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ANTI-WAR ACTIVIST MARGARETTA D’Arcy has been given a 2 week suspended sentence for entering part of Shannon Airport which is closed to the public.
D’Arcy, who is 80, was sentenced at Ennis District Court yesterday. Co-accused Niall Farrell of Maree, Oranmore, in Galway was also given a suspended sentence for unauthorised entry at Shannon in September last year.
The judge ordered both Farrell and D’Arcy to sign a bond promising not to trespass at the airport again – however RTE News reports that D’Arcy said she will not sign the bond.
She and Farrell had attempted to block the runway at Shannon Airport in protest at the use of the airport by US military since the Iraq War, and also against western intervention in Syria.
D’Arcy, of Woodquay in Galway, was accompanied by Nobel prize winner Mairead Corrigan Maguire at the court yesterday. Clare Daly TD was also in attendance outside the court.
D’arcy spent time in Mountjoy Prison earlier this year after being sentenced to three months behind bars in January for refusing to stay out of the unauthorised zones at Shannon Airport.
The writer, who is a member of Aosdána, has been treated for cancer in recent months.
Speaking at the time of her release last year, D’Arcy was sanguine about her imprisonment and said she would continue to her anti-war protests.
“If Enda Kenny wants to spend thousands of euro putting me in prison, he can go ahead,” she said.
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Did she break the law? Well I suppose she did. What makes this ladies situation interesting is she is protesting against bigger laws being broken. She goes to jail though. Its an awkward one for government as how can someone say with a straight face we have a fair justice system in this country when rape isn’t a guaranteed jail term, how many priests have been locked up for child abuse? How many people have been given pensions for selling out their country or through gross negligence? At least this woman has a point.
Capitaine Sensible :)
A number of priests have served time for sexual offences! The problem here is the hypocrisy mrs Darcey supports terrorism and murder via her IRA connections but objects to the use of Shannon? You couldn’t make it up
Wayne — If a rabid dog could talk he’d sound just like you.
Good morning Wayne! I dunno anything about her IRA support to be honest. That’s a seperate issue as far as in concerned. The few priests that have been jailed are a small percentage compared to the amount that were moved around to different dioceses or just protected in general but I’ll leave it there as this may meander into a different discussion. I wanted to use it as an example of justice or lack of. Peace out!
I am no supporter of sexual predators & believe jail is probably to good for them! But a great many sexual predators have seen the inside if Irish jails
Peter, either address the points raised or engage in sensible discussion. Personal, unfounded insults serve no purpose here.
You left out private school boys who get away with murder
#nojustice
“You couldn’t make it up” I suspect that you are making it up. What are her supposed IRA connections and support for terrorism? It better be more than her objection that a group she was part of held a minutes silence for an RUC man, without a vote – and her objection was the lack of a vote. That’s not terrorism. So, back up your assertion, or be labelled a troll.
I salute you Margaretta D’Arcy. If there was more of your kind, this country would not be the pitiful lickspittle of the powerful corporate, political and military elites that it is now.
Samuel, try reading her book about her time in the H blocks in the eighties I am sure you will believe her own words rather than mine, , plenty of documented stuff out there speaking on support of violent republicanism and she counts many former PIRA members in her circle of acquaintances.
Captaine! Where are my detenators?
As mad as a bag of cats
The pic of the two of them is a rip off from Father Ted, there signs should read, Careful now, Down with that of thing
Yes all women are mad in the eyes of Irish law-so you are correct in your patriarchal judgment.
No disrespect to cats either.
Fair play to her!
All the crazies in one place…it’s like the banana splits
Claire Daly worked in the airport, surely she knows how dangerous it is for someone to go onto/near the runway. But hey, she supports her tax dodging boyfriend (Wallace) while complaining about Gardai squashing speeding tickets. Hypocrisy is well and alive.
I’ve a lot of respect for Claire. She says it as it is and tells the truth an the whole story. There is a lecture of her on youtube explaining how billions were robbed from state citizens from the sale of the most profitable part of telecom eireann. And because it was sold there was no investment in broadband services in Ireland because the profitable part of the company was sold to mr o’reilly who is a tax exile.
Everything he says on Iraq and Syria is true its not lies. And she’s right no US planes travelling through Shannon are inspected so there could be bombs guns and prisoners on board and the irish would never know. Also the US broke there agreement by landing a bomber plane is Shannon a few months back and not a mention in the media!
Does the same video explain how millions were robbed from the state by her boyfriend indulging in his tax diddling?
Fluich. When the socialists take over they will take your money first, make you wear a red hat and end your pathetic lower middle class rants and dreams of wealth.
This has nothing got to do with claire daly or Claires record as a TD.
To answer your point though, you’ve got an opinion you got from the irish media. Have you ever listened to wallace and let him explain his actions. Wallace spoke about it and was very good in what he said. He ran a small business and things went belly up. He was employing more than 20 people, he owed money to his employee and suppliers who themselves were small to medium businesses, he was trying to keep everyone paid.
I’ve never run a small business but he is the only TD in the Dáil backing the small employers in Ireland at the moment cause he knows what there going through. While all the other TD’s in the Dáil fall to the feet of the multi national and grant them there every wish even though they pay less than 1% tax. I bet wallace in all his dealings paid more than 1% tax.
I got my opinion from Irish Media? How about I got it from the horses mouth, he gave interviews about his tax cheating. It is not for him to decide if/when/how he will pay his taxes. He used money that was due to the Revenue (you, me and all other citizens) as he saw fit and to suit his own agenda. He is a tax dodging cheat and thief.
And it affects Ms Daly because she sees fit to castigate others for corruption but ignores what is on her own door step, total hypocrisy on her part and leaves her with no credibility in such matters.
Disgusting she is being sent to prison when the likes of Cowan and Bertie walk free with their lavish pensions.
She is an absolute legend.
She’s a fruit. A liability. A safety menace. And a hypocrite. You do not get to pick which laws you obey and which to ignore – off to jail, so not pass go, so not collect $200…
She is an absolute legend.
In her own mind that is!!Daft old bat that should be in the retirement home..Watch her now play the frail ol 80 year old cancer suffering granny when she is off in court again..Who can climb 8foot high barbed wire security fences after hiking across a few acres of fields to do so..
Pull the other one Mrs D’Arcy,and BTW Do tell us what was your work of art,writing or painting that entitles you to 20 grand of OUR TAX MONEY from that elitist quango ASDONA???I dont think ranting about the USA is classified as “art”?
Petr
You need to read the Court sentence again. She has not been jailed but rather has been given a suspended sentence of two weeks and will only be incarcerated if she refuses to undertake not to enter such areas at Shannon Airport again
Let’s remember that on one of her forays a plane coming in to land with over a hundred passengers had to abort its approach due to this very savvy but stupid woman being on the runway.
Now if you’re telling us that there is anything about this activity that is normal or appropriate or acceptable perhaps you need to be locked up as well!
Putting planes and passengers at risk is just pure and utter lunacy. The woman should be sectioned!
Ah, what ignorance.
“Let’s remember that on one of her forays a plane coming in to land with over a hundred passengers had to abort its approach due to this very savvy but stupid woman being on the runway.”
There’s a big difference from a media spin and actual truth. The plane was not on final approach, it was put into a holding pattern because the Airport Police, having been alerted that two people in orange jumpsuits were on the runway, took over 10 minutes to locate them on wide open terrain.
That lunatic cost the taxpayer €500k to repair an aircraft she damaged with a hammer ! Beeeech should be locked up in the asylum !
Lock her up. Why should she cost me more money through taxes. U break the law in IRELAND u do the time.
two contradictions in the one spewing.
good work.
You do know that the Irish tax payer pays for the cost of Irish prisons Bobby?
As for
” U break the law in IRELAND u do the time.”
I would suggest given recent convictions that what you claim is not correct.
How is it? If she’s locked up we won’t have to pay for extra gardai to patrol shannon or fork out huge money with the legal practice on free legal aid. Lock the pest up and be done with her. Talk to the people who have jobs in shannon airport because of the US.
Still with the contradictions Bobby…..
Who pays to keep her in prison? We do.
Were the Gardai at Shannon only looking out for her? No. They’ll still patrol.
And if you can find me someone who openly agrees with using our island for rendition flights and “enhanced interrogation” trips as long as they can have their job @ Shannon…..you’ll be doing well.
Is there any way to eject her from Aosdana ? Why should she get state money while she blithely breaks the laws of the same state?
Why should the gardai, attorney general and govt get money while they break the laws of the state. Why are you singling out an 80 year old widow for your ire… oh, right… easy target.
Just lock her up.. she is a pest at best.
She’s a legend ✌️
Really ??? Supports terrorism and murder in Ireland but objects to it elsewhere! A true Irish hero all right, don’t forget she has spent time in the H blocks on terrorism related charges and counts some well known IRA murderers in her friends list
She also gets prison visits from the Presidents wife..just saying
I’m so glad I don’t live in Wayne’s world.
Roland, she has served time in the H blocks, is a supporter of Éirígí & republican Sinn Fein & has promoted terrorism and violence on Irish soil. This is not an opinion this is her words and documented actions
Wayne you knowledge on the troubles blurs you vision. The British and the unionists attacked and discriminated against catholics since 1922.
During the 70′s and 80′s the government, the RUC, the B specials and the British army openly attacked catholics and nationalists. This even went to the UN and they found in favour of nationalists.
As a catholic and nationalist is in Derry you have no rights. in the 70′s 30% (protestants) of derry could elect 12 mps. 70% (nationalists) could only elect 8. Some protestants had 3 votes. Is this fair. Would you fight against this.
You judge people who live up there yet you are not informed about what went on.
Bed,
Ned, I have friends and family across NI and on both sides of the divide Mrs Darcey has expressed her quite extreme views on NI as recently and quite publicly as 2012!
But as you brought up religious repression and denial of human rights, those that are attempting to fight extremist Islamic groups, that suppress non Muslims, and women might see themselves as doing the same as republicans in NI!!
It is about time she started acting her age. She should be setting an example to our youth. How many young 60-year-olds will be led astray by her immature actions?
She is setting an example. She wants Ireland to be a mature republic where we take decisions for ourselves instead of being bullied by the US.
Look I could appreciate that old dear standing up for what she believes in, but like many of he ilk she seems to be rather choosy about the countries she protests about. I dont suppose she was protesting in Shannon when Aeroflot was refueling in shannon of when the Libyans were training their military at Air-traffic control and creating havoc in Shannon in the 70s/80s (
Rather selective in her agenda alright.
She’s just an old bigot tbh.
Did she live even here during the 80s? Wasn’t she at Greenham Common in the UK in the 80s? and were you protesting those things in the 80′s or is this just armchair criticism?
@Samuel , dont know where she was in the 80s, but Greenham common was another one of the protests against the US only while the USSR were creating havoc in their proxies wars in different parts of the world. ( of course it came out years later that the KGB/GRU were financing most of these “peace” movements just like the CIA were doing on the opposite side and continue to do so today)
Mind you that was a waste of time as the missiles were moved only when Georbachef and Reagan decided to kiss and make up!
Send her to Iraq and make her wear a burka
Why?
Because uppity women need to be put in their place. Can’t have b!tchez running around, expressing opinions that EC P Ford won’t tolerate. Subjugation and stripping women of human rights is the only way to deal with them. Amirite?!?
Too right Daisy, those pesky commies in Iraq will sort her out, amirite Eddie?
Could boko haram be persuaded to take her?
Don’t be giving Obama any ideas…
The same people supporting her are the same people who turn a blind eye to Islamic extremism
The “Islamic extremism” you are talking about is manufactured by the West…
The security at Shannon is seriously sh!te! Outwitted AGAIN by an aul wan!
Good woman, Margaretta. Keep fighting the good fight and embarrassing the security guards!
@ daisy.
So you expcet a force of fourty to sixty people to gaurd a three mile perimiter fence 24/7/365 so some daft ol biddy and crustie followers dont get on the runway? While doing the other slightly unimportant tasks of airport security??Do please try and get a clue.
Personally I’d sort it out and let the ol bat be run over by a plane or get sucked into a jet turbine.
Daisy
That’s fine until you’re on the flight that is coming in to land at Shannon when this lunatic is on the runway and a crash is caused. I am surprised at your comment as I would have expected a modicum of common sense from you on this subject.
Is it acceptable for me to protest on the main runway at Dublin Airport when I get incensed at some particular Government action or inaction or is that just reserved for someone with dementia?
“Until a crash is caused” Exaggerate much Richard? :-)
Stick her on the next plane to Afghanistan so that she can continue her protest there
And stick Scare Daly with her!
Absolutely brilliant. The likes of Sean Fitzpatrick walk free and they target people expressing their opinion. What a democratic country we live in, just shows you money is king.
Do the crime do the time regardless of her age or beliefs that was a restricted area she knows she can’t go there and as for clare daly a hypocrite at the very least
“Do the crime do the time regardless of her age or beliefs that was a restricted area she knows she can’t go there and as for clare daly a hypocrite at the very least”
A great principle. So, you’d be happy for all the Gardai who’ve obstructed investigations of CIA jets, and anyone in government or the Attorney General’s office to do a life sentence for obstructing investigation into torture. That is a crime under the Criminal Justice (UN Convention Against Torture) Act.
They do they crime they should do the time right? It’s not just one law for protestors, surely?
Cos you’re not a hypocrite right?
I would consider this move as an own goal.
It is now a proven fact that the USA supports and arms Islamic extremists to achieve their regime changing goals.
Good on her and I hope more wake up and join her campaign to stop Shannon Airport being used by terrorist enablers. …
Good on ye Frank, what size boiler suit do you take?
Lol
The ould bat and Farrell should be in jail!
Just like to make a couple of points ;
If security is so lax in Shannon that an 80 year old pensioner can easily shuffle onto the Airport Runway,
1) Why the F**K are we being made queue for hours like Muppets to get through Security in Departures ?
2) Why has the head of Security or anyone else not been fired over this breach ?
3) This is still a Airport used by the American Military & therefore a potential terrorist target, why is there no Irish Military personnel guarding it & if so, were the lads on a tea-break when this lady ambled her way onto the runway ? If there is a Military presence, why has no-one been Court Martialled for dereliction of duty ?
4) Why isn’t the Judge asking the same questions or is he just interested in punishing an old lady for exercising her right of peaceful protest & free speech ?
Her right to peaceful protest & free speech does not extend to trespassing on a busy airport and potentially endangering passengers.
Edmund “queue for hours” you obviously have not used Shannon Airport!
To answer your questions
Shannon airport has appx 3 miles of a security fence,about eight feet tall and double barbed wire.They have about 60/80 security personel whose job is everything from screening baggage to securing airport property and buildings.Would you like them standing around the runway 24/7/365 to keep Grannie Crustie and company from climbing or cutting through the fence to stand around on the runway and proably cause a major air accident??
Or while they are diverted with this,that some mad mullah decides to smuggle a bomb ont o a plane and blow himself and a few hundred innocents up over the Atlantic??
2] Simply because it is effective and is good authoritan control of you little sheep.Now shut up and sit on the anal probe!
3]If you want the Irish army down there ,cough up more taxes!! The anti ameican peace mongers have cost us all over 160 million euros since Gulf war one.Talk to various defnece ministers of the FF and FG hue as to why there isnt proper armed private security on the airport. But dont worry Al Quieda reckons its too soft a target,so they wont attack it as they reckon its a trap.
An old demented bag who could just as easily utter her rantings outside the terminal,and refused to sign a bond not to do it again has only herself to blame for being in the chokey.Which was her plan anyway.
Don’t say a word about the U.S war machine on the journal.ie there is still folks on here that think they went into Iraq to Liberate them. Crazy people.
There are also plenty of folks here that believe Islamic terrorists crashed planes into the twin towers.
It’s quite a poor indictment of our media that RTE had a reporter there all day, as did the Indo, and I see no mention of the 5 witnesses for the defence, (Clare Daly TD, Dr. Tom Clonan, security analyst for the IT, Nobel Peace Prize Winner Mairead Maguire and Dr. Lannon and Dr. Horgan of Shannonwatch.)
Tom Clonan said that the US military consider Shannon to be a Virtual Forward Operating Base and an integral part of their war logistics and that there is a Lt Col stationed there who reports directly to US staff based in Stuttgart. He also said that on a trip to the Lebanon, he was in discussion with a rep from Hisbollah who raised the matter of ‘that airport in Co. Clare which is helping to hurt our people, kill our children” (The US was bragging about their use of Shannon Airport from the get go, while our own govt tried to keep it out of our domestic media)
He also mentioned a trip to Guantanamo where he was looking at jets on GITMO’s runway, and a US Intelligience operative, confirmed that the same jets use Shannon, but refused to say if they had ‘human cargo’ on those trips.
Mairead Maguire spoke about the need for peaceful actions, and about the Nuremburg Trials and the obligations on citizens to oppose unlawful acts.
Clare Daly spoke about the lack of accountability in the Dail for the US Military use of Shannon.
Dr. Horgan spoke about the military uses of Shannon, the Horgan V Ireland Court rulings, and the fact that Shannon was not equipped for military use, and that the US military had broken serious safety laws at Shannon.
Dr. Lannon gave brief examples of Shannon’s involvement with the CIA rendition programme.
The facts are that she was found guilty of trespassing on a restricted part of the airport. These so called witnesses did not witness the event so could not provide her with an alibi! These 4 equally looney supporters of her cause merely acted as character witnesses giving their opinion on why she should not be found guilty of this act.
Personally I would jail the ould biddy!
Doctor”Tom Clonan??BWHAHAHAHA!!!!! That desk bound REMF is now a “doctor”?The man has been discredited soo many times its actually laughable that the IT has to employ that fool as their security expert.
Did any one else notice her throw her fag butt on the ground??? Dirty old biddy.
Meanwhile everyone misses the only important point! :-(
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