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News about the Irish & Irish American culture, music, news, sports. This is hosted by the Irish Aires radio show on KPFT-FM 90.1 in Houston, Texas (a Pacifica community radio station)
December 03, 2006
Adams Condemns Electoral Registration
News About Ireland & The Irish
IT 12/03/06 Adams Condemns Electoral Registration
BB 12/03/06 DUP 'Not Bothered Over Deadlines'
SL 12/03/06 DUP United On Policing
SL 12/03/06 SF Braced For Resignations
UT 12/03/06 SF Slam SDLP's 'Unholy Alliance'
SL 12/03/06 NIO's Refusal To Protect Journalist Under Rvw
SL 12/03/06 Acid Blitz Linked To UDA Feud
SL 12/03/06 Taxing Times For Ex-UDA Thug
SL 12/03/06 Cops Quiz Journos Over Stone Attack
SL 12/03/06 Stone: A Dangerous Deluded Man...
SL 12/03/06 Price Soars In USA For Stone's Art
SL 12/03/06 Opin: At Long Last, The DUP Split Beckons
IM 12/03/06 Women In Struggle Interview: Andrea O Kane
BB 12/03/06 Fisherman Father In Wave Tragedy
BN 12/03/06 Antiques Roadshow Find For Sale In Dublin
SL 12/03/06 John's Cottage Industry
*************************
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2006/1203/breaking25.htm
Adams Condemns Electoral Registration
Over 80,000 people wiped off Northern Ireland's annual
electoral register were today urged to demand their votes
back in time for the next Assembly election.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, whose West Belfast
constituency saw the biggest drop of all, described the
dramatic fall in eligible voters on last Friday's list as a
damning indictment of the registration process.
He also called on the British government to sanction the
use of the previous voter register instead for next March's
planned Assembly Election.
"Tens of thousands of voters have been ripped off the
register by the actions of the registration office," the
West Belfast MP complained.
"I intend to urgently speak to the British government and
demand that the previous register should be rolled over to
allow for its use in any Assembly election in March.
There was a seven per cent drop in eligible voters across
Northern Ireland, as all 18 constituencies experienced
falls in the number of eligible voters.
The biggest decreases were in urban areas, with the four
Belfast constituencies and Foyle, which mostly comprises of
Derry, suffering.
Mr Adams' West Belfast constituency lost 8,345 registered
voters - a 15.1 per cent fall.
Democratic Unionist MP Nigel Dodd and nationalist SDLP MP
Dr Alasdair McDonnell's seats in North Belfast and South
Belfast seat both experienced a 10.2 per cent decrease.
In DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson's East Belfast
constituency, the number of eligible voters fell by 4,506 -
an 8.1 per cent drop.
SDLP leader Mark Durkan's Foyle constituency lost 6,416
voters - a 9.3 per cent slump.
Last year's electoral list was augmented by 95,000 people
who failed to register but whose names were carried over
from the previous register.
This year's canvass, which began in August, was the last
time voters in Northern Ireland were asked to fill in
electoral registration forms annually. In future, voters
will only have to fill in registration forms every 10
years.
PA
*************************
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6204066.stm
DUP 'Not Bothered Over Deadlines'
The DUP is not bothered about any power sharing deadline or
dates for devolving policing, Ian Paisley Jr has said.
Mr Paisley said it was up to Sinn Fein to prove republican
credentials and build confidence before any restoration of
devolved government at Stormont.
He insisted Gerry Adams would not get a date from the DUP
for the transfer of policing powers to Stormont.
"It's not about us giving them a date, it's about them
convincing people they are fit to measure up to
government."
He added: "Whether it's the government for being in charge
of the brooms in the broom cupboard or whether it's being
responsible for more important issues, they to date have
not proved their bona fides.
"They are the ones who have got to move - not us."
The DUP leadership held a one-day meeting near
Templepatrick on Friday to agree the party's strategy
regarding power-sharing.
It followed claims of discontent among the ranks about
aspects of the St Andrews Agreement which surfaced at the
assembly on 24 November when the DUP and Sinn Fein were
asked for nominations to the first and deputy first
minister posts.
The deadline for devolution is 26 March, with fresh
assembly elections set for 7 March.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/12/03 13:42:04 GMT
© BBC MMVI
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717272
DUP United On Policing
By Alan Murray
03 December 2006
There is no chance of the DUP agreeing to a date for the
devolving of policing powers to the Stormont Assembly if it
is restored in March, party sources have claimed.
Sources who attended the DUP's special 'clear the air'
meeting in Templepatrick on Friday say no support was
expressed for the idea that powers over policing and
justice matters should be devolved to a new Assembly in the
foreseeable future.
One senior DUP figure who attended the meeting said
yesterday: "Not one view was expressed by anyone to help
the provos out of the mess they've got themselves into over
the policing issue.
"That means that the devolution of policing powers to
Stormont in the foreseeable future is a non-runner."
One DUP figure who attended on Friday was prepared to make
a brief on the record comment about the meeting, but only
on the policing issue.
Ian Paisley jnr told Sunday Life: "It is absolutely correct
that there was no view expressed to bring the devolution of
policing powers forward or advance that in any way or
support any move in that direction. The issue is non
negotiable.
"It is a cart and horse situation. Until Sinn Fein/IRA
supports the rule of law and the police service here there
will be no dilution of that policy position.
"The policing issue is Sinn Fein's problem, they have to
sort it out."
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717273
SF Braced For Resignations
By Stephen Breen
03 December 2006
Sinn Fein was last night bracing itself for more
resignations from the party over the issue of policing.
A senior republican source told Sunday Life that the
party's leadership is "worried" about the number of rank-
and-file members who oppose plans to support the PSNI.
Concerns were raised last week after seven members of the
party in north Antrim resigned over the issue.
They included veteran republican Laurence O'Neill, who was
jailed for eight years in 1972 after he was caught with
guns and explosives.
The 62-year-old, from Glenravel, in Co Antrim, told Sunday
Life he left the party after receiving "pressure" from
senior republicans to support the Sinn Fein leadership.
He said: "I was visited by two senior republicans and told
to toe the party line on the issue of policing.
"I don't want to name any names, but they also told me not
to attend any debates on the issue which were not organised
by Sinn Fein.
"I resigned after they told me I could not attend a debate
at Conway Mill in Belfast last Monday. But those who barred
me from attending went along and that is just hypocrisy to
me.
"I'm disappointed I had to leave the party, because I have
been a member of the republican movement since its
formation."
He believes there will be more resignations over the coming
weeks.
He added: "There is a lot of unhappiness about this issue
and I feel policing should have been resolved when the Good
Friday Agreement negotiations were taking place."
*************************
http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=78318&pt=n
SF Slam SDLP's 'Unholy Alliance'
Mark Durkan's SDLP has been accused of forming an unholy
alliance with unionists in opposing plans for seven super
councils in Northern Ireland under local government reform
plans.
By:Press Association
Sinn Fein`s Alex Maskey told colleagues in Dublin their
main nationalist rival in Northern Ireland had taken its
eye off the ball by joining up with the Democratic
Unionists and Ulster Unionists to attack his party over its
support for seven super council model.
In a hard hitting attack, he claimed the SDLP should
instead be focussing on ensuring there were adequate
equality provisions for minority parties in each council
area and it had also failed to put any meat on its calls
for more councils.
Mr Maskey told his party`s National Elected Representatives
Forum: "Sinn Fein have in recent months received much
criticism from an unholy alliance of the SDLP, UUP and DUP
on our view that the best model for future local government
structures in the north is based on a seven council model
with the necessary rigorous checks and balances built in.
"It would be very easy for Sinn Fein to ignore the fact
that we believe that this model is the best way to ensure
quality, to ensure fair representation and to ensure the
effective delivery of services and instead fight for the
retention of a vast number of councils and councillors
which are simply not required.
"However let me be clear we will not accept any model
without rigorous procedures built in to ensure that the
excesses and abuses of local government witnessed in the
north in the past will never be repeated for any community.
"The sort of self preservation approach which has dominated
the response from SDLP councillors across the six counties
and their joining forces with unionism, which is
incidentally completely opposed to these proposals - a fact
not lost on nationalists and republicans -, has masked the
fact that the SDLP have yet to put any meat on anything
other than saying they favour a 12 council model or indeed
a 15 council model."
Northern Ireland currently has 26 councils but under a
Review of Public Administration undertaken by the
Government that is set to be slashed to just seven super
councils with increased powers.
Last month, Local Boundaries Commissioner Dick Mackenzie
issued his initial proposals for the seven council areas
which could come into being in 2009.
Under his plan, Belfast would be a bigger council area than
was originally intended, swallowing up parts of
Castlereagh, Lisburn and North Down councils.
The other councils would be known as:
:: Inner East Local Government District, incorporating
Antrim, Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey Councils and the
remainder of Lisburn City Council.
:: East Local Government District, comprising Ards, Down,
parts of North Down and Castlereagh Councils.
:: South Local Government District, made up of Armagh,
Banbridge, Craigavon and Newry and Mourne.
:: West Local Government District, incorporating Cookstown,
Dungannon and South Tyrone, Fermanagh and Omagh.
:: North-West Local Government District, comprising of
Derry, Limavady, Magherafelt and Strabane and part of
Coleraine.
:: North-East Local Government District, made up of
Ballymena, Ballymoney, Larne, Moyle and a major part of
Coleraine.
The SDLP and cross-community Alliance Party have criticised
the seven council model, claiming it would result in a
sectarian carve up with unionists dominating councils in
the east and nationalists in the west.
The DUP and Ulster Unionists have also been highly
critical.
SDLP local government spokesperson Tommy Gallagher, in
particular, warned Sinn Fein by supporting Mr Mackenzie`s
plan to put nationalist districts currently in Lisburn into
the new Belfast council area, they would be agreeing to
proposals which left the nationalist minority in the Inner
East Council even more vulnerable.
Mr Maskey said nowhere in any SDLP policy document or their
response to the local government consultation the shape for
a 12 or 15 council model.
"They have become obsessed by a numbers game and taken
their eye off the real battle which is to ensure that
equality provisions are at the heart of any new
arrangements," the South Belfast Assembly member said.
He accused the SDLP of being content to see councils like
Castlereagh maintained, even though many nationalists
believed it was an extenstion of DUP headquarters.
"If the SDLP want to keep Castlereagh Council is it safe to
assume that they are comfortable with keeping Ballymena,
Larne, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus and Lisburn?" he asked.
"Maybe that is why the UUP and DUP have been so willing to
team up with the SDLP in their campaign against the seven
council model.
"The fact is that a seven council model with the necessary
checks, balances and safeguards will provide effective
representation for nationalists and republicans in these
areas, in some cases for the first time.
"Sinn Fein having led the campaign against discrimination
at local government level for decades, having refused to
acquiesce to bad practice but instead to challenge it, we
are not about to squander these gains by adopting a selfish
or minimalist approach to this reform issue.
"We also must be mindful that unlike the SDLP we have an
all-Ireland vision. We are not simply about local
government in the North. We are about ending partition and
developing a united and independent country.
"Part of this has to be greater integration of local
government services and provision, particularly in the
border region.
"Good work has already been done in this area and it is my
view that a beefed up local government arrangement in the
north will only benefit and enhance this work."
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717265
NIO's Refusal To Protect Journalist Under Review
By Ciaran McGuigan
03 December 2006
The Government could be set for a U-turn over its decision
to refuse to grant protection to an Ulster journalist under
threat from dissident republicans.
Sunday Life understands that Secretary of State Peter Hain
has written to the National Union of Journalists confirming
that the NIO is to review its earlier decision to refuse to
allow a Sunday World journalist onto the Key Persons
Protection Scheme (KPPS).
Security Minister Paul Goggins had previously written to
the journalist stating that they did not "occupy a wider
public role which is contributing to the role of the
scheme".
That decision has been described by NUJ Irish Secretary
Seamus Dooley as "baffling".
Said Mr Dooley: "Sadly, we have learnt from experience that
there are times when journalists are targeted and are
deserving of special protection.
"The employer is of course exercising a duty of care, but
the State also has a responsibility."
Sunday World journalists have previously been targeted by
both republican and loyalist paramilitaries.
Just over five years ago, the LVF gunned down investigative
reporter Martin O'Hagan in Lurgan as he walked home from a
night out with his wife.
No one has been charged in connection with Martin's murder.
The paper's former Northern Editor, Jim Campbell, was also
shot and severely wounded by the UVF in 1983.
The journalist at the centre of the present storm has been
subject to a number of threats from republicans and
loyalists in recent months.
Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde has described the level of
the current threat as "substantial".
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717284
Acid Blitz Linked To UDA Feud
By Alan Murray
03 December 2006
Acid has been doused on cars belonging to the mother of
Andre and Ihab Shoukri, and the teenage daughter of one of
their best known supporters.
The attacks were carried out in the early hours of Friday
morning when the vehicles were parked in the Westland Road
area of north Belfast.
Earlier in the week slogans alleging that two senior
members of the new UDA leadership in the area were police
touts and drug dealers were sprayed on several walls in the
area.
The incidents underline the continuing tension between UDA
factions in north Belfast following the major fallout
between Shoukri supporters and the larger inner council
grouping in the summer.
Cheryl McClean, whose Clio car was scorched by acid on
Friday, said yesterday it was the second time her vehicle
had been targeted.
"They did it a few months ago and now they're torturing me
again. They broke into my home a couple of weeks ago and
now they've returned to attack my property again," said the
19 year-old hairdresser.
Tension in the area between the two UDA factions has risen
since Andre Shoukri - who was expelled from the
organisation - warned in an exclusive Sunday Life interview
that he intended to confront his enemies in the
organisation when he is released from prison, where he is
on remand on serious racketeering charges.
The attack on his mother Katie's car will fuel his anger
inside Maghaberry Prison. Katie Shoukri passed her driving
test just two weeks ago and was using her Astra car to
carry out community work in the area. She's been told it is
probably 'uneconomical' to repair.
Community figures in the north Belfast area have been
anxious to work within the community to ease tension
between the two UDA factions and have had discussions with
the leadership of the inner council faction.
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717270
Taxing Times For Ex-UDA Thug
By Ciaran McGuigan
03 December 2006
Convicted UDA blackmailer Eddie Sayers has been busted
again - this time by tax inspectors.
The hardman extortionist has been declared bankrupt by the
High Court after failing to pay his overdue tax.
Sayers, who had been trading as the Brooklands Erne Hotel
in Ballinamallard, was subject of a petition lodged with
the court by the Revenue & Customs in August.
Last month their application for a bankruptcy order against
the dodgy businessman was granted.
Sayers - father of glamorous ex-Miss Northern Ireland Diana
Sayers - was jailed for 10 years in the 1980s after being
convicted of extortion.
While he was behind bars in the Maze, Sayers studied to be
a legal clerk. And when he was released he became the
manager of a Belfast law firm that went bust.
Taylor & Co solicitors of Donegall Pass - who counted
former UFF godfather Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair among its
clients - was closed down by the Law Society following
complaints by clients of missing money.
At the time, Sayers' Co Fermanagh hotel was searched by
Fraud Squad detectives.
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717278
Cops Quiz Journos Over Stone Attack
03 December 2006
Police last week interviewed a number of Ulster journalists
over Michael Stone's attempt to wipe out the Sinn Fein
leadership at Stormont.
Detectives probing the loyalist killer's foiled attack at
Parliament Buildings on November 24 spoke to a Sunday Life
reporter last Wednesday.
Police requested the meeting after we revealed last week
that Stone had boasted of his plans to do "SOMETHING BIG"
just hours before his attempt at mass murder in east
Belfast, which was halted by two brave security guards.
We told how Stone claimed his mysterious plans were
"embargoed" until Friday lunchtime and how he had expected
to be returned to prison.
Stone also boasted of his plans to kill Johnny 'Mad Dog'
Adair if we had been successful in arranging a meeting
between the pair.
Although police were concentrating on the content of
Stone's telephone call, they also wanted to know more about
the hitman's state of mind in recent months.
A Sunday Life reporter made a full-statement to police
about the conversation he had with the killer-turned-
artist.
It is also understood that a number of other journalists
were quizzed by police about similar claims made by Stone,
who outlined his plans in a detailed letter posted to a
journalist on the morning of his Stormont raid.
Cops also sought a court ruling last week in a bid to
secure TV footage from the BBC and UTV of Stone's hapless
attempt to get past security guards. Stone remains in
solitary confinement in Maghaberry Prison and senior
security sources confidently expect he will plead guilty to
the offence.
The east Belfast loyalist was hoping to join the loyalist
wings at the high-security prison, but he was told on
Saturday that he was "not welcome".
Senior Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG) member David
Nicholl said his party had no plans to visit Stone in
prison.
Added Mr Nicholl: "I think the letters Stone sent clearly
show that he acted alone. He does not belong to any
organisation.
"The UDA leadership did not know of this attack and because
Stone is no longer a member of the organisation, we have no
reason to visit him."
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717278
Stone: A Dangerous Deluded Man...
By Brian Rowan
"Living in the cell or living in Rathcoole will make no
difference to him because he lives in his head," said a
senior loyalist.
He is talking about Michael Stone - trying to make sense of
what happened at Stormont a little over a week ago yet
knowing there's none to be made.
"In his own head he's the super killer, the professional
elite - James Bond," the source added.
He's still talking about Stone - the man, who even before
he became known on the public stage, used to wipe his
fingerprints from the cup and his knife and fork after
eating at a chippy in east Belfast.
This, the source suggested, was Stone "living this perfect
killer life".
It's the stuff of another world - the place that Stone
became lost in. Stormont may well have been his last stand.
The chief constable called him a lunatic, and the loyalist
source who spoke to this newspaper suggested that Stone is
now "beyond help".
So, is that the simple story? Someone regarded as a madman,
someone who has always been a maverick, just lost it those
two Fridays past?
Eighteen years after he was seen shooting and killing on
camera inside Milltown Cemetery, Stone turned up at
Stormont with a bag full of bombs.
But his two public performances - all those years apart -
were very different. Just think about it.
At the cemetery, Stone had real guns, real grenades and he
did real damage.
At Parliament Buildings he carried a replica pistol,
improvised devices and no one died.
Nor, I imagine - despite the ranting and writings of Stone
- was anyone meant to die.
Would a man on a murder mission - so determined to kill
Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness - and sensing that Ulster
was being sold out, really stop to spray graffiti on the
Stormont wall?
I think we all know the answer to that one.
Everything about Stone at Stormont those two Fridays ago
contradicted everything that this very public of loyalists
had said in recent years.
He'd long ago accepted republicans within the peace
process. He'd ventured into truth and reconciliation, and,
not once but several times, he said his "war" was over.
I suppose in one sense it was and is, yet in another it
goes on inside his own head.
There's his battle with Johnny Adair - the war of their
egos. It's about who is biggest and best - their kind of
biggest and best - within loyalism.
On Tuesday Adair was the subject of an hour-long television
documentary, and Stone, it seems, just had to get in first.
Was that his Stormont mission - to make the headlines
before Johnny? Maybe it was.
The UDA has spent the days since Stormont washing its hands
of Stone, insisting that he acted alone, that the terror
organisation had no prior knowledge of his intentions.
"He knows that we wouldn't have let him do it," a senior
loyalist source told Sunday Life.
"If he had killed one person, we were all f*****d."
And the source dismissed suggestions that Stone had been
given some assistance from inside the loyalist group.
If that had been the case "you would have thought we would
have given him a gun" the source said.
Loyalists are convinced that what happened at Parliament
Building in Stormont was Stone playing for publicity.
"He wouldn't let go of the door because he wanted to stay
in front of the cameras," the loyalist source observed.
Now he is out of our vision, back in prison, on his own, no
longer wanted by the loyalist organisation he was once a
part of.
What is Stone's life now - inside jail, inside his cell,
inside his head?
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717278
Price Soars In USA For Killer's Art
By Stephen Breen
The price of paintings by notorious loyalist killer Michael
Stone has soared in the USA following his exploits at
Stormont.
A bid of £10,000 was made on one of his drawings last week
by mystery art collector in America.
The painting, which was being sold on eBbay, belongs to an
art collector in Lisburn.
Although Stone has already made thousands from his art,
this is believed to be the highest offer made for a piece.
Pals of Stone claim his notoriety is helping to sell the
paintings.
It is believed Stone will continue his art work in
Maghaberry Prison, where he is on remand for attempting to
kill five people at Stormont.
Said a loyalist source: "His art was big business after he
was released from jail but it's even bigger now after what
he did at Stormont.
"He's on his own at the jail and the only thing he can do
with his time is paint."
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717260
Straight Talking: At Long Last, The DUP Split Beckons
By Lynda Gilby
03 December 2006
This gets more and more interesting.
The massive split widening within the DUP was made nakedly
apparent by a televised comment from Ian Paisley jnr before
he went into the party's "crisis" meeting in Templepatrick
last Friday morning.
He urged delegates to reconcile their differences and focus
their attention on the real "enemy", namely republicans.
Bad choice of words. Even if devolution is restored next
March (it won't happen) I would suggest that referring to
your future partners in government as the enemy does not
exactly augur well for the future.
Paisley the younger's comment smacked of desperation, as
well it might. For even if the DUP manage to paper over the
cracks to give the appearance of a united front, I reckon
they are now being frog-marched by circumstance firmly down
the path previously trodden by the UUP.
Let's mark the comparisons. Odds are that the tentatively
pro-power-sharing lobby under Paisley will win the internal
debate. So did Trimble.
In the March election, Paisley will win a resounding
victory if only because DUP voters who don't want a
republican about the place at any price have nowhere else
to go. Trimble, we remember, won the Good Friday Agreement
referendum. We remember, too, that divisions within the UUP
meant that, in the long game, those votes meant precisely
zilch.
The DUP get-out clause on St Andrews, of course, once Sinn
Fein have signed up to policing, is that March will be far
too early to have satisfactorily tested their good faith.
And have you noticed how all sorts of supplementary tests
of the Shinners' bona fides are creeping in (Sinn Fein
must, for example, instruct residents of the Short Strand
to give evidence against the killers of Robert McCartney)?
If, and it's an 'if' almost in the realms of fantasy, the
DUP agree to devolution by March, then their internal
strife will really produce some fireworks once Stormont is
up and running.
The DUP power struggle has begun, so sit back and watch the
show.
Toppling Paisley as leader is probably unthinkable at this
point.
So, as things stand, we may well have to wait until the
'Big Man' is called to his maker for the real fun to begin.
Either way, for the DUP, disarray beckons.
Not a load of ballots!
Is it any wonder that publication of the new Electoral
Register reveals a seven per cent drop in those who have
bothered their backsides to register?
How many times have we been called to the polls since the
Good Friday Agreement promised us a brave and bright new
future?
I've lost count and I bet you have, too. We have learned by
experience that voting changes damn all.
But though I have vast sympathy with the 'don't vote, it
only encourages them' standpoint, I do realise that it's
the piddled-off, disaffected and reasonable liberals in
this province who can't be assed to vote.
The more extreme parties on both sides always get their
vote out. So in March, do exercise your franchise.
If you don't want to vote for any of them, you can always
register your protest by spoiling your ballot paper.
Just add and tick another box and write beside it: "None of
the above."
*************************
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/80007
Women In Struggle Interview: Andrea O Kane
National Gender And Sexuality Other Press
Sunday December 03, 2006 09:13
By Feminist - Ógra Shinn Féin osfnational@yahoo.ie
Andrea O’Kane is current organiser of the newly constituted
Úladh Cuige of Ógra Shinn Fein she also in the past year
has held the post of National Chairperson of Ógra Shinn
Fein and Currently sits on the national executive of Ógra.
Andrea “first joined Ógra in Queen’s in 2002 but was
involved in Sinn Féin locally in East Derry before joining
Ógra as an organisation.”
Andrea States “I grew up in a republican family and
politics was always discussed and thus I developed an
interest in republicanism at early age. I believe Ireland
should be free and as republican activist we have a duty to
play our part in the struggle for freedom, as Bobby Sands
said ‘Everyone has their part to play.” Therefore joining
Ógra Shinn Féin was a natural progression”
Currently Andrea holds the portfolio of “Úladh organiser
for Ógra but before this I was Chair of the Queen’s
university Sheena Campbell cumann, 6 county P.R.O. and
National chair of Ógra. I was also elected to the Queens
University Student Executive and held the portfolio of
Welfare Officer.
As Úladh organiser Andrea aims, in the next year “to
sustain the constant growth of Ógra both in terms of
numbers and activism. To continue to campaign on issues
that affect young people today in Ireland and most of all
to continue to strive towards our ultimate objective in
ensuring the freedom of Ireland.”
“As Úladh organiser I liase with all Ógra groups in the
province ensuring effective communication, cohesion and
unity throughout the Cúige. We meet on a monthly basis to
plan out our job of work for the rest of the month and to
discuss and debate issues.”
Asked about what Andrea would be doing if she wasn’t
involved in Ógra she stated “I honestly could not imagine
not being involved in republicanism in some shape or form
as Maire Drum once said “only those worthy of freedom are
those who are willing to go and fight for it every day and
die if necessary”.
“The ability to mobilise huge numbers of young active
republicans and the motivation, dedication and energy of
Ógra activists is what I like most about Ógra Shinn Féin.
As well as meeting young republican activists from all over
Ireland.”
Highlighting achievements with Ógra in the last year
Andreas points towards “successful campaigns such as
demilitarisation (as highlighted at the West Tyrone OSF
weekend in October), suicide prevention and the growth of a
revolutionary youth wing that will one day enjoy the
freedom of our Nation. The establishment of a 32 county
socialist republic is our ultimate goal in the struggle.
This cannot be achieved overnight, however every day, month
and year we aim to advance the struggle, and that is the
yardstick on which we measure our success. Every day we
grow in confidence that our day of freedom is close at
hand. We are the generation who will witness the rising of
the moon; we are the generation of freedom.
Beirigi Bua
Quickfire Round
Favourite Food: curry sauce and chips
Favourite Drink : Orange dilute
Favourite Music / Artist: Rebel
Favourite Film: X-men or The Goonies
Favourite Book: Harry potter and 10 Men Dead
Favourite Holiday resort: New York New York
Most memorable moment in Ógra:
The national hungerstrike rally in August in Casement Park
and the huge mobilisation of Ógra with banners, binlids,
blanket men and women. 30,000 people turning out to
remember the hunger strikers was a signal, if any was
needed that many many people (indeed many people who
weren’t born in 1981) that hunger strikers will live on in
the hearts and souls of freedom loving peoples worldwide.
Our job is to make their vision a reality.
Person you would like to meet (living)
Fidel Castro
Person you would like to meet (deceased)
Mairead Farrell
If you were president of Ireland or Taoiseach what 3 things
would you do to change Ireland?
- Implement legislation for the re-unification of Ireland
- Free education for all
- Free healthcare for all
Related Link: http://ograshinnfein.blogspot.com/
*************************
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6203526.stm
Fisherman Father In Wave Tragedy
A man struck by a wave and killed at Ardglass Harbour in
County Down on Saturday was the father of a fisherman who
drowned nearby earlier this year.
Paul Bogues, 47, from Fitzroy Avenue in Belfast, was
leaning on Ardglass Harbour wall talking to some men when
the wave washed over the pier.
He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead on
Saturday evening.
In January, his 26-year-old son Conor died when his trawler
sank near the same harbour. His body was never found.
Conor was one of two men who died when the Greenhill sank.
The body of his colleague Donal Gibson, 22, was recovered
but a major search operation failed to locate the remains
of Mr Bogues, a father-of-two from Ballynahinch.
The death of Paul Bogues came amid severe gales across
Northern Ireland.
Alex Slater of the Fishermen's Mission said people who live
in the small fishing village were devastated.
"He was a lovely man, a real gentleman - he wanted to help
other seamen who had been struck by tragedy," he said.
"He liked to go down to Ardglass following Conor's
disappearance, just to be there.
"It is important that we urge people not to go at this time
of year near harbours, rocks or beaches because the weather
conditions are so, so dangerous."
Coastguard Watch Officer Rob Steventon said lifeboat crews
from Newcastle and Whiterock were dispatched to Ardglass
after the alarm was raised.
"At 9.30pm, the police informed us a person had been
recovered from the water and taken to hospital in
Downpatrick by ambulance," he said.
"Unfortunately he has lost his life."
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/12/03 11:18:34 GMT
© BBC MMVI
*************************
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWIDQLGBSNAU&rss=yes
Antiques Roadshow Find For Sale In Dublin
03/12/2006 - 10:52:50
A valuable painting discovered on the BBC’s Antiques
Roadshow is among over 170 works up for auction this week
in Dublin in a sale expected to break all Irish records.
“Dooega Achill Island, Co Mayo” by Ulster artist Paul Henry
depicts the rugged landscape of the island and has a guide
price of between €60,000-80,000. The painting was in the
current owner’s family since the 1920s and was only
discovered when valued at the BBC Antiques Roadshow at
Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire, in the summer.
Described by BBC valuer Mark Politmore as one of the most
exciting pictures he had ever seen on a roadshow, he valued
the work at €60,000.
Among the other paintings on offer in James Adam and Sons
Important Irish Art Sale are three valuable oils by Louis
Le Brocquy and highly sought after pieces by Jack B Yeats.
One of the highlights of the sale is Le Brocquy’s
masterpiece “Sick Tinkers Child” estimated at €800,000.
A painting by the acclaimed Walter Osborne, which has been
in private hands for over a century, is also being sold.
Experts at the auction house expect the sale to be break
all previous records and become the highest grossing fine
art auction in Ireland.
James O’Halloran, managing director at James Adam, said it
would be a truly exceptional sale.
“We have been working on this auction for the past six
months, consigning paintings and sculptures from important
private collections in Ireland and the UK that are,
crucially, fresh to market and of superb quality,” he said.
“Many of the pictures match museum standards and by
offering a wide range in both period and style, from Lavery
to le Brocquy, we believe there is something of interest
for all collectors at all levels and tastes.”
A core part of the sale comes from a private collector in
Dublin who has gathered a selection of important works from
by Irish artists.
Also included are a number of works by Jack B Yeats from
the Waddingtons at Beaulieu, near Drogheda, a family
associated with the very best of his work as well as a
series of Kenneth Webb paintings designed to decorate his
house in Ballywalter, Co Down.
Other highlights include Nathaniel Hone’s “Bogland near
Erris, Co.Mayo” valued at €30,000-40,000 and Paul Henry’s
“Bogland with turf stacks” with an estimate of up to
€80,000 and fine works by Mary Swanzy, Mainie Jellett,
Patrick Scott, Gerard Dillon and a wonderful range of large
F.E. McWilliam bronzes.
The auction takes place Tuesday at 5pm. A fully illustrated
catalogue can be downloaded online at www.adams.ie.
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717256
John's Cottage Industry
By John McGurk
03 December 2006
A well-known traditional musician has added another string
to his bow - as the creator of miniature Irish cottages.
Former Blackthorn mainman John McCormick (pictured) has
turned his talents to making intricate country scenes -
from thatched cottages to rural graveyards, ruined castles
to village pubs.
Such is the popularity of his creations that he's
considering turning his hobby into a cottage industry!
John, lead singer with the popular folk act for years,
said: "I used to have a business making hurling sticks and
I just started using the scrap timber to make up these wee
cottages. There was a big interest in them, I even ended up
sending a lot to America.
"I closed that business up and stopped making them, but it
all started again when my grand-daughter Tara told me she
had a school project to do.
"She'd seen one of my miniature scenes and asked if I'd
help her make one for her project. It must have been 10
years since I'd last made one, but I got so involved that I
would hardly let her near it!
"Then people saw it in the house and asked if I could make
them one. I have four or five on the go to get finished for
Christmas!
"I might look at it in the new year and take this a step
further, see if there could be a market for it."
:: If you're interested in a hand-made, hand-painted Irish
cottage or country scene, contact John on (028) 90 295164.
----
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To December Index
To Index of Monthly Archives
To Searches & Sources of Other Irish News
IT 12/03/06 Adams Condemns Electoral Registration
BB 12/03/06 DUP 'Not Bothered Over Deadlines'
SL 12/03/06 DUP United On Policing
SL 12/03/06 SF Braced For Resignations
UT 12/03/06 SF Slam SDLP's 'Unholy Alliance'
SL 12/03/06 NIO's Refusal To Protect Journalist Under Rvw
SL 12/03/06 Acid Blitz Linked To UDA Feud
SL 12/03/06 Taxing Times For Ex-UDA Thug
SL 12/03/06 Cops Quiz Journos Over Stone Attack
SL 12/03/06 Stone: A Dangerous Deluded Man...
SL 12/03/06 Price Soars In USA For Stone's Art
SL 12/03/06 Opin: At Long Last, The DUP Split Beckons
IM 12/03/06 Women In Struggle Interview: Andrea O Kane
BB 12/03/06 Fisherman Father In Wave Tragedy
BN 12/03/06 Antiques Roadshow Find For Sale In Dublin
SL 12/03/06 John's Cottage Industry
*************************
http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2006/1203/breaking25.htm
Adams Condemns Electoral Registration
Over 80,000 people wiped off Northern Ireland's annual
electoral register were today urged to demand their votes
back in time for the next Assembly election.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, whose West Belfast
constituency saw the biggest drop of all, described the
dramatic fall in eligible voters on last Friday's list as a
damning indictment of the registration process.
He also called on the British government to sanction the
use of the previous voter register instead for next March's
planned Assembly Election.
"Tens of thousands of voters have been ripped off the
register by the actions of the registration office," the
West Belfast MP complained.
"I intend to urgently speak to the British government and
demand that the previous register should be rolled over to
allow for its use in any Assembly election in March.
There was a seven per cent drop in eligible voters across
Northern Ireland, as all 18 constituencies experienced
falls in the number of eligible voters.
The biggest decreases were in urban areas, with the four
Belfast constituencies and Foyle, which mostly comprises of
Derry, suffering.
Mr Adams' West Belfast constituency lost 8,345 registered
voters - a 15.1 per cent fall.
Democratic Unionist MP Nigel Dodd and nationalist SDLP MP
Dr Alasdair McDonnell's seats in North Belfast and South
Belfast seat both experienced a 10.2 per cent decrease.
In DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson's East Belfast
constituency, the number of eligible voters fell by 4,506 -
an 8.1 per cent drop.
SDLP leader Mark Durkan's Foyle constituency lost 6,416
voters - a 9.3 per cent slump.
Last year's electoral list was augmented by 95,000 people
who failed to register but whose names were carried over
from the previous register.
This year's canvass, which began in August, was the last
time voters in Northern Ireland were asked to fill in
electoral registration forms annually. In future, voters
will only have to fill in registration forms every 10
years.
PA
*************************
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6204066.stm
DUP 'Not Bothered Over Deadlines'
The DUP is not bothered about any power sharing deadline or
dates for devolving policing, Ian Paisley Jr has said.
Mr Paisley said it was up to Sinn Fein to prove republican
credentials and build confidence before any restoration of
devolved government at Stormont.
He insisted Gerry Adams would not get a date from the DUP
for the transfer of policing powers to Stormont.
"It's not about us giving them a date, it's about them
convincing people they are fit to measure up to
government."
He added: "Whether it's the government for being in charge
of the brooms in the broom cupboard or whether it's being
responsible for more important issues, they to date have
not proved their bona fides.
"They are the ones who have got to move - not us."
The DUP leadership held a one-day meeting near
Templepatrick on Friday to agree the party's strategy
regarding power-sharing.
It followed claims of discontent among the ranks about
aspects of the St Andrews Agreement which surfaced at the
assembly on 24 November when the DUP and Sinn Fein were
asked for nominations to the first and deputy first
minister posts.
The deadline for devolution is 26 March, with fresh
assembly elections set for 7 March.
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/12/03 13:42:04 GMT
© BBC MMVI
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717272
DUP United On Policing
By Alan Murray
03 December 2006
There is no chance of the DUP agreeing to a date for the
devolving of policing powers to the Stormont Assembly if it
is restored in March, party sources have claimed.
Sources who attended the DUP's special 'clear the air'
meeting in Templepatrick on Friday say no support was
expressed for the idea that powers over policing and
justice matters should be devolved to a new Assembly in the
foreseeable future.
One senior DUP figure who attended the meeting said
yesterday: "Not one view was expressed by anyone to help
the provos out of the mess they've got themselves into over
the policing issue.
"That means that the devolution of policing powers to
Stormont in the foreseeable future is a non-runner."
One DUP figure who attended on Friday was prepared to make
a brief on the record comment about the meeting, but only
on the policing issue.
Ian Paisley jnr told Sunday Life: "It is absolutely correct
that there was no view expressed to bring the devolution of
policing powers forward or advance that in any way or
support any move in that direction. The issue is non
negotiable.
"It is a cart and horse situation. Until Sinn Fein/IRA
supports the rule of law and the police service here there
will be no dilution of that policy position.
"The policing issue is Sinn Fein's problem, they have to
sort it out."
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717273
SF Braced For Resignations
By Stephen Breen
03 December 2006
Sinn Fein was last night bracing itself for more
resignations from the party over the issue of policing.
A senior republican source told Sunday Life that the
party's leadership is "worried" about the number of rank-
and-file members who oppose plans to support the PSNI.
Concerns were raised last week after seven members of the
party in north Antrim resigned over the issue.
They included veteran republican Laurence O'Neill, who was
jailed for eight years in 1972 after he was caught with
guns and explosives.
The 62-year-old, from Glenravel, in Co Antrim, told Sunday
Life he left the party after receiving "pressure" from
senior republicans to support the Sinn Fein leadership.
He said: "I was visited by two senior republicans and told
to toe the party line on the issue of policing.
"I don't want to name any names, but they also told me not
to attend any debates on the issue which were not organised
by Sinn Fein.
"I resigned after they told me I could not attend a debate
at Conway Mill in Belfast last Monday. But those who barred
me from attending went along and that is just hypocrisy to
me.
"I'm disappointed I had to leave the party, because I have
been a member of the republican movement since its
formation."
He believes there will be more resignations over the coming
weeks.
He added: "There is a lot of unhappiness about this issue
and I feel policing should have been resolved when the Good
Friday Agreement negotiations were taking place."
*************************
http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=78318&pt=n
SF Slam SDLP's 'Unholy Alliance'
Mark Durkan's SDLP has been accused of forming an unholy
alliance with unionists in opposing plans for seven super
councils in Northern Ireland under local government reform
plans.
By:Press Association
Sinn Fein`s Alex Maskey told colleagues in Dublin their
main nationalist rival in Northern Ireland had taken its
eye off the ball by joining up with the Democratic
Unionists and Ulster Unionists to attack his party over its
support for seven super council model.
In a hard hitting attack, he claimed the SDLP should
instead be focussing on ensuring there were adequate
equality provisions for minority parties in each council
area and it had also failed to put any meat on its calls
for more councils.
Mr Maskey told his party`s National Elected Representatives
Forum: "Sinn Fein have in recent months received much
criticism from an unholy alliance of the SDLP, UUP and DUP
on our view that the best model for future local government
structures in the north is based on a seven council model
with the necessary rigorous checks and balances built in.
"It would be very easy for Sinn Fein to ignore the fact
that we believe that this model is the best way to ensure
quality, to ensure fair representation and to ensure the
effective delivery of services and instead fight for the
retention of a vast number of councils and councillors
which are simply not required.
"However let me be clear we will not accept any model
without rigorous procedures built in to ensure that the
excesses and abuses of local government witnessed in the
north in the past will never be repeated for any community.
"The sort of self preservation approach which has dominated
the response from SDLP councillors across the six counties
and their joining forces with unionism, which is
incidentally completely opposed to these proposals - a fact
not lost on nationalists and republicans -, has masked the
fact that the SDLP have yet to put any meat on anything
other than saying they favour a 12 council model or indeed
a 15 council model."
Northern Ireland currently has 26 councils but under a
Review of Public Administration undertaken by the
Government that is set to be slashed to just seven super
councils with increased powers.
Last month, Local Boundaries Commissioner Dick Mackenzie
issued his initial proposals for the seven council areas
which could come into being in 2009.
Under his plan, Belfast would be a bigger council area than
was originally intended, swallowing up parts of
Castlereagh, Lisburn and North Down councils.
The other councils would be known as:
:: Inner East Local Government District, incorporating
Antrim, Carrickfergus, Newtownabbey Councils and the
remainder of Lisburn City Council.
:: East Local Government District, comprising Ards, Down,
parts of North Down and Castlereagh Councils.
:: South Local Government District, made up of Armagh,
Banbridge, Craigavon and Newry and Mourne.
:: West Local Government District, incorporating Cookstown,
Dungannon and South Tyrone, Fermanagh and Omagh.
:: North-West Local Government District, comprising of
Derry, Limavady, Magherafelt and Strabane and part of
Coleraine.
:: North-East Local Government District, made up of
Ballymena, Ballymoney, Larne, Moyle and a major part of
Coleraine.
The SDLP and cross-community Alliance Party have criticised
the seven council model, claiming it would result in a
sectarian carve up with unionists dominating councils in
the east and nationalists in the west.
The DUP and Ulster Unionists have also been highly
critical.
SDLP local government spokesperson Tommy Gallagher, in
particular, warned Sinn Fein by supporting Mr Mackenzie`s
plan to put nationalist districts currently in Lisburn into
the new Belfast council area, they would be agreeing to
proposals which left the nationalist minority in the Inner
East Council even more vulnerable.
Mr Maskey said nowhere in any SDLP policy document or their
response to the local government consultation the shape for
a 12 or 15 council model.
"They have become obsessed by a numbers game and taken
their eye off the real battle which is to ensure that
equality provisions are at the heart of any new
arrangements," the South Belfast Assembly member said.
He accused the SDLP of being content to see councils like
Castlereagh maintained, even though many nationalists
believed it was an extenstion of DUP headquarters.
"If the SDLP want to keep Castlereagh Council is it safe to
assume that they are comfortable with keeping Ballymena,
Larne, Newtownabbey, Carrickfergus and Lisburn?" he asked.
"Maybe that is why the UUP and DUP have been so willing to
team up with the SDLP in their campaign against the seven
council model.
"The fact is that a seven council model with the necessary
checks, balances and safeguards will provide effective
representation for nationalists and republicans in these
areas, in some cases for the first time.
"Sinn Fein having led the campaign against discrimination
at local government level for decades, having refused to
acquiesce to bad practice but instead to challenge it, we
are not about to squander these gains by adopting a selfish
or minimalist approach to this reform issue.
"We also must be mindful that unlike the SDLP we have an
all-Ireland vision. We are not simply about local
government in the North. We are about ending partition and
developing a united and independent country.
"Part of this has to be greater integration of local
government services and provision, particularly in the
border region.
"Good work has already been done in this area and it is my
view that a beefed up local government arrangement in the
north will only benefit and enhance this work."
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717265
NIO's Refusal To Protect Journalist Under Review
By Ciaran McGuigan
03 December 2006
The Government could be set for a U-turn over its decision
to refuse to grant protection to an Ulster journalist under
threat from dissident republicans.
Sunday Life understands that Secretary of State Peter Hain
has written to the National Union of Journalists confirming
that the NIO is to review its earlier decision to refuse to
allow a Sunday World journalist onto the Key Persons
Protection Scheme (KPPS).
Security Minister Paul Goggins had previously written to
the journalist stating that they did not "occupy a wider
public role which is contributing to the role of the
scheme".
That decision has been described by NUJ Irish Secretary
Seamus Dooley as "baffling".
Said Mr Dooley: "Sadly, we have learnt from experience that
there are times when journalists are targeted and are
deserving of special protection.
"The employer is of course exercising a duty of care, but
the State also has a responsibility."
Sunday World journalists have previously been targeted by
both republican and loyalist paramilitaries.
Just over five years ago, the LVF gunned down investigative
reporter Martin O'Hagan in Lurgan as he walked home from a
night out with his wife.
No one has been charged in connection with Martin's murder.
The paper's former Northern Editor, Jim Campbell, was also
shot and severely wounded by the UVF in 1983.
The journalist at the centre of the present storm has been
subject to a number of threats from republicans and
loyalists in recent months.
Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde has described the level of
the current threat as "substantial".
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717284
Acid Blitz Linked To UDA Feud
By Alan Murray
03 December 2006
Acid has been doused on cars belonging to the mother of
Andre and Ihab Shoukri, and the teenage daughter of one of
their best known supporters.
The attacks were carried out in the early hours of Friday
morning when the vehicles were parked in the Westland Road
area of north Belfast.
Earlier in the week slogans alleging that two senior
members of the new UDA leadership in the area were police
touts and drug dealers were sprayed on several walls in the
area.
The incidents underline the continuing tension between UDA
factions in north Belfast following the major fallout
between Shoukri supporters and the larger inner council
grouping in the summer.
Cheryl McClean, whose Clio car was scorched by acid on
Friday, said yesterday it was the second time her vehicle
had been targeted.
"They did it a few months ago and now they're torturing me
again. They broke into my home a couple of weeks ago and
now they've returned to attack my property again," said the
19 year-old hairdresser.
Tension in the area between the two UDA factions has risen
since Andre Shoukri - who was expelled from the
organisation - warned in an exclusive Sunday Life interview
that he intended to confront his enemies in the
organisation when he is released from prison, where he is
on remand on serious racketeering charges.
The attack on his mother Katie's car will fuel his anger
inside Maghaberry Prison. Katie Shoukri passed her driving
test just two weeks ago and was using her Astra car to
carry out community work in the area. She's been told it is
probably 'uneconomical' to repair.
Community figures in the north Belfast area have been
anxious to work within the community to ease tension
between the two UDA factions and have had discussions with
the leadership of the inner council faction.
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717270
Taxing Times For Ex-UDA Thug
By Ciaran McGuigan
03 December 2006
Convicted UDA blackmailer Eddie Sayers has been busted
again - this time by tax inspectors.
The hardman extortionist has been declared bankrupt by the
High Court after failing to pay his overdue tax.
Sayers, who had been trading as the Brooklands Erne Hotel
in Ballinamallard, was subject of a petition lodged with
the court by the Revenue & Customs in August.
Last month their application for a bankruptcy order against
the dodgy businessman was granted.
Sayers - father of glamorous ex-Miss Northern Ireland Diana
Sayers - was jailed for 10 years in the 1980s after being
convicted of extortion.
While he was behind bars in the Maze, Sayers studied to be
a legal clerk. And when he was released he became the
manager of a Belfast law firm that went bust.
Taylor & Co solicitors of Donegall Pass - who counted
former UFF godfather Johnny 'Mad Dog' Adair among its
clients - was closed down by the Law Society following
complaints by clients of missing money.
At the time, Sayers' Co Fermanagh hotel was searched by
Fraud Squad detectives.
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717278
Cops Quiz Journos Over Stone Attack
03 December 2006
Police last week interviewed a number of Ulster journalists
over Michael Stone's attempt to wipe out the Sinn Fein
leadership at Stormont.
Detectives probing the loyalist killer's foiled attack at
Parliament Buildings on November 24 spoke to a Sunday Life
reporter last Wednesday.
Police requested the meeting after we revealed last week
that Stone had boasted of his plans to do "SOMETHING BIG"
just hours before his attempt at mass murder in east
Belfast, which was halted by two brave security guards.
We told how Stone claimed his mysterious plans were
"embargoed" until Friday lunchtime and how he had expected
to be returned to prison.
Stone also boasted of his plans to kill Johnny 'Mad Dog'
Adair if we had been successful in arranging a meeting
between the pair.
Although police were concentrating on the content of
Stone's telephone call, they also wanted to know more about
the hitman's state of mind in recent months.
A Sunday Life reporter made a full-statement to police
about the conversation he had with the killer-turned-
artist.
It is also understood that a number of other journalists
were quizzed by police about similar claims made by Stone,
who outlined his plans in a detailed letter posted to a
journalist on the morning of his Stormont raid.
Cops also sought a court ruling last week in a bid to
secure TV footage from the BBC and UTV of Stone's hapless
attempt to get past security guards. Stone remains in
solitary confinement in Maghaberry Prison and senior
security sources confidently expect he will plead guilty to
the offence.
The east Belfast loyalist was hoping to join the loyalist
wings at the high-security prison, but he was told on
Saturday that he was "not welcome".
Senior Ulster Political Research Group (UPRG) member David
Nicholl said his party had no plans to visit Stone in
prison.
Added Mr Nicholl: "I think the letters Stone sent clearly
show that he acted alone. He does not belong to any
organisation.
"The UDA leadership did not know of this attack and because
Stone is no longer a member of the organisation, we have no
reason to visit him."
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717278
Stone: A Dangerous Deluded Man...
By Brian Rowan
"Living in the cell or living in Rathcoole will make no
difference to him because he lives in his head," said a
senior loyalist.
He is talking about Michael Stone - trying to make sense of
what happened at Stormont a little over a week ago yet
knowing there's none to be made.
"In his own head he's the super killer, the professional
elite - James Bond," the source added.
He's still talking about Stone - the man, who even before
he became known on the public stage, used to wipe his
fingerprints from the cup and his knife and fork after
eating at a chippy in east Belfast.
This, the source suggested, was Stone "living this perfect
killer life".
It's the stuff of another world - the place that Stone
became lost in. Stormont may well have been his last stand.
The chief constable called him a lunatic, and the loyalist
source who spoke to this newspaper suggested that Stone is
now "beyond help".
So, is that the simple story? Someone regarded as a madman,
someone who has always been a maverick, just lost it those
two Fridays past?
Eighteen years after he was seen shooting and killing on
camera inside Milltown Cemetery, Stone turned up at
Stormont with a bag full of bombs.
But his two public performances - all those years apart -
were very different. Just think about it.
At the cemetery, Stone had real guns, real grenades and he
did real damage.
At Parliament Buildings he carried a replica pistol,
improvised devices and no one died.
Nor, I imagine - despite the ranting and writings of Stone
- was anyone meant to die.
Would a man on a murder mission - so determined to kill
Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness - and sensing that Ulster
was being sold out, really stop to spray graffiti on the
Stormont wall?
I think we all know the answer to that one.
Everything about Stone at Stormont those two Fridays ago
contradicted everything that this very public of loyalists
had said in recent years.
He'd long ago accepted republicans within the peace
process. He'd ventured into truth and reconciliation, and,
not once but several times, he said his "war" was over.
I suppose in one sense it was and is, yet in another it
goes on inside his own head.
There's his battle with Johnny Adair - the war of their
egos. It's about who is biggest and best - their kind of
biggest and best - within loyalism.
On Tuesday Adair was the subject of an hour-long television
documentary, and Stone, it seems, just had to get in first.
Was that his Stormont mission - to make the headlines
before Johnny? Maybe it was.
The UDA has spent the days since Stormont washing its hands
of Stone, insisting that he acted alone, that the terror
organisation had no prior knowledge of his intentions.
"He knows that we wouldn't have let him do it," a senior
loyalist source told Sunday Life.
"If he had killed one person, we were all f*****d."
And the source dismissed suggestions that Stone had been
given some assistance from inside the loyalist group.
If that had been the case "you would have thought we would
have given him a gun" the source said.
Loyalists are convinced that what happened at Parliament
Building in Stormont was Stone playing for publicity.
"He wouldn't let go of the door because he wanted to stay
in front of the cameras," the loyalist source observed.
Now he is out of our vision, back in prison, on his own, no
longer wanted by the loyalist organisation he was once a
part of.
What is Stone's life now - inside jail, inside his cell,
inside his head?
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717278
Price Soars In USA For Killer's Art
By Stephen Breen
The price of paintings by notorious loyalist killer Michael
Stone has soared in the USA following his exploits at
Stormont.
A bid of £10,000 was made on one of his drawings last week
by mystery art collector in America.
The painting, which was being sold on eBbay, belongs to an
art collector in Lisburn.
Although Stone has already made thousands from his art,
this is believed to be the highest offer made for a piece.
Pals of Stone claim his notoriety is helping to sell the
paintings.
It is believed Stone will continue his art work in
Maghaberry Prison, where he is on remand for attempting to
kill five people at Stormont.
Said a loyalist source: "His art was big business after he
was released from jail but it's even bigger now after what
he did at Stormont.
"He's on his own at the jail and the only thing he can do
with his time is paint."
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717260
Straight Talking: At Long Last, The DUP Split Beckons
By Lynda Gilby
03 December 2006
This gets more and more interesting.
The massive split widening within the DUP was made nakedly
apparent by a televised comment from Ian Paisley jnr before
he went into the party's "crisis" meeting in Templepatrick
last Friday morning.
He urged delegates to reconcile their differences and focus
their attention on the real "enemy", namely republicans.
Bad choice of words. Even if devolution is restored next
March (it won't happen) I would suggest that referring to
your future partners in government as the enemy does not
exactly augur well for the future.
Paisley the younger's comment smacked of desperation, as
well it might. For even if the DUP manage to paper over the
cracks to give the appearance of a united front, I reckon
they are now being frog-marched by circumstance firmly down
the path previously trodden by the UUP.
Let's mark the comparisons. Odds are that the tentatively
pro-power-sharing lobby under Paisley will win the internal
debate. So did Trimble.
In the March election, Paisley will win a resounding
victory if only because DUP voters who don't want a
republican about the place at any price have nowhere else
to go. Trimble, we remember, won the Good Friday Agreement
referendum. We remember, too, that divisions within the UUP
meant that, in the long game, those votes meant precisely
zilch.
The DUP get-out clause on St Andrews, of course, once Sinn
Fein have signed up to policing, is that March will be far
too early to have satisfactorily tested their good faith.
And have you noticed how all sorts of supplementary tests
of the Shinners' bona fides are creeping in (Sinn Fein
must, for example, instruct residents of the Short Strand
to give evidence against the killers of Robert McCartney)?
If, and it's an 'if' almost in the realms of fantasy, the
DUP agree to devolution by March, then their internal
strife will really produce some fireworks once Stormont is
up and running.
The DUP power struggle has begun, so sit back and watch the
show.
Toppling Paisley as leader is probably unthinkable at this
point.
So, as things stand, we may well have to wait until the
'Big Man' is called to his maker for the real fun to begin.
Either way, for the DUP, disarray beckons.
Not a load of ballots!
Is it any wonder that publication of the new Electoral
Register reveals a seven per cent drop in those who have
bothered their backsides to register?
How many times have we been called to the polls since the
Good Friday Agreement promised us a brave and bright new
future?
I've lost count and I bet you have, too. We have learned by
experience that voting changes damn all.
But though I have vast sympathy with the 'don't vote, it
only encourages them' standpoint, I do realise that it's
the piddled-off, disaffected and reasonable liberals in
this province who can't be assed to vote.
The more extreme parties on both sides always get their
vote out. So in March, do exercise your franchise.
If you don't want to vote for any of them, you can always
register your protest by spoiling your ballot paper.
Just add and tick another box and write beside it: "None of
the above."
*************************
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/80007
Women In Struggle Interview: Andrea O Kane
National Gender And Sexuality Other Press
Sunday December 03, 2006 09:13
By Feminist - Ógra Shinn Féin osfnational@yahoo.ie
Andrea O’Kane is current organiser of the newly constituted
Úladh Cuige of Ógra Shinn Fein she also in the past year
has held the post of National Chairperson of Ógra Shinn
Fein and Currently sits on the national executive of Ógra.
Andrea “first joined Ógra in Queen’s in 2002 but was
involved in Sinn Féin locally in East Derry before joining
Ógra as an organisation.”
Andrea States “I grew up in a republican family and
politics was always discussed and thus I developed an
interest in republicanism at early age. I believe Ireland
should be free and as republican activist we have a duty to
play our part in the struggle for freedom, as Bobby Sands
said ‘Everyone has their part to play.” Therefore joining
Ógra Shinn Féin was a natural progression”
Currently Andrea holds the portfolio of “Úladh organiser
for Ógra but before this I was Chair of the Queen’s
university Sheena Campbell cumann, 6 county P.R.O. and
National chair of Ógra. I was also elected to the Queens
University Student Executive and held the portfolio of
Welfare Officer.
As Úladh organiser Andrea aims, in the next year “to
sustain the constant growth of Ógra both in terms of
numbers and activism. To continue to campaign on issues
that affect young people today in Ireland and most of all
to continue to strive towards our ultimate objective in
ensuring the freedom of Ireland.”
“As Úladh organiser I liase with all Ógra groups in the
province ensuring effective communication, cohesion and
unity throughout the Cúige. We meet on a monthly basis to
plan out our job of work for the rest of the month and to
discuss and debate issues.”
Asked about what Andrea would be doing if she wasn’t
involved in Ógra she stated “I honestly could not imagine
not being involved in republicanism in some shape or form
as Maire Drum once said “only those worthy of freedom are
those who are willing to go and fight for it every day and
die if necessary”.
“The ability to mobilise huge numbers of young active
republicans and the motivation, dedication and energy of
Ógra activists is what I like most about Ógra Shinn Féin.
As well as meeting young republican activists from all over
Ireland.”
Highlighting achievements with Ógra in the last year
Andreas points towards “successful campaigns such as
demilitarisation (as highlighted at the West Tyrone OSF
weekend in October), suicide prevention and the growth of a
revolutionary youth wing that will one day enjoy the
freedom of our Nation. The establishment of a 32 county
socialist republic is our ultimate goal in the struggle.
This cannot be achieved overnight, however every day, month
and year we aim to advance the struggle, and that is the
yardstick on which we measure our success. Every day we
grow in confidence that our day of freedom is close at
hand. We are the generation who will witness the rising of
the moon; we are the generation of freedom.
Beirigi Bua
Quickfire Round
Favourite Food: curry sauce and chips
Favourite Drink : Orange dilute
Favourite Music / Artist: Rebel
Favourite Film: X-men or The Goonies
Favourite Book: Harry potter and 10 Men Dead
Favourite Holiday resort: New York New York
Most memorable moment in Ógra:
The national hungerstrike rally in August in Casement Park
and the huge mobilisation of Ógra with banners, binlids,
blanket men and women. 30,000 people turning out to
remember the hunger strikers was a signal, if any was
needed that many many people (indeed many people who
weren’t born in 1981) that hunger strikers will live on in
the hearts and souls of freedom loving peoples worldwide.
Our job is to make their vision a reality.
Person you would like to meet (living)
Fidel Castro
Person you would like to meet (deceased)
Mairead Farrell
If you were president of Ireland or Taoiseach what 3 things
would you do to change Ireland?
- Implement legislation for the re-unification of Ireland
- Free education for all
- Free healthcare for all
Related Link: http://ograshinnfein.blogspot.com/
*************************
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6203526.stm
Fisherman Father In Wave Tragedy
A man struck by a wave and killed at Ardglass Harbour in
County Down on Saturday was the father of a fisherman who
drowned nearby earlier this year.
Paul Bogues, 47, from Fitzroy Avenue in Belfast, was
leaning on Ardglass Harbour wall talking to some men when
the wave washed over the pier.
He was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead on
Saturday evening.
In January, his 26-year-old son Conor died when his trawler
sank near the same harbour. His body was never found.
Conor was one of two men who died when the Greenhill sank.
The body of his colleague Donal Gibson, 22, was recovered
but a major search operation failed to locate the remains
of Mr Bogues, a father-of-two from Ballynahinch.
The death of Paul Bogues came amid severe gales across
Northern Ireland.
Alex Slater of the Fishermen's Mission said people who live
in the small fishing village were devastated.
"He was a lovely man, a real gentleman - he wanted to help
other seamen who had been struck by tragedy," he said.
"He liked to go down to Ardglass following Conor's
disappearance, just to be there.
"It is important that we urge people not to go at this time
of year near harbours, rocks or beaches because the weather
conditions are so, so dangerous."
Coastguard Watch Officer Rob Steventon said lifeboat crews
from Newcastle and Whiterock were dispatched to Ardglass
after the alarm was raised.
"At 9.30pm, the police informed us a person had been
recovered from the water and taken to hospital in
Downpatrick by ambulance," he said.
"Unfortunately he has lost his life."
Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2006/12/03 11:18:34 GMT
© BBC MMVI
*************************
http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWIDQLGBSNAU&rss=yes
Antiques Roadshow Find For Sale In Dublin
03/12/2006 - 10:52:50
A valuable painting discovered on the BBC’s Antiques
Roadshow is among over 170 works up for auction this week
in Dublin in a sale expected to break all Irish records.
“Dooega Achill Island, Co Mayo” by Ulster artist Paul Henry
depicts the rugged landscape of the island and has a guide
price of between €60,000-80,000. The painting was in the
current owner’s family since the 1920s and was only
discovered when valued at the BBC Antiques Roadshow at
Hughenden Manor, Buckinghamshire, in the summer.
Described by BBC valuer Mark Politmore as one of the most
exciting pictures he had ever seen on a roadshow, he valued
the work at €60,000.
Among the other paintings on offer in James Adam and Sons
Important Irish Art Sale are three valuable oils by Louis
Le Brocquy and highly sought after pieces by Jack B Yeats.
One of the highlights of the sale is Le Brocquy’s
masterpiece “Sick Tinkers Child” estimated at €800,000.
A painting by the acclaimed Walter Osborne, which has been
in private hands for over a century, is also being sold.
Experts at the auction house expect the sale to be break
all previous records and become the highest grossing fine
art auction in Ireland.
James O’Halloran, managing director at James Adam, said it
would be a truly exceptional sale.
“We have been working on this auction for the past six
months, consigning paintings and sculptures from important
private collections in Ireland and the UK that are,
crucially, fresh to market and of superb quality,” he said.
“Many of the pictures match museum standards and by
offering a wide range in both period and style, from Lavery
to le Brocquy, we believe there is something of interest
for all collectors at all levels and tastes.”
A core part of the sale comes from a private collector in
Dublin who has gathered a selection of important works from
by Irish artists.
Also included are a number of works by Jack B Yeats from
the Waddingtons at Beaulieu, near Drogheda, a family
associated with the very best of his work as well as a
series of Kenneth Webb paintings designed to decorate his
house in Ballywalter, Co Down.
Other highlights include Nathaniel Hone’s “Bogland near
Erris, Co.Mayo” valued at €30,000-40,000 and Paul Henry’s
“Bogland with turf stacks” with an estimate of up to
€80,000 and fine works by Mary Swanzy, Mainie Jellett,
Patrick Scott, Gerard Dillon and a wonderful range of large
F.E. McWilliam bronzes.
The auction takes place Tuesday at 5pm. A fully illustrated
catalogue can be downloaded online at www.adams.ie.
*************************
http://www.sundaylife.co.uk/news/story.jsp?story=717256
John's Cottage Industry
By John McGurk
03 December 2006
A well-known traditional musician has added another string
to his bow - as the creator of miniature Irish cottages.
Former Blackthorn mainman John McCormick (pictured) has
turned his talents to making intricate country scenes -
from thatched cottages to rural graveyards, ruined castles
to village pubs.
Such is the popularity of his creations that he's
considering turning his hobby into a cottage industry!
John, lead singer with the popular folk act for years,
said: "I used to have a business making hurling sticks and
I just started using the scrap timber to make up these wee
cottages. There was a big interest in them, I even ended up
sending a lot to America.
"I closed that business up and stopped making them, but it
all started again when my grand-daughter Tara told me she
had a school project to do.
"She'd seen one of my miniature scenes and asked if I'd
help her make one for her project. It must have been 10
years since I'd last made one, but I got so involved that I
would hardly let her near it!
"Then people saw it in the house and asked if I could make
them one. I have four or five on the go to get finished for
Christmas!
"I might look at it in the new year and take this a step
further, see if there could be a market for it."
:: If you're interested in a hand-made, hand-painted Irish
cottage or country scene, contact John on (028) 90 295164.
----
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