River Shannon Callows. This is a long diverse site which extends for approximately 50 km from the town of Athlone at the southern point of Lough Ree to the town of Portumna northern point of Lough Derg. The site mainly consists of seasonally flooded, semi-natural, lowland wet grassland along and beside the River Shannon. Smaller areas of lowland dry grassland, drainage ditches, freshwater marshes, reedbeds and wet woodland also occur within the site along the River Shannon. The study area also lies within the boundaries of the Middle Shannon Callows. The site covers the same area as the River Shannon Callows and therefore consists of the same habitats. The site is of international importance for wintering waterfowl and of national importance for breeding waterfowl.
The Video of Ireland below is great
but the amadain of a woman
narrating,
knows feck all about Ireland's
people with her sectarian war
nonsense and Londonderry. It is a
war of liberation and its Derry !
LIA FAIL
Fr John Fahy 1893-1969: Radical Republican
and Agrarian Activist
Fr Fahy was born in the townland of Burroge, in the parish of Killeenadeema, Loughrea, County Galway. He was one of a number of sons of John Fahy, a strong farmer and feverent member of the Irish National Land League, and Honoria Davock. He was ordained on 28 September 1919, serving in Dundee, Scotland, between 1919 and 1921. He served as the chaplain for a battalion of the Irish Volunteers and involved himself with the Scottish
nationalism movement. He supported Terence MacSwiney's fatal hunger strike, and traveled back to Ireland to attended the funeral of Michael Griffin (Irish priest) in November 1920. He was recalled to the diocese of Clonfert where he served as curate of Eyrecourt, Closetoken and Bullaunfrom 1921 to 1929.
From 1928, Fahy became involved with Peadar O'Donnell, who brought his campaign into east Galway. Fahy was arrested in 1929 on charges of obstructing a bailiff rescuing seized cattle. He refused to recognise the court, citing Irish republican legitimatism, and was imprisoned in Galway. This brought him to national attention, and raised important church-state issues. Fahy's bishop, John Dignan, invokedprivilegium fori, allowing Fahy to submit to him. He was tried and sentenced to seven weeks already served, and released. Bishop Dignan
transferred him back to Clostoken, where he would serve till 1932, and forbade him to publicly express political views. It is believed that the republican sympathies of Dignan and Monsignor John Bowes (Fahy's uncle), saved him from more serious consequences, despite Fahy's continued involvement in the IRA.
In 1945, he was transferred to Lusmagh, County Offaly, where in the late 1950s he was involved in ruralagitation. Farms were burned, cattle seized, and five activists arrested were forcibly freed from Lusmagh Garda station, which led to the Gardai raiding Fahy's house. He was moved to the parish of Abbey in Galway but remained active in republican circles until his death in 1969.
Fr John Fahy was born on June 14, 1893 near Loughrea, Co. Galway. He was educated at St Joseph’s College, Ballinasloe, trained at Maynooth, and ordained in September 1919.
Following ordination he went on loan to the diocese of Dunkeld. There he served in two parishes in Dundee: St Joseph’s from 1919 to 1920 and St Andrews’s/Pro-Cathedral parish from 1920 to 1921.
Most of the parishioners were descendants of Irish migrants. They were in menial occupations, had poor working conditions and were victims of anti-Catholic and anti-Irish bigotry. Instinctively opposed to injustice of any kind, Fahy set about improving their social conditions and in so doing he had as a close ally, Robert Stuart, a local communist well-known for his campaigning on behalf of the slum-dwellers of the city.
Betrayal
In November 1920 Fahy returned home for the funeral of his friend and fellow Clonfert diocesan priest, Fr Michael Griffin, who had been kidnapped and murdered by members of the crown forces. Thereafter he frequently spoke on behalf of the Sinn Féin club in Dundee and was a leading speaker at protests about the atrocities of the Black and Tans. At this time he also joined the IRA in Dundee and eventually was elected president of the Scottish Division of the Irish Republican Movement.
Following his return to Ireland in late 1921 Fahy was appointed as a curate in Eyrecourt and then to Clostoken. He regarded the Anglo-Irish Treaty as a betrayal, became recruiting officer for the IRA in East Galway and was involved in an attempt to purchase arms and ammunition from soldiers in the Free State army.
After the defeat of the Anti-Treatyites he channelled his energy into a campaign against the payment of the land annuities. He invoked the assistance of Peadar O’Donnell who had initiated the campaign in County Donegal, and thereafter they became life-long friends. For his illegal activities in connection with the anti-annuities campaign he was arrested and committed to jail for six weeks.
Influence
Despite the warnings and sanctions of Bishop John Dignan, Fahy continued his active involvement with the IRA until the election of the de Valera government in 1932. However, it is in connection with Lia Fail that he will be mostly remembered. He established this Association in November 1957.
The seven points setting out its aim were summed up in Ireland for the Irish. As it spread its influence to more than a dozen counties the first issue of its newspaper appeared in August 1958. It was edited initially by Fr Fahy and he was responsible for much of its content, including some of the most inflammatory contributions to it.
It demanded the re-distribution of the land of Ireland and railed against the Land Commission and the government for the failure to do so. Its attacks on those who were other than the ‘Plain People of Ireland’ were extremely bitter and intemperate.
In 1959 young men who were associates of Fahy drove cattle from land distributed by the Land Commission. They were arrested, but escaped from custody. The Garda searched for them in Fr Fahy’s house. This incident along with several others in east Galway, created headlines in the press.
Turbulent
Bishop William Philbin asked Fahy if he was involved with Lia Fail or the men sought by the Garda. He denied both suggestions. Philbin, however, was eventually constrained to move against Fahy. He dismissed him from his parish, and re-assigned him as a curate.
Fr. Fahy’s remaining years were not unpleasant. He continued to be active with the East Galway Hunt and occasionally travelled abroad. His devotional tract, The Sacrifice of the Mass: the greatest thing on Earth, was well received when it appeared in 1957; but he did not succeed in having further written work published.
Complex
Only the complexities of Irish life could explain the huge attendance of clergy and people who attended the funeral of Fr. Fahy, following his death on July 19 1969. For many he was a patriot, for others a turbulent priest.
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