We look back at the stories that were making the headlines in the Andersonstown News this week in 1980
St John's committee, Andy McCallin, Mickey Gallagher, Seamus O'Hare, with Philomena Begley and Leon at Andersonstown Leisure Centre Country & Western Concert
Families call for support for female prisoners
AT a meeting in Belfast on 4 May of relatives of the protesting girls in Armagh Prison, called by Fr Denis Faul and Fr Raymond Murray, the relatives agreed to support the girls prisoners in their protest, firstly against the beating by male officers on 7 February, now known as Black February, and the subsequent denial of access to the toilets 7th-12th February, denial of laundry and visits from concerned persons in that period and, then the continual 23-hour lock-up for refusal to work.
The parents said they were concerned that the dignity, spiritual rights, and self-respect of the girls had been violated to a serious degree in Armagh Prison. They recognise that the means of the protest available to their daughters were limited and that they had been forced on the ‘no-wash, no slop out’ protest by a deliberate escalation of punishments until they had reach the final straw of physical beatings by men. They said this was not tolerable to Catholic people and that all the members of the families of the prisoners had been personally insulted and injured by the cruel inhuman and degrading attacks on their sisters and daughters.
They found the actions of the British government and its agents deplorable but not unexpected after three years of a deteriorating regime in Armagh Prison. They said they supported the five demands of the girls:
1. Voluntary work;
2 Free association;
3 Free recreation and education;
4 One visit, letter, parcel per week;
5 Restoration of full remission.
The parents said a humane prison system would allow these, and they appealed to the Irish people at home and abroad, to demand decent standards of treatment. Fr Denis Faul said that the blank denial of ill-treatment in Armagh prison horrified him far more than the vicious ill-treatment which had taken place on 7 February and since.
Fr Murray said he was concerned about the 30 girls on protest in Armagh Prison and worried about all the girls in prison there. He said that his pastoral experience convinced him that the prolonged imprisonment of women, even under good conditions, because of their devotion to marriage, family and children, was horrific, heart-breaking and unbearable.
Marie Collins, Kathleen Hughes, Nancy Porter, May McCann, Eilish Doherty and Kathleen Duffy at the Carrick Hill Get Together in St Kevin's Hall
Big clean-up in St James’
THE St James’ and District Residents’ Housing and Environmental Association cynically accepted the fact that representatives from the Housing Executive, the Pest Control, the DOE (Motorway) did not turn up at an outdoor meeting last Tuesday in the St James’ area.
The committee are prepared to go ahead on their own, despite the inaction and disinterest of these public bodies.
“Hands will be raised to the heavens in the event of a child being killed on the M1 or contacting a disease from the rat infested dumping area at St Katherine’s Road,” said chairman Louise McVeigh.
“So we have to make the people of the area aware of the problems.” The only group of those invited to turn up on Tuesday, was the management committee of St Louise’s School. They informed the association that they would level an area, erect railings and a gate and prepare it for an all-weather football pitch as a temporary measure.
The Association with elected members such as Mary McGreevy, Briege Canavan, Jeanette Nesbit, Pat Hughes, Mary Brady, Betty Doyle, Margaret Redman and May O’Hara was formed to promote the welfare of all the residents and to enable them to do this, the co-operation of the residents is necessary, especially in the case of dumping.
Residents are asked to report anyone using the dump at St Katherine’s Road and one of the first ones caught at this was the Housing Executive. The eventual aim of the Association is to establish an advice centre, but until this, happens residents can contact any members of the above committee.
Down and Connor Under-18 5-a-side champions, Ardoyne Youth Club, Brendan Gilvany, Martin Calhoun, Liam McNeill, Paddy Gibson, Eamonn Hawkins, Desmond Flood and Mickey Brennan
Call for public enquiry
A CALL for a full scale public enquiry into the running of the Belfast Technical College has been made by a long standing member of the teaching staff.
Further allegations of religious and political discrimination have again been levelled at the management board of the college. This follows the recently publicised allegation by political author John McGuffin and Peoples’ Democracy leader Michael Farrell, both members of the Tech staff. They maintain that they are being denied promotion because of their political affiliations, and this latest accusation, coming from a member of the teaching staff with 17 years’ service must raise serious doubts as to the management boards’ impartiality.
Mr John Donnelly, a teacher in the Building Department of the college, has been working there since 1963, after spending a number of years in a large technical college in England. He has a BA Degree in Technology, he holds the Higher National Certificate and City and Guilds Diploma. He alleges that he has been consistently passed-by for promotion. He has taken his case to three separate complaint bodies without success.
In 1970 he made a complaint to the NI Commission of Complaints, in May 1978, he complained to the Fair Employment Agency and again in March 1979. Mr Donnelly claims that he has been discriminated against because of his religion, and because of his attempts to highlight the situation.
He has been consistently denied facilities; he has not a classroom of his own; and for a while he was not allocated parking space. He has, on a number of occasion complained about students being habitually late, and lack of discipline in the college, but the management refuse to do anything about it. It is on this latest issue that he demands a public enquiry.
George McNeill makes a presentation to runners-up Willowbank at Beechmount Annual 5-a-side Football Tournament
