Louisville / Milwaukee / HQ FCI 1982 · p.49

2
Gun-running'suspectsrange
average-Americanrcitizens,some re
from
Martin Galvin,national publication
crultedin1bluecollar/Irish barsthat
director-of:NorthernIrish Ald (NO
are hotbeds of·IRA support,to'llegal
RAID),denies-thatanyofhis'group's
allensfrom-lreland.whomovedtothe
money.fromdirect*contrbutons,
United-States'speciflcallyito-further
dinnerstiandmerchandise.sales
the IRA cause.
finances.gun-running.
Y*Assistant'USvAttorneyRichard
uThat'sabsoluteinonsense-The:
Stearns,who is prosecutingthe Bed-
Americangovernmentisourclearest
lord'case,asald,youzhave?alarge
proofof.that."Galvinsaid：1four.
IrishcommunityInBostonand a col
monles-werekbelngusedefor-illegal:
umn.ofbuilt-in:sympathy.A:lot.ofit.
purchase otexport.of-arms.our.lead
has:really:lost:itsgrip on IrishRe
erswouldhavebeenput:inJail'and
publicpoltics today.Ithinkthe.IRA
ouraorganizatlonshut-/downmany
isseensul-Iny/kind7of/romantic
terms.
Galvin says.NORAIDhas raised
The:Bedford:sting began/early in
about'S4mlllonin the:UnitedStates
1985intheShamrockTavern:inBos-
since/it wasformed:in?1970.InBel-
ton's.Brighton:section,when :one
:fast,government/sourcestold.United
suspect:offereditoputan undercover
PressInternationaltheybelfevethe
FBI:agent:in-touch:with:people.seek
total:NORAIDhas raisedIsmore like
ing to.buyM16s
$11'millionr
.
Bill O'Donnell-edltorof;the7,300-
NoelMurphy-26,describedmoreias
circulationBoston'Irish，Echo:weekly
ga:sympathizer.than:as'alleading:IRA
newspaper,saysifund-raising-for
member,wastheykingpin.Officials
weapons In.thejIrishcommunity is no.
allege thathe:sat:in'a:local'barlast
longeretheyblatant:practlce'sthatit
fall:and.told,the undercoveragent he
wasin.the.1970s.
was:tryingtoestablishya.regular
NORAID Is.the.most-actve.fund
business ofsupplying*armstoxthe
raiser-inregard-to fighting.for-Irish
rule,and-itseems.tome.that mostof
The'agent:played-alongforxmore
the-fund-ralsing:is;pretty muchJup-
thana:year.In April,Murphyythree
front/atthelrbanquets."O'Donnell.
other:Irishmenyand fourBoston men
saldsTs
.
were arrested on:charges of:plotting
There isalso substantial fund rais-
to:shlp*$73.000worth:of/weapons,
Ing/In-the*UnitedsStatesthatgoes
including-100 M-16:riflesfanda.sur.
towardpeacerandreconcillatfonin
Northenrandot totheA
face-to-alrimissile,to.the:provisional
TheIrelandFund,basedinBoston
raised more thanS2 milllon last:year
AtaballhearingStearnsksaidi
for.programs:that;enhancespeace,
fMurphyinzonerrecordediconversars
tlon,admitted he.was:an illegalalleni
culture;andicharitysin Northern Ire-
in.search ofmoney forthe:IRAand
landFi"
*We'retalkingabout&verydlffer
forhimselffsomesort.ofadvanced
Ireland:Fund executive directorwe
Inthatconversaon,Murphysaid
hearsfrompeople:whowant:to:get
whe:was dissatistledwithithe.training
involved intheprocess ofpeacewho
availablerthroughtheIRAHetold
come.tousbecause:we're:not:asso-
the.agent:about:a:trip to.the Cuban
clatedwith themenofviolence/r
embassyInMexicoCitytoask/for
The :peoplerinIreland:are.much
enrollmentingone:ofitheirtraining
more fed.up with this than·the people
schools.
overwhere'swith:romantic*notions,
wouldunderstandMcNallysald:
really/is.a terrorist.networkinther
Much-of/-theIRAgroup-isvery
world:/andcertain governmentsare
Marxist-oriented.Americans.who
dinterested Insustainingit.o
McGortysaid,uThere Is:noway
support the notionwouldbe'appalled
wecanreally.tell.how.much.money
:if-they.knewwhattheyswere
supporting."y
isinvolyedA.therejisnowaywes
..
ing at barsyat dances.Most is collect
ed:in.cash,so.it;is.Impossible,toestl