Flannery / Cumann na Saoirse 1988 · p.81

AIL INFORATION CONTAINED
NIALL O'DOWD looks at Irish Northe
HEREIN IS UNCLASSITIED
troversial Irish American organizatiol
its 17th annual banquet on January 15
year's guest of honor is Seamus Twor
Chief of Staff.
W
search the homes of every
has resulted in a major drop-
suspectedIRAsympathizerin
offofIrishAmerican support
the land.Inall,onein twenty
for the U.S.fundraising arm
HEN 83-year old
homes in the Irish Republic
The Friends of Fianna Fail,
Michael Flannery.briskly
was searched.Thoughvery lit-
andNoraidhavebenefitted as
strode.up NewYork's Fifth
tle was found,the hue and cry
a result, he says.
Avenue onMarch171983,with
against the Provisionals and
But all is not rosy for
theworld pressfollowinghis
their supporters reached a
Noraid.What is at stake
every step, the old IRA man,
new pitch.
ultimatelyfor theorganiza-
and Irish Northern Aid,the
Then,astheoldyeardrewto
tion,isa muchlargerfloating
American movement he
a close,the.IRA murdered
pool ofIrishAmericans who do
founded,·hadreachedahigh
John McMichael,a leading
notidentify with the IRA or the
point in their. history.
member of the UDA,the hard-
Irish government, but who
In Ireland, the memories of
line Ulster Protestant
nevertheless-depending on
the dead hungerstrikerswere
paramilitary group, who in the
events such as the hunger
fastfading into the shade,but
past had made conciliatory
strikes orEnniskillenwill
in the U.S.the extraordinary
gestures towards the Na-
swing their support either
publicreactionto thedeathof
tionalists.Again the reaction
way. Noraid contributions,for
BobbySands and nine others,
was shock and horror,as the
instance, jumped to record
crystalized into Flannery's
renewed specter of another
levels afterthehunger strikes,
election asGrandMarshal of
roundofsectarianassassina-
but then dropped off.
the NewYork parade,making
tions reared its head.
Noraid admit they suffered
him themost visible represen-
WhileeventsinIrelanddo
asetback afterthebombingat
tativeoftheIrishinAmerica
have a bearing on levels of Enniskillen.Indeed, En-
that year.
IRA support in the U.S., it is niskillen was.adroitly seized
Despite aboycottonthe
always worthremembering
upon by theBritish and Irish
parade by the Irish govern-
thatright fromFaminetimes,
embassiestofurthertheirown
mentandits'affiliated
hard-linebackingformilitant
anti-Noraid agendas.
organizations such as Aer
Irish republicanismfrom
But Noraid areparticularly
Lingus and the Irish Tourist
the Fenians, to the Rising in
pleasedat another-ac--
Board,and Cardinal Terence
1916to theProvisionals today
complishment in 1987, which
Cooke'srefusal tomeet him on
has.always existed in'the U.S.
wasperforming.animblexnd
the steps of Saint Patrick's.
Even in fallowtimes for
run around U.S.Immigratiop
Cathedral'and despite.a con-
republicanism in Ireland,in
and
StateDepartent
certed media campaign .to
the‘30s and‘40s of this cen-
authorities,by arrangingthe
discredit him -- or perhaps
tury, there was still a large
because of all of the above as
fentryintothecountrygftwo
hard-core group in the U.S.
top-levelSinnFein andIRA
dedicatedonly tothe-final--spokesmen,
Cabimhin
ycarried thedayin notable
defeatandwithdrawalofthe
O'Caolainand
Soamus
fashion and his organization,
British from ·Ireland.
Wwgmey.
despiteffestrict
Irish Northern Aid benefitted
Thus,_despite the En-
StateDepartment Ban on any
greatly.
A niskillens, it is highly unlikely
Provisionalsenterfng the U.S.
The lingering and most tell-
in the present circumstances
O'CaolainVis.asenior
ingmemory of that episode is
inNorthernIrelandthatany
member of Sian Fein, but
anABC‘Nightline'special on
significantdentin thehard-
Twomey,guest of honor at the
the affair,with former New
core supportfor the IRAin theNoraid annual banquet,is a
YorkGovernorHughCarey
U.S.could ever be achieved.In
much bigger fish.He is one of
vainlytrying tobrand the
fact,thesheersocialaspectof
thefewpubliclyidentified
elderlyandsomewhatsaintly
eitherbelonging toNoraid or
formerChiefofStaffsof the
lookinggentleman sitting to
attending their functions is
Provisionals, whose escape
his right, as an international
alsogreatlyunderestimated
aboardahelicopterfrom
terrorist.
by outside observers.
Mountjoy prison in the1970's
But now that glory day is
Indeed,the clubhouse cir-
quickly turned him into aPro-
long gone,and the IRA is com-
cuit of AOH, Noraidand
visional folkhero.
ing out of one of its worst years
various other Irish communi-
Inboth cases,it seens the
ever.First there was the very
ty dinners is a must formany
men gained entry aftergiving
poor showingof Provisional
IrishAmericans,particularly
anglicizedversionsof their
Sinn Fein,the political wing of
those with any political ambi-
names -Kevin Keelan and
theIRA,ingeneralelectionsin
tions, either within the com-
JamesTwomey.Bothwere
the South last February.That
munity or on a broader stage.
quicklysentontheNoraid tour
wasfollowed bytheslaying of
This aspect to Noraid con-
circuit,takinginfeveral cities
eightof their topoperatives at
tinues, totally oblivious to
across the U.S.,while Twomey
Loughgall, County Armagh,
events in Ireland, which in any
is expected tqfbe a major
victims of a British Army am-
eventare often
poorly
drawing card for the dinner.
bush.
reported in the U.S.
(Twomey's presence in the
Worse was to come, when an
Given those continuingfac-
U.S., first reported in this
IRAunit detonated.abomb
tors in their favor,Noraid ex-
newspaperlatermade
which killed 11 innocent
pect to report in with $350,000
headlines in the London Sun-
civilians at Enniskillen in
in contributions for 1987,ac-
day Times,among other
CountyFermanagh.Around
cording to topNoraid official
publications.)
the same timeDessie O'Hare,
Martin Galvin.In addition,he
But the public relations'
aka “The Border Fox,’ was
says,the organization has
boost that thepresence of
leading his band of rogue IN-
passed the 100 mark for units
Twomey representswill not
LA operatives on akidnapping
established.Newunits,most-disguise thefact that otherset-
and murder spree around
ly made up of recent young im-.
backs have been handed to.
Irelandbefore eventuallybe-
migrants,have sprung up in
Noraid in 1987 as well.
ing caught by police.Public
several places the two most
The 1986 formationof
reaction to both events
active in Sunnyside,Queens,
Republican Sinn Fein, an even
bordered on the hysterical.
and theBainbridgeunitin the
harder line offshoot of thePro-
Shortly afterwards,in a
Bronx.
visionals,who refuse to accept
stunning move, Irish Prime
Galvin claims also that Irish-thedecision.-ofProvisional
Minister Charles Haughey
prime minister Charles
SSinn Fein to recognize the
orderedhisarmy andpoliceto
Haughey's anti-republican line
Irish parliament or Dail and