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Celtic Diary Wednesday May 20: While You Were Looking Elsewhere

They do talk, in the media, of those who find a good day to bury bad news.

 

It seems the SFA have been listening….

 

Image

 

 

The implications of such a referral are not outlined, only mentioned, and one can only guess at what they would be, but can be assured they wouldn’t be good for the SFA.

 

The SFA now considers the matter closed, but journalists throughout Scotland will be salivating at the thought of attacking one governing body in the way they attacked the other.

 

Although the venom directed at the SPFL was based on wild allegations that weren’t backed up with any evidence, for the disappointed hacks this must be a dream come true.

 

All the evidence is out there, and has been collated into an easy to access and easy to read website, with timelines, events and allegations all backed with facts, dates and everything a good investigative journalist could ever want.

 

evidence of corruption

 

All they need to do is click on the link, or google Res 12.

 

Couldn’t be simpler…there’s days of copy there, and hundreds of questions they can ask and at the end of it, they could be instrumental in bringing about real change in Scottish football for the good of the game.

 

Look out…here they come….

 

Arriving William Holden GIF by Turner Classic Movies - Find ...

 

 

I knew they wouldn’t be able to resist the challenge.

 

Reaction to the news from the mainstream media was swift…Tom englsih, who led the crusade against the SPFL stormed into action…

 

 

Tom English
@TEnglishSport
Ah right. So you want an independent inquiry into football’s governance now? I see  
 Er, about seven years ago, Tom, and you are fully aware of this, but no matter, better late than never.
 Others, such as Stephen McGowan of the Mail, simply stated the facts…
stephen.mcgowan
@mcgowan_stephen
SFA rule Rangers being awarded a Euro licence in 2011/12. ‘Following consideration of the implications …. including legal opinion, it was the board’s unanimous position that this matter should not be referred to CAS. The SFA now considers the matter closed.’    
 No questions about what those implications of a referral might be…not yet , anyway.
Chris McLaughlin of the BBC….
Chris McLaughlin
@BBCchrismclaug
Scottish FA drops charges against #Rangers over alleged irregularities in gaining a euro license in season 2011/2012   
 Again, just the facts, and when we consider that they didn;t bother with the facts when it was the SPFL who were the target of allegations, largely because there weren;t any, then perhaps its the hacks themselves who need to give answers.
 Again, it’s quite clear that for whatever reason, they don;t want to touch this story. Indeed, a cynic might think that the enthusiasm they took up the anti SPFL accusations-which is all they were- was kind of an unleashing of pent up anger that they weren’t allowed to follow up on the Resoultion 12 issue.
 Maybe that is the case.
 Maybe it’s a taboo subject in editorial offices, but surely the journalistic instinct should take over ?
 there is a story there, and it does have plenty of evidence to back it up.
 Why won’t they touch it ?
 Some time ago, discussions to involve a wider network of reporters and legal people was discussed, and it was decided to shelve them for now.
 It’s time to re-open those discussions.
 The local yokels ain’t interested in this one, so it’s time to bring in the marshall.
And make no mistake, the marshall has form for changing the way football is run as a business.
 Of course, it would be easy to suggest that the SFA threw this statement out in the hope that it would go largely unnoticed in the general euphoria over nine in a row, but I’m guessing I’m not alone in saying that if the gane tslef is tainted, then nine in a row means fuck all.
 sure, it’s a measure of how cheats never prosper, but why should we continue to pay for this nonsense ?
 The SFA are giving the impression of spite here.
Their team lost its battle against the SPFL, which the SFA would have been delighted to see them win, and perhaps more significantly, the three remaining games in the Scottish cup, the big earners for the associaiton, have been cancelled, and may not even be played this year.
How would they feel if there were no green pounds in the till ?
 So why not swing a punch at those they see have caused this ?
 Throughout the allegations hurled at the SPFL, the SFA stayed silent, clearly hoping for a reduction in the powers of the senior clubs, and when it all fell apart, they now decide to hit out in a fit of petulance at those they see as responsible, and at the same time can enhance the feeling of “rangers ” fans that they were the vcitms of Fenian Politics, especially now as they are feling rather vulnerable after the declaration of the title.
 What we need to clarify here is that the SFA and the SPFL are two entirely separate entities who have very little time for each other.
 The SPFL did not rule that there was no need to send the evidence to CAS, that was the SFA, who bizarrely claimed they had no jursidiction over their own charges relating to breaches of regulations.
 The SFA are acting out of spite, and if Lawwell truly has the best interests of Celtic supporters and shareholders at heart, he now needs to act.
 Accusations of his own complicity in the events of 2011 won’t go away until he takes up the fight.
 He asked for a smoking gun, he was given it.
It’s still there.
All he has to do is pick it up and use it.
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Mike
3 years ago

The SFA.- SPFL.- Scottish press, Celtic and every single football club in Scotland: “Veritas vos Liberabit” “The truth ^^^ shall set you free”. The truth matters, honesty matters, it is the benchmark of every civilised society. Be open, be honest and set yourself free.

Mike
3 years ago
Reply to  Mike

We thought that Regan was the problem, now Maxwell sits in his chair, no change there.
Doncaster voted for this resolution to not go to CAS. No change there, Mr. Move-on.
Murdoch McClellan Chair of the SPFL. board, another mover on-er. No change there either despite his close connection to Desmond. But what really sticks in my craw is Lawwell and the boards complicity, anything goes with the red, white and blue bigot pound. The Celtic board’s refusing to take Res.12 forward and Lawwell was involved in the 5 Way Agreement that assists the Huns to the going for 55 myth, that’s very unacceptable. Thing is, did we miss them when they went down to the bottom of the pile? no we did not. Attendances went down because of Lawwells appointment of Delia. Supporters are the life blood of Celtic and we had complete access to the C.L. qualifiers without them and the share price rose by 15%. We don’t need them at all. Its the supports choice, they will have the decision to make. But the CSA. and the C.T. have been deathly quiet. Perhaps someone needs a pointed stick up the Khyber.

Man in Denial
3 years ago

Res 12 is a matter of Scottish national integrity.

Yet, the Scottish Government sits on its arse and allows corruption to fester. But, they want overseas investment to create wealth and jobs etc ?

Clue -very few international investors want to invest in a country where Company Law is ignored (ie the continuation lie re Sevco) where the press is controlled and impotent, the national broadcaster is an absolute disgrace, acting as a patsy and corruption is ok if it favours the establishment.

This is not over. However, next steps inevitably have to be against the plc board. They will do the square root of FA. The Rangers* well they were good for business. For 8 years.

The only good thing is the pain that 2x9iar is causing the corrupt establishment.

3 years ago
Reply to  Man in Denial

Whats it got to do with the Scottish Government?..is football administration devolved?…have you raised this to your MSP or your MP?

You contacted the Prosecutor Fiscal and asked if ticking a UEFA form is worth pursuing?

Man in Denial
3 years ago
Reply to  Desimond

Whats it got to do with the Scottish Government?

1. The Scottish Government has a Minister for Sport. I guess he would want to be reassured that the governing body is acting fairly, openly and transparently. My expectations however are low.

2.have you raised this to your MSP or your MP?
No I live in England. Though I have no confidence in any ilk of politician. (this is not an SNP thing -I’m indifferent to them all). In England the whole Sevco The Rangers* thing simply could not have happened.

3 You contacted the Prosecutor Fiscal and asked if ticking a UEFA form is worth pursuing? No I haven’t. Do you think he would pay attention to me ? In the meantime RES 12 did / still does offer the best route into all of this not Man in Denial contacting the PF.

Am I trying to do my bit (with others) to get proper governance of Scottish football ?
Yes, I think I am.

Salad queen
3 years ago
Reply to  Desimond

I wrote to my mp who happens to be douglas red card fucking ross.
He replied saying he could do nothing and wished me all the best to continue watching Scottish football.
As we all know, move along Timmy.

The Cha
3 years ago
Reply to  Man in Denial

Err, companies simply want to make money and if that comes with corruption, complicit media then that’s no barrier to investment.

Agree that Celtic fans need to look at our own board’s inaction. If we can’t get them to do anything then trying to get wider consensus is fatally flawed.

hilltophenrik
3 years ago

Years of enjoying the diary but never felt moved to make a point before… The SFA ruling reminded me straight away of another famous ruling and it seems worth pointing it out (others may have already done so…). The ruling was that of Lord Denning who was presiding over a move to overturn the conviction of the Birmingham Six for the IRA pub bombings. When counsel tried to persuade him that the police had fabricated evidence and extorted confessions, he stated:

“Just consider the course of events if their action were to proceed to trial… If the six men failed it would mean that much time and money and worry would have been expended by many people to no good purpose. If they won, it would mean that the police were guilty of perjury; that they were guilty of violence and threats; that the confessions were involuntary and improperly admitted in evidence; and that the convictions were erroneous… That was such an appalling vista that every sensible person would say, ‘It cannot be right that these actions should go any further’.”

In other words, the police could not have done wrong because they were the police.

It strikes me that this is exactly what the SFA are doing here – the consequence of finding a case to answer means that looking for it is just not ‘wise’. It’s just too much of an ‘appalling vista’! It’s another ‘imperfectly registered’… What ultimately happened to the Birmingham 6 is a matter of record. As are Lord Denning’s other hateful judgements…

Puggy67
3 years ago
Reply to  hilltophenrik

Good post, don’t be a stranger now.

Auldheid
3 years ago
Reply to  hilltophenrik

Spot on. Nail on Head. 120 out of 100.

If anything because the appallingness is in every bit of detail it is worse than appalling.

However what is emerging is a need for supporters to become more like those in Germany and demand a say in the affairs of their clubs and so a voice that the SFA/SPFL must heed.

Banners and tifos are superb but supporters must unite and particularly Celtic supporters.

The CSA and CST cannot stand on the sidelines on this issue, it is no longer about a UEFA Licence and fraud, it is about what Celtic stand for to their supporters and the failure of The Board to stand side by side with them.

There are serious corporate issues to emerge from the SFA’s dereliction of duty that began when they signed the 5 Way Agreement. Unless they act truthfully Scottish football is an ungovernable and so tainted product.

That will deter sponsors, deter betting companies unless they include odds on which half Rangers get their penalty just when they need it, overseas audiences.

The appalling vista the SFA do not wish to face could be avoided simply by introducing transparency and accountability via the supporters of Scottish football.

Unforeseen consequences eh?

Oztim
3 years ago
Reply to  Auldheid

Auldheid I’d like your opinion on this question. If the Huns had won the league this year and claimed it as their 55th title, how do you think the Celtic Board would have reacted? 55th title or 1st?

Auldheid
3 years ago
Reply to  Oztim

They would have said nothing.

Oztim
3 years ago
Reply to  Auldheid

Disgraceful.

Jimmywhite
3 years ago

Lawwell is a big part of the problem, sure he’s done some great work, but he wants a “rangers” in there, any kind of a “rangers”, just like a sizeable part of our support he is an “old firm” supporter (for Lawwell it’s financial). Like it or not this is how it is, jeez man, if you walked around, before and after a game and asked your fellow fans about res 12, you would be shocked at how little most of them know about it, yeh they’ve heard about it, but they can’t be arsed to delve into it, they need to be led by the hand and educated on this subject, because, believe it or not, most of them still get they’re info from a bias, brow beaten and/or threatened media, remember we were the only club to suffer a drop in attendance when that mob died, and those fans only came back when the tribute club finally made the step up.

This res 12 needs to be crowd funded and brought before a civil court, and pushed out there into the light where it cannot be ignored, Lawwell knew he had to get rid of Regan, he was, still is a danger, (if this gets to a court) because this man was nobbled, probably threatened, and used in all of this, then Lawwell moved Doncaster and helped to install the puppet Maxwell.

No wonder Desmond is distancing himself, it will all come out sometime, how this 5 way agreement (threat) has throttled regulation and how the hell it was allowed in the first place all needs a good airing, a public outing, in a court with QC’s is the only way, it’s either that or a rigged game where one club is allowed to cause nothing but turmoil and flaunt rules and regulations.

I’ve just about had enough, the maddest thing about it all is, it’s all out there, everyone knows, but at the same time it is all denied, the whole thing is almost surreal.
It needs sorted guy’s, we need to all take a step back and look, it’s a sport you’re supposed to be looking at, and at the moment I’m not seeing this.

dingbat
3 years ago

“Some time ago, discussions to involve a wider network of reporters and legal people was discussed, and it was decided to shelve them for now.” By whom? Details please and where and how that would operate.

“And make no mistake, the marshall has form for changing the way football is run as a business.” Details please.

And crucially, there is no appetite within the boardroom at Celtic Park. That’s the real kicker. Despite his suggestions to the contrary, it seems the 5 way agreement reached PL’s inbox.

Contrast his laissez-faire approach with that of the bunnet and that tells you all you need to know about our own club’s priorities in holding those responsible to account.

If we can’t be arsed and were complicit by deed or omission in facilitating this sham, bearing in mind we were the ones that got shafted, why should anyone else give a fuck?

portpower
3 years ago

Brushed over.

Though there is manipulation and misrepresentation…

Silence.
noun: silence; plural noun: silences.

Id est,there`s complete absence of sick note,Tom English.

3 years ago

well said charlie,do the spfl think we are stupid give us the title and then say res 12 enq is over hoping we would all be still celebrating the 9 fuck them.

andy
3 years ago

Scottish football is rotten to the core run by gutless cowards whose only interest is bleeding the game dry for there own interests, ive said many times before they should be put in front of criminal courts for there crimes, if lawwell and the board don’t put celtic first instead of there own interests and take this further they are admitting there own guilt and showing they were part of the scam and the crimes but I think every sensible celtic supporter knows this.

Monti
3 years ago
Reply to  andy

Andy,
Celtic in my opinion need a new board, different people & a CEO who doesn’t take £3m per year out the club, whilst allowing us to be cheated.

George Lazenbhoy
3 years ago

Excuse my naivety on this subject but it kind of sounds like SFA have kicked this down the road long enough so the bulk got bored, it was forgotten about some and the remainder could be muffled. This was their plan all along and all they need was a day to bury it.

3 years ago

The SFA.. where the same people who ratified the original cover-up are still in place. Secretaries in blazers and brogues.

This is same old same old. You cannot bring down The SFA or even Rangers ( i know i know)… but you can bring down a Jim Farry, you can get a Hugh Dallas or Gordon Smith bumped.. thats the only game where we can win.. turn them on each other until they squeeze..

As for expecting anything from Lawwell, save your breath

The Cha
3 years ago
Reply to  Desimond

We “got” Farry and Dallas (& “Dougie, Dougie!”) but can’t remember how we were instrumental in getting rid of Smith.

portpower
3 years ago

buses*

portpower
3 years ago

Who would`ve thought?
A disease clears a susceptible disease.

SFA free from doubt?

Level 5 plant
3 years ago

I am more branded off with Lawwell than I am the sfa. I expected no more from them but someone who is supposed to be our leader, well I think he is a disgrace for not standing up for Celtic.

Greenmaestro
3 years ago

With the timing involved, this smells of some kind of 4 or 5 way deal. Celtic get the nine, the charges are dropped quid pro quo. SFA drop the investigation and SPFL loo the other way.

3 years ago

Lets look at the facts.
One thing is for sure – the SFA never did have any intentions of sending anything to the CAS.

The fact that they purposefully and cynically waited until Celtic had been crowned Nine-in-a-Row Champions was done to lessen the impact of the decision.

It is chrystal clear that the SFA are up to their necks in corruption to award Rangers a licence when they should not have been – and their actions yesterday endorse that fact.

It looks very likely that Celtic have been a party to this corruption otherwise hell should have been raised.

Time for calm reflection.
This must not be the end of the matter – it must be the start of it – the real campaign to out the truth and embarrass the ongoing corruption at the SFA and its cabal of disgusting diseased minded people who run the show.

The Scottish ”media” will never demand or write news that puts Ibrox/Sevco in a bad light therefore it calls for new and inventive ways to bring this corrupt lot down.

portpower
3 years ago

Its the dysfunctional SFA,SPFL and the CEOs of all clubs architectural features year after year.

Remind them that it`s the supporters pitch.

Chandelier stewardship.

jimmybee
3 years ago

Celtic supporters are just as guilty as our board or the SFA.
I haven’t gone to Hampden for many years now missing out on the cup wins means nothing to me.
When you pay for your semi final and final ticket you are as guilty as the SFA.You are supporting the very organisation you wish to take down.
I said it before we played Sevco and lost out on pens.
What a story if no Celtic supporter took a ticket but stood outside as the world media flocked to hampden.Where would the story be now.
Stop going to hampden ffs or stop with the bleating of how terrible the sfa are.

jimmybee
3 years ago
Reply to  jimmybee

Exactly Charlie
Everybody wants someone else to take action,we have the power within us to take the first step. Simply dont buy a ticket.

The Cha
3 years ago
Reply to  jimmybee

The SFA are at the apex of Scottish Football and the SPFL operate under their auspices.

I can’t see how boycotting the Scottish Cup without doing the same with the other competitions is consistent.

Either way, the vast majority of Celtic fans aren’t up for that, so a more realistic strategy needs to be devised.

Monti
3 years ago
Reply to  jimmybee

Jimmybee,
I didn’t think you were capable of such a shite post.
You are talking shite m8.

jimmybee
3 years ago
Reply to  Monti

Thanks so much now move along and get your ticket for hampden theres a good chap 🙂

Monti
3 years ago
Reply to  jimmybee

You are most welcome 🙂

BroxburnBhoy
3 years ago
Reply to  jimmybee

I think this is counter productive especially if you went to any game in any competition as they are all run by the SFA in the end. If you ever bought a ticket to see Celtic at Ibrox then are you propping up Rangers? Majority of supporters have shown this way is unpalatable. Lawell and Desmond have to take this on.

Cartvale88
3 years ago

Ah but the SFA are as the initials say Shower of Fxxcing Arsxxoles, run by the blazers that are interested in the wellbeing of one club. As for our journos nothing can be said against the mighty Sevco, a team that only survived due to the SFA. Lawwell for the good of Celtic ask for them to expand on their statement that does not make logic, but Infoubt if there is any interest in pursuing this .

The Cha
3 years ago
Reply to  Cartvale88

I can’t remember if Celtic were the “complainers” in this action.

If so, then the club should receive full details but I doubt if this will be divulged to us.

D j
3 years ago
Reply to  Cartvale88

Maybe Peter Lawwell does speak for the vast majority of Celtic Fans . Celtic fans are so used to watching Rangers cheating their way from title to title & listening to their fathers say it was always the same . So bad was this that many Celtic fans regard Rangers cheating to be the status quo . This could be the views of tens of thousands Celtic supporters who don’t participate in social media .
It took the people of the North of Ireland decades from the Civil Rights Marches to actually join in the struggle & vote Sinn Fein . We were that used to been discriminated in jobs , education , housing , quality of roads etc , that many didn’t want to rock boat too much & accept any bit of a loaf .
We need to find out what the silent majority wants & if they are not with us we need to educate them & canvas to get everyone singing off same hymn book .
Together we can bring this cabal down , divided we have no chance

portpower
3 years ago

Dear Charlotte,won’t you come out to play?

portpower
3 years ago

The off the cuff Roderick Keith Ogilvy “Rory” Bremner dig.

Peter was derided by Campbell on air.
That was the beginning of the end to it all.

portpower
3 years ago

Just the messenger.
Celtic`re to sign Andy Halliday.

Rob O'Keeffe
3 years ago

We are missing the main subject.It’s simply not about Res 12,that is a side issue.The most important matter is the financial doping which began in the ’80s and still continues by a club/team operating out of Liebrox.I don’t give a damn about one licence given for one effort at Euro qualifiers,I want All Titles and Cups stripped that have been awarded to cheats.As for a f.ckin 5WA? That means absolutely nothing,everybody knows that the SoosideSectarians are a new club/company and think they have secured a basket of assets which lets them think they are going for a 55th title.Any person with any IQ above village idiot level knows that this is totally delusional nonsense.Let them bump their gums but we Know for a fact,that We Rule,We are Going for 10 and a Quadruple Treble.We Are Legendary,they are nothing….

Auldheid
3 years ago
Reply to  Rob O'Keeffe

Res12 was given to Lawwell as leverage for change to make the SFA more professional.

The failing is his alone.

It wasn’t and isn’t a side issue it was and still is a means to that reform end because with every SFA Decision Res12 highlights just how much reform is needed.

The numbers understanding that grow because they have evidence that would persuade them if they look.

It shows up the total hypocrisy of the media even Celtic minded ones some who have had personal briefings and shy away.

Every time they resist, Res12 persists of itself.

Monti
3 years ago
Reply to  Auldheid

Quite correct!

Monti
3 years ago
Reply to  Rob O'Keeffe

Rob,
Well you fucking should give a damm, simply, if the huns had qualified & no fucked it up,there would have been no death of original rangers.
Think about that.

Angelgabriel
3 years ago

The majority of the Celtic support have been to busy celebrating trebles to really care . When you point out that the game we payed into was bent for a decade ( at least) it often gets agreement and some condemnation but not anger .
Anger is reserved for uninspiring transfer windows, poor tactical decisions or supposedly impartial referees.
While Celtic are winning, the fans want tickets for Hampden not a boycott.

Lawwell had no appetite for a scrap with the SFA . Does he know the landscape better than the fans like us with a grudge ?
I don’t imagine much support from other clubs, if any .
Is money the deciding factor?
Is Lawwell fighting battles he can win rather than one with the SFA that would be prolonged and fraught with difficulties and bad press ?
Big questions. I wish he would fight, but by the same rule , I don’t think heated driveways motivate him more than Celtic winning.
When he finally retires his book will be revealing. HH

Auldheid
3 years ago
Reply to  Angelgabriel

Market test. If it could be clearly demonstrated that Celtic/Eric Riley a recipient of the 5 Way Agreement in 2012 did nothing in 2013 to challenge the LNS Decision which allowed the retention of titles that under LNS ruling are untainted and then from 2014 did nothing to use evidence that landed on his desk of HMRC correspondence showing the fraudulent and unlawful nature of the DOS Ebts LNS wrongly treated as lawful, how angry would folk get?

Monti
3 years ago
Reply to  Auldheid

Auldheid,
What happens now?

Auldheid
3 years ago
Reply to  Monti

Depends on the result of the game between Anger and Acceptance and just how much football supporters are willing to accept.

Procedurally but it needs checking Celtic will have to officially take a vote on Res12 (2013) to remove it from the agenda. Then and only then will it be dead.

Should be fun hearing their reasons.

Monti
3 years ago
Reply to  Auldheid

Auldheid,
Agreed, i think our support need to get their heads together, discuss the way forward & apply pressure on the board.
If folk don’t care enough to force change now, then they will have no voice in the future.
Quite simply, we can’t have a governing body looking out for the financial interests of one club.

Keep up the good work Auldheid & remember, when all looks lost….it isn’t!

HH

Monti
3 years ago
Reply to  Angelgabriel

Angel,
Not so, for example it is entirely possible trebles won by our team, whilst totally giving a fuck about res 12.
We do care about it so stop talking us down with that pish.

portpower
3 years ago

If the SFA Scottish Cup gets the go ahead all money raked in should be divvied between all clubs.

The Cha
3 years ago

The action was against Rangers and not the SFA.

The Cha
3 years ago
Reply to  The Cha

In-doot-ah-blae but still they were the charged party.

Go figure.

Auldheid
3 years ago

Which of course is why both Res12s asked for UEFA to investigate and Celtic rejected, insisting any investigation follow SFA judicial protocols.

The original Res12 is still on the AGM agenda in an adjourned state.

Celtic will have to explain to shareholders by next AGM but hopefully before because they will be asked to why they rendered themselves powerless to act when their CEO Peter Lawwell and then Director Eric Riley accepted the 5 Way Agreement.

Monti
3 years ago

Celebrating trebles

jimmybee
3 years ago

McCreesh and O’Hara die on the same day
Remembering 1981: Four men dead as crisis escalates

»SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

Thursday, 21 May 1981, witnessed the deaths of two more Hunger Strikers. Raymond McCreesh passed away at 2.30am. Later that evening Patsy O’Hara died.

A Mass had been celebrated at Raymond McCreesh’s bedside on Wednesday evening by his brother Fr Brian McCreesh. He was semi-conscious and appeared to show some sign of recognition but died just a few hours later. His remains were returned to his beloved Camlough in South Armagh for the funeral the following Saturday.

Leaving the family home in St Malachy’s Terrace, the cortege stopped briefly at the lane outside the house where it was joined by a honour guard of IRA Volunteers, Cumann na mBan and Na Fianna Éireann. Led by a lone piper, the cortege paused to allow Raymond McCreesh’s comrades fire a final salute over the Tricolour-draped coffin.

At St Malachy’s church loudspeakers broadcast the Mass to a huge crowd of mourners. Mass was concelebrated by five priests led by Raymond’s brother Brian. In his sermon Fr Wolsey criticised the British for selectively quoting from the Pope’s 1979 Drogheda speech: “Violent means must not be used, the Pope says, to change injustices. But neither must violent means be used to keep injustices. The Pope has said so. The first passage has been over quoted; the second one rarely heard.”

McCreesh1

• Raymond McCreesh’s coffin, flanked by an IRA guard of honour is shouldered by his brothers Malachy and Brian

After the Mass, the funeral procession made its way the short distance to the cemetery where, in sight of the family home, the coffin was lowered into the grave. Chairing the graveside ceremonies was South Armagh republican Joe McElhaw. Defying a British exclusion order, Sinn Féin President Ruairí Ó Brádaigh delivered the oration. Paying tribute to McCreesh, he said: “We are gathered here to perform a last, sad but proud duty for that great Irishman and human being, Raymond McCreesh.” He detailed McCreesh’s progression from Na Fianna Éireann to the IRA and his capture in 1976 after a gunbattle with the British army. He had fought imperialism, which was the “enemy of mankind”.

Ó Brádaigh outlined the area’s proud history of resistance to British rule. He accused the British Government of callously murdering McCreesh and his comrades but added that British policy was now in ribbons. “Where now is their Ulsterisation? Where now was their normalisation? Where now is their criminalisation?” he asked.

“These hungry and starving men in their beds of pain, by superior moral strength, have pushed the British government to the wall and have shamed them in the eyes of the world”, said Ó Brádaigh.

Comparing the Hunger Strikers to Terrence Mac Swiney, the Lord Mayor of Cork who died on Hunger Strike in 1921, he pledged that republicans would continue their resistance to British rule.

PATSY O’HARA

Patsy O’Hara passed away at 11.39pm. By his bedside were his father James, his sister Elizabeth and family friend James Daly. Speaking of his final moments his sister said: “My Father called, Patsy! And he sort of, as if he recognised the voice, sort of just tried to move his head, just one last time. And then he died. And as he was dying his face just changed, he had a very, very distinct smile on his face which I will never for-get. I said, you’re free Patsy. You have won your fight and you’re free. And he was cold then.”

Former leader of INLA prisoners in the H-Blocks, O’Hara came from a staunchly republican family and was much respected in his native Derry. The night of his death saw sustained rioting on the streets of Derry. The RUC replied with volleys of plastic bullets, murdering 45-year-old Harry Duffy in the process. Two days earlier they had murdered 12-year-old Carol Ann Kelly in Twinbrook.

Repeating their actions with the Francis Hughes cortege, the RUC hijacked O’Hara’s remains. Long Kesh Governor Stanley Hilditch had informed the family that the remains had been taken to Omagh where they could be collected. About 4.30am the RUC phoned Derry with a mes-sage. “If you want to collect this thing you had better do it before daylight.” They were determined to prevent a daytime cortege. In a sickening development it emerged, after the body was finally retrieved by the grieving family, that the RUC ghouls had mutilated the body.

• Patsy O’Hara pictured in his prison cell just one week before he died and on the day before Francis Hughes’ funeral. The film was smuggled out but unfortunately the camera and a miniature tape recorder were apparently discovered by the prison authorities two days later in the cell of Raymond McCreesh

The funeral, the biggest in the city since the Bloody Sunday funerals, was addressed by a number of people. Chairing the proceedings was James Daly, husband of murdered anti-H-Block activist Miriam Daly. He offered his condolences to the family before introducing a member of the INLA leadership who read out a statement. Patsy’s brother Seán then addressed the mourners. He compared Charles Haughey to Pontius Pilate and said the Hunger Strikes were an important victory for the cause of Irish freedom as the whole world could now see the callousness of the British.

Gerry Roche of the IRSP detailed the harsh experiences, North and South, endured by O’Hara during his short life. Commending his revolutionary spirit Roche said the attempt to criminalise the prisoners was an attempt to criminalise the entire struggle. O’Hara had recognised this and had resisted courageously. “He believed that it is no crime to fight the British occupation forces, but the duty of every Irish man and Irish woman,” Roche said.

An INLA firing party fired a volley of shots over the coffin in a final salute to their dead comrade.

The deaths of McCreesh and O’Hara in the H-Blocks took place against an increasingly violent backdrop outside the prison. The IRA was mounting increasingly effective military operations against the British army, with five British soldiers killed in an ambush at Altnaveigh, South Armagh.

Crown forces attempted to crush rising nationalist anger. In addition to the plastic bullet deaths of Carol Ann Kelly and Harry Duffy, there was a wave of indiscriminate plastic bullet attacks that left hundreds injured, many of them seriously, including Paul Lavelle (15) from Ardoyne who was left in a coma.

The Hunger Strike was causing a huge outcry in the 26 Counties and Taoiseach Charles Haughey was forced to give the impression of doing something, particularly in light of an impending election on 11 June. He promoted as a serious initiative an intervention by the European Commission on Human Rights which amounted to nothing.

Just two days before her brother died, Haughey met with Patsy O’Hara’s sister Elizabeth, during which he gave the impression that a development involving Europe was imminent and asked her for a contact number at which she could be reached. The following morning she got a call summoning her to Government Buildings. Haughey was still pushing the Commission angle but told Elizabeth that Patsy would have to come off the Hunger Strike to give time for a complaint to be made to the Commission. It was clear at this point that the Commission was just a diversion. Elizabeth O’Hara broke off all contact with Haughey.

There was mounting anger on the streets in the 26 Counties. Although the H-Block committee was determinedly non-violent as a matter of strategy, there was a wave of incidents across the state such as the 23 May torching of a bus belonging to English fishermen in Ballinamore, County Leitrim. In a vain attempt to distract from the real issue a Government summit was called with much fanfare to discuss “escalating violence”.

A statement from the Catholic Cardinal, Tomás Ó Fiaich said: “Raymond McCreesh was born in a community that has always proclaimed that it is Irish, not British. When the northern troubles began he was barely 12, a very impressionable age at which to learn discrimination. Those who protested against it were harassed and intimidated. Then followed Burntollet, The Bogside, Bombay Street and Bloody Sunday in Derry all before he was 15.” The Cardinal went on to say that McCreesh would never have been in jail had it not been for the abnormal political situation. “Who was entitled to judge him?” he asked.

The 20 May local elections in the Six Counties saw a number of H-Block candidates elected. Amongst them was Raymond McCreesh’s brother, Oliver.

International support for the Hunger Strikers soared. There were daily demonstrations in the United States. Thousands marched in protest through New York on the Saturday after the deaths of McCreesh and O’Hara. Amongst the countries that saw demonstrations, many of them large, were Australia, Norway, Greece, France and Portugal.

The deaths of Raymond McCreesh and Patsy O’Hara, who had started the strike on the same day, died on the same day and were born within a fortnight of each other in February 1957, marked a critical escalation in the prison struggle, as well as the struggle outside the prisons walls.

Raymond McCreesh was born in the village of Camlough in South Armagh, the second youngest in a family of four brothers and three sisters. After leaving school, he attended Newry Technical College, and served an apprenticeship as a sheet-metal worker.

In June 1976, at the age of 19, McCreesh was arrested after a shoot-out between the IRA and the British Army near Beleek in South Armagh. After nine months on remand he was sentenced in a non-jury court i

By the time he embarked on the historic 1981 hunger strike, Raymond McCreesh had spent four years on the blanket protest, and during that time forfeited his visits rather than wear the prison uniform for the half-hour per month. He only took his first visit with his parents in 1981 to inform them that he was going on the hunger strike.

Patrick O’Hara was born in Derry city on 11 February 1957. He was just 11 years old on 5 October 1968 when, along with his parents, he took part in the big civil rights march in Derry which was viciously attacked by the RUC. A year later he again witnessed one of the milestones in the conflict when the RUC invaded, and were defeated, during the Battle of the Bogside in August 1969.

Patrick, known to everyone as Patsy, joined na Fianna Éireann in 1970 and, although under-age, he joined Sinn Féin in early 1971. A few months after the introduction of internment his eldest brother Seán was interned.

In 1974 his home was continually raid-ed by the British Army and he was frequently harassed and beaten up by them before being interned in October. After his release in April 1975, O’Hara joined the Irish Republican Socialist Party, but within two months he was re-arrested and framed by the British Army. He spent ten months on remand before being acquitted.

The British Army and RUC continued to harass the O’Hara family in 1976 and Patsy’s brother Tony was arrested and charged with a political offence for which he was subsequently convicted on the basis of an alleged verbal.

Patsy was arrested again in September 1976 and charged with possessing arms and ammunition. This was really internment-by-remand and he was released after four months, when the charges were dropped.

In June 1977 he was arrested in Dublin, interrogated for seven days, and charged with holding a Garda at gunpoint. He was released on bail six weeks later and in January 1978 he was acquitted.

Patsy was arrested once more in May 1979. He was charged with possession of a hand grenade and was convicted on the basis of accusations made by two British soldiers. He was sentenced to eight years’ imprisonment in January 1980 and immediately went on the blanket protest.

This week 25 years ago saw four young men, from various parts of the Six Counties, on a hunger strike to the death in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh, as the republican leadership urged the need for mobilisations and action in support of their demands for recognition as political prisoners.

Thank you

An Phoblacht for this.

jimmybee
3 years ago

Thursday, 21 May 1981, witnessed the deaths of two more Hunger Strikers. Raymond McCreesh passed away at 2.30am. Later that evening Patsy O’Hara died.

Read more: https://www.anphoblacht.com/contents/27812
Thank you An Phoblacht

Monti
3 years ago
Reply to  jimmybee

Bless them always

Oztim
3 years ago

If Res 12 not resolved or acted upon by start of next season, fans in the stadium should turn on their mobile phone torches at the 12th minute mark to Shine a Light on Corruption and make sure the Board know it’s directed at them.

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