Capt. Kelly Portrait -- Stormont Watch

[ Show ]

Support VoyForums

[ Shrink ]

VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, 4, [5], 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: Tue, Apr 13 2010, 11:28:19 PDT
Author: Derry Civil Rights Office
Subject: Capt. Kelly Portrait

PRESS RELEASE

�Arms Crisis� captain - portrait unveiling

The unveiling of a portrait by Robert Ballagh of the late Captain James Kelly (1929-2003) will take place at Pearse House, Pearse Street, Dublin 2 on May Day. Ray Yeates, the artistic director of the Axis Theatre, Ballymun will read from �Orders for the Captain�. This was a personal account written by the former Irish Army intelligence officer, who throughout his life considered himself to have been made a scapegoat, and at the time issued details to back up his claim that the Irish government had taken steps to stop publication, which ultimately required to be self-financed.

The veteran painter Robert Ballagh is considered the closest thing Ireland has to a State artist, and his works are known world-wide, including his 1972 Bloody Sunday commemoration when he splashed animal blood on the floor of the Project Arts Centre at its installation. He has designed sets for Riverdance and adaptations of Oscar Wild�s Salome and Samuel Beckett�s Endgame. However, he is best known for designing Ireland�s last bank notes and more than 70 Irish postage stamps, and for being the creative force behind the impressive opening ceremonies for the 2003 Special Olympics and 2006 Ryder Cup.

Ballagh, a member of the Irish National Congress (INC), also designed a promotional poster for �Our National Games�, a controversial new drama which was directed by Ray Yeates of the Axis Theatre, Ballymun. It depicts the captain, in full dress uniform, in front of burning homes in Belfast. The play brings to life the events surrounding one of the most high profile and dramatic events in modern Irish history, The Arms Crisis.

Among guests of honour invited by the Kelly family is a Derry-based author and historian, Fionnbarra O�Dochartaigh, a co-founder of the civil rights association in 1967. Immediately after James Kelly�s death he launched the Captain Kelly Justice Campaign website, www.captainkelly.org, and an international petition on the site attracted hundreds of signatures, which includes former Irish army colleagues, TDs, MPs, MLAs, authors, journalists, and other people, from all walks of life, who studied the issues involved, and publicly endorsed the campaign. O�Dochartaigh, also an INC member, over recent years has compiled a Campaign Dossier which is being distributed world-wide; via rights.civil@googlemail.com During Easter Week updates were sent to An Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, the President Mrs. Mary McAleese and her husband, Dr. Martin McAleese. Acknowledgements promise to review the material which calls for an official and public exoneration of the late captain.

Within hours of James Kelly�s death in 2003, the former Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern told the national media, �He [Kelly] had acted on what he believed were proper orders. Personally, I have no reason to doubt his integrity�.

This Press Release is distributed by the Derry & North-West Civil Rights Network, April 11, 2010. - rights.civil@googlemail.com So as to advance this campaign for justice, re-publication, in whole or in part, would be much appreciated.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]