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THE WALLACE AND HOLROYD FILE …….
These files are now coming under the scrutiny of the ‘authorities’ . Heads will role . But whose ?
From ‘New Hibernia’ magazine , April 1987 .
Chief Supt. Hubert Reynolds of the Murder Squad at Garda HQ wants to know why ‘Commandant P’ was never interviewed by the gardai about his involvement in the Wallace/Holroyd File . Reynolds heads a team which has been told to get to the bottom of the affair – and quick .
He has taken statements from ‘Commandant P’ and other (State) Army Officers , serving and retired , who might throw light on the subject . But that is only one of the curious things which have been thrown up by the persistent claim made by Fred Holroyd and Colin Wallace on TV , radio and in the press in Britain and Ireland . Their allegations divide neatly into two , but are complementary .
Fred Holroyd was a Captain in the ‘Special Military Intelligence Unit’ in the North of Ireland and served as a Military Intelligence Officer in the RUC’s ‘Juliet’ Division of Mid Ulster (sic) between 1974 and 1976 . As a bearded undercover man , often operating in disguise , he was well placed to discover what was going on in the RUC Special Branch , local military intelligence , the SAS (who had a troop based at Castledillon near his patch) and MI6 for who he worked secretly as their eyes and ears in that part of the British Army command structure…….
(MORE LATER).
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THE HEAVY HAND OF THE LAW …….
Allegations of Garda brutality only hit the headlines intermittently . But the problem may be much more widespread than most people imagine . Last year out-of-court settlements of cases involving members of the Garda cost the taxpayer over €1 million . What’s going on ?
From ‘MAGILL’ magazine , April 2003 .
By Mairead Carey.
Grainne Walsh (35) readily admits that she and her sister , Ciara , were the perfect plaintiffs :
” For us , taking the case was a huge risk . The District Court case cost us thousands of pounds , and we faced the possibility of losing tens of thousands in the High Court . But we knew we were innocent and we were in a position to fight it . If you don’t have the finances , or the witnesses , or if you have a record or a drug problem , you have to drop it . “
Peter Mullen’s clients are more likely to fit into the latter category – ” I receive complaints on a regular basis from clients who say they have been assaulted by the gardai ,” says the Dublin solicitor . He rarely advises anyone to go to the Garda Complaints Board : ” I don’t have a huge amount of confidence in the Garda complaints procedure , nor do my clients . “ Normally , Peter Mullen would’nt advise clients to take a civil case , either , but he had good reasons for advising the Walsh sisters to do so on this occasion…….
(MORE LATER).
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VINCENT BROWNE : PILLARS OF SOCIETY …….
Vincent Browne is the nearest thing to Robert Maxwell that Ireland has got – in style , if not in scale .
From ‘PHOENIX’ magazine , 1985.
Vincent Browne owes the Revenue Commissioners £110,000 to last July , with probably the same amount piling up since then , Tony Ryan is still owed another £500,000 and journalists may take cold comfort from the fact that their own paltry debt of £15,000 in owed wages is by far the smallest of Browne’s debts . These figures may explain why some of Browne’s closest allies are thinking of ratting .
Vincent Browne is presently looking for a consortium of investors to put in £100,000 each , but whether or not the larger-than-life journalist manages to hang in there and become the country’s most flamboyant publisher remains to be seen . If he does fail to get an investor , or investors , it will not be for the want of trying .
At one stage in the last ten months , Browne approached people close to Fianna Fail leader Charles Haughey , looking for funds . Possessed of an astute political brain and a manic energy , Vincent Browne himself will survive even if ‘The Sunday Tribune’ does not !
[END of ‘VINCENT BROWNE : PILLARS OF SOCIETY’]
(Next – ‘ THE STRANGE STATE KILLING OF MAURICE O’ NEILL’ – from 1999.)
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