A FEW WORDS AND A FEW PHOTOGRAPHS : HEALTH PROTEST MARCH / RSF BALLAD SESSION , DUBLIN , MARCH 29 , 2008.

Some of the RSF members and supporters who took part in the ‘Health Protest March’ .

Despite heavy rain from early morning , many thousands of people took to the streets of Dublin yesterday in support of trade union calls for a proper health service for their members ,other workers and for all who live in the State : Republican Sinn Fein had a presence at the assembly point from 2pm onwards , with a named placard stating - ‘Leinster House: A Morally Sick Institution’ , a sentiment which received applause from other participants and from passers-by . Members and supporters of the organisation marched with the other protestors to Leinster House , in what was a noisy and colourful demonstration , to drive home the message to the inmates that are employed therein (and who sometimes work there) that their callous disregard for the health and welfare requirements of the citizens of the State is not acceptable to those citizens , who pay the large salaries of the well-suited Lords and Ladies who occasionally cast their spoiled shadow in said institution.
All-in-all , despite a lower than hoped for turnout , that message was delivered to those who , for now , control the purse-strings and use the contents of same to safeguard their own health and welfare at the expense of the financially poorer sections of this society . Like those that went before them, their ‘legacy’ will be remembered…

SIPTU members gathering for the protest march.

Protestors from County Louth and ‘People Before Profit’ campaigners.

‘Health March’ leaving Parnell Square for Leinster House.

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RSF BALLAD SESSION , DUBLIN : AN UNPRECENTED SUCCESS !

A full house at the ballad session in the 79′r !

The wet weather didn’t keep the punters away , and the ‘no-show’ of the advertised group didn’t make them leave !
Poor Liam ! In between the showers of rain and with only hours to go before the start of the gig, he was notified that the booked ballad group couldn’t make it : frantic telephone calls and much ‘toing and froing’ between different contacts - some of whom were on the above-mentioned ‘Health March’ and therefore not in a position to help , but knew others that might be in such a position : more frantic ‘phone calls! - eventually secured the services of the ‘Full Irish’ ballad group , well known in the area and with their own well-deserved following! Phew……

The doors opened at 9pm , last drinks were at 12.30am and between those hours the crowd were welcomed to the POW fund-raiser, the new group were introduced to the packed venue and an explanation given for the no-show of the original group (anyone that wanted to leave with their admission price back was offered same - no takers! Those that stayed - everyone! - were given five free raffle tickets in appreciation), the eight items that would be going home with new owners that night were shown to the crowd - six for the raffle and two (A Celtic bodhron and a beautiful Bobby Sands memorial candle [thanks , Cathy!] that were to be auctioned) , hundreds of Euro worth of raffle tickets were sold , two of the organising committee got drunk [such was their relief that all was working out so well!] and both Liam and Kevin came to the same conclusion at the same time : that John would have to be physically removed from behind the live microphone he had somehow managed to get hold of . Liam won !
It was a fantastic night (and early morning !) which was organised by the local RSF organisation on behalf of the CABHAIR group : a sincere ‘Go Raibh Maith Agat’ to , amongst others , Willie , Fintan , Joe and Frankie , for wiping Liam’s brow (!) , to Cathy for the much sought-after Bobby Sands candle , to the management and staff of the pub , to all the punters that attended and to Kevin , Brendan , Joe , Benny and Dan for helping to make the event the success it was !

Some of the items that found new homes on the night!

Part of the ‘Full Irish’ giving it all of the full lash!
Sharon.

RSF PLACARD FOR SATURDAY MARCH 29 , 2008 .

HEALTH PROTEST MARCH / RSF BALLAD SESSION.

‘ORGANISERS of a rally for better healthcare being held in Dublin this weekend will be disappointed if at least 70,000 people do not turn up to demand better health services across the state. Patients, hospital workers and trade unions will march to Leinster House on Saturday expressing anger in the Health Service Executive over restrictions in hiring staff and mismanagement of services….’
(…with apologises to the author for the changes to the text.)

Susie Long RIP.

Republican Sinn Fein members and supporters that are taking part in this protest march are asked to meet-up at Head Office , 223 Parnell Street , Dublin 1 , between 2pm and 2.30pm on the afternoon of Saturday 29 March.

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TWO OF THE BALLAD SESSION PRIZES FOR SATURDAY 29 MARCH 2008.

The organisers tell me that they have kept back fifty tickets, to be sold from the door at a fiver each on the night , for this ballad session . The doors open at 9pm and it looks like all the tickets will be gone before ten…..
See you there….!
Sharon.

Ernie O’Malley, pictured during his arrest in Dublin Castle in 1921 . He was using the alias ‘Bernard Stewart’ .

ERNIE O’MALLEY : SOLDIER OF OGLAIGH na hEIREANN …….
Following the recent publication of O’Malley’s third book ‘Raids And Rallies’, on the Tan War years 1920-1921 , Frances-Mary Blake , who edited the book and his earlier works , writes an appreciation of the man who wrote ‘On Another Man’s Wound’ and ‘The Singing Flame’.
From ‘IRIS’ magazine , July 1983.

During his 1928 working trip to America , Ernie O’ Malley made his own way through that country , and Mexico , living hard in the depression years , but always bearing the historical image of Ireland , the desire for freedom and the inspiration of a heritage .

Titles of the poems he wrote at that time indicate his old and new concerns for the victims of oppression - ‘From Two Islands’ , ‘Deirdre’ , ‘We Have Not Sought For Beauty’ , ‘Navajo Country’ and ‘Mountjoy Hanged 1921′ . It was during semi-exile in the artists’ colony of Taos, New Mexico, that he first set down his memories of what may well be the most spectacular IRA career of the period . ” As thrilling as a cinema drama…” , reported a Dublin newspaper on his gun battle and capture by Free State soldiers in the exclusive Ailesbury Road suburb of Ballsbridge , Dublin , in November 1922 .

Any outline of his later life may well seem anti-climax , but somehow more individualistic and interesting than the government , business or professional careers of Civil War companions . He was not a conformist . His back scarred by a hail of bullets , wounded and injured about a score of times , he was also at home in the quiet world of books , welcomed in the spheres of artistic endeavours , remembered as a stimulating friend by a wide circle . He loved the wild Mayo coast and the islands of his childhood , and had a reserved humour , a delicate irony . As a man of action and a man of letters , his abiding influence was hard years of war in a national resistance campaign…….
(MORE LATER).

AN OUTLINE HISTORY OF THE RUC . RUC brutality , torture , murder and lies were brushed aside as the unionist establishment congratulated itself for the continuing existence of a paramilitary force which had maintained and safe-guarded its rule in the Occupied Six Counties of Ireland.
From ‘IRIS’ magazine , July/August 1982.

In June of this year (1982) , the 60th anniversary of the formation of the RUC was marked by a series of commemorative events ; articles filled newspapers , editorials and letters from loyal correspondents heaped praise and glory on that force , church services , some attended by well-known Catholic clergy , prayed for its members , and local councils passed motions of support and congratulations in their ‘honour’ . In short , ‘respectable unionist society’ paid its tribute to its ‘police force’ , formed in its image .

60 years of brutality , torture , murder and lies were brushed aside as the unionist establishment congratulated itself for the continuing existence of a para-military force which had maintained and safe-guarded its rule over the turbulence of those years .

There were of course no prayers for young Michael McCartan, gunned down in cold blood in July 1980 by a plainclothes RUC man while painting ‘Up The Provos’ on a gable wall near his south Belfast home . Nor , doubtless , did any clergyman pause a moment in memory of 9-year-old Danny Rooney , shot dead by RUC men in August 1969 in his Divis Flats home ; or in memory of 42-year-old Samuel Devenney, beaten to death in his own home by those same ‘guardians of peace’ in April 1969…….
(MORE LATER).

OPERATIONAL COMMENTS OF A BRITISH ARMY OFFICER…….
British Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Dewar of the Royal Green Jackets has served in Cyprus , Borneo and Malaya , as well as in the Occupied Six Irish Counties . He has written three previous books - ‘Internal Security Weapons And Equipment Of The World’ and ‘Brushfire Wars’ . The extracts reproduced here are from ‘The British Army In Northern Ireland’ , which was published by ‘Arms and Armour Press’ in 1985 . The underlined comments in this article are ours . This article reflects the operational thinking of a British military commander , more so than his political or ideological outlook.
From ‘IRIS’ magazine , October 1987.

The British Army lance-corporal had held the gunmen in his sights for only a few minutes , but for what must have seemed an age to him : fearing that his Sergeant would not return with the patrol in time and thinking that the gunmen were going to disappear he fired at about 9.55pm , fifteen minutes after they had got out of the car . He missed . The Volunteers took cover in the bunker area and returned fire .

Their bullets were striking the ground around the lance-corporal with a fair degree of accuracy as the rest of the British Army patrol took up fire positions beside him . The concentrated fire-power of the whole patrol , two LMG’s and five rifles , soon forced the gunmen to seek cover or retreat . One was pinned down in the area of the bunkers where eventually he was lost to view , whilst the other three withdrew eastwards , two of them slowly and using all available cover towards House ‘C’ , which they reached some twenty minutes later .

The other man ran fast across an open field , but one of the LMG gunners chased him across the field with tracer , elevating the gun until he hit him . The gunman was seen to stagger and drop to his knees , managing only to crawl through a hedge near House ‘A’ . But he managed to escape while the gunner was changing his magazine . British Army helicopters were soon on the scene…….
(MORE LATER).

IRISH REPUBLICANISM AND FOLKLORE : EASTER MONDAY , MARCH 24 , 2008 , AT THE GPO IN DUBLIN .

Before the Republican Sinn Fein Easter Monday Commemoration at the GPO in Dublin got underway today , RSF members present , and about 150 other people, were treated to a very fine and dignified tribute “…to the women who played a vital role in the Uprising , the War of Independence and the Civil War..” , which had been organised by the ‘North Inner City Folklore Project’ , Dublin . This post contains a few photographs from that event . But first…

The main Dublin Easter Commemoration was held today at the GPO in Dublin . A crowd of approximately 300 people stood their ground outside the GPO despite constant harassment from uniformed gardai and their colleagues in the Special Branch . The parade proper left the Garden of Remembrance at 2pm and marched down O’Connell Street , where the Colour Party , consisting of members of Na Fianna Eireann , Cumann na mBan and Dublin RSF , formed-up on the street , facing the middle two pillars of the GPO . Hundreds of people stood either side and behind the Colour Party , with dozens more standing on the footpath , behind the small stage and speakers lectern . The event was Chaired by Andy Connolly , Dublin, and Liam Cotter , Kerry , delivered a stirring oration which met with roars of approval from the crowd . When the Commemoration finished - it was on for just over an hour - the RSF Chairperson thanked those who attended and asked that they not be intimidated by the rough tactics employed by the forces of the State , and reminded the crowd that it was in their best interest to attend the trade-union organised ‘Health Protest March’ next Saturday (March 29th) , which commences from the Garden of Remembrance at 3pm . A proper report will be published in the April 2008 issue of ‘Saoirse’ , which will be available from the 9th of that month .

Now for the ‘Picture Gallery’! First , scenes from the RSF Commemoration…..

Liam Cotter , Kerry , at the GPO in Dublin , Easter Monday 2008.

One of the attempts by State Garda to interfere with the Easter Monday RSF Commemoration in Dublin . It failed.

The view from the traffic isle on O’Connell Street .

Roisin Hayden , Dublin , prepares to do the business at the GPO today!

Wrapping-up after the Commemoration.

…and a few photographs from the tribute held today , also at the GPO in Dublin , which was organised by the Dublin ‘North Inner City Folklore Project’ group -

Finally - we would like to thank Malachy ,Terry and Cathleen (NICFP) and Peter , Liam , Matt and Mags , Dan , Bernard and Séan (with apologises to anyone I have not mentioned!) for helping to make such a busy day the success it was ! And ‘Thank You’ , too , to the hundreds of proud people that stood with us today outside the GPO . Go raibh maith agat !
Sharon.

The card on the RSF Wreath which was laid at the Republican Plot at Arbor Hill Cemetery in Dublin today , Easter Sunday , March 23 , 2008 .

Before travelling to Deansgrange Cemetery for the republican commemoration, a few republicans stopped-off at Arbor Hill Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Republican Plot there :

Republican Plot , Arbor Hill Cemetery .

The Republican wreath laid today by RSF at Arbor Hill Cemetery .

At Deansgrange Cemetery, which was established in 1861 and had its first burial in 1865 , there is an area marked as the ‘Republican Plot’ and it commemorates prisoners who died in Wandsworth Prison in 1922. James Connolly’s daughter Fiona is also buried here . It was at that Plot that approximately thirty Irish Republicans gathered today , in a ceremony chaired by ex-POW Seán Ó Sé , to listen as two republican speakers , Seán Ó Bradaigh and Peig Galligan delivered resounding speeches of the history of the cemetery they were speaking in , which they linked to the history of the on-going struggle itself .

Republican Plot , Deansgrange Cemetery .

A section of those in attendance in Deansgrange Cemetery today , Easter Sunday , March 23 , 2008 .

A proper report of todays proceedings in both Arbor Hill and Deansgrange cemetery will be carried in the April issue of ‘Saoirse’ , which will be available from the 9th of that month.

Thanks!
Sharon.

“RIC Head Constable Peter Burke and his brother, Sgt Michael Burke are attacked by the IRA in public house (Mrs Smith’s three miles outside Balbriggan, Co. Dublin) . In retaliation, the Auxiliaries carry out reprisals in Balbriggan killing two suspected IRA men…”
(From here.)

An RSF-organised Easter wreath-laying ceremony was held today (Saturday 22 March 2008) on the bridge in Balbriggan , County Dublin , in memory of Séamus Lawless and Séan Gibbons : about twenty-five republicans gathered on both sides of the bridge to take part in and watch the proceedings , which were chaired by Andy Connolly , Dublin RSF , who mentioned , amongst other things , that the men and women who decided to take on the might of the (then) ‘British empire’ did not do so in order that a British-sponsored Administration , staffed and maintained by Irish gombeens , should be established .

Six Special Branch men were present throughout the proceedings , and it was those same ‘agents of the state’ that later stopped a car belonging to one of the republicans as he and a few comrades were driving home following the wreath-laying ceremony and threatened to immediately impound the vehicle if two of his passengers “…did not get out of the vehicle NOW and stay out of it..” . Alternative arrangements were quickly made and the two passengers were looked after by supporters . This act of petty vindictiveness was condemned by RSF representatives present , who stated that such acts of harassment have not prevented republicans from remembering their dead in the past , and will not do so now either.

Getting sorted in Balbriggan , 2.15pm , Saturday March 22 , 2008 .

‘Na Fianna Eireann’ flag in Balbriggan , Saturday March 22 , 2008 .

Tricolour at the Republican Memorial on Balbriggan Bridge .

Wreath laid at the foot of the Memorial , Balbriggan Bridge .

A full report will be published in the April 2008 issue of ‘Saoirse’ , which will be published on the 9th of that month .
Thanks!
Sharon.

EASTER COMMEMORATIONS , DUBLIN , 2008.

” The people were tired of the RIC and their overbearing , strutting tyranny . The ‘Law’ and the ‘Force’ . Yes , and the Crowbar and the Battering Ram . The Torch and the Buckshot . The Bayonet and the Bullet and the Baton . These tools had been always associated with the ‘Law’ . The ‘Force’ was the eyes and the ears and the power behind the ‘Law’ . This is how my mother taught me the English alphabet :
A for the Army that covers the ground ,
B for the Buckshot we’re getting all round .
C for the Crowbar of cruel ill-fame ,
D for Davitt , a right glorious name…… ”

…an extract from Micheal O’Suilleabhain’s book , ‘Where Mountainy Men Have Sown’, (Anvil Books , 1965).

It is in memory of , and to pay respectable homage to , the men and women of that era and , indeed , the men and women of today and of each generation over more than the last eight centuries , that the Republican Movement has organised , in Dublin , an Easter Monday Commemoration (24 March 2008) : those wishing to attend should assemble outside the Garden Of Remembrance in Parnell Square at 2pm , for a Parade to the GPO.
All Welcome!
(NOTE : Easter Saturday details here, Easter Sunday details here. )

ERNIE O’MALLEY : SOLDIER OF OGLAIGH na hEIREANN …….
Following the recent publication of O’Malley’s third book ‘Raids And Rallies’, on the Tan War years 1920-1921 , Frances-Mary Blake , who edited the book and his earlier works , writes an appreciation of the man who wrote ‘On Another Man’s Wound’ and ‘The Singing Flame’.
From ‘IRIS’ magazine , July 1983.

Ernie O’ Malley was a fighter and a writer , scholar and farmer , involuntary Sinn Fein TD (elected for North Dublin while imprisoned in Mountjoy Jail in Dublin in 1923) , lover of literature and promoter of the arts : he kept two ideals throughout his life - the Irish Republic and personal development through the study of the many shades of beauty in the world .

His first volume of memoirs (to 1921) was published soon after his 1936 return to Ireland . The second book (1921-1924) made fresh historical reading as the first detailed and personal account of the Civil War years by a high-ranking republican , so ‘The Singing Flame’, only published in 1978 , is a rare new source for a poorly documented period in our history .

Released from the internment camp in July 1924 , he felt that in Cosgrave’s Ireland - “…my name was enough to damn me..” and , until 1935 , he mostly travelled abroad , either aiding the Catalan separatists, or walking through Spain , France or Italy , to follow his love of art and architecture , music and mountains . In 1928 he had journeyed to America (with a false British passport) to help raise funds for a newspaper that he hoped would “…arouse the (Irish) nation’s concern , that would give to the world outside Ireland the truth , aims and aspirations of the Irish people , instead of a misrepresentation that served the interests of the British.” That project later ironically became ‘The Irish Press’ Group …….
(MORE LATER).

BALLYMUN INTERVIEW…….
From ‘IRIS’ magazine , July/August 1982.

Problems such as the high population turnover in Ballymun is affecting the local all-Irish school , Scoil an tSeachtar Laoch. This forces parents to take their children away from the school when they move and has hindered its further development , such as the ability to start a secondary school based on the present school’s turnover . But a symbol of the school’s permanence on the Ballymun landscape is the new school building which is expected to be finished later this year (1982) .

Different from other schools , which are run by a bureaucratic and inflexible board of governors , Scoil an tSeachtar Laoch is primarily run by a democratically elected and responsive parents’ committee which meets fortnightly .

In addition to winning the All-Ireland schools’ drama slogadh (’festival’) six times out of seven , and winning for Ballymun three annual awards for the area that has done most to promote the use of Irish , the Ballymun school has provided the impetus for a growth in popularity of adult Irish classes , hurling and camogie throughout the housing estate . And , hopefully , further afield .

[END of ‘BALLYMUN INTERVIEW’]
(Next : ‘Sixty Years Of Repression - An Outline History Of The RUC’ ; From 1982)

OPERATIONAL COMMENTS OF A BRITISH ARMY OFFICER…….
British Lieutenant-Colonel Michael Dewar of the Royal Green Jackets has served in Cyprus , Borneo and Malaya , as well as in the Occupied Six Irish Counties . He has written three previous books - ‘Internal Security Weapons And Equipment Of The World’ and ‘Brushfire Wars’ . The extracts reproduced here are from ‘The British Army In Northern Ireland’ , which was published by ‘Arms and Armour Press’ in 1985 . The underlined comments in this article are ours . This article reflects the operational thinking of a British military commander , more so than his political or ideological outlook.
From ‘IRIS’ magazine , October 1987.

On the fourth day of the observation operation , the British Army Staff Sergeant in charge suspected that his ‘Observation Post’ close to the pub in Belleek had been spotted by a man entering the premises . Shortly afterwards a small boy came out of the pub , crossed the road and made straight for the derelict house where the ‘Post’ was located . The BA Staff Sergeant concluded that the security of the ‘Post’ had been compromised and evacuated the position promptly . Later , when the Staff Sergeant and his Lance-Corporal had temporarily left the radio-operator and the gunner in order to reconnoitre a new ‘Observation Post’ with a better view of the pub , they paused at a gap in a hedge which gave an excellent view of the surrounding countryside .

They noticed a dark-blue car pull up at House ‘A’ : four armed men wearing white hoods got out of the car . It was 9.40pm and the car had been hijacked earlier that evening from a car dealer’s showroom . The two British Army men watched as the four armed men made their way carefully along the hedgerows to House ‘B’ . The men stopped outside the house , spoke to the occupants and then moved , two of them just south of the house and two a short distance to the east , where there were some concrete bunkers . The Staff Sergeant , who was caught off his balance , had to make some quick decisions . He was temporarily out of touch with his colleagues in both ‘ Observation Post’ parties , had not got the extra fire-power of his two light machine-guns , and his communication equipment to contact his base was not to hand . The range - about 500 yards - was too great for the lance-corporal’s rifle to be used to any real effect .

Without rapid reinforcement , the gunmen would probably make good their escape to the east if fired on . The British Army patrol commander resolved to report the situation to his Battalion Tactical HQ as quickly as possible and then to concentrate his men and their firepower in the excellent position overlooking the gunmen in order to pin them down . He left the lance-corporal to observe the four gunmen , instructing him to open fire only if they started moving away . The Staff Sergeant moved back through the bushes to his OP position 50 metres up the hill and , from there , he relayed the situation to his Battalion HQ through his supporting OP up the hill and ordered the latter to join him . Collecting all his men , he set out to rejoin the lance-corporal but , before he could reach him , the lance-corporal opened fire…….
(MORE LATER).

A ‘NEW’ VOICE REHASHES AN OLD STORY…

Tony Blair’s one-time sidekick , Jonathan Powell, is apparently claiming that Westminster practically ‘wrote the script’ for the so-called ‘peace process’ regarding the Six Occupied Counties in the north-east of this isle.
Nothing new there -it seems that both the DUP and Westminster had more of an input to the PSF ‘peace policy’ than has been properly highlighted up until now…….

“The governments also proposed a form of words for a statement from the (P)IRA…. “

More here…
Mr Adams “…claimed that in advance of his party’s executive two weeks ago the DUP had been given the text of a motion about policing that Mr Adams would put to that meeting.. “

….and here -
“…the draft of a PIRA statement on decommissioning was handed over to Downing Street for their approval but was rejected by Blair and his crew and returned to the Provos.. “

He who pays the piper , Mr Adams….

Sharon.

“Too long a sacrifice
Can make a stone of the heart.
O when may it suffice?
That is Heaven’s part, our part
To murmur name upon name,
As a mother names her child
When sleep at last has come
On limbs that had run wild.
What is it but nightfall?
No, no, not night but death;
Was it needless death after all?
For England may keep faith
For all that is done and said.
We know their dream; enough
To know they dreamed and are dead;
And what if excess of love
Bewildered them till they died?
I write it out in a verse -
MacDonagh and MacBride
And Connolly and Pearse
Now and in time to be,
Wherever green is worn,
Are changed, changed utterly:
A terrible beauty is born….”
(From here.)

Details on those in Dublin intending to commemorate this “terrible beauty” can be found here, here and here.
Details on other Irish Republican Easter Commemorations 2008 can be found here.
Sharon.