The threatened extradition of Julian Assange reminded me of the trial of escaped H-Block prisoner Jimmy Smyth in a San Francisco courtroom in the 1990s. read full story / add a comment

On Thursday 18/04/2019 terrorists opened fire in a built up area and killed a young journalist who was doing her job. read full story / add a comment

Yesterday, a local court ruled that the German Government must do more to ensure its territory is not used by the US to carry out unlawful drone strikes in Yemen. read full story / add a comment

Lay Litigant Kevin Tracey had a significant win in the Supreme Court when he succeeded in having a contempt of court order quashed after 12 years and 9 months. In the judgement delivered by O;Donnell J and supported by 3 colleagues including the Chief Justice it was found that he had not received fair procedures in the District Court. In his long struggle for justice there were many obstacles in his way. One of these was the Courts Service within whose walls someone backdated a Court order by nine months. This prevented him from appealing a High Court judgement within the permitted time limit. The long struggle for justice reminds me of the remark of a passing countryman to a mason called Mike who with my student brother was taking longer than expected to build build a hen shed: “Do you know, Mike, if every hen was as hard housed, a lot of them would shleep out”. It’s not funny to recall in these days of homelessness, that many other lay litigants may be left literally sleeping out after the justice system in Ireland prolongs their agony in their efforts to obtain simple justice from that same justice system. read full story / add a comment

“There are at least 40,000 problem gamblers in Ireland”

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Council planner ‘unable to do any enforcement files’
Blames 40% reduction in staff

A west Cork County Council’s planner was ‘unable’ to investigate an enforcement complaint ‘due to workload commitments’ as his ‘planning applications have to take priority’. [1]

Publication of internal mails detailing a ‘significant matter’ comes a week after Dr Áine Ryall of UCC called the lack of enforcement of environmental laws ‘a national scandal’ at a recent EU Law Conference. [2] read full story / add a comment

Last August (1990) I was among a delegation from Irish Northern Aid (Noraid), which visited current prisoners in Long Kesh.
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Today the High Court delivered its judgment in the case of Friends of the Irish Environment vs. Fingal County Council.

While dismissing FIE’s challenge to a decision to give Dublin Airport Authority more time to build a third runway at Dublin Airport, the court nevertheless recognised for the first time a constitutional right to environmental protection “that is consistent with the human dignity and well-being of citizens at large’”.

This is the first new constitutional right to be recognised in several decades. read full story / add a comment

Protest At Pro-Cathedral Over Tuam Death Camp

The Roman Catholic Church in Ireland has faced scandals before but nothing compares to the Mass Graves at Tuam and other locations. read full story / add a comment

Garda Maurice McCabe was an honest Garda who was horrified by the way that ‘respected’ and well connected people got their penalty points written off.

When he reported this practice, he was immediately ostracised. Senior officials saw him as a dangerous outsider who was upsetting local networks of privilege. Far from being ground down, Maurice McCabe started to look at other malpractices.

He blew the whistle on how Gardai in the Cavan –Monaghan area deliberately reduced a charge against Gerard McGrath who had viciously assaulted a female taxi driver. read full story / add a comment

We will assemble outside SuperValu Car Park in Westport town at 11am on Sunday 4th September.

Judge Seamus Hughes had a total of six penalty points wiped from his driver’s licence on three separate occasions between 2011 and 2012, Phoenix Magazine claims.

The Wesport native, who is also a former Fianna Fail TD, clocked up the first offence on March 28 2011, shortly after taking over from retired judge, John Neilan in District Number Nine. read full story / add a comment

Dormit in Pace
2013:

Sitting in the cells beneath one of our country’s circuit courts, my travel-weary eyes settle briefly on my hands. Their stillness and my stoic-like composure belie my internal turmoil.

I cast a cold eye over my surroundings - stale urine and solid waste regurgitated from a steel toilet lays siege to the senses. Cigarette butts litter the floor; confetti of condemned men. Crude misspelt graffiti bears mute testimony to the length of their sentences and the shortness of their education. A reasonable inference using the inverse square law - my maths teacher would be proud. read full story / add a comment

Background to the internment of Tony Taylor

On 6th March 2014, after almost three years on remand in Maghaberry prison, Tony Taylor was convicted and sentenced to seven years - three in custody and four on license - for Republican activity. Tony was also given a lengthy sentence in the early nineties after being injured in an explosion in his native Derry.
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IPRT welcomes commencement of legislation to address “damaging and wasteful” practice of imprisonment for fines default

The Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) strongly welcomes the commencement today (Monday 11 January 2016) by Minister for Justice and Equality Frances Fitzgerald TD of the Fines (Payment and Recovery) Act 2014, including the introduction of the facility to pay court-ordered fines by instalment, more than 5 years after it was first included in the Fines Act 2010.

IPRT particularly welcomes that imprisonment will be a sanction of “last resort” for fines default, used only when other sanctions have failed. read full story / add a comment

Integrity Ireland administrator Stephen Manning will be delivering a public presentation on Thurs Dec 10th in Mullingar at 7:30pm, entitled

“Profit at any Price” -- and how to protect yourself from predators and parasites - and from tyrants, thugs and thieves - especially in the Irish Courts read full story / add a comment

Castlebar Courthouse tomorrow, Mon Nov 23rd, 100 house repossession cases scheduled to be heard by County Registrar (& Sheriff) Fintan Murphy - despite the fact that he remains under citizens arrest for inciting affray! Garda Management still refusing to take jurisdiction for the arrest of Murphy and other rogue Gardai who have assaulted and injured members of the public recently.. read full story / add a comment

On the 26th day of every month since then people throughout Mexico and world-wide have demonstrated support for their campaign.

The Latin America Solidarity Centre has called for a demonstration to express solidarity and demand justice for the 43, to take place at the Mexican Embassy, 19 Raglan Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 at 12 noon on September 26th, 2015 - one year after the crime. read full story / add a comment

Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) is delighted to announce that the launch of our Turnaround Youth Project and Report will take place on Tuesday 12th May 2015 in the Irish Film Institute, Dublin 2.

This report presents the case for the differential treatment of young adults aged 18-24 who come in contact with the criminal justice system, and is grounded in emerging evidence, best practice, and informed by input from young people with experience of the issues. read full story / add a comment

when are we going to demand the truth, we could be hours, days, nights awaiting. will we ever get there who benefits. read full story / add a comment

RNU expose criminals masquerading as Republicans in North Belfast. read full story / add a comment