REAL IRA ARE LUNATICS - TAOISEACH
Real IRA are lunatics - Taoiseach
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern denounced the Real IRA as having no historical or ideological connection with the men of 1916 in a speech at the weekend.
Speaking at a service in Dublin commemorating the 85th anniversary of the 1916 rising, Mr Ahern described them as a tiny 'unrepresentative lunatic group'.
"It is high time that we stood up to those who, with malice afore thought, try to besmirch the brave and idealistic leaders of 1916 with the vile deeds of those responsible for the carnage at Omagh or any other tiny group that have no mandate and no prospect of any for their lunatic actions.
He went on to say that those who persist with paramilitarism are in defiance of the Irish people and need not go to the Irish Republic seeking the 'protective mantle' of the 1916 leaders " for they have no right to it and they bring no honour to this place by appearing in it. You cannot reject the will of sovereign people while claiming to champion it."
The Taoiseach went on to say a united Ireland could only be achieved peacefully and by agreement between the two parts of the island.
"We have come to understand that we will never unite Ireland unless we make a genuine effort to unite Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter."
However, in a defence of the good Friday Agreement he added that there had to be progress on decommissioning. "It is in everybody's interest that armed organisations go away. They are redundant."
In a separate development, the mother of one of the youngest victims of the Omagh bombing has expressed the view that the world may have forgotten about the atrocity.
Bernie Doherty, the Buncrana woman whose eight year old child, Oran was murdered in the blast was speaking following the poor response to the fund raising initiative by the Omagh Victims' Legal Action Trust.
So far the Trust has raised just twenty per cent of the �1 million pounds needed in order to proceed with private prosecutions against those believed to have bombed Omagh.
FORGET
She did not understand how people can forget. "It makes me angry when I think about the politicians and all their talk after it happened", she said.
She added that thoughts of what happened her son torture her.
She pleaded with members of the public to help her get some justice for her murdered son.
Michael Gallagher whose son Adrian was also murdered in the blast and was instrumental in setting up the legal fund said that the only thing standing in the way of a prosecution is the lack of money.
"We have been disappointed by the lack of support from some influential people", said Mr Gallagher appealing to the 'ordinary' people to help.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern denounced the Real IRA as having no historical or ideological connection with the men of 1916 in a speech at the weekend.
Speaking at a service in Dublin commemorating the 85th anniversary of the 1916 rising, Mr Ahern described them as a tiny 'unrepresentative lunatic group'.
"It is high time that we stood up to those who, with malice afore thought, try to besmirch the brave and idealistic leaders of 1916 with the vile deeds of those responsible for the carnage at Omagh or any other tiny group that have no mandate and no prospect of any for their lunatic actions.
He went on to say that those who persist with paramilitarism are in defiance of the Irish people and need not go to the Irish Republic seeking the 'protective mantle' of the 1916 leaders " for they have no right to it and they bring no honour to this place by appearing in it. You cannot reject the will of sovereign people while claiming to champion it."
The Taoiseach went on to say a united Ireland could only be achieved peacefully and by agreement between the two parts of the island.
"We have come to understand that we will never unite Ireland unless we make a genuine effort to unite Protestant, Catholic and Dissenter."
However, in a defence of the good Friday Agreement he added that there had to be progress on decommissioning. "It is in everybody's interest that armed organisations go away. They are redundant."
In a separate development, the mother of one of the youngest victims of the Omagh bombing has expressed the view that the world may have forgotten about the atrocity.
Bernie Doherty, the Buncrana woman whose eight year old child, Oran was murdered in the blast was speaking following the poor response to the fund raising initiative by the Omagh Victims' Legal Action Trust.
So far the Trust has raised just twenty per cent of the �1 million pounds needed in order to proceed with private prosecutions against those believed to have bombed Omagh.
FORGET
She did not understand how people can forget. "It makes me angry when I think about the politicians and all their talk after it happened", she said.
She added that thoughts of what happened her son torture her.
She pleaded with members of the public to help her get some justice for her murdered son.
Michael Gallagher whose son Adrian was also murdered in the blast and was instrumental in setting up the legal fund said that the only thing standing in the way of a prosecution is the lack of money.
"We have been disappointed by the lack of support from some influential people", said Mr Gallagher appealing to the 'ordinary' people to help.
Further Information
Publisher: ULSTER HERALD
Ref: UH/0760
Published Date: 26-Apr-01
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