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http://www.irishecho.com/newspaper/story.cfm?id=19265
By Irish Echo Staff
May 6, 2009
The Capitol Hill-based Irish National Caucus is sponsoring a two-week visit to Washington and New York by Raymond McCord of Belfast.
McCord, a Protestant loyalist, has conducted a 12-year-campaign to get justice for his son, Raymond Jr. who was murdered by a loyalist gang in 1997.
"The man who ordered the brutal murder was a government agent and police informer, so the British government and Northern Ireland police have protected the killer and covered up the crime," said INC president Fr. Sean McManus.
"Since Raymond Jr. was murdered, I have encountered stonewalling and obstruction from the British government and Northern Ireland police. I can only turn for justice to Fr. Mc Manus and his many friends in Congress. He has assured me that the U.S. Congress will fight for my rights as hard as they have fought for the rights of Catholics in Northern Ireland," said McCord.
McCord addressed the monthly meeting of the John Barry Division of the AOH in Washington on Tuesday.
More information on the McCord visit is available from the INC at (202)544-0568.
This story appeared in the issue of May 6-12, 2009
http://www.derryjournal.com/journal/Sunday-wounded-lived-life-in.5233114.jp
Published Date: 05 May 2009
By Staff reporter
Mourners at the Requiem Mass for Michael Bradley, who was shot and wounded on Bloody Sunday, heard him described as a "passionate campaigner for justice."
Speaking at Mr. Bradley’s Requiem Mass in St Eugene’s Cathedral yesterday morning, Fr Michael Canny said it was “regrettable” that Mr Bradley would not live to see the publication of the Saville Inquiry’s findings into the events of January 30, 1972.
The funeral Mass was attended by a number of the people who were also wounded on Bloody Sunday, as well as relatives of those killed. The retired Bishop of Derry, Most Rev. Dr Edward Daly, also attended the funeral.
Fr. Canny said: “The last Sunday of January 1972 began as an ordinary Sunday morning. We are told it was a clear crisp winter’s day but it became one of the most enduring days in this city’s history when British soldiers murdered 14 men and wounded a further 14, including, Mickey Bradley.”
“He was a young man of 22 summers when he took part in the march along with thousands of others, unaware of how his life and the lives of others would be changed and changed forever by the events. As a result of his injuries he was to live the rest of his life in pain,” Fr. Canny added.
Fr Canny also praised Mr Bradley’s work for the Bloody Sunday Justice campaign. “Since his death, the headline have described Mickey as a Bloody Sunday justice campaigner. He certainly campaigned hard and had been waiting in hope for the findings of the Saville Inquiry to be published.
“He was a man of tremendous integrity. He was a man who was passionate about justice and campaigned for the truth of what happened that day to come out.
“Despite the scars of Bloody Sunday he lived life to the full. He was always available to help people in any way he could. The generosity with which he gave his time was known to many. I am confident that his enthusiasm and campaigning spirit will live on,” he said.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/0505/moffittw.html
Tuesday, 5 May 2009 16:43
A man who claimed to be a loyalist paramilitary during a drunken air rage incident on board a flight to Belfast has been given a three month prison sentence.
46-year-old William Moffitt from Derry, who was arrested at Belfast City Airport, pleaded guilty to behaving in a threatening manner on board an aircraft.
The court heard that Moffitt was drunk on the plane and made comments about being in the UVF and the RUC. Moffitt admitted that he had been drinking heavily from 8am on the day of the incident.
His solicitor said his client realised his behaviour would not be tolerated by the courts.
The three-month prison sentence was suspended for a year and a half.
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0507/1224246058252.html
DAN KEENAN in Derry
Thu, May 07, 2009
QUEEN ELIZABETH has begun a three-day visit to Northern Ireland with a series of engagements in Derry. She arrived at Derry airport yesterday afternoon.
Accompanied by Prince Phillip and Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward, her first visit was to the recently opened Lisneal College on the outskirts of Derry, where 900 pupils attend a new £17 million school on a green 22-acre site on the city’s Waterside.
There to greet them were around 100 primary school children from the Protestant Fountain area of Derry.
The queen was met by Dr Donal Keegan, the Lord Lieutenant of the county borough of Londonderry and by college principal David Funston along with members of the school staff and board of governors.
She also met First Minister Peter Robinson, Foyle MP and SDLP leader Mark Durkan, the Mayor of Derry Gerard Diver and local Assembly member and speaker William Hay.
The queen was shown the school’s new facilities, including a dental surgery which had been specially developed and staffed in an effort to boost the dental health of pupils.
She was then shown around the college’s dining facilities where pupils use a new biometric payment system which uses fingerprints to deduct payments from pre-paid accounts.
The queen chatted with some canteen staff who demonstrated the system and with 14-year-old Hanna Boyle, a year 10 pupil from Eglinton who is the young cook of the year and is the holder of a health promotion school award in catering.
The queen also visited the business studies department and met some of the students involved in the Young Enterprise Competition.
She was later brought to the history department and met pupils who have taken part in trips to the first World War battlefields and to the concentration camp at Auschwitz in Poland.
The visit was rounded off with a performance by the school orchestra under the head of music Stewart Smith before the queen and Prince Phillip unveiled a plaque marking their visit to the area.
They were presented with flowers by head girl Rachael Devine and a replica of “Roaring Meg”, a cannon situated in the old walled city, presented to them by head boy Robert Macbeth.
The queen and her husband continued their visit to the city by viewing the new facilities at the nearby Altnagelvin hospital.
There, the queen visited the maternity wing and chatted to mothers who recently gave birth, while Prince Phillip inspected the hospital’s regional cancer unit. The queen also opened a new multimillion pound hospital wing.
© 2009 The Irish Times
Updated: 10/4/2009
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