Irish Republican Army Part 01 · p.386
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Irish Republican Army Part 01
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In November 1982,after a trial in New York lasting seven weeks,Michael
Flannery and four co-defendants were acquitted on charges relating to the
shipment of arms to the Provisional IRA.They had been arrested in 1981
after a significant arms haul in New York,which included a 20mm cannon with
shells,a flamethrower,21 shoulder and handguns (together with 12,500 rounds
of ammunition) and booby trap components.I
In.court, the issue was whether
the defendants had breached Us law governing the possession of unregistered
weapons and their export.T
The defence argued that their clientsbelieved
that they had been acting with and through a "cIA agent" and convicted arms
dealer, George DeMeo, and that accordingly the accused had not violated any
US law, since the US Government is exempt from the requirement to obtain
permission to export weapons; the US authorities stated in court that DeMeo
had nothing to do with the CIA.Nevertheless, the defendants had admitted
their roles in the operation and the case showed beyond further doubt that
moneyraised by NoRAID was being used to buy weapons for the Provisional IRA.
Flannery admitted in open court that he had been involved for many years in
the financing of arms deals on behalf of the IRA:
"I came [to the US] directly from Ireland. I was a member of the Irish
e g m o. sx i
·1927 and I came here purposely to organise these people, so they would
be a help to the militant movement,to the IRA at home,to complete the
freedom of Ireland."
In March 1983 the organisers of the St Patrick's Day parade in New York
appointed Flannery as the parade's Grand Marshal, together with Andrew Duggan
as an aide - a move which caused bitter controversy:, In view of Flannery's
appointment the Irish Government. announced that its'representatives would
boycott the parade.Leading Irish-American politicians also condemned
Flannery's appointment and dissociated themselves from the parade,and the US
Federal authorities.banned serving military personnel from participating in
the parade.
Sinn Fein's main publication, An Phoblacht/Republican News (10 February
1983),referred to Flannery as "an admitted arms supplier to the IRA". In
the opening statement by the defence on behalf of another defendant, George.
Harrison,it was stated that
"Mr Harrison has aided and abetted and supplied arms to the rebels in
Northern Ireland for a quarter of a century."
In a speech at the hunger strike commemoration at Bundoran, Co Donegal,
on 30-August 1986, Flannery described his IRA membership and attitude to the
Gardai, saying that
"We have. no great grudge against them, so long as they don't interfere,
but when they interfere, then they are part of the enemy"; and he
referred to the Taoiseach as "a cringing, creeping, crawling creature"
who supported Mrs Thatcher and the Queen,who were the real terrorists
in Northern Ireland (Irish Times, Dublin, 1 September 1986).
Flannery and four co-defendants were acquitted on charges relating to the
shipment of arms to the Provisional IRA.They had been arrested in 1981
after a significant arms haul in New York,which included a 20mm cannon with
shells,a flamethrower,21 shoulder and handguns (together with 12,500 rounds
of ammunition) and booby trap components.I
In.court, the issue was whether
the defendants had breached Us law governing the possession of unregistered
weapons and their export.T
The defence argued that their clientsbelieved
that they had been acting with and through a "cIA agent" and convicted arms
dealer, George DeMeo, and that accordingly the accused had not violated any
US law, since the US Government is exempt from the requirement to obtain
permission to export weapons; the US authorities stated in court that DeMeo
had nothing to do with the CIA.Nevertheless, the defendants had admitted
their roles in the operation and the case showed beyond further doubt that
moneyraised by NoRAID was being used to buy weapons for the Provisional IRA.
Flannery admitted in open court that he had been involved for many years in
the financing of arms deals on behalf of the IRA:
"I came [to the US] directly from Ireland. I was a member of the Irish
e g m o. sx i
·1927 and I came here purposely to organise these people, so they would
be a help to the militant movement,to the IRA at home,to complete the
freedom of Ireland."
In March 1983 the organisers of the St Patrick's Day parade in New York
appointed Flannery as the parade's Grand Marshal, together with Andrew Duggan
as an aide - a move which caused bitter controversy:, In view of Flannery's
appointment the Irish Government. announced that its'representatives would
boycott the parade.Leading Irish-American politicians also condemned
Flannery's appointment and dissociated themselves from the parade,and the US
Federal authorities.banned serving military personnel from participating in
the parade.
Sinn Fein's main publication, An Phoblacht/Republican News (10 February
1983),referred to Flannery as "an admitted arms supplier to the IRA". In
the opening statement by the defence on behalf of another defendant, George.
Harrison,it was stated that
"Mr Harrison has aided and abetted and supplied arms to the rebels in
Northern Ireland for a quarter of a century."
In a speech at the hunger strike commemoration at Bundoran, Co Donegal,
on 30-August 1986, Flannery described his IRA membership and attitude to the
Gardai, saying that
"We have. no great grudge against them, so long as they don't interfere,
but when they interfere, then they are part of the enemy"; and he
referred to the Taoiseach as "a cringing, creeping, crawling creature"
who supported Mrs Thatcher and the Queen,who were the real terrorists
in Northern Ireland (Irish Times, Dublin, 1 September 1986).