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October 25, 2005

McGuinness: Stark Choice Facing DUP

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News about Ireland & the Irish

SF 10/25/05 Stark Choice Facing DUP – McGuinness
UT 10/25/05 Councillors Expected To Challenge Possible Ban
IT 10/26/05 18 Extradition Requests By US 'Declined' Here
DJ 10/25/05 Renewed Calls For Fullerton Inquiry
BB 10/25/05 Army Post Demolition Continuing
UT 10/25/05 Mo Courtney Trial Latest
IT 10/26/05 McBrearty Jnr Refused Entry To US
ND 10/25/05 Mr. Kasrils To Visit Newry And Mourne
IT 10/26/05 History Of Kerry Diocese's 53 Parishes

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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/11661

Stark Choice Facing DUP - McGuinness

Published: 25 October, 2005

Sinn Féin Chief Negotiator Martin McGuinness MP was today
joined for a press conference in Stormont by the South
African Minister for Intelligence Ronnie Kassrils. Mr
McGuinness said that a the DUP faced a stark choice to be
part of the process of change or stand outside and watch it
pass them bye.

Mr McGuinness said:

" The process of change and conflict resolution in South
Africa has been a model for the rest of the world and one
that we in Ireland have watched with particular interest.

" Just as in our situation, there were many elements in the
old apartheid system who opposed and tried to undermine
change. But ultimately they failed and the process of
change moved on without them.

" That is the very stark choice now facing the DUP. To
become part of the process of change on behalf of their
constituents or to stand outside and watch it pass them
bye.

" Because, just as in South Africa, the days of
discrimination, of apartheid and inequality are gone
forever. No matter what the DUP do, there will be no return
to unionist domination and the days of second-class
citizenship.

" All of the excuses have gone. The IRA has addressed the
genuine concerns of unionists. The DUP, in the interests of
all our people, and not least their own electorate should
seize this unique opportunity to move forward." ENDS

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http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=66448&pt=n

Councillors Expected To Challenge Possible Ban

It is understood 17 nationalist councillors are expected to
challenge a possible five year ban on them holding public
office after they were accused of discriminating against a
victims group in Northern Ireland.

By:Press Association

A total of 12 Sinn Fein and five SDLP members of Newry and
Mourne Council also face a surcharge worth more than
£10,000 over their refusal to allow victims campaigner
Willie Frazer`s group Families Acting for Innocent
Relatives (FAIR) to use a community centre in
Newtownhamilton.

The councillors have been accused of wilful misconduct by
the local government auditor and have 14 days to overturn
the decision.

Among those who could be penalised are Sinn Fein Assembly
member Davy Hyland and the party`s Newry and Mourne mayor
Pat McGinn.

Veteran SDLP councillor Frank Feely is also facing the
possible sanction.

The leader of Sinn Fein`s group on the council Terry Hearty
said the councillors believed they had acted in the best
interests of the council and the community in
Newtownhamilton.

"We will be seeking further legal advice in relation to the
auditors report."

The SDLP group on the council was tonight meeting to
consider its response to the local government auditor`s
report.

Their leader, Michael Carr, said: "There are serious
implications in this report, particularly with regard to
disbarment.

"The group will be discussing it this evening and I think
it is likely that we will decide to appeal the ruling."

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/1026/1658044731HM4USANGRY.html

18 Extradition Requests By US 'Declined' Here

Seán O'Driscoll in New York

Ireland has declined the last 18 extradition requests
from the United States, the US Department of Justice has
said.

The US attorney's office in Spokane, Washington, said it
was warned by the Justice Department in Washington that
Irish authorities had declined 18 extradition proceedings
in a row.

A fugitive from Washington state, Frederick David Russell
(27), was arrested in Dublin on Sunday after living in
Ireland for nine months.

Mr Russell, who is sought in relation to a car accident in
June 2001 that left three students dead and two seriously
injured, is the first person placed to date on the US
Marshals' 15 most-wanted list for a drink-driving case.

He had been living in Celbridge, Co Kildare, with his
girlfriend and was working as a security guard at a Dublin
store, according to US authorities.

His arrest came just days after The Irish Times made a
formal request to the US Department of Justice's
extradition section for information on the status of his
case.

The US marshal for the eastern district of Washington,
Michael Kline, said his office had been waiting for many
months for Irish authorities to arrest Mr Russell on foot
of an extradition request.

Scott Malkowski, a deputy US marshal working at the office,
praised the professionalism of gardaí but said it was "a
hell of a journey" to move the extradition process forward.

Carol Laverne, chief deputy prosecutor of Whitman County in
Washington, where the Russell case originated, said the
Justice Department told her in early September that the
Irish authorities would decline the extradition because the
statute under which Mr Russell was charged did not equate
with Irish law.

However, she said that Irish authorities later changed
their minds.

Ms Laverne said she had sent an extradition package of
between 100 and 150 pages in June, based on detailed
information sought by the Irish authorities, including a
statement from the person who first took Mr Russell's
fingerprints after he was arrested.

On August 30th, a US Justice Department lawyer met Irish
Department of Justice officials in Dublin in an attempt to
accelerate the extradition of Mr Russell and a Californian
paedophile, Dr James Daly (64), from Salinas, California,
who later fled Ireland.

He was arrested in Uruguay earlier this month.

At that meeting, Irish solicitors requested supplemental
information on the Daly case, including whether the
Californian court clerks had the right to notarise
documents.

© The Irish Times

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http://www.derryjournal.com/story/7633

City Council To Hear Renewed Calls For Fullerton Inquiry

Tuesday 25th October 2005

Derry City Council will today hear renewed calls for its
support for a full independent public inquiry into the
murder of Sinn Fein councillor Eddie Fullerton.

Colr. Fullerton was murdered at his home in Cockhill,
Buncrana, Co. Donegal, by loyalist gunmen in May 1991. His
family through the Eddie Fullerton Justice Committee (EFJC)
has mounted a vigorous campaign for an inquiry into the
Garda handling of the investigation.

Today's sitting of Derry City Council will hear a motion by
Sinn Fein councillor Maeve McLaughlin calling for support
for the family.

In it she states: "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 and furthermore
calls on the Irish government to insist on full co-
operation from the British authorities to assist the
Fullerton family in their quest for truth and justice."

The EFJC have claimed that Garda officers - a number of
whom were the subject of an investigation by the Morris
Tribunal - failed to collect forensic evidence at the scene
of the crime. The family also wants an investigation into
the possible collusion by British security services in the
murder.

A proposal calling for support for a full public inquiry
was put to every council in Ireland, including Derry City
Council, earlier this year.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4375042.stm

Army Post Demolition Continuing

Work to dismantle a British army observation tower in
Londonderry city centre is continuing.

Stone throwers attacked the tower on Sunday, and an Army
spokesman said on Monday contractors had to halt work.

Strong winds also made it too risky to deploy cranes on the
Bishop Street site, known as the Masonic army base.

The watchtower is being removed as part of demilitarisation
measures announced by Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain
in August.

Army engineers began removing the watchtower on Sunday.

A section of the city's walls has been closed off for
safety reasons during the work.

A second observation tower at the base is to be brought
down early next year.

The rest of the base will also be removed, although an
exact date for that has not been given.

Over the next two years, the government also plans to close
the military base at Maydown police station and Rosemount
barracks in the city.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2005/10/25 17:53:51 GMT
© BBC MMV

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http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=66442&pt=n

Mo Courtney Trial Latest

A former associate of ousted UDA chief Johnny "Mad Dog"
Adair was assassinated at a spot where he had been taken by
his killer two days earlier, a court heard today.

By:Press Association

Muck found on Alan McCullough`s shoes was traced to land
which he visited after having a meal with William Mo
Courtney who later took charge of Adair`s UDA `C` Company,
Belfast Crown Court was told.

Courtney, 42, has denied the murder of the 21-year-old
whose body was discovered in a shallow grave on the
outskirts of the city in June 2003.

McCullough, had returned to Northern Ireland from exile in
England after contacting Courtney, the trial heard.

It is claimed Courtney, 42, lured him back back in the
knowledge that he would be killed.

On day two of the trial, barrister Geoffrey Miller said
Courtney picked McCullough up from his mother`s home on the
Shankill Road on May 26, 2003.

The pair drove off in a blue Mitsubishi and went to the
Corrs Corner restaurant outside Belfast for a meal before
McCullough returned home.

His mother noticed his shoes were muddy and after the
murder they were taken away for analysis.

Mr Miller told the court: "Evidence will be given that the
soil on these shoes can be linked directly to a control
sample of soil from the scene.

"This conclusion, we would say, lends support to the
proposition that the deceased had been at or in the
vicinity of the scene of his murder two days before he was
killed."

Courtney, of Fernhill Heights, Belfast, again collected
McCullough from his mother`s home on May 28, the last time
he was seen alive.

Courtney also pleads not guilty to further charges of
belonging to illegal paramilitary organisations, the Ulster
Defence Association and the Ulster Freedom Fighters, which
claimed responsibility for the murder.

Leading loyalist Ihab Shoukri was among a group of men who
arrived at the Laganside building with Courtney, who was
granted bail.

Courtney`s associates sat in the public gallery as the
prosecution presented its case, while McCullough`s family
followed proceedings from the opposite side of the
courtroom.

McCullough had been a member of `C` company of the UDA
under the command of Adair.

The Adair faction was expelled from the UDA and run out of
Northern Ireland in 2002 after `C` company was blamed for a
number of murder attempts on various UDA chiefs.

The deceased`s mother, Barbara, spoke directly to Courtney
on her son`s behalf as he made efforts to return to the
Province between February and April 2003.

Mr Miller also told the court scientific evidence would be
heard which would link the accused to the murder scene and
confirmed telephone records would form part of the case
against Courtney.

McCullough died from a bullet wound to the head and it is
believed he was killed shortly after his disappearance.

The barrister said Courtney made two calls to McCullough on
the night he disappeared, the last of which was at 6.16pm.

Mr Miller said: "This, we say, was the call made just
before the defendant picked up the deceased to take him
away for the last time and provides clear evidence refuting
the defendant`s assertion that he had not seen the deceased
after the evening of May 26 at Corrs Corner."

Five calls were made to McCullough`s mobile by his mother
the morning after he disappeared.

Mr Miller said at no point did Courtney attempt to contact
Mrs McCullough or ring the deceased`s mobile.

The barrister told the court: "The Crown`s contention was
that the reason for that was because the defendant knew
that the deceased, Alan McCullough, was no longer alive."

Mr Miller said he will present evidence which will link
Courtney to the murder and to charges that he was a member
of the UDA and the UFF.

He said: "It is the Crown`s contention that he (Courtney)
was one of those who ousted Johnny Adair and his
supporters, including the deceased, from their stronghold
in the lower Shankill.

"It will be the Crown`s contention that once he had done so
he established himself as the leader of `C` Company of the
UDA.

"It was because of this he was approached by Bridget
McCullough acting on behalf of her son to get permission
for him to be allowed to return to Northern Ireland.

"It will be the Crown`s contention that the defendant
manipulated the situation to lure Alan McCullough back home
with the knowledge and ultimate intent that he would be
murdered."

Mr Miller said the evidence, when pieced together, led to
one inevitable conclusion: "William Courtney was
responsible for taking Alan McCullough to the place of
execution near the derelict building, down the lane way
from the Aughnabrack Road.

"Whether he actually pulled the trigger or not it is the
Crown`s contention that he knew what would happen to the
deceased and he intended that he would be killed."

Mr Justice Higgins adjourned the trial until November 7.

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/1026/1451148025HM5FRANKJNR.html

McBrearty Jnr Refused Entry To US

Conor Lally

Frank McBrearty jnr, the man wrongly accused of the
murder of Donegal cattle dealer Richie Barron, is due to
travel to the United States this morning. He was denied
permission to enter the country yesterday by US immigration
officials at Dublin airport.


He believes details of a number of offences of which he was
cleared remain on the Garda Pulse computer system and were
accessed by US immigration officials yesterday.

This is despite Garda assurances that all such records had
been erased.

Mr McBrearty jnr, who last month settled his legal actions
against the State for €1.5 million, was due to board an
American Airlines flight to Chicago from Dublin airport at
12.30pm with his wife and three children when he was
questioned about his past by US immigration officials and
refused permission to board the aircraft.

Speaking to The Irish Times at Dublin airport, Mr McBrearty
jnr said the US immigration officials accessed details on
the Garda's Pulse computer of an assault in 1996 on Edward
Moss, of which he was acquitted.

He said the immigration officials told him he was being
denied permission to enter the US on the basis of this.

Mr Edward Moss lived in Castlederg, Co Tyrone, and on
December 29th, 1996, visited Frank McBrearty snr's
nightclub in Raphoe, where he claimed he was assaulted by
Mr McBrearty jnr.

Mr McBrearty jnr has instructed his solicitor David Walley
to begin a legal action to ensure all allegations of which
he was acquitted are erased from the Garda computer.

"Technically, my name is not cleared," he said.

"I have no criminal record, but I'm still being classed as
a criminal. Why else would I be refused access to the
States? I'm an innocent man and the Morris tribunal has
said I am an innocent man. I'm devastated and humiliated.

"My passport is basically no use to me because I can't
leave the country. You'd have to ask why did they bother
settling my actions and give me €1.5 million.

"I've spent €3,000 on tickets to go and see my two brothers
in Chicago for a holiday. But the money is not the issue.

"My wife was devastated, I was threatened with arrest, and
my three children were all roaring crying."

Mr McBrearty jnr, his wife Patricia, and three daughters
Shantel (15), Shannon (10) and Leanne (9), had checked in
for their flight and had reached the US immigration post
near their boarding gate when US officials questioned him
and informed him he was being refused permission to board.

Mr Walley said the US embassy in Dublin had informed him
that because some of the information on Mr McBrearty jnr's
immigration paperwork was not accurate, he had made himself
ineligible to enter the US without a visa, under the visa
waiver system and that he must apply for a visa which could
take three days.

However, the Department of Foreign Affairs made
representations to the US embassy in Dublin on the
McBreartys' behalf and the family was told last night to
present themselves to US immigration this morning and they
would be allowed to travel.

The McBreartys, who live in Donegal, were planning to stay
in a hotel in Dublin last night. They travelled to the US
six year ago without incident.

A Garda spokesman had no comment to make on whether Mr
McBrearty jnr's details were still on the Pulse system.

However, he believed US immigration officials would not
have access to the system in the manner being alleged by Mr
McBrearty jnr.

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http://www.newrydemocrat.com/news/story.asp?j=4992

Mr. Kasrils To Visit Newry And Mourne

South African Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils will
visit the north of Ireland on the 24th, 25th and 26th of
October on the invitation of Sinn Féin as part of the
party's Cead Bliain centenary celebrations by the Six
County Cuige (Executive). He will visit the Newry and
Mourne area on Tuesday the 25th of October. Speaking ahead
of the visit Sinn Fein MP Conor Murphy who will accompany
the Minister said "Sinn Féin are delighted that someone of
Ronnie Kasrils experience in struggle, negotiations, in
government and in the politics of transformation will share
his experiences with people here" and he added "We now have
an unprecedented opportunity to resolve our deep seated
conflict - an opportunity for progress that should not be
lost" Mr Murphy said that there were valuable insights that
we could draw from the South African experience as we tried
to rebuild the momentum in the Irish peace process, "But
the conflict resolution and the process of political
transformation require that we all come to the table to
work out a way forward" said the MP.

Ronnie Kasrils is a South African Jew of Lithuanian descent
who was active in the campaign against apartheid in South
Africa. As an enemy of the apartheid system, wanted by the
South African government, he spent many years in exile. He
is a leading figure in the South African Communist Party
and a former head of military intelligence in Umkhonto We
Sizwe, the armed wing of the African National Congress.

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/1026/645297845HM2KERRYDIOCESE.html

New Book Traces History Of Kerry Diocese's 53 Parishes

Anne Lucey in Killarney

The first book to trace the history of the diocese of
Kerry has been published, entitled The Diocese of Kerry,
formerly Ardfert. More poetic is the subtitle, Working in
the Fields of God.

Fr Kieran O'Shea, historian and parish priest of
Knocknagoshel near the Limerick border, has traced the
history of the 53 parishes in the diocese and its official
change name from the diocese of Ardfert in 1952.

The bishops to serve in the diocese are also given mention.
These include the controversial Bishop Eamonn Casey, later
Bishop of Galway.

Dr Casey had a great interest in the well-being of
emigrants and "the laity held him in high regard", the book
notes.

Ten of the parishes which form the diocese are actually in
Co Cork, but only one part of Co Kerry is not. It was less
easy to trace the history of Christianity in Kerry and it
was not clear when Christianity first came, Fr O'Shea
writes.

Some scholars mention a pre-Patrician link, with plenty of
evidence of contact between the southwest and the Roman
world. Ogham stones in the area also indicate links between
Kerry and the wider world before the arrival of St Patrick.

Even from its earliest documented days, travel remained a
constant of Christianity and a link to a wider world. St
Brendan, the county's best-known saint, was one of many
early figures to have travelled across continental Europe
and beyond.

The low profile of Catholics during penal times is traced.
This was a time when there were 49 priests in the diocese
and no priest was allowed a curate. "The expectation was
that when a priest died, he would not be replaced," Fr
O'Shea writes.

The book also contains a list of Mass sites and holy wells
from medieval times.

© The Irish Times

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