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Showing posts with label Pádraic Mac Coitir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pádraic Mac Coitir. Show all posts
Pádraic Mac Coitir ✒ I'm only after watching a powerful documentary The Forever Prisoner about the torture of a Palestinian called Abu Zubaydah who was captured after what the yanks call '9/11'.


He was brought to a hidden location in Thailand and what he went through for months I'd argue the scum who devised the torture and those who carried it out wouldn't last a day. One of those scumbags is called Mitchell and is a multi millionaire (he made his fortune devising torture techniques which the US and other Imperialists have used for years)and he and many others should be held to account but there's obviously no chance of that.

The torture tactics have been known for years but to hear what Abu Zubaydah went through is mind blowing. In one month he was water boarded (in other words drowned) eighty three times. He was held in a coffin like box where he literally couldn't move for ten days. As well as that he was beaten, hung up for weeks, stripped naked and strapped to a chair in a freezing cell. 

The scum who carried this out were supported by Bush, Cheney, Tenet and hundreds of other scum who lived in luxury. As Iong as I've read the history of the US I despise Everything about their stinking government, army, navy, air force and every other military department. 

It's despicable when I see so-called Irish Republicans praise them and swan over to that country seeking funds or looking a few votes. I could go on and name individuals and groups of those who should hang their heads in shame but it doesn't take a genius to know who they are.

Padraic Mac Coitir is a former republican
prisoner and current political activist.

The Forever Prisoner

Pádraic Mac Coitir ✒ As an atheist I take some interest in religious orders and most of them amuse me. 

I would never insult anyone who believes in a god and goes to religious services unless they try to lecture me or try to convince me of there being a god.
 
I was baptised a catholic and went to communion and was confirmed. I hadn't a clue about it and just done as my parents and teachers told me. So I suppose I was seen as a 'good wee catholic'. By the way we never referred to ourselves as Roman Catholic.
 
As I got older I started to question things and that was a no no for catholics. Religion is based on faith and take the word of the gospel as the truth. When I was on the blanket protest the only reading material was the bible and religious magazines such as the Word and newspapers like The Universe. Like most of the lads I read them because there was nothing else. I started to read about saints and the 'miracles' they created and I would laugh at them. To pass the time we talked out the doors about them and many of the lads believed them. I stopped going to confession and taking communion and the only reason I went to mass every Sunday was to get out of the cell. We all knew the history of the catholic church and their connivance with the state and that was another reason for me not going to mass to pray. There's a lot more I could write about it but I'd only bore you even more!

The reason for writing this is because I'm slightly interested in the election of a new pope. Apart from the massive amount of money it's costing it's so outdated. 133 old men all say they're doing as their god guides them to do. Now the next pope will be god's main man on earth so why the need for an election? Does the man (I presume it's a man even nobody has ever seen him, or her) above not whisper in each old man's ear and not say Cardinal such and such is the main man in the Vatican?

There again even cynics like me enjoy the spectacle of black smoke billowing out of the chimney. I wonder if the fuel they use to burn the ballots is environmentally friendly??? And when is there gonna be a Pope Patrick?

Padraic Mac Coitir is a former republican
prisoner and current political activist.

Black Smoke

Pádraic Mac Coitir ✒ Chuala  mé an droch sceal ar maidín faoi mo chol ceathrar, Diarmuid Ó Tuama, ag fáil bás.
Diarmuid Ó Tuama

Although five or six years older than me I've known Diarmuid most of my life. His mother, Rosie, and my father Pat, were siblings and although there were others I was told they were very close. Both had been imprisoned in the 1940s and that's probably the reason they were so close.

As I grew up my da would bring me and my brothers and sisters to the Twomey house in Andersonstown and it was then I got to know them. Diarmuid, being older than me had his own friends so it's not as if I knocked about with him.

When I was 16, I went to work with two older cousins in BÁC and one of the things that I remembered was us visiting Diarmuid in Maynooth were he was studying for the priesthood. On entering his bedsit on the campus I noticed some pictures and clippings on the wall of his da, Séamus, who was chief-of-staff of the IRA. I was all chuffed!

Another thing I remember from those days was us driving up home with our cousin Fergie behind the wheel. As soon as we drove into the street the Twomey house was being raided and Brits were all over the place. They surrounded us and told us to get out of the car. After p-checking us they said they were taking us to Fort Monagh British army barracks. Diarmuid and Fergie protested, saying I was a young lad but they wouldn't listen to them and they put us in the back of a Saracen. I'd been in Fort Monagh a few times and it was a scary place but I felt safe with the two cousins. The thing that I'll never forget was when a Brit officer was asking us our religion. He said to Diarmuid I take it you're a Roman Catholic but he replied that he was an Irish Catholic. Being a wee innocent Catholic I was impressed!

I got to know Diarmuid better over the past 20 odd years and we'd talk about hurling, politics, history, wildlife and many other topics. He had strong opinions and with me also having strong opinions it was inevitable we'd disagree on some things, but we both got on with it.

A few weeks ago I heard he'd contracted cancer so I rang asking if it was alright for me to call and see him. His voice sounded strong on the fón and when I knocked the door he answered it. He'd lost a bit of weight but apart from that he was looking alright. He told me about the treatment he was expecting and in typical Twomey manner said he was going to fight it. We only spoke for a short time about the cancer then started talking about the many birds in his garden. I told him I was learning the names of the common birds as gaeilge and as he was liofa he gave me correct pronunciations of the ones I got wrong. We then went out to the garden where he showed me the herbs and vegetables he's been growing for years. Back in the house he showed me some Irish history books he'd recently got and was looking forward to more that his children got him every Christmas.

On New Year's Day I went to Naomh Pól to watch the Ulster club football final. A few of us then went into the club and Diarmuid's son, Séamus, came in. He has been involved with the club since he was a kid and now he's the priomhoide of An Bunscoil, the same role his da had for years. I asked about him and when he told me I said I'd call soon, which was going to be amarach.

Diarmuid, or Twomey as he was affectionately known, died suddenly of a heart attack this morning aged 71. Not just saying it because he's our cousin but he packed a lot in, being involved in the Bunscoilenna, CLG, stair agus a lán rudaí eile. He'll obviously be sadly missed by his immediate clann as well as many others who have met him.

Padraic Mac Coitir is a former republican
prisoner and current political activist.

Diarmuid Ó Tuama

Pádraic Mac Coitir ✒ Earlier today Aindriú Mac Ruaidhrí contacted me about going to Toome and Duneane given the article that was in the Antrim Guardian newspaper about Roddy McCorley. 

He and Jen picked me up about 2.30pm and up the road we went.

Neither of them had been to Toome so after parking up we walked to the Celtic Cross erected in memory of the boul Roddy. Because they hadn't been to Cargin GAC I suggested we dander down to it and as we walked towards the clubrooms I couldn't get over the size of it. It was a few years since I'd been there.
 
We went into the social club and right away the people in it were very friendly. Unknown to me a few knew me so after ordering our pints we got talking to some and as I looked at one of them he looked familiar. It ended up we were on the same block-H5- during the blanket protest. That was the last time I saw Seán Lavery and we had a great oul yarn talking about the lads we knew. We also spoke about how bitter and cruel most of the screws were.
 
We only had the one pint but if anyone is passing through Toome and looking a pint go to Cargin! We then drove to Duneane church were it's said Roddy McCorley was buried after his execution but his body was dug up by bigots and it's not known what happened to it. Any time a memorial was put up to him the usual crowd wrecked it.
 
None of us had ever been to the Crosskeys Inn but when I said to Jen and Aindriú it was a pub I'd heard of for years and would love to go they agreed. It's a great spot and the pints of Guinness were delicious.
 
So, many places in the Free State are brilliant but I would argue there's places in Aontroim which are just as good, if not better. I'm obviously not talking about snoutvilles...! 

On our way we stopped in Casement Social Club - Cumman Sóisialta Mhic Ásmaint because it's the best in Béal Feirste and I met my son, Pádraig MacOitir and his friends. We had a good oul laugh and because I'm an oul lad I went home to get into my pyjamas and get a big mug of Horlicks . . . 

PS That memorial in Duneane graveyard is to a John Carey who was a person that, in my opinion, should never be immortalised. Check him out

Padraic Mac Coitir is a former republican
prisoner and current political activist.

Duneane

Pádraic Mac Coitir ✒ Me, Micky Fitz and Archie Livingstone got the bus to Turf Lodge for the funeral of Digger McCrory who died a few days earlier. 

Old Blanketmen 
As we walked to the wake house we were joined by others, many of whom were in prison with us. Obviously funerals are sad events but on this occasion we spoke about the boul Digger and we had some laughs about the antics we all got up to.

A piper led the way followed by the tricolour draped coffin which was flanked by six of Digger's friends and comrades. We joined the cortege and met some lads we hadn't seen in years. Some looked well for their ages whilst others looked OLD! A lot of neighbours came out to their doors to pay their respect as the cortege wound its way to the Trinity Lodge carpark.

A close friend and comrade of Diggers, Tomboy Loudon, gave the oration and he had us laughing when he spoke about the wee man. (It was filmed so it can be seen on the blanketmen women Facebook page).

After the coffin was put into the hearse for Digger's final journey to Roselawn we were invited to the bar. It was a lovely day so some of us sat outside on the benches and we had great craic talking about Digger and our time in prison. If anyone else was listening they'd have rolled their eyes at some of the yarns that were spun but it was great to hear most of it  . . . 

Padraic Mac Coitir is a former republican
prisoner and current political activist.

Digger's Funeral

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