Wednesday, August 08, 2007

CURRAGH CAMP/HENRY DOHERTY/NICKY KELLY.


'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP'.......
From 'The United Irishman' newspaper, January 1958 .

WICKLOW :
Francis Wogan , Churchill , Enniskerry .
Seamus Costello, Dublin Road , Bray .
Michael Fortune , 5 Brennan's Parade , Bray .
Desmond Byrne , 41 O'Byrne Road , Bray .

WEXFORD :
Henry Goff , Killagoley , Enniscorthy .
Matt Finucane , Ballybrody , Ruane , was unconditionally released for eye treatment .

[END of 'IN CURRAGH CONCENTRATION CAMP']
(Next : 'Terence MacSwiney Said' - from the same source)



HENRY DOHERTY : 44 DAYS ON HUNGER-STRIKE.......

From 'Wigmore' column , 'MAGILL' magazine, March 1986.

Censorship of letters apart , the natural conclusion to this is that every prisoner can go on hunger strike in all the prisons - Mountjoy, Limerick, Portlaoise - and fast to the death , and the (State) Department of Justice are obliged to tell nobody what is going on ! Body after body can come out of the prisons and the State Department may say that it was up to the prisoner concerned to tell his family .

That Department now obviously feel that they are under no obligation to tell a family when a prisoner goes on hunger strike : the inference to be drawn from this is that , although the Department are responsible for the welfare of prisoners , this obligation does not extend to anyone outside the prison ! It sounds as if the Department are heading back to the bad old days when Ernest Blythe was a State Minister .

His policy with regard to hunger strikers was quite simple - firstly , isolate them . Then impose a news blackout and if they died , bury them within the prison walls .

[END of ' HENRY DOHERTY : 44 DAYS ON HUNGER-STRIKE ']
(Next : ' A Question Of Liberation' - from 1983)





NICKY KELLY: STATE HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT.......
From 'Wigmore' Column , MAGILL magazine, February 1986 .

British 'Lord' Denning stated - " If the six men win , it will mean that the police were guilty of perjury , that they were guilty of violence and threats , that the confessions were involuntary and that the convictions were erroneous . This is such an appalling vista that every sensible person in the land would say - 'It cannot be right that these actions should go any further' " . Two paragraphs later the good judge made the immortal remark - " This case shows what a civilised country we are ."

The Birmingham Six case was 'estopped' on the grounds that the matter had already been decided and the action would be an abuse of the courts . The Nicky Kelly case was 'estopped' on the same grounds ! State Justice O'Hanlon was acting on precedent established by British 'Lord' Denning , and once the State government brought its 'estoppel' action he had no choice .

That is how the law works , but for the government to use the notorious Birmingham Six case as a barricade to prevent Nicky Kelly reaching a jury , after its invitation that he take such a course , bespeaks standards that have no shame .

[END of ' NICKY KELLY: STATE HIGH COURT JUDGEMENT ']
(Next : 'Kerry Death Mystery' - from 2003)