Anyone who reads this Irish Blog regularly, would be aware that I have perhaps been Gerry Adams fiercest critic, and that I was raging on the child abuse issue in Ireland and within the Provisionals, long before it went mainstream. My motivation was the enormity of this particular crime and the enabling denial within Irish society for so long about this issue. What heaped further rage on the matter for me, is that this horrendous crime is still used by the British, to manipulate Irish society, through blackmail at every level of society both North and South on the Island. This for me is the ultimate crime against humanity, and all human rights activists need to consider it, as one of their primary, targets, with campaigns for transparency. It is also proof if anymore were needed, of the malign nature and effect of British interference in Ireland.
The Irish writer Oscar Wilde, wrote, "The truth is rarely pure and never simple." From personal experience of Irish politics, I would have to reluctantly agree. What is currently, particularly galling for me, is to witness establishment political parties of Fine Gael, Labour and Fianna Fail, along with their colleagues in the British secret services, using the most vulnerable part of our society, i.e. sexually abused children, as a stick to beat the emerging challenge of an alternative party, slightly more to the left and perhaps more independent of British influence, particularly, with the possibilities of large numbers of independents, being returned at the nest election. All of these three parties, were the principal participants in the 'SYSTEMIC' sexual abuse of Irish children, since the foundation of the 'Irish Free State' as the highly expensive, official inquires reported. They were fully aware of the extent of it and had the power to end it, of that, there can be no doubt. That is the now the transparent record of Fianna Fail, Fine Gael and Labour in power in the corrupt, illusionary 'Free State of Ireland'.
When it comes to Gerry Adams and Provisional Sinn Fein, we are moving into Oscar Wilde territory, that is not simply my opinion, that is my own experience. When I worked voluntarily in the Provisional's Centre in Newry, while a very intense war by the British, was raging in the background, a few reports came to my desk there, of senior IRA persons in Dundalk being involved in child abuse. I can categorically state, that I did everything humanly possible to deal with it, other than take the 'law' into my own hands and eliminate the person personally without sufficient proof, that the reports were authentic. I also firmly believe, that every person is entitled to a jury of 12 of their peers, for any serious crime, which is not the case in British Occupied Ireland. Anything less than 12 jurors, permits all sorts of contrived abuse, in my humble opinion. This simply is still not possible in that part of Ireland, because there is still a low intensity war being fought there.
As someone who has lambasted Gerry Adams and his colleagues for years, I have to admit there are some positive aspects to Adams personally. Yes, it was the correct time to end the long war for numerous reasons, too complex to deal with here. However I disagree vehemently, with the secret contrived manner of how that was made to happen. Adams has tried to engage in proactive politics, rather than the abyss of reactionary politics, i.e. allow the British and their puppets continually set the agenda, while Irish republicans and the Left, are left to simply flounder in reactionary activity. I will give him credit for that but to return to the subject at hand, I believe people like Adams, would not be alive today, if he confronted the monster of child abuse within the Provisionals thoroughly.
During the course of the long war, a regular feature of life for any Irish Republican, was to be taken regularly to interrogation centres like Gough Barracks or Castlereagh and be interrogated for up to a week, which now has been extended to 28 days. As a result of this activity, over the course of the years of the long war, they were able to infiltrate and manipulate their agents into the most senior positions, within the organization and engineer consent, to some British policies in Ireland and I believe they continue with this, in subsequent secret societies. That for me, was a justifiable reason to change direction and stop wasting precious life.
Interrogation in Gough Barracks was also a regular feature of my own life in Newry. One of the first things that became obvious to me, was that their primary focus, was profiling, e.g. was I dove or a hawk? Over time, it became clear, that they were well versed on most of the activity on the ground in Newry. All serious operations carried out there, were conducted from elsewhere. In my case they were more interested in profiling me and trying to cultivate a working relationship, which never happened. They seemed desperate for information about the rural area of South Armagh, which had stronger family and community bonds, that they appeared unable to break. I wish I could say the same about the more urban, deprived area of Newry, which produced some of the finest volunteers, who were forced to operate from elsewhere. Family ties and loyalty, are a critical part of this matter but it also carries it's negatives, as in the case of child abuse, which the British exploit to the maximum.
In the period leading up to the Irish Holocaust and since, in deprived areas of desperate poverty with large Catholic families, there was often, more than 20 persons sleeping in a single small room, whether it be tenements of Dublin, rural hovels of poverty in the countryside or in the gerrymandered neighbourhoods of the sectarian north, where inevitably all sorts of deviancy evolved. The victims often commit suicide, engage in self-destructive behaviour, such as alcoholism or drug addiction in modern Ireland. Those who survive it, often identify British Imperialism and their Irish gombeen agents, as the source of their rage. I personally grew up in a very violent home, where I blamed my blueshirt father to the point of hatred, as the source of that violence but as I grew older I realized it was bit more complex than that. Ultimately though I blamed British Imperialism. As I have traveled around the World, I can see it is far from confined to the British. When I caught myself over-chastising two of my sons, while I had a hangover, I realized from own childhood experience, that the best thing I could do for my children, was walk away. This is by no means for any human being, an easy choice.
Anyway to get back to Gerry Adams and Provisional Sinn Fein, there are many careerist there, that I have no time for them at all but there are some, for whom I would have a grudging respect. To cut a long story short, I firmly believe that Adams, no more than any other member of his party, with the exception of Martin McGuinness and a few of his cronies, had the power to stop child abuse within the ranks of the IRA. I am convinced that had they tried to do so, they would have been eliminated, ruthlessly, immediately by both the British and their gombeen agents, such as the fascist blueshirts in Ireland.They know who they are, enlightened Irish people know who they are and unless there is a proper transparent, truth and reconciliation process set up in Ireland, there is a day of reckoning coming on the island with a fury, that will make Rwanda look like a twelfth of July bonfire. Personally, I will reluctantly give Adams, because of family, community and war extenuating circumstance, along with a few of his colleagues, the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Mairia Cahill, featured in the article below from the Irish Times, obviously has the same courage as her grandfather, in her backbone, to speak out about all of this. So have all of the the other victims, both female and male, who have spoken out, but from raging all of my life at my own father and his many images in Ireland, the jury is still out with me, on numerous Irish women who were aware of the endemic child rape but for various reasons, have mostly stayed silent or indeed attacked, people like Sinead O'Connor who has protested about it. I'm also aware that I am writing this from a male perspective, albeit with a strong feminine side. Only an Irish mother with strong maternal instincts, can write about this. I'm still waiting and I believe women, particularly in Irish public life, have a responsibility to do so. I was told a long time ago in the Netherlands, who themselves also have a huge problem with this, that we are as sick as our secrets. Secrecy seems to be an endemic part of contemporary Irish culture. I was also told that the truth will make me free and to a large extent it has. I am writing this on a tropical island thousands of miles away from Ireland, whether I could safely write it and stay alive in Ireland is rather doubtful. There are thousands of men and women like me, walking around Ireland, who will take their dark secrets to their graves, many of them prematurely, unless elected representatives of the people, have the courage to take responsibility and do the right thing, as opposed to their own thing.
As I have repeated often in this blog, I am not a religious person but this dark chapter of Irish life has consumed my soul for most of my life. One person has witnessed me rant and rave about it for more than 20 years, paradoxically he is an Englishman, whom I first told when I met him, that I should shoot. His political beliefs are quite different to mine but I can say, he is my best friend. I am glad this very long dark chapter of Irish life, has at long last seen the light of day in Ireland, but I still rage, that it is still exploited by the political parties of the Irish and British establishment, for personal and party gain. This is nothing short of criminal, bearing in mind, that they and their parties have never been brought to account by the Irish media or its injustice system, for their critical, enabling part in this most horrendous of crimes. There will be no one happier, when this meets closure but there can be no shortcuts, only the truth can make us all free. It no longer keeps me personally, away from the Sunlight of the Spirit, except on the odd bad day. It was enabled by people who understood and who stayed with me patiently through it, only because, they understood it from their own experience. I also learned that it is better to keep counsel, than speak with someone who does not understand or have a similar experience. This can be critical for those who are suicidal. I can safely say, that I have made far more mistakes in my lifetime, than the average person, and the only reason I am still around, is the quality of mercy I have been shown.
Last month, someone, whom I knew quite well from Newry and for whom I would probably have taken a bullet, was interned for political reasons and by the course of the abnormal injustice system there, may well spend the rest of his life interned. I would not take a bullet for him today, not because of anything he has done since but simply because I value life in general, including my own, far more now. Sadly, that is selfish but without it, I would not be alive to write this. I value what I write, principally because some of these facts, are something that any young potential volunteer needs to consider, very carefully, before they commit. Like a carpenter, you can measure often but you only commit once. That is not say, that my dreams for Ireland have changed, but I believe they can be achieved intelligently, with persistence and remembering again what Mairead Farrell said. "that our head is our best weapon", with the minimum of violence.
Merchant of Venice - Shakespeare
The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes: ‘T is mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes The throned monarch better than his crown: His sceptre shows the force of temporal power, The attribute to awe and majesty, Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; But mercy is above this sceptred sway; It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings, It is an attribute to God himself; And earthly power doth then show likest God’s When mercy seasons justice. Therefore, Jew, Though justice be thy plea, consider this, That, in the course of justice, none of us Should see salvation: we do pray for mercy; And that same prayer doth teach us all to render The deeds of mercy. I have spoke thus much To mitigate the justice of thy plea; Which if thou follow, this strict court of Venice Must needs give sentence ‘gainst the merchant there.
Up to 30 names of alleged IRA sex offenders have now been given to gardaí, Ms Cahill claims
A file photo of Maíria Cahill arriving at the Dáil earlier this month for a debate on allegations of sexual abuse by members of the republican movement. Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
Tim O'Brien
Sun, Nov 23, 2014, 16:21
First published:Sun, Nov 23, 2014, 15:15
Maíria Cahill has said more than 30 names of alleged IRA sex offenders have now been given to gardaí.
Ms Cahill, who claims the IRA covered up and failed to report her alleged rape and sexual assault by a leading republican, said over the last five weeks many more people had contacted her with relevant information about alleged sexual abuse by members of the IRA.
In relation to the number of alleged abusers who details have been given to police, Ms Cahill said: “This week I spent quite a number of hours with the gardaí passing on information which I had received, for the second time in a month.
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FG TD seeks laws for IRA abuse case whistleblowers“We are looking at probably around four times the number of names now, that Regina Doherty said in the Dáil, that she had passed on eight names to the gardaí”.
Ms Cahill said she had been contacted by other victims immediately after the BBC spotlight programme broadcast her allegations. She said it was “horrendous” people had been only confident enough to contact her on social media such as Twitterand Facebook, “but also very good that those victims did come forward” and she had “signposted them on” to both the PSNI and the gardaí and agencies could help them.
She said these were people who had similar experiences to her own “through IRA internal investigations into their sexual abuse”.
She also said some people who were not victims had come forward with information in relation to the alleged abusers.
Asked on RTE’s Saturday Night Show if she believed the abuse was “endemic”, Ms Cahill replied a lot of new information had come out about alleged IRA abuse in the last five weeks.
She compared this to the allegations of clerical sex abuse in theCatholic Church, where it “was ten years before the full extent was realised.”
Speaking about her experience Ms Cahill said the abuse and the difficulty in being brought before the IRA inquiry affected her entrance to university.
“Something had to give. Unfortunately for me the thing that gave was university. She said she began taking sleeping pills and when one woman who had been part of the IRA inquiry apologised to her for what had happened, it had been “beyond traumatic”.
She said being an abuse victim was like being somebody’s rag doll and the IRA investigation was a similar lack of control.
Ms Cahill said she went into psychiatric care for week, and was released but ultimately attempted an overdose in 2007, which she said was “rock bottom” and had to do something particularly because she was “haunted” that other children might be at risk.
“I didn’t want other people to have to go through that”. She said she didn’t regret for a second speaking out about what had happened.
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