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November 02, 2005

3rd Man Held Over Bank Heist

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News about Ireland & the Irish

SM 11/02/05 Third Man Held Over £26.5M Bank Heist
IT 11/03/05 Orde To Be Queried On Bank Raid Arrests
IE 11/02/05 Adams's Fundraising Is Still At Impasse
IT 11/03/05 'No Precondition' To SF Fund –Raising
IT 11/03/05 Taoiseach To Visit North
DI 11/02/05 Dáil Set To Debate Major Unity Motion
SF 11/02/05 Dáil To Debate Motion On Irish Reunification
SF 11/02/05 Ó Caoláin Opens Debate On Irish Reunification
IO 11/02/05 Adams Hits At Lack Of Support For Unity Motion
IO 11/02/05 PSNI: Help Us Catch Double Murderers
UU 11/02/05 Retail Conf Bomb Scare Is Disgraceful- Empey
DU 11/02/05 Irwin Condemns Orange Hall Bomb Attack
IO 11/02/05 SDLP Slams DUP Call For Release Of Murderers
UT 11/02/05 Call For Plastic Bag Tax In NI
CL 11/02/05 Paul McCartney: What Do I Do When I'm 64?
IT 11/03/05 Takeover Sparks Rise In Eircom Share Value
SF 11/02/05 1916 Goals Relevant Today As In Easter Wk 1916
PD 11/02/05 Flatley's A 'Celtic Tiger' Who Can Still Roar

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http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=2186932005

Third Man Held Over £26.5M Heist

A third man is being questioned by detectives investigating
the £26.5 million Northern Bank heist in Belfast.

The 30-year-old was arrested in the city by police hunting
the robbers who struck last December, carrying out the
biggest of its kind in UK history.

Earlier, two men from Kilcoo, County Down were held as part
of the same inquiry.

All three have been taken to Antrim police station to be
interviewed.

Building contractor Dominic McEvoy, 23, and Peter Morgan, a
24-year-old plasterer and part-time farmer, were held after
police swooped on their homes in Kilcoo.

Their families and Sinn Fein representatives were outraged
by the arrests - the first since the vaults at the
Northern's city centre HQ were cleared last December.

With Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde publicly blaming the IRA
for the robbery, McEvoy's mother strenuously denied he had
any involvement with the Provisionals.

She said: "We are a republican family and we have our
beliefs, but he wouldn't be as political as us. Absolutely
not."

The 42-year-old care assistant said she first thought it
was a prank when police arrived.

A warrant was shown by one officer who said McEvoy was
being arrested over the Northern Bank robbery, she said.
----

The stepfather of one of the men arrested on Tuesday said
his stepson came home from work at about 2310 GMT when the
police arrived.

He said his stepson laughed when police told him he was
being arrested in connection with the Northern Bank
robbery.

The house was searched and it is understood documents,
mobile phones, a passport and computer equipment were taken
away.

Police searching an alleyway Police have been carrying out
a series of searches There is still a police presence in
the area and an alleyway close to one of the houses remains
cordoned off.

Kilcoo is a strongly republican village close to
Castlewellan.
----

A senior police official denied political motivation,
saying that officers had acted on tip-offs.

"We are where we are in no small part due to the support
and information provided openly and anonymously by the
community," said acting detective chief superintendent Phil
Aiken, who is heading the police investigation.

Police declined to identify the men arrested Tuesday. But
local media said they were Dominic McEvoy, 23, and Peter
Morgan, 24.

McEvoy's mother, Irene Carlin, denied her son was involved
in the robbery or aligned with the IRA. "We like a quiet
life," she said.

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/1103/3709713107HM10BANKARRESTS.html

Orde To Be Queried On Northern Bank Raid Arrests

Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor

PSNI chief constable Hugh Orde is likely to be questioned
today about the first arrests in connection with last
December's £26.5 million robbery of the Northern Bank in
Belfast.

Two men in their early 20s were arrested by police at their
homes in Kilcoo late on Tuesday night while a third man was
arrested in Belfast yesterday afternoon in connection with
the robbery. They can be held without charge for 48 hours
and thereafter for five further days, if a court extension
is granted.

One senior security source described these arrests as
"significant" as they marked the first major development in
the investigation since the robbery on December 20th last
year.

The PSNI has been criticised for failing to make any
perceived substantial progress in the investigation into
the robbery which Sir Hugh, An Garda Síochána and the
British and Irish governments have blamed on the IRA. The
IRA has denied involvement.

The chief constable, who is meeting the policing board
today, has on a number of occasions insisted that the
investigation would take a long time to complete. The fact
that police have made their first arrests after 10 months
indicated that "significant" progress was now being made,
the security source said.

The two men arrested in Kilcoo are not members of Sinn Féin
but come from known republican families, said south Down
Sinn Féin Assembly member Willie Clarke yesterday.

Last night the PSNI disclosed that a third man (30) was
arrested in Belfast yesterday.

"This is a political stunt, this is political policing,
these young men are totally innocent," said Mr Clarke.

The stepfather of one of the Kilcoo men said his stepson
laughed in disbelief when police told him he was being
arrested in connection with the Northern Bank robbery.

Kilcoo is a small mainly republican village about 12 miles
from Loughinisland in Co Down where a bank official's wife
was held hostage by elements of the robbery gang. Police
refused to say if there was any link between the hostage-
taking and the arrests.


One of the men runs a contracting firm and the other works
with him, said Mr Clarke. He accused police of being heavy-
handed during the arrest, which took place shortly after
the men returned on Tuesday night from working in Dundalk.

Yesterday police carried out a number of searches and
seizures which were centred on the home of the contractor.
They seized items such as mobile phones, a computer,
computer disk, credit cards, cash, passports, and other
documents, said his family.

Sir Hugh is likely to be questioned by the media about the
development when he attends the policing board meeting this
afternoon. He normally holds press conferences after such
meetings, although he may say that for investigative
reasons he is limited in what he can reveal about the state
of the robbery inquiry.

Board questions to the chief constable are tabled in
advance but board members today may also try to elicit
information from him on the investigation.

Last month Garda Commissioner Noel Conroy said money
recovered during an investigation into a suspected IRA
money-laundering operation was part of the Northern Bank
haul. Gardaí recovered about £2.5 million during this
operation in Cork and believe they have accounted for a
further £2.5 million that was partially destroyed.

While the rest of the £26.5 million remains unaccounted for
Sir Hugh has said this was "largely irrelevant" as he
believed the robbers were not in a position to use the
money. Last March the Northern Bank replaced its £10, £20,
£50 and £100 notes with new notes carrying a different logo
to render the stolen notes useless.

© The Irish Times

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http://www.irishecho.com/newspaper/story.cfm?id=17353

Adams's Fundraising Is Still At Impasse

By Ray O'Hanlon
Rohanlon@Irishecho.Com

Efforts are being intensified by members of Congress this
week to clear the way for a U.S. visit by Gerry Adams
during which the Sinn Féin leader would be allowed engage
in fundraising. Adams is due in the country next week to
attend events including a Friends of Sinn Féin dinner in
New York.

The visit comes against the backdrop of an acknowledgement
by Adams on a television chat show that the IRA's war is
over.

The dinner, which will mark the 100th anniversary of Sinn
Féin, has been planned for months as a fundraiser.

However, Adams is facing a serious potential problem.

While he will be allowed travel to the United States his
visa looks as if it will carry a restriction that would
prevent him from actively raising money for his party.

Such a restriction would effectively prevent Adams from
attending the FOSF fundraising dinner, which is set for
Thursday, Nov. 10 at the Sheraton Hotel in Manhattan.

It could even scupper Adams's travel plans altogether.

Even if this happens, however, the dinner will proceed as a
fundraiser, according to Larry Downes, president of Friends
of Sinn Féin.

FOSF can fundraise year round whether or not top party
leaders are in attendance.

The restriction hangs over the Adams visit because the Bush
administration wants Sinn Féin to actively engage in
policing in Northern Ireland - something the party has
refused to do until a number of major changes in the way
that policing is carried out are implemented to its
satisfaction.

The laying down of a marker over policing is coming not
just from the State Department but also, it is understood,
from within the National Security Council.

The hardened line comes despite the British government's
decision to reinstate payments to elected Sinn Féin
representatives and the acknowledgement by Adams that the
IRA's war has passed into history.

The move to restrict the fundraising aspect of the Adams
visit has prompted concern among a number of members of
Congress.

Seven members of the House of Representatives have urged
the State Department not to apply any restriction on
fundraising.

The seven signed a statement in which they expressed their
strong opposition to any efforts to ban fundraising.

The signatories include the Republican chairman of the
Friends of Ireland group in Congress, Rep. James Walsh, and
Rep. Richie Neal, a Democratic co-chair of the Ad Hoc
Committee on Irish Affairs.

The seven expressed "in the strongest possible terms" their
opposition "to any effort" that would "prohibit" Sinn Fein
from raising funds.

"We urge the U.S. Department of State to lift the
fundraising ban immediately. It is our belief that this
decision is unwarranted, and may have a negative and
unintended impact on the progress that has been made in the
Northern Ireland peace process," the congressmen stated
while pointing to an "extraordinary sequence of recent
events" that had helped move that process significantly
forward.

And they highlighted the British government's decision to
lift financial sanctions it had imposed on Sinn Fein.

"The U.S. Department of State should follow suit," the
statement said.

"We believe that the Sinn Fein leadership has kept its word
and honored its commitments. At this critical moment in the
peace process, they should not be penalized for delivering
on their promises," it added.

"Every political party from Northern Ireland has the right
to fundraise in the United States. We are simply calling
for a level playing field. The ban that prevents Sinn Fein
from fundraising in the United States should be lifted
promptly."

In addition to Walsh and Neal, the statement was also
signed by Reps. Joe Crowley, John Sweeney, Eliot Engel,
Frank Pallone and Brian Higgins.

Efforts to organize a face to face meeting last week
between the seven and the Bush administration's special
envoy to the Northern Ireland peace process, Ambassador
Mitchell Reiss, came to nothing.

That effort was being renewed this week, said a spokesman
for Rep. Neal.

However, Rep. Peter King, for years Sinn Fein's staunchest
supporter in Washington, said that he had separately
engaged in several phone conversations with Amb. Reiss in
recent days and had urged Reiss to allow Adams fundraise.

King told the Echo Tuesday that Reiss was not entirely
opposed to a fundraising element to the Adams visit and had
indicated to him that he would attempt to work out a
solution.

King said he was "reasonably hopeful" that a solution to
the impasse would be found, but based on his conversations
with Reiss, he did not think that an agreed resolution
could be absolutely guaranteed.

King, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee,
described his conversations with Reiss as "very positive."

King said that Reiss fully understood the historical
significance of the IRA's recent disarmament move.

King himself described Adams's acknowledgement that the
IRA's war was over as "an historical statement."

Adams was asked during the TV talk show if the IRA's war
was over and replied "of course."

The contrast between the apparent progress in the peace
process and the harder line in the administration was
enough to provoke additional words of concern from Rep.
Walsh.

Walsh, as did his colleague Peter King, spoke this week
with Amb. Reiss.

Walsh said that Reiss was concerned but did not commit
himself with regard to fundraising.

"He didn't say yes and he didn't say no," Walsh told the
Echo.

"I think it's important that we don't move the goalposts on
Sinn Féin again," Walsh added.

Adams, meanwhile, is also planning to visit Toronto where
he is to address a Friends of Sinn Féin (Canada)
fundraising dinner on Saturday, Nov. 12.

This story appeared in the issue of November 2-8, 2005

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/1103/232982382HM10SHINNERS.html

'No Precondition' To SF Fund -Raising

Denis Staunton, in Washington

The US administration has told The Irish Times that a
commitment from Sinn Féin to join the North's policing
board is not a precondition for Gerry Adams being allowed
to raise funds when he visits the US next week.

Administration sources said that US officials cited in a
report in yesterday's paper did not accurately reflect
official policy.

Sinn Féin is allowed to raise funds in the US but, since
January, visiting politicians from the party have not been
granted visas which would permit them to take part in fund-
raising activities.

Some figures within the administration believe that Mr
Adams should not be allowed to visit the US at all until
Sinn Féin makes positive public statements about policing
in the North.

The US special envoy for Northern Ireland, Dr Mitchell
Reiss, declined to comment on the visa issue but said he
hoped Mr Adams would visit Washington.

"I hope that Mr Adams will come to the United States next
week in support of the peace process. The confidentiality
of individual visa applications prohibits us from providing
details as to its status," he said.

Administration sources said that the US was indeed
concerned that Sinn Féin's refusal to engage with the
Police Service of Northern Ireland left some Catholic
neighbourhoods in the North prey to dissident republicans.
The sources said that the PSNI's handling of loyalist riots
in September, when officers took 150 live rounds from
rioters, showed that it was an entirely different force
compared with the RUC.

© The Irish Times

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2005/1103/2661704853HM10BERTIE.html

Taoiseach To Visit North

Gerry Moriarty, Northern Editor

On a visit to Northern Ireland today Taoiseach Bertie
Ahern is expected to again advance the Government's
argument that North-South economic co-operation can,
without any hidden constitutional agenda, benefit the
entire island.

Mr Ahern is travelling to Newtownards, Co Down, and to
Belfast for a number of engagements. This includes a
symbolic visit to the Somme Heritage Centre in Newtownards
as Northern Ireland prepares for its annual November war
remembrance commemorations.

The main event will be his speech to the Institute of
Directors this afternoon where, following on a similar
speech by the Minister for Finance, Brian Cowen, in Co
Antrim last week, Mr Ahern will flag the benefits of
economic co-operation.

The Taoiseach is expected to tell the institute that such
economic collaboration can help Northern Ireland also
experience some of the advantages of the Celtic Tiger. Mr
Ahern is also likely to refer to recent IRA
decommissioning, the Independent Monitoring Commission
report stating the IRA was largely observing its commitment
to end activity, and the potential for political progress
next spring.

This will be the latest in a series of visits by Government
Ministers to Northern Ireland.

© The Irish Times

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http://dailyireland.televisual.co.uk/home.tvt?_ticket=W1SEAOWM4BEFURUSRQMAAQ4S7AKACK5IURWGJOQAHR0FDKLAFSMY7QRFL1OAERSEAOW4Z3RGUU4EIOTE9NTKJKLAFS874PDP38&_scope=DailyIreland/Content/News&id=13687&opp=1

Dáil Set To Debate Major Unity Motion

Daíl gets set to debate major SF motion on reunification
Fine Gael TD says he will 'seriously consider' support
Connla Young

Political parties in the Republic will today be challenged
to support a Dáil motion calling for a united Ireland. The
Sinn Féin motion calls on deputies to renew their support
for the Good Friday Agreement, promote all-Ireland
strategies and prepare for Irish reunification. A Fine Gael
TD last night said he will "seriously consider" supporting
the motion. Cavan and Monaghan TD Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, the
party's Dáil leader will table the motion, which calls on
the government to prepare a green paper to help in the
"transition to a united Ireland". "People have to accept
that this motion is moderate in terms of its construction
and should receive the support of all the voices in
Leinster House," said the TD. In recent weeks, the main
political parties in the South have all scrambled to
highlight their republican credentials. Growing support for
Sinn Féin is viewed by many observers as the reason for the
sudden surge in republican sentiment being expressed by
parties south of the Border. The Sinn Féin TD said his
party hoped that today's motion would tap into the renewed
spark of patriotism apparently flooding the halls of power
in the South. "I hope Fianna Fáil; Fine Gael, the united
Ireland party; the Labour Party, who claim the mantle of
James Connolly, will all be able to support this motion.
"It's a genuine and honest effort on our part to ensure
cross-party consensus on the issue of Irish reunification.
It was constructed to reflect the claimed policy positions
of the various parties. "Irish unification is a legitimate
objective and one we hope all the political voices who
claim to support it will translate into active support," he
said. The Sinn Féin man said his party remained committed
to persuading unionists to accept a united Ireland. "In the
motion, we say that we want to actively seek to persuade
unionists. That's a very important statement. "Irish
republicans recognise this as part of the challenge and the
project that lies before us. We have a will to continue and
are hopeful a growing number of people from our island will
share our approach that the interests of Ireland are best
served by a single economy and a single political identity.
"Regardless of the outcome, Sinn Féin will remain steadfast
in working towards Irish unity and independence and that's
a cornerstone of our political life." Donegal Fine Gael TD,
Dinny McGinley, last night told Daily Ireland the motion
will be discussed by his front bench team this morning. He
said Irish unification was a priority, and that he would
"seriously consider" supporting the motion. "The party will
take a decison on the motion this morning and I don't want
to pre-empt anything," said Mr McGinley. "It will be taken
very seriously and I am keen to see what it contains. "I
want to see a united Ireland, Fine Gael is the united
Ireland party, it's one of our objectives to have a united
Ireland through consent. It's a 30-year-old policy."

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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/11765

Dáil To Debate Motion On Irish Reunification

Gerry Adams & Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin available to talk to
media at 3pm, Leinster House Other stories for 2 November,
2005

Published: 2 November, 2005

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams and the Party's leader in
the Dáil, Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin TD will be available to talk
to the media outside the main gates of Leinster House at
3pm today in advance of the debate on Irish reunification
talking place in the Dáil this evening.

The debate will be centred on a motion being put forward
during Private Members Business by the five Sinn Féin TDs
calling on all parties in Leinster House to "prepare
politically, economically, socially and culturally for
Irish unification, identifying steps and measures,
including a Green Paper, which can assist a successful
transition to a united Ireland."

Speaking in advance Deputy Ó Caoláin said, "Sinn Féin is
putting forward this motion as a genuine and honest effort
to secure cross-party consensus on the issue of Irish
reunification. We have worded this motion in recognition of
the stated policy position of all political parties in
Leinster House who say they want to see a united Ireland.

"Reunification is a totally legitimate objective of the
Irish people and their representatives. It is recognised as
such in the Good Friday Agreement. But it needs action if
it is to happen - it will not happen by ignoring it or
remaining silent or inactive on it." ENDS
----

Motion is as follows:

Dáil Éireann

Private Members Business,
2 - 3 November 2005

"That Dáil Éireann:

• re-affirming its support for the Good Friday Agreement as
endorsed in referendums by the people of Ireland North and
South;

• recognising the political progress brought about by the
peace process and the Agreement, benefiting all the people
of Ireland; and

• reiterating its appreciation of the work undertaken to
date by the North-South Ministerial Council and by the
North-South bodies;

• resolves to:

• work for the full implementation of the Agreement in all
its aspects and for the re-establishment of the
institutions of the Agreement at the earliest date;

• promote all-Ireland policies and strategies, benefiting
all parts of the island;

• actively seek to persuade Unionists, through dialogue, of
the advantages of Irish unification for all the people who
share this island, in their diversity; and

• prepare politically, economically, socially and
culturally for Irish unification, identifying steps and
measures, including a Green Paper, which can assist a
successful transition to a united Ireland."

Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Seán Crowe, Martin Ferris, Arthur
Morgan, Aengus Ó Snodaigh.

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http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/11802

Ó Caoláin Opens Debate On Irish Reunification

and calls on all parties to work together towards unity Other stories for 2 November, 2005

Published: 2 November, 2005

Speaking during this evening Private Members Business
motion on Irish Reunification put forward by Sinn Féin's
five TD, the Party's leader in Leinster House, Caoimhghin Ó
Caoláin said, "Irish unity must be more than an aspiration
and an objective, however sincerely held. We must work
together towards Irish unity."

"The immediate task before all of us is the re-instatement
of the structures established under the Good Friday
Agreement. That is the responsibility first and foremost of
the British and Irish governments. On the part of the DUP
there can be no more possible excuses for non-engagement
with Sinn Féin. The excuse of IRA weapons is no longer
tenable; indeed the hollowness of that excuse as used so
often in the past has been exposed since the IRA's
announcement and its putting of weapons beyond use."

Criticising those who have sought to play down or ignore
the legitimate political demand for Irish reunification for
fear of offending Unionists Deputy Ó Caoláin said,
"Whittling down the Agreement, failing to implement it or
abandoning the legitimate political objective of Irish
unity will not encourage dialogue. On the contrary, it will
reinforce intransigence."

Arguing that Irish reunification would benefit all people
on the island of Ireland he said, "Throughout the peace
process we have consistently urged an island-wide approach
in key policy areas including the economy, health,
education, employment, agriculture and tourism. We have
given practical expression to this through the work of our
Ministers in the Executive and the all-Ireland Ministerial
Council. In the Assembly and in the Dáil, Sinn Féin
representatives have continuously pressed the need to
sustain and develop the all-island approach enshrined in
the Good Friday Agreement.

"By planning for Irish unity, and by demonstrating that
unification can lead to a better society for all the people
of this island, nationalists will go far towards persuading
many unionists that they can have a secure future in a new,
united Ireland."

He concluded by saying, "The type of society we will have
in a united Ireland is already being shaped. We must ensure
that it is not a 'cold house' for any section of our
community." ENDS
----

Full contribution of Sinn Féin Dáil leader, Caoimhghin Ó
Caoláin TD to Private Members Business motion on Irish
reunification

2 Samhain 2005

Molaim an rún seo ar son Teachtaí Shinn Féin. Is annamh a
bhí deis ag an Dáil aontú na hÉireann a phlé. Ní chuimhin
liom díospóireacht ar an gceist seo ónar toghadh mé i 1997.
Cé gur phléamar próiséas na síochána go minic ní raibh deis
chun díriú ar an ghá chun obair i dtreo aontú na hÉireann.
Mar sin cuireann sé áthas orainn, mar Teachtaí Shinn Féin,
an rún seo a chur os comhair na Dála agus chun iarraidh ar
gach Teachta tacú leis. Ach ní rún amháin atá anseo. Seo
fógra chomh maith go bhfuilimíd chun dul ar aghaidh go dtí
an cuspóir sin i gcuideachta gach duine sa tír a bhfuil an
cuspóir daonlathach aige nó aici.

It is an honour to present this motion on behalf of the
Sinn Féin deputies. It is a motion that encapsulates the
central aim of our party – but more importantly, I believe,
the sincerely held objective of the vast majority of the
people of Ireland. The democratic objective of the
reunification of Ireland is reflected - to one degree or
another - in all political parties represented here in the
Oireachtas. All the principal political parties state that
Irish unity is one of their aims. But it must be more than
an aspiration and an objective, however sincerely held. If
we are serious and sincere we must work together towards
Irish unity. This motion is an invitation to do just that.

We have debated the peace process many times but we have
not taken the opportunity to address the issue of Irish
unity itself. Our motion presents such an opportunity.

This debate comes in the wake of the momentous decision of
the IRA to end its armed campaign and to put its weapons
beyond use. I don't believe any of us yet appreciates the
enormity of this development. It will take time for it to
be seen in its proper historical context. It marked a
crossroads not only in the peace process but in the
development of politics on this island. It confirmed what
the peace process had established - that Irish republicans
are totally committed to the peaceful and democratic way
forward to our objective of Irish unity and national
sovereignty.

The immediate task before all of us is the re-instatement
of the structures established under the Good Friday
Agreement. That is the responsibility first and foremost of
the British and Irish governments. On the part of the DUP
there can be no more possible excuses for non-engagement
with Sinn Féin. The excuse of IRA weapons is no longer
tenable; indeed the hollowness of that excuse as used so
often in the past has been exposed since the IRA's
announcement and its putting of weapons beyond use. Those
who seek to minimise the significance of developments this
past summer, and the potential for progress which they
offer, are doing a grave disservice to their constituents.
However, I believe the DUP will enter negotiations with
Sinn Féin. One thing is certain. Whittling down the
Agreement, failing to implement it or abandoning the
legitimate political objective of Irish unity will not
encourage dialogue. On the contrary, it will reinforce
intransigence.

Sinn Féin has tabled this motion, and we are urging the
Irish Government to publish a Green Paper on Irish Unity,
because we believe that the practical planning for a United
Ireland should begin now.

Throughout the peace process we have consistently urged an
island-wide approach in key policy areas including the
economy, health, education, employment, agriculture and
tourism. We have given practical expression to this through
the work of our Ministers in the Executive and the all-
Ireland Ministerial Council. In the Assembly and in the
Dáil, Sinn Féin representatives have continuously pressed
the need to sustain and develop the all-island approach
enshrined in the Good Friday Agreement.

By planning for Irish unity, and by demonstrating that
unification can lead to a better society for all the people
of this island, nationalists will go far towards persuading
many unionists that they can have a secure future in a new,
united Ireland.

We should be strengthening and building upon the all-
Ireland aspects of the Agreement. The Irish Government
should be initiating and sustaining a planned programme of
all-Ireland social and economic development which aims to
remove the obstacles created by partition, strengthen the
links between the people in all parts of the island and
integrate the economy and society. Such work should proceed
at all levels and the Irish Government should not be
dependent upon the active co-operation of any British
administration, although such co-operation is not only
desirable but an obligation of the British government under
the Agreement.

Central to the Good Friday Agreement is an equality agenda
which seeks to address many of these injustices. It cannot
be stressed enough that equality applies to everyone. It
will benefit all sections of the community. The attempt to
portray the equality agenda as meaning privilege for
nationalists is the latest manifestation of the sectarian
scare tactic designed to prevent unionists making common
cause at any level with their nationalist neighbours.

Unionists need to embrace the equality agenda. There is no
other way forward for their community. Refusal to do so can
slow down but cannot halt the process of change.
Participation now in the process of change is the best
guarantee that their interests will be represented most
effectively. Many in the unionist community already
privately admit that Irish unity is inevitable. Recognition
that this process of change is leading to Irish Unity will
be a very painful but ultimately liberating development for
unionists.

Nationalists throughout Ireland also need to come to terms
with the reality that the achievement of their aim of Irish
reunification will mean profound change. The whole
political landscape will be transformed. New political
alignments will evolve. New island-wide economics will
develop. There will be new demands on the economy to meet
the needs of a reunited island and people. There will be
many challenges but also many opportunities.

Every Deputy and Senator has received a copy of Sinn Fein's
discussion document 'A Green Paper on Irish Unity'. In
summary it sets out the following programme:

• There is a national responsibility on the Irish
Government to formulate and implement a strategy to achieve
the democratic objectives of national self-determination,
Irish reunification, political independence and national
reconciliation

* Consultation, engagement, persuasion and negotiation,
with a view to securing active support for a united
Ireland, must be the means towards these ends.

• It must involve a negotiation with the British
Government.

• It must be underpinned by a meaningful and
substantial peace dividend from both governments.

• Such a strategy needs to have an international
dimension whichincludes seeking specific forms of support
from popular and political opinion in Britain; the Irish
diaspora and the international community.

• The Taoiseach should commission a Green Paper on
Irish unity to be completed within one year.

* The aim should be to identify steps and measures, which
can promote and assist a successful transition to a united
Ireland and to develop detailed planning for a new state
and a new society that all Irish people can share. All
stakeholders in society on this island must be given an
opportunity to take ownership of the debate and be part of
the process this initiates.

* The Green Paper should be referred to a specially
dedicated Joint All-Party Committee of the Oireachtas on
Irish Unity to monitor, assess and report progress on
implementation.

* A Minister of State should be appointed by the Irish
Government with the dedicated and specific responsibility
of driving forward and developing policy options and
strategies to advance the outcomes of the Green Paper and
to direct and coordinate the Government's all-Ireland
policies.

• Participation by people resident in the Six
Counties in the democratic life of the nation should be
facilitated and include Northern representation in the
Houses of the Oireachtas. Citizens in the Six Counties
should have voting rights in presidential Elections and for
a reformed Seanad elected on a national list system.

• The Irish Government, in consultation with the
social partners, the community and NGO sector, the business
and agricultural sectors, the trade unions, must begin the
process of co-ordinating economic planning on an all-
Ireland basis.

I look forward to a serious debate on these proposals. I
call on the Taoiseach to proceed with his invitation to the
18 MPs in the Six Counties to participate in a Committee of
the whole Dáil, beginning in early 2006 and to be held at
least twice a year. The knee-jerk and partitionist
reactions to this reasonable and modest proposal from the
leaders of Fine Gael and Labour surely raise profound
questions for the members of these two parties, one of
which subtitles itself 'the United Ireland Party' and the
other which claims the mantle of James Connolly. And I
would ask Fianna Fáil deputies and party members if they
will allow this proposal to be vetoed by Minister McDowell
who has called for Irish Republican MPs, elected on the
basis of non-participation in Westminster, to take their
seats there and to swear an oath of allegiance to the
English queen.

I believe these nay-sayers have misrepresented the Irish
people. We are mandated by them to work together for the
benefit of this country - and that includes working
together towards national reunification.

The type of society we will have in a united Ireland is
already being shaped. We must ensure that it is not a 'cold
house' for any section of our community. What Martin Luther
King said about the world in 1967 applies equally to
Ireland - and the world - in this new century:

"We have inherited a large house, a great 'world house' in
which we have to live together - black and white, Easterner
and Westerner, Gentile and Jew, Catholic and Protestant,
Moslem and Hindu - a family unduly separated in ideas,
culture and interest, who because we can never again live
apart, must learn somehow to live with each other in
peace."

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

http://www.online.ie/News/News.aspx?newsId=110767

Adams Hits Out At Lack Of Support For Unity Motion

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams tonight attacked the
political establishment for failing to support his party's
motion in support of a united Ireland.

The motion calls on the Irish Government to draw up a Green
Paper to prepare for the political, social, economic and
cultural unification of the island and to engage in
dialogue with unionists.

Outside the gates of the Dáil, Mr Adams said he could not
understand the lack of support from the Government and
opposition parties.

"For the life of me, why these parties which have as stated
policy positions the objective of Irish unity, cannot
support this motion, it's beyond me," he said.

The five Sinn Féin TDs have secured private members' time
to debate the motion in the Dáil tonight, but the lack of
support from other political parties means that it is
unlikely to pass.

Sinn Féin TD Caoimhghin Ó Caoláin defended the motion by
saying that it was imperative for all parties to work
towards a United Ireland.

"We're asking them to join with us to change it from an
aspiration into a proactive achievement. Working together
we believe that we can indeed hasten that day," he said.

Mr Ó Caoláin said he believed that re-unification could
have benefits for all communities.

"As republicans, we're absolutely committed to working
towards a United Ireland not only in the interests of Irish
republicans and nationalists, but we believe in the
interests of all those who share this island," he said.

"We believe it's a process of convincing, it's a process of
persuasion and we are up to the dialogue and the
engagement."

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

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=161225690&p=y6yzz6396

PSNI: Help Us Catch Double Murderers

02/11/2005 - 14:13:58

A senior NI policeman today made an appeal to the
conscience of those with vital information about the savage
murders of two teenagers five years ago.

David McIlwaine and Andrew Robb, aged 18 and 19
respectively, were beaten and had their throats cut after
leaving a disco in Tandragee, Co Armagh on February 19,
2000.

Police and the victims' families will tonight issue a fresh
appeal for information on the BBC's Crimewatch programme
and a reconstruction will also be aired.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Tim
Hanley said police were determined to bring those
responsible to the courts.

He said detectives were particularly interested in
information about two men seen close to a phone box on
Tandragee High Street on the night of the murder.

DCI Hanley said: "Andrew Robb and David McIlwaine were
brutally and savagely murdered.

"Police will do their utmost to obtain the evidence to put
those responsible before the courts.

"This is very much a live and ongoing investigation. There
are several new lines of inquiry and tonight will be asking
for people to help us.

"We will be making specific appeals and a new Crimestoppers
reward will be announced."

Both victims were originally from Portadown in Co Armagh.

Their badly beaten and slashed bodies were found on the
Druminure Road.

The double murder occurred during a feud between rival
loyalist paramilitary groups in Portadown.

However police and both families insist neither of the
young men had any connection with a paramilitary
organisation.

Mr Hanley said detectives believed a significant number of
people had details about the brutal murders.

"I am appealing to their conscience," he said.

"Time has moved on, relationships and allegiances have
changed.

"There are people out there who can help us catch the
killer."

Nationalist SDLP Assembly member Dolores Kelly also urged
members of the public to watch the television appeal and
help the investigation.

The Upper Bann MLA said: "I understand this programme will
be extremely difficult for both families to watch as both
men were not only murdered but their bodies were also
brutally mutilated.

"However this re-enactment will hopefully help forward the
police investigations into these murders.

"Someone out there knows who carried out these murders and
I would appeal to those people to come forward for the sake
of justice and for the sake of two mourning families."

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

http://www.uup.org/media/media_02_11_05_empey.htm

Retail Conference Bomb Scare Is Disgraceful, Says Empey

Responding to news that a major British retail conference
being held at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast was disrupted
by a bomb scare, UUP Leader Sir Reg Empey said,

"This attempt to intimidate and deter key figures in the
British economy from investing in Northern Ireland is
disgraceful. There are clearly still people who want to
destroy Northern Ireland but they are a tiny minority. The
vast majority of people here want to see more jobs and
inward investment coming to the Province.

Northern Ireland is very much open for business and people
should not be deterred. This scare represents the dying
flailings of groups whose time has passed."

(November 2nd, 2005)

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

http://www.dup.org.uk/articles.asp?Article_ID=1764

Irwin Condemns Orange Hall Bomb Attack

Armagh Deputy Mayor Cllr William Irwin has today voiced his
disgust at recent attacks on Orange Halls in the Armagh
area. Speaking the DUP Councillor said,

"It has become apparent in recent weeks that there is a
concerted campaign in the District against Orange Halls.
These attacks are obviously being orchestrated by
republicans who are intent on stirring up sectarian strife
in the area.

On Thursday afternoon there was a suspicious device left at
Ballyrea Orange Hall. After examination it was discovered
this was a hoax device. However, on Friday morning a
secondary device was discovered a short distance from the
Hall. After examination it was discovered that unlike the
previous device, this one was primed, packed with nails and
when triggered it would have undoubtedly caused serious
injury.

Security sources believe that both devices were planted
simultaneously, with one being a secondary device which
should have been triggered by the army while investigating
the primary device which was left at the Orange Hall.

This incident had the potential to be very serious and
could have inflicted severe injury upon any unsuspecting
member of the public who touched the device. Those who
planted the bombs have shown a total lack of consideration
for children in the area and the injury which they could
have inflicted had the device been disturbed.

This attack demonstrates the continuing threat to security
forces in the Armagh area. The Government may try to gloss
over the fact that these vicious attacks are not taking
place, but the reality is that there are still those in the
area intent on terrorism and it is certainly no time to be
scaling down security."

Concluding the Orchard Councillor said,

"I condemn these attacks and would call upon anyone who saw
anything suspicious in the area, to contact the police."

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

http://breakingnews.iol.ie/news/story.asp?j=161220042&p=y6yzzx748

SDLP Slams DUP Call For Release Of LVF Murderers

02/11/2005- 13:51:00

The SDLP has slammed calls by a DUP press officer for the
release of two loyalists convicted of carrying out a 1998
double-murder in Co Down.

The two Loyalist Volunteer Force men murdered Protestant
and Catholic friends Philip Allen and Damian Treanor in a
bar in Poyntzpass.

The LVF announced its disbandment at the weekend, but SDLP
spokesperson Sharon Haughey said this did not warrant the
release of the two murderers.

"This is a very wrong time for the DUP to be calling for
the release of these brutal killers," she said.

"The ink hasn't even dried on the LVF statement."

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

http://www.utvlive.com/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=66747&pt=n

Call For Plastic Bag Tax In NI

The British government was today told to stop making
excuses and introduce a tax on plastic bags in Northern
Ireland. By:Press Association

Sinn Fein Assembly member Philip McGuigan called for the
British government to follow the lead of the Irish Republic
and introduce a tax at a meeting with Northern Ireland
Office Environment Minister Lord Rooker.

The North Antrim MLA said: "The evidence from the success
of the introduction of the plastic bag tax in the south is
very strong.

"Use of plastic bags has been significantly reduced and
considerable revenue has been raised.

"British Direct Rule ministers are constantly looking at
ways to increase local revenue through the imposition of
water taxes and inflation busting rates increases, neither
of which are justifiable.

"Yet when they are presented with an alternative that is a
proven success all we get is excuses that don`t stand up to
scrutiny."

A tax of 15 cents or nine pence per bag was introduced in
the Irish Republic in March 2002 in a bid to curb litter.

Three months later, the Irish government claimed the tax
had raised €3.5 million (£2.4 million) in extra revenue and
resulted in a drop in their use by more than 90%.

Mr McGuigan said if the measure was introduced north of the
border it would send a clear signal out that Direct Rule
ministers were serious about protecting the environment.

"British ministers have finally agreed to bring in
legislation similar to the smoking ban in the south because
they could see its` success," he said.

"They need to now look at the success of the plastic bag
tax in the south and bring in similar legislation here in
the north."

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

http://www.click2houston.com/entertainment/5230448/detail.html

Paul Mccartney: What Do I Do When I'm 64?

POSTED: 7:20 am CST November 2, 2005

CORK, Ireland -- Paul McCartney's kids want him to lay low
for his next birthday. That's when he'll be 64.

McCartney told the Irish Examiner his kids want him to
avoid the media references to the Beatles song "When I'm
64," which they think will be awful.

McCartney said his kids have told him, "Dad, you must not
be on the face of the planet next year." McCartney is
thinking of ignoring them and flaunting it. He said he may
be "in the thick of it" and he's taking suggestions on what
he should do.

He has said before he may re-record the song. He said he
once ran into a woman who did the song as "When I'm 84"
because she thought 64 didn't seem very old. He said he may
take that hint from her next year.

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

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2005/1103/2541587962HM1EIRCOM.html

Takeover Approach Sparks Rise In Eircom Share Value

Arthur Beesley, Senior Business Correspondent

Ownership of the Republic's fixed line telephone system
is set to change hands for the fourth time in six years
following an approach to buy the former State monopoly,
Eircom, from a company controlled by the Swiss government,
Swisscom.

Eircom, privatised by the Government in 1999, said in a
notice to the stock exchange yesterday that it had received
a "preliminary approach" from a potential bidder, later
revealed to be Swisscom.

The development, which led to a steep increase in Eircom's
share price, raises the prospect of a takeover battle for
the former Telecom Éireann at a time of renewed
consolidation in the European telecoms markets.

Eircom's shares gained almost 16 per cent to close last
night at €2.40 a share. In contacts with Eircom that were
initiated within the past week, Swisscom indicated a
willingness to pay in excess of €2.40 a share to take
control of the company, putting a value of at least €2.57
billion on the company.

Swisscom is not considered likely at this stage to pay any
more than €2.50 a share.

The approach to Eircom from Swisscom follows tentative
talks earlier this year between the two companies.

That dialogue was inconclusive and there was no preliminary
offer at that time from the Swiss company, which has been
searching for international expansion opportunities for
some time.

Eircom has since acquired the third mobile phone operator
Meteor since those initial talks stopped.

That purchase added considerable potential to develop the
business of a company that already has lucrative fixed-line
phone contracts with almost every household in the State.

Swisscom was named in a newspaper report last month as a
bidder for Eircom, although the Irish company promptly
issued a statement saying that it was "not currently in
discussions with that company or any other".

The biggest beneficiary of any takeover would be the
worker-controlled trust that owns 21 per cent of the
company.

The company's flotation in 1999 ultimately left tens of
thousands of investors nursing big losses after it was
acquired in 2001 by a US-backed consortium led by the
businessman Sir Anthony O'Reilly.

Sir Anthony stayed on as chairman of Eircom when it was
floated on the stock exchange for a second time in March
last year at €1.55 a share, a price that valued the company
at €1.15 billion.

He no longer holds a stake in the company, meaning that he
would not take a profit on the latest change of ownership.

However, former trade unionist and vice chairman Con
Scanlon could realise a gain on his small shareholding in
the company.

Other beneficiaries from a sale would include the Eircom
chief executive, Dr Philip Nolan, its finance director,
Peter Lynch, its commercial director, David McRedmond,and
the managing director of the retail unit, Cathal Magee.

The Eircom board, which was apprised of the approach late
last week, moved to inform the market of the development
after an increase in its share price early yesterday.

The directors are likely to agree to a request from
Swisscom to open its books for examination by the Swiss
company's corporate finance advisers.

Such an examination, known as due diligence, is the next
phase of the process by which Swisscom would make a formal
bid for Eircom.

Swisscom's official spokeswoman declined to comment
yesterday when asked about the statement from Eircom.

Confirmation of the move on the Irish company came only two
days after the Spanish group Telefónica agreed a € 26
billion deal to acquire the mobile operator O2, owner of
the second-largest mobile business in the Republic.

The deal to acquire that company, which has 1.5 million
subscribers in Ireland, could take about 90 days to
complete. Other offers for O2 may yet emerge.

© The Irish Times

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

http://www.sinnfein.ie/news/detail/11801

1916 Goals As Relevant Today As They Were In Easter Week
1916

Published: 2 November, 2005

Sinn Féin Spokesperson on Justice, Equality and Human
Rights Aengus Ó Snodaigh TD has said, "Sinn Fein's vision
for the future united Ireland has its foundations in the
1916 Proclamation and the 1919 Democratic Programme which
enshrine our core values." Speaking on the Sinn Féin
Private Members Motion on Irish reunification in the Dáil
this evening he said, "these goals are as significant today
as they were on Easter week 1916."

Deputy Ó Snodaigh said, "Sinn Fein's vision for the future
united Ireland has its foundations in the 1916 Proclamation
and the 1919 Democratic Programme which enshrine our core
values. The Proclamation asserts, "The Republic guarantees
religious and civil liberty, equal rights and equal
opportunities to all its citizens … cherishing all the
children of the nation equally". The Democratic Programme
1919 reaffirms "that all right to private property must be
subordinated to the public right and welfare … It shall be
the first duty of the Government of the Republic to make
provision for the physical, mental and spiritual well-being
of the children". And these goals are as significant today
as they were on Easter week 1916 because they have yet to
be realised. I welcome the Taoiseach's announcement that
state commemorations of the Rising are to be resumed, and I
urge him to use the occasion to reflect seriously on the
values and goals of the signatories and on how these
contrast so sharply with the record of successive
governments, including his own.

"Sinn Féin's vision of a United Ireland is one of a
Republic based on the recognition that peace, security and
the democratic life of the nation are dependent on human
rights – civil, political, economic and social rights. For
Sinn Fein 'freedom' is nothing if it does not embrace these
rights. Parity of esteem, equality of treatment and full
human rights must be guaranteed for all. Ireland has the
wealth and resources to create a rights-based society, all
that is needed is the collective political will to achieve
it. And I am confident that more and more individuals,
political parties and civil society groups will join with
Sinn Fein to collectively pursue this agenda as the
benefits to be accrued by all on this island are
demonstrated." ENDS

Full speech follows:

In light of the historic act on the 26th September when the
Irish Republican Army put their last remaining arms beyond
use, demonstrating their commitment to the peaceful
reunification of Ireland, it is high time for this
government to follow suit and deliver its own brave acts of
completion. I will now set a few goal-posts for the
government and the opposition parties in order to monitor
and measure the activities and commitment of this House to
the peace process and Irish unity. I will speak primarily
about the onus on this state to implement Strand 3 of the
Good Friday Agreement. And I will outline Sinn Fein's
vision of a future rights-based and united Ireland.

Strand 3 of the Agreement makes provisions for human rights
safeguards and equality measures in the 6 counties and also
instructs that this government "ensure at least the
equivalent level of protection" in the 26 counties. In
light of this the Government has an obligation to instruct
the Minister for Justice McDowell to adopt the full Patten
model for Garda reform including a Garda Ombudsman with at
least equivalent powers to the PSNI Ombudsman Nuala O'Loan
and a lot more besides. The recently passed Garda reform
legislation fails to comply with these obligations.

The incorporation of the European Convention on Human
Rights was done in this state by the weakest possible
method and hence also fails the test of 'equivalence' under
the Good Friday Agreement. In order to meet Strand 3
obligations the fundamentally flawed European Convention on
Human Rights Act 2003 must be replaced with direct
incorporation legislation.

The establishment of the Irish Human Rights Commission was
a welcome move, however if the terms of the Good Friday
Agreement are to be met the funding constraints which
currently prevent its full operation must be reversed.
Furthermore the Government also must ensure that
recommendations provided by the Commission to the Minister
for Justice on proposed legislation or policy are taken
fully into account and acted upon, and not ignored by the
Minister as has largely been the case to date. A topical
example is the Transfer of Execution of Sentences Bill 2003
debated in this House last week. In a submission to the
Minister a total of 8 specific recommendations for
amendments were made to ensure that fundamental human
rights are safeguarded. Not one was introduced by the
Minister. The Human Rights Commission Act 2000 should be
amended to provide for human rights-proofing of all
proposed legislation by the Commission, and to oblige
Ministers to take its recommendations fully into acount.

The Equality legislation and agenda that emerged in large
part on foot of the Agreement has been downsized by this
government via a programme of policies and reforms that:
criminalise and facilitate discrimination against
Travellers; involve a full offensive against refugees and
immigrants; and introduced a system of two-tier
citizenship. It is also crucial to note the on-going
failure of this state to match the Section 75 statutory
duty on public bodies to promote equality currently
applicable to the 6 counties. The Disability Act 2005
amounts to a further missed opportunity to ensure the
rights of a vulnerable group in Ireland to equality of
treatment and outcome.

When people in this state cast their vote in 1998 they
correctly expected that the rights protections won by
republicans under the Good Friday Agreement would benefit
them. Now they are seeing these protections whittled away
on a right-wing whim.

On the issue of security the Good Friday Agreement states:
"the development of a peaceful environment on the basis of
this agreement can and should mean a normalisation of
security arrangements and practices". It provides for the
dispensing of the Offences Against the State Acts 1939-85
as circumstances permit. In light of this provision, the
Morris Tribunal Reports, the Hederman recommendations, and
in particular the concluding observations of the United
Nations Human Rights Committee which stated in no uncertain
terms that "It does not consider that the continued
existence of [the Special Criminal Court] is justified in
the present circumstances" and that "steps should be taken
to end the jurisdiction of the Special Criminal Court", it
is unacceptable that the government persist with this
emergency legislation. Emergency legislation like the
Offences Against the State Acts have a corrosive effect on
human rights, civil liberties and democratic life in the
state. These measures must not be allowed to become part
of the ordinary law of the state. They have no place in
the Ireland of the future or that of today.

Sinn Fein's vision for the future united Ireland has its
foundations in the 1916 Proclamation and the 1919
Democratic Programme which enshrine our core values. The
Proclamation asserts, "The Republic guarantees religious
and civil liberty, equal rights and equal opportunities to
all its citizens … cherishing all the children of the
nation equally". The Democratic Programme 1919 reaffirms
"that all right to private property must be subordinated to
the public right and welfare … It shall be the first duty
of the Government of the Republic to make provision for the
physical, mental and spiritual well-being of the children".
And these goals are as significant today as they were on
Easter week 1916 because they have yet to be realised. I
welcome the Taoiseach's announcement that state
commemorations of the Rising are to be resumed, and I urge
him to use the occasion to reflect seriously on the values
and goals of the signatories and on how these contrast so
sharply with the record of successive governments,
including his own.

Sinn Fein's vision of a United Ireland is one of a Republic
based on the recognition that peace, security and the
democratic life of the nation are dependent on human rights
– civil, political, economic and social rights. For Sinn
Fein 'freedom' is nothing if it does not embrace these
rights. Parity of esteem, equality of treatment and full
human rights must be guaranteed for all. Ireland has the
wealth and resources to create a rights-based society, all
that is needed is the collective political will to achieve
it. And I am confident that more and more individuals,
political parties and civil society groups will join with
Sinn Fein to collectively pursue this agenda as the
benefits to be accrued by all on this island are
demonstrated.

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

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/stories.nsf/stage/story/E4B32C8F73DB35C2862570AD0037D46F?OpenDocument

Flatley's A 'Celtic Tiger' Who Can Still Roar

By Judith Newmark
Post-Dispatch Theater Critic

11/03/2005

Michael Flatley in 'Celtic Tiger'

Michael Flatley, the bare-chested, fleet-footed dancer who
made traditional Irish dance hot, has never been one for
understatement.

"My shows aren't just hits in Ireland or the U.S.," Flatley
says in accents that hint of his parents' birthplace,
County Mayo. The second of five children, he was born in
Chicago. "My shows are powerful in places like Austria and
Moscow and Beijing. In Budapest, we packed the stadium.

"Who can explain that? But people all over the world go
crazy over Celtic dance and music."

They've been crazed ever since "Riverdance," the 1994 show
that made him a star. Flatley became the glamorous exemplar
of traditional Irish dance, with an erect upper body and
rapid, disciplined tapping igniting the body from waist to
toe. He still holds the Guinness Book record for taps per
second (35), which he set in 1998.

From the first, "Riverdance" exerted a hypnotic appeal on
its audiences, and its spell has yet to be broken. The
ensemble show continues to tour; Dance St. Louis will bring
it back to the Fox Theatre in December.

After he left the "Riverdance" cast, Flatley created a new
show, "Lord of the Dance," that opened in 1996. More of a
star vehicle than "Riverdance," "Lord of the Dance" echoed
the success of the earlier show, drawing huge, enthusiastic
audiences in theaters and in its rich video afterlife.
"Feet of Fire" followed in 2001.

Flatley's new show, "Celtic Tiger," uses dance and music to
tell the story of the Irish and Irish-Americans from Viking
days to the present.

"There's a feeling people get in their hearts and soul,"
Flatley says, "and it speaks to that - to what we all
share. There is much more to life than the spoken word."

Q: Your mother and your grandmother were both Irish
dancers. Did you always feel drawn to it yourself?

A: Not at all. I grew up on the south side of Chicago in a
very mixed neighborhood - not too many Irish kids. The best
entertainment was a fist fight on the corner.

My parents dragged me to a dance class after one too many
bloody noses. People say parents shouldn't force their kids
(to study art). But I am a lucky guy because they did force
me. And when I got to dance class, it was me and two other
guys and all these pretty girls. I liked my chances.

Q: Sometimes boys aren't encouraged to dance because it's
not traditionally considered a masculine art form. But
traditional Irish dance avoids that stereotype, doesn't it?

A: Certainly the male part of Irish dancing is extremely
masculine. It's a tradition. The high kings of Ireland
danced. It's a way to express yourself as deeply as you can
as a man. That's what I teach young men.

Q: Most of the dancers in "Celtic Tiger" are younger than
you are, aren't they?

A: I am 47. The oldest dancer in my show is half my age.
I'm past the grandfather stage - I'm a dinosaur! But I have
60 talented, hard-working dancers, and the best way to make
them stars is to lead by example: The old dog for the hard
road and the pups for the footpath. At first I thought I
would choreograph "Celtic Tiger," not dance in it. But once
I started working, I realized there was no point in kidding
myself. I have to dance. It's who I am. It's not just my
blood for 47 years, it's in my blood for thousands of
years.

Q: Isn't that the point of the new show?

A: "Celtic Tiger" is a celebration of Ireland, her heroes,
and of Irish-Americans. The term "Celtic Tiger" usually
refers to the Irish economy. But I see the tiger as the
heart and soul of the Celtic people, triumphing over
darkness time and again.

The show starts in ancient times, with St. Patrick, the
Vikings and the Saxons. It deals with the potato famine,
when people came to America on "coffin ships." Many people
died on the way over, and the ones who survived were really
slave labor. It was horrific.

But they rose up to be the John Kennedys, to be Americans.
That's a story that every nationality can relate to.
Everybody has stories like that in their past.

That's why Irish dance is a dance for the people, and I
dance as hard for the little old lady from Cleveland who
plunked down the money she saved for her ticket as I do for
a king or a president or prime minister. As long as I
maintain that, I will always be OK.

"Celtic Tiger"
When: 8 tonight
Where: Savvis Center, 1401 Clark Avenue
How much: $43-$73
More info: 314-241-1888, 618-222-2900 or
http://www.ticketmaster.com
jnewmark@post-dispatch.com 314-340-8243

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