the island.Unionists have denied them that right because nationalists would seek to wave a tricolour instead of a St.Patrick's Cross.For that, Unionists should be ashamed of themselves.
I think it's a shame that St.Patrick's Day can't be enjoyed by all communities in Ireland's north but what is the answer?Ban the parade altogether?I don't think so.Nor do I think the answer is to ban all emblems and symbols.As far as I'm concerned, the St.Patrick's Day parade in Belfast should go ahead.Unionists clearly have issues in terms of having to deal with their Irishness but nationalists shouldn't suffer because of that.The 12th of July celebrations aren't respected by all communities in the North but God forbid we attempt to ban parades on the 12th of July!
The simple fact is, St.Patrick's Day is a celebration of Irishness.The French have Bastille Day, the Yanks have the 4th of July, while we get Paddy's Day.It is our chance to show our patriotism and show we love our nation.There is NOTHING wrong with that.Why is it OK for me, a nationalist from Dublin to celebrate St.Patrick's Day and my identity, but not a nationalist in Belfast?Why is it OK for people in Dublin, Cork, Galway etc. to celebrate their nation but not a nationalist in the North?They have a right to celebrate the Irish nation just as much as anyone else in the island.Unionists have denied them that right because nationalists would seek to wave a tricolour instead of a St.Patrick's Cross.For that, Unionists should be ashamed of themselves.
When Will Northern Nationalists Learn?
I am heartened by recent events in America as we approach St.Patrick's Day.It seems that finally, Irish America is starting to realise what the majority of Irish people have known for some time - that there is nothing romantic about the IRA.The truth about Sinn Fein/IRA has been revealed.The world has seen that they are nothing but criminals masquerading as freedom fighters.They claim to oppose British influence on Ireland yet they are forging ties with criminal gangs in the UK, they claim to support the peace process yet they are terrorising their own community with punishment beatings and murder.Also, they claim to support a united Ireland yet they are polarising the North through their unacceptable actions.
Northern nationalists need to ask themselves what it is they actually want.Do they truly want a united Ireland?If so, why are they supporting a party that the unionist community hates with all its might?Why are they supporting a party that is making enemies south of the border?Sinn Fein will NEVER reunite Ireland.EVER.I believe Irish unity could and indeed should happen but these balaclava-wearing bigots will not be the ones to deliver it.Sinn Fein's tactics are keeping that border firmly in place.The continued existence of the IRA is a bigger threat to the prospect of Irish unity than all the British troops on this island put together.
Sinn Fein clearly do not want an Ireland of equals and they clearly cannot deliver on what they promise to nationalists.I wish nationalists would put themselves in unionist's shoes and ask themselves if they would vote for a united Ireland with Sinn Fein as the voice of nationalism.One cannot blame unionists for wanting nothing to do with Irish unity with Sinn Fein/IRA calling the shots (no pun intended).
The simple fact is, Sinn Fein are a partitionist party.And nationalists who support this party are idiots.
Northern nationalists need to ask themselves what it is they actually want.Do they truly want a united Ireland?If so, why are they supporting a party that the unionist community hates with all its might?Why are they supporting a party that is making enemies south of the border?Sinn Fein will NEVER reunite Ireland.EVER.I believe Irish unity could and indeed should happen but these balaclava-wearing bigots will not be the ones to deliver it.Sinn Fein's tactics are keeping that border firmly in place.The continued existence of the IRA is a bigger threat to the prospect of Irish unity than all the British troops on this island put together.
Sinn Fein clearly do not want an Ireland of equals and they clearly cannot deliver on what they promise to nationalists.I wish nationalists would put themselves in unionist's shoes and ask themselves if they would vote for a united Ireland with Sinn Fein as the voice of nationalism.One cannot blame unionists for wanting nothing to do with Irish unity with Sinn Fein/IRA calling the shots (no pun intended).
The simple fact is, Sinn Fein are a partitionist party.And nationalists who support this party are idiots.
British and Irish...Without the Irish
So I see the results of the Bloggies are in.You can view the winners here.What I'm interested in is the award for "Best British or Irish Weblog".Below is the winner and the other contenders:
Winner: PlasticBag.org (British)
Other contenders:
GreenFairyDotCom (British)
Londonist (British)
HicksDesign (British)
London Underground Tube Blog (British)
Notice anything unusual?That's right, there's no Irish blog!There should have been at least two Irish blogs in the list of five, one wouldnt' be great but to have none is a joke!
I also take issue with the award for "Best tagline of a weblog".The winner went to Dooce for the tagline: "Not your average clenched-cheek sprint to the bathroom".
I think it should've went to Twenty Major for his tagline: "It's better than cabbage".
That would've been far better.What's more, that blog is Irish!
Winner: PlasticBag.org (British)
Other contenders:
GreenFairyDotCom (British)
Londonist (British)
HicksDesign (British)
London Underground Tube Blog (British)
Notice anything unusual?That's right, there's no Irish blog!There should have been at least two Irish blogs in the list of five, one wouldnt' be great but to have none is a joke!
I also take issue with the award for "Best tagline of a weblog".The winner went to Dooce for the tagline: "Not your average clenched-cheek sprint to the bathroom".
I think it should've went to Twenty Major for his tagline: "It's better than cabbage".
That would've been far better.What's more, that blog is Irish!
Tuesday, March 15, 2005
Loyalists Attack SDLP Member
Loyalist thugs stoned a Northern Ireland Assembly member at a bonfire site in Belfast, she revealed tonight.Carmel Hanna of the SDLP was pelted as she arrived at the scene for a television interview on environmental concerns.The attack happened at Shaw's Bridge where loyalists have already begun gathering for the 11th night celebrations ahead of the annual July 12 bonfire celebrations.(The bigots certainly start early, don't they?)
A shaken Mrs Hanna said: "I just heard the bricks hit the roof of my car, and one broke my wing mirror.
"There were heavy thuds and my car was the only thing that was hit.I had to drive out to get away."
Mrs Hanna stressed she respected their right to mark a key date in the Protestant calendar but added: "As a public representative I should be allowed to have a view on it.
"We need health and safety regulations implemented just like there are for Halloween fireworks and there should be a time frame so that these sites are not polluted all year round."
This is a shameful attack on a public figure and I wonder if Unionists will even bother to condemn it?Unionists are quick to bash republicans at every opportunity but will they take the time to bash these loyalist thugs?Somehow I doubt it.
A shaken Mrs Hanna said: "I just heard the bricks hit the roof of my car, and one broke my wing mirror.
"There were heavy thuds and my car was the only thing that was hit.I had to drive out to get away."
Mrs Hanna stressed she respected their right to mark a key date in the Protestant calendar but added: "As a public representative I should be allowed to have a view on it.
"We need health and safety regulations implemented just like there are for Halloween fireworks and there should be a time frame so that these sites are not polluted all year round."
This is a shameful attack on a public figure and I wonder if Unionists will even bother to condemn it?Unionists are quick to bash republicans at every opportunity but will they take the time to bash these loyalist thugs?Somehow I doubt it.
Top Ten Tuesday-Blogging
Since it is United Irelander's three month anniversary, I thought I'd dedicate this edition of Top Ten Tuesday to blogging.Specifically, what I find to be the top ten things about blogging.
So without further ado:
1. The opportunity to air your views - how fortunate we are to be able to do this.
2. Receiving comments - It is a rewarding part of blogging.
3. Getting linked by other blogs - It is nice to be acknowledged by others.
4. Getting hits - It's great to get visitors to your blog.Obviously...
5. Breaking a story first - Not easy but great when it happens.
6. Forging ties within the blogosphere - It's a great little community!
7. Getting accepted by blog sites - It's great when it happens.Recently I got accepted by Blogwise.I thank them for that.
8. Working the Template successfully - It seems so daunting at first.
9. Recovering a post that you thought Blogger had lost - Those who have been there know what I'm talking about.
10. Arguments - Arguments make blogs great as long as they are kept clean.
So those are my choices.Feel free to comment on them or to offer your own opinions.
So without further ado:
1. The opportunity to air your views - how fortunate we are to be able to do this.
2. Receiving comments - It is a rewarding part of blogging.
3. Getting linked by other blogs - It is nice to be acknowledged by others.
4. Getting hits - It's great to get visitors to your blog.Obviously...
5. Breaking a story first - Not easy but great when it happens.
6. Forging ties within the blogosphere - It's a great little community!
7. Getting accepted by blog sites - It's great when it happens.Recently I got accepted by Blogwise.I thank them for that.
8. Working the Template successfully - It seems so daunting at first.
9. Recovering a post that you thought Blogger had lost - Those who have been there know what I'm talking about.
10. Arguments - Arguments make blogs great as long as they are kept clean.
So those are my choices.Feel free to comment on them or to offer your own opinions.
Next Census Should be Interesting!
I see almost half a million unsafe condoms bearing the Durex brand name may have been sold in shops around the country.
The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) yesterday warned that the condoms, sold in packs of 12, may not prevent pregnacy or sexually transmitted diseases.The IMB began an investigation into the counterfeit condoms just over a week ago, after Durex received complaints from consumers.
The IMB discovered two batches of the dud contraceptives after recalling the product from some pharmacies and customs officers seized more of the stock from a distributor.
The condoms came from China and it's believed the first consignment was imported in May of last year.
"The condoms were illegally imported into Ireland and do not meet the stringent European standard for condoms," said an IMB spokesman.
Yet another health scandal to hit these shores!Are we going to see a rise in unplanned pregnancies and STDs?
The Irish Medicines Board (IMB) yesterday warned that the condoms, sold in packs of 12, may not prevent pregnacy or sexually transmitted diseases.The IMB began an investigation into the counterfeit condoms just over a week ago, after Durex received complaints from consumers.
The IMB discovered two batches of the dud contraceptives after recalling the product from some pharmacies and customs officers seized more of the stock from a distributor.
The condoms came from China and it's believed the first consignment was imported in May of last year.
"The condoms were illegally imported into Ireland and do not meet the stringent European standard for condoms," said an IMB spokesman.
Yet another health scandal to hit these shores!Are we going to see a rise in unplanned pregnancies and STDs?
© 2008 United Irelander.
