Gerry McGeough

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Gerry McGeough (born 1958,[1] near Dungannon, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland) is a prominent Irish Republican and former member (volunteer) of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) who was convicted of gun-running.

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[edit] Early Life

McGeough joined the Provisional IRA East Tyrone Brigade in 1977, aged 19. After activity in Northern Ireland and Europe, he was arrested (along with another IRA member, Gerry Hanratty) in August 1988 while crossing the Dutch-German border with two AK47 rifles in his car. He was charged with attacks on the British Army of the Rhine and held for four years in a specially built German detention centre. His trial in Germany was interrupted by extradition to the United States, where he was charged with attempting to buy surface-to-air-missiles in 1983. He served three years of his sentence in American prisons until his release in 1996 whereupon he was deported from the U.S. to the Republic of Ireland.[2][3]

McGeough led Sinn Féin's opposition to the referendum on the Nice Treaty in the Republic of Ireland.[4] He was also a Sinn Féin national executive (ard-comhairle) member for Trinity College Dublin before becoming disgusted with what he perceives as the socially "liberal" views of "nouveau Sinn Féin".[5]

[edit] Catholic Activist

McGeough is known for his strong Catholic views:

"You would never get a leader of Sinn Féin condemning abortion, homosexual "marriage" or anything of that nature. I, as an Irish nationalist and Roman Catholic, never want to see the day when there are abortion clinics in every market town in Ireland. But looking around there is no political grouping willing to take a stance against that".[6]

In May 2006, McGeough, as editor, and Charles Byrne, a 28-year-old from Drogheda, launched a monthly magazine called The Hibernian, dedicated to “Faith, Family and Country”. McGeough is associated with the Ancient Order of Hibernians.[7]

In 2007 McGeough declared he would be standing for election in the Northern Ireland Assembly elections against Sinn Féin in the Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency. He put himself forward as a protest against Sinn Féin's vote in January 2007 to work with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI); a condition demanded by the DUP for re-instating the stalled Northern Irish Assembly.[8]

[edit] Arrest

On 8 March 2007 McGeough was arrested by the PSNI whilst leaving the election count centre in Omagh. The arrest was in connection with the 1981 shooting of Sammy Brush, who is now a councilor for the Reverend Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party in Ballygawley. Brush, who was then a ranking member of the Ulster Defense Regiment, has said of the attack: "I’ve thought about it every day since".[9][10] McGeough and Vincent McAnespie were charged with attempted murder, conspiracy to murder and possession of firearms with intent to endanger life. Both men were remanded in custody to appear at Dungannon Magistrates' Court on 4 April 2007.[11][12] McAnespie was released on bail shortly after, and McGeough was remanded after the Crown prosecutor alleged that he was linked to the Continuity IRA. He was at last granted bail on 29 March after a High Court challenge.[13] He has claimed his arrest is the result of a Masonic conspiracy[14]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Gerry McGeough (15 February 2007). Gerry McGeough - Biography. HibernianMedia.com. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
  2. ^ Behind the Mask: The Ira and Sinn Féin. Frontline (11 October 1997). Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
  3. ^ Former IRA prisoner to contest Fermanagh-South Tyrone seat. UTV (29 January 2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
  4. ^ 'Nice to be Back on the Winning Side', A. Shaw, Red Action Bulletin, Volume 4, Issue 12, July/Aug 2001.
  5. ^ Henry McDonald (28 December 2003). Isn't it time that the double-speak stopped?. The Observer. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
  6. ^ Henry McDonald (28 December 2003). IRA bomber attacks Sinn Féin on abortion. The Observer. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
  7. ^ Ex-Provo gives new life to Irish clerical fascism, Scott Millar, Searchlight Magazine, August 2006
  8. ^ Henry McDonald (7 January 2007). Gunrunner in poll threat to Sinn Féin. The Observer. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
  9. ^ Republican candidate is arrested. BBC (8 March 2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
  10. ^ Assembly candidate arrested over 1981 murder attempt Belfast Telegraph 08 March 2007. Accessed 11 March 2007
  11. ^ Pair face 1981 murder bid charge. BBC (12 March 2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
  12. ^ Arrest of pair on polling day was an abuse of the electoral process, counsel tells hearingBelfast Telegraph Accessed 16 March 2007
  13. ^ Bail given to arrested candidate. BBC (29 March 2007). Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
  14. ^ Gerry McGeough's blog entry on his arrest in March 2007

[edit] External links