The Sunday World newspaper is well known for its investigative journalism and over the years it has exposed and uncovered some of Northern Ireland’s leading and most ruthless killers, terrorists and drug-dealers, but because of this the newspaper and it journalists have had to suffer the consequences. Their newspaper office has been firebombed and a bomb was left on the premises, former Sunday World editor Jim Campbell was shot and seriously wounded because of his association with the paper and Sunday World journalist Martin O’Hagan was shot dead by Loyalist paramilitary group LVF.
At a court hearing a fortnight ago which involved a number of men who had been charged with O’Hagan’s murder the current editor Jim McDowell was sitting in his car outside Craigavon Courthouse when two men began attacking his car with hammers, then this week Mr McDowell was attacked as he walked through the continental market in the grounds of Belfast city hall, three men attacked him from behind knocked him to the ground and said “your paper is trying to get my brother killed” they then repeatedly kicked him as he lay on the ground. This attack took place in a very busy and congested public place at 5pm in full view of families and young children, who were enjoying the surroundings of the market, witnesses said the attackers strolled off after the attack seemingly without any fear of approach or arrest.
This attack raises a few serious questions, firstly how can an attack like this happen at 5pm in the packed grounds of Belfast City Hall without someone i.e. police, security or a passerby intervening and stopping the attack? The second question is one that may prove more difficult to resolve and that is, how can we protect people like Jim McDowell? Journalists like Jim McDowell are doing a job that benefits us all by exposing terrorists and murderers that are stains on our society.
Dissident Republicans step up campaign
Last weekend dissident republicans carried out two separate attacks in Northern Ireland, the first was a 400lb car bomb attack at Policing Board headquarters near Belfast city centre on Saturday evening, two men in a car containing the device drove through a barrier at Clarendon Dock near the offices the car then caught fire and the men ran off, the device partially exploded and no-one was hurt. New PSNI Chief Constable Matt Baggott said “This is not about an attack on policing or the Policing Board, this is an attack on young people and young people’s future.”
In a separate incident a shot was fired at police officers who were involved in an undercover operation in the village of Garrison, the officers returned fire but no one was injured. Two men have since been charged with the attempted murder of a student police officer, one of the men who was charged is Kevin Barry Nolan from County Cavan, Mr Nolan stood as an independent republican candidate in local council elections in County Fermanagh.
Archbishop suspects paedophile ring
Child abuse by Catholic priests was back in the news this week after a damning report was released on Thursday, the report detailed how the Catholic Church and public officials covered up the abuse for over thirty years. After the release of the report the Archbishop of Dublin, Diarmuid Martin asked the gardai to investigate whether a clerical paedophile ring was operating in the archdiocese.
Dr Diarmuid Martin made the request to the National Bureau of Criminal Investigations after he examined files on paedophile priests in recent years. He said he was disturbed by close connections between a number of clerics who were later convicted of child abuse, and so he asked gardai to investigate. The priests included Fr Bill Carney and Fr Francis McCarthy, neither of whom is any longer in the priesthood, and Fr Patrick Maguire, a Columbian priest, who is living under the strict supervision of his order. The three are among 46 priests named in the report by Judge Yvonne Murphy which found “no direct evidence” of a paedophile ring but found “worrying connections” between a number of priests.
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