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News about the Irish & Irish American culture, music, news, sports. This is hosted by the Irish Aires radio show on KPFT-FM 90.1 in Houston, Texas (a Pacifica community radio station)
November 22, 2004
News 11/21/04 - Adams Regrets Bombings
News about Ireland & the Irish
IT 11/22/04 Adams Says He Regrets Birmingham Bombings Of 30 Ys Ago
CN 11/21/04 Brum's IRA Bombers
CN 11/21/04 Former Terrorist Calls For Apology
BB 11/21/04 Murphy 'Hopeful Over Proposals'
IT 11/22/04 Ahern To Meet Blair For 'Key' Talks This Week
SL 11/21/04 DUP's Code Of Silence On Progress Of Deal
UT 11/21/04 Durkan Attacks Sinn Fein
SM 11/21/04 Ahern To Hold Talks With SDLP Critic (Durkan)
SL 11/21/04 Sinn Fein In New IRA Spy Row
IT 11/22/04 Colleague's IRA Conviction Not Safe, Says SF TD
GU 11/21/04 Bloody Sunday: The Final Reckoning Begins
EX 11/21/04 Britain Urged To Pump £1bn Peace Dividend Into North
SM 11/21/04 Maze Site Stadium Plans Under Fire
IO 11/21/04 'Talks Progressing Over Fate Of UN Hostages'
SL 11/21/04 Race Is On To Get Tall Ships
FO 11/21/04 Feed Your Celtic Habit Next Weekend
IO 11/21/04 More Trams To Run On Luas Line
IT 11/22/04 O'Connell Street Trees Face Destruction
RT 11/22/04 17-Storey Belfast Building Blasted In Regeneration -VO
17-Storey Belfast Building Blasted In Regeneration
******************************************
See video at:
----
Adams Says He Regrets Birmingham Bombings Of 30 Years Ago
Gerry Moriarty
Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams has stated that he "regrets"
the Birmingham pub bombings which killed 21 people and maimed and
wounded scores more.
As a service marking the 30th anniversary was taking place in
Birmingham yesterday, Mr Adams told reporters in Belfast that he
regretted what happened.
There has been recent speculation that the IRA is about to make a
formal apology for the bombings. Asked about this, Mr Adams
referred to a statement the IRA made two years ago where it
apologised to all "non-combatants" killed and injured in the
troubles.
"My recollection very clearly is that the IRA apologised for all
the actions it engaged in, in which civilians were hurt or
injured," he said. "I certainly regret what happened and I make no
bones about that."
He said the onus was on politicians to ensure such events were
never repeated. "I think the best thing is for us to make sure that
these awful events never happen again," said Mr Adams.
The Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, adopted a similar line when
speaking about the bombings yesterday. He believed a specific
apology about Birmingham would be a "good" development but "what's
important at the end of the day is that we move forward and we
never have to have these atrocities again.
"But if apologies do help people then I can see an awful lot of
point in that," he said. "Our aim all the time is to ensure we
never go back to those terrible days, that we keep on moving all
the time so that we don't get victims in the future or in the
present.
"But we have to acknowledge the fact that people's lives have been
dreadfully, dreadfully wrecked over the last 30 years and we are
still having to pay the price for that," added Mr Murphy.
(c) The Irish Times
******************************************
Brum's IRA Bombers
Nov 21 2004
EXCLUSIVE by Don Malhi
IRA bombers brought terror to the streets of the West Midlands in
the 1970s.
Last week republican terrorist Mick Murray was named as a
ringleader of the gang behind the bombings of two pubs in
Birmingham city centre on November 21, 1974.
The blasts in the Tavern in the Town and the the Mulberry Bush
killed 21 innocent people and injured more than 200.
Today, on the 30th anniversary of the pub bombings, we look at the
other IRA men who brought terror to the region during that fateful
year.
Together they were known as the Birmingham Nine and were convicted
of carrying out 20 explosions in the run-up to the pub bombings.
The nine men were jailed for a total of 260 years.
The Birmingham Six - Hugh Callaghan, Patrick Hill, Gerard Hunter,
Richard McIlkenny, William Power and John Walker - were jailed for
the pub bombings, but later had their convictions quashed.
One theory for the blasts is that they were intended to
"commemorate" the death of IRA bomber James McDade.
The 28 year-old, described by republicans as a "Lieutenant of the
Birmingham Battalion", accidentally blew himself up while
attempting to destroy a Coventry telephone exchange a week before
the pub bombings.
On the afternoon of November 21, with emotions running high, all
police leave was cancelled and an extra 1,300 officers were drafted
in to guard his coffin as it was driven to Coventry airport and
flown to Ireland.
But hours after the funeral procession, two bombs exploded in two
packed Birmingham city centre pubs.
It has been claimed that a 'link man' ordered the revenge attacks
in an impulsive grief-stricken reaction to McDade's death - without
the blessing of IRA chiefs in Belfast.
The secret figure, whose identity has never been revealed, is
believed to have then left for Ireland to attend the funeral and
has remained there ever since.
Another theory is that the bombings were revenge attacks for the
Loyalist Dublin and Monaghan bombings six months earlier.
Thirty four people died in the Ulster Volunteer Force attacks,
labelled the worst atrocity of the Northern Ireland Troubles. It
has been claimed the British security forces colluded with the
loyalist terrorists in the bombings.
Mick Murray was one of three men arrested along with the Birmingham
Six by West Midlands Police in the immediate aftermath of the pub
blasts.
It has been claimed that Murray, who died in 1999, helped choose
the Mulberry Bush and the Tavern in the Town as targets.
And he was named as being one of the bomb- makers who transported
the explosives to the city centre before handing them to the men
who planted them.
But, it is claimed Murray then botched a telephone warning made to
our sister newspaper The Birmingham Post. It was supposed to give
half an hour for the pubs to be cleared. But his warning, using the
codeword Double X, came just six minutes before the first explosion
- and did not name either pub.
Murray admitted being a member of the IRA after his arrest. But
West Midlands Police never charged him with murder and he served 12
years in jail for conspiracy to cause explosions.
In 1990 his name was mentioned in a report handed to the Government
by the Who Bombed Birmingham? Granada TV programme.
The show was based on a book by campaigning MP, Chris Mullin, who
said he met the real bombers, but could not reveal their identity.
In another Parliamentary report, the MP stated the programme-makers
had also passed a Special Branch document containing details of
interviews with an IRA man to the Home Office. The unnamed
terrorist had been arrested in November 1975 - six months after the
trial and conviction of the Birmingham Six.
Mr Mullin claimed the terrorist gave police accurate information
including the names of some of those whom he said were responsible
for the bombs.
Crucially, the papers contained the remark: "So-and-so told me he
put one of the bombs in the pub."
Along with Murray and the Birmingham Six two other men - including
James Kelly - were arrested in the immediate aftermath of the
carnage.
Kelly was found guilty of possessing explosives and bizarrely
claimed he was a spy who infiltrated the IRA so he could later give
help to the police.
The Birmingham Six were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1975 for
the pub bombings. They were all Belfast born but had lived in Brum
since the 1960s.
Five of them had left the city on the early evening of November 21
from New Street Station - hours before the explosions - to travel
to Belfast to attend McDade's funeral. They were seen off by
Callaghan.
The five were arrested at Heysham that evening and Callaghan was
taken into custody the next day.
All the men were interrogated by Birmingham CID and claimed at
trial they were beaten, threatened and forced to sign state-ments
written by the police over three days of questioning.
Their convictions were overturned by the Court of Appeal in March
1991 and their case is seen as one of the biggest miscarriages of
justice in British legal history.
Terrorist activity was rife in the Midlands during the 1970s and
police arrested scores of IRA members in the months following the
bombings.
But the IRA unit which gained particular notoriety was the
Birmingham Nine. They were responsible for 20 of the 31 bomb blasts
in Birmingham and parts of the West Midlands between August 1973
and August 1974.
Patrick Guilfoyle, Martin Coughlan, Gerard Young, Joseph Duffy,
Michael Murray, Anthony Madigan, Joseph Ashe, Gerald Small and
Stephen Blake conducted the biggest wave of bombings in the region
since the Second World War.
Coughlan and Young were said to be the leading figures in the
campaign.
Coughlan was born in Dublin and came to Birmingham in 1956. He
rented a house in Chelmsley Wood with his wife and had three
children.
It is believed he was the brains behind the campaign of terror
which began in Birmingham and spread to Manchester.
Guilfoyle never quite made the grade of bomber. He caused an
explosion that badly injured one of his IRA colleagues because he
was smoking a cigarette while making a bomb.
Northern Ireland historian David McVea said: "Many different
theories have been put forward as to who actually carried out the
bombings, but it is unlikely that the true culprits will ever be
identified.
"The IRA was very protective of its members at the time, people
moved in and out of the different cells constantly. "As well as the
killing of so many innocent people the real tragedy is the wrongful
jailing of the Birmingham Six.
"The IRA was able to use the injustice against these men to their
advantage for years."
******************************************
Former Terrorist Calls For Apology
Nov 21 2004
EXCLUSIVE by Jeanette Oldham
A former IRA commander last night urged the terror group to
apologise unreservedly for the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings.
Anthony McIntyre, who served an 18-year jail term for murder, told
the Sunday Mercury: "If you bump into someone in the street it's
mere courtesy to say sorry - if you slaughter 21 innocent civilians
it's imperative that you apologise.
"Tony Blair apologised for the Irish famine and he wasn't even born
then."
Twenty-one people were killed and more than 200 injured when the
Tavern in the Town and the Mulberry Bush were blown up on November
21, 1974. It remains the worst terrorist outrage on mainland
Britain.
The IRA, which has apologised in recent years for a number of
murders it carried out in the 1970s, is widely assumed to have
carried out the Birmingham bombings - but has never admitted
responsibility.
On Thursday, ahead of the today's 30th anniversary, a Sinn Fein
spokesman conceded that the attacks were wrong and should not have
happened.
But Anthony McIntyre, who served 18 years in the Maze prison for
IRA activities including the murder of a loyalist, said the IRA
leadership owed victims' families a full apology. "There's no doubt
they should say sorry - properly. It's long overdue," he said. "Any
organisation that kills civilians in such circumstances is a
disgrace. There can be no justification for killing civilians and
the IRA should acknowledge their own responsibility for the
Birmingham bombings and apologise unreservedly."
Mr McIntyre, who lives in West Belfast and is still a committed
republican, added: "I don't think it's down to the likes of Gerry
Adams and Martin McGuinness alone to apologise.
"McGuinness has only ever admitted to being in the IRA as a very
young man and Adams has always maintained he was never in the IRA.
"What's needed is a statement from the IRA leadership - a full
apology to the victims and their families."
A Sinn Fein official told the Sunday Mercury: "The IRA can't
apologise for every bombing otherwise it would be issuing apologies
every week."
But Mr McIntyre, who notably refuses to apologise for his own
terrorist past - 'since I never killed civilians' - rubbished the
comment.
Mr McIntyre, believes the principal legacy of the Birmingham blasts
was 'the questions it raised about the British state's handling of
the investigation'.
He added: "I know the Birmingham Six didn't do it - but I don't
know who did. The victims' families have to live with the knowledge
that the real culprits have never been brought to justice and now
never will.
"A full apology is all that is left to them. To deny them that is
wrong in anyone's book."
******************************************
Murphy 'Hopeful Over Proposals'
The secretary of state has said he is hopeful the parties will
accept the British-Irish blueprint aimed at restoring devolution.
Paul Murphy said while apologies for acts of terrorism where
helpful, people should not lose sight of what was important.
He was speaking on the 30th anniversary of the Birmingham bomb
attack.
The British and Irish Governments put their proposals to the DUP
and Sinn Fein on Wednesday.
The plans followed two months of continuing negotiations aimed at
exploring a way around the stumbling blocks faced at September's
talks at Leeds Castle in Kent.
"Although I do think that apologies mean certain things to certain
people, the important thing now is to try and get us into a new
society in Northern Ireland that turns its back on events such as
occurred in Birmingham 30 years ago and what occurred in Omagh," Mr
Murphy said on Sunday.
"This week is actually an important week in that respect as the
parties are, hopefully, coming to the conclusion of our
negotiations and discussions."
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said on Saturday he believed
there was a very real prospect of the whole island of Ireland
having an historic and peaceful Christmas.
The British and Irish Governments were committed to doing
everything they possibly could in the coming days to resolve all
the outstanding problems in the political process, he said.
Mr Ahern said he was upbeat about the prospects for a breakthrough.
Earlier on Saturday, both Sinn Fein and the DUP held meetings with
party members.
The DUP leadership met assembly members at Stormont, and Sinn Fein
leaders addressed councillors in Dundalk, County Louth.
The DUP assembly team are drawing up their own detailed analysis of
the outstanding issues.
Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness said the British and
Irish proposals were, broadly speaking, the government's best guess
for a resolution.
He said the IRA was not the problem in the negotiations aimed at
breaking the political stalemate, but blamed the DUP.
On Sunday, SDLP leader Mark Durkan said: "The package needs to be
shared with those who originally negotiated the Agreement and not
just between two parties if it is going to have credibility.
"We know the reason why the SDLP has not been given full sight -
not because we cannot be trusted to leak them but because we cannot
be relied upon to not speak the truth."
The British and Irish Governments want an answer from Ian Paisley
and Gerry Adams by the end of the month.
Current negotiations
The DUP's executive will meet next Friday night.
The DUP wants to know the IRA is committed to the proposals
outlined by the government.
Sinn Fein is demanding the proposals reflect more fully the Good
Friday Agreement.
After two years of stalemate, Stormont remains suspended, but signs
are emerging that it could be back in business within months.
More meetings are expected in Downing Street in the next few days.
At the conclusion of intensive political talks at Leeds Castle in
Kent in September, Mr Blair and Mr Ahern said the thorny issues of
IRA disarmament and future paramilitary activity appeared to be
resolved.
But, the two governments were unable to get the Northern Ireland
Assembly parties to sign up to a deal over power-sharing after
unionists and nationalists clashed over future devolved
institutions.
Meanwhile, Gerry Adams has confirmed that proposals for a peace
fund are part of the negotiations on the two governments' proposals
to restore devolution.
He was asked to comment at a press conference on Sunday on media
reports that the DUP wanted a £1bn fund established for Northern
Ireland.
Mr Adams said it had long been his party's position that any money
saved on security should be diverted into an economic dividend
particularly for disadvantaged areas.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2004/11/21 13:05:11 GMT
(c) BBC MMIV
******************************************
Ahern To Meet Blair For 'Key' Talks This Week
Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor
The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony
Blair, are to hold a "key" meeting in Downing Street on Wednesday
to assess the prospects of Sinn Féin and the DUP endorsing Dublin
and London's blueprint for restoring devolution.
Wednesday's meeting is viewed as Mr Ahern and Mr Blair making it
clear to the DUP and Sinn Féin that they are serious in their
requirement for a speedy response to their proposals for restoring
the Northern Executive and Assembly. One senior source last night
described it as a "key" encounter.
The Taoiseach and Prime Minister may use the meeting to devise
their "Plan B" for dealing with the possible failure of these talks
- that is, if there are no indications of definitive answers being
forthcoming quickly from the DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, and
the Sinn Féin president, Mr Gerry Adams.
The Irish and British governments have effectively set this coming
Friday as the date for a response from the DUP and Sinn Féin to
their proposals. While this deadline could slip into next week,
both Dublin and London sources were adamant Mr Ahern and Mr Blair
wanted a definitive response quickly. Sources said the two leaders
were prepared to allow the DUP and Sinn Féin some time beyond
Wednesday for responding to their proposals, but that Mr Ahern and
Mr Blair would formulate new proposals to keep the process moving
forward if their blueprint were rejected.
This could involve a number of options, including calling Assembly
elections or strengthening the British-Irish dimension of the
Belfast Agreement to ensure that what the governments believe is a
firm offer from the IRA to decommission and end activity is not
lost, sources indicated.
Mr Ahern said he was "upbeat" about the chances of the whole island
of Ireland having an historic and peaceful Christmas, while the
Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, said he believed the
politicians were serious in their attempts to achieve a
breakthrough.
Meanwhile, Irish and British officials will continue an intensive
round of discussions with senior DUP and Sinn Féin politicians this
week to try to deal with the points of clarification both parties
have raised.
The Sinn Féin president in an article in today's Irish Times
described the governments' proposals as "work in progress" and said
if this initiative failed because of "rejectionist" unionism's
refusal to share power with nationalists, then "power sharing
between the two governments" was the way forward.
Senior sources, meanwhile, have admitted to anxieties that
purported divisions in the DUP could jeopardise the possibility of
a deal. Sinn Féin's chief negotiator, Mr Martin McGuinness,
expanded on this matter on Saturday when he said it was the DUP,
not the IRA, which was preventing agreement.
"The problem at this particular time is whether or not the
Democratic Unionist Party are going to make up their minds as to
whether or not they are going to do the business, and do the
business now," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics
programme.
There are similar concerns in Dublin and London, it is believed.
Some sources argue that the DUP deputy leader Mr Peter Robinson is
willing to do a deal on the basis that he believes he has a firm
offer from the IRA to fully decommission and end activity, but that
the DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, is uncertain whether now is
the time to do business with Sinn Féin.
A DUP spokesman yesterday dismissed the talk of tensions and
divisions within the party. "They are wholly inaccurate. The
Democratic Unionist Party is absolutely determined in where it is
going and absolutely united in what it is going to do," he said.
(c) The Irish Times
******************************************
DUP's Code Of Silence On Progress Of Deal
By Alan Murray
21 November 2004
THE prospect of a coalition government involving Ian Paisley and
Sinn Fein edged closer last night - despite ongoing negotiations on
crucial policy points.
DUP leader, Ian Paisley, imposed a code of silence on his party
yesterday, to prevent the leaking of key details of the proposals
handed to him in Downing Street, last week.
He warned the 33 members of his Stormont Assembly party on Friday
not to take calls from journalists, because of the delicacy of the
situation.
Both the DUP and Sinn Fein continued meetings with their elected
representatives in Belfast and Dundalk yesterday, to debate the
proposals drafted by the British and Irish governments.
While the DUP is seeking clarification on the precise meaning of
some of the wording in the document, party sources are upbeat about
the chances of concluding a deal, which would see Mr Paisley become
First Minister, with Martin McGuinness becoming Deputy First
Minister.
Speaking at a Fianna Fail youth conference in Co Cavan last night,
DUP MP, Jeffrey Donaldson, said: "One thing that is clear from the
position that we find ourselves in today, is that very significant
progress has been made towards a lasting political resolution.
"There is only a creeping realisation and recognition that we could
be on the verge of an historic breakthrough, far in advance of
anything achieved by David Trimble, and the Ulster Unionist Party."
For the DUP, issues surrounding the verification of IRA
decommissioning, the method of electing the First and Deputy First
ministers, and the accountability of ministers, are paramount.
Sinn Fein is anxious to secure an agreement that Mr Paisley will
agree to serve in a power-sharing government with Sinn Fein, before
IRA weapons are decommissioned before witnesses.
******************************************
Durkan Attacks Sinn Fein
Sinn Fein appears to have taken its eye off the ball in defending
the interests of nationalists and supporters of the Good Friday
Agreement in talks to revive power sharing at Stormont, a rival
claimed today.
By:Press Association
Nationalist SDLP leader Mark Durkan hit out at Sinn Fein`s handling
of the negotiations involving the British and Irish governments and
the Reverend Ian Paisley`s DUP in recent weeks, accusing them of
being more preoccupied with the image of the IRA than with what was
good for the Agreement.
The Foyle Assembly member, who is due to meet Irish Prime Minister
Bertie Ahern in Dublin tomorrow, also criticised both governments
for excluding some pro Good Friday Agreement parties from having
access to the latest political proposals to revive the power
sharing government.
"The package needs to be shared with those who originally
negotiated the Agreement and not just between two parties if it is
going to have credibility," he argued.
"We know the reason why the SDLP has not been given full sight -
not because we cannot be trusted to leak them but because we cannot
be relied upon to not speak the truth.
"If there are flaws or problems, we will point it out in an attempt
to rectify them.
"That is what we did before the Leeds Castle talks, during them and
after them.
"One of our concerns right now is that a large part of the
negotiations in recent weeks have focussed on the terms of
decommissioning and it appears Sinn Fein has concentrated a lot of
their efforts on protecting the self image of the IRA.
"We do not think they have spent as much time on protecting the
interests of the nationalist people and pro- Agreement supporters
generally."
Sinn Fein and Democratic Unionist negotiators have been considering
proposals aimed at removing the gun for ever from politics in
Northern Ireland and delivering people devolved government.
Both parties have claimed the package of proposals have advanced
efforts to bring back the Assembly and other political
institutions.
However they have also both said they need more clarity if they are
going to support a deal within the next ten days.
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said yesterday he believed there
was a very real prospect of the whole island of Ireland having an
historic peaceful Christmas.
However the nationalist SDLP, which has only been briefed on the
document, has expressed concerns about some proposals including the
replacement of the joint election in the Assembly of the First and
Deputy First Ministers with a vote for the entire executive.
Mr Durkan said it was clear in recent days that Sinn Fein had
conceded this change.
"I do not think they have negotiated strongly at all in terms of
the institutional aspects of the Good Friday Agreement," the former
Deputy First Minister said.
"The DUP are in a position where they are able to establish a veto
not only over how a nationalist minister exercises power but a veto
over the very appointment of certain nationalists as ministers."
Mr Durkan also said the interests of the Agreement and nationalists
needed to be defended over cross border cooperation, with the DUP
needing to be pressed on further developing areas of cooperation
and agreeing new areas.
******************************************
Ahern To Hold Talks With SDLP Critic
By Dan McGinn, PA Ireland Political Editor
Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern will today meet the nationalist
SDLP after its leader criticised current peace process
negotiations.
As Sinn Fein and the Reverend Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists
considered proposals from the British and Irish Governments to
revive power sharing at Stormont, SDLP leader Mark Durkan was
travelling to Dublin for a meeting with the Taoiseach.
However the Foyle Assembly member has criticised Mr Ahern and Prime
Minister Tony Blair's governments for not giving other parties
which supported the Good Friday Agreement full sight of their
proposals.
"The package needs to be shared with those who originally
negotiated the Agreement and not just between two parties if it is
going to have credibility," Mr Durkan argued.
"We know the reason why the SDLP has not been given full sight -
not because we cannot be trusted to leak them but because we cannot
be relied upon to not speak the truth.
"If there are flaws or problems, we will point it out in an attempt
to rectify them.
"That is what we did before the Leeds Castle talks, during them and
after them."
The negotiations are believed to be delicately poised, with Sinn
Fein and the DUP still raising some concerns about the two
Governments' plan.
If power sharing is to be restored, it will require a significant
move by the IRA on disarmament.
It is believed an IRA weapons decommissioning act could be
witnessed by Protestant and Catholic clergy, but the DUP would like
a visual aspect to it, with either photographic or video evidence.
Both parties are also understood to have concerns about the
operation of political institutions under the deal, and Sinn Fein
is keen to pin down London and Dublin on a commitment to transfer
policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont within two
years.
It is also understood that the DUP has some concerns about the
rolling out of any deal and the time frame in which it might take
place.
Mr Durkan also hit out at Sinn Fein's handling of the negotiations,
claiming it had appeared to have taken its eye off the ball over
what was good for nationalists and supporters of the Good Friday
Agreement.
In particular, the SDLP leader expressed concern at a proposal to
replace the joint election in the Assembly for First and Deputy
First Minister with a vote for the entire cabinet.
Mr Durkan claimed this would give the DUP a chance to veto who
nationalists put forward as potential ministers by threatening to
withhold support for the executive.
"One of our concerns right now is that a large part of the
negotiations in recent weeks have focussed on the terms of
decommissioning and it appears Sinn Fein has concentrated a lot of
their efforts on protecting the self image of the IRA," he said.
"We do not think they have spent as much time on protecting the
interests of the nationalist people and pro- Agreement supporters
generally."
He continued: "I do not think they (Sinn Fein) have negotiated
strongly at all in terms of the institutional aspects of the Good
Friday Agreement.
"The DUP are in a position where they are able to establish a veto
not only over how a nationalist minister exercises power but a veto
over the very appointment of certain nationalists as ministers."
Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams confirmed last night the British
Government was facing demands to pump £1 billion into Northern
Ireland in a bid to bolster a talks deal if it is struck.
The Democratic Unionists have pressed in negotiations for a
financial package to accompany a deal to revive devolution but
ultimately, it will be Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown's
decision if the peace dividend is to go ahead.
Mr Adams confirmed: "We actually were the party - and we welcome
the DUP coming on board - who originally called for a peace
dividend.
"We certainly believe that the money that goes into the British war
machine should be diverted into an economic dividend, particularly
for disadvantaged areas.
"I have some hope - because we talked to (Prime Minister) Tony
Blair about this the last time we met, and we will be talking to
(Northern Ireland Secretary) Paul Murphy also about the detail of
all of this -- I have some hope that there will be a peace
dividend.
"How much will it be? I don't know, but I have some hope that we
may get it."
******************************************
Sinn Fein In New IRA Spy Row
Activists target southern politicians
By Jim Cusack
21 November 2004
GARDA uncovered details of an IRA spy ring, when they raided the
home of a Dublin Sinn Fein activist convicted of Provisional IRA
membership, last week.
Niall Bennett - believed by Gardai to be the IRA's head of
intelligence in the city - had details of the movements and habits
of senior government and opposition politicians.
Among the figures being spied on was former Minister for Justice,
John O'Donoghue.
Bennett (35), from Faughart Road, Crumlin also had minutes of a
Sinn Fein branch meeting, and is a key election worker for party's
TD, Aengus O Snodaigh.
There was no comment from Sinn Fein, last week, on Bennett's
conviction at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, along with
Kenneth "Cakey" O Donohoe, of Tallaght.
Both were convicted of IRA membership after the court heard gardai
were led to their houses, after an attempt to hijack a container
lorry outside Bray, Co Wicklow, on October 10, 2002.
One of the cars used in the attempted robbery belonged to Donohoe,
who gardai believed is a top IRA member in Dublin.
After they raided his house, he was watched as he held a late-night
meeting with Bennett.
When detectives raided Bennett's house, they found a list
containing the names of politicians, Dublin criminals and members
of the INLA, living in Dublin.
The IRA was spying on politicians apparently with the intention of
digging dirt, gardai said.
They followed politicians from Leinster House and made notes of
where they drank and who they met.
As well as the former Justice minister, the list included former
Sports and Tourism Minister, Jim McDaid, from Donegal, who was
undergoing marital difficulties at the time.
The list of criminals found in the house was also believed to have
been drawn up so the IRA could target figures, who refused to pay
protection money, gardai believe.
The IRA is believed to have shot dead at least five Dublin
criminals, since 2002.
Bennett and Donohoe are due for sentencing on November 30.
The Court heard that both men were closely associated with a plot
to hijack a container lorry outside Bray, on October 10, 2002.
Five men were arrested in Bray, two of them dressed as gardai, and
a third with a Garda fluorescent jacket.
They also had an illegal stun gun, which can paralyse people with a
massive static electric shock, a can of CS gas, a flashing blue
light of the same kind used on Garda cars, balaclavas and cudgels.
Gardai also found a baseball hat with the legend "Long Kesh" on it.
It is believed the men were about to hijack a container of
cigarettes, on its way to Dublin from Rosslare ferry port.
A few days later Gardai raided Bennett's Crumlin home.
They found a briefcase with a number of documents, including
detailed notes with names, addresses and movements of politicians,
criminals and members of the rival republican terror group, the
INLA.
The documents showed that the IRA was spying on the Justice
Minister, Mr O'Donoghue, while he was enjoying a pint in a Rathgar
pub.
******************************************
Colleague's IRA Conviction Not Safe, Says SF TD
Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent
Sinn Féin TD Mr Aengus Ó Snodaigh has criticised as "unsafe" the
conviction of a close political associate who was involved in
spying on senior Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and PD politicians.
The case, which is deeply embarrassing for Sinn Féin, led to a
renewed demand yesterday from the SDLP's deputy leader, Dr Alasdair
McDonnell, for the IRA to end all activity. He said the case showed
that "the IRA has been spying on democratically-elected southern
politicians and profiteering from criminality".
Fine Gael's justice spokesman, Mr Jim O'Keeffe, yesterday called on
Mr Ó Snodaigh "to immediately explain the nature of his
relationship" with the convicted man, and also to explain "how a
Sinn Féin activist came to be convicted of membership of the IRA".
He said the case showed "how even today Sinn Féin and the IRA are
inextricably linked and in many eyes are two sides of the same
coin".
Niall Binéad was one of two men convicted of IRA membership in the
Special Criminal Court last Friday. He is one of Mr Ó Snodaigh's
key election workers in the Dublin South Central constituency.
The trial heard evidence that the arrest of Binéad and his co-
accused Kenneth Donohoe came the day after gardaí arrested five
others following suspicious activity around three vehicles in Corke
Abbey, Bray, on the same day.
Gardaí found four men inside a van; they also found a sledgehammer,
two pickaxe handles, eight bags of ties, radios, a black balaclava,
rubber gloves and a yellow fluorescent jacket with the word "Garda"
on it.
In a Nissan car with false number plates they found a blue flashing
beacon, a Long Kesh cap, a stun gun, a canister of CS gas and a
roll of black tape.
Gardaí who subsequently went to Binéad's house found in a small
briefcase a list written on cigarette paper which was headed
"Politicians". Mr George Birmingham SC said the prosecution viewed
this as an IRA document.
It listed Jim Mitchell, Fine Gael; Des O'Malley, Progressive
Democrats; John O'Donoghue, Fianna Fáil; and said "drinking in
Rathgar". It went on to list "Jim McDaid, Donegal Fianna Fáil; and
Brendan 'Rambo' McGahon, Fine Gael" and added, "backing horses in
Paddy Powers just off Grafton Street, Lemon Street, just off
Bewley's cafe".
The court ruled that the details of other documents, including
names, found in the briefcase on that day should not be published.
Dr McDonnell said yesterday that Mr Ó Snodaigh's associate was
involved in a "spy ring [which] was part of a dirty tricks campaign
for Sinn Féin against other political parties".
There was also evidence that he was gathering details on Dublin
criminals to demand money from them. "This is further proof that
the IRA is trying to profiteer from the most serious criminality."
However, Mr Ó Snodaigh insisted the conviction was unsafe and
called for the immediate closure of the Special Criminal Court. The
decision "mirrored the worst excesses of the diplock court system
in the Six Counties", he said.
"There is huge outrage and anger that once again we have seen
people convicted of IRA membership, not on any evidence, but on the
word of a Garda superintendent," he said.
(c) The Irish Times
******************************************
Bloody Sunday: The Final Reckoning Begins
Britain's longest and most expensive legal inquiry reaches the
summing up stage
Richard Norton-Taylor
Monday November 22, 2004
The Guardian
Today in Derry a barrister will sum up the evidence in the biggest
investigation in British legal history: Lord Saville's inquiry into
the killing by British paratroopers of 14 unarmed civil rights
marchers on Bloody Sunday, January 30 1972.
The soldiers killed the men and boys, and wounded 13 others, in 20
minutes of gunfire. Some were running away, others were simply
taunting the troops. The Ministry of Defence finally admitted
during the inquiry that none of those shot or wounded was armed.
Christopher Clarke QC, counsel to the inquiry, will point to key
issues and questions raised in 432 days of oral testimony from more
than 900 witnesses and in thousands of written statements.
He started the hearings in the same building - Derry's Guildhall -
more than four and a half years ago, on March 28 2000, with an
opening speech that lasted 42 days, also the longest in British
legal history.
Bloody Sunday provoked a spiral of violence in Northern Ireland. It
also panicked Edward Heath, then prime minister, into setting up an
inquiry, under the chief justice, Lord Widgery.
His report was regarded as a whitewash. But it was not until more
than 30 years later that documents emerged from the national
archives casting serious doubts about the way the Widgery tribunal
was conducted and the evidence it heard.
Before that inquiry began, Sir Edward told Lord Widgery: "It has to
be remembered that we are in Northern Ireland fighting not only a
military war but a propaganda war."
The secretary to the Widgery inquiry said in a memo that the lord
chief justice would "pile up the case against the deceased".
Statements by paratroopers to the military police, made available
to Widgery but kept from the families of the victims and their
lawyers, were also released. These revealed serious discrepancies
between the accounts soldiers gave to the military police and the
evidence they gave to Lord Widgery.
Some soldiers later admitted to the Saville inquiry they had lied
to the military police.
The new evidence and statements made by a number of soldiers
unhappy about the cover-ups were produced by the Irish government
in a dossier sent to London in 1997. The following year Tony Blair
agreed to set up a new inquiry - the first time two judicial
tribunals have investigated the same incident.
The British government has never given its reasons for setting up
the Saville inquiry though it is, in effect, part of the peace
process and an attempt at truth and reconciliation.
In his opening speech, Mr Clarke said the tribunal's task was "to
discover as far as humanly possible in the circumstances, the truth
... not the truth as people would like it to be, but the truth,
pure and simple, painful or unacceptable to whoever that truth may
be."
It has been a formidable task. The Ministry of Defence was less
than helpful. It gave the Saville inquiry team a list of hundreds
of soldiers who "may" have been present on Bloody Sunday. Some
were, some were not.
Rifles, which Lord Saville had asked should be preserved, were
destroyed.
When soldiers reluctantly came to give evidence in London - they
refused to go to Derry - they insisted on anonymity. "I can't
remember" was a persistent refrain. One soldier said he fired 19
shots through a single small hole in a window of a flat from a
distance of 300 metres even though he admitted it was "incredible".
General Sir Robert Ford, commander of land forces in Northern
Ireland, wrote a memo saying the minimum force necessary to restore
law and order was to "shoot selected ringleaders" of what the army
called the "Derry young hooligans". He insisted it was a private
note expressing an opinion and the idea went no further.
Paramilitaries - the Official and Provisional IRA also initially
refused to give evidence.
After the tribunal ruled that MI5 and army intelligence had to
release records identifying members of the two organisations, many
paramilitaries came forward.
The inquiry heard evidence from the Official IRA command staff in
Derry at the time and from leading Provos, including Martin
McGuinness.
Their cooperation with a British tribunal was unprecedented. As one
former paramilitary told the inquiry: "I come from an era where we
did not recognise the courts."
Lord Saville is likely to conclude that there was no conspiracy at
a political level in Britain or Northern Ireland to provoke
violence.
He is expected, however, to criticise senior army officers for
confusion over the orders given to the paratroopers, and their
tactics. Evidence to the inquiry suggested that the Paras, who had
not been deployed to Derry's Bogside before, were hyped up, ill-
disciplined, and trigger-happy.
The inquiry also heard that the paramilitaries had agreed before
the march against internment, which was made illegal by emergency
powers, not to carry weapons.
To fire at the soldiers would have been totally counterproductive,
witnesses told the inquiry. However, two members of the Official
IRA admitted firing some shots after the soldiers had opened fire
at the marchers. They were quickly bundled away.
Though it is plain that paratroopers did not tell the truth to the
inquiry, Lord Saville will have to establish whether there was any
rational explanation for their actions and whether the shooting was
premeditated.
Mr Clarke may offer some hints today. Lord Saville, meanwhile,
hopes to publish his findings by the summer.
Some doubt he will be able to keep to this deadline.
He will also have to demonstrate his inquiry was worth it - in
terms of its cost, estimated at £155m, its stated aim of
establishing the truth, and closing what many, not only
republicans, believe was one of the British army's most shameful
episodes.
In session: Time and money
Announced in January 1998. Opened in March 2000 with a 42-day
speech by counsel to the inquiry, the longest on record. Ended this
month. Sat for 434 days. Lord Saville hopes to publish his findings
in summer 2005
Expected to cost £155m. Fees for Eversheds, London-based
solicitors' firm serving the inquiry, expected to total more than
£12m. Earnings for Christopher Clarke QC, counsel to the inquiry,
who gave up lucrative private practice, estimated at more than £3m
920 witnesses gave oral evidence. Another 1,000 gave written
statements
Oral evidence heard from 245 soldiers, 34 paramilitaries, 505
civilians, 49 journalists, and seven priests
Evidence included 121 audiotapes, 109 videotapes and 13 volumes of
photographs
14m words were spoken at the inquiry
The inquiry website has had more than 9m hits.
******************************************
Britain Urged To Pump £1bn Peace Dividend Into North
By Dan McGinn
THE British Government is facing demands to pump funds into the
North in a bid to bolster a talks deal if it is struck, Sinn Féin
leader Gerry Adams said last night.
As Sinn Féin and the Democratic Unionists considered proposals put
to them by British and Irish governments for reviving power
sharing, Mr Adams said Whitehall was being urged to help cement any
deal by providing a peace dividend.
He said: "We actually were the party - and we welcome the DUP
coming on board - who originally called for a peace dividend.
"We certainly believe that the money that goes into the British war
machine should be diverted into an economic dividend, particularly
for disadvantaged areas.
"I have some hope - because we talked to Tony Blair about this the
last time we met, and we will be talking to (Northern Ireland
Secretary) Paul Murphy also about the detail of all of this - I
have some hope that there will be a peace dividend.
"How much will it be? I don't know, but I have some hope that we
may get it."
The DUP's Ian Paisley has pressed in negotiations with the two
governments for a financial package to accompany any deal to revive
evolution.
Britain's chancellor of the exchequer Gordon Brown would have to
approve the peace dividend, but it is believed the DUP and Sinn
Féin would like the Government to commit £1 billion to help offset
the problems in Northern Ireland infrastructure.
The DUP believes the province has seen its water sewerage system
fall into disrepair, as a result of 30 years of direct rule from
Westminster, and that the cash is also needed to boost transport,
schools and other essential services.
The negotiations are believed to be delicately poised, with Sinn
Féin and the DUP still raising some concerns about the two
governments' proposals.
If power sharing is to be restored, it will require a significant
move by the IRA on disarmament.
It is believed an IRA weapons decommissioning act could be
witnessed by Protestant and Catholic clergy, but the DUP would like
a visual aspect to it, with either photographic or video evidence.
Both parties are also understood to have concerns about the
operation of political institutions under the deal, and Sinn Féin
is keen to pin down London and Dublin on a commitment to transfer
policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont within two
years.
It is also understood the DUP has some concerns about the rolling
out of any deal and the time frame in which it might take place. Mr
Murphy yesterday indicated that he was hopeful that the DUP and
Sinn Féin, which are the only parties to have seen the proposals,
could accept them.
******************************************
Maze Site Stadium Plans Under Fire
By Dan McGinn, PA Northern Ireland Political Editor
Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy will today face criticism of
Government plans to locate a sports stadium at the site of the Maze
Prison: which housed republican and loyalist prisoners.
Belfast city councillors were expected to criticise the handling by
ministers of a consultation process on the site of a new national
stadium for the province; insisting sites other than the Maze
Prison were not properly considered.
Politicians in the city had hoped that a site in East Belfast's
Titanic Quarter would have still been a contender.
However, last week it emerged that the Government was planning a £1
billion development which included the stadium on top of the former
prison which housed the infamous H-Block: where ten republican
prisoners died in a hunger striker in 1981.
It is envisaged that the 30,000-seat arena will play host to
international soccer games as well as showpiece Rugby Union and
Gaelic Games; as well as rock concerts.
It is also proposed that there will be an office, hotel and leisure
village; and industrial estate; an international conflict
transformation centre; and a rural excellence and equestrian zone
with showgrounds and exhibition facilities.
A council source said: "There is a feeling that the case for
Titanic quarter wasn't properly listened to: even though the Maze
Prison was the favourite.
"If you look at other cities in the UK, the trend is for stadiums
to be built in city centres.
"There is not doubt that it would have made a lot of economic sense
to have located it in the city: especially given all the hotels
that have begun to spring up.
"There is a ready-made tourist infrastructure in place in Belfast;
whereas at the Maze, the Government is going to have to start from
scratch in what is essentially a rural area."
Mr Murphy was also expected to face questions from councillors at a
special meeting on the government's plan to reduce the number of
local councils in Northern Ireland as part of its review of public
administration.
Unionists expressed concern that the number of councils would be
reduced to seven: with nationalists controlling the majority of
them.
The Northern Ireland Secretary was also due to face questions on
the form of the rates system and border charges.
City councillors were also expected to raise concerns about out-of-
town shopping developments, warning about their impact on trade in
Belfast City centre.
******************************************
'Talks Progressing Over Fate Of UN Hostages'
21/11/2004 - 18:28:02
Militants threatening to kill three UN hostages claimed today that
talks to swap them for jailed comrades were progressing, even as an
American general urged a tough line against the kidnappers. st week
in police custody had been tortured.
Armed men seized Philippine diplomat Angelito Nayan, British-Irish
citizen Annetta Flanigan and Shqipe Hebibi of Kosovo on October 28,
the first such abduction in the Afghan capital since the fall of
the Taliban three years ago.
Afghan officials believe a criminal gang carried out the abduction
and that negotiations have snagged over a ransom demand. But it
remains unclear if the kidnappers are working for a militant group
demanding that Afghan and US authorities free several prisoners.
Akbar Agha, the group's leader, today said that it had held
"successful talks" over the past four or five days with Afghan and
UN officials.
Agha said a mediator had assured them some prisoners would be freed
but that the Afghan government was struggling to obtain the release
of others in American custody.
"We had already hinted to them that we can be flexible in our
demand for the release of the 26 prisoners," Akbar said. "We have
even discussed the formalities of how to exchange the hostages for
our people."
An American spokesman this week refused to rule out that the US
might release some prisoners. It is unclear who is holding the 26
sought by Jaish-al Muslimeen.
But US officials have warned that any deal could encourage more
Afghan militants to copy a tactic used by insurgents in Iraq.
******************************************
Race Is On To Get Tall Ships
Ulster bid to influence judges
By Sunday Life Reporter
21 November 2004
THE spectacular Tall Ships Race could be on its way back to
Belfast... in 2009.
Unionist and nationalist councillors from the city were united,
last week, as they attempted to woo a team of judges into bringing
the crowd pulling event to Belfast.
The team of DUP, Sinn Fein, Ulster Unionist and SDLP councillors
travelled to Newcastle upon Tyne to present the city's case.
"It went exceptionally well," said former lord mayor, Jim Rodgers.
"There were representations from cities from all over Europe, and
the judges won't make a decision until March, next year.
"But I think we put up a very strong case, and the judges know how
well the event was received when it last came to Belfast, in 1991,
when hundreds of thousands of people turned out to see the ships."
The SDLP's Pat Convey, Sinn Fein's Fra McCann and the DUP's Wallace
Browne, also joined council officials in Newcastle.
They were hoping make up for the disappointment of losing out to
Liverpool last year in the bid to bring the race to the city in
2008.
An estimated 250,000 visitors witnessed the 80-ship friendly
armada, when it sailed into Belfast Lough, for a four-day stay, in
July, 1991.
The stunning event was the highlight of year- long celebrations, a
gigantic carnival, when more than 2,000 crew came ashore to join a
huge street party.
The fleet included what was then the largest operational sailing
ship in the world - the 400ft Sedov, from Russia.
The event, sponsored by Cutty Sark Whiskey, started in 1956, when a
mixed bunch of sailing ships raced from Torbay to Portugal.
It was so successful, that the Sail Training Association was formed
and today, the Tall Ships race attracts record crowds, during the
stopovers in various cities.
Mr Rodgers said bringing the event to Belfast would be a great
boost for the local economy.
"Belfast now has one of Europe's most attractive waterfronts, it is
a progressive city, and the judges know from the response the event
received in 1991, that the ships and crews will be guaranteed a
fantastic reception."
******************************************
Feed Your Celtic Habit Next Weekend
By VICTORIA GUAY
Staff Writer
New Hampshire is going Celtic on Nov. 28. From Concord to Plymouth,
the sounds of Scotland and Ireland will be brought to life in two
diverse performances on that day that bring the thunder of drum and
bagpipe to the haunting sounds of an Irish ballad.
Cherish the Ladies are, clockwise from left,Mary Coogan, Joanie
Madden, Mirella Murray, Heidi Talbot and Roisin Dillon Courtesy
photo
At Plymouth State University's Silver Cultural Arts Center, four
Irish and Irish-American women, who call themselves Cherish the
Ladies, will enchant audience members with their vocal and
instrumental talent.
Cherish The Ladies, named after an Irish Jig, is a group that
strives, according to their Web site, to bring the best of
traditional Irish music and dance to the world and have won many
awards and accolades for their work, including Group of the Year by
the Irish Voice newspaper and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall's
International Group of the Year Award at the Celtic Connections
Festival in Scotland.
Diane Jeffrey, director of the Silver Cultural Arts Center, said
Cherish the Ladies had been scheduled to play in Plymouth last
year, but the show was canceled due to the weather. The group had
been playing in New Jersey and couldn't make it through a snowstorm
to make the performance.
She said some patrons of the Silver Cultural Arts Center have been
requesting a performance by Cherish the Ladies for several years.
"The people in this area have always had a huge interest in Celtic
music whether it's Canadian, Irish or Scottish," Jeffrey said. "I
think it's because of the area's history and heritage - there were
a lot of Irish settlers here."
Jeffrey said that about three years ago, at another Celtic
performance, several audience members approached her and
recommended Cherish the Ladies.
"We've been trying to get them here for the past four years,"
Jeffrey said, noting the group has a busy tour schedule.
Just recently, the group toured Australia. The group has also
traveled all over Europe, the United Kingdom, South and North
America.
Cherish the Ladies, who will be performing with a troupe of
traditional Irish Step Dancers, will take to the stage in Plymouth
at 7 p.m. and the show will last until 9 p.m.
Jeffrey said for those who wish to arrive early, there will be a
question and answer session with some members of group, starting at
around 6 p.m. She added that there will opportunities for pictures
and autographs after the show as well.
Not having been familiar with the group when patrons suggested she
try to book them, Jeffrey has since become a fan of the all-female
quartet.
"They are pretty traditionally Irish," Jeffrey said. "For
instrumentation, there is a lot of flute, whistle, banjo, mandolin,
accordion and fiddle. Vocally, there is a compelling sound to
Celtic music when sung by women."
For more information, contact the Silver Cultural Arts Center at
535-2600 or go to www.cherishtheladies.com. For Tickets, call 535-
ARTS (2787).
If the powerful sound of drum and fife are more your style, then
Concord is the place to be for the Strathspey and Reel Society of
New Hampshire's Gala Scottish Concert, being held Nov. 28 at
Concord City Auditorium.
Sylvia Miskoe, musical director of the Society, said their annual
event will include dancers and the Pipe and Drum corps from the New
Hampshire School of Scottish Arts as well as guest musician Rod
Stradling, a renown accordionist from the United Kingdom.
Miskoe said that the Strathspey and Reel Society of New Hampshire
is non-profit group of individuals who like to get together at
least once a month and play Scottish music.
The group was started about 17 years ago, said Miskoe, and the
first Gala Concert was about 15 years ago.
"This year, the Pipe and Drum band of the School of Scottish Arts
will open the show," Miskoe said. "They will be followed by Rod
Stradling and then music and dancing by our members."
The only requirement is that you love Scottish music and don't mind
either learning how to play or being a spectator.
Miskoe said that Concord show will last about two-and-a-half hours.
Miskoe said that anyone can join the Strathspey and Reel Society,
even with no prior musical experience.
"We just like to play Scottish music," Miskoe said. "Our members
are all abilities and age levels from one year old to 70."
For more information on the Gala Scottish Concert, call the Concord
City Auditorium at 286-8211 or the Strathspey and Reel Society of
New Hampshire at 225-6546 or visit www.srsnh.org.
Victoria Guay can be reached at 524-3800 ext. 5937 or at
******************************************
More Trams To Run On Luas Line
21/11/2004 - 14:42:00
The number of trams on the Luas line from Tallaght to Connolly
Station is to increase by 30%, it was announced today.
The route has been operating at almost full capacity since it
opened two months ago.
Transport Minister Martin Cullen said the increase from six trams
to eight trams per hour would allow the Luas to carry another
10,000 passengers.
The trams will arrive at seven and a half minute intervals, instead
of ten minute intervals, from next month.
"If the trams run more frequently, we can carry more people. This
will get more people out of their cars and onto public transport,"
said Mr Cullen.
The waiting times are set to reduce again in the new year when
trams on the Tallaght line will run at five minute intervals.
The Tallaght and Sandyford lines are now carrying 40,000 passengers
each day.
The 800 million euro system is expected to carry six million
passengers by the end of the year.
However, the Railway Procurement Agency had to review warning signs
on the routes following a series of collisions between trams and
cars.
It is currently planning to extend the Tallaghtline to the Dublin
Docklands and the Sandyford line to Cherrywood.
Mr Cullen is also investigating the possibility of building a one
kilometre stretch of track to line the two rail lines together.
******************************************
O'Connell Street Trees
Olivia Kelly
The last 10 mature trees on O'Connell Street, Dublin, are almost
certain to face destruction following a dramatic U-turn in public
support for their preservation.
The results of the public consultation process, yet to be
published, on the redevelopment of the street found a majority were
in favour of the council's plans to remove the trees, The Irish
Times has learned.
This represents a marked change in public opinion from when the
council began felling the London Plane trees, some more than 100-
years-old, in November 2002.
Numerous representations were made to the council and public
representatives demanding their retention. A number of Green Party
TDs chained themselves to the trees in an attempt to stop the
felling.
The council agreed to continue the first phase of the street
improvement works without destroying any more trees, leaving 10
trees remaining at the northern end of the street.
While a number of city councillors, including the Lord Mayor, Mr
Michael Conaghan have spoken against the council's plans, public
opinion seems to support the views of city management.
"The results of the public consultation would indicate that a
majority, an healthy majority, are in favour of the new O'Connell
Street plans," the area manager for the project, Mr Paul Maloney,
said.
Mr Maloney said he could not give exact details of the percentage
in favour of the new plans, or the exact number of submissions to
the public consultation process because the information had not yet
been furnished to the councillors.
He said the city management was "extremely pleased" with the
public's response. The change in attitude was in part due to the
positive reaction to the first phase of the redevelopment at the
southern half the street and outside the GPO, he said.
By the time the improvement works are completed, the number of
trees on the street will have risen from 62 to 156.
However, Mr Mooney stressed: "The removal of the trees would be the
left to the very last stage, probably around February 2006, so
there's no need to make a decision on it yet. Nobody will be
allowed to touch them until then."
(c) The Irish Times
