Republican News · Thursday 22 November 2001

Pat McGeown Memorial

A Chairde,

The Falls/Clonard 1981 Commemoration Committee intend to bring to a conclusion our yearlong celebration of the lives of the H Block Martyrs by unveiling a memorial plaque to Pat 'Beag' McGeown.

Pat's untimely death in October 1996 was a massive loss, not only for his family but for the republican community as a whole. It is widely acknowledged that the 1981 Hunger Strike directly contributed to Pat's death and it is indeed fitting that he be remembered in this momentous year.

The unveiling will take place at McKelvey House Sinn Féin Centre, Falls Road/Sevastopol Street at 2pm on Saturday 24 November and we are requesting that as many people as possible turn out to commemorate this soldier, politician, community activist and bridge builder.

Gerard Fusco,
Robert McClenaghan,
Falls/Clonard '80/'81 Committee

The truth must out

A Chairde,

I read with interest in An Phoblacht last week about the murder of Kathleen Thompson on 6 November 1971 in Derry. Kathleen was murdered by a member of the Royal Green Jackets (2nd Batt). No one was ever charged with Mrs Thompson's murder, nor was there an inquiry.

It is no coincidence that 15 days previously in Belfast, the Royal Green Jackets (3rd Batt) also murdered two sisters, Maura Meehan and Dorothy Maguire. Again, no one was ever charged with the killings. I have just finished writing a book, 'Bridget's Daughters', chronicling the events of their deaths and the subsequent cover-up and falsification of evidence by the RUC/British Army.

The interesting thing is that I have the names of the soldiers involved who fired the fatal shots in the form of their statements to the inquest.

Like the Thompson family, the Meehan/Maguire families and many other families have waited long enough for the truth to be exposed and acknowledged. Thiurty years is too long to wait for the truth; it can not only make 'a stone of the heart' but it can also imprison us all still.

Rosaleen Walsh,
Belfast

FF Holy Cross rejection

A Chara,

At the November meeting of Dublin City Council, I, along with my three Sinn F?in colleagues, proposed an emergency motion asking that Dublin's Lord Mayor and group leaders from each party make a visit to North Belfast to show support for the beleaguered children of the Holy Cross school in Ardoyne. Although the

motion was backed by Labour and Independents, to my amazement, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael combined to refuse the motion a hearing.

At the time I reluctantly accepted Fianna Fáil's explanation that the motion was not tabled in time. However, since then, I have discovered that similar motions in other councils have also been opposed by FF. For example, in Carrickmacross UDC, FF failed to support a motion backing the Holy Cross children and even refused to allow the proposer, Cllr Matt Carthy, the right to reply.

I am still trying to figure out what Fianna Fáil is playing at. Are they opposing these motions simply because Sinn Féin is proposing some of them? It certainly makes a mockery of FF's new "republican credentials", which it proclaimed with the funerals of Kevin Barry and the rest of the Mountjoy Ten and their Ard Fheis decision to organise in the 32 Counties.

Cllr Dessie Ellis,
Finglas,
Dublin 11