“George
Harrison who has died in New York was Patron of
Republican Sinn Fein since 1994. A native of Shammer,
Kilkelly, Co Mayo, he was a veteran of the East
Mayo Battalion IRA.
He emigrated to the USA in 1938 and from then on
he was a life – long Irish American activist
and an active supporter of international liberation
struggles.
In 1982 along with the late Michael Flannery and
three others he was acquitted in an American court
on a charge of supplying arms to the IRA.
George was in his ninetieth year and his passing
leaves a huge gap in the ranks of Irish American
supporters of the Republican Movement in Ireland.
Leaba I measc na bhFinini go raibh aige.” —
RSF President, Ruairi O Bradaigh
The
National Irish Freedom Committee – (Cumann
na Saoirse Náísiúnta) joins
with all true Republicans in Ireland, Scotland,
England and throughout the world to mourn the passing
of a lifelong Irish Republican and Eternal Fenian,
George Harrison of Brooklyn, New York, New Hampshire
and the County Mayo.
We
empathize with his family and innumerable friends
during this time of their profound loss and grief
at the passing of this modern Irish hero. He shall
be remembered forever. And as we remember this dedicated
man, we rejoice in his long consecrated and meaningful
life. A life that was dedicated to the unification
of Ireland by any and all means possible.
To
this end, George and a committed cadre of his fellow
physical force Republicans organized a weapons procurement
programme which had three decades of success in
supplying the Freedom Fighters of the Irish Republican
Army with the wear with all to sustain their campaigns.
Unfortunately,
the fruits of George’s and his friends’
labor is now being bartered as the price of admission
for revisionist former Republicans to participate
in British direct rule of the six occupied counties
in the north of Ireland. Adams and his purloined
posse are swapping semtex for summer homes, guns
for governmental positions, and they are cementing
over arms dumps to secure their status as second
class citizens in their Loyalist controlled state
– not what George and his compatriots had in
mind when they set about their clandestine weapons
quest.
We
would be remiss if we didn’t mention George’s
support of freedom movements worldwide. Of George
it was said, “Never met a revolution he didn’t
like.”, and to paraphrase the old ballad, “God
grant you glory, old George, and open heavens to
all your men, the cause that called you may call
tomorrow in another cause for the Green again.”
On
Saturday, Radio Free Eireann will dedicate the show
to George with clips of him from the show and BBC.
Guest will include Bernadette Devlin McAliskey, Tommy
McKearney and Rory O'Brady. We will also be taking
phone call from around the world so please call in
at 212-209-2900 at 1:30 to 3:00 pm EST. You can listen
to the show on www.wbai.org
