Saor Éire (1967-1975)

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Saor Éire ( Irish [ s̪ˠeːɾˠ eːɾʲə ] or [ s̪ˠiːɾˠ eːɾʲə ], German: "Free Ireland" ) was an Irish Republican , left , paramilitary organization composed of former members of the Irish Republican Army and Trotskyists . They sought to end the British occupation of Northern Ireland . It took the name of the Saor Éire , which existed in the early half of the 20th century.

history

Founded in 1967, the organization was founded by Peter Graham and Maureen Keegan of the Young Socialists, Gerry Lawless of the Irish Workers Group and Frank Keane, former commander of the IRA's Dublin Brigade. Graham was a member of the Fourth International and Keegan was active during the May riots in Paris in 1968. Saor Éire saw himself as an urban guerrilla . The leadership believed that the working class needed to turn around and that this was the key to success. Their only political manifesto was published in May 1971: the Saor Éire Manifesto (printed by Red Mole).

Between 1967 and 1970 Saor Éire carried out a number of bank heists and with these funds acquired weapons, among other things. The money was used to support Irish independence fighters in Northern Ireland, and they were trained and supplied with weapons. In 1969 The Troubles broke out in Northern Ireland. Two bank heists in Newry ( County Down ) in March 1969 stole £ 22,000, which was a record at the time. In February 1970, the group briefly occupied the village of Rathdrum , County Wicklow, and robbed the local bank.

On April 3, 1970, the police officer Richard Fallon was shot dead in Dublin. In this context, allegations have been made by the Fallons family against the Irish government that they supported the perpetrators. Three men: Sean Morrissey, Patrick Francis Keane, and Joseph Dillon were convicted of this murder.

On October 13, 1970, Liam Walsh, a member of Saor Éire, died in a premature bomb in Dublin.

Peter Graham was murdered in Dublin on October 25, 1971. This murder was never solved. Tariq Ali of the International Marxist Group and Charlie Bird attended Graham's funeral

Maureen Keegan died of cancer in 1972. At that time, the organization had the reputation of having been taken over by gangsters and no longer adhering to its revolutionary goals. Saor-Éire prisoners in the Portlaoise Prison in ( Port Laoise ) published a statement on May 18, 1973 declaring their exit from the Saor Éire, as it had been taken over by elements with which one does not identify.

On June 10, 1975, Larry White, a leading Saor-Éire member from Cork, was hit by several bullets on Male Mount Eden Road. He died of his injuries shortly afterwards. The IRA was seen as the perpetrator of the attack. In 1976 several members of the IRA were convicted of the murder of Larry White, including Bernard Lynch. The judgment was later overturned for procedural errors.

Saor Éire was officially dissolved in 1975.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Tim Pat Coogan: The IRA . Fontana Books, 1987, ISBN 0-00-636943-X , pp. 681-682 .
  2. ^ A b Liz Walsh: The Final Beat, Gardaí Killed in the Line of Duty (Gill and Macmillan, Dublin. 2001).
  3. ↑ Irish Examiner, Reporter: After 39 years, truth about death of brave garda must finally be told . Irish Examiner. April 18, 2009. Accessed on July 6, 2009.  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.@1@ 2Template: dead link / archives.tcm.ie  
  4. ↑ Ireland on Sunday , October 1, 2006. here .
  5. ^ Index of Deaths from the Conflict in Ireland , CAIN . Retrieved February 2, 2010.
  6. ^ Brian Hanley, Scott Millar: The lost revolution: the story of the official IRA and the Workers' Party , Penguin-Verlag, ISBN 978-0-14-102845-3 , pages 299-301
  7. ↑ Family of murdered republican calls for removal of Minister's assistant by Paul Cullen, The Irish Times - Saturday, June 25, 2011
  8. ^ Bernard Lynch serves as assistant to his junior minister wife . In: MailOnline . June 19, 2011.

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