Belfast Telegraph
Wednesday 30, April 2008 - 08:40]
By Peter Hutchison

A famous painting depicting the Battle of the Boyne has been bought by a Belfast art gallery.

The Emer Gallery purchased the Jan Wyck oil painting from Whyte's Irish art sale at the Royal Dublin Society earlier this week.

Wyck's painting had been expected to fetch around £11,000, but it eventually sold for £68,600 to the Antrim Road gallery.

The canvas is entitled 'The Battle of the Boyne, prior to the death of the Duke of Schomberg before William III, 1690'.

It depicts the Duke of Schomberg in his armour and long blonde wig pointing towards the Boyne, urging King William on his white horse to advance.

Schomberg died shortly afterwards when he was surrounded by Jacobite soldiers at the Boyne.

Dutch artist Jan Wyck is credited with being at the battle due to the accuracy and detail of his paintings.

He lived between 1640 and 1702, and is known to have painted at least four depictions of the Battle of the Boyne which are on display at the National Gallery of Ireland and the National Army Museum in London.

Michael Flanagan of the Emer Gallery said: "The historical significance of this painting cannot be over-estimated.

"The painter, Jan Wyck, from the Dutch Baroque era, was most likely at the battle, and his paintings are famous for their detail and accuracy in recording the events of that famous day.

"This painting is a living part of our heritage and I am pleased that it will be staying in Ireland.

"We expect significant interest in this painting from a number of quarters including private and public institutions," he added.

Belfast Telegraph
Wednesday 30, April 2008

A former IRA prisoner has urged nationalist residents in Northern Ireland to fairly and fully consider proposals to replace the Parades Commission with a new system for handling contentious marches.

Sean "Spike" Murray, a member of Lord Ashdown's Strategic Review of Parading, issued the appeal after two residents' groups criticised their suggestion that councils and the Stormont Executive should take over responsibility for parades.

Nationalist residents' leaders in two of the most contentious marches — the lower Ormeau in South Belfast and Garvaghy Road in Portadown — accused the body of coming up with a model which could lead to parading decisions being politically influenced.

However they were urged by Mr Murray to study the recommendations and engage fully with the review team before a final report.

"I have been in touch with all the residents' groups and they have said to me they will get the report, they will study the report and they will give us their analysis. I am asking every group to do that.

"It is not a question of who is right and who is wrong. We all have a vested interest in relation to working and dealing with contentious parades. It is in all of our interests — everyone who lives in this country has an interest in resolving parades.

"There are complex issues that will take time to unravel but there's a major determination within this group to give it our best shot."

Under the current system, march organisers must notify the police of proposed routes 28 days in advance. Where a dispute arises and dialogue fails, the Parades Commission is called upon to adjudicate.

The review team has proposed organisers should notify local councils, who will publicise the applications 35 days in advance. Anyone opposing a parade would have a week to raise concerns.

If agreement cannot be reached, the disputed march will be referred to the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister at Stormont who will appoint a team of mediators.

However they have also decided to focus in the months leading to their final report on how the Garvaghy Road/Drumcree and lower Ormeau parades disputes can be resolved.

In a joint statement the Lower Ormeau Concerned Community and Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition claimed the proposals would politicise, rather than de-politicise, marches.

"Both LOCC and GRRC do not believe that this report has brought forward any suitable or viable alternative to the concept of an independent Parades Commission.

"Instead, they see only potential for political interference and manipulation within each of the various strands of bureaucracy it proposes and they fear that the majority of proposals will lead to a pre-1998 situation, re-ignite past tensions and create future inter-communal unrest during the 'marching season'."

Teach Dáithí Ó Conaill, 223 Parnell Street, Dublin 1, Ireland
Phone: +353-1-872 9747; FAX: +353-1-872 9757; e-mail: saoirse@iol.ie
Date: 30 Aibreán / April 2008

Internet resources maintained by SAOIRSE-Irish Freedom

http://saoirse.info

In this issue:

1. Finucane inquiry secretly blocked by British
2. House damaged in Armagh pipe bomb attack
3. Poll shows dramatic fall in support for Lisbon Treaty
4. Details of informers handed to murderer
5. Sligo hospital supporters to take protest to Leinster House
6. Cúirt takes capitalism to task on climate change
7. North Mayo residents propose deal on location of gas refinery
8. Six-County parades body may be dumped
9. Six-County local elections postponed until 2011
10. New victims support group to be set up

1. FINUCANE INQUIRY SECRETLY BLOCKED BY BRITISH

IT was recently revealed that the public inquiry by the British government into solicitor Pat Finucane's murder has been secretly blocked for nearly two years. Preparations for an independent inquiry into the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane have ceased, the British Northern Ireland Office has told the Finucane family. The NIO cited the family's opposition to the terms for the proposed inquiry as the obstacle. The family has now said it doubts if an inquiry will ever be held.

A letter addressed to Geraldine Finucane's solicitors and signed by British Six-County Secretary Shaun Woodward's principal private secretary in early April made clear that that preparatory work was stopped last year. According to the British NIO, this was because the family would not co-operate with the holding of an inquiry under the controversial British Inquiries Act, which empowers the British government to withhold information and any findings from the public domain on grounds of so-called British national security.

Geraldine Finucane, whose husband was shot dead in February 1989 by loyalists acting in collusion with British state agencies, has pressed for an inquiry to be held under existing less restrictive legislation, arguing that a tribunal under the Inquiries Act would not be sufficiently independent of the Britsih government. In a statement Geraldine Finucane publicly doubted if an independent public inquiry would ever be held.

"On April 7th, 2008, my solicitor received a letter from the Northern Ireland Office which stated that, 18 months ago, in the autumn of 2006, a decision was taken by the then secretary of state, Peter Hain, to cease all preparations for an inquiry. We were not informed of this decision at the time," Geraldine Finucane said.

"This letter stated that the decision was taken because my family refused to accept ministerial control of an inquiry under the notorious Inquiries Act 2005. They appear to be saying that, unless we agree that a British government minister should be allowed to control what information the inquiry is permitted to examine in public, there will be no inquiry at all. Two British secretaries of state and the current prime minister have been in ongoing correspondence with me and my solicitor since early 2006, yet it is only now that they have revealed their decision. My solicitor has written back, demanding to know whether they plan to hold an inquiry or not."

She has accused the British government of misleading the people of Ireland and of wishing to hold a type of inquiry that British ministers can control "from behind the scenes". Geraldine Finucane criticised Shaun Woodward and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

"I have long doubted whether the British government had any real intention of ever establishing a genuinely independent public inquiry into Pat's murder. This letter confirms my worst suspicions," she said. "They have misled my family, the Irish government (sic) and they have misled the European Court of Human Rights."

Her solicitors have responded to the British NIO letter seeking clarification and pledging full co-operation in any inquiry as long as it is "independent, impartial, international and public". They continue to insist that "no minister [should] seek to exercise the power to issue Restriction Notices under the 2005 Inquiries Act".

An inquiry into the Finucane murder was called for by Justice Peter Cory, a former Canadian Supreme Court judge, four years ago. He was called in by the British Government and the 26-County Administration in 2001 to investigate a series of controversial cases on both sides of the Border in which collusion was suspected or alleged. In all six he recommended inquiries.

However, following his recommendation special legislation was rushed through the British parliament allowing British government ministers to block evidence from an inquiry. The Finucane family's opposition to the British Inquiries Act was supported by Judge Cory and some of Britain's leading judges including Bloody Sunday Tribunal chairman Lord Saville.

Peter Madden, representing the Finucanes, has written to Shaun Woodward claiming that "no reasonable explanation has been provided as to why it is considered possible to conduct the Rosemary Nelson inquiry, which also covers issues of the alleged involvement of members of the British Army and Secret Intelligence Services, while it was claimed that new legislation had to be enacted before a Pat Finucane inquiry could be established".

In a statement on April 26 Des Dalton, Vice-President of Republican Sinn Féin
said that the fact that the British government were not prepared to accede to the calls of the Finuance family as well as Judge Peter Cory -- who carried out an investigation into collusion in a number of murders between British state forces and loyalists -- for a full public and independent inquiry into the murder of solicitor Pat Finucane in 1989 should not come as an surprise.

He continued: "As Pat Finucane's wife Geraldine pointed out the British government are only willing to hold an inquiry which British ministers can control "from behind the scenes". The murder of Pat Finucane revealed the true face of British rule in Ireland and its collusion with loyalist death squads in a campaign of murder directed against the nationalist community. It is little wonder the British government do not want any light shed on such matters."

2. HOUSE DAMAGED IN ARMAGH PIPE BOMB ATTACK

ON April 26 a house in the Ballynahone Crescent area of Armagh city was damaged in a pipe bomb attack. The device exploded at the front of the house at around 5am.No one was injured in the attack but the blast caused minor damage to the front porch of the house and shattered a number of roof tiles.

3. POLL SHOWS DRAMATIC FALL IN SUPPORT FOR LISBON TREATY

PUBLIC OPINION has moved sharply against the Lisbon Treaty, with the Yes side now enjoying only a slender lead, according to a Sunday Business Post/Red C monthly tracking poll published on April 27.

Support for the treaty has fell from 43 per cent in February to 35 per cent among those entitled to vote in the referendum. Those opposed to the treaty increased from 24 per cent to 31 per cent. The number of undecided voters remains almost unchanged, at 34 per cent.

The results are likely to cause unease in Brussels and among European governments, where a safe passage of the 26-County referendum was expected. Defeat of the Lisbon Treaty would precipitate a crisis in Brussels, and would be a huge embarrassment to the 26-County administration.

The poll was conducted on April 21/22/23 among more than 1,000 voters across the 26 Counties. ( >>Continued )

BBC

The body that monitors paramilitary activity has said the IRA was not responsible for beating a 21-year-old man to death in Monaghan last year.


Paul Quinn was beaten to death in October

Paul Quinn died after being lured to a cattle shed and beaten with iron bars and pick axe handles by masked men.

The IMC said the killing was "clearly contrary to the instructions and strategy of the IRA leadership".

It said it was the result of local disputes and some members, or former IRA members, may have been involved.

However, the commission said there was no evidence that the IRA leadership was linked to the incident.

Mr Quinn's parents said their son had been threatened by members of the IRA in south Armagh.

Sinn Féin said there was no IRA involvement and condemned the murder.

In a statement, Secretary of State Shaun Woodward said he welcomed the assessment that the IRA remains committed to a political path.

He also called on loyalist paramilitary groups to begin the process of decommissioning weapons.

"The IMC has reported that PIRA remains committed to, and does not believe it will be diverted from, the political path which it has followed for a number of years and that republicans are engaging with the policing institutions and encouraging the reporting of crime in their areas," Mr Woodward said.

He said the group welcomed statements by the UVF last May and one by the UDA in November, saying they were putting weapons beyond use.

"However loyalists will be judged on their actions and not just their words and it is clear that more needs to be done, including the decommissioning of weapons."

Irish News
**Via Newshound
30/04/08

Police have arrested a number of people from the Castlemara estate in Carrickfergus over tensions between rival loyalist factions.

A number of properties were searched on Monday evening and four men and a male youth were arrested by the serious crime squad.

On Sunday night a shotgun was fired at the front door of the Glenfield Walk home of Amanda Dalton in the Co Antrim town. Around 30 men were involved in the disturbance which was blamed locally on elements within the South East Antrim UDA.

Tensions have been high in the town following a stand off between dissident loyalists and member of the mainstream UDA last July which resulted in a police officer being shot in the back.

A PSNI spokesperson said yesterday had carried out a number of searches on Monday evening in relation to serious crime had arrested five people who are currently helping police with their enquiries.