Free Republic

The director of the Centre for Public Inquiry today accused Minister for Justice Michael McDowell of joining a witch hunt against him, over claims he was connected to an IRA plot to sell information to Farc guerrillas. Frank Connolly denied he had travelled to Colombia using a false passport, and said the allegations were made to detract from the centre’s independent inquiries on Trim Castle and the Corrib Gas project. Mr McDowell last night accused Mr Connolly of being linked to the IRA scheme to provide Colombian terrorists with bomb-making information in return for cash. In a written reply to...

Closely watched by two police forces, the quiet farmer who calmly looks after the IRA's millions By David McKittrick 07 October 2005 Thomas "Slab" Murphy, the IRA leader suspected of having millions of pounds invested in property in Manchester, has for most of his republican career led a charmed life. He has never been convicted of any offence, despite the fact that for more than two decades every Northern Ireland secretary, every chief constable and every general has spent long hours pondering how to put him behind bars. In his home area of South Armagh and further afield, everyone knows...

US congressman Peter King - who is dedicated to Irish-American affairs - has said he is certain that a statement from the IRA will be issued very soon. Mr King said he believes it will be extremely positive and a dramatic turning point in Irish history. Earlier, the Taoiseach said he believes we are within days of seeing an enormous change in the situation in Northern Ireland. Speaking in Galway, Bertie Ahern said he was hopeful that within the next 24 or 36 hours significant progress would be made towards full and final IRA decommissioning. He said he was not...

Police in Belfast tonight warned the family of Robert McCartney, the murdered father of two, of threats from “criminal elements” to have them burnt out of their homes and business. Catherine McCartney revealed she and her four sisters Paula, Gemma, Claire, Donna and Bridgeen Hagans were told of the threat tonight. “They told us that the threat to burn us out of our homes and to burn down Donna’s business came from criminal elements,” she confirmed. Police visited the homes of the McCartney sisters just days after the European Parliament backed moves to secure funding from the EU for a...