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A Shooting in Ballymurphy by Roger Collins The Lonely Planet Guide to Ireland tells the
"Troubles" tourist where to catch the Black Taxi (1)
to tour the murals and combat sites on either side of that
green steel wall that separates Republican and Loyalist areas
along the Falls and Shankill roads. However after telling the
potential tourist that more murals are to be found in Ballymurphy,
the authors then warn that this is an impoverished area "where
a stranger will be very noticeable." This seems to be a pretty
common attitude towards 'the Murph', a potentially interesting
place that just might be a bit dangerous to visit. "Is there life before death?" That's chalked upSo, a killing in Ballaymurphy, a shooting in the "Murph" is hardly news, it's almost trite. The Loyalist paramilitary gangs and their British 'handlers from MI 5 have put a couple hundred names on a Celtic cross, and when there was no more room on the cross, the overflow went onto the gable end of the cottage that houses the Sinn Fein Advice Center.(5) Still and all, for a week in October, a shooting in Ballymurphy became headline news in the Irish and British media. The circumstances were these: a young man by the name Joe O'Connor, he was the reputed "Real IRA" (6) leader in North Belfast, dropped his wife off at her mother's house. As he got back into his car, another car drew up and two uniformed gun men got out and riddled him with machine-gun fire. The killers then, depending on which testimony you believe, either sped off in the get-away car (later found burned out in a vacant lot) or they took off their masks (so the cops could identify them, I guess), gave one another high fives, danced in the street and fired shots into the air. There were only two reporters who actually ventured into the "Murph" and asked questions. One reporter was Suzanne Breen, from The Irish Times and the other was Anne Caldwalder, of Ireland on Sunday. Breen quoted unnamed republican sources and supplied the Irish and world media with the story of a murder by the IRA and a campaign of intimidation that had silenced all the witnesses to a political murder. All the media went with Breen's story, until Anne Caldwalder's story broke, in Ireland On Sunday. Caldwalder had backtracked on the original story and found very different accounts of the murder plus some interesting facts about the victim. It should be said that both Breen and Caldwalder were known and trusted in the nationalist community of North Belfast and could safely go in and ask questions in a neighborhood where doing so is fraught with a certain risk. Like any journalist, both women had to rely on the veracity of their "sources" and that can be problematic. Anyway, for about four days the daily press ran with the story of how the IRA had allegedly broken its cease fire and had instituted a reign of terror in Ballymurphy. All of the stories, however, contained a tiny note of caution, referring to the victim as "a bit of a lad," "a bit of a loose cannon," or "as a man with a reputation as being quick-tempered and quick with his fists." A few even noted his widow's opinion that the killing was "more a personal thing." Still, for most of a week the media ran an anti IRA and Sinn Fein publicity blitz. The newspapers in Ireland, after all, reflect the political opinions and fears of the local capitalist class, whether the newspaper publishers are Catholic or Protestant. The local ruling class fears the growing political weight of Sinn Fein and are ever-alert for a chance to discredit the party and the republican movement. The day before the funeral, Suzanne Breen's 'republican sources' went public with a news conference. The two 'sources', Tommy Gorman and Tony McIntyre, proceeded to name the entire command structure of the North Belfast IRA and charge them with murder. Need I say that such behavior is considered socially inappropriate in Ballymurphy? They also told the media that they had fabricated the "eyewitness testimony" and then regaled them with their theory of the murder. Gorman and McIntyre are former republican political prisoners, who have broken with the IRA and now publish an occasional journal of supposed "Trotskyist" theory.(7) According to these 'sources' the IRA had killed Joe O' Connor and run some drug dealers out of the neighborhood, all as part of a plot to suppress their little magazine, "Fourth Write."(8) I wish I had been there to see the facial expressions of the various media people The next day was the funeral and in spite of the efforts of the various republican "dissidents" to muster support, about two hundred people came -- probably the smallest republican funeral in Ballymurphy's history. At the cemetery the local members of the "Real IRA," seven men and one woman, showed off their new AK-47s and pledged revenge attacks on Sinn Fein and the IRA. The main speaker at the funeral, Marion Price, former republican POW, denounced the IRA as fascists and paid agents of British imperialism.(9) I think the "dissidents" were startled by the degree of hatred, contempt and social ostracism that greeted their politically sectarian demonstration. By the following day, the "Real IRA" and the two 'sources' found themselves awash in a sea of hostility. Mass picketing of the Gorman and McIntyre houses ensued. Gorman has since apologized to the community and departed for parts unknown. McIntyre continues to portray himself as a victim of a plot and at least MaGill's magazine and the Arm the Spirit Collective (both of Canada) take this seriously. Everyone should consider this: Ballymurphy is, as I described it, a community forged by thirty years of conflict into a fortress of republicanism. Really, one fourth of the population have served long prison sentences for the republican cause. Almost anyone you meet on the street is a republican and a very high percentage are either former or current members of the IRA. In that context, the accusations and threats at the O' Connor funeral were regarded as personal insults and personal threats by the overwhelming majority of the population. As for McIntyre and Gorman; if the IRA were not on cease fire, their bodies would have simply been found dumped by the road. Giving details of the IRA command structure and attempting to set up people on murder charges are acts of battlefield betrayal to the veteran folk of Ballymurphy. After the "Real IRA" threats at the O'Connor funeral, the Republican Publicity Bureau issued a terse communiquÈ signed 'P. O' Neal,' the traditional nom de guerre of the IRA Chief of Staff.(10) The press release stated that the IRA would not be turned from its strategic course by threats, and hinted that it isn't a very good idea to threaten the IRA. Since then there have been no further threats, nor revenge attacks, by the "Real IRA." Both Sinn Fein and the IRA have denied responsibility for the shooting of Joe O'Connor and I believe them. The media focus has shifted to the other side of that green "peace" wall dividing Belfast. On the Protestant side, civil war rages amongst the various Loyalist armed gangs and political parties. So far, the death toll is around sixteen and a couple thousand working class families have been forced from their homes. Not a very edifying spectacle, but much more exciting news than what isn't happening in Ballymurphy. We are left with the question, who did shoot O'Connor? Not a very important question, compared to the governmental crisis provoked by the Unionist Party and David Trimble, but still a question.(11) The idea of an IRA-sanctioned killing is just ridiculous. Whether intentional or not, the killing was at just the right time to divert media scrutiny from Ulster Unionist Party's decision to provoke a political crisis in hopes of bringing back direct British rule.(12) In fact, the Unionist papers, The Telegraph and The News Letter, used the supposed IRA killing as a pretext to demand the exclusion of Sinn Fein from the local government.(13) The IRA literally had no reason to sanction a political killing that could only undermine the political strategy pursued by Sinn Fein and endorsed by the IRA. If the republicans had decided to break their cease fire and abandon their 'peace strategy' with a spectacular assassination, then David Trimble or Peter Mandelson would have been the target, not some obscure gun man in the "Murph."(14) There are people in Northern Ireland with serious motives for a killing in Ballymurphy, at precisely that time and with such a target. I, of course, mean the British clandestine services, especially MI5, counterintelligence, with its long record of murder and collusion with Loyalist death squads. There is a problem in that the killing was done in broad day light and the chances of Loyalists, or British agents getting out Ballymurphy alive would have been some where between slim and none. Anne Caldwalder did the proper journalistic thing; she went and talked to the most reliable source of all, "the dog in the street." After that interview, Ms. Caldwalder became convinced that the motives for shooting Joe O'Connor were rooted in the victim's personality, life-style and business associates. Remember those words, "a bit of a lad", "a bit of a loose cannon", "a man with a quick temperÖ"? The words "bit of a lad" are a reference to his business activities, smuggling booze and cigarettes. Let's say that in extra-legal enterprises, the distribution of profit sometimes leads to dramatic events. The "dog" also had heard that Yer Man had contracted to supply Russian Vodka to some of the hard cases that run illegal night clubs. There was a problem, it seems that while the bottles may have come from Russia, the contents were a local product … "Potoin," moonshine, you might say. Still and all, the personality and life-style are the most likely source of the murder. Remember that the widow thought that the motive was personal, rather than political? The words "bit of a loose cannon" refer to this personality trait: the late Mr. O'Connor was the kind of fella that liked bar-room brawls. After his split from the IRA, he was in the habit of beating up on his former comrades. One evening several of his former pals were waiting outside the pub for him. As Joe was off drinking somewhere else, they grabbed his uncle and threatened the family in some way or other. Late that night, O'Connor gathered six of his pals, armed them with AK-47's and set off to exact retribution. O'Connor and his boys broke into a number of homes, beat men up and threatened them with death. When the republican leadership heard of the potential crisis in Ballymurphy, Gerry Adams was sent to sort things out. While he was meeting with the uncle, two unknown gun men mowed down Joe O'Connor. I would like to think that the British were behind the killing, but the most likely scenario, according to "the dog," is that Joe O'Connor was not the only young man in North Belfast with an anger management problem and access to automatic weapons. Slan, Roger Collins 1. Black Taxi; a co-operative taxi association that was first organized by republican ex prisoners about two decades ago. In both Belfast and Derry, these taxi co-ops serve as a low cost alternative to public transit and private cabs. Old London taxi cabs are used as jitneys and filled with eight to ten passengers. Each co-op serves a different district of the city and the fare is 75 pence to any stop in the district. In Belfast, some cabs are now running "Troubles Tours", hour long cab tours of murals and other sites of political significance. 2. Loyalists, fascist-like armed bands committed to the preservation of the "Union" with Britain and Protestant privileges by means of anti Catholic terror. 3. Gerry Adams; former IRA political prisoner, now a Member of the UK Parliament from West Belfast. Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinnes, Sinn Fein member of Parliament from Mid Ulster, boycott Parliament (do not take their seats) as a symbolic defiance of British rule. 4. IRA, Irish Republican Army, the 'RA', popular terms for the "Volunteers of Ireland", the main armed group fighting to expel British Imperialism from Ireland. Currently on cease-fire, pending the outcome of the "Irish Peace Process." 5. Sinn Fein, the mass radical republican party that in fact leads the political struggle for an end to British rule in Ireland and the reunification of the island as democratic, socialist republic (hence the term "republican") 6. "Real IRA," a small self-named splinter group from the much larger IRA. It is one of a number of small republican groups that, as a matter principle, reject participation in electoral politics ( except on a local level ) and view armed struggle as the only road forward. Ostensibly on cease fire since the bombing of Omagh which killed 25 people, the second worst atrocity in 30 years of war. In fact, the "Real IRA" has probably returned to armed actions and is suspected in a number of unclaimed bombings. 7. "Trotskyist," a term originally used to identify the Leninist left wing opponents of the Stalinist dictatorship. Now seems to be a self-applied title chosen by a variety of small political sects. (If you doubt me, go to your search engine and pull up some web sites!) 8. Fourth Write, a sixteen-page magazine of supposed "Trotskyist" political analysis. It publishes, every now and then, in North Belfast. While ostensibly the organ of the "Republican Writers Group," it is pretty much the personal organ of Tommy Gorman and Anthony McIntyre. 9. Marion Price, former IRA prisoner in Armagh Prison, now one of the leaders of the "Real IRA." 10. Republican Publicity Bureau; information and media relations arm of the IRA. 11. UUP, Unionists, Ulster Unionist Party: a right wing party committed to the maintenance of the union of 6 counties of Ulster to the United Kingdom. 12. The News Letter and The Daily Telegraph, right-wing daily papers published in Belfast. The News Letter is the official organ of the UUP. The Telegraph is, if possible, more right wing. Known amongst nationalists as "The Daily Torygraph." As a point of interest; Ireland, with a population of six million, supports eighteen daily newspapers and four or five Irish editions of British newspapers. 13. David Trimble and Peter Mandelson: Trimble is leader of the UUP and First Minister in the local government in Northern Ireland. Mandelson is the British Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, in effect the colonial governor. Neither man is, shall we say, terribly popular in nationalist and republican circles.
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