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  • #16
    Irish soldiers killed by landmine in Lebanon 'deliberately targeted'


    Private Mannix Armstrong was one of the three Irish soldiers killed by the landmine

    Three Irish soldiers killed in a roadside bomb blast were "deliberately targeted" in a revenge attack over the abduction of a Lebanese explosives expert, newly declassified State papers have revealed.

    The claim emerged after the three men died in a roadside bomb blast in Lebanon in 1989.

    The chief of staff at the Department of Defence was sent to Lebanon after the attack to liaise with United Nations authorities in their investigations.

    Corporal Fintan Heneghan, 28, Private Tomas Walsh, 30, and Private Mannix Armstrong, 26, drove over the massive landmine and died while serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).


    Corporal Fintan Heneghan


    Private Tomas Walsh

    The incident happened when the truck they were travelling in hit a mine near Braashit in south Lebanon on 21 March 1989.

    In a government note, it stated that the early investigations by the UN were not complete and it had not been possible to establish who was responsible for placing the explosive device or who it was directed at.

    The report from the chief of staff stated the "most plausible" explanation was that the three Irish soldiers were deliberately targeted as an act of revenge by supporters of a known Lebanese explosives expert who had been abducted by the Israelis the previous year from within the Irish battalion area.

    Extra security measures were brought in after the attack, including a specialist search team trained in mine discovery.

    The Irish battalion was also increased by the addition of a bomb disposal team and a programme to improve the physical protection of the Irish battalion's headquarters.

    Weeks before their killing, Private Michael McNeela was killed by a round of heavy machine-gun fire by the South Lebanon Army (SLA) as he manned a checkpoint in the southern end of the country.

    An Irish government minister spoke to the Israeli Charge D'Affaires and told him that the SLA was armed, financed and trained by Israel, and that this incident was "bound to have a negative effect" on Israeli-Irish relations.

    The Under Secretary of the United Nations spoke to the Israeli Charge D'Affaires in New York to lodge a complaint about the killing.



    The Israelis told the Irish government that following an investigation, a member of the South Lebanon Army had been jailed and that the unit had been removed from there.

    The government said it was "deeply concerned" and "determined" that everything possible will be done to minimise future risks for members of UNIFIL.

    "SLA in South Lebanon is illegal and that we held Israel responsible for the action of the SLA and we expected them to exercise effective control over the SLA," the government said.

    The Minister of Defence in Lebanon, Adel Osseyran, wrote to his Irish counterpart Michael Noonan to express his "profound sadness".

    In a letter dated 23 March 1989, he said: "I wish to express my profound sadness and strongest condemnation of the aggressive act which resulted in the death of three Irish UNIFIL soldiers in Lebanon.

    "Whilst offering my sincerest condolences to you and the Irish people, I would like, at the same time, to affirm the deepest attachment of the Lebanese to these forces.

    "We highly appreciate their presence on our soil, their efforts and the sacrifices they make."
    Three Irish soldiers killed in a roadside bomb blast were "deliberately targeted" in a revenge attack over the abduction of a Lebanese explosives expert, newly declassified State papers have revealed.

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    • #17
      Roger Casement’s missing guns

      German guns, seized from Roger Casement when he arrived in Kerry by U-boat in 1916, were improperly sold, or may have been "illegally exported" in 1990.

      Confidential documents released from the National Archives tell the story of a US gun collector who somehow obtained the weapons, which had been stored in a depot at Clancy Barracks.

      The collector wrote to Ireland’s Genealogical Office seeking further information about Casement – including photographs of the medals awarded to him by Ireland after his execution in London for high treason against the Crown in the weeks following the Easter Rising.

      The collector told how he had obtained the "Navy Luger pistols" held at Clancy Barracks. "I recognised their immense historical value and, since that time, at long last, was able to negotiate for them in 1990, and was in Dublin last January to conclude the matter and ship them here."

      The matter was raised with the Department of the Taoiseach where a civil servant wrote of the weapons: "...it would seem that they were improperly obtained at some stage and have, perhaps, been illegally exported.

      "In the circumstances, I do not think there can be any question of facilitating the present holder as proposed."


      "Mind-boggling" and "rubbish": John Bruton didn't pull his punches when he heard about a plan to bring the North's political leaders on safari to South Africa.

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      • #18
        Major’s helicopter too heavy to land on Government Buildings helipad

        The Government was warned that the rooftop helipad at Government Buildings could collapse under the weight of the heavy twin-engine helicopter used by British prime minister John Major.

        Secret documents revealed the Department of the Taoiseach was urged to use either a hurling field at Belfield or the Merrion Square public park to land the British Wessex helicopter used for Mr Major’s personal transportation amid fears it was too heavy to use the rooftop helipad.

        The warning emerged in confidential documents released from the State Papers.

        Department of the Taoiseach officials were briefed on November 26, 1991 on security preferences for Mr Major to arrive at Government Buildings on the rooftop helipad and to be transported immediately inside for meetings with Taoiseach Charles Haughey.

        However, the weight restrictions on the rooftop helipad were known about as early as March 9, 1990.

        The November 26 letter advised against using the helipad for landing the Wessex.

        “I (Frank Murray) visited the helipad this morning with Brian McDonnell and Fergus O’Connor from the Department of Transport. As you know, both are experienced pilots and Mr O’Connor has recently joined the department’s technical staff from his former position as Chief Pilot with Irish Helicopters,” Mr Murray wrote.

        “Both were of the view that it would not be possible to land a Wessex helicopter on the roof – for safety and structural reasons.”

        The memo pointed out that the helipad was designed for helicopters with a rotor diameter of 15 metres and a gross weight of 5,000kgs.

        However, a Wessex helicopter had a rotor diameter of 20 metres and a gross weight of 6,100kgs.

        The helipad could be used with one of the Air Corps’ Aerospatiale Dauphin helicopters, which weighed 4,300kg.

        “As you know, we have reason to believe that the machine used by the British authorities is much heavier than the weight specified in the manufacturer’s instructions,” the memo added.

        While the Wessex had a specified operational weight, helicopters used for military or VIP transfers often had heavy protection equipment fitted, ranging from armour to anti-missile defence systems.

        Such equipment was highly classified but was known to make the helicopters much heavier than for normal operational duties.

        Further department correspondence indicated officials were inspecting the Merrion Square public park as to its suitability.
        The Government was warned that the rooftop helipad at Government Buildings could collapse under the weight of the heavy twin-engine helicopter used by British prime minister John Major.

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        • #19
          Bertie Ahern called for end of rubber bullets in Ireland ‘to pressure British’

          Bertie Ahern called for the use of rubber bullets to be discontinued in the Republic, saying he hoped it would put pressure on the British Government to reduce their use in Northern Ireland, records show.

          It has also been revealed that Irish Government officials urged British authorities to review their use of plastic bullets.​

          The revelations emerged in a series of communiques between the then taoiseach and the Department of Defence in 1997.

          Mr Ahern expressed his frustration that thousands of plastic baton rounds had been ordered by the department.​

          "I would like to hear from you any good reason why such weapons or ammunition should be kept at all by the Defence Forces"

          It emerged that a junior staff member at the Department of Defence placed an order to buy 2,000 practice baton rounds with a British company on June 19 1997 to replace dwindling stocks for the continuation of training.

          Records show that Mr Ahern wrote a letter to the Minister for Defence, David Andrews, after news of the order emerged at a dinner with the UK’s Northern Ireland Office minister, Adam Ingram.​

          ​Mr Ahern said that a comment was made during a discussion about plastic bullets, and that as the Irish side “were completely unaware of the fact, it was a source of some embarrassment”.

          “I also would have to inquire what was the purpose of the purchase, as such ammunition has, as far as I am aware, never been authorised for use in this jurisdiction,” Mr Ahern wrote.​

          “One of my predecessors indicated when this last arose in the early 1980s, that he could not envisage any circumstances in which he would authorise their use. I have no doubt that would also be your attitude.”

          Mr Ahern suggested that those involved in the purchase of the plastic bullets should be identified and reprimanded, as it would “represent a serious circumvention of democratic accountability”.

          He added: “I would like to hear from you any good reason why such weapons or ammunition should be kept at all by the Defence Forces, as it only serves to blunt and hamper any efforts to persuade the British authorities to find alternative, more acceptable and less lethal methods of countering riot situations.”

          In a letter dated September 1997, Mr Andrews replied to Mr Ahern to confirm that 2,000 practice baton rounds had been ordered.

          He said the matter was dealt with at a junior level and the “antennae of the staff concerned were not attuned to the wider implications”, stating that it should have been cleared by senior authority.

          Following discussions with the chief of staff and the Department of Foreign Affairs, the order was cancelled.

          Mr Andrews said that he personally favoured the “discontinuance” of holding rubber bullets.

          The issue was raised during a Cabinet sub-committee meeting on Northern Ireland matters in December 1997.

          Mr Ahern attended the meeting with Tanaiste Mary Harney, Minister for Justice John O’Donoghue and Attorney General David Byrne.

          The committee discussed the question of discontinuing the use of rubber bullets by the Defence Forces following the Taoiseach’s letter.​

          Bertie Ahern called for the use of rubber bullets to be discontinued in the Republic, saying he hoped it would put pressure on the British Government to reduce their use in Northern Ireland, records show. It has also been revealed that Irish Government officials urged British authorities to review t...

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          • #20
            State Papers: Royal Navy submarine dragged Irish fishing ship backwards for 1.6km before breaking free

            Memo released as part of the State Archive reveals legal attempt by Britain to retrieve valuable sonar array after incident

            ​Britain attempted to claim State immunity in an attempt to recover a valuable towed sonar array from a Royal Navy attack submarine which detached after snagging in the nets of an Irish fishing trawler.

            The fishing boat was subsequently dragged backwards for 1.6km before breaking free.

            Confidential Department of Foreign Affairs documents revealed that civil servants felt an agreed settlement between the British Embassy and the trawler skipper involved was preferable to the matters coming before the Irish courts.

            A secret department memo dated September 13, 1990, released as part of the State Archive, outlined concerns over the potential embarrassment of British legal action being triggered for the recovery of the towed sonar array.

            The incident occurred 40km east of Skerries, Co Dublin at 7.20pm on September 12, 1989 when an Irish trawler, MV Contestor, alerted the Shannon-based Marine Rescue Centre.

            The trawler was operating in the Irish Sea and said its nets had snagged on a submerged object.​

            Initially, the skipper, Sean Daly, said there appeared to be no imminent danger to his vessel and crew.

            However, the skipper raised the alarm at 8pm to say his vessel was now being towed backwards.

            Ultimately, the trawler was towed backwards for 1.6km before it managed to break free.

            An examination of its nets revealed a buoy suspected to be military in origin.

            Mr Daly brought the buoy ashore and handed it to the Naval Service.​

            It determined it was a towed sonar array from a submarine with the markings: “Admiralty Ref - Patrick Engineering Co – Serial No 119 of 1987.”

            Irish officials raised serious concerns over the incident with the British authorities as it came less than a decade after an Irish trawler sank after an incident with a British submarine.

            "This latest incident will certainly give rise to serious anxiety on the part of fishermen and we ask you to take all possible steps to ensure that there will not be a recurrence," a department note to the British Embassy advised.

            Department of Foreign Affairs officials were notified on September 15, 1989 that Mr Daly had commenced legal action for salvage under the Merchant Shipping Act, 1894 – with the buoy being retained by the Irish authorities "until payment is made for salvage".

            A department briefing note on September 13, 1989 noted that the area involved is "marked on on Admiralty charts as a submarine exercise area and fishermen are cautioned to keep a lookout for submarine activity".

            The towed sonar array unit was subsequently transferred to Clancy Barracks for safekeeping.

            However, the following year Irish officials were made aware that Britain had obtained private advice from an Irish lawyer that they could claim "state immunity" – which would prevent salvage being claimed and would force the return of the sonar array.

            Irish officials were bemused by the legal concept involved and noted that it had never been tested in Irish law.

            Civil servants decided it was best not to give specific advice to the British Embassy but to make it clear that a negotiated settlement was in everyone's best interests.

            "I suggest that we reply informally to the Embassy on the line that – the question of state immunity is for the courts to decide and we are not in a position to offer advice on the matter," J Farrell of the Anglo Irish Section wrote on September 13, 1990.

            "We would naturally prefer if an agreed settlement could be achieved without the need for litigation."

            The memo concluded with the warning that the Department of Foreign Affairs could not interfere as requested by the British Embassy given the statutory obligations on the receiver of wrecks under the Merchant Shipping Act.​

            Britain attempted to claim State immunity in an attempt to recover a valuable towed sonar array from a Royal Navy attack submarine which detached after snagging in the nets of an Irish fishing trawler.

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            • #21
              Are these state papers released anywhere in online form ?
              "Are they trying to shoot down the other drone? "

              "No, they're trying to fly the tank"

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              • #22
                Originally posted by trellheim View Post
                Are these state papers released anywhere in online form ?
                Try the nationalarchives.ie website.

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by trellheim View Post
                  Are these state papers released anywhere in online form ?
                  Found some files (direct photos of) here

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Good find - well done.
                    "Are they trying to shoot down the other drone? "

                    "No, they're trying to fly the tank"

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Cadets left footing bill for Kennedy trip

                      Irish Army cadets played a big role in the November 1963 funeral of assassinated President John F. Kennedy. The President had been impressed by their drill on his visit to Ireland, and his widow phoned the Irish Ambassador from the White House, just hours after returning from Dallas where her husband had been killed, to ask them to attend the funeral. But the Department of Finance later pursued the cadets for the return of dollars they had been given for the trip. The money was used to cover "casual meals and refreshments", but they had no receipts, so each cadet had to cough up around $10.

                      A different approach was taken with Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant-General Sean MacEoin, who travelled with the cadets. He had no receipts for $112 spent on dinner for US Army officers, and on "informal entertainment which he considered was unavoidable", but the Department of Defence agreed to cover these costs rather than have the General pay out of his own pocket.​
                      Every year, the release of State Papers around Christmas time draws a flurry of interest as stories that many may have forgotten resurface. Some of the main stories to re-emerge have been covered elsewhere, but here are five other things we learned from this year's archive release.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Originally posted by Rhodes View Post
                        Cadets left footing bill for Kennedy trip



                        Every year, the release of State Papers around Christmas time draws a flurry of interest as stories that many may have forgotten resurface. Some of the main stories to re-emerge have been covered elsewhere, but here are five other things we learned from this year's archive release.

                        Interesting, considering there is a particular cohort of public servant nowadays who get away with murder, in terms of unvouched expenses...
                        "Well, stone me! We've had cocaine, bribery and Arsenal scoring two goals at home. But just when you thought there were truly no surprises left in football, Vinnie Jones turns out to be an international player!" (Jimmy Greaves)!"

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