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July 12, 2005

Police in Row After Parade

News about Ireland & the Irish

BB 07/12/05 Belfast: Police Attacked As Parade Passes
BB 07/12/05 Dunloy: Village Standoff Ends After Talks
SF 07/12/05 PSNI Breach Parades Commission Ruling In Lurgan
IT 07/13/05 Derry: Nationalist Youths Riot After Parade
IT 07/13/05 Portadown: Parade Passes Peacefully
SF 07/12/05 Hangers-On Raising Tensions In Carrickhill
DJ 07/12/05 Derry's Twelfth Peace Hopes
IT 07/13/05 Waterford Praise For King William
IO 07/12/05 President Hosts Unionists At Twelfth Reception
BB 07/12/05 Orange Twelfth Parades Take Place
BB 07/12/05 Bomb Discovered On Railway Line
IO 07/12/05 Loyalist Feud: Victim Of 'Execution' Named
IT 07/13/05 Trees Fell on O'Connell Street
SF 07/12/05 Carrickmacross Council Supports Inquiry
IT 07/13/05 Increase In US Troop Traffic At Shannon
IT 07/13/05 Blue-Green Algae Killed Two Dogs At Lough Derg
IO 07/13/05 Yeats Literary Album Fetches £72,000
PM 07/12/05 Green Suede Shoes By Larry Kirwan
SW 07/12/05 Irish-American Fiddler Loving The Sligo Style

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-
/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4677401.stm

Belfast: Police Attacked As Parade Passes

Sixty officers have been injured, including one seriously,
during rioting in north Belfast, police have said.

Officers were attacked with petrol and blast bombs as they
withdrew from the Ardoyne shops area after the return leg
of an Orange Order parade to Ligoniel.

BBC NI Security Editor Brian Rowan said an informed source
told him dissident republicans linked to the Continuity IRA
were behind the blast bomb attacks.

Police arrested several people for public order offences.

It is understood the police officer's injury is not life
theatening.

A BBC journalist was also hurt during the rioting.

Security forces were also attacked in Brompton Park. A car
was hi-jacked and burned and police used a water cannon on
nationalist protesters.

In agreement with police, 15 protesters were allowed to
stand on a wall overlooking the route as the Orangemen
passed holding aloft a banner saying 'make sectarianism
history'.

The Twelfth of July Orange Order parades mark the victory
of the Protestant Prince William of Orange over the
Catholic King James II at the Battle of the Boyne in 1690.

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams, who was with the protesters,
said "the vast majority of people had demonstrated
peacefully".

"When the police moved in what I think was quite a reckless
manner they took management completely away from the
stewards," he said.

"They brought the water cannon in too quickly, we should
have been allowed to keep order."

The SDLP's Alex Attwood described the rioting as an "utter
disgrace".

"Having stood on police lines all night I can say the
police behaviour has been characterised by restraint and
compliance with minimum force required," he said.

"Their behaviour is justified by no standards whatsoever.
Those responsible have a great deal to account for."

Police praised both nationalist residents and Orangemen as
the morning parade passed through without incident
following a peaceful protest.

About 60 protesters who had blocked the road were removed
by police.

Taunts exchanged

In Londonderry, the outward leg of the parade was peaceful,
but there was trouble on the way back in the Diamond.

The trouble began after groups of nationalists and
loyalists exchanged taunts. About 10 petrol bombs were
thrown at the police.

Loyalists have left the area, but there was a standoff
between police and nationalists which ended following
mediation by local representatives.

Three people, including a policewoman, were injured in the
disturbances. A number of people have been arrested.

Earlier, Chief Superintendent Richard Russell praised the
agreement reached with the Bogside Residents' Group which
saw the morning's parade pass off peacefully.

He said what the police and most people wanted to see were
local agreements and accommodations on parades.

Protest

Speaking after Tuesday morning's protest, Superintendent
Gary White said his officers had acted in a disciplined and
restrained manner.

Leading members of Sinn Fein, including party president
Gerry Adams, were present and called for calm as police
moved in to remove the protesters one-by-one. He later
described the protest as disciplined and peaceful.

Meanwhile, a day-long standoff between nationalist
residents and Orangemen in Dunloy in County Antrim has
ended.

The demonstration by residents ended after talks between
the police and Sinn Fein MP Martin McGuinness.

The standoff began when Orangemen were prevented from
driving from their hall to a church in the village for a
wreath laying ceremony.

One-by-one police removed about 30 nationalist protesters
who were staging a sit-down protest in the village.

Sinn Fein MP Martin McGuinness urged a crowd of about 100
protesters to be "cool, calm and collected" shortly after
arriving in the village at about 1530 BST on Tuesday.

Shortly afterwards a trailer which was blocking the road
was driven off.

Police then removed a crowd of about 30 sit-down protesters
from the road to the sound of slow handclapping from
residents.

Sinn Fein Assembly member Phillip McGuigan was one of the
protesters moved by police.

The Orangemen then drove in a convoy to the church where,
six hours behind schedule, they laid a wreath and sang a
hymn.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/07/12 23:47:42 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-
/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4675515.stm

Dunloy: Village Standoff Ends After Talks

A day-long standoff between nationalist residents and
Orangemen in Dunloy in County Antrim has ended.

The demonstration by residents ended after talks between
the police and Sinn Fein MP Martin McGuinness.

The standoff began when Orangemen were prevented from
driving from their hall to a church in the village for a
wreath laying ceremony.

One-by-one police removed about 30 nationalist protesters
who were staging a sit-down protest in the village.

Sinn Fein MP Martin McGuinness urged a crowd of about 100
protesters to be "cool, calm and collected" shortly after
arriving in the village at about 1530 BST on Tuesday.

Shortly afterwards a trailer which was blocking the road
was driven off.

Police then removed a crowd of about 30 sit-down protesters
from the road to the sound of slow handclapping from
residents.

Sinn Fein Assembly member Phillip McGuigan was one of the
protesters moved by police.

The Orangemen then drove in a convoy to the church where,
six hours behind schedule, they laid a wreath and sang a
hymn.

The residents claimed the Orangemen planned to break a
Parades Commission ruling by gathering outside the
village's Presbyterian church.

However, the Orangemen said they were abiding by the law
and just wanted to lay a wreath.

Police said the residents had staged an "illegal protest"
and that Orangemen had complied with a Parades Commission
determination.

Ballymoney police commander Superintendent Alistair
Robinson said a full investigation would be carried out
into the protest.

The commission's determination had limited the Dunloy lodge
to marching in the area immediately outside its hall.

The lodge members wanted to travel by car to the church but
protesters used vehicles to block the road.

Earlier in north Belfast, police praised all sides after an
Orange Order parade passed a flashpoint without incident
following a peaceful protest.

'Illegal protest'

Nationalists staging a sit-down protest on the Crumlin Road
were removed by police before the parade passed housing and
shops at Ardoyne.

Police said they dealt with an "illegal protest" by about
60 people.

However, they are concerned about this evening's return
march through the area as there was serious trouble last
year.

The police and Army have described their security operation
in Ardoyne as significant, but said they would adapt their
plans depending on what happens.

Speaking after the protest, Superintendent Gary White said
his officers had acted in a disciplined and restrained
manner.

"I also think people within the crowd were exercising a
fair amount of restraint and discipline," Mr White said.

"The parade has now gone through, no-one has been hurt,
there has been no disorder and I think people on all sides
of the community should be congratulated."

The Ardoyne protest was attended by Sinn Fein leader Gerry
Adams and his party colleagues Gerry Kelly and Bairbre de
Brun, as well as SDLP members including Alex and Tim
Attwood.

Also there was a priest from the area, Father Aidan Troy.

He said, while the situation was tense, there had been no
violence.

He said police had removed protesters on the road one-by-
one but had not been making arrests.

The SDLP praised "the responsible behaviour of both police
and protesters at Ardoyne".

Meanwhile, a parade through a contentious route in west
Belfast has also passed off peacefully.

More than 50 nationalists held a silent roadside protest on
the Springfield Road as an Orange march turned into Workman
Avenue.

Two bands accompanying lodges were not allowed to play
music as part of a Parades Commission ruling.

The commission banned the parade from returning along the
same route in the evening.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/07/12 16:07:51 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/10403

PSNI Facilitate Breach Of Parades Commission Ruling In
Lurgan For The Second Year In A Row

Published: 12 July, 2005

Sinn Féin MLA John O Dowd has called on the Police
Ombudsmans office to send observers to Lurgan to monitor
the PSNIs handling of Loyal order parades after the Orange
Order were allowed to march through a contentious area of
Lurgan this morning, in complete defiance of a Parades
Commission determination, without any interference form the
PSNI.

Mr O Dowd said: "The Parades Commission determination had
clearly stated that the Orange Order was not allowed to
enter William St during this morning's parade. However as
the parade came to an end, around a dozen Orange Order
leading officers, including local MP David Simpson and
several other unionist politicians, broke away from the
parade and proceeded along the entire length of William St,
in full Orange regalia. The PSNI failed to prevent this
breach of the determination, and intead gave the illegal
parade an escort to the railway station, at the bottom of
William St.

"The dozen or so marchers then removed their Orange regalia
and walked back up William St to re-join the main parade.
This willingness of the PSNI to facilitate this illegal
demonstration in Lurgan is similar to the stance adopted by
the PSNI in relation to another illegal Orange
demonstration in Dunloy, also this morning. Both of these
incidents contrast starkly with the PSNI's removal of
Nationalists residents from the route of an Orange march in
Ardoyne today."

"It would appear that the PSNI, like the old RUC, see one
of their primary roles as attempting to re-assert Orange
Order domination over minority nationalist communities."

Concluding Mr O Dowd said: "It is clear following last
year's breaches of Parades Commissions determination in
Lurgan and now this mornings breach facilitated by the
PSNI , that the PSNI cannot be trusted to enforce such
determinations, I am calling on the Police Ombudsmans
office to intervene and place personnel on the ground in
Lurgan to monitor PSNI activity, and Loyal Order parade.

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0713/79487061
1HM7DERRY.html

Derry: Nationalist Youths Riot After Parade

George Jackson

Derry: Nationalist rioters threw petrol bombs at police
in the centre of Derry yesterday evening, less than an hour
after the Orange Order's parade had passed off peacefully
in the same area.

Two officers and two civilians were treated in hospital for
injuries sustained in the disturbances.

A woman constable took a direct hit in the face when a
bottle was thrown at police lines from the direction of the
nationalist rioters.

The trouble flared up after the parade when rival loyalist
and nationalist youths exchanged verbal insults and threw
beer bottles at each other at the junction of Ferryquay
Street and the Diamond.

Police immediately separated the rival groups and forced
the loyalists into Bishop Street.

A standoff then developed between the two groups.

Stones and bottles were thrown before the police formed a
cordon and pushed the nationalists across the Diamond into
Butcher Street and the loyalists farther up Bishop Street.

After the police, using Land Rovers, had sealed off Butcher
Street containing the nationalist rioters, 10 petrol bombs
were thrown at police lines as well as bricks and bottles.
Several masked youths used catapults to fire ball bearings
at the police lines.

Senior members of the republican movement in Derry, who had
been on the streets throughout the day monitoring the
Orange Order parade, had left the area before the trouble
started.

Several of the police vehicles in Butcher Street took
direct hits from the petrol bombs.

The most serious disturbances occurred outside the Tower
Hotel in Butcher Street.

Half an hour before the petrol bombs were thrown at the
police, a bus load of tourists had arrived at the hotel.

Supt Johnny McCarroll, who was in charge of the police
operation in Derry yesterday, said the reputation of the
city had been damaged as a result of the disturbances.

"We had a peaceful day during the parade, but then some
people obviously found it difficult to understand that such
a parade could have passed off incident-free," he said.

"They are a mindless group of young people. We have four
casualties in hospital, almost a dozen petrol bombs thrown
at police trying to keep rival groups apart, and all of
this happened soon after tourists arrived at the hotel
outside which the trouble took place. I wonder what
impression they will have of their visit to this city."

The Orange parade in Derry had been one of the quietest
held in the city in recent years. Just over 3,000 Orangemen
paraded through the centre for the first time in 13 years.

© The Irish Times

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0713/14493936
94HM7PORTADOWN.html

Portadown: Holiday Feeling As Parade Passes Off Peacefully

Chris Anderson

Portadown: Several thousand Orangemen took part in the
Grand Orange Lodge of Armagh annual Twelfth celebrations in
Portadown yesterday.

From early morning spectators began gathering along the
four mile parade route through Portadown town centre to the
demonstration field on the Armagh Road.

Orange lodges from Keady, Bessbrook, Loughgall, Lurgan, and
Richhill were marched through the "Orange citadel".

There was a more relaxed atmosphere than usual in Portadown
with stilt walkers, clowns and cartoon characters mixing
with the Orangemen and spectators.

Gone were the tensions of the past 48 hours as the
Orangemen basked in the sunshine of their "Glorious
Twelfth".

There were more Lambeg drums than in previous years and the
streets of Portadown reverberated to the thunderous sound
of the drums as the marchers made their way along the
parade route.

Among those taking part in the Co Armagh parade was the
newly elected Democratic Unionist Party MP for Upper Bann,
David Simpson.

Earlier in the day he had criticised a decision to cancel
trains bringing Orangemen from Lurgan to the Portadown
parade.

Trains had been halted because of a suspect bomb alert on
the line between Moira and Lisburn.

However, there was a strong feeling that the local rail
company should have provided the service to the Co Armagh
town.

Following the conclusion of the formal proceedings the
hundreds of bands and the Orange lodges made the return
journey in soaring temperatures back through Portadown town
centre before dispersing and returning home.

There was a holiday atmosphere throughout the day in
Portadown as thousands watched the parade, which passed off
without any incident.

© The Irish Times

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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/10402

Orange Hangers-On Raising Tensions In Carrickhill

Published: 12 July, 2005

Sinn Féin North Belfast Councillor Caral Ní Chuilín has
said that the PSNI are facilitating Orange Order
'supporters' in the Carrickhill area who are raising
tensions in the area.

Cllr Ni Chuilín said: "There are a large number of Orange
Order hangers-on congregating in the Carrickhill area. They
are drinking heavily and are clearly intent on trying to
escalate tension in the area.

"The PSNI are facilitating this behaviour and this is
totally unacceptable. Sinn Féin are on the ground trying to
manage tensions, particularly with tonight's return parade
still to come but this sort of drunken inflammatory
behaviour is very unwelcome." ENDS

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http://www.derryjournal.com/story/6876

Derry's Twelfth Peace Hopes

Tuesday 12th July 2005

The Rector of Drumcree parish church says the annual stand-
off in Portadown could be resolved through a Derry-like
deal on parades.

The Reverend John Pickering was speaking on the eve of this
year's Twelfth of July demonstrations that will see up to
3,000 marchers parade through the streets of Derry.

Local Orange Order members were last night making final
preparations for the march - the first to be held in the
city's west bank for 13 years.

And this time there will be no organised protest after a
forum involving the Bogside Residents' Group, local Orange
Order members and business, community and church leaders
reached a land mark deal on the parade.

The Rev Pickering of Drumcree's Church of the Ascension
said it would great if the deal in Derry - brokered by the
city's Chamber of Commerce - could be repeated elsewhere.

Mr. Pickering told the 'Journal' yesterday: "Since a
contentious parading issue can be dealt with to the
satisfaction of all in Londonderry surely there is every
reason to believe a solution can be reached here in
Drumcree and everywhere else.

"I would hope we could get a process going so all the
issues can be looked at carefully and I would be hopeful of
a resolution."

The Church of Ireland rector said he would urge members of
the Orange Order to get involved in a similar process so a
resolution to marching disputes could be found.

The comments also come a day after Orange Order members at
the annual Drumcree parade in Portadown were once again
banned from marching on the nationalist Garvaghy Road.

The march - which provoked wide spread violence across the
North in the mid-90s - passed off peacefully on Sunday
following one of the most low-key security operations in
years.

The PSNI are also confident of a peaceful day in Derry
today. Foyle District Commander, Chief Superintendent
Richard Russell, who is overseeing the security operation,
said the agreement reached two weeks ago was a big help.

But Mr. Russell also issued a stark warning to those intent
on causing trouble, adding thuggery will not be tolerated.

"If you are coming to watch the parade, behave yourself and
remember that drunkenness, anti social behaviour and
paramilitary displays will not be tolerated," he said.

William Wray, spokesperson for the Orange Order in Derry,
said he hoped to see a carnival atmosphere in the city and
urged everyone to get involved.

Donnacha MacNiallais of the BRG said they are hoping for a
peaceful day. He urged visiting marchers to show respect
for the people of Derry.

He added: "We also appeal to young nationalists and
republicans not go get involved in any type of
confrontation.

"We are aware of the situation in Ardoyne and the tension
surrounding that march.

"But in our view the best thing we can do to demonstrate
support for the people of Ardoyne is to ensure Tuesday
passes off peacefully."

Stephen Kelly, Chief Executive of the City Centre
Initiative, said shop owners who normally open on the
Twelfth will do so again tomorrow and are expecting trade
to be brisk.

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0713/15525646
60HM7KINGBILLY.html

Waterford Praise For King William

Barry Roche, Southern Correspondent

William of Orange was a more tolerant character than is
often portrayed, director of the Waterford Museum of
Treasurers Eamonn McEneaney told a gathering in the city
last night for the official unveiling of a portrait of the
English monarch."

William himself was not anti-Catholic. Personally he was
quite tolerant and, as we all know, he was for a time
allied with the Pope," said Mr McEneaney at the official
unveiling of the restored paintings of King William III and
King George I. The unveiling in the Waterford Museum of
Treasures was performed by British ambassador Stewart
Eldon, who paid tribute to the people of Ireland for their
great expressions of sympathy following the London bombs.

He said the many expressions of sympathy and solidarity
received at the British embassy, including the many floral
tributes, typified the sense of fellow feeling and
closeness that existed between the two countries.

The two paintings, commissioned by Waterford Corporation in
the late 17th and early 18th centuries of the two kings,
were just one example of the close historical links between
Ireland and Britain.

"These paintings, along with the rest of the museum,
symbolise and give concrete form to the extraordinary close
connections that exist between the British and Irish
peoples," said Mr Eldon.

"The relationship between the two countries is changing
very fast. I think we've got rid of a lot of the historical
encumbrances that have appeared over the past 800 years or
so," he said. The paintings, by Sir Godfrey Kneller, had
been in storage for more than 20 years in Waterford
following the restoration of the City Hall.

© The Irish Times

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http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=3170685&p=3y7x7xx&n=31
70777

President Hosts Unionists At Twelfth Reception

12/07/2005 - 18:39:25

Hundreds of unionists gathered at the President's official
residence today for a friendly reception to mark the
historic occasion of the Battle of the Boyne.

As thousands of Orangemen took to the streets across
Northern Ireland for the Battle of the Boyne commemoration
parade, President Mary McAleese held a Twelfth of July
garden party in Áras An Uachtaráin in glorious sunshine.

"This reception and the planned re-development of the site
of the Battle of the Boyne are, I believe, positive signs
of the spirit of inclusion and tolerance that characterise
today's confident, successful Ireland," the President said
at the seventh annual party to celebrate the occasion.

"Today we showcase our differences, acknowledge them openly
and colourfully and still offer each other a handshake, a
smile and the offer of friendship."

President McAleese stressed the importance of the historic
occasion, as over 400 people from Northern Ireland and the
Republic gathered at the reception.

"The course of Irish history changed and the course of
European history too. For the Williamites it was a triumph,
for the Jacobites, a disaster," she said.

"These centuries later we, their children, gather together
acknowledging our very different debts to history but also
our shared responsibility for the future."

She added: "It is to the goodness in all of us that we look
with hope and confidence for a future where the unique
heritage of each has a respected place in an island of good
neighbours and good friends."

Ms McAleese said Áras An Uachtaráin in Dublin's Phoenix
Park was the ideal venue to hold the Twelfth of July
celebration.

The house, which was bought in the 1780s by the British
government, became the seat of British Rule in Ireland as
the home of the Viceroy. Following independence in 1922, it
went on to become home to eight Irish Presidents.

"With such a fascinating history you can be sure that
whatever your politics or perspective on history, part of
your story is captured under this roof," she said.

"In this house you will find reminders of each era – trees
planted by Queen Victoria, Lord Mountbatten and Pope John
Paul II; chandeliers celebrating the Act of Union 1801
close by busts of those who tried their best to end that
Union. This evening, Aras An Uachtarain welcomes all the
traditions of this island, and I hope that each feels
welcomed and at home."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-
/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4673031.stm

Orange Twelfth Parades Take Place

Thousands of Orangemen have been taking part in the annual
Twelfth of July celebrations in Northern Ireland.

The largest demonstration of the day was in Belfast.

There the Order's Grand Master, Robert Saulters, expressed
sympathy for the victims of the London bombings and called
for an end to loyalist feuding.

He appealed to those with "murder in their minds" to step
back. "We have had enough sorrow in this country from our
enemies," he said.

"Call the feuds off and enjoy the company of one another."

----
RALLY SITES

Antrim
Glenavy
Cullybackey
Ballymena
Broughshane
Bushmills
Portadown
Belfast
Comber
Loughbrickland
Annalong
Newtownards
Ballinamallard
Tobermore
Londonderry
Pomeroy
Beragh
Clogher
Portglenone
----

A spokesman for the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland said the
London bomb attacks had "cast a shadow over our
celebrations".

"The greatest tribute we can pay those who died is to carry
on with our democratic traditions and to ensure that the
Twelfth passes off peacefully," he said.

The London bomb attacks, and the commemoration the 60th
anniversary of the end of World War II, were the subject of
speeches at rallies across the province.

Speeches

Speaking at the demonstration in Newtownards, North Belfast
MP Nigel Dodds told Orangemen that a different enemy, but
with the same "deadly intent" was behind the London
attacks.

"An enemy intent on robbing us of our liberty and denying
us the security to go about our way of life in freedom," he
said.

"We in Ulster stand together in solidarity with our fellow
citizens in London and across the country today as those
who know and understand the terrible cost of terrorism."

He also said that the IRA must disband and that there was
"no question of tolerating any kind of ambiguity".

Mr Dodds said republicans would be "tested over time".

"How long that takes depends on republicans. For if there
is one thing we know for sure and that is you can never
trust the Provos," he said.

The Independent Orange Order held its demonstration in
Portglenone, County Antrim, with a religious service
conducted by North Antrim MP, Ian Paisley.

At the rally he called for the "root and branch
destruction" of the IRA and its weapons, and said that
loyalist paramilitaries must also cease their activities.

A lodge from Alabama travelled to Tobermore, County
Londonderry, where one of the 19 rallies was held.

One minute's silence was held at the Orange Order parades
for the London bomb victims.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/07/12 18:57:06 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-
/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4675977.stm

Bomb Discovered On Railway Line

Army bomb disposal experts have carried out a controlled
explosion on a bomb found on the railway line between
Lisburn and Moira.

The security alert has now ended and remains of the device
have been taken away for scientific examination.

The Moira Road, which was closed during searches, has since
re-opened.

Trains between Lisburn and Portadown are cancelled on
Tuesday and Wednesday because of what Translink called "a
perceived risk in the Lurgan area".

In a statement, Northern Ireland Railways said the safety
of staff and passengers was a top priority.

A bus service is running between the towns instead.

In previous years, trains have been targeted at this time
of year while going through Lurgan where the line runs past
the mainly nationalist Kilwilkie housing estate.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/07/12 14:34:43 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=149228632&p=y49
zz9338

Loyalist Feud: Victim Of 'Ruthless Execution' Named

12/07/2005 - 18:19:18

Detectives tonight named a man murdered by a gang as part
of a loyalist feud.

Craig McCausland, 20, was shot dead after three men broke
into his home in Dhu Varran Park, Belfast, in the early
hours of yesterday.

Ulster Volunteer Force gunmen have been blamed for what
police described as a "ruthless execution".

The attack was one of four shootings in less than 24 hours
involving the UVF and its sworn enemies in the splinter
Loyalist Volunteer Force.

Mr McCausland, who was shot several times, lived with his
girlfriend, who is in her mid-20s, her nine-year-old son
and six-year-old daughter.

The killers left the scene in a silver, old-style silver
Peugeot 405 - registration IBZ 7522 – which was later found
burned out on Cupar Way.

The retaliation killing followed three earlier attacks
blamed on the LVF.

In the most serious, a man in his 20s was shot several
times as he walked his dogs past a bonfire site on the
Crumlin Road.

He was critically injured in the midnight shooting and
underwent emergency surgery.

It also emerged that a mother and child escaped injury
early on Sunday morning when shots were fired into a house
on Silverstream Avenue and at a nearby address.

One man was arrested by police.

The hatred that has festered between the two organisations
ever since UVF men broke away to form the LVF nearly a
decade ago shows no sign of abating.

Several men on both sides have been killed as the mutual
loathing and desire for supremacy sporadically erupts into
all-out violence.

The latest attacks are thought to be linked to a murder in
the city earlier this month.

Jameson Lockhart was gunned down as he sat on a lorry in
east Belfast on July 1.

The 25-year-old victim, who was from the north of the city
and believed to have LVF connections, had been clearing
rubble from the site of a demolished bar when the killers
struck.

The detective in charge of the latest murder investigation
confirmed that officers probing the Lockhart assassination
have been drafted in to hunt down the killers.

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0713/13220939
18HM6TREES.html

Landmark Makes Way For Regeneration

Joe Humphreys

Dublin City Council felled the last 10 mature trees on
O'Connell Street yesterday evening despite continuing
objections from environmentalists.

A large team of local authority contractors moved into the
site at 7pm, and had successfully topped four of the 100-
year-old London Plane trees within less than an hour.

Crowds of onlookers watched with some astonishment as 20ft
branches came crashing to the ground - one of them toppling
over a perimeter fence to the site and landing in a lane of
moving traffic.

Some people expressed anger at the local authority's
actions, among them passerby Eddie Brennan, from Glasnevin.
"I can't believe it," he said. "The trees are beautiful.
They're part of O'Connell Street, and just like that
they're gone."

His views were echoed by Green Party TD Ciarán Cuffe, who
had been campaigning for the retention of the trees. "It's
a shame. They were very venerable trees and very much part
of the character of the street. While I welcome most of the
O'Connell Street regeneration project, I think the trees
could have been saved if greater thought had been put into
it," he said.

A spokeswoman for the council said the felling was
necessary to complete the regeneration plan for O'Connell
Street and Parnell Square. "The plan for the street was
approved by the council, and that included getting rid of
the final ten trees."

Asked why the felling had taken place so suddenly yesterday
evening, she replied: "Because of the traffic it couldn't
be done during the day. It was nothing more sinister than
that."

More than a dozen members of the forestry service, Coillte,
worked in three separate teams to fell the trees. The
fallen branches were quickly chopped into smaller pieces
and pulped in two separate vans, while the trunks - still
decorated with Christmas lights - were toppled over on to
the ground.

The felling paves the way for the regeneration of the
second half of O'Connell Street, from the Spire to Parnell
Square, in line with the first phase of development, which
included the planting of smaller,nursery trees.

Cllr Michael Conaghan, who as lord mayor last year spoke
out against the council's plans, said last night he had
hoped the local authority would retain at least a few of
the ten trees. However, he said, "On the balance of it,
there is broad acceptance that once the plan was started it
was better to continue with it."

© The Irish Times

******************************************

http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/10406

Carrickmacross Town Council Supports Eddie Fullerton
Inquiry Demand

Published: 12 July, 2005

At last evenings (Monday) meeting of Carrickmacross Town
Council the following motion in the name of the three Sinn
Féin members was passed:

"That this council supports the ongoing call from the
family of the late Councillor Eddie Fullerton, member of
Buncrana Urban District Council and Donegal County Council,
for a full independent public inquiry, chaired by a person
of international repute into the circumstances surrounding
his murder. Furthermore, we call on the Fianna Fáil / PD
government to insist on full co-operation from the British
authorities to assist the Fullerton family in their quest
for truth and justice".

The council also agreed to forward a similar motion to the
annual conference of the Association of Municipal
Authorities for approval. When a vote took place the two
Sinn Féin members present and the Independent chairperson
voted in favour. The three Fianna Fáil members voted
against and the two Fine Gael members abstained. The
Chairperson's casting vote then saw the motion carried.

Speaking following the meeting Sinn Féin councillor Matt
Carthy said:

"On one hand I am pleased that this motion was passed by
Carrickmacross Town Council. However I am disappointed that
the Fianna Fáil members voted against it. Eddie Fullerton
was an elected representative who was murdered by a pro-
British death squad and since his death there have been
serious questions raised suggesting that the murder took
place as a result of collusion between Unionists and
British Intelligence. Critically there have also been
allegations with regard to the role played by the Gardaí in
the weeks leading up to his death and in the investigation
that followed. There was no proper examination of the
scene, crucial forensic evidence was never examined and key
witnesses were not interviewed. Crucially, it has been
known for some time now that three Gardaí, roundly
discredited by the Morris Tribunal in recent months, were
centrally involved in the flawed investigation into Eddie
Fullerton's murder.

"This is a human rights issue. It is about the right of
Eddie Fullerton's family to know the whole truth in
relation to the incidents surrounding his murder. We will
now start to press the case with other AMAI members to
ensure that the Fullerton family will earn the support of
that organisation in their quest for justice".

ENDS

******************************************

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0713/23045545
20HM2USTROOPS.html

Increase In US Troop Traffic At Shannon

Gordon Deegan

Almost as many US troops have passed through Shannon
airport during the first six months of this year as in the
whole of 2004.

Figures released by the Shannon Airport Authority yesterday
show that from January to June, 153,381 troops stopped over
at Shannon en route to US bases in Europe, the Middle East
and the US.

This compares to the 158,549 troops that passed through
Shannon last year in what was a record year for US troop
movements through Shannon.

The troop traffic continues to be a major revenue generator
for the airport authority, with the authority believed to
have received €18 million in income from the US government
to date this year.

In spite of the massive rise in passenger numbers on
commercial airlines this year, revenues from the military
traffic continue to play an important role, as losses
incurred by Shannon last year would have been much higher
but for the revenues generated by the military traffic.

Shannon recorded a loss of €2.5 million on a turnover of
€95 million in 2004 and the loss could increase in future
years.

The figures released yesterday show that 23,461 troops
passed through on 169 flights last month, compared with
21,991 during the second quarter of 2004.

However, figures for the second quarter in 2005 are down on
the numbers that passed through the airport in the first
quarter of this year. The figures released by Shannon show
that 95,984 passed through on 690 flights in the first
quarter. The 34,647 that passed through in January are just
short of the 35,405 troops that used the airport in the
first quarter of last year.

The airport has received an estimated €63 million in
revenues from the US government over the past four years
arising from its campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some 453,388 US troops have stopped off at the airport
since the start of 2002.

It is estimated that there are currently 150,000 US troops
in Iraq. An unknown number of troops that flew to Iraq via
Shannon have not made the return journey, as about 1,700
soldiers have been killed in action since the invasion of
Iraq in March 2003.

Clare Fine Gael deputy Pat Breen yesterday endorsed the
troops using the airport. He said: "It is a great money-
spinner for Shannon and should be welcomed. It is
commercial business and the facilities at Shannon are not
just on offer to the United States, but to any country."

Mr Breen went on: "I don't believe that Shannon is playing
a role in US military operations. Ireland is a neutral
country and it is a commercial decision to accept the troop
business."

© The Irish Times

******************************************

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0713/38542048
48HM2ALGAE.html

Blue-Green Algae Killed Two Dogs At Lough Derg

James Hayden

North Tipperary County Council has confirmed that blue-
green algae, sometimes found on the surface of Lough Derg
in warm weather, was the cause of the deaths of two
Labrador dogs near Youghalarra Quay on the lake three weeks
ago.

The council has been advised by the Department of
Agriculture's Regional Veterinary Laboratory in Limerick
that the investigation into the dog fatalities which
occurred on June 22nd has been completed and has identified
the neurotoxin, Anatoxin-a, as the cause of the animals'
deaths.

Anatoxic-a is a neurotoxin produced by some species of
blue- green alga of cyanobacteria and the laboratory
considered that the lake water was the probable source of
the neurotoxin ingested by the animals.

Senior environmental engineer with North Tipperary County
Council, Frank O'Halloran, who headed the investigation
into the deaths, said the council commissioned the EPA's
Regional Water Laboratory in Kilkenny to carry out a
follow-up investigation with samples being taken from 50
locations around the lake on June 27th and 28th; 23 of
which were tested for the presence of blue-green algae.

Following analysis, it was revealed that blue-green algae
was not present in the lake at the time of sampling,
although the weather conditions had deteriorated notably in
the intervening days which would have led to the
dissipation of the algal bloom.

The council confirmed that the majority of the results were
satisfactory and found that the quality the water in Lough
Derg had improved substantially since the 1990s.

However, the council did admit that the despite the
improved water quality of Lough Derg, the development of
toxic algal blooms can be harmful to animals who drink the
water and can cause skin rashes in humans who swim in it.

The council added that it was taking all necessary steps to
ensure that drinking water taken from the lake remained
safe.

© The Irish Times

******************************************

http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=182411447&p=y8z4yz3yx&
n=182412390

Yeats Literary Album Fetches £72,000

12/07/2005 - 18:08:49

A valuable literary collection including letters and a
manuscript by WB Yeats fetched £72,000 (€104,770) at
auction today.

The collection was mounted in an album by Sir Sydney
Cockerell, a friend of Yeats, and book collector,
connoisseur and museum director.

It includes 18 letters signed by Yeats to Sir Sydney as
well as a manuscript of his essay, The Tragic Theatre,
written in 1910.

The letters date from 1902 to 1932 and include discussions
of his own work as well as other art and literature.

Yeats, who was born in Dublin, is a key figure in Irish
literature, winning the Nobel prize for his plays and now
recognised for his later poetry.

Educated both in England and Ireland, as a young man he was
part of the London literary crowd at the turn of the
century while also attempting to revive the tradition of
literature in his homeland.

Yeats was a patriot but often railed against the hatred and
bigotry of some nationalists. He was appointed to the Irish
Senate in 1922.

His volumes of poetry including The Wild Swans at Coole
(1919), Michael Robartes and the Dancer (1921) and The
Tower (1928). He died in 1939.

The £72,000 fetched at Sotheby's included the buyer's
premium.

******************************************

http://www.pastemagazine.com/action/article?article_id=1916

Green Suede Shoes By Larry Kirwan

Thunder's Mouth Press Kirwan's memoir follows his journey
from Catholic schoolboy in Ireland to adult troubadour in
the U.S., and does so with a storyteller's eye for detail
and a musician's ear for rhythm. The Irish-American odyssey
of a joyfully noisy rocker and writer

There used to be a Greenwich Village bar called The Bells
of Hell which during the late 1970s functioned as a sort of
literary clubhouse for an eclectic mix of novelists,
journalists, even rock critics (including this one). During
its brief-but-memorable heyday the bar's back room featured
music, and the soundtrack for many a lost weekend came
courtesy of a young duo called Turner and Kirwan of
Wexford. Their seemingly cultured nom-de-guerre belied
keyboardist Pierce Turner and guitarist Larry Kirwan's
boisterous mélange of Irish-stewed folk-rock—pungent sounds
perfectly suited for the club's careening clientele.

Several (relatively) sober decades later, Larry Kirwan is
still boisterous and still rocking, not only as a musician—
he's the leader of the long-running, much-acclaimed Irish
American band Black 47—but as a prolific author, too. His
latest project, a memoir, follows his journey from Catholic
schoolboy in Ireland to adult troubadour in the U.S., and
does so with a storyteller's eye for detail and a
musician's ear for rhythm (and it should be noted Black 47
has a new CD of the same name with songs that follow the
narrative). Featuring portraits of artists like Joe
Strummer, Cyndi Lauper, Ric Ocasek and Lester Bangs, Green
Suede Shoes vividly chronicles the makings of a true
believer, and his ever-loudly beating rock 'n' roll heart.

******************************************

http://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story.asp?j=23894

Irish-American Fiddler Loving The Sligo Style

A man who is described as one of America's premier Irish
fiddle players will be performing in the Coleman Music
Centre, Gurteen, on July 24.

Brian Conway, born in the US of Irish parents was playing
music since the age of 11. One of his most influential
tutors was Sligo man Martin Wynne, a native of Bunnanadden.
Thus began Brian's interest in Sligo style traditional
music,

Born in New York, Brian is widely acknowledged as one of
the best Irish-style fiddle players in the US and as a
leading exponent of the so-called New York Sligo style,
inherited from great players of the 1920s like Michael
Coleman, James Morrison, Paddy Killoran, and Lad O'Beirne.

The style then travelled through the next generation of
players represented by Andy McGann and Martin Wynne to
Conway himself, who is now passing his favourite style on
to a new generation of musicians in the Big Apple.

Conway's highly ornamented, fluid, yet bouncy playing is in
evidence throughout, and his choice of tunes makes
references to the early sources of his music, the '78
recordings of the great Sligo masters.

Brian is accompanied on this visit by Brendan Dolan, and a
truly enchanting evenings music is assured.

The date again is Sunday July 24, the music begins at
9.00pm, information and booking is available from the
Coleman Music Centre on (071) 9182599, or check the website
on www.colemanirishmusic.com.

Meanwhile the twice-weekly traditional music shows are now
in full swing in Gurteen, at the Coleman Centre.

Each Wednesday night, musician's singers and step-dancers
with 'Fear an Tí', Colm O' Donnell presents a sparkling
show at 9.00pm.

Patrons also have the opportunity of availing of a `special
offer` by enjoying a four-course dinner before the show in
the Crossbar restaurant. Dinner and the show is just E26
per person. Booking is essential.

Each Saturday night there is a music session with the
younger musicians from the area and special guests.

The music and gift shop at the Coleman Centre has an
outstanding collection of CDs, instruments and other gifts,
and they are offering a 10 percent discount up to the end
of August.
Posted by: Unknown / 11:01 PM
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