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)

February 03, 2007

McGuinness Calls on DUP to Commit

News About Ireland & The Irish

IT 02/02/07 McGuinness Calls On DUP To Commit
BN 02/02/07 SF Warned To Start Building Unionist Confidence
BN 02/03/07 SF Ard Comhairle To Meet In Dublin Later Today
BT 02/03/07 Goggins Unveils Detailed Rev Of Parades Issue
IV 02/03/07 Families Of The Undocumented To Meet In Dublin
BB 02/02/07 Court Go-Ahead For Wright Inquiry
IT 02/03/07 Two Men Jailed For Kidnapping Republican
IT 02/03/07 Ireland Pushing For World Death Penalty Ban
IT 02/03/07 Grief As News Of 11 Yr Old Boys Suicide Spreads
IT 02/03/07 Bloomberg To Visit Mayo To Mark New Air Link
DT 02/03/07 More Than 500 Visitors For Museum Of Free Derry
TG 02/03/07 Nenagh Link With Michael Collins
PR 02/03/07 American Ireland Fund Announces New York Gala
IT 02/03/07 Crackdown On Fake Irish Names

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0202/breaking69.htm

McGuinness Calls On DUP To Commit

Fri, Feb 02, 2007

Parties contesting the Northern Ireland Assembly Election
were tonight challenged to commit themselves to power
sharing by March 26th.

Sinn Fein's chief negotiator Martin McGuinness threw down
the gauntlet after Democratic Unionist MP David Simpson
expressed doubt that republicans could convince his party
to share power by the devolution deadline.

Mr McGuinness said: "I want to call on all of the political
parties who will be contesting the Assembly election to
commit now at the outset to engage in a positive election
campaign and with a clear determination to deliver the
political institutions by March 26th.

"This election presents a real opportunity to significantly
move the situation forward. "It is an opportunity that the
vast majority of people want their political
representatives to deliver. To deliver on the economy. To
deliver on the environment. To deliver on health and
education.

"There are major challenges ahead for our rural
communities, our young people, from rates increases and
water charges, as well as from sectarianism and racism.

"Local political parties cannot complain about these
difficulties and then abdicate responsibility to do
anything."

Earlier this week, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern confirmed Northern Ireland would go
to the polls on March 7th to elect a new Assembly.

However, Mr Blair warned the plug would be pulled on the
election if it was clear it would not result in the
formation of devolved government.

Hopes have risen in London and Dublin that Sinn Fein's
decision to urge republicans to co-operate with the Police
Service of Northern Ireland could persuade the Rev Ian
Paisley's DUP to share power with republicans.

But while the DUP's David Simpson said recent moves by Sinn
Fein to endorse the police were a small step forward,
republicans had a long way to go before they would persuade
unionists.

PA

© 2007 ireland.com

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http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNGBCWKFCW&rss=rss1

Sinn Féin Warned To Start Building Unionist Confidence

02/02/2007 - 13:38:47

The republican movement needs to move quickly to build
unionist confidence if there is to be power-sharing in the
North this spring, Sinn Féin was warned today.

Democratic Unionist MP David Simpson described recent Sinn
Féin calls for public co-operation with the Police Service
of Northern Ireland as a small step forward.

However he warned the March 26 deadline for power sharing
could still be missed and he accused Gerry Adams’s party of
being equivocal about the type of crimes which it believed
should be reported.

“In the days after the Sinn Féin/IRA special conference on
policing there were several public statements by senior
Sinn Féin/IRA representatives expressing verbal support for
PSNI recruits from nationalist areas and calling upon
people to go to the police with evidence,” the Upper Bann
MP noted.

“This was a small step forward, but was only a step. Indeed
it was only a step taken by some Sinn Féin/IRA people and
was limited to certain types of crime.

“Sinn Féin/IRA needs to understand that the demand of
democracy is for not just selected words from selected
representatives only, but for a total acceptance of the
police, the courts and the rule of law and all of the civic
responsibilities that go along with that.”

British prime minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie
Ahern approved a March 7 Assembly Election in the North on
Monday after delegates at last weekend’s special Sinn Féin
conference in Dublin overwhelmingly endorsed Gerry Adams’s
proposal that republicans should end their 86-year boycott
of policing.

Both prime ministers believed Sinn Féin support for
policing would persuade the Rev Ian Paisley’s Democratic
Unionists to form a power sharing government at Stormont by
March 26.

However the DUP has called on Gerry Adams’s party to prove
its commitment to policing by encouraging its community to
work with the PSNI to fight crime and allowing young
nationalists and republicans to join.

Mr Adams and other Sinn Féin members responded by urging
their voters to pass on any information they have on the
murder two years ago of Belfast father-of-two Robert
McCartney to the police, to report other crimes like
aggravated burglary, car crime and rape.

The Sinn Féin president also said he would not stand in the
way of any republican wishing to join the PSNI.

However Mr Simpson reminded Sinn Féin words were not
sufficient.

Republicans, he argued, would have to prove their policing
credentials by going to the PSNI with information on the
McCartney murder.

The DUP MP also called for republicans to give guarantees
that they would never take up arms again against their
unionist neighbours.

“Sinn Féin/IRA may be having difficulty coming to terms
with all of the ramifications of a proper commitment to
democracy but that is a problem of their own making,” he
said.

“They have a long way still to travel.

“If their current speed continues, then the Government’s
proposed March 26th deadline could not be met.

“Having wasted the months after the St Andrews negotiations
Sinn Féin/IRA have a lot of catching up to do. It is time
they got on with it.”

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http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/?jp=CWSNGBCWIDGB&rss=rss1

Sinn Fein Ard Comhairle To Meet In Dublin Later Today

03/02/2007 - 08:52:56

The Sinn Féin Ard Comhairle is meeting in Dublin today,
following its Ard Fheis last week, which voted to support
the PSNI.

Today's discussions will focus on developments in the peace
process, and the upcoming elections.

The fall out from the Police Ombudsman for Northern
Ireland, Nuala O'Loan's report on collusion published on
January 22, which linked the Royal Ulster Constabulary and
the Ulster Volunteer Force in relation to the death of
Raymond McCord Junior in 1997, is also on the agenda.

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/article2212227.ece

Goggins Unveils Detailed Review Of The Parades Issue

[Published: Saturday 3, February 2007 - 08:50]
By Mark Hookham

Ministers yesterday spelt out the details of a root-and-
branch review into the future of parading in Northern
Ireland.

Security minister Paul Goggins unveiled the terms of
reference for a " strategic review" into parading, which he
said is needed to guarantee a "stable, peaceful and
prosperous" future for Ulster.

A review was agreed at the St Andrews summit last year and
has been the subject of negotiations between the government
and the political parties since October.

Members of the new parades review body are expected to be
appointed by April.

Among their tasks will be to "consider the impact of
parading on Northern Ireland society in the 21st century in
terms of social and economic impact and the international
perspective of the country".

Mr Goggins said they will also "examine why certain parades
are considered contentious, what their impact is on wider
community relations and if they encourage sectarianism".

And the board will investigate how contentious parades are
handled in other countries and review the merits of local
dialogue and arbitration.

The review body will then make recommendations for the
future of parading, although no time limit has yet been put
on the publication of its findings.

Mr Goggins said: "These terms of reference provide an
opportunity to take a fresh look at the issue of parading.

"I want the review body to consider whether there are new
or additional approaches which can be applied to parading
and offer recommendations that have the potential to lead
to a settled cross community view of this sensitive issue."

He added: "This will not be a quick fix and I want the
review to have the time to consider the matter carefully
and to hear all opinions.

"To be effective the review must reflect the views of
people across the community and I hope that everyone will
feel able to contribute to it."

He stressed that the review will not impact on the work of
the Parades Commission.

It chairman, Roger Poole, recently vowed to increase
dialogue between residents and marching group.

© Belfast Telegraph

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http://irishvoices.blogspot.com/2007/02/families-of-undocumented-to-meet-in.html


Families Of The Undocumented To Meet In Dublin:

Last night in San Franscisco, The Irish Lobby for
Immigration Reform announced a nation-wide meeting in
Ireland for families of the undocumented. The meeting is
scheduled for Saturday, April 14, 2007 from 1:00pm to
4:00pm at the Jury’s Ballsbridge Hotel in Dublin.

Parents, relatives and concerned friends of the
undocumented Irish in America are urged to attend the
information and support meeting and make their voices heard
to Ireland's elected officials.

Irish who have been denied entry or re-entry to the United
States based upon past immigration infractions are also
urged to attend and share their stories.

This is an excellent forum for those who wish to lend their
support but cannot travel to the United States.

Niall O' Dowd and other executives from Irish Lobby for
Immigration Reform will be on hand to discuss the latest
news about their efforts in America on behalf of the Irish
undocumented and to organize support groups for the parents
and families of the undocumented.

Please contact your family and friends in Ireland and
encourage them to attend the meeting Irish Lobby for
Immigration Reform meeting for families of the undocumented
living in America.

The issue of the undocumented Irish in America impacts
thousands of families across Ireland. A hall that can
accommodate 800 people has been booked. Hopefully thousands
of Irish citizens will make the journey to Dublin in
support of their loved ones in America.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/northern_ireland/6324639.stm

Court Go-Ahead For Wright Inquiry

The inquiry into the murder of LVF leader Billy Wright is
set to go ahead after a judgement in the High Court.

The inquiry was initially set up under the Prisons Act
after the loyalist was shot dead in the Maze in 1997.

NI Secretary Peter Hain later changed it to the Inquiries
Act 2005, which Wright's father David objected to.

A court ruled last month Mr Hain had acted unlawfully,
however David Wright has waived his right to seek an order
quashing Mr Hain's decision.

His barrister said that it was for "pragmatic and personal"
reasons.

Mr Justice Deeny said costs of £3.9m pounds had already
been incurred and the quashing of the inquiry would cause
uncertainty and considerable delay.

Wright, 37, was shot dead by three INLA prisoners in the
Maze on 27 December 1997.

Former Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy announced the
public inquiry into Wright's killing in November 2004
following allegations of security force collusion in his
murder.

Story from BBC NEWS:
Published: 2007/02/02 14:02:27 GMT
© BBC MMVII

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2007/0203/1170363460140.html

Two Men Jailed For Kidnapping Republican

Sat, Feb 03, 2007

Two Belfast men were yesterday jailed for their part in
kidnapping dissident republican Bobby Tohill from a city
centre bar - despite a letter from the victim being read to
a judge asking for the accused to be spared prison
sentences.

Lord Justice Girvan told Belfast Crown Court he could not
be sure the letter written by Mr Tohill, which described
the two accused as the victim's "personal friends", was
written of his own free will on a voluntary basis.

Thomas Tolan (35), Ballymurphy Park, and Gerard McCrory
(34), Dermott Hill Road, admitted they were part of a four-
man gang who dragged Mr Tohill from the Kelly's Cellars pub
on February 20th, 2004, and bundled him into a waiting van.

The kidnapping was caught on CCTV and moments after Mr
Tohill was forced into the back of the van by the gang
dressed in boiler suits, the vehicle was intercepted by
police at the Millfield and Divis Street junction.

Mr Tohill emerged from the back of the van battered and
bleeding and the court was told that since the incident
three years ago, the injured party has not made a complaint
to police and has refused to give evidence.

Philip Magee QC, representing McCrory, read a letter
written by Mr Tohill to the court. Describing the two men
in the dock and their families as "personal friends", Mr
Tohill said that as far as he was concerned, the events of
February 2004 are "over and done with".

While all four men accused of the kidnapping were on bail
awaiting sentence for the offence last year, they went on
the run. McCrory and Tolan were arrested last month on the
outskirts of Belfast while the remaining pair - 37-year-old
Harry Fitzsimons and 33-year-old Liam Rainey - are still at
large.

Regarding McCrory and Tolan's refusal to co-operate in
preparing pre-sentence reports, the judge said: "The
actions of these two defendants shows they have very little
or no remorse."

McCrory was given a seven- year jail term for his role in
the incident while Tolan, who has a lesser criminal record,
was ordered to serve a six-and-a-half- year prison
sentence.

As the pair were being led away, friends and relatives in
the public gallery gave them a clenched-fist salute.

© 2007 The Irish Times

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/0203/breaking21.htm

Ireland Pushing For World Death Penalty Ban, Says Kitt

Patrick Logue
Sat, Feb 03, 2007

The death penalty is a "cruel and inhuman punishment" and
Ireland is pushing for its abolition worldwide, Government
Chief Whip Tom Kitt said today.

Addressing the World Congress against the Death Penalty in
Paris, Mr Kitt said abolishing the death penalty "enhances
human dignity and is a key element in the promotion of
human rights throughout the world.

"Ireland condemns the death penalty and abhors its use in
all cases. We regard it as a cruel and inhuman punishment
and a violation of the most basic human right, that is, the
right to life. We strongly support efforts towards
universal abolition," he told the conference.

Today is the final day of the Congress. It is the third
such event, following previous events in Strasbourg, France
in 2001 and in Montreal, Canada in 2004. It brings together
those advocating the abolition of the death penalty from
around the world and promotes the idea of world wide
abolition.

The discussions at this year's Congress focused the
prospects of abolition in North Africa and the Middle East.
Minister of State Kitt is leading the Irish delegation to
the event.

In 2001, the Irish electorate voted in a referendum to
fully and formally abolish the use of the death penalty.
The vote gave legal force to a moratorium which had existed
in Ireland for almost 50 years.

"We are proud of the fact that our ban on the death penalty
received the strong support of the public. This is a clear
indication of the Irish people's abhorrence of the death
penalty," Mr Kitt added.

"I am proud to be at this ceremony today to add Ireland's
voice to all the others by not only solemnly condemning the
death penalty as a violation of our most basic and
inalienable rights, but also committing Ireland to
continued efforts to move towards universal abolition."

© 2007 ireland.com

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2007/0203/1170363459240.html

Community Grieves As News Of Death Spreads

Kate Holmquist in Rosbrien, Limerick
Sat, Feb 03, 2007

"It's unbelievably sad. There's a feeling of unreality
about it," one mother said yesterday as news of the death
of 11-year-old Mark O'Neill spread around the community of
Rosbrien.

Parents and teachers were wary of speaking openly of the
death of the boy, who was found hanged in his bedroom, out
of regard for the family involved. "It's sad. A tragedy,
what more can you say?" one school principal commented.

"My heart goes out to that mother. She will have to live
with this for the rest of her life," said another mother.

Mark was a student at the CBS primary school, Sexton
Street, Limerick, where Minister for Education Mary Hanafin
paid a private visit yesterday to principal Patrick Hanley
and his staff to "express her support and sympathy".

The National Educational Psychological Service (Neps) was
also there to support teachers' efforts to help the pupils
deal with the tragedy.

"The community is shocked, but it's just one of a number of
suicides that have taken place in the last eight-month
period," said Trish Ford Brennan, who has held offices in
both the primary, secondary and third-level parents'
councils.

"I was speaking with parents last night and they are
concerned that there needs to be a partnership between
parents and schools in supporting the self-esteem of the
child and developing communication skills and coping
mechanisms for handling life, for both parents and
children."

Rosbrien is a settled and stable lower middle class
community of three-bed semi-detached houses, many owned by
older people who once worked in the Civil Service or at
Shannon airport.

The number of suicides in the area has led to the
establishment of the Rosbrien Suicide Awareness Group,
which has listed on its website the names of six young men,
aged between 17 and 26, who had committed suicide.

Suicides by children aged 14 and younger occur once or
twice a year, with the youngest in the State aged 9, said
Dan Neville, a Fine Gael TD for Limerick West and president
of the Irish Association of Suicidology.

"Six- and seven-year-olds discuss suicide and know what
suicide is. For some children and adolescents, as with some
adults, suicide appears to them the only way to end
suffering and desperation," he said.

Child psychiatrist Dr Peadar O'Grady said a "ridiculous
amount of pressure" was being put on parents and children
to cope with a society that was based on academic and
financial achievement.

It was "obscene" that, in a wealthy country, in some areas
children in need of psychological help had to wait for two
years.

"For an 11-year-old there is always an element of 'suicide'
being an accident and I wouldn't want to comment on this
individual case. It does raise the ridiculous amount of
pressures that parents and children are under."

Fr Joe Young, a chaplain to the Brothers of Charity in
Limerick, said that for the most vulnerable there was "a
terrible feeling of isolation and having no one to turn
to".

The emotional impact on children in Rosbrien has been felt
beyond the 11-year-old's own school.

Children have expressed feelings of guilt and anger, said
Pat Lyons, principal of the Presentation primary school,
also on Sexton Street.

"There have been tears as there would be on the death of
any young child, not just among our pupils but among some
of the teachers also," he said.

"We have talked with the children about the meaning of
life, the importance of a healthy lifestyle and good mental
health and the value of of a deep religious faith."

Dr O'Grady said he would advise parents to talk to children
about suicide because they will be relieved to have the
issue acknowledged. Parents who noticed any shift in their
childrens' behaviour, such as becoming withdrawn, irritable
or changing in any way, should talk to someone in their
circle of family and friends whom they trust.

"Don't be embarrassed if you think you are not the best
parent. It's in the interest of your child for you to
share," he said.
----

The funeral of schoolboy Mark O'Neill, who died earlier
this week, will take place in Limerick today. The 11-year-
old's body was discovered in his bedroom by a relative at
his home in Greenfields, Rosbrien, last Tuesday.

Gardaí are not seeking anybody in connection with his
death.

Speaking before last night's removal, Fr Noel Kirwan,
parish priest of St Michael's Parish, Limerick, who
baptised Mark just over a decade ago, asked that the boy's
family be given space to deal with their devastating loss.

An only child, Mark was a fifth class student at CBS boys'
primary school on Sexton Street in Limerick. He was
described yesterday as a "typical 11-year-old boy" who
brought great joy to his family and many friends.

Survived by his mother, Lisa, and grandfather, Frank, Mark
will be buried this morning following 10.30 Mass at the
Dominican Church in Limerick.

© 2007 The Irish Times

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http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2007/0203/1170363460378.html

New York Mayor To Visit Mayo To Mark New Air Link

Mark Rodden
Sat, Feb 03, 2007

The mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, is to travel to
Mayo on Sunday to mark the introduction of direct
transatlantic flights between Ireland West Airport, Knock,
and New York.

From May 27th, flyglobespan, a Scottish-based low-cost
airline, will operate three flights a week between the Mayo
airport and JFK airport in New York, along with two weekly
flights to Boston's Logan Airport.

The routes were approved by the US department of
transportation following lobbying by Mr Bloomberg.

Flights to JFK will depart from Ireland West Airport on
Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays at 2.30pm, arriving at JFK
at 6pm local time. Flights from JFK to Knock will depart at
8pm and arrive at 7.20am on Wednesdays, Fridays and
Mondays.

Fares on the flights will start at €157 plus tax.

The decision to introduce direct flights to Knock arose
from Mr Bloomberg's last visit to Ireland, when he passed
through the airport on his way to dedicating a memorial to
the Fighting 69th Infantry Regiment of the New York
National Guard in Ballymote, Co Sligo.

Following a meeting with Joe Kennedy, chairman of the
airport, Mr Bloomberg promised to lobby the federal
government to approve flights between Ireland West Knock
and the United States.

"For centuries, New York city and Ireland have shared a
strong bond, and we have had the good fortune to be the
island's 33rd county," said Mr Bloomberg.

"Not only will these flights make it easier for Americans
to get to the west of Ireland, it will enable even more
Irish residents to visit New York."

It is estimated the transatlantic flights could bring up to
35,000 US tourists and an estimated €28 million spending
boost to the region in 2007.

© 2007 The Irish Times

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http://www.derrytoday.com/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=3421&ArticleID=2018044

More Than 500 Visitors For Museum Of Free Derry

THE NEWLY opened Museum of Free Derry has attracted over
500 curious visitors in its first week of opening,
according to Adrian Kerr from the Bloody Sunday Trust.

By Julieann Campbell

Speaking yesterday, Mr. Kerr told the 'Journal': "The first
week has gone very, very well.

"We've just counted up the numbers and have had 567 people
in since opening last Friday morning, which is great and,
although we didn't count, is probably twice what we had in
here during the same week last year."

Mr. Kerr went on: "We've found people's reactions have been
very, very positive. Yesterday we had 69 people coming in,
which is great considering it was only a Thursday in
February, and we had 175 people come in on Sunday. "

So far, have visitors preferred guided tours or walking
around the exhibits alone?

"On Wednesday night we had a group of young people in from
Off The Streets and we did take them around the museum, but
others tend to look around by themselves. We generally
leave it very flexible," Mr. Kerr said.

"But it's been a good first week and we're delighted."

Over 25,000 documents and unique artefacts make up the vast
museum archive, with only a fraction of these artefacts
currently on display for the museum's first phase.

The Museum of Free Derry in Glenfada Park is free admission
for today only. However, in order to keep the museum open
and independent, a small admission fee of £3 or £1.50 will
be charged from next week onwards.

Opening hours for the museum are 9.30am until 4.30pm,
Monday to Friday .

02 February 2007

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http://www.unison.ie/nenagh_guardian/stories.php3?ca=38&si=1768979&issue_id=15204

Nenagh Link With Michael Collins To Be Revealed In History
Lecture

From his early years near Clonakilty, Co. Cork, to his life
in London when he joined the Irish Republican Brotherhood
(IRB) and the Irish Volunteers, through participation in
the Easter Rising and leadership in the War of
Independence, to becoming a negotiator of the Anglo-Irish
Treaty, Michael Collins had an action-packed life. His
involvement in the fight for Irish freedom and the
controversy that has surrounded his death is the subject of
a lecture to be delivered by historian and author Meda Ryan
in the Abbey Court Hotel, Nenagh, on Monday 12 February at
8.30 p.m.

Michael Collins was hugely influential in multiple roles
during his short life - initally as Adjutant-General of the
Irish Volunteers, then as a Minister under Dáil Éireann,
first for Home Affairs, followed by Finance. He doubled as
Director of Intelligence during the war, then as Chairman
of the Provisional Goverment from 1 January 1922. All the
while the served in a third role as president of the
Supreme Council of the IRB. Because he was killed some six
weeks after the outbreak of the Civil War and when the new
National Army, of which he was Commander-in-Chief, was
achieving success, his death was given huge publicity and
helped to mould him into an iconic figure. It is ironic
that he met his death in his own county of Cork, which he
loved, but also that most, if not all, of those who lay in
wait to ambush his convoy on 22 August 1922, knew him -
many as a personal friend. Since that day, conflicting
stories have been told of how he met his death.

The Nenagh Connection

That is where Denis 'Sonny' O'Neill, enters the story.
Named by Meda Ryan as the one who fired the fatal shot,
other writers have disputed this. He was a resident of
Nenagh from the 1920s until his death in 1950. Married to
Mary Anne née Rohan, he lived initially at the Rohan
boarding house at 35 Mitchel St, then at the Nursing Home
she co-owned with her sister, Mrs Brigid Tompkins,
successively at 5 Mitchel St (now Guerin's) and Kenyon St
(now the Ormond Hotel).

Meda Ryan is a native of Bandon in West Cork and now lives
in Ennis, Co. Clare. She has written two books on Michael
Collins. The Day Michael Collins Was Shot deals with the
final events in the life of the Commander-in-Chief. Her
recent book, Michael Collins And The Women Who Spied For
Ireland, tells for the first time the role women played in
Collins's life and in the intelligence branch of the
movement. She has appeared on television, done numerous
interviews and written many articles. Her published books
also include The Real Chief: Liam Lynch which tells the
story of the Chief of Staff of the post-Treaty IRA who was
shot on the Knockmealdown mountains in 1923 during the
bitter Civil War, and her controversial biography, Tom
Barry: IRA Freedom Fighter - the life of the West Cork
commander who spent a lifetime seeking freedom from British
rule in Ireland.

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http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/070202/nyf067.html?.v=74

The American Ireland Fund Announces 32nd Annual New York Gala

Friday February 2, 9:47 Am ET

* Announces $3 Million Fundraising Goal

* Honorees to Include H.E. Mary McAleese, President of
Ireland and Martin Sullivan, President and CEO of AIG

NEW YORK, and DUBLIN, Ireland, Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- The
American Ireland Fund today announced that its 32nd Annual
New York Dinner Gala, themed "Hope Through Youth," will
seek to raise more than $3 million and honor H.E. Mary
McAleese, President of Ireland, and Martin Sullivan,
President & CEO of American International Group, Inc.
(AIG). The fundraiser, the largest of the Fund's 80
worldwide events, will be held on May 3, 2007 at The Park
Avenue Armory and is expected to attract support from more
than 1,300 members of the business community, as well as
prominent figures from the Irish-American community.

Kicking off the event last night with a reception held at
the Metropolitan Club, Dinner Co-Chair and American Ireland
Fund Board Director Declan Kelly announced that the
recipient of this year's Humanitarian Award will be H.E.
Mary McAleese, President of Ireland, for her contribution
to fostering peace in Northern Ireland. It was also
announced that the Leslie C. Quick Jr. Leadership Award
will be given to Martin Sullivan, President and CEO of AIG.

Along with Honorary Dinner Chairman Robert McCann,
President, Global Private Client Group, Merrill Lynch & Co,
Inc. and Declan Kelly, the 32nd Annual New York Dinner Gala
is being co-chaired by a number of business leaders,
including Joseph S. Berry, Jr., Principal, Keefe, Bruyette
& Woods; Michael R. George, Director, Deutsche Bank; Bart
A. Grenier, Managing Director, Global Head of Specialty
Fixed Income Deutsche Asset Management; Michael P. Higgins,
Managing Director, Head of Real Estate Finance, CIBC World
Markets; and Ciaran T. O'Kelly, Managing Director, Head of
Equity Capital Markets, Banc of America Securities. They
are leading a committee of 60 business leaders, including a
number from Ireland for the first time.

The dinner proceeds will be used to make major gifts to two
key projects as part of the Fund's Hope through Youth
program. The first is Integrated Education. Only 6% of
Catholic and Protestant children in Northern Ireland are
educated together. The American Ireland Fund is a long time
supporter of the Integrated Schools movement, which
provides joint education for both sides of the community.
Through the proceeds of last year's New York Dinner, the
Funds built the first American Ireland Fund Integrated
School. This year, the Funds aim to build another school,
helping to create a new beginning for a new generation in
Northern Ireland. The second cause to which the AIF will
make a major gift to is Barretstown, the Irish branch of
Paul Newman's Hole-in-the- Wall Gang Camp. The camp
provides care and hope for children with cancer and other
life threatening illnesses. Barretstown is one of Ireland's
best loved not-for profit institutions in the world. AIG
and the Funds' goal is to increase the number of children
served by Barretstown by 60% by 2010 through the
Barretstown and Beyond program, which will extend
Barretstown's services throughout Ireland and across
Europe.

"Through the hard work and dedication of our committee,
this annual gala continues to be our most successful event
around the world. The level of commitment and generosity
demonstrated by our supporters allows us to continue our
mission to support programs promoting peace, education and
community development throughout the island of Ireland,"
said Kieran McLoughlin, President of The American Ireland
Fund. "We believe that all children deserve the opportunity
to grow in a peaceful and positive environment, which is
why we are thrilled to support Integrated Education and
Barretstown - two projects making a huge impact on
Ireland's youth.

About The Ireland Funds: The Ireland Funds are the leading
worldwide network of people of Irish ancestry and friends
of Ireland dedicated to raising funds to support programs
of peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education
and community development for the island of Ireland. With
operations in 11 countries, The Ireland Funds have created
a unique global network of people with an interest in
Ireland and have to date raised over $300 million for over
1,200 non-profit organizations in Ireland.

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

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/ireland/2007/0203/1170363464772.html

Crackdown On Fake Irish Names

Seán O'Driscoll in New York
Sat, Feb 03, 2007

The governor of Illinois has backed a Bill to stop judicial
candidates from faking Irish surnames before elections.
This week, Governor Rod Blagojevich signed a Bill that will
force candidates to declare on the ballot if they have
changed their names in the last three years.

The Bill is in response to the case of attorney Fred S
Rhine, who changed his name to Patrick Michael O'Brien in
2005 ahead of a Chicago judicial election in 2006. Mr Rhine
admitted the name change was designed to win the city's
large Irish vote.

According to Carrie K Huff, president of the Chicago
Council of Lawyers, many other judges have used fake fadas
or grandmother maiden names in judicial elections to appeal
to Irish Americans.

Under the new Bill, sponsored by state representative John
Fritchey, the words "formerly known as" will be placed
under the name of candidates who change their names before
election day.

However, the law exempts candidates who changed their names
through marriage, divorce or adoption. "If you want an
Irish surname, you're going to have to marry one," said Mr
Fritchey.

He said that candidates are free to run under any name they
want but the new Bill will notify the electorate of any
attempt to mislead.

Mr Rhine, who even changed his work answering machine
message to reflect his new name, eventually decided not to
run as Patrick O'Brien after intense criticism from the
Chicago Bar Association and state politicians.

He told The Irish Timeshe decided to change his name to
highlight the unfairness of the system.

He said the election organisers made little effort to
inform the public about the work record of judicial
candidates and so many people simply voted according to
ethnic background.

© 2007 The Irish Times

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