Are other Irish airports used for torture flights?

international | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Saturday September 17, 2005 04:23

by Daithí Mac Lochlainn

Christy Moore’s Knock Song is a satirical piece about the Monsignor James Horan’s project to build an airport in Knock, County Mayo, the site of a Catholic shrine.

He ends the song with the question,

“Did NATO donate the dough, my boys? Did NATO donate the dough?”

As I reported earlier, the United Nations is reportedly planning to investigate the alleged use of Shannon Airport, Co. Clare by the CIA to transport detainees to countries where they can be tortured on behalf of the Bush Administration, in what is called “extraordinary rendition”.

A reader suggests that Shannon Airport may not be the only airport that is so used:

“US military regularly use the South Donegal Erne corridor (4 miles from Atlantic to N. Ireland border) and used it intensively before and during the first US/Iraq war. Donegal comes under Manchester air control so this sort of thing is not recorded by Irish aviation authorities. At present I regularly (maybe fortnightly) see 3 planes flying in miltary formation, travelling N. East (Glasgow route?). I find myself wondering is this the rendition plane, with escort? Shannon is not the only place we Irish commit war crimes.”

As Mayo is about halfway between Clare and Donegal, is Knock International Airport also available as a pitstop for torture flights?

And what about other airports in Ireland?

The use of torture is a war crime.

If the Taoiseach is knowingly allowing this, then he is a war criminal, for playing second fiddle to an even worse war criminal.

http://gaelicstarover.blogspot.com/2005/09/did-nato-donate-dough.html

save preference

Comments (6 of 6)

Where are the whistle blowers?

by Important

Sat Sep 17, 2005 17:51

Has there been even one single whistle blower in Ireland over our participation in the so-called "war on terror"? Has even a single person in any government department or agency, in any firm or organisation which deals with Irish airfields and airspace had the honesty to come out and help expose what's going on?

Judging by their record to this day, there's no point holding our breath for them. Nobody will resign from the Attorney General's Office in protest against the illegal war making. Nobody in ground control will say "I won't allow them land here!". And not a single government TD will say "no more! This is wrong!"

We've got to monitor those airfields ourselves. Whatever way the CW5 trial goes, or Dubsky's judicial review, we've got to continue plane spotting and stopping by hand. That's the lesson from these past four years.

Possible candidates for "whistleblower"?

by Daithí

Sat Sep 17, 2005 18:01

What about Senator David Norris, and Deputies, Trevor Sargent and Michael Higgins?

It might be worth giving them a call…

http://gaelicstarover.blogspot.com/2005/01/world-is-watching.html

http://gaelicstarover.blogspot.com/2005/02/trevor-sargent-td.html

Whistleblowers need to be "inside"

by Michael

Sun Sep 18, 2005 11:27

Firstly, those politicians you've named, and a few others, have done a fair job opposing the so-called "war on terror". But they don't have access to any information which we haven't already got via FOI requests, plane spotting, or other investigation.

What we don't have is people working directly *for* the "war on terror" saying "NO MORE" and quitting. They've done it in the UK, the US, Israel, Greece, Spain and Italy. Just never here, how come?

Anyone checking Baldonnel?

by Ag faire

Thu Sep 22, 2005 10:55

It's a lot shorter trip from Dublin than going to Shannon, only a bus ride from Dublin city centre or you can listen in on ATC channel with a hand held radio.

Baldonnel has already had US C-130s landing there, and recently it's been reported that some unmarked MD-80s with US registrations have been landing.

So if you live reasonably close to the area, and have a pair of binoculars etc. and a few spare hours,

maybe you answerd your own question?

by A10

Thu Sep 22, 2005 13:12

1]Maybe there are no "whistle blowers" because this entire story is just a totally blown out of porportion non happening world event concoted from one incident by the anti american peacenicks?
2]Maybe here in Ireland we are actually a race of shit in the pants cowards who favour big words and little actions apart from muttering into our overpriced pints of Guiness,and dont want to rock the boat in fear of job saftey,etc etc?
3]Maybe we are just a bunch of fence sitters who appease both sides allow the Us through Ireland and allow the Islamic sucidie jockeys to train,recruit and finance themselves for their next muder spree?

Béal Feirste

by Duine

Thu Sep 22, 2005 14:42

Bhí alt ar Guardian Shasana seachtain ó shin idtaobh na naerphort sa Ríoch tAontaithe ar thurlaing eitiltí "chomhlachtaí" an CIA.
Bhí Béal Feirste orthu.

Number of comments per page

Upcoming Events

New Events

Other Press

User Preferences

Feeds

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

The Saker

Lockdown Skeptics

Voltaire Network

Are other Irish airports used for torture flights?

Comments (6 of 6)