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July 14, 2005

Sad Days In Ardoyne By Father Troy

News about Ireland & the Irish

IA 07/14/05 Sad Days In Ardoyne By Father Aidan Troy
DI 07/14/05 Ombudsman Investigates Into Plastic Bullet Use
SF 07/14/05 Kelly Anger Over Plastic Bullet Figures
DI 07/14/05 Ardoyne Faces The Fallout
DI 07/14/05 Opin: CIRA Throws Lifeline To The Orange Bigots
UT 07/14/05 Police Made 8 Requests To Use Plastic Bullets
UT 07/14/05 Government Urged To Review UVF Ceasefire
BB 07/14/05 Residents Attacked With Missiles
BT 07/14/05 Protest To Call For Release Of Kelly
RT 07/14/05 Adams To Meet Ahern In Dublin Tomorrow
ET 07/14/05 Police Slam Hangers-On After 20 People Arrested
BB 07/14/05 Hosiery Firm Announces Job Losses
DI 07/14/05 BS: Scenes From Saville Inquiry To Hit Belfast
DI 07/14/05 Dancing With Lunasa Welcomes Andy Irvine
IT 07/15/05 Green Emmys
IT 07/15/05 Streaker At All-Ireland Hurling Match
YN 07/14/05 Top 50 Irish-American Business Executives

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http://www.iauc.org

This article was submitted for release in the AUGUST 2005
issue of the Irish American Unity Conference National
Newsletter

Sad Days In Ardoyne

Belfast
By Father Aidan Troy, C.P.

July 14 2005 - The 'Marching Season' in the North is never
easy. Loyalist marches number about 3,000 and most of these
pass off peacefully. They are in areas where they are
accepted by the local residents. A handful of marches are
contentious and are liable to give rise to violence. At
heart the problem is that local residents in Nationalist
areas like Ardoyne resent these sectarian processions with
bands and followers passing their front doors. The high
point of the marching season takes place on July 12 each
year to commemorate the victory of King William
(Protestant) over King James (Catholic) at the Battle of
the Boyne in 1690.

This year was particularly violent in Ardoyne with rioting
lasting a number of hours. The bands going to Belfast city
centre pass through Nationalist Ardoyne. All efforts by the
local Catholic residents to have this march rerouted have
failed. A peaceful protest against the Orange march was
made on the morning of 12 July. It was possible for me to
mediate with the Police and the protest ended without
incident. The main worry concerns the return of these bands
and supporters in the evening as they return home. Fuelled
by some anti-Catholic speeches during the day as well as
some alcohol, the local Catholic community dread the return
journey past their homes.

The Police and British Army moved onto the road through
Ardoyne before 6 a.m. and this makes people virtually
prisoners in their own homes for a number of hours. From 5
p.m. until the march passes around 8 p.m. the same happens
for the local residents. Great efforts were made this year
to have 'diversionary' activities to occupy the young
people who are often prone to cause trouble on these
occasions. Football and boxing tournaments were arranged as
well as discos and other fun activities. One hundred
children from Ardoyne were brought to Dublin for the day by
kindness of President Mary McAleese and her husband,
Martin.

All these efforts proved helpful but not enough. On the
evening of 12 July as the Orange march passed through
Ardoyne it was attacked by some of our local youths with
bottles and stones. The police immediately turned on
powerful water canons and all attempts to stop the rioting
by stewards and political representatives were gone. A more
sinister element emerged this year when a number of blast
bombs were thrown injuring a journalist and having the
potential to cause death and serious injury. It is so sad
that once again the good people of Ardoyne are being
portrayed around the world in such a poor light. The vast
majority of people in Ardoyne while objecting to the
Loyalist parades have nothing to do with violence. There
are more marches to take place here next month. All we can
do is redouble our efforts to find a solution to this long
running issue. My dream is that the day will come when the
Orange Order will agree to talk to local Catholic residents
and through dialogue find a resolution that will make
sectarianism history.

The Gospel challenges us not only to be peacekeepers but
peacemakers.
----

If you wish to reprint this article, please give full
credit.

Irish American Unity Conference
National Office
611 Pennsylvania Ave, SE # 4150
Washington, D.C. 20003
Phone: #1-800-947-4282 Email: iauc@iauc.org Website:
www.iauc.org

Contact: Deanna Turner, Director of Communications
JOIN THE IAUC: http://www.iauc.org/joiniauc.htm

"Working for Justice & Peace in a re-united Ireland"

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http://62.253.251.16/dailyireland/home.tvt?_ticket=22H8VV89
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Police Ombudsman's Office Launches Investigation Into
Plastic Bullet Use Connla Young

The Police Ombudsman's Office has launched an
investigation after the PSNI confirmed that 22 plastic
bullets were fired at civilians during disturbances in
north Belfast on Tuesday.

The plastic bullets were fired during fierce rioting after
an Orange parade and hundreds of its supporters were forced
past the nationalist Ardoyne shops in the north of the
city.

The PSNI has claimed that nine devices were thrown at its
lines during the incident, six of the devices exploding.
The Continuity IRA said it was behind the blast-bomb
attacks.

A spokesperson for the Police Ombudsman's Office said last
night that an investigation was being launched into the
circumstances leading to the firing of each plastic bullet.

"Any discharge of firearms by a police officer is referred
to us by the police. We will look at the circumstances
leading to the discharge of baton rounds," said the
spokesperson.

Until Tuesday night, plastic bullets had not been used
during civil disturbances in the North since September
2002. The PSNI recently brought into service a batch of
new-style plastic bullets, which it calls attenuated energy
projectiles.

The force claims that the new plastic bullets are less
dangerous than the models they replaced. However,
campaigners continue to call for the outright ban of
plastic bullets.

In total, 17 people, including several children, have been
killed by plastic and rubber bullets fired by the RUC and
British army since the Troubles began.

SDLP policing spokesman Alex Attwood was quick to distance
his party from the PSNI's use of plastic bullets in the
North this week.

Mr Attwood sits on the Policing Board, which sanctioned the
purchase of the most recent batch of bullets.

"The SDLP has consistently and strongly opposed the use of
any plastic bullets and the purchase of the AEP. Even
though no plastic bullets had been fired for nearly three
years, the SDLP repeats that their use last night or any
other time is not acceptable to the party or to the
nationalist community."

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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/10454

Kelly Anger Over Plastic Bullet Figures

Published: 14 July, 2005

Sinn Féin Policing spokesperson Gerry Kelly has criticised
the PSNI after it was revealed that 22 plastic bullets were
fired in Ardoyne on Tuesday night.

Mr Kelly also criticised the SDLP representative Alex
Attwood for praising the PSNI action.

Mr Kelly said: " Plastic Bullets are unacceptable and must
be banned. They should have no part in policing these type
riot situations. The fact that so many people were gathered
in Ardoyne on Tuesday evening ensured that the firing of
these lethal devices could have been nothing other than
indiscriminate.

" To compound matters the PSNI clearly engaged in media
management surrounding the numbers fired. Yesterday they
indicated that only six were discharged and today they have
revealed that 22 have been fired. We are told that this is
a new improved plastic bullet, the AEP. But the reality is
these devices are lethal and can kill.

" Alex Attwood of the SDLP has very publicly praised the
actions of the PSNI in Ardoyne on Tuesday evening. I can
only assume that this includes the use of plastic bullets.
Prior to joining the Policing Board the SDLP claimed to be
opposed to the use of plastic bullets. Yet while on it they
have overseen the development, purchase and now use of a
new generation of lethal killers.

Alex Attwood needs to explain in very clear terms to the
nationalist community why he has praised this action." ENDS

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/News&id=6945&opp=1

Ardoyne Faces The Fallout

Connla Young

A massive clear-up operation was under way yesterday after
Tuesday night's rioting in Belfast.

Trouble flared after an Orange parade and hundreds of its
supporters were pushed past the nationalist Ardoyne
district of north Belfast after returning from the city's
main July 12 demonstration.

Several people, including two teenagers, were injured after
the PSNI opened fire on nationalist rioters and bystanders
with plastic bullets.

Blast bombs, petrol bombs, bricks and stones were thrown at
the PSNI after nationalists opposed to the Orange march
were forced into side streets.

The Continuity IRA was yesterday blamed for hurling the
blast bombs.

The PSNI claims 80 members of its riot squad were injured
during the intense round of rioting. Two journalists caught
up in the violence were also hurt.

Earlier in the evening a powerful water cannon was turned
on protesters as tensions in the tiny nationalist district
began to simmer.

Among those targeted by the PSNI were respected local
Catholic priests Fr Gary Donegan and Fr Aidan Troy, as well
as Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams.

All three men were in the area in an effort to maintain
calm ahead of the disputed Orange parade.

Earlier this week, the Ardoyne Parade Dialogue Group
appealed to the Parades Commission to review a decision to
give the Orange procession the go-ahead and presented video
evidence of death threats being made against local Catholic
residents by loyalists during a similar parade on June 17.

Fr Troy said the violence was disappointing.

In the days leading up to the controversial parade the
Catholic priest arranged numerous events in a bid to
distract local teenagers.

"I feel a huge disappointment and a huge sadness. I have
been out and looked at the streets this morning and it says
failure. It all went so horribly wrong," he said.

Gerry Adams said the majority of people who took part in
Tuesday's protest were peaceful demonstrators.

"The fact is that the vast majority of people have
demonstrated peacefully and in a calm manner," he said.

The West Belfast MP blamed police strategy for the trouble.
"When the police moved in, 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."

SDLP policing spokesman Alex Attwood, who sits on the
Policing Board, was critical of Sinn Féin in the aftermath
of the riots.

"The riot was organised – by who? The blast bomb is a tool
of the paramilitary organisations – which one? A stash of
petrol bombs was intercepted before the riot – who was
making these plans?" he said.

"It does not measure up for Sinn Féin now to say that the
police brought about the conflict.

"This is not backed up by the evidence, by the use of blast
bombs and petrol bombs and the organisation behind the
rioters.

"While everyone should acknowledge that representatives
made great efforts and behaved highly responsibly during
yesterday, the failure by some representatives to do so now
in their comments about the riots and police response is
deeply disappointing, is damaging and is a deliberate
attempt to shift attention away from the facts of what
happened late last night."

Newly-appointed Ulster Unionist Party leader, Reg Empey,
called for action to address the ongoing parades dispute.

"I am calling on the secretary of state to take a grip on
this and put it on the table for discussion in the autumn,
because we need a solution. We can't allow what is an issue
of cultural rights to be turned into a political football,
and there has to be a consensus on how this is dealt with."

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/Comment&id=6969&opp=1

EDITORIAL: CIRA Throws Lifeline To The Orange Bigots

Yesterday the Continuity IRA told a reporter from this
newspaper that it was responsible for the hurling of two
blast bombs at PSNI lines during rioting in Ardoyne on
Tuesday evening. The CIRA's top man in the city added that
three armed active service units were on the ground that
evening and that they had come close to opening fire on the
PSNI with automatic weapons after plastic bullets were
fired.

The first thing to be said is that the CIRA's actions did
nothing to protect or defend the people of Ardoyne in the
face of this latest assault on their dignity and humanity
by the Orange Order, the PSNI and the British army. Far
from it, the use of bombs by dissident republicans has
damaged the efforts of those tireless and courageous people
on the ground – be they residents, politicians, priests or
community workers – who understand that the job of
protecting a community's physical safety and its hard-won
rights goes on all year long, not just in the few hours
when the television cameras turn up along with the PSNI in
riot suits.

The intervention off the CIRA in Ardoyne is a vivid
reminder of the potential that local flashpoints have to
spark a wider conflagration – the kind of forest-fire
escalation that we remember so well from the summer of
1969. The centrality of the Orange Order and its hot-
gospelling thugs and bigots to the pogroms that we
witnessed with such depressing regularity in the North
throughout the twentieth century is heat-sealed into the
collective memory of an older generation, and if it is
unknown to young nationalists today, it may not be for
long. If we can we should tell them that we've seen it all
before in grainy black and white: the verse-spouting,
street-corner demagogues; the beery, tattooed flag-wavers;
the straight-backed marchers with bowlers and brollies; and
the forces of the state in black down to their ankles. For
these people, another 30 years of killing and hate wouldn't
be a disaster – it would be a return to the womb.

Therein lies the challenge for nationalists and republicans
– to continue to champion and uphold a community's dignity
and rights while at the same time refusing to be drawn into
the circle of violence that diminishes us and, far from
silencing the Orange drums, makes them beat ever more
loudly.

The CIRA hysterically condemned the IRA for having
abandoned the war, then went on to prove itself thoroughly
incapable of carrying it on. Against that background of
chronic military inertia, it may now see in Ardoyne and
elsewhere a chance to forge an iron reputation on the red-
hot anvil of the flashpoint interface. The truth is, it's
only doing the work of the Orange Order which is quite
happy to see the city in flames if it means they can walk
where they please. Indeed, if the CIRA volunteers who
stepped forward on Tuesday evening hadn't had a light,
there would have been plenty of Orangemen willing to give
them the matches.

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http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=62611&pt=n

Police 'Made Eight Requests To Use Plastic Bullets'

Police attacked during ferocious rioting in north Belfast
made up to eight requests to fire new plastic bullets
before receiving clearance, it was claimed today.

Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey alleged permission to
use the new baton rounds only came when journalists were
injured during violence surrounding Tuesday night`s Orange
Order parade in the flashpoint Ardoyne district.

Sir Reg and party colleagues expressed alarm at the tactics
used, saying nearly one in five of all officers attempting
to halt violence on the bitterly disputed Twelfth of July
route had been hurt.

After talks with Police Federation chairman Irwin
Montgomery, he said: "We expressed our worry that political
consideration was being elevated above tactical and
operational necessity on the ground.

"If our information is correct, scores of police officers
were injured yet permission to use AEPs (attenuated energy
projectiles) was not given until injuries were sustained by
members of the media.

"This situation will not instil confidence among frontline
police officers."

About 100 officers were hurt when a nationalist mob went on
the rampage after Orangemen returned past Ardoyne on
Tuesday night.

Blast and petrol bombs were hurled at the security forces,
along with bricks, bottles and golf balls.

Police chiefs who praised attempts by Sinn Fein leaders
Gerry Adams and Gerry Kelly to ease tensions claimed
dissident republicans were trying to kill officers.

For the first time in nearly three years in Northern
Ireland baton rounds were fired by police.

A total of 22 AEPs - only introduced last month - were
discharged.

The Ulster Unionist claims were rejected by the Police
Service, who stressed authorisation was given once the
potentially lethal blast bombs were thrown.

A spokeswoman said: "Permission was given to use AEPs when
it was felt there was a serious threat to life or risk of
serious injury.

"The response by police throughout the day was graduated
and proportionate, and other tactics, including the use of
water canon, were deployed in an effort to quell
disturbances prior to the use of AEPs."

Mr Montgomery has urged police bosses to let their officers
fire baton rounds sooner if rioting erupts on such a scale
again in future.

And UUP MLA Michael Copeland who attended today`s talks

with Sir Reg and party colleague Fred Cobain, hit out at
the strategy of those away from the frontline.

"Police casualties were the equivalent of 17% of those on
duty, and eight requests prior to AEPs being authorised
were made," he claimed.

"There are very, very serious questions arising not from
the actions of individual officers on the ground who
behaved magnificently, but those in the relative safety of
offices."

Mr Kelly was, however, outraged at the number of baton
rounds fired during the trouble.

The Sinn Fein MLA said: "Plastic bullets are unacceptable
and must be banned.

"They should have no part in policing these type of riot
situations. The fact that so many people were gathered in
Ardoyne on Tuesday evening ensured the firing of these
lethal devices could have been nothing other than
discriminate."

Meanwhile, claims that the dissident Continuity IRA carried
out the bomb attacks received a sceptical response from
North Belfast Democratic Unionist MP Nigel Dodds.

It was reported that a man claiming to represent the
organisation said the attacks were in response to police
using baton rounds.

But Mr Dodds insisted: "Many people in my constituency and
community are extremely sceptical of the differences
between so-called dissidents and mainstream Provisional
republicanism.

"This is especially so in the case of Ardoyne.

"In many cases these so-called dissident groups cannot
operate without the tacit acquiescence, at least, of the
Provos. In some cases there is more active co-operation.

"People must not fall into the trap of dividing terrorists
into good terrorist and bad terrorists."

Top-ranking loyalist paramilitaries walked ahead of the
Orange Order march in north Belfast, it was claimed
tonight.

Alex Attwood, an SDLP Assembly member, said: "My
understanding is that at least two of the most senior
members of the Ulster Volunteer Force were among supporters
who preceded the Orange lodges past Ardoyne shops on
Tuesday night.

"I have very reliably been informed that these people do
not live in north Belfast and under no circumstances can be
considered individuals that are governed by parade
legislation.

"They had no proper purpose for being on the road. Their
presence was planned and it was provocative."

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http://www.utvinternet.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?pt=n&id=626
16

Government Urged To Review UVF Ceasefire

The British government was tonight urged to review the
Ulster Volunteer Force ceasefire after a man was shot dead
in his home earlier this week.

By:Press Associaiton

SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the murder of Craig
McCausland, 20, in north Belfast proved the loyalist
paramilitary group was not prepared to put down their
weapons.

The Foyle MP has written to Secretary of State Peter Hain
and urged him to crack down on loyalist paramilitary
activity.

Mr Durkan said: "The UVF murdered Craig McCausland in cold
blood at his family home on Monday - in front of his wife
and her children.

"No paramilitary group should be allowed to think that it
can murder with impunity.

"Nor should any paramilitary group imagine that the rest of
us will turn a blind eye and ignore this carnage."

Calling for a reassessment of the ceasefire, Mr Durkan
said: "The facts are stark. The murder of Craig McCausland
is but the latest.

"The UVF has already murdered three people in the last two
years - and attempted to murder another in January.

"Meanwhile, loyalists are still responsible for most
violence.

"They are up to their necks in attacking vulnerable
communities - and poisoning their own with drugs.

"That is why the two governments must bring real pressure
on the UVF and other loyalists to wind up all their
activity - now and for good."

The SDLP leader said, despite some notable coups for the
Assets Recovery Agency, the political process had failed to
tackle the issue of loyalist terror.

Last night it was claimed Mr McCausland was not a member of
one of the organisations involved in the loyalist power
struggle.

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

But detectives investigating the murder were not convinced
he was a member of the LVF and the organisation said he was
not.

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 kill him and link him
to them. There were no links, no association, nothing."

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

Police branded the killing a "ruthless execution" which was
believed to have been carried out after a man was shot and
seriously injured while he was out walking his dogs.

The LVF was said to be behind that attack.

Earlier this month loyalist paramilitaries were blamed for
the murder of Jameson Lockhart, also from north Belfast,
who was shot as he drove a lorry in east Belfast.

The UVF was also linked to that killing.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-
/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4683047.stm

Residents Attacked With Missiles

The police have questions to answer following an attack on
the Protestant Cluan Place area of east Belfast, the Ulster
Unionist leader has said.

Sir Reg Empey said officers visited the area on Wednesday
to tell residents they expected some activity that night.

A number of missiles, including bottles and stones, were
thrown into the area.

Sir Reg said officers should have been on the other side of
the security wall in the nationalist Short Strand area to
prevent the attack taking place.

He said he intended to raise the matter with the local
district police commander.

"They (the police) just came into the street and told a
couple of residents that they expected some activity last
night and that's exactly what happened," he said.

"So the question is, why weren't they on the other side of
the wall to prevent it?"

Police were called to the incident shortly after 0115 BST
on Thursday and stayed in the area for several hours to
monitor the situation.

They said there were no reports of any injuries.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/07/14 12:59:04 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=6524
59

Protest To Call For Release Of Kelly

By Ashleigh Wallace
14 July 2005

A protest calling for the release of Shankill bomber Sean
Kelly is due to take place in west Belfast tonight.

The event, due to take place at the roundabout at Poleglass
at 7pm today, has been organised by local residents who are
calling on the release of the north Belfast republican.

Sinn Fein councillor Michael Ferguson, who was due to
address this evening's protest, said the event was "about
highlighting the internment without trial of Sean Kelly".

Mr Kelly (33) was given a life sentence for murdering nine
people who perished when he blew up a fish shop on the
Shankill Road in October 1993.

He served four years and was subsequently released under
the Good Friday Agreement.

However, at the end of May he was re-arrested and returned
to jail on the orders of Secretary of State Peter Hain.

Mr Hain revealed he made the decision to send the community
worker back to jail based on security intelligence
indicating the republican has once again become involved in
terrorist activity.

Councillor Ferguson said: "Sean Kelly is not in prison for
committing any crime but rather at the behest of Unionist
politicians and securocrats within the British
establishment intent upon unravelling the peace process.

"It is crucial that Peter Hain demonstrates some political
courage and use his office to faces down those whose only
interest is to wreck the peace process."

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http://www.rte.ie/news/2005/0714/northpolitics.html

Adams To Meet Ahern In Dublin Tomorrow

14 July 2005 22:13

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams has confirmed he will meet
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern in Dublin tomorrow.

It is thought the two men will discuss the possibilities of
the IRA delivering a long-awaited statement about its
future and also review recent controversies in the marching
season.

According to our Northern Editor, Tommie Gorman, it is
considered highly unlikely that there will be any move by
the IRA for several days.

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http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/hi/news/5041134.html

Police Slam Parade Hangers-On After 20 People Arrested

TWENTY people were arrested after sectarian trouble flared
at an Orange Order parade in Glasgow's east end.

Around 150 Orangemen and band members took part in the July
12 walk through the Bridgeton area on Tuesday night.

But the parade attracted more than 1500 hangers-on, many of
whom sang anti-Catholic songs and shouted bigoted chants.

The scenes, which were branded disgraceful by police
chiefs, came just three weeks after 86 people were arrested
during Glasgow's main annual Orange Order procession
through the city centre.

Police say abuse by those following the east end march
became worse when it passed Catholic churches.

Thirteen people, including one woman, were arrested for
sectarian breaches of the peace and seven were charged with
other breach of the peace offences. All 20 have been
reported to the procurator-fiscal.

Chief Superintendent Kenny Scott said he had no difficulty
with the Orange Order but acknowledged its parades were
magnets for anti-social and bigoted behaviour.

He said: "Despite good co-operation from the parade
organisers, yet again we witnessed disgraceful scenes
involving sectarian language and singing from a sizeable
number of people following the parade.

"This led to an unacceptable number of arrests for a parade
this size."

He said a working group would look at ways of improving the
situation ahead of the 2006 marching season.

Robert McLean, executive officer for the Grand Orange Lodge
of Scotland, said the organisation was disappointed at the
20 arrests.

He added: "Police have confirmed they had very good
relations with the organisers in the lead-up to the event
and that none of those arrested were members of the lodge,
or band personnel, or were in any way involved with the
parade.

"We express our sincere disappointment that a small number
of the 1500 who watched the parade have caused the police
concern."

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-
/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4683827.stm

Hosiery Firm Announces Job Losses

One of Northern Ireland's biggest textile companies has
announced the loss of a further 185 jobs in County Tyrone.

The losses come on top of 175 redundancies at the Strabane-
based company which were announced in March.

Adria blamed the decision on what it called "particularly
harsh global trading conditions".

It said the reorganisation was needed to continue meeting
the future demands of the market place.

The news was given to staff at the company on Thursday.

Four months ago, trade unionists spoke about their fears as
a result of what the company called its "business
restructuring plan".

Adria described the decision as "regrettable but
necessary".

It also said the number of jobs going was fewer than had
previously been anticipated, partly because of an improved
trading position since the start of this year.

The company said it was confident that it had a long term
future in the town and would continue to be a "significant
employer" with about 300 people on its books.

Ben Hegarty, a father of four who has worked at Adria for
18 years, said people were "stunned".

"We knew it was coming. But we were hoping it would not be
as big an amount of people," he said.

"Most of the people have mortgages, cars, houses. It has a
major knock-on effect on the economy of the town.

"It is going to be devastating, not only for the workers,
but for a lot of businesses."

Billy McCreight, a trade union official with the GMB, said
he was "not particularly surprised" by the announcement.

"There was serious expectation that there would be further
reduction in jobs during the current calendar year. I am
disappointed," he said.

"It will take the company down to a core workforce of
around 300. They (Adria) are stressing that there is a
future on the Strabane site, it will be a centre of
excellence and, hopefully, this will see it stabilise."

Adria has begun a 90-day consultation period with union
representatives.

It said it would also help those affected to search for
alternative employment.

The MP for West Tyrone, Pat Doherty, Sinn Fein, said the
jobs losses were a "devastating blow to the local economy".

Mr Doherty said Secretary of State Peter Hain should
respond to his call for a package of economic aid for the
Strabane district.

Councillor Robin Newton, DUP, said skilled manufacturing
jobs were rapidly being lost in Northern Ireland.

"Northern Ireland's long-term economic well-being requires
a pioneering strategy to help manufacturers survive in a
hostile economic climate," he said.

SDLP West Tyrone assembly member Eugene McMenamin said the
redundancies were a "colossal loss to individuals and the
economy".

"My thoughts are with all those who have lost their jobs as
this will undoubtedly result in financial difficulties for
many families," he said.

Northern Ireland's textiles industry has been badly hit in
recent years and firms have struggled to ward off the
threat of cheaper foreign imports.

In 2001, Adria cut 165 jobs. It was taken over by a local
consortium in June 2002.

Another 55 jobs were shed in September 2003, while 58
employees were laid off last July.

Adria manufactures ladies', men's and children's hosiery
products in Northern Ireland as well as in Turkey, Italy
and Colombia.

It is the largest hosiery supplier to Marks and Spencer in
the UK and the Victoria's Secret brand in North America.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/07/14 21:47:21 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://62.253.251.16/dailyireland/home.tvt?_ticket=22H8VV89
CHVR6JL1HONDNWZDALOLQEHFURUSKONFAUUJBNOFCORGUU2901MAAQ6FAPP
9CHVROEDEIOQN9NTKEKLAIQRGUU2SXC&_scope=DailyIreland/Content
/Features&id=6975&opp=1

Bloody Sunday: Scenes From The Saville Inquiry To Hit
Belfast

Sinead O'Neill

IF you like your drama interspersed with a touch of realism
then a new play coming soon to the Grand Opera House in
Belfast is for you.

Bloody Sunday: Scenes From The Saville Inquiry opens at the
theatre on Sunday, September 11 and runs until Wednesday,
September 14.

Presented by the London-based Tricycle Theatre Company, the
production received rave reviews from critics when it
opened in the British capital earlier this year.

The show begins by firstly examining what exactly happened
on January 30, 1972 when 13 civil rights marchers were shot
dead and another 14 wounded when British soldiers opened
fire during an anti-internment civil rights march in Derry.

It then traces the initial 1972 inquiry – led by Lord
Widgery – which suggested that the army had been fired upon
first.

Yet, after a sustained campaign by the families of the
victims and, in light of new material collected by the
Irish government, British prime minister, Tony Blair,
announced in 1998 that there would be a new inquiry into
events on that fateful day. What followed was the longest
running and most expensive investigation in British legal
history – the Saville Inquiry.

Beginning in 1998 and concluding in November 2004, the
Inquiry heard evidence from more than a thousand witnesses,
including civilians, military personnel, media
commentators, forensic scientists and civil servants, many
of whose testimonies are covered in the new production.

While the results of the inquiry are not yet known – they
will be released either later this year or early in 2006 –
the procedure has sparked huge controversy for both its
secretive nature and financial cost.

Bloody Sunday: Scenes From The Saville Inquiry therefore
offers theatregoers an insight into what went on behind the
closed doors of the hearing and, in the very best tradition
of theatre, triggers a debate about the events of January
30, 1972.

This is not the first time that the Tricycle Theatre
Company has attempted to merge politics with drama.

Their tradition of bringing public inquiries into a live
space began in 1994 with Half Of The Picture: The Scott
Arms To Iraq Inquiry and was quickly followed by
productions such as Nuremberg: The 1946 War Crimes Trial;
Srebrenica: The Hague 1996 Rule 61 Hearings; The Colour Of
Justice: The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and Justifying War:
Scenes From The Hutton Inquiry.

"The Tricycle has a long tradition of opening up a debate
on the issues raised by public inquiries," says the
company's artistic director, Nicolas Kent.

"We firmly believe that it is in the public interest that
audiences should be given as impartial an overview as is
possible of the proceedings of inquiries on such important
issues as the Scott Arms to Iraq Inquiry, the Hutton
Inquiry and now the Bloody Sunday Inquiry."

Tickets for Bloody Sunday: Scenes From The Saville Inquiry
start at £6/€9. For more information, call the box office
on 028 90 241919.

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9CHVROEDEIOQN9NTKEKLAIQRGUU2SXC&_scope=DailyIreland/Content
/Features&id=6977&opp=1

Dancing With Lunasa Welcomes Irish Music Legend Andy Irvine

JOSEPHINE MULVENNA

A chairde. last Friday I interviewed Andy Irvine, a legend
in Irish music. We talked about his musical and personal
background, his mother was from Lisburn, his father from
Glasgow and Andy was born in London.

I began by complimenting his website as he writes every
word himself and that draws you in, making you feel the
writer is telling you his story almost in person.

He is looking forward to the Dancing With Lunasa Festival
at Kinnity Castle on July 31 and feels his group Mozaik
will be quite different to the other acts on the bill
creating a balanced day of music to suit all patrons.

So, will they be playing new material? "Yes, we had a
week's rehearsal when on a Japanese tour in March. To get
five musicians from different parts of the world together
is not easy and you make the most of the opportunities that
arrive," said Andy.

With regards to a new album, he says they intend to "go
into studio in November in Budapest. Nikola Parov lives
there and studios are good and reasonably priced."

I wanted to delve into the wandering minstrel's mind and
that fascinating background in acting with which I can
identify.

Andy's mother was a musical comedy actor. Her stage name
was Felice Lascelles, so performance was in the blood.

He got into acting at boarding school appearing on film
alongside Gina Lollobrigida and on stage with Peter Sellers
among others.

He studied classical guitar with Julian Bream, but it was
not the music he wanted to play. The inspiration needed
came in the form of Lonnie Donegan and when he arrived in
Dublin in 1962 he felt he was home and met like-minded
musicians.

This was where he was meant to be and music was his future.
O'Donoghue's was the hub of Irish music in Dublin and Andy
still reflects on the folks in Baggot Street whose
generosity to him and others kept him going in the early
years.

Andy remains a free spirit travelling the world meeting new
folk, but he has to have that quiet time to himself.

To do this, he visited the intriguing Australian landscape;
it was there he wrote My Heart's Tonight In Ireland.

He says he is just the same man he was 30 years ago and has
maintained musically the same path he started out on.

His advice to the young musician? "Practice all the time,
develop your style, you find your way into it by practising
and playing for others – your rite of passage takes time."

Outside of music, he cares about the world, has time for
people, and involves himself in activities like the Famine
Walk from Louisburgh to Doo Lough remembering our folk who
perished and yet doing something positive for those in need
of help today.

A recently recorded BBC documentary on folk music in
Britain and Ireland brought Andy Irvine back to the pub
that fed him and helped pay his way in the early days.

He used to practice his songs in the pub toilets in the
morning as one of the cisterns had a permanent drone and
was the perfect accompaniment.

At the recent Planxty reunion concerts, he spoke of the
delight and love on the faces of the folk who knew their
music all those years ago and at the attendance of a
younger generation which gives us hope of more to come.

Andy Irvine is a true music legend and a real gentleman. He
has the time of day for you, thanked me for the comfortable
chat and I replied he was my first telephone interview and
what an honour that was. Slainte, Josephine.

To contact me regarding the Irish Music Column email
eventsirishmusic@hotmail.com

COMPETITION

We have two tickets for the Dancing With Lunasa Festival
which include camping tickets, valued at €59.50 each,
artists include Sharon Shannon, Damien Dempsey, John
Martin, the Saw Doctors and Mozaik.

QUESTION: Who is the other Irish Musical stalwart in
Mozaik?
Answers to j.grant@dailyireland.com

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/0715/24168456
24HM6IRISHEMMY.html

Green Emmys

Michael Dwyer, Film Correspondent

Irish nominated for top TV awards

Irish actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers was nominated for an Emmy
award yesterday for his portrayal of Elvis Presley in the
TV mini-series, Elvis, broadcast in the US in May.

Presented annually by the Academy of Television Arts and
Sciences, the Emmy awards are the US television equivalent
of the Oscars.

The prizes will be presented in Los Angeles on September
18th.

Rhys Meyers (27), who was born in Dublin and raised in
Cork, first attracted notice as the assassin who killed the
title character in Michael Collins (1996).

He went on to feature in such films as Velvet Goldmine,
Bend It Like Beckham, Alexander, and the new Woody Allen
film, Match Point. This week he started work with Tom
Cruise on Mission Impossible 3.

He was nominated for an Emmy as outstanding actor in a
mini-series or TV movie for Elvis, and one of his fellow
nominees is Belfast native Kenneth Branagh for his
portrayal of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in Warm Springs. The
other nominees are Ed Harris (Empire Falls), William H Macy
(The Wool Cap) and Geoffrey Rush (The Life and Death of
Peter Sellers).

Irish animator Paul Donnellon received an Emmy nomination
yesterday for best animated title sequence for his very
witty pastiche of the Pink Panther films in the opening
credits of The Life and Death of Peter Sellers.

© The Irish Times

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73HM2STREAKER.html

Streaker At All-Ireland Hurling Match Urged To Put €500 In
Court Poor Box

Karl Hanlon

A streaker ran on to the pitch during last weekend's All-
Ireland hurling qualifier between Limerick and Galway for a
bet, a court has heard.

Gearóid Daly (25), Marian Park, Janesboro, Limerick,
appeared yesterday before Judge Tom O'Donnell at the city's
District Court.

The defendant admitted to "committing an act of a lewd,
obscene and disgusting nature, which outraged public
decency". Judge O'Donnell quipped that the situation was
compounded by the fact that Limerick had gone on to lose
the match following the half-time incursion. However, he
said it was clear that the defendant's actions "scandalised
a lot of people" and he added that this was exacerbated
because the match was broadcast live on television. Judge
O'Donnell put the case back to October 6th and said that if
€500 was paid to the court poor box he would take a lenient
view.

Insp Declan Mulcahy told the court that the defendant was
arrested after he ran naked on to the pitch at the Gaelic
Grounds at half time . The defendant had streaked for a bet
in front of 9,000 spectators, many of whom were families
and children, at the Ennis Road GAA stadium, he added.

Defence solicitor, Seán Elder, told the court that his
client was acting "under a huge amount of drink" and the
defendant apologised to the court.

© The Irish Times

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http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050714/nyth113.html?.v=17

Nation's Top 50 Irish-American Business Executives Honored
At Eighth Annual 'Wall Street 50' Gala

Thursday July 14, 9:56 am ET

Annual Event Hosted by Irish America Magazine Toasts
Community's Business Leaders

NEW YORK, July 14 /PRNewswire/ -- An elite group of Irish-
American business leaders were named recipients of Irish
America magazine's prestigious "Wall Street 50" award at a
gala event held last evening. Now in its 8th year, the
annual event recognizes leaders in the financial world for
their business success, community accomplishments and
commitment to their Irish heritage. International business
communications firm Financial Dynamics co-hosted the gala,
which was held at the MetLife Sky Club in Manhattan.

Hundreds of executives and members of the investment
community were on hand to acknowledge and celebrate the
honorees' remarkable accomplishments in the business world
and their commitment to Irish ideals. The honorees were
selected based on their outstanding success in such areas
as innovation, financial performance, and personal
commitment to their businesses and communities.

Commenting on this year's event and honorees, Patricia
Harty, Editor-in- Chief and Co-founder of Irish America,
said, "The Wall Street 50 has become synonymous with
recognizing the ambassadors of the Irish-American community
on the Street. We're especially pleased to announce this
year's award recipients as these men and women embody the
spirit and determination that have come to symbolize the
Irish-American presence in the business world dating back
more than 120 years. We salute and congratulate them on
this distinguished honor."

This year's event featured a keynote address by Robert
McCann, vice chairman and president, Merrill Lynch's Global
Private Client Group. The event also coincided with the
release of the August/September issue of Irish America
magazine, available now, which profiles each of the
honorees in detail.

Irish America Founding Publisher Niall O'Dowd presented the
awards to this year's honorees. Mr. O'Dowd said, "As the
first and only publication that recognizes the
contributions of the Irish in the business world, Irish
America is proud to honor this year's award recipients.
Irish America was founded 20 years ago to assure that the
Irish heritage forges ever forward in this country, and the
caliber of this year's Wall Street 50 honorees certainly
assures this mission continues."

Declan Kelly, CEO of Financial Dynamics-US, said, "We are
proud to honor these outstanding business leaders and are
pleased to join together again with Irish America to
recognize their remarkable achievements in the financial
industry and in the Irish community. The prominence of
these individuals speaks verses about the significant
impact Irish Americans have in the business world, and we
applaud them."

About Irish America Magazine - Irish America is the leading
national glossy publication of Irish interest in North
America. Since its inception in October 1985, Irish America
magazine has become a powerful vehicle for expression on a
range of political, economic, social and cultural themes
that are of paramount importance to the Irish in the United
States. It has helped re-establish the Irish ethnic
identity in the U.S. (30 million according to the last U.S.
census) and highlighted the best political and business
leaders, organizations, artists, writers and community
figures among the Irish in America.
http://www.irishamerica.com

About Financial Dynamics - One of the most highly regarded
consultancies in the communications industry, Financial
Dynamics employs more than 300 professional staff and
advises more than 400 clients worldwide through its hub
offices in London and New York, as well as its network of
wholly-owned offices in Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and
Washington, D.C. in the US, as well as Frankfurt, Paris,
Dublin, Athens, Bahrain and Stockholm. FD's services
include financial public relations, investor relations,
public affairs, crisis and issues management and corporate,
business-to-business and business-to consumer
communications. Financial Dynamics is also a market leader
in M&A advisory work. Financial Dynamics is structured
around specialist sector teams operating on an
international basis, covering consumer industries,
financial services, basic industries, business services,
life sciences & healthcare, media, technology and
telecommunications.
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Source: Irish America Magazine
Posted by: Unknown / 11:14 PM
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