12 July 2001 Edition

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Lenadoon pays tribute to Joe

The 20th anniversary of the death on hunger strike of Joe McDonnell was marked by a massive turnout in Lenadoon last Sunday, 8 July.

Up to 2,000 republicans throughout Belfast paraded to the house on Lenadoon Avenue where Joe lived before his arrest in October 1976 for the unveiling of a plaque in his honour.

The parade, which was led by a colour party of former POWs, also saw a turnout of hundreds of other former POWs, many of whom would have spent time in jail with Joe McDonnell. Members of St Teresa's GAA club also took part in the parade. Both Joe McDonnell and Kieran Doherty, who also died on hunger strike, were members of St Teresa's.

Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams was the main speaker at the rally, yet it was two former prisoners, Seamus Finucane and Jim McCann, who spoke of Joe McDonnell the man.

Jim McCann, who spent four years on the blanket in the wing with Joe, spoke of how he always led from the front and encouraged the younger prisoners when confronted by the brutality of the screws. It was Joe's humour that came through, said McCann. Once, after a particularly bad `wing shift', when the screws had beaten the `Blanketmen' badly, Joe got up to the door and said, ``there'll be plenty of bad days for these good ones''. He was also telling the screws that no matter how brutal they could be they would never break the protest.

Seamus Finucane, who was arrested with Joe and Bobby Sands after an operation in Dunmurry in 1976, also spoke of Joe's courage and humour.

Paddy McCotter, himself a former POW, chaired the proceedings and read a tribute to Joe from John Huddleston, who was interned with Joe in the 70s. Huddleston, a North Belfast Sinn Féin activist, died on 27 May during disturbances on the Limestone Road created after loyalists attacked nationalist houses.

 

Ballinamore honours McDonnell



``The 1981 Hunger Strikes will be remembered as a major watershed in the annals of Irish history,'' Cllr Sean MacManus told the large crowd who assembled in Ballinamore on Saturday evening last to commemorate Joe McDonnell and unveil a mural in his honour at the John Joe McGirl memorial.

On an emotional night for many in Ballinamore, republicans gathered to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the passing of Joe McDonnell, who died on 8 July 1981 after 61 days on hunger strike.

Outgoing chairman of Leitrim County Council, Sinn Féin's Michael Colreavy, chaired the proceedings and said it was ``both fitting and appropriate as we think of Joe McDonnell that we meet at the monument to John Joe McGirl''.

Cllr Colreavy spoke briefly of the events of 20 years ago, and remembered with sadness and anger those events and the abuse republicans received in their plight for basic human rights. McDonnell ran in the 1981 general election in Sligo/Leitrim and narrowly missed out on a seat.

Sinn Féin councillor Sean MacManus, from Sligo, guest speaker, said the night belonged to the memory of Joe McDonnell and his mother, Eileen and two sisters, Eilish and Maura, who had travelled from Belfast for the commemoration.

Michael Colreavy then welcomed Joe McDonnell's mother, Eileen, and his sisters Maura McDonnell and Eilish Reilly, before formally unveiling a painted mural by Frank Desmond in honour of Joe McDonnell, and presenting Mrs McDonnell with a piece of crystal.

Owen Carron, who succeeded Bobby Sands as MP for Fermanagh/South Tyrone, said: ``We on the outside, we failed, because ten of our finest and best died. It was sad, but despite that sadness it was worth it because of all that has happened since.''

 

Martin Hurson commemoration weekend



Republicans from throughout Country Tyrone will converge in Galbally and Cappagh this coming weekend to mark the 20th anniversary of the death of local hunger striker, Martin Hurson.

Among the events organised to mark the anniversary will be the unveiling of a new Memorial to all local IRA Volunteers which will take place at 3pm in Cappagh Main Street on Sunday, 15 July following a parade from Galbally Crossroads.

Brendan `Bik` McFarlane, the OC of the republican prisoners in the H Blocks during the 1981 Hunger Strike, will formally unveil the memorial, while Sinn Féin's Mid-Ulster MP, Martin McGuinness, is also expected to address the rally.

The memorial unveiling is one of the many commemorative events organised by local republicans in conjunction with the Tyrone National Graves Association.

On Friday evening, 13 July, an anniversary Mass will be held in Galbally at 8pm and this will be followed by a lecture and play in Galbally Community Centre.

Throughout Saturday, an exhibition chronicling the Hunger Strike story will be staged in the local community centre. Simultaneously, Gaelic football competitions, for both men and women, will be played out. The finals will be followed by a presentation function in Galbally later on Saturday night.

In a joint statement, local Sinn Féin Councillor Mickey Gillespie, together with the chairperson of the National Graves Association, Brian Crawley, have called for ``a large turnout of Tyrone republicans for this important commemorative weekend''.

Crawley referred to the tremendous suffering endured down the years by the proud community of Galbally and Cappagh. ``The deaths of Volunteer Martin Hurson and his nine comrades on hunger strike in 1981 has left a legacy of determination among Tyrone republicans to achieve Irish unity and freedom,'' he said. ``I am confident that the events will be strongly supported by the people of Tyrone, despite the fact that these dates fall in the middle of the holiday season.

``I want to extend also our ongoing sympathy to all families of Tyrone's patriot dead and to pay tribute to all those who have put in so much effort to the weekend programme of commemorative events.''

 

Cullyhanna Hunger Strike Memorial



Republicans from throughout South Armagh gathered in Cullyhanna on Sunday 8 July to witness the unveiling of a memorial plaque dedicated to the memory of the ten men who died on hunger strike in 1981. The plaque marks the sacrifice of the hunger strikers and notes that local people gathered at the spot to pray for the prisoners every day during the hunger strike. The ceremony was preceded by a parade from the community centre led by a colour party and two bands.

The main speaker at the commemoration was Brian Keenan from Belfast. Therese Carragher read the Roll Of Honour of hunger strikers' names. Fr. McCreesh, brother of Raymond, said a decade of the Rosary. Local republican and former hunger striker Paddy Quinn performed the unveiling ceremony. Other speakers were Peter John Carragher and local Sinn Féin councillor Jimmy McCreesh.

Jimmy McCreesh and Paddy Quinn are pictured at the unveiling.


An Phoblacht
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