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Loyalist attacks

The Orange Volunteers, the recently active loyalist paramilitary group, has claimed responsibility for the overnight bomb attack on the home of a Catholic man in an isolated area near Loughlinisland Co Down. The occupant of the house was slightly injured. Loughlinisland was the scene of a 1994 UVF attack on a local bar which left six customers dead. The Orange Volunteers has claimed responsibilty for a number of recent attacks and David Ervine of the Progressive Unionist Party has suggested that the Orange Volunteers is nothing more than a cover name for the Loyalist Volunteer Force. See last update. Meanwhile a Catholic man escaped injury in a petrol bomb attack on his home in the Waterside area of Derry early on Saturday morning. The man told the local media that the motivation for the attack was sectarian but he has vowed not to be driven from his home.

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Bloody Sunday Programme 1999

The full programme of events for the 1999 Bloody Sunday weekend from January 29-January 31 is now posted on our website. The theme of the weekend is State Violence- State the Truth. In addition readers may be interested to know that the Bloody Sunday exhibition, Hidden Truths, which has been on display in Mexico city will open in San Francisco during the anniversary weekend. The exhibit will open at 4pm, January 30, 1999 at the Somar Gallery, 934 Brannan St in San Francisco (between 8th and 9th streets) and continues through March 27. Special guests at the opening include Rita O' Hare of Sinn Fein and Kevin Conmy the Consulate General of Ireland in the city. Gallery hours: 12-4pm Tuesday -Saturday. A series of film showings, panel discussions and poetry readings are planned for February and March with guests including Tom Hayden, Eamon Mc Cann, Dolores Huerta and Sara Berkeley among many others. The play, Just Another Sunday by Derry playwright Pat Mulkeen will run from March 11- March 13 at 8pm. Contact the gallery for details on all the above events at 415 552 2131.

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Name and Shame Controversary

The right wing Conservative MP Andrew Hunter has decided not to publicly name a number of individuals who he and the Government sponsored group FAIT had alleged were involved in the Omagh bombing and recent punishment beatings. Hunter had threatened to use parliamentary privilege to name individuals. By doing so in parliament he would have avoided prosecution for libel though ironically this would also have made potential prosecutions of those named all the more difficult. For this reason his proposal drew a chorus of opposition from Labour spokespersons, the media and relatives of those killed in the Omagh bombing. The entire episode is regarded as a joint publicity stunt from FAIT and Conservative MPs opposed to the present political process which has badly backfired. Poignantly the issue has raised its head almost ten years to the day since a conservative colleague of Andrew Hunter alleged that a number of solicitors here were 'unduly sympathetic to the cause of the IRA.' The speech, which caused uproar at the time, in effect set Pat Finucane up as a target for loyalist paramilitaries. Pat was shot dead in his home three weeks later. Name and shame them…..the Junior Minister who made the comments which contributed significantly to Pats murder was Douglas Hogg MP.

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CD Fundraiser for the Pat Finucane Centre

The New York based Devil's Advocates and The United 32s have released an eighteen-song CD of traditional Irish music, punk rock, hip-hop, ska and jazz titled Snipers In Derelict Houses.

Much of Snipers In Derelict Houses deals with the conflict in the north of Ireland. The album's title is a line from its lead track, "1 Para," a song about the Bloody Sunday shootings in Derry in 1972. Other tracks on the album concern the summer marching season, the plight of Irish political refugees in the U.S., and losses suffered by victims of the war at the hands of those responsible for engineering it.

Joining the Devil's Advocates -- bassist/singer Pedro Gingerich, tin whistler/singer Diane George, and guitarist/singer Scott M.X. Turner, and ex-drummers John Celentano and James Speed-eee Lee -- are guests aplenty: accordionist Will Holshouser, uilleann piper Larry Otway, guitarist nez d., fiddler Holly McWhorter, and dance-mix producers Gigi & Pop. Stunning visual art is provided by Conor McGrady and Kevin Noble, and a sweet design package from Punknet.com's own Marc Lefton.

The biggest reason why you should order a copy…its a fundraiser for the Pat Finucane Centre.

Snipers In Derelict Houses is available by mail-order from Triage Records for $15, plus $1.50 for shipping costs. ($3.50 international airmail) For up-to-date information on record stores and pubs selling the album, log on to www.scottmx.com (online February 1). Make checks payable to Triage Records. Our mailing address: 199 Prospect Place Fourth Floor Brooklyn, NY 11238 Call us at 718.857.4607 Outside the US copies can be ordered directly from the PFC at twelve pounds sterling incl. PP.

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