'A Foreign Admiral With A Broken Arm And A Missing Leg'

NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE

“It looks like a great engineering job and a much better thing to have on the main street than an old foreign admiral with a broken arm and a missing leg.”

The words were spoken by Liam Sutcliffe in 2003 when ‘the Spire’ which was erected on the site of Nelsons Pillar in Dublin was commissioned.

It turned out, although no one was sought at the time as there was little public concern at its destruction, that Sutcliffe had been the republican who planted the bomb that destroyed Nelsons Pillar that event took place 50 years ago this week.

Sutcliffe was interviewed by Gardai almost forty years later in 2000 but no action was taken.

Sutcliffe joined the IRA in 1954 and subsequently was involved in fringe Republican groups including Saor Eire.

However his most significant role was the infiltration of Gough Barracks in Armagh after joining the British Army and effectively being the ‘inside man’ when the second raid was made on the facility to gain arms for the ongoing border campaign ‘Operation Harvest’.

There’s a lengthy video interview with Liam Sutcliffe at this link:

https://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/…/liam-sutcliffe-irish-…/…

Irish Times report on the demolition of Nelsons Pillar at this link:

http://www.irishtimes.com/…/the-night-nelson-s-pillar-fell-…

Pic: Stump of Nelson’s Pillar O’Connell Street after the explosion

BERNARD MOFFATT

Issued by: The Celtic News

05/03/16

THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE.

The Celtic League established in 1961 has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It promotes cooperation between the countries and campaigns on a range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, military activity and socio-economic issues

http://celticleague.net