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 14, 2005

CIRA Admits Bomb Attack

News about Ireland & the Irish

UT 07/14/05 CIRA Admit Bomb Attack On Police
BT 07/14/05 Feud Victim's House Remains Empty
BB 07/14/05 Family Devastated By Paramilitary Murders
BT 07/14/05 Loyalist Murder Victim 'Not In The LVF'
BT 07/14/05 Father's Plea For 'Peace Fence' Rejected
BT 07/14/05 Sinn Fein Message To London
BT 07/14/05 PSNI Riot Tactics Are 'Ineffective'
BT 07/14/05 My Terror At Blast Bombs
BT 07/14/05 Pensioners Tell Of Bingo Bus Terror
BT 07/14/05 Europe Speeds Up Plan To Clamp Down On Suspects
BT 07/14/05 Concert Marks 30th Anniversary Miami Massacre
BT 07/14/05 Shock Over Deaths Of Mother And Daughter
UT 07/14/05 Rossport Five Fail In High Court Bid
SF 07/14/05 Swedish MEP Condemns Imprisonment Of Rossport 5
BT 07/14/05 Filipino Nuns To Help Save Poor Clare Monastery
BT 07/14/05 Muscles As Celtic Giants Clash In Glenarm
TB 07/14/05 This Weekend, Everyone's Invited To Be Irish

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http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=62602&pt=n

CIRA Admit Bomb Attack On Police

The Continuity IRA has claimed responsibility for the blast
bomb attack on police following the controversial Orange
parade in north Belfast on the Twelfth.

By:UTV

Nine blast bombs were thrown and the officer in charge said
it was a clear attempt to kill.

Police said yesterday the bombs were packed with nails,
bolts, nuts and penny pieces and clearly designed to kill.

Police helicopter footage also showed a number of men in an
alleyway in Ardoyne, with one wearing surgical gloves,
again police said this indicated the violence was planned.

Today in an interview with the Daily Ireland the Continuity
IRA said it was responsible for the attacks.

A spokesman for the dissident group said: "We had three
active service units in Ardoyne on Tuesday night, mostly
comprising volunteers from north Belfast.

"There was about 15 men in all and each ASU was armed.

"When the PSNI started firing plastic bullets at residents
we considered returning fire. We abandoned the idea because
we were fearful that many peopple could be injured. Instead
we decided to use blast bombs on the PSNI."

Sinn Fein`s Gerry Kelly yesterday condemned the dissident
attack and said they were not acting on behalf of the
people in Ardoyne.

Nearly 80 police officers were injured in the trouble and
two had to be treated in hospital. Eight civilians,
including two journalists were also hurt.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=6523
55

Feud Victim's House Remains Empty

By Lisa Smyth
14 July 2005

The north Belfast house where 20-year-old Craig McCausland
was gunned down in what police have described as a
"ruthless execution" remained boarded up last night as
detectives continue their investigation into the shooting.

Despite evidence of a normal family life - clothes are
still hanging on the washing line at the side of the house
- a piece of police cordon still visible on the gatepost
and bunches of flowers lying at the front door reveal the
tragedy that took place at the Dhu-Varren Park home that
has shattered so many lives.

Among the messages left at the scene is an emotional
farewell from Mr McCausland's partner, Kathy, who has been
left too devastated by the brutal murder to speak about her
loss.

It read: "My sweetheart I can't believe you have gone and I
am never gonna see you again. I miss you so much already
and you will always have a place in my heart. Love you
always my sexy babe, from Kathy. Always on my mind and in
my heart."

Lying next to her moving tribute is a posy of flowers with
a heartbreaking message from her two children, aged nine
and six, which reads simply, "We miss you Craig. Lots of
love".

And a number of cards left by Mr McCausland's friends have
references to a song by well-known rapper Coolio, C U When
U Get There.

One read: "Only the good die young, We've had some good and
bad times mate, we'll have them again. C ya when I get
there".

A neighbour, who did not want to be identified, said:
"Kathy was up with the kids to get some clothes she had
bought them for the Twelfth but the police have told her
she is not allowed to go in there for eight weeks.

"She was very quiet and kept herself to herself but you
just feel so sorry for them - it's a terrible thing to
happen and she has been devastated."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-
/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4682711.stm

Family Devastated By Paramilitary Murders

A 20-year-old Protestant man shot dead this week is the
second member of his family to have been murdered by
loyalists, his aunt has said.

Craig McCausland died after being shot in Dhu Varren Park
in north Belfast early on Monday.

The killing was blamed on tensions within loyalism by
police, sparking rumours of an LVF/UVF feud.

His aunt Kathy McIlvenny denied he was in the LVF and said
loyalists killed Craig's mother when he was aged two.

The LVF have said the murder victim was not known to them.

Three men burst into the home Craig shared with his partner
and her children and fatally wounded him.

Earlier that night, another man was shot several times as
he walked two dogs on the Crumlin Road near Glenbank.

A short time after the killing, in nearby Woodvale Pass, a
man escaped another apparent murder bid by jumping out the
window of a house as a number of masked men were attempting
to smash their way in.

"This child was brought up, the whole family, never to get
involved or associate with so-called paramilitaries," Mrs
McIlvenny told BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback programme.

"He went through integrated education, had a wide span of
friends and there is no way that they can even say he was
associated with a paramilitary group."

The half-naked body of his 23-year-old mother, Lorraine,
was found in a stream on 8 March, 1987 near a loyalist club
in Tynedale where she had been drinking.

She had been beaten with a concrete block, and it was
reported at the time that it was believed she had been
killed by the UDA.

"She was beaten to death in a loyalist club and he has now
left a son at the same age - the loyalists have now left
another child without a parent," Mrs McIlvenny said.

No-one was ever charged with his mother's murder.

The family has blamed the UVF for murdering Craig.

"The UVF shouldn't be allowed to use the battalion's name -
that was men that fought for their country.

"These are cowards that go in the middle of the night with
masks over their face and shoot people in their bed," she
said.

She added that when he was younger, Craig had been involved
in petty crime, but that since the birth of his son he had
turned his life around.

"Craig has not done anything to give them ones a reason. He
wanted to live for his child," she said.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/07/14 12:15:47 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=6523
39

Loyalist Murder Victim 'Not In The LVF'

By Ashleigh Wallace
14 July 2005

The family of a young father of one who was shot dead by
UVF gunmen yesterday rubbished claims he was in the LVF -
and the organisation last night issued a statement saying
he was not a member.

Craig McCausland, who was due to celebrate his 21st
birthday next month, was hit by at least five bullets when
masked men opened fire at a house in the Dhu Varren area of
the Woodvale in Belfast on Monday morning.

Police said at the time Mr McCausland was killed by the UVF
who believed he was a member of the rival LVF.

But detectives were not convinced he was a member of that
organisation.

Last night the Press Association was told by an
intermediary: "The LVF want to make it clear he did not
belong to that group. He was not connected or linked and
never has been.

"They cannot understand why someone would kill him and link
him to them. There were no links, no association, nothing."

Craig's family are no strangers to tragedy at the hands of
loyalists.

His mother Lorraine was just 23 when she was battered to
death by a gang of UDA men outside a community centre in
the Tynedale area of north Belfast in 1987.

Craig was just two when she was killed - the same age as
Craig's only child Dean.

His partner Kathy and her two young children, aged nine and
six, were at home when the killers struck. One of the
bullets smashed through a television in one of the
children's bedrooms.

And as Craig lay dying at the top of the stairs, the
youngsters watched as their mother tried in vain to stem
the blood from a bullet wound to his neck.

Following the killing, rumours began circulating that Craig
was a member of the LVF who was killed as part of a
loyalist feud.

However, his family - who admit he was "no angel" - have
strenuously denied suggestions he was a member of any
paramilitary organisation. And they believe he was killed
in a case of mistaken identity.

Speaking on behalf of the family, Craig's cousin Nichola
McIlvenny (20) said: "An innocent man, the father of a two-
year- old boy, has been killed for nothing - a Protestant
killed by another Protestant."

Due to his mother's murder, Craig was reared by his
grandparents. Nichola said: "He was more like a brother
than a cousin. There's only two months between us and when
we were little, we even had twin prams.

"He had spent a bit of time in jail recently but, no matter
what, nobody has the right to take someone else's life.

"His life really changed when his son arrived and he was
really starting to get his life together."

Craig was due to turn 21 on August 11.

His family were planning a surprise party but now they are
planning his funeral.

His body has not yet been released by the coroner and the
funeral is expected to take place early next week.

Speaking from her Woodvale home last night, Nichola said:
"Craig was not a member of the LVF. Why on earth would he
join a loyalist paramilitary organisation after what they
did to his mother?

"We believe he was killed in a case of mistaken identity.

"We want to know how, around 45 minutes after Craig was
shot dead, a gang went to another house 100 yards away and
tried to shoot another young Protestant.

"How can a murder squad try and kill someone else with the
police and Army present just round the corner?

"Are they operating with impunity?

"We've been told that it took them a few minutes to get
into the house.

"They shot him, went back outside, talked to the driver,
went back into the house and shot him again."

Nichola also lambasted unionist politicians for not
condemning the murder.

She said: "We want the PUP to come out and urge people with
information on Craig's murder to come forward, to assure
people their lives would not be at risk if they help with
police inquiries."

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northwest_edition/st
ory.jsp?story=652441

Father's Plea For 'Peace Fence' Rejected

By Brendan McDaid
14 July 2005

Politicians today rejected calls from a man for a peace
fence to be erected at a Londonderry interface after his
young daughter was showered with glass in a sectarian
attack.

The home of the man, who does not want to be named for fear
of further attacks, was one of three which had windows
smashed after a crowd approached from the loyalist Irish
Street area at around 2.30am yesterday.

As disturbances continued following the Twelfth parade in
Derry, the gang went on the rampage in the nationalist Top
of the Hill area, throwing bricks through the homes of two
next-door neighbours.

A wooden stake was driven through the window of a house in
Mountainview.

The man and his five-year-old daughter were asleep on the
sofa when the attack occurred.

He said: "They came up from the Protestant community and
went on the rampage, throwing a boulder through my window.

"We were sleeping at the time and were totally shocked to
wake up covered in glass.

"These were grown men, not boys, and it was the same gang
that beat up a fellow in Gobnascale."

The man called for a rethink among politicians after a
proposed peace fence between the two estates was rejected
earlier this year.

Police confirmed there was a mob in the area early
yesterday morning.

Sporadic rioting broke out at the Irish Street/Gobnascale
interface at around 2am resulting in two police officers
being injured and four arrests.

However politicians representing both estates today played
down calls for a peace fence.

The Mayor of Derry, Councillor Lynn Fleming, said: "I
understand this father's anger and frustration, but I don't
think a fence would have stopped the mob last night.

"The gang came into Gobnascale as far as the mobile shop
and questions have to be asked as to how so many gained
access."

UUP councillor for the area Mary Hamilton said: "I would
like to think peace could be restored without a peace wall.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/northwest_edition/st
ory.jsp?story=652443

Sinn Fein Message To London

The Sinn Fein Mayor of Derry today led tributes to the
victims of last week's London bombings.

14 July 2005

The Sinn Fein Mayor of Derry today led tributes to the
victims of last week's London bombings.

Ahead of today's nationwide two minutes silence, Lynn
Fleming urged everyone in the city to take part, either at
an event in the Guildhall or at work or home.

Offering her condolences to victims' families, the Mayor
added: "The thoughts and prayers of everyone in Derry are
with the people of London at this difficult time.

"We want to show our solidarity with them as they try to
move on from last week's terrible tragedy, and a book of
condolence has been opened in the Guildhall.

"I would also like to encourage everyone here to remember
the innocent victims of the London bombings with a two-
minute silence.

"Words cannot express the anguish and sorrow which so many
families are feeling at this time. But I hope that by
quietly contemplating what has happened through silence,
meditation and prayer we can offer some comfort to those
affected by this atrocity."

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=6523
53

PSNI Riot Tactics Are 'Ineffective'

Body warns officers will die unless more force is used to
combat disorder on the streets

By Jonathan McCambridge
14 July 2005

There were warnings last night that police officers could
be killed because their tactics for dealing with riot
situations are "ineffective".

The Police Federation, which represents 10,000 rank and
file officers, said that more "forceful tactics" needed to
be used to protect officers.

Around 80 officers were injured during an evening of
sustained violence after a contentious Orange parade passed
the Ardoyne shopfronts on Tuesday evening.

Nationalist rioters attacked the police with blast and
petrol bombs. One officer required surgery.

In response, police deployed water cannon and discharged
plastic baton rounds for the first time in almost three
years in the province.

But Federation chairman Irwin Montgomery has expressed
serious concerns over the number of officers who were hurt.

Mr Montgomery said that PSNI tactics to deal with serious
riot situations were "ineffective".

He said: "It is clear that with over 80 officers injured in
one night at Ardoyne, the evidence is that rioters are not
being held sufficiently far back to prevent injury to
officers.

"These incidents are turning into a war of attrition on the
Police Service and it is totally unacceptable that we are
failing to subdue the rioters sufficiently to send them
home or make arrests.

"The Federation has had assurances from the Chief Constable
that the authority is there to fire impact rounds."

He concluded: "Unless more forceful tactics are employed
earlier in the confrontations, sooner or later officers
will become severely injured or even killed."

Police restraint during the Ardoyne riot has been praised
by both unionist politicians and the SDLP but Sinn Fein
accused the PSNI of deploying water cannon too quickly.

Tuesday night's disorder was the first time the new plastic
baton round has been discharged by police in Northern
Ireland.

The incident will automatically be referred to the Police
Ombudsman and the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Police have already begun the process of studying CCTV
footage and have vowed to identify those involved in the
disorder and bring them before the courts.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=6523
51

My Terror At Blast Bombs

By Brian Hutton
14 July 2005

There were effectively four police lines set up in the
Ardoyne in the immediate aftermath of Tuesday night's
Orange march.

One each at Twaddell Avenue and Woodvale Road, and two on
the Crumlin Road, either side of the interface roundabout
at the Ardoyne shops, where all the roads meet.

Youths throwing masonry, bricks and bottles from the shop
rooftops earlier were understood to have been removed by
republicans.

Some time shortly after 8pm several journalists were
standing on the roundabout, observing nationalist rioters
attacking police from the lower end of the Crumlin Road.

A loud explosion at the main police line saw us retreat to
the other side of the road, opposite the shops.

Around this time some youths again made their way onto the
shop roofs and this time threw a number of blast bombs into
the hub.

Reporters, who knew exactly what the fizzling, smoking
cannister-type devices which had landed at our feet were,
screamed to the others to run.

PSNI superintendent Gary White later told us that the blast
bombs were made from industrial fireworks and contained
nails and coins.

Two ambulance crews trying to make their way to the
casualties were kept back by the rioters.

One member of the press - who was seen with a bone
protruding through the side of his leg - was still in
hospital last night after having undergone surgery.

Another reporter, from the BBC, was bruised when struck by
shrapnel and was recovering yesterday.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=6523
50

Pensioners Tell Of Bingo Bus Terror

By Sarah Brett
14 July 2005

Terrified pensioners whose bus came under attack by thugs
while travelling home from bingo are unlikely to venture
back to Londonderry, one passenger said last night.

Frances McIntyre was among the 14 women and men showered
with glass and paint when youths targeted their bus,
pelting it with rocks and paintbombs as it passed through
the village of Greysteel on July 12.

The group were on their way home to Limavady from a night
out at bingo in Derry at around 10pm when the youths
struck.

It is not the first time a vehicle has come under attack in
the village at times of heightened sectarian tension.

Already that day a driver was injured when the car was
stoned causing a window to shatter.

Mrs McIntyre and the bus driver were the only passengers
who emerged from the vehicle unscathed.

"I heard the bang and then just saw glass everywhere," she
said. "The three people sitting in the back seat were
covered in paint. Nobody screamed, I think the shock was
just too great.

"There was glass in everybody's hair and one man had it in
his ear. One girl's neck was cut but thank God, apart from
shock, it was mostly scratches.

"But a lot of people said they won't be coming back after
this."

Strand Bingo proprietor Thomas Doherty, who also runs Regal
Bingo in Limavady, was shocked to learn of the attack.

"People from Greysteel, Ballykelly and Limavady come to
Derry twice a week to play bingo and nothing like this has
happened in the last 15 years," he said.

"It is a terrible thing to have happened to a group of
elderly people and it is totally out of line."

He added: "I know the occupants of the bus were very
shocked after the incident, but I hope it won't prevent
them from coming back to Derry to play bingo."

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=6523
81

Europe Speeds Up Plan To Clamp Down On Suspects

By Stephen Castle
14 July 2005

Europe's interior ministers agreed to speed through a raft
of measures to clamp down on terrorist suspects as France
announced a temporary re-imposition of border controls
following the London bombing.

A day of talks in Brussels brought pledges to meet an
accelerated timetable for a host of data storage and
information-sharing initiatives, giving police and security
services new means to monitor individuals.

The reaction to the first home-grown suicide bombing on
European soil was pragmatic, with the Home Secretary,
Charles Clarke, saying there is "no one, single, measure I
can propose that will stop terrorism".

Instead of proposing new ideas, the UK, which holds the
presidency of the EU, sought to speed up measures already
in the pipeline. Most controversially, yesterday's deal
included a promise to agree by October on rules to retain
for at least 12 months all e-mail and phone data.

This would include details of the date, time and duration
all phone and internet messages, the calling and called
numbers, the location of mobile calls at the start and end
of a connection and whether the conversation was
"terminated explicably or inexplicably". By December all 25
EU ministers promised to finalise rules on a European
evidence warrant and on the exchange of information between
law enforcement authorities.

Deadlines were also laid down for agreement to identify
those making wire money transfers from the EU and on a code
of conduct to prevent terrorists misusing charities. Other
initiatives include protecting key infrastructure and
sharing information on explosives. The decisions came as
France activated a safety clause of the Schengen open-
border agreement under which it can resume temporarily
frontier controls with neighbours such as Germany and
Belgium.

The French Interior Minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, said: "If we
don't reinforce border controls when around 50 people die
in London, I don't know when I would." But the move ruffled
feathers in next-door Belgium, which was not informed about
the measure before Mr Sarkozy's announcement.

And in Italy a judge convicted two North Africans of
belonging to an extremist cell alleged to have planned
attacks, including one against Milan's subway. Judge Silvia
Milesi sentenced the defendants - a Moroccan, Mohamed
Rafik, and Kamel Hamraoui, a Tunisian - to up to four years
and eight months in prison, a defence lawyer said.

The ministers also promised yesterday to examine the causes
of the radicalisation of young Muslims. An unpublished
report from the European Commission identified a "crisis of
identity" among young people born to immigrant parents as a
key danger. The document, leaked to the Belgian newspaper
De Standaard, describes radicalisation as "a modern kind of
dictatorship", likens it to neo-Nazism or nationalism, and
says the internet, university campuses and places of
worship are tools of recruitment. It says second-generation
immigrants often feel little connection to their parents'
country or culture but may also encounter discrimination in
European countries.

"Alienation from both parental roots and country of origin,
and the society in which they live, can lead to a desire to
identify with a more motivating or powerful locus of
identity."

The Commission document questions whether governments
should organise education of religious teachers to ensure
that they are "fluent in the language and the
constitutional values of the member state concerned". But
it concedes this might smack of a "Big Brother" approach.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=6523
46

Tribute Concert To Mark 30th Anniversary Of Miami Massacre

The Day The Music Died . . .

By Claire Regan
14 July 2005

A concert is to be staged in Dublin next month to
commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Miami Showband
massacre.

More than a dozen acts have already been confirmed to take
part in a performance at Vicar Street on August 1 in honour
of three musicians who died in the UVF atrocity.

The popular Miami Showband players, Fran O'Toole, Brian
McCoy and Tony Geraghty, were killed as they returned from
a gig in Belfast in July 1975. Their minibus was flagged
down near Newry, at what appeared to be a military
roadblock.

Two terrorists were killed by their own bomb as they tried
to plant it in the back of the van. The remaining gunmen
then opened fire, killing the three musicians instantly.

Irish singer/songwriter Mike Hanrahan, who announced
details of the concert on his website, said the tragedy of
the killings is still felt three decades on.

"The tragic and untimely deaths of these young stars
stunned the nation, shocked the world and caused an
outpouring of grief that still reverberates to this day,"
he said.

"It has been decided by the families and friends of Fran
O'Toole, Brian McCoy and Tony Geraghty to mark this special
anniversary with a concert at Vicar Street. The concert
will celebrate the lives and music of three wonderful
entertainers, who each hold a special place in the hearts
of all Irish people."

Mr Hanrahan, a former member of Stockton's Wing, said the
proceeds of the concert will help in the construction of a
permanent memorial to the three victims.

He said there will also be a special interdenominational
service held at the Pro-Cathedral in Dublin, at 2pm on
Saturday, July 30. Londonderry singer-turned-politician
Rosemary Scallon, who won the Eurovision as Dana in 1970
and was a good friend of Fran O'Toole, will lead the choir.

According to Mr Hanrahan's website, the concert "will
feature many of the legendary performers from the showbands
and beat groups of their day, introduced by celebrity DJs
and personalities".

Among the artists confirmed are Brendan Bowyer (Royal
Showband and Big Eight), Red Hurley, Tony Kenny, The
Memories, The Indians, Johnny Fean (Horslips), Sean O'Dowd,
Derrick (The Sounds), The Conquerors, Pat Lynch
(Airchords), Brendan O'Brien (Dixies), Declan Ryan
(Arrivals), Kelly (Nevada), Maxie, Rob Strong (Plattermen),
Ronan Collins, The Strangers, Steve Travers and Paul
Ashford (Miami), and Bobby Kelly (Chosen Few).

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=6524
06

Shock Over Deaths Of Mother And Daughter

By Brendan McDaid and Debra Douglas
14 July 2005

Communities in Belfast and Londonderry were united in
despair today after a mother apparently murdered her young
daughter and then killed herself.

Detectives investigating the deaths of Madeleine O'Neill
(nee Gormley) and her nine-year-old daughter Lauren at
their home in Manse Road, Carryduff, have said they are not
looking for a third person in connection to the tragedy.

The stance reinforces fears that Mrs O'Neill may have
killed her daughter and then committed suicide.

A priest who performed her marriage ceremony ten years ago
today spoke of the local community's shock.

Relatives of Mrs O'Neill, originally from the Rock Road
area of Derry, and believed to be in her forties, were
today still trying to come to terms with the double
tragedy.

Mrs O'Neill's immediate family in Derry are well known
locally as the owners of Gormley's shoe shop chain.

St Eugene's parish priest Fr Colin O'Doherty, who married
Madeleine and her partner John over a decade ago while
administering at St Patrick's Church in Pennyburn, today
said: "Madeleine was a lovely girl. I am very sad and
totally shocked to hear of the family's loss today.

"Everyone's thoughts are with the family."

SDLP councillor for the area, Helen Quigley, said that
local people had been stunned by the two deaths.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family at this
time," she said.

A PSNI spokeswoman said: "The investigation is in the early
stages and there are no further details."

The spokeswoman confirmed that they are not looking for a
third person in connection with the deaths at present but
were keeping an open mind about what had happened.

The detached bungalow, which has a for sale sign up, is
situated in a quiet cul-de-sac. It remained sealed off
today as forensic experts continued to gather evidence.

Local parish priest, Fr Brian Watters, from nearby St
Joseph's church, has been comforting the family since news
of the tragedy unfolded.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph today he said: "This has
been a terrible tragedy and my main concern now is with the
pastoral care of the family left behind."

Local SDLP councillor Brian Hanvey said the news had
shocked the local community.

"Like most people in Carryduff I woke up this morning to
hear the tragic news and felt devastated.

"The situation - especially the involvement of a child - is
just heart- wrenching and everyone here will find it
difficult to come to terms with," he said.

"My sympathy goes out to those who are left behind."

Neighbours were today trying to come to terms with what has
happened.

Many remained tight- lipped about the family but one, who
asked not to be named, said: "I spoke to the family the odd
time but that was it - they tended to keep themselves to
themselves."

MP for the area, Iris Robinson, expressed her dismay after
learning of the deaths.

"I was shocked and deeply saddened to learn of the tragic
loss of life of two people in the Carryduff area of my
constituency.

"I would like to offer my deepest and most sincere
sympathies to the family of those affected."

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http://www.utvinternet.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=62595&pt
=n

Rossport Five Fail In High Court Bid

Five Mayo men known as the Rossport Five are to return to
Cloverhill Prison after failing to purge their contempt at
the High Court this morning.

The High Court President Mr Justice Joseph Finnegan again
urged them to purge their contempt, saying he didn`t see
any sense in them remaining in prison.

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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/10416

Swedish MEP Condemns Imprisonment Of Rossport 5

Published: 14 July, 2005

Environment policy co-ordinator of the GUE/NGL EU
parliamentary group, MEP Jonas Sjöstedt, has condemned in
the strongest possible terms the decision to imprison five
farmers from Rossport in County Mayo, Ireland and called on
the Norwegian Government to instruct Statoil, a Norwegian
state owned company, to freeze the project until agreement
has been reached on the farmers' concerns.

The men were imprisoned for contempt of court in a dispute
with Corrib Gas, a conglomerate made up of Shell, Marathon
and Statoil. The company wants to install a gas pipeline on
agricultural land owned by the farmers. Due to Health and
Safety concerns the farmers in question are unwilling to
allow the work to proceed, which has led to them being
jailed. As Statoil is a Norwegian state owned company, said
MEP Sjöstedt, we call upon the Norwegian Government to
instruct Statoil to freeze the project until such time as
agreement has been reached on the farmers' concerns.

Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald said:

"Multinational companies do not care about local
communities - their overriding concern is profit. Corrib
gas is completely under the control of a company that can
write off all its tax, pays no royalties and sells the gas
back to the Irish state at market value.

"We want to take this opportunity to express our solidarity
with those who have been imprisoned and call for their
immediate release.

"We believe that pipelines such as these should come under
the terms of the Seveso Directive on the transport of
hazardous materials." ENDS.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=6523
60

Filipino Nuns To Help Save Poor Clare Monastery

By Lisa Smyth
14 July 2005

An order of nuns that's been in north Belfast since 1924
has been thrown a lifeline with the announcement that a
community of nuns from the Philippines is set to relocate
to Northern Ireland.

As with other religious orders in Ireland, the Poor Clare
nuns living in a monastery on the Cliftonville Road, have
been faced with difficult challenges in recent years.

Numbers have been in decline due to a dramatic fall in
vocations and an increasing age profile - two nuns, Sisters
Gertrude and Helena sadly died earlier this year, reducing
the convent numbers to two, Abbess Sister Paschal and her
colleague of 54 years, Sister Mary.

Without the arrival of the nuns from the Philippines, it
was feared that the Poor Clare Monastery, which has served
the local community for over 80 years, would be forced to
close. Sister Paschal said: "We have been strongly
supported by visiting sisters from the Irish Federation but
without a permanent injection of fresh vocations or nuns,
we would inevitably be faced with closure."

"This would be tantamount to a mini-tragedy, not just for
us, but for the local community which we serve, and which
has supported us so well over generations."

However, it has been revealed that the Poor Clare Sisters
in the Philippines are sending a community of their own
nuns to live and work in north Belfast.

Mother Marietta, Federation Abbess of the Poor Clares in
the Philippines, explained the unusual decision: "It is an
honour for our sisters to come and serve in Ireland.

"Our first sister, Justine, has already arrived and plans
are underway to increase this over the coming months. Our
sisters are so looking forward to coming to Ireland.

"We believe that this initiative reflects the universality
of the Church and we pray that it will contribute towards
breaking down barriers of race and prejudice.

"Finally, we look forward to challenging all our comfort
zones, not just spiritually but also physically from our
point of view, with special regard to the famous Irish food
and, of course, the weather."

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=6523
56

Muscles On Show As Celtic Giants Clash In Glenarm

Strongwomen not far behind the strongmen

By Claire Regan
14 July 2005

Bulging muscles from all over the world will be rippling in
Glenarm again today for the second half of the Clash of the
Celtic Giants.

Picturesque Glenarm Castle is the venue for the World
Series Highland Games and the World Strongwoman
Championship for 2005 over two days.

The annual event started with the Highland Games yesterday
when competitors pitched their strength in putting the
stone, the light hammer and sheaf pitching events.

The ladies also thrilled the huge crowds by taking part in
a harness and rope pull competition, involving a 25 metre
long jeep and trailer combination, and a yoke race in the
Strongwoman competition.

The Highland Games will get under way again later today
with the heavy hammer, 56lb distance and putting the light
stone events.

Meanwhile, the women will again be battling it out in the
Atlas Stones event followed by the Farmer's Walk.

Crowds can also enjoy Sponge Plunge Falconry and a
Clydesdale horse show.

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http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050714/
ART05/507140303

This Weekend, Everyone's Invited To Be Irish

Irish eyes will be smiling in Toledo this weekend.

And non-Irish eyes are invited to join them in
International Park at the annual Toledo Irish Festival. It
runs from 6 p.m. to midnight tomorrow, 2 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Saturday, and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday.

Admission is $5 for adults, free for children 16 and under
when accompanied by an adult, and $10 for a weekend pass.
Proceeds benefit the Toledo Irish American Club Scholarship
Fund and the Historic Church of St Patrick Soup Kitchen.

The festival features the music, food, beverages, culture,
and traditions of Ireland, said chairman Sue Brown.

Brigid's Cross, a Celtic folk-rock trio based in Cleveland,
returns to headline the musical entertainment lineup. The
group - Paul Baker on vocals and fiddle, Peggy Goonan-Baker
on vocals, keyboard, and bodhran (traditional Irish drum),
and Richie Reece handling vocals, guitar, and stepdancing -
has performed at the festival for many years, Brown said.
"They're now internationally known," she said. "They're
just absolutely fantastic."

Brigid's Cross is scheduled to take the stage at about
10:50 tomorrow night, about 7 p.m. Saturday, and about 3:35
and 7:40 p.m. on Sunday, she said.

Also scheduled to return to this year's festival for shows
all three days are Norman Payne, who sings traditional
Irish ballads, and Stephen's Green, a duo who perform
traditional and contemporary Irish tunes, from ballads to
jigs and reels. New to the festival this year will be the
five-man, kilt-clad Hunting McLeod of Canada presenting
Celtic rock, Brown said.

Other live entertainment Saturday and Sunday will include
Cleveland's Irish American Club East Side Pipes & Drums,
and dancers from the Heinzman School of Irish Dance.

Festival-goers who literally want a taste of Ireland can
satisfy their hunger with Irish soda bread, scones, Irish
sweet bread, corned beef dinners, and beverages including
Bailey's Irish Cream and Irish beers. Generic festival
treats such as hamburgers, funnel cakes, pizza, domestic
beer, and soft drinks also will be available.

Vendors will be selling Irish clothing, jewelry, leather
goods, and other items, Brown said. Rides and other
activities will be offered for children.

The Toledo Irish American Festival will be held from 6 p.m.
to midnight tomorrow, 2 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday, and noon
to 9 p.m. Sunday in International Park, 26 Main St.
Admission is $5, $10 for a weekend pass, and free for
children 16 and under when accompanied by an adult.
Information: toledoirish.com.
Posted by: Unknown / 8:53 AM
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