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)

July 22, 2005

Castlereagh: No Charges

News about Ireland & the Irish

DI 07/22/05 Castlereagh:No Charges
BT 07/22/05 Hain Rejects Call For Bomber Evidence
BB 07/22/05 Parties Clash Over Kelly Release
BB 07/22/05 Bail Is Refused Over 'Feud Fears'
IO 07/22/05 Murder Attempt May Be Part Of Loyalist Feud
EP 07/22/05 McGuinness Urges IRA To Give Up Violence
BT 07/22/05 SF Clash With Dup On 'Myths'
IO 07/22/05 UUP Warns Unionist Trust Must Be Rebuilt
DI 07/22/05 Rights Group Blasts Irish/US Treaty
BB 07/22/05 Ice-Bound Rescue Mission Recalled
DI 07/22/05 Heading For Caffeine Nirvana?
DI 07/22/05 Irish Coffee Festival Celebrates Ntnl Beverage

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http://62.253.251.16/dailyireland/home.tvt?_ticket=1170OZE9CHVR6JL1HONDNOTG9LLDNVP5TRRIVQNAFN0GDLTCJLWFURUQC609ANWRBLPEBHSJ5LE1HONDNMTEGPKACN1FURUQS4X&_scope=DailyIreland/Content/News&id=7472&opp=1

Castlereagh:No Charges

By Jarlath Kearney j.kearney@dailyireland.com

The PSNI has failed to charge anyone after a highly
sensitive security dossier "disappeared" from east
Belfast's Castlereagh barracks in July 2004, it can be
revealed.

Daily Ireland has also learned that – barring three initial
searches and one arrest – the PSNI has failed to order any
follow-up searches or arrests in the explosive
investigation for exactly 12 months.

It's believed that 28 Royal Irish Regiment (RIR) soldiers
ranging from major to private were removed from sensitive
intelligence duties after the disappearance of the document
from the Military Intelligence offices at the PSNI base was
discovered.

Speaking to Daily Ireland yesterday, a British army
spokesperson declined to elaborate on the current
assignments of the 28 RIR soldiers claiming "it would be
unfair to speculate".

Nationalist politicians were incensed about the apparent
theft of the intelligence document. British government
officials telephoned members of the media throughout
Belfast to advise that the apparent theft was a "non-
story".

The incident followed a previous burglary of intelligence
documents at Castlereagh PSNI Special Branch office in
March 2002.

On that occasion, the PSNI initially blamed an 'inside job'
theory before attempting to throw suspicion onto
republicans.

Over 30 high-profile raids and nine arrests took place in
the days after the 2002 Castlereagh burglary, with
extensive PSNI media briefings blaming the IRA for the
incident. No one was charged.

By contrast, on Sunday, July 11, 2004, the PSNI issued a
brief statement indicating that detectives "had been called
to investigate" an alleged internal breach of security at
Castlereagh barracks. A later British government statement
confirmed that "there is an ongoing investigation into the
disappearance of a document from a room in the Castlereagh
Complex".

At that time, just three premises were searched. Only one
person was arrested before being released without charge.
This individual was believed to be a serving RIR soldier.

It emerged that a highly-classified intelligence dossier
containing the personal details of hundreds of citizens had
gone missing from Castlereagh barracks.

A PSNI spokesperson confirmed to Daily Ireland yesterday
that no subsequent searches or arrests have been ordered in
the past 12 months.

"To date, one person has been arrested and subsequently
released without charge. Three searches were carried out.
Investigations into this incident are continuing," the PSNI
spokesperson said.

A British army spokesperson told Daily Ireland last night
that "no soldiers were suspended from duty" over the
affair.

"A number of personnel were assigned to other duties while
the police investigation went on," the spokesperson said.

Describing the reassignments as "quite normal", the
spokesperson continued: "We just gave them other jobs. I
don't know what they're doing now. It would be unfair for
me to speculate on what they're doing now."

The spokesperson said that the British army would "look at
it [the case] when the police finish their investigation".

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=653587

Hain Rejects Call To Show Shankill Bomber Evidence

By Sarah Brett
sbrett@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
22 July 2005

THE Secretary of State today rejected a cross party call
from Derry councillors to produce any evidence that led to
the controversial imprisonment of Shankill bomber Sean
Kelly to prison.

The call was made by local SDLP leader Pat Ramsey in an
attempted amendment to a Sinn Fein motion backing Kelly's
immediate release.

He also called for Kelly's case to be immediately
investigated by the Independent Sentence Review Commission
if justification for his arrest existed.

Peter Hain said he would not be making any further comment
until if and when that stage was reached.

Derry City Council last night voted against a Sinn Fein
motion to have Shankill bomber Sean Kelly immediately freed
from prison.

The SDLP proposed an amendment to the motion stipulating
that the Secretary of State should release Kelly if there
was nothing to explain the suspension of his licence - but
if justification existed then his case should be heard by
the Independent Sentence Review Commissioners.

Sinn Fein refused to accept the amendment saying Kelly's
arrest was executed to fit a political agenda without a
shred of evidence and that the party was opposed to
internment since the 1970's and continued to be so.

A four strong representation of the unionist bloc on the
council voted against both the motion and the amendment,
ensuring both were rejected.

SDLP Assembly member for Foyle Pat Ramsey said: "The case
of Sean Kelly should be treated like every other case under
the Good Friday Agreement where a person's license is
revoked.

"If there is nothing to justify his detention, then the
Secretary of State should release him again under licence
without delay. But if the Secretary of state believes that
there is, then the sentence review body - an independent
body - needs to hear Sean Kelly's case without delay.

"If the commission think that he has not broken or is
likely to break the terms of his licence, he must be
released."

Responding to the initial proposal by Sinn Fein councillor
Paul Fleming, Gregory Campbell provoked a stunned silence
when he said Kelly's accomplice in the bombing, Thomas
Begley, got what he deserved when he blew himself up in the
bombing which killed ten people in 1993.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4707863.stm

Parties Clash Over Kelly Release

Nationalist and republican councillors in Londonderry have
clashed over a call for the release of Shankill bomber Sean
Kelly.

SDLP councillors refused to back a Sinn Fein motion at
Thursday's council meeting calling for the north Belfast
man to be freed from prison.

The party said Kelly should only be freed if "there was no
evidence against him".

Sinn Fein has launched a campaign calling for his release.

Derry SDLP councillor Pat Ramsey said the Northern Ireland
secretary had "very good reason to make a full disclosure
to the public" about Kelly's arrest.

"Let us all be made aware of the circumstances that led to
the revoking of his licence and imprisonment at the present
time," he said.

Rantings

Sinn Fein councillor Paul Fleming criticised Kelly's re-
arrest because "his role at sectarian interfaces was
nothing but positive".

"He has been arrested at the behest of the rantings of
anti-agreement unionists facilitated by securocrats," he
added.

DUP MP Gregory Campbell said Kelly should not have been
given early release under the Good Friday Agreement.

"The issue isn't one of Sean Kelly helping old ladies
across the road or being a social worker. This man is a
mass killer. He never should have been released from jail
in the first place," he said.

Sean Kelly was one of two men who left a bomb in a shop
which killed nine civilians and his IRA accomplice.

His early licence was revoked last month and he was
returned to prison by Secretary of State Peter Hain on the
basis of a security dossier.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/07/22 13:53:16 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4707633.stm

Bail Is Refused Over 'Feud Fears'

It would be too risky to grant bail to a man alleged to
have been keeping a gun for use in the "notorious" current
UVF-LVF feud, a judge has said.

Mr Justice Weir said there was a well-founded risk of the
man committing further offences if released.

William Graham, 44, from Ashmore Place in Belfast's
Shankill area is accused of possessing a semi-automatic
pistol and 10 rounds of ammunition.

A prosecution lawyer said the defendant denied all
knowledge of the firearms.

The court was told the firearms were found during a planned
police search of his home last weekend.

"The police view is that he is associated with the UVF and
their experience is that weapons used in this feud are not
left with any Tom, Dick or Harry," said the lawyer.

"Neither are they left in a house without notifying the
occupant."

Mr Justice Weir refused bail during Friday's hearing at the
High Court in Belfast.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/07/22 12:43:11 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=194380380&p=y9438yz94

Murder Attempt 'May Have Been Part Of Loyalist Feud'

21/07/2005 - 08:41:38

Police in Belfast were today investigating the possibility
that an overnight murder attempt at a house in the city may
have been part of a bitter loyalist paramilitary feud.

A number of shots were fired through a bathroom window at
the rear of the house in Avonorr Drive in east Belfast
shortly after midnight.

A man in his 30s was on his own in the house at the time of
the attack.

A dark-coloured Rover car was found burnt out in nearby
Bendigo Street one hour later.

Detectives were investigating a possible link between it
and the shooting.

While police said they were keeping an open mind on the
motive for the attack, they were looking at the possibility
that the shooting was part of a feud between the Ulster
Volunteer Force and the rival Loyalist Volunteer Force,
which has already claimed two lives in the city.

Last week Craig McCausland, 20, was shot dead at the house
he shared with his partner and two children in north
Belfast.

His family has denied he had any link to the LVF or any
other terror group.

It was the second tragedy to hit the family. Mr
McCausland's mother, Lorraine, was believed to have been
beaten to death by members of the loyalist Ulster Defence
Association in March 1987 near a drinking club.

Earlier this month 25-year-old Jameson Lockhart was gunned
down as part of the feud as he worked on a building site in
east Belfast.

The attack was also blamed on the UVF.

There have been a number of other incidents, including the
shooting several times of a man walking two dogs on the
Crumlin Road in north Belfast on the same night Mr
McCausland was murdered.

The UVF was also blamed for a gun attack on a house in east
Belfast on Monday.

The feud has once again put the links between the
Progressive Unionist Party, which has one Assembly member,
and the UVF and Red Hand Commando, under the spotlight.

Northern Secretary Peter Hain said yesterday he was
considering withholding the party's Assembly allowance for
another year following a report in May which indicated the
UVF and Red Hand Commando remain involved in organised
crime, violent and active.

Mr Hain gave the PUP a week to make a case to him for the
allowances to be given to them.

PUP leader David Ervine described the fine as unjust and
challenged the British government to have him arrested if
it believed his party had a say over what the UVF and Red
Hand Commando did.

The East Belfast Assembly member said no member of the
PUP's leadership had ever been accused of being on the
governing authority of the UVF or Red Hand Commando.

"That allegation has never been put in our direction," he
said. "So why should we punished?"

The PUP leader said he wanted to hear directly from Mr Hain
why exactly the British government was thinking about
taking further action against the party.

He was also dismissive of the four-member Independent
Monitoring Commission which monitors paramilitary activity
and which is made up of former Northern Ireland Assembly
Speaker Lord Alderdice, retired Irish civil servant Joe
Brosnan, ex-Metropolitan Police anti-terrorist squad chief
John Grieve and ex-CIA deputy director Richard Kerr.

"I want to hear what are his (Peter Hain's) intelligence
services telling the IMC?

"The IMC is an annoyance, a trial by four horsemen riding
Shetland ponies."

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http://www.epolitix.com/EN/News/200507/4fddbce6-0e8b-4227-b4b8-fc044d37063e.htm

McGuinness Urges IRA To Give Up Violence

McGuinness: Backing politics over violence

Martin McGuinness has told the IRA that giving up violence
would have an "immediate and enormous impact on the
political situation".

His comments come as the republican terrorist organisation
continues its internal debate about giving up criminal
activity and backing purely democratic means to pursue a
united Ireland.

The Sinn Fein chief negotiator has also been named as a
member of the IRA army council, although the claim has been
denied.

As an influential voice within the republican movement,
however, his comments will be seen as an attempt to push
the IRA towards abandoning criminal activity.

An IRA statement has been expected for several weeks, and
Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain has called for it to
be made sooner rather than later.

He said that the Ulster peace process has "changed the
political landscape on the island of Ireland irreversibly".

McGuinness called on the DUP to begin talking directly with
Sinn Fein, saying it was untenable not to.

"The downward spiral of recrimination and blame in the
months following the negotiations of last December
threatened to destroy the enormous progress we have
collectively made over recent years," he said.

"I think it was his recognition of this that prompted Gerry
Adams to make a direct appeal to the men and women
volunteers of the IRA to embrace purely political and
democratic activity.

"The IRA leadership responded to this appeal by initiating
an internal debate and we await the conclusion of those
discussions."

The Sinn Fein chief said he wanted the IRA to respond
"positively" to Adams' call.

"And it is clear that a positive response from the IRA
would have an immediate and enormous impact on the
political situation," he added.

"It would give much needed new momentum to the peace
process; deal with genuine unionist concerns, remove from
the leadership of unionism its excuse for non-engagement
and it would put enormous pressure on the DUP to come on
board the peace process for the first time."

McGuinness also said that Sinn Fein was "prepared to do
political business" with the DUP.

"So it's time for action, time to end the excuses, time to
end the inertia, time for everyone to move forward. And the
only way forward is through dialogue."

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northwest_edition/story.jsp?story=653571

SF Clash With Dup On 'Myths'

22 July 2005

A WAR of words has broken out between the DUP and Sinn Fein
over whose community is the most disadvantaged.

Sinn Fein general secretary Mitchel McLaughlin has accused
DUP MP Gregory Campbell of peddling lies about the nature
of disadvantage, discrimination and unemployment in
Northern Ireland.

Mr McLaughlin said Mr Campbell's party were "obsessed with
peddling lies and myths" about the true nature of social
and economic problems.

He conceded that many in the Protestant community are
disadvantaged but claimed that Catholics face greater
disadvantage on all indicators.

"The facts speak for themselves," he said. "70% of people
living in the 10% most deprived wards, as measured by the
Noble Index, are Catholic.

"The multiple deprivation statistics published in May this
year show that west and north Belfast, Derry City,
Craigavon and west of the Bann continue to be the most
deprived parts of the Six Counties.

"People from the Catholic community are more likely to be
unemployed than Protestants. That is also an indisputable
fact. Action is required to tackle the unemployment
differential between the two communities not the lies
peddled by the DUP.

"If we are going to tackle the social and economic problems
created by the patterns of economic activity throughout the
Six Counties then we need to be honest about what is
happening."

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http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=150378706&p=y5x3794yz&n=150379466

UUP Warns Unionist Trust Must Be Rebuilt

22/07/2005 - 20:52:50

UUP chief negotiator Alan McFarland MLA has said rebuilding
trust and confidence within the Unionist community is
essential for political progress in Northern Ireland.

Mr McFarland was speaking at the Macgill Summer School in
Donegal.

"Whatever moves are planned by Republicans, and the
Government, they must by word and deed prove to the
Unionist community that the deal endorsed in 1998 is
finally being honoured," said Mr McFarland.

He also accused the DUP of running away from negotiations
in 1997 and spending "six years carping from the
sidelines".

"They stood in the 2003 Assembly elections on a cunning
plan about which they were unable to give any detail," Mr
McFarland said, branding the failure of the DUP and Sinn
Féin to reach agreement last December as the "fastest
political U - Turn in history".

"There is no doubt that the Republican Movement is trying
to send out a message. But how can the Unionist community
or the British and Irish Governments take them seriously
while the IRA continues to recruit, target and train?" he
said.

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Rights Group Blasts Irish/US Treaty

By Conor McMorrow c.mcmorrow@dailyireland.com

An international treaty signed between the Irish and US
governments in a bid to step up the fight against global
crime and terror gangs has been criticised as it will allow
CIA agents to secretly question Irish citizens on Irish
soil.

Signed by justice minister, Michael McDowell, and the US
ambassador to Ireland, James C Kenny, last week, the treaty
is set to be examined by the Irish Human Rights Commission
(IHRC) after it emerged that the CIA has been given these
extra powers.

Dr Maurice Manning, IHRC president, said: "When we
establish the facts, we will be looking to see if there are
any implications for breaches of human rights."

The deal gives the US authorities sweeping powers on
request, including the right to seize documents, check bank
accounts and carry out searches of property – and the costs
will be borne by the Irish taxpayer.

Sinn Féin TD Seán Crowe described as "alarming" the news
that the agreement allows for the detention and
interrogation of people in Ireland by US secret service
agents and that it also allows agencies like the CIA access
to personal details including their bank accounts.

He said it was a "particularly sinister development" in
relation to civil liberties and human rights in this state.

Members of the Irish Anti-War movement have also reacted
angrily to the new treaty. Richard Boyd Barrett said: "This
is an attack on people's civil liberties by using the
excuse of war on terror to invade people's privacy. We have
already seen this in America with the Patriot Act and it
should not be extended to Ireland."

Under the treaty CIA interrogations in Ireland can be
carried out in secret, and the costs of carrying them out,
along with other US requests, will be borne by the Irish
taxpayer.

Labour party TD Joe Costello said, "Any joint investigation
teams operating in Ireland must continue to be led by the
Garda Síochána. The police and security services of other
states cannot be given free rein to operate in Ireland as
if they were at home. While the US has restricted civil
liberties of its own citizens and of non-nationals, there
can be no question of any similar 'emergency powers' regime
being brought in here."

The Department of Justice has said the treaty supplements
existing agreements in the case of extradition and mutual
legal assistance to bring them into line with the EU-US
agreements.

"Negotiations were conducted on the understanding that
there should be full protection of fundamental rights and
respect for constitutional principles," it said in a
statement.

Meanwhile, the Green Party has called on the minister for
justice to comment on the details of the Mutual Legal
Assistance and Extradition Treaty as it emerges that the
chairman of the joint chiefs of staff in the US Air Force
General Richard B Myers visited Ireland on Wednesday.

Some reports suggest that General Myers expressed his
appreciation for the good military-to-military relationship
between the two countries, and emphasized the US desire to
continue training opportunities with the Irish military.

Green Party TD Ciaran Cuffe said: "Not enough time was
given to debate this in the Dáil, and insufficient
information was given by the government at the time. I
believe Minister McDowell should at least clarify the
circumstances in which such powers will be used."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4708217.stm

Ice-Bound Rescue Mission Recalled

BBC Northern Ireland's Dublin Correspondent Shane Harrison
visits a new exhibition telling the story of one of the
greatest rescue operations ever.

In 1914, Irish-born explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton led a
crew of 28 men to the Antarctic but the ice crushed their
ship leaving them stranded.

How they escaped has become the stuff of legend, one being
recalled by the exhibition in the National Museum in
Collins Barracks.

It tells the story through photos, film and personal
mementoes from the time.

Kildare-born Sir Ernest and his crew wanted to be the first
to walk across Antarctica via the South Pole.

But his ship, The Endurance, got trapped and was eventually
crushed before they reached the continent.

So, the men had to salvage whatever provisions they could
muster, including small boats, and then headed across the
frozen waters towards the nearby Elephant Island.

In April 1916, Shackleton made a very brave decision.

He and five other men, including Kerry explorer Tom Crean
whose story featured in a recent drinks commercial, got
into a small boat.

It's a journey nobody would contemplate except that they
had to

Dawson Stelfox

And for 17 days they travelled through cold and dangerous
seas on an 800-mile journey to South Georgia island.

Their aim was to launch a rescue operation for their
stranded colleagues.

Months later Shackleton arrived back on Elephant Island and
miraculously saved all 22 of his men.

It is an epic tale that has inspired many, including,
Dawson Stelfox, the first Irish man to climb Everest.

"It's a journey nobody would contemplate except that they
had to," he said.

"It was their only way out, their only escape. So, it's the
escape, I suppose, that is the real excitement of the
story."

The director of the National Museum of Ireland, Pat
Wallace, expects big crowds for the exhibition that lasts
until the end of October.

He believes that there are two reasons for this. Firstly,
people are now more interested in Irish explorers, albeit
ones who wore British military uniforms.

And secondly, there is now a greater focus on Antarctica
because of worries about the Earth's ozone layer.

"The idea of exploration, the idea of conserving the
planet, the idea of respecting and loving the planet, as
Shackleton and his type of explorer would have done -
they're all very much back with us now in our new more
ecologically-aware world."

In 1922, Shackleton, who was drinking and smoking to excess
against medical advice, returned to South Georgia, one of
the scenes of his great escape, on his way to the
Antarctic.

But he suffered a fatal heart attack on his boat and,
according to his wife's wishes, was buried on the remote
island in the South Atlantic.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/07/22 17:02:50 GMT
© BBC MMV

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Heading For Caffeine Nirvana?

Aine TONER
To comment: a.toner@dailyireland.com

Which way do you take it? Straight-up and wet or flavoured
and foamy? I'm talking coffee of course, and the difficulty
in securing a simple, humble cup of caffeine indulgence.

With Starbucks on course to begin their attack on the
southern Irish market, it's clear that meeting friends for
coffee in one of the million (or so it seems) cafes that
pepper the pavements looks set to stay.

There are already branches in Belfast and it won't be long
before the distinctive green and white packaging will
become an all too common sight throughout the country.

But are we becoming too overloaded with our caffeine
possibilities?

The advent in coffee culture causes some problems. The only
culture as far as I can see is what will grow at the bottom
of your neglected half empty coffee mug.

Catching up on the craic over a cup of coffee is a great
way to spend an afternoon. Or, if you're sipping alone,
most modern bookshops have installed a café, allowing you
to read and relax at the same time.

But when you're accosted by the unique coffee terminology,
you quickly discover you're not 'in' if you don't know the
lingo.

Lets be honest, do you know your Americanos from your
Lattes? The former is an espresso with hot water, the
latter, a combination of steamed milk, a shot of espresso
lightly topped with foam.

Or is it simply a question of differentiating between
'black,' 'foamy, 'chocolately' or 'strong' coffee?

Throw in a cappuccino (a shot of espresso, steamed milk and
half a cup of foam), mocha (chocolate syrup, espresso,
steamed milk and whipped cream) and macchiato (foamed milk,
espresso and vanilla flavouring) and you have what makes a
very complicated decision when you're chilling au cafe.

Lets not forget flavourings and treats to eat. Because,
thanks to cafés, it's virtually impossible to buy a simple
cup of java.

There's the conundrum of whether size matters (it does),
whether you'd like cinnamon, chocolate, almond, caramel,
baileys, vanilla or even Tia Maria flavouring added to your
drink.

Isn't the idea of drinking coffee so you experience the
taste of the beans, and not the souped-up version? Just
order a Baileys or Tia Maria flavoured drink if that's the
case.

Then, there's what you're going to have to accompany your
beverage.

Reduced fat blueberry muffins, crispy yet delicate pieces
of biscotti, caramel soaked waffles or the slimmest slither
of wicked chocolate cake are all readily available for
consumers.

Historically, coffee houses used to be places of great
importance. In Britain, the arrival of a coffee house
culture, where party politics began to be played out,
marked the start of an informed and intelligent public
opinion.

By the 18th century, entry to London's coffee houses cost a
penny and became a hotbed of ideas as writers, analysts,
politicians and businessmen met to mull over the troubling
aspects of the age.

Coffee houses offered an antidote to the bawdy beer houses,
and the bawdy wenches that populated them.

Generally, they had mirrors, bookshelves and proper
furniture, making them a more genteel establishment.

Isaac Newton, Robert Hooke and Christopher Wren held many
coffee house meetings to discuss the motion of the Earth.

In 1675, King Charles II tried but failed to thwart their
power by closing or levying fines on the houses.

Though you're now more likely to find Joe Public queuing up
for a skinny latte than celebrities, coffee shops have
remained, to some degree, since then.

Financially speaking, the increase of cafés is just what
the economy needs. But as the list of potential beverages
expands, so does the consumer's taste.

That is, except for those who just want a regular cup of
coffee.

And, as each coffee empire becomes more successful, they
start to want a larger bite of the overly priced but
difficult to refuse muffin.

Starbucks is making aggressive moves into the music scene
by selling products eager buyers cannot purchase elsewhere.

It recently signed musician Bob Dylan in an exclusive deal
which sees his CD, Dylan: Live at the Gaslight 1962, on
sale only at the cafés.

The CD will hit Starbucks outlets in the US in August and
features ten tracks including A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall
and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right.

The company plans to carry Gaslight exclusively for 18
months, its longest agreement with an artist yet.

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Irish Coffee Festival Celebrates The National Beverage

By John Reilly

Irish coffee is one of the world's best known drinks, but
how many of us know of its origins? Celebrated at this
year's Irish Coffee Festival, the invigorating blend of
whiskey, steaming coffee and fresh cream was invented to
warm early transatlantic passengers at the end of a
gruelling journey – and not as an after dinner indulgence.

Before Shannon airport opened for land planes, great flying
boats carried up to 30 passengers in unpressurised cabins
on the 18-hour trip between New York and the wide Shannon
estuary at Foynes, Co Limerick. In its 13th year, Foynes
hosted its annual festival and the town relives its
glorious era as a transatlantic airline hub and festivities
built up to Saturday's rigorous contest to choose the
world's best made Irish coffee.

This year's event marks the 60th anniversary of the last
scheduled passenger flights from Foynes. Back in 1940 the
airport was getting busy and a stylish restaurant was built
to comfort its chilled airborne visitors, including VIPs
like John F Kennedy, Ernest Hemmingway and Humphrey Bogart.
One night Co Tyrone man and head chief Joe Sheridan came up
with the bright idea of providing a little added sustenance
for the weary travellers.

"A plane took off from Foynes into darkened clouds over the
Atlantic, but was forced to return due to threatening
storms," said festival organiser Margaret O'Shaughnessy.

"Joe got busy preparing food and drink for the cold and
miserable passengers. He was making up the coffee, and
thought he'd spice it up a little with something stiff. He
added a generous drop of Irish whiskey." Irish coffee was
born.

Seven finalists qualified from the heat stages and
competition between these was fierce said Ms O'Shaughnessy.
Along with providing each of the three judges with the
simple yet elegant regular Irish coffee, contestants were
invited to create an inventive variation. All were measured
against exacting standards of taste, technique,
presentation and innovation.

This year, 84-year-old actress Maureen O'Hara presented the
trophy to the champion coffee maker. She has continued her
association with Foynes since marrying the late Capt
Charles Blair, the aviator who piloted the first and last
flying boats to and from the west Limerick town.

After hours of frenzied coffee making, extended
deliberations, rising temperatures and sinking cream,
Patrick Coleman emerged triumphant. The 22-year-old Co
Clare man representing The Great Southern Hotel, Galway
says he's been 'practising for months'.

"I knew there were a couple of previous world champions
competing and the coffees they were making were
unbelievable," he says.

"If it wasn't for family and girlfriend keeping me cool, I
couldn't have done it.

"Getting the cream to float is the tricky bit and I was
using fresh pouring cream which takes more skill to float
than whipped."

After the closure of the air hub at Foynes, Mr Sheridan
introduced his famous drink to the new airport at Shannon,
where it remains the official welcoming drink. In 1952 he
left Limerick for the Buena Vista Café, San Francisco,
where he continued to impress customers with his creamy
Irish creation.
----

JOE SHERIDAN'S IRISH COFFEE

Heat a stemmed whiskey glass with hot water
Pour in 1 measure of Irish whiskey
Add 1 tsp of brown sugar
Fill with hot strong black coffee to 1 inch of rim.
Add whipped cream (pour it off the back of a spoon resting
close to coffee surface so that it floats).
Do not stir after adding the cream as the full flavour is
experienced by sipping the coffee through the cream.

Posted by: Unknown / 7:28 PM
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