RECONCILIATION

A DERRY PEACE MURAL

Shuan Woodward [the Labour MP for St Helens South and Whiston, was secretary of state for Northern Ireland 2007-2010] said :-
"So long as Northern Ireland avoids settling on a mechanism to deal justly and fairly with its past, this will continue to be the case. The continuing pain of survivors from all communities means the potential for the peace process to unravel – however unimaginable this might be – is still there."
He went on to say "Any effort to heal the wounds of the past must recognise a shared future. The people of Northern Ireland should now be given a chance to vote for a future that is certain and secure, with a time-limited mechanism to deal with outstanding problems. This is an opportunity we should not miss. Some good may yet come out of the instability and perils of the last few days."

***

Gerry Adams said :-
"There is only one way for our society to go, and that is forward. I am a united Irelander. I want to live in a citizen-centred, rights-based society. There is now a peaceful and democratic way to achieve this. The two governments are guarantors of the Good Friday agreement. They have failed in this responsibility. The future belongs to everyone. So, as well as the British and Irish governments, civic society, church leaders, trade unions, the media, academia and private citizens must find a way to provide positive leadership."

***

Private citizens can often find ways to bring reconciliation about and in doing so it can relieve the pain and grief of people who for years have clung on to their prejudices, like  old worn overcoats.

It takes a great deal of courage for each individual to face up and recognise their wrong beliefs, actions and thoughts.
Once having done so it is often necessary to  contact those whom we have hurt by apologising and asking for their understanding and forgiveness. The latter may not come by one meeting it may take several consultations to achieve.

I would like to share with you an example regarding conflict
which occurred in the past, though not in Ireland.
There was a family who in the 1950's lived in a house in England, together with another occupant, an elderly lady(Ms E) who had a lost a brother in the first World War. She mourned his loss almost continuously and vehemently disliked all Germans.
The son of the family went on a school exchange holiday to Germany for two weeks and his hosts were a German family. About a month later, the son of the host family in Germany, we'll call him W,came over to stay in the UK in the shared house.

Ms E made strong objections in regards to having a German under the same roof as her and a great deal of discussion took place - eventually she agreed to meet W. The outcome was that Ms E was greatly impressed by his courtesy towards her and so enamoured that she eventually took a holiday in Germany.

To my mind it is often the case that many of us hate a group of people, be they of different ethnicity, religion, sexuality or political views, without having ever met a person of that group. We base our hatred on pre-conceived ideas which come from many sources and the only way to turn this hatred into 
understanding is to meet and talk.  

An Excellent Meeting

A smiling Gerry Adams

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams addressed a packed meeting at the Alexander Hotel in Dublin last night (6th May), his second since his release from custody by the PSNI in Antrim on Sunday, he was sharply critical of the Taoiseach and the British government.

“When Martin McGuinness spoke about the danger to the process coming from the ‘dark side’ within the PSNI, the Taoiseach’s response was to suggest he should make a complaint to the Ombudsman. What about his responsibility?” he asked.

“The Taoiseach cannot pass the buck on this issue, nor can he trot out trite responses that have more to do with electoral concerns. The Irish people, North and South, endorsed the Good Friday agreement. It is the people’s agreement.

“Enda Kenny and David Cameron and their governments are the joint guarantors of the agreement. That means standing up to those who threaten it,” Mr Adams told supporters.
“The Taoiseach cannot pass his responsibility on this issue,” he said.

Junior partners
All taoisigh, he claimed, have been treated as junior partners [by the British]. “They behave as junior partners,” he said. “That doesn’t mean they have to be dogmatic, but it does mean they have to stand up for the Good Friday agreement.”

On the issue of addressing the legacy of the Troubles, Mr Adams said Sinn Féin accepted compromise proposals put forward by US envoys Richard Haass and Meghan O’Sullivan earlier this year, which unionist parties rejected.

Unionists, he said, were “bred on a diet of no surrender”, and would not negotiate unless they had to. He urged a renewed effort to agree a strategy to address the past.

Referring to his arrest last week, Mr Adams said: “If there was a charge against me, I would have been charged. Be in no doubt.”
But he added: “Sinn Féin is for policing. Let no one raise any ripples around this.
“What is clear: we need accountable, civic, public service policing. It is also clear we have work to do yet to achieve it. That is what we are up for doing.

Injustices
He said what had happened to Jean McConville was “dreadful and unjust”, and this was made worse because republicans were responsible.

“We cannot rail against British injustice unless we face up to injustices like this.”

Children today, he said, should be guaranteed the future that the McConville children and others did not have.

GERRY ADAMS - Freed

GERRY ADAMS - The President of Sinn Fein

This blogger is pleased to share with you all the great news that Gerry Adams is now free.

The Louth TD Gerry Adams was held in police custody for almost 96 hours under the Terrorism Act after he presented himself at Antrim Serious Crime Suite on Wednesday. He was released without charge at 5.45pm today Sunday.

Before his release Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly was granted access into the police station and spoke with the former west Belfast MP.

He said Mr Adams was "doing fine" but had concerns about the impact his arrest will have on the PSNI's image.

"Like myself and other members of Sinn Féin he believes that the timing of this was political," he said outside the station.

"He's worried about the damage it might be doing to the image of policing and that it's being mishandled in that type of fashion."

He said that during questioning, officers used "open source material" - including the Boston College tapes as well as old pictures, newspaper articles and Mr Adam's autobiography.

The recent police activity followed a decision by a US court compelling a Boston university to hand over to the PSNI recorded interviews with republicans about Mrs McConville's murder.

Mr Adams has always strenuously denied allegations levelled by former republican colleagues that he had any involvement in the murder of Mrs McConville.

International calls for release of Gerry Adams +

Gerry Adams & Alexis Tsipras

THE leader of Greece's SYRIZA coalition of the radical left and candidate for the Presidency of the European Commission, Alexis Tsipras, has called for the immediate and unconditional release of Gerry Adams.

His statement in full:

"The arrest and detention of the leader of Sinn Fein and pioneer of the peace process in Northern Ireland Gerry Adams is a politically inflammatory act against democracy and the always fragile peace and normality in the region.

"A so provocative initiative cannot but concern the entire democratic Europe. Because Gerry Adams is a major political personality of our times.

"Gerry Adams is not alone. He has on his side, apart from the Greek people, every democratic citizen in each corner of Europe, who despises the scapegoat policy as well as opportunistic pre-electoral actions, a few days ahead of the local and European elections of May 23rd in Ireland.

"In my capacity as President of SYRIZA and European Left candidate for the Presidency of the European Commission, I ask for the immediate and unconditional liberation of Gerry Adams."

***

Further:
INTERNATIONAL pressure is growing for the release of Gerry Adams following his politically-motivated arrest by the PSNI.

Greece - Protesters from the SYRIZA political coalition, the second-largest political group in the Greek parliament, demonstrated outside the British Embassy in Athens where party leader and candidate for President of the EU Commission, Alexis Tsipras, called for the immediate and unconditional release of the imprisoned TD.

USA - Republican Congressman Peter King told NBC News that the political implications of Gerry Adams' arrest will cause growing tension in the North. He added that he has known Gerry Adams for 30 years and described him as "always truthful" and "more instrumental than anyone" in bringing peace to Ireland.

Democratic Congressman Richard E. Neal told the Boston Globe that the arrest is “one of those unsettling moments” and said he was suspicious of the timing, which comes just before elections. “It all seems pretty murky,” he said.

Basque Country - Basque pro-Independence party Sortu, which makes up the Basque Parliament's opposition EH Bildu coalition, described the arrest as an attack on the Peace Process and "an attempt stop the unstoppable advance of republicanism in the whole island of Ireland."

Catalonia - The Young Republican Left of Catalonia (JERC), the youth wing of Esquerra, the second-largest political grouping in Catalonia, described the arrest as "an attempt to discredit him and his political organization, Sinn Fein, in a moment in which the local and European elections seem to be very favourable."

 Italy - Banners calling for the release of Gerry Adams were carried by left-wing demonstrators during the annual May Day march in the city of Milan.

News Bulletin!

HUGE crowds gathered on the Falls Road in Belfast on Saturday afternoon to demand the release of Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams.

A mural was launched at the event in support of the imprisoned republican leader. Many of those at the event carried posters calling for his release and comparing him to Nelson Mandela. Others condemned the arrest as an attack on the Peace Process.

The North's Deputy First Minister, Martin McGuinness, spoke to the crowd describing the arrest of the Louth TD as being "designed to disrupt the election campaign".

McGuinness also queried how some could claim the timing of the arrest was not a very blatant act of political policing:

"The PSNI has had the Boston tapes for a year.

"The allegations contained in books and newspaper articles which the PSNI are presenting to Gerry as evidence that he was in the IRA in the 1970s have been around for 40 years.

"But they are only now trying to use these. Is that not political policing?"

He also hit out at the double standards at play in terms of the failure of the PSNI to arrest those British soldiers behind the Ballymurphy or Bloody Sunday massacres.

The Mid-Ulster MLA added:

"Gerry Adams stands head and shoulders above all of those who helped build the peace process.

"He is a peace maker, a leader, a visionary.

"There would be no peace process but for his commitment and dedication.

"Gerry Adams is committed to moving this process forward."

GERRY ADAMS & the PSNI

Deputy Minister Martin McGuiness

Martin McGuiness seen speaking to reporters at the Assembly, the Sinn Féin MLA said Gerry Adams has been the single most important person in building peace in Ireland on 1st May 2014
ref: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpwZdV4MSwM#t=11

***

In a statement issued today 2nd May the Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness MLA has accused the British government and elements of the PSNI of “pursuing a negative and destructive political agenda”. Mr. McGuinness said:

“Yesterday I said that the timing of the arrest of Gerry Adams was politically motivated.

Today’s decision by the PSNI to seek an extension confirms me in my view. The arrest of Gerry Adams at this time is inextricably linked to the Local Government and EU elections that will take place across this island in three weeks.

Sinn Féin fully supports the fair and democratic implementation of policing and justice but it is clear that there are elements of the PSNI – what some in that force have described to us as the Dark Side – who continue to work to a negative and anti-peace process agenda and are involved in political policing.

Peter Robinson has said that if the police have evidence and don’t act on it that this would be political policing.

The British Secretary of State claims that no one should be above the law. I agree with both statements but the reality is much different.

There is clear evidence of political policing and of the difference of approach and treatment taken in dealing with those who are members or former members of British state forces and those who are republican and nationalist.

- For example: the British Parachute Regiment murdered 14 people on the streets of Derry in 1972. The PSNI know the soldiers who did this. Have they acted on this evidence? No. Is this political policing? Yes it is.

- The PSNI know who killed 11 civilians in Ballymurphy in 1971. Not one has been arrested. Is this political policing? Yes it is.

- Last week Theresa Villiers told the Ballymurphy families there would be no review of their cases. Is this political interference? Yes it is.

- The British Government refuses to provide information and evidence it has on the Dublin/Monaghan bombings which killed 33 citizens. Is this political interference in the justice system? Yes it is.

- In a key note speech two weeks ago, the British Secretary of State criticised what she described as the one sided focus on state killings. Is this political interference in policing and the justice system? Yes it is.

The indisputable fact is that for 40 years there has been a virtual amnesty for British state forces involved in killing citizens both directly and through state collusion with unionist death squads.

There are many progressive and open-minded elements in the new policing arrangements who are wedded to accountable and impartial policing.

I want to emphasis my absolute support for them in their efforts to deliver impartial and accountable policing.

But there is a small cabal in the PSNI who have a different agenda – a negative and destructive agenda to both the peace process and to Sinn Féin.

Sinn Féin under the leadership of Gerry Adams will not allow these elements to succeed.

A DAY OF DELIGHTS

The day started at about 4-30 a.m, as it always does whenever the First Light filters through the curtains. My time of rising varies throughout the year, subjected as I am to the Sun. The one blessing is that now that I am retired I can always slip back into bed for a short sleep. 

The Waning Crescent at 5-00 this morning 26th April.

Sunrise was at 6-10. We are approx GMT -30 minutes.

Our bathroom goddess Boann.

We have given our bathroom a going over (a make over) and she who has been gracing the wall above our bath was included in the process. Mrs H gave her |(Boann) a repaint plus with the addition of crystals, pearls and shells. In candlelight she positively glows

giving the setting a peaceful atmosphere, whilst one relaxes in a hot bath.

A 6 year old Pear Tree

I have never seen so much blossom on our pear tree, unfortunately if we are to have any decent sized fruit, we shall have to drastically remove many of the small pears. For  I think that it were let go then many of it's slender branches would break off.

A macro shot of a pear floret.

While  taking a few photo's of the tree I was unable to resist the beauty of the floret.

A mixed fruit cheesecake.

This last photo is actually some research. That Mrs H and I felt that we had to undertake, in order to fully prepare for our visitors who will be descending on us early next month.

Our unanimous verdict is that this cheesecake is one of the finest that either of us has ever tasted. In a word it is truly Sumptuous!

So much so that I am wondering if it might be too rich for them and am considering

whether it is possibly a Health and Safety issue. I shall be guided on this by the blog readers comments.

THE BURREN revisited Part 2

This post continues our recent trip across the magnificent landscape of The Burren.

LOUGH BUNNY

Despite the name this lough has nothing to do with rabbits. The English name is loosely based upon the phonetic of the Irish name (as are all anglicised names in Ireland) Today's Irish name is Lough Buinne, 'buinne' meaning a torrent or gush of water however in 1660 the name was spelt as Loughbuna, in 1685 Loughbunagh and in 1787 Lough Buneah, all of which have a similar phonetic. There are two rough translations for these names: Lake of the flood or Lake at the foot of the mountain.

Lough Bunny is a permanent lake in a karstic limestone area of County Clare.The lough's length is 2.4 km with the greatest width at 740m, the depth ranges from 2.7M to 14m.

The fish are Perch,Rudd,Pike and the European eel.

Further information see -: http://www.burrengeopark.ie/wp-content/uploads/ArchiveFiles/BurrenGeology/A_hydrographic_study_of_Lough_Bunny.pdf

A Portal Tomb

Parknabinnia (Parc na binnia) Is a townland whose name means field of the peak. There are about six or seven similar portal tombs within a few metres of each other in this townland.

Front end of the tomb

(I  do not know of a better place to be & rest my bones)

The name Burren comes from the Gaelic, meaning 'a rocky place'. Historically the name Burren referred to the Barony of Burren situated in north-west County Clare. Geographically, the name has a far wider and more complex sense and meaning. The Burren area extends some 40.2 km from east to west, and 32.2 km from north to south. It lies between Galway Bay on the north, the Atlantic coast on the west and a line drawn roughly through Doolin, Kilfenora, Gort and Kinvara. However, there is some characteristic 'Burren' outside this area to the east where one can find the same rocky features, though not as concentrated. 

The rocks in the Burren region were deposited when Ireland was located ~ 10°S of the Equator, during the Carboniferous period in the Earths' history, approximately 359-299 millions of years ago. The limestones were deposited during the Viséan stage (345-326 millions of years ago) of the Carboniferous, and the sandstones, siltstones and shales, during the Namurian stage (326-315 millions of years ago).

Slieve Carron  or Eagles Rock

Slieve Carron Nature Reserve (or Eagle’s Rock as it is known to locals) is state-managed land located in the heart of the north Burren, not too far from Kinvara. It has diverse habitats including grassland, limestone pavements, heathland, mature hazel woodland and grazing pastures, all of which hold a richness of species. Aside from its ecology Slieve Carron NR is also the host to a fulacht fiadh, a holy well, the site of a hermitage cave and oratory. 

Not a Quarry.

One of the most distinctive features of the Burren hills are the stepped, terraced sides. It is easy for a visitor to believe they are looking at man-made quarries, rather than natural features. For these terraces were formed because the limestone layers are actually separated by thin bands of mudstone,rainwater gradually washes away the layers of mudstone, eating into the hillside. 

Eventually, so much of the mudstone layer is washed away that
the overlying layer of limestone layer on top becomes unstable and eventually collapses under its own weight. This often leaves piles of loose blocks and boulders at the base of the terrace.  

We shall return again on a future day when the mood takes us and visit other parts of this magical landscape for there is so much more to share with you.

Coccinella 7-punctata - A Ladybird.

I just happened to look out of the window this morning at my over grown grass that needs cutting and there to my surprise was one solitary ladybird, a beetle that I haven't seen for a couple of years and perhaps because of the rain.

So I nipped out with my camera and took a  macro shot of this delightful creature to share with you all.

A few facts that I have gleaned are :-

That this particular type is probably at least as widespread as the 14-spot ladybird in Ireland though less common in upland areas and more generally scarce in heather moorland. It is worth saying that we do live in an upland area!

Ecology
It was recorded mainly from herbaceous swards (12 occasions), and to a much lesser extent on conifer (2) or broadleaf (1) foliage or in heather (1).  Larvae have been found by sweeping in overgrown, floriferous, mainly legume-dominated swards (2) or on Cirsium arvense (3) in semi-improved pasture.

Variation

The intensity of ground colour may vary and the relative size of spots, but otherwise variation is limited.

My hope is that this sighting is an omen which will give us a splendid summer !

UPDATE !
Gender identification of ladybirds is extremely difficult and virtually impossible on live ladybugs even for the experts.

Behavioural and ecological research on H. axyridis, including examination of its positive and negative impacts, could benefit from in-field techniques for sexing this coccinellid. As mentioned by Majerus (1994), the sex of coccinellid adults can be easily determined through dissection, but more efficient techniques for sexing live adults are necessary. 

Non-destructive sex determination in coccinellids is generally difficult, with no characters applicable across the taxon (Majerus 1994; Hodek and Honek 1996). Despite the lack of all encompassing characters for sex determination, sexual dimorphism does appear to exist within most species. For many species, males are smaller with lighter pigmentation on the anterior portion of the head and slightly longer antennae (Hodek and Honek 1996). .

The Burren revisited pt 1

We were suffering from cabin sickness the other weekend and the remedy for this malady is long drive, on roads which at this time of the year are relatively deserted and free from tourist traffic. So we headed west with a flask of coffee, freshly made rolls and our four legged companion Toby to the Burren in west Clare.

To see the best of this area it is necessary to drive along the narrowest tarmac road that you can find, for it is on them that gems are hidden.

In one of the folds of the Burren limestone sits an almost cottage type industry known as The Burren Perfumery, which is a great draw for tourists as well as the indigenous population who are looking high quality organic perfumes, many of which are made from plants that grow in this remarkable area.

The perfumery is well sheltered from the winds by the spindly trees that surround this unique place and the approach from it's small car parks are via twisty paths which terminate on a large level courtyard.

The shop is light and airy with plenty of space for visitors to roam around and inspect the various products, all of which have testers so that you can find perfect scent for you.

What I find particularly good is that the staff are warm and very friendly, you feel as if you have known them for years.

Shop entrance

On the opposite side of the courtyard is the cafe where various beverages are served, among which are the mouth watering, delicious homemade cakes and fruit tarts, all of which are organic. Even the milk that goes into your tea or coffee comes from an Irish organic farm.

For further information please visit:  http://www.burrenperfumery.com

The Rock of Dunamaise, a possible rumour ?

The Rock of Dunamaise is to be demolished.

Last month’s heavy storm force winds, which contributed to the destruction of the castle at Coolbanagher, has severely undermined the foundations of the Rock of Dunamaise.

Works commenced today (Tuesday) demolishing the historic landmark, on health and safety grounds because of its current unstable and fragile condition.

So un-secure are the remaining medieval dry stone castle walls that the Department of Public Buildings issued an immediate notice to demolish the entire castle at the beginning of March. At least four British-based salvage companies competed for the tender. London-based company Solid as a Rock Ltd received the contract, as well as €1,675,000 from the department to carry out the work.

The Laois Nationalist has learned that the company intends dismantling the Rock brick by brick and transporting each one to Britain and America for resale. Experts in the salvage trade said that the castle bricks, because of their huge historical significance, could fetch up to $35 dollars each on the American market. They say that Solid as a Rock stand to make millions of euro if they pitch the rocks at the right market.

The weakening of the Rock, which proved a favourite location for many Hollywood blockbuster movies, including Darby O’Gill and the Little People, comes despite some €1.6m being spent on its preservation and strengthening eight years ago.

The company has begun advertising for 65 part-time positions to be filled under various job internship schemes, including JobBridge.

Over its historical past, the Rock, which is an internationally acclaimed architectural treasure, has been plundered, pillaged, racked and ruined, but still held firm against all-comers.

A group of local amateur historians have drawn up what they describe as “battle plans to defend the Rock.”
© The Laois Nationalist