Orangeman’s GAA complaint kicked out

The tribunal ruled that the Orangeman’s complaint had ‘no substance or merit’

AN ORANGEMAN working at the Department for Social Development who told an employment tribunal that a photo of a charity GAA match on the DSD website discriminated against him and harassed him on religious and political grounds has lost his claim.

Orangeman Bradley Martin lodged the complaint because the photo was taken at Casement Park in west Belfast.

On 16 March 1988, loyalist paramilitary Michael Stone launched a grenade and gun attack on the funeral in west Belfast  of the ‘Gibraltar Three’ IRA Volunteers – Mairéad Farrell, Dan McCann and Seán Savage. The three republicans were shot dead by the SAS in Gibraltar on 6 March 1988.

Mourners IRA Volunteer Caoimhín Mac Brádaigh, John Murray and Thomas McErlean were killed by Stone as they heroically tried to protect people at the funeral from the loyalist attack.

Three days later, as Volunteer Mac Brádaigh’s funeral cortege made its way to Milltown Cemetery on Saturday 19 March, two British Army soldiers in a civilian car, armed and in plainclothes, drove into the crowd of mourners. Fearing an attack similar to that carried out by Stone just 72 hours earlier, mourners overwhelmed and disarmed the soldiers. They were then taken away by the IRA and executed close to Casement Park.

Orangeman Bradley Martin objected to Casement Park being referred to in 2012 (in a sporting context) as “hallowed ground” in a news item about a fund-raiser in aid of the Children’s Hospice.

Ruling out his claim, the tribunal described the Orangeman’s attempt to link the events of 1988 and 2012 as “distasteful”.

The tribunal also kicked into touch his claim that he would have equally complained about an earlier photo on the DSD website of staff wearing Glentoran soccer shirts if he had noticed it.

“We have our doubts about that,” the tribunal said.

The tribunal ruled that the Orangeman’s complaint had “no substance or merit”.