FG senator breaks silence on Provo Kidnapping

mike65

Here's something thats arrived out of the blue. Senator Michael Finucane from West Limerick has disclosed how he was kidnapped at gunpoint by the IRA in 1990 when a TD

http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=9&si=1308373&issue_id=11845

Mike.

FTA69

Oppurtunism of the worst variety, this reminds me of Royston Brady's stunt during the European election. Some people will do anything for attention....

And why wait 14 years to come out about his "ordeal"?

marco murphy

Any more propaganda?

billy the squid

registration required

FG senator breaks his silence on IRA kidnap
ADVERTISEMENT

LIAM COLLINS

A FINE Gael politician has spoken for the first time about how he was abducted and terrorised by the Provisional IRA.

Former Limerick West TD Michael Finucane, who is currently a senator, told the Sunday Independent that he said an Act of Contrition as the terrorists bundled him into his car, put a mask on him and held a gun to his head.

Mr Finucane felt certain he was going to be murdered.

Now he has broken his 14-year silence after it emerged the Government was prepared to release the killers of Detective Garda Jerry McCabe who was shot dead by the IRA in Limerick in 1996.

"I rarely speak on Northern Ireland issues in the House but I have recently felt rather emotional about them," Mr Finucane said.

"What has probably energised me is the unfair criticism on the part of Fianna Fail to the effect that Fine Gael has deviated from what has always been classified as bi-partisanship on Northern Ireland issues," the senator said.

Last week Mr Finucane gave a moving account of his abduction to the Oireachtas, but it went unreported by the media. In a subsequent interview with the Sunday Independent, he said: "I never wanted to bring this up, it just sort of bubbled up again after all these years."

The abduction occurred in Limerick on March 31, 1990.

"I was getting out of my car to go to a political function when a guy wearing a balaclava came alongside me and pointed his pistol or gun at

SEE INTERVIEW:

me. I believed at first that it was an April fool's joke on the basis that April 1 was the next day, but I realised how serious the matter was when two other guys came out of the shadows, one of whom had a petrol container. I visualised straight away that my car would get torched like other cars had been torched, not realising what the three men would use the car for.

"I was told to open the boot and wondered if I would be put into it. I recall getting into the back of a car and the guy at the back pushing me down on the floor, taking off my glasses and putting a balaclava on me back to front so I could see nothing. They were talking on the basis of 'No 1', 'No 2' and 'No 3' and one recognised me as a local deputy.

"I was thinking of Bill Fox who had been murdered near the North of Ireland and did not know what would happen to me. I recall saying an Act of Contrition in the car because I was absolutely petrified and the men were accusing me and all politicians of being collaborators. I was then dropped off at the side of the road and they took off and warned me not to move. I was petrified over what would happen if I did move.

"Eventually, I walked to Rathkeale, which was a mile away and where I saw the fire station lit up and wondered what was happening. What had happened was that my abductors had set fire to the shop of a person who had a late-night business in the town. They set fire to it for their own ulterior motives. I will not expand on that because the shop-owner has gone out of business since the event. He was entirely traumatised afterwards because the men were never tracked down. On the Sunday evening after my abduction, I saw my car on a transporter being brought to Dublin for forensic analysis.

"I have a clipping from the Limerick Leader issued at the time of the incident. It claims that on the day following the event, one of those responsible phoned and said that Deputy Finucane would confirm he had not been harmed. This was true but the men frightened the life out of me and my family.

"Events such as that described are bound to influence one's thinking. I am thankful that I was spared. I have put the event to the back of my mind and have not referred to it in either House in 14 years. However, I refer to it now in the context of what happened to Jerry McCabe - God be good to him - and to Ben O'Sullivan in Adare in 1996. I am thankful that Ben O'Sullivan recovered.

"Such events are bound to colour one's assessment and that is why I resent Fine Gael being criticised for expressing its view. I feel perfectly entitled to express my view because I feel very strongly about the issue. It is correct for Mrs McCabe to feel very upset on the basis that she was promised that the killers of her husband would not bereleased," he said.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

billy the squid

FTA69 wrote:

And why wait 14 years to come out about his "ordeal"?

in IRA mans voice

"If you ****en say antin to the gards we'll come back and kill ye dya hear"

good enought reason to stay quiet don't you think?

Victor

Is this a new revalation or merely an elaboration?

billy the squid

Victor wrote:

Is this a new revalation or merely an elaboration?

in reply to your question

I was then dropped off at the side of the road and they took off and warned me not to move. I was petrified over what would happen if I did move.

billy the squid

one more thing this story did come out fourteen years ago

"I have a clipping from the Limerick Leader issued at the time of the incident. It claims that on the day following the event, one of those responsible phoned and said that Deputy Finucane would confirm he had not been harmed. This was true but the men frightened the life out of me and my family.

would be a good idea to read the whole article before callingit propaganda pumped out merely to coinside with the debate of wether or not to release gerry mccabes cillers

Victor

Thanks, I read the article this morning and had forgotten that bit.

cdebru

how does he know it was the IRA i didn't see in the article that they Identified themselves as IRA members

Raskolnikov

cdebru wrote:

how does he know it was the IRA i didn't see in the article that they Identified themselves as IRA members

Undoubtedly the perpetrators were easily identified by their balaclavas, thick West Belfast accents and the tricolours that they wrapped around themselves, much like how a robber can be recognised by their stripey uniforms and a bag thrown over their shoulder which is emblazoned with Dollar signs.

cdebru

Raskolnikov wrote:

Undoubtedly the perpetrators were easily identified by their balaclavas, thick West Belfast accents and the tricolours that they wrapped around themselves, much like how a robber can be recognised by their stripey uniforms and a bag thrown over their shoulder which is emblazoned with Dollar signs.

wow thanks for the warning i always tought the bag said swag i will be more careful who I let into the house in future


and i suppose if it had been the INLA they would have had half tricolour half starry plough

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

cdebru

daveirl wrote:

This post has been deleted.

but they didn't say they were the IRA so perhaps it could have been the INLA for example
or some smart crims who wanted the TD to believe it was the IRA

billy the squid

first paragraph

A FINE Gael politician has spoken for the first time about how he was abducted and terrorised by the Provisional IRA.

if it was the inla it would read

A FINE Gael politician has spoken for the first time about how he was abducted and terrorised by the INLA.

cdebru

billy the squid wrote:

first paragraph



if it was the inla it would read

did the fine gael senator write the headline

the first line is written by the journalist

in the article which is based on the interview with the senator he does not say that the men identified themselves as being from the IRA
All I 'am asking is the senator presuming they were from the IRA or how does he know they were from the IRA ie did they identify themselves as IRA members

billy the squid

he mentioned a fire station being burned to the ground and the people responsible calling the Limerick Leader I dont think they would put the wrong terrorist group on a news story, they would have put the one that was identified by mr. finucane,

cdebru

billy the squid wrote:

he mentioned a fire station being burned to the ground and the people responsible calling the Limerick Leader I dont think they would put the wrong terrorist group on a news story, they would have put the one that was identified by mr. finucane,

Did the ira claim responsibility for burning the petrol station if they did fair enough it was the IRA if not it seems to me people are putting 2 and 2 together

cdebru

cdebru wrote:

Did the ira claim responsibility for burning the petrol station if they did fair enough it was the IRA if not it seems to me people are putting 2 and 2 together

You seem awfully interested in clearing the IRA's name here...

cdebru

Earthman wrote:

You seem awfully interested in clearing the IRA's name here...

I just like to be clear on these things If the IRA did it fair enough
I just dont like seeing people blamed in the wrong

billy the squid

editor@limerick-leadier.ie

they took the phone call why dont you ask them

AmenToThat

billy the squid wrote:

in IRA mans voice

"If you ****en say antin to the gards we'll come back and kill ye dya hear"

good enought reason to stay quiet don't you think?

And the fact that he is able to speak about it now shows just how far the IRA have come since then.

ReefBreak

FTA69 wrote:

Oppurtunism of the worst variety, this reminds me of Royston Brady's stunt during the European election. Some people will do anything for attention....

And why wait 14 years to come out about his "ordeal"?

Opportunism? I call it a timely reminder to certain younger readers on boards.ie of the brutality of the IRA campaign. Particularly those that have bought into Gerry Adams glorification of IRA murder.

AmenToThat

AmenToThat wrote:

And the fact that he is able to speak about it now shows just how far the IRA have come since then.

Or how much damage anything happening to him would do to sinn féin...

AmenToThat

ReefBreak wrote:

Opportunism? I call it a timely reminder to certain younger readers on boards.ie of the brutality of the IRA campaign.

Ufortunately wars are terrible and often prolonged events, tis the nature of the beast.
The IRA's campaign was no more horrific than any of the other participants ,British military or Loyalist death squads (often as not one in the same) and at least was implemented to achieve an aim where as the British and Loyalists killed for killings sake as the Irish government stood on the sidelines and bowed its collective head.

billy the squid

AmenToThat wrote:

Ufortunately wars are terrible and often prolonged events, tis the nature of the beast.
The IRA's campaign was no more horrific than any of the other participants ,British military or Loyalist death squads (often as not one in the same) and at least was implemented to achieve an aim where as the British and Loyalists killed for killings sake as the Irish government stood on the sidelines and bowed its collective head.

michael finucane wasnt brittish
gerry mcCabe wasnt brittish

these incidents did not occour in the north. if this were a real war then would not northern ireland be your battle ground. so why come down to the republic to carry out terrorist activity.

still smells of thuggary though.

FTA69

ReefBreak wrote:

Opportunism? I call it a timely reminder to certain younger readers on boards.ie of the brutality of the IRA campaign. Particularly those that have bought into Gerry Adams glorification of IRA murder.

Don't lecture me on naievity a chara, I understand full well the implications and results of war. Young Republicans still face the beatings and harrasment as Republicans always have done, it is not a case of a new young flock sitting pretty in the chamber of idealism. I am well able to make my own decisions and judgements thanks, and I don't need to be "reminded" of anything by the likes of you.

billy the squid

FTA69 wrote:

Don't lecture me on naievity a chara, I understand full well the implications and results of war.

bashing 14-year old kids with baseball bats isn't war, And the IRA don't follow the rules of the Geneva Convention so their actions are not (and rightly so) recognised as a war.

Young Republicans still face the beatings and harrasment as Republicans always have done,

What percentage of beatings received by "republicans" have been attributed to the IRA as "punishment?"

oscarBravo

FTA69 wrote:

Young Republicans still face the beatings and harrasment as Republicans always have done

In Waterford?

And what's this got to do with war, again?

marco murphy

As jow cahill said---This war is just as much ours as it is yours.