Irish Voice Dec. 15-21, 2010 plus
Irish Emigrant, Dec. 20, 2010
Christmas
swim in support of prisoners
At this time of year
many of us are busy getting prepared for Christmas -- buying
gifts for loved ones, planning the dinner menu, baking
cookies, looking forward to being with our families and
friends, etc.
At present there are nearly 100 Irish
Republican political prisoners being held in British and
Irish prisons on both sides of Britain's border in Ireland
and in England. They cannot share any of these Christmas
joys with their families.
There are no dinners at home feasting on
favorite home-cooked holiday dishes. There’s no family
midnight Mass or opening presents Christmas mornings.
These prisoners have spouses, children, parents and siblings
from whom they are separated at Christmas. Their families
need the support of others who care about the sacrifices
these young men have made for their country.
That is why I support the annual Cabhair
Christmas Swim, which will again be held this year on
Christmas morning at the Grand Canal in Inchicore, Dublin.
Cabhair supports dependants and family
members of Republican political prisoners. For more
information please see
www.irishfreedom.net. Every single
dollar will help brighten someone’s Christmas.
Jane Enright
Woodside, NY
(back to index page)
Published in the Irish Post in England July
2010
Republicans will prevail
IN RESPONSE
to the, ‘Dissidents must not be allowed to win,’ article (The Irish Post,
July 21).
The recent Troubles in the North of Ireland are a direct result of the
British-arranged peace process.
This British arrangement enhances the British-fostered hate and distrust in
the North; the hate and distrust the British rely on to maintain their
presence in Ireland.
The Good Friday Agreement (not sure what they call it now) is deeprooted in
sectarianism, and no Irish republican would ever support, or promote, a
scheme like this. Irish republicanism is based on unity without interference
from a foreign invader.
The Provisionals have ‘dissented’ from Irish republican principles; they do
not represent the movement.
The young people in the North are expressing their discontent with their
current environment, and what lies ahead for the future.
This is alarming because they are the future of Ireland. Irish republicans
have promoted the Irish Federal Proposal, ‘Eire Nua’, for many years.
This viable solution has been ruthlessly censored in England, Ireland, and
even the United States.
The British and Dublin Governments are fearful of this proposal. In the
context of a British declaration of intent to withdraw from Ireland, Eire
Nua proposes the drafting of a new All-Ireland constitution, incorporating a
bill of rights to guarantee individual freedoms irregardless of religious or
political affiliations.
Eire Nua proposes a four-province federal government, a government that
would address the fear and distrust by providing access to authentic
national power-sharing in a nine-county Ulster Parliament.
The British and Dublin Governments have a vested interest in the current
partitionist set-up in Ireland.
They have gone to great lengths to discredit the proponents of this viable
peace proposal, and this is at the expense of the people of Ireland and
Britain.
Irish history has proved that as long as the British remain in Ireland there
will always be resistance, and we are seeing that resistance in the North
today.
Brian Wardlow, Rahway, New Jersey, USA
(back to index page)
Irish News (Belfast) July 29,
2010
I
completely agree with Sam Caskey
(July 20) ‘Sinn Fein has betrayed
republican principles.’ In fact, I
would go one step further and label
Provisional Sinn Féin as the true
dissidents from the Republican
Movement.
They are the ones who parted from
traditional republicanism.
They are the ones who have accepted
British rule in the six counties.
Not only do Adams, McGuinness, et
al have no problem administering
British rule, they are attempting to
rewrite history and label Irish
patriots as traitors.
Those called ‘dissidents’ by the
media are the true republicans
today.
True republicans recognize the
mandate of the first Dáil Eireann of
1919 as the justification to pursue
and promote a united and free
Ireland.
Despite their illustrious political
careers, it would seem that Adams,
McGuinness, and their ilk have
failed to learn a basic history
lesson -- as long as there is
British occupation in Ireland, true
republicans will oppose it.
Jane
Enright
Woodside, NY
(back to index page)
Belfast Telegraph,
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
I
am writing in reference to the
coverage of this year's Twelfth
Orange marches in your
publication and other
publications.
I have a big problem with
the media's and politicians'
focus only on the alleged
'rioters' in Ardoyne, while
not mentioning the fact that
residents were protesting
against yet another bigoted,
hateful march being forced
through their neighbourhood.
The rebranding of sectarian
marches as 'Orangefest' is a
transparent attempt to
reposition a negative into a
positive.
Consider the reaction to a
US group establishing 'Whitefest'
to promote white culture and
celebrate the alleged
superiority of whites over
blacks, Asians, etc.
What if members of this
group wanted to dress as Ku
Klux Clan members, skinheads
and nazis and parade through
traditionally black and
Jewish neighbourhoods while
singing pro-white, racist
songs? No one would allow
such a thing to happen.
The solution to marching
disputes is simple to me:
ban them in mixed and
nationalist areas.
They foment anger and
distrust between Protestants
and Catholics.
Irish Echo August 4 - 10, 2010
I
am writing in reference to the coverage
of this year’s July 12th
Orange marches in this and other
publications. I have a big problem with
the media and politicians’ focusing only
on the alleged “rioters” in Ardoyne
while not mentioning the fact that
residents were protesting yet another
bigoted, hateful march being
forced through their neighborhood!
The re-branding of sectarian marches as
“Orangefest” is a transparent attempt to
reposition a negative into a positive.
Consider public reaction to a U.S. group
establishing “Whitefest” to promote
white culture and to celebrate the
alleged superiority of whites over
blacks, Jews, Asians, etc. What if
members of this group wanted to dress as
Ku Klux Clan members, skinheads and
Nazis and parade through traditionally
black and Jewish neighborhoods while
singing pro-white, racist songs? No one
would allow such a thing to happen.
The solution to marching disputes seems
simple to me: ban them in mixed and
nationalist areas, and forever.
Personally, I believe that these archaic
marches should be banned once and for
all in all neighborhoods. They
only foment anger and distrust between
Protestants and Catholics.
Jane Enright
Woodside, New York
(back to index page)
Irish
Echo, July 28 – August 3, 2010
Culture
yes, UK no
Let me get
this straight. Martin McGuinness wanted
Derry to become the UK City of Culture
as stated in his recent op-ed article.
Mr. McGuiness claims to be an Irish
republican. However, no self-respecting
republican would ever say that Derry is
in the United Kingdom. We all know that
Derry is one of the six Irish counties
still occupied by the British. Derry is
definitely a city of culture, but,
regardless of the outcome of this
competition, Derry will never be a UK
city of culture.
Gerry Magee
Bronx, NY
(back to index page)
Saoirse,
July2010
Appalling Prison Condition
A
chara
I am very
concerned about the appalling living
conditions of Republican prisoners in
Maghaberry Jail. There has been very
little media attention to this issue.
You would be providing a public service
by drawing your readers' attention to
the plight of Republican prisoners in
the North.
On June 21,
2010, the POW Department of Republican
Sinn Féin once again highlighted the
plight of the protesting Republican POWs
in Roe House, Maghaberry Jail, Co.
Antrim and a brief outline of the
reasons for the protest:
The
protesting Republican POWs in Roe House,
Maghaberry Jail, Co. Antrim began a
dirty protest on June 6. Their protest
escalated when the prison authorities
refused to implement an agreement made
with the prisoners at Easter to address
their concerns at the conditions.
The POWs
have for some time tried to resolve the
problems which they saw as unacceptable.
These included long lock-up from
anything between 14 to 21 hours per day,
especially at the weekends. The
controlled movement operated at the jail
meant that only three prisoners were out
of their cells at any given time, which
also contributed to the long lock-up.
Education
facilities were practically nonexistent,
and the general atmosphere, and indeed
ethos, of the prison wardens was
oppressive and restrictive, designed to
provoke confrontation.
Today
the Republican prisoners are locked-down
for 23 hours per day. There is an
increase in strip-searching despite the
long lock-up and lack of contact between
the prisoners/visitors; education
facilities are totally nonexistent; yard
time, visits, meals and showers must now
be taken within the one hour they are
unlocked. Because of the
controlled/restricted movement the men
are lucky if they get a shower every
five or six days.
They have
no in-cell sanitation facilities in
their cell. Having no water they are
unable to wash or shave; they have not
had their hair cut for some weeks. Many
of them have sores around and in their
mouths which leaves then very
susceptible to infection. Their weight
loss has been rapid and their sleeping
pattern is seriously disrupted.
The
ethos and attitude of the prison warders
is even more vicious and they are in
total control of the jail. They make the
decisions and as there is no overall
governor they have a free hand.
On June 13
they stepped up their protest by
embarking on a dirty protest. This
protest means they are now using the
floor and the walls of their cell to
take their excrement and urine. They had
been using juice cartons for their waste
but these cartons are no longer
available to them.
The men,
when asked to, are refusing to strip
naked for the screws and be subjected to
intimate body searches which often means
they don't get their visits.
This
situation cannot be allowed to continue
and we call on people to register their
protest by writing/contacting all media
outlets and also and in particular those
Nationalist politicians who sit in
Stormont claiming to speak for the
prisoners.
Far from
acting in the interest of the prisoners,
it is in the interests of these British
paid politicians, Adams, McGuinness,
O'Dowd, etc, to make sure this prison
protest is not given oxygen.
The last
thing they want is to be reminded of the
part they played in betraying all the
1980/81 hunger strikers by signing away
the status they won by 10 deaths in
1981. These people are part and parcel
of the British government which is
standing over the conditions in
Maghaberry.
They
draw their big salaries and would indeed
occupy the office of Minister of Justice
in the partitionist Stormont had not the
Unionists objected to such a deal.
But the
Provisionals backed David Ford for the
position, a man who believes the
prisoners are 'in a situation of their
own making'.
Jane Enright
Woodside, New York
(back to index page)
Irish Echo, July 21 – 27, 2010
Should
be banned
Is it any
wonder that the nationalist residents of
Ardoyne in North Belfast protested the
RUC/PSNI forcing a sectarian Orange
march through their neighborhood?
If these
orangemen feel the need to parade
through the streets in costume to make
themselves feel superior to Catholics
and nationalists, why don't they do it
in their own neighborhoods? The large
issue is, of course, why do they still
feel the need, and claim it as their
God-given right, to carry out these
bigoted, triumphalist parades?
These
archaic marches should be banned once
and for all.
Jane
Enright
Woodside, New York
(back to index page)
Irish
Echo, July 21 – 27, 2010
That Derry Bid
I am
writing in response to Martin McGuinness’
opinion piece entitled “Why Derry is my
choice for capital.”
Actually,
Mr. McGuinness has been frequently
quoted that he supports his hometown’s
bid for UK City of Culture. UK City of
Culture?
Since when
does Martin McGuinness accept that Derry
is part of the United Kingdom, you might
ask? I’d say probably since 1998 when he
and Gerry Adams signed the Good Friday
Agreement which, among other disgraceful
things, signed away Ireland’s
constitutional right to the six counties
he now blithely refers to as part of the
United Kingdom.
Ellen Keating
Bethpage, NY
(back to index page)
Irish Voice, July 28 - August 17, 2010
Ban Orange
Marches
Is it any
wonder that the Nationalist residents of
Ardoyne (north Belfast) protested the
RUC/PSNI forcing a sectarian Orange
Order march through their neighborhood
recently?
If these
Orangemen feel the need to parade
through the streets in costume to make
themselves feel superior to Catholics
and Nationalists, why don't they do it
in their own neighborhoods?
The large
issue is, of course, why do they still
feel the need -- and claim it as their
God-given right -- to carry out these
bigoted, triumphalist parades? These
archaic marches should be banned once
and for all.
Jane Enright
Woodside, NY
(back to index page)
Saoirse -- June 2010
‘Dissidents’
Are Not Dissidents
A chara,
On Sunday,
April 25th, the London Sunday
Times printed an article entitled“MI5 Files
Trawled in Bid to Jail Dissidents.” This
article has created quite a stir around the
Irish-American community and I feel
compelled to respond.
This article
should be on the editorial page since it
contains speculation and innuendo as well as
numerous inaccuracies. I also have a problem
with the media’s inaccurate use of the term
“dissident” republican.
Dissidents are
those who “disagree especially with an
established religious or political system,
organization, or belief” (Merriam-Webster
dictionary). In actual fact, Provisional
Sinn Féin, are the true dissidents. They are
dissidents from republicanism because they
have accepted British rule in the North.
They are
dissidents because they have endorsed
British policing and British “justice” in
the North. They are dissidents because they
recognize the 26 County Dáil Eireann as a
legitimate governmental entity.
In addition,
the provisional leadership has recently
hinted that they will soon take their seats
in Westminster. Thus, they are the
dissidents because, by their recognition of
Leinster House in 1986, they have dissented
from the traditional republican principles
enshrined in the 1916 declaration of a 32
County Irish Republic.
The republican
movement today is Republican Sinn Fein
which does not recognize the legitimacy of
the six or 26 county states in Ireland, both
of which were created by acts of the British
parliament against the wishes of the Irish
people.
In the second
half of this disjointed article, the authors
labeled RSF Vice President, Geraldine
Taylor, a “leading dissident.” I know
Geraldine Taylor personally. She is no
dissident. She has consistently and strongly
advocated for the end to British rule in
Ireland and the establishment of a 32
county, four province federal Ireland, with
self-governing parliaments in each of the
four provinces.
Mrs. Taylor was
in New York to accept an award from the
National Irish Freedom Committee. At the
awards dinner, she spoke of her love for her
country and her concern for republicans who
have been persecuted and imprisoned for
speaking out on the inadequacies of the Good
Friday Agreement. Over the entire course of
her life, Geraldine Taylor has provided
unwavering support for the cause of Irish
Freedom and is deserving of our thanks,
gratitude and admiration.
As an American
citizen, as well as a friend of Mrs. Taylor,
I resent the inference that she is a
dangerous person whom my government should
bar from visiting me or anyone here.
Geraldine Taylor is an old age pensioner who
spent her last day in New York shopping with
me for souvenirs to bring home to her
grandchildren.
As a member of
the NIFC, I resent the author’s portrayal of
our organization as a “dissident support
group.” As stated on our website,
www.irishfreedom.net, “the aim of this
organization is to preserve our
Irish-American cultural heritage and Fenian
traditions, and further the cause of Irish
freedom and reunification in compliance with
traditional Irish Republican values and
principles as defined by Wolfe Tone in 1798,
using all legal means at our disposal, as
did our exiled forebears.”
By stating that
“people associated with such groups,” i.e.
Geraldine Taylor and RSF … “are generally
not admitted” to the United States, are the
authors (of the Sunday Times article)
suggesting that American citizens should not
be allowed to hear from people who support
an alternative peace policy to the
British-authored, and clearly not working
Good Friday Agreement? Freedom of
information exchange is something this
American holds very dear. I think it is a
good thing that Americans had the
opportunity to hear about an Irish-authored
alternative peace plan that could actually
result in a just and lasting peace in all of
Ireland.
JANE
ENRIGHT
Woodside, New York, USA
(back to index page)
Irish Voice, June 23-29, 2010
Prisoners in Despair
I am
very concerned about the appalling living
conditions of Republican prisoners in
Maghaberry Jail. There has been very little
media attention to this issue. You would be
providing a public service by drawing your
readers' attention to the plight of
Republican prisoners in the North. I
greatly appreciate the letters of mine that
you have printed over the past years.
I respectfully ask that you publish the
following communication I have received
On
June 21, 2010, the POW Department of
Republican Sinn Féin once again highlighted
the plight of the protesting Republican POWs
in Roe House, Maghaberry Jail, Co. Antrim
and a brief outline of the reasons for the
protest:
The
protesting Republican POWs in Roe House,
Maghaberry Jail, Co. Antrim began a dirty
protest on June 6. Their protest escalated
when the prison authorities refused to
implement an agreement made with the
prisoners at Easter to address their
concerns at the conditions.
The
POWs have for some time tried to resolve the
problems which they saw as unacceptable.
These included long lock-up from anything
between 14 to 21 hours per day, especially
at the weekends. The controlled movement
operated at the jail meant that only three
prisoners were out of their cells at any
given time, which also contributed to the
long lock-up.
Education facilities were practically
nonexistent, and the general atmosphere, and
indeed ethos, of the prison wardens was
oppressive and restrictive, designed to
provoke confrontation.
Today
the Republican prisoners are locked-down for
23 hours per day. There is an increase in
strip-searching despite the long lock-up and
lack of contact between the
prisoners/visitors; education facilities are
totally nonexistent; yard time, visits,
meals and showers must now be taken within
the one hour they are unlocked. Because of
the controlled/restricted movement the men
are lucky if they get a shower every five or
six days.
They
have no in-cell sanitation facilities in
their cell. Having no water they are unable
to wash or shave; they have not had their
hair cut for some weeks. Many of them have
sores around and in their mouths which
leaves then very susceptible to infection.
Their weight loss has been rapid and their
sleeping pattern is seriously disrupted.
The
ethos and attitude of the prison warders is
even more vicious and they are in total
control of the jail. They make the decisions
and as there is no overall governor they
have a free hand.
On
June 13 they stepped up their protest by
embarking on a dirty protest. This protest
means they are now using the floor and the
walls of their cell to take their excrement
and urine. They had been using juice cartons
for their waste but these cartons are no
longer available to them.
The
men, when asked to, are refusing to strip
naked for the screws and be subjected to
intimate body searches which often means
they don't get their visits.
This
situation cannot be allowed to continue and
we call on people to register their protest
by writing/contacting all media outlets and
also and in particular those Nationalist
politicians who sit in Stormont claiming to
speak for the prisoners. Far from acting in
the interest of the prisoners, it is in the
interests of these British paid politicians,
Adams, McGuinness, O'Dowd, etc, to make sure
this prison protest is not given oxygen.
The
last thing they want is to be reminded of
the part they played in betraying all the
1980/81 hunger strikers by signing away the
status they won by 10 deaths in 1981. These
people are part and parcel of the British
government which is standing over the
conditions in Maghaberry.
They
draw their big salaries and would indeed
occupy the office of Minister of Justice in
the partitionist Stormont had not the
Unionists objected to such a deal.
But
the Provisionals backed David Ford for the
position, a man who believes the prisoners
are 'in a situation of their own making'.
Jane Enright
Woodside, New York
(back to index page)
Irish Echo --- May 26 - June 1, 2010
The opportunity to hear
On Sunday,
April 25th, the London Sunday
Times printed an article entitled“MI5 Files
Trawled in Bid to Jail Dissidents.” This
article has created quite a stir around the
Irish-American community and I feel
compelled to respond.
This article
should be on the editorial page since it
contains speculation and innuendo as well as
numerous inaccuracies. I also have a problem
with the media’s inaccurate use of the term
“dissident” republican.
Dissidents are
those who “disagree especially with an
established religious or political system,
organization, or belief” (Merriam-Webster
dictionary). In actual fact, Provisional
Sinn Féin, are the true dissidents. They are
dissidents from republicanism because they
have accepted British rule in the North.
They are
dissidents because they have endorsed
British policing and British “justice” in
the North. They are dissidents because they
recognize the 26 County Dáil Eireann as a
legitimate governmental entity.
In addition,
the provisional leadership has recently
hinted that they will soon take their seats
in Westminster. Thus, they are the
dissidents because, by their recognition of
Leinster House in 1986, they have dissented
from the traditional republican principles
enshrined in the 1916 declaration of a 32
County Irish Republic.
The republican
movement today is Republican Sinn Fein
which does not recognize the legitimacy of
the six or 26 county states in Ireland, both
of which were created by acts of the British
parliament against the wishes of the Irish
people.
In the second
half of this disjointed article, the authors
labeled RSF Vice President, Geraldine
Taylor, a “leading dissident.” I know
Geraldine Taylor personally. She is no
dissident. She has consistently and strongly
advocated for the end to British rule in
Ireland and the establishment of a 32
county, four province federal Ireland, with
self-governing parliaments in each of the
four provinces.
Mrs. Taylor was
in New York to accept an award from the
National Irish Freedom Committee. At the
awards dinner, she spoke of her love for her
country and her concern for republicans who
have been persecuted and imprisoned for
speaking out on the inadequacies of the Good
Friday Agreement. Over the entire course of
her life, Geraldine Taylor has provided
unwavering support for the cause of Irish
Freedom and is deserving of our thanks,
gratitude and admiration.
As an American
citizen, as well as a friend of Mrs. Taylor,
I resent the inference that she is a
dangerous person whom my government should
bar from visiting me or anyone here.
Geraldine Taylor is an old age pensioner who
spent her last day in New York shopping with
me for souvenirs to bring home to her
grandchildren.
As a member of
the NIFC, I resent the author’s portrayal of
our organization as a “dissident support
group.” As stated on our website,
www.irishfreedom.net, “the aim of this
organization is to preserve our
Irish-American cultural heritage and Fenian
traditions, and further the cause of Irish
freedom and reunification in compliance with
traditional Irish Republican values and
principles as defined by Wolfe Tone in 1798,
using all legal means at our disposal, as
did our exiled forebears.”
By stating that
“people associated with such groups,” i.e.
Geraldine Taylor and RSF … “are generally
not admitted” to the United States, are the
authors (of the Sunday Times article)
suggesting that American citizens should not
be allowed to hear from people who support
an alternative peace policy to the
British-authored, and clearly not working
Good Friday Agreement? Freedom of
information exchange is something this
American holds very dear. I think it is a
good thing that Americans had the
opportunity to hear about an Irish-authored
alternative peace plan that could actually
result in a just and lasting peace in all of
Ireland.
Jane Enright
Woodside, New York
(back to index page)
Irish
Voice, May 12 - 18, 2010 edition
"More Internment?".
I was
very concerned to hear of the arrest on
April 16 of Martin Corry, a longtime
Republican activist from Lurgan, Co. Armagh.
This man was not charged with any offense
and is being imprisoned simply because he is
an outspoken critic of the Good Friday
Agreement.
Corry
is a former political prisoner who served
his entire sentence rather than agree to
early release with conditions attached
(i.e., on license). The British have claimed
that his license (parole) has been revoked.
However, this man was not released on
license! His family has no information about
why he was picked up. This smacks of
internment to me.
I have
grave concerns about how the Brits are
planning to deal with, as they put it, the
"dissident problem." I urge your readers to
contact the British Consulate in New York at
212-745-0272 and insist that this man be
released immediately!
Mary
Gorman
Philadelphia, PA
(back to index page)
Published in the Irish Emigrant, May 3-9,
2010
