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COURT PROCEEDINGS IN the Taoiseach’s home town were twice shut down today, as activists from the National Land League of Ireland and Integrity Ireland staged courtroom protests.
The NLLI said earlier it planned to stage the protest at Castlebar Courthouse after being made aware of over 150 applications for repossession of homes. The group – which offers support to families facing eviction – said its aim was to point out that the court proceedings were “not only morally wrong but also lawfully wrong”.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie by phone this evening, the NLLI’s Gerry O’Boyle – who ran under a land league banner in last October’s Roscommon-South Leitrim by-election – again insisted what was happening was “totally illegal”.
Registrar Fintan Murphy called proceedings to a halt this morning after a group of protesters staged an action in the courtroom itself.
O’Boyle said court business was then moved to a different room, where proceedings were held ‘in camera’. He said demonstrators had been calling for a “blanket adjournment”.
More cases were heard after lunch – but again protesters disrupted proceedings, and two men were removed from the premises by gardaí. O’Boyle said they were let off with a warning.
Independent TD for Tipperary South Mattie McGrath said in a statement he believed the decision to ban members of the public from the re-arranged court session was “an affront to the basic and fundamental right of access to the courts”.
“This is a continuation of the policy that I highlighted last October where people enduring the trauma of repossessions and evictions were denied the free and unhindered assistance of people who turn up to support them in their fight to retain the family home.
“Last year the Minister for Justice told me that where there were ‘credible threats to the organisation of courts’ and ‘major security threats’ in the administration of justice, such actions were permitted.
“Now I ask you, does the saying of the Rosary and peaceful objections to the legality of the proceedings constitute this kind of threat?” McGrath said.
“I am calling on the Taoiseach, not only as the head of Government, but also as the TD for that area to immediately assure us that when it comes to these kinds of sittings, access to the Courts will not become the exclusive preserve of the banks legal teams.”
Additional reporting, Michelle Hennessy.
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Home Alone !!
Debbie does dallas
Yes, got to agree with you.
The Shawshank Redemption followed by Alien.
Quiet, man
National Lampoons Christmas Vacation followed by Scrooged. They’re is no substitute.
Elf
Hostile Hostages!
@William Cray.Yep.
where’s Home Alone, Bad Santa & Trading Places? All classics
They’re excluded to get you and I and others to comment and give the illusion of popularity for the article.
Exactly, well they aren’t going to catch me with their plan.
@Pauliebhoy: Me either the beaky snastards
Willie Wonka everytime
Scrooged
Miracle on 34th Street, the original. Cannot beat it
Love Actually is an absolute pile of shite.
@Jimmy Murphy: stink
In fairness, so are most Christmas films.. but it wouldn’t be the same without them.
The muppets Christmas Carol
Die Hard…best Christmas movie ever!
Now I have a machine gun……..HO Ho Ho
Has to be “The Holiday” with Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, Jude Law and Jack Black.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0p8Su3bdHc
Elf
And when Santa squeezes his fat white a## down that chimney tonight, he’s gonna find the jolliest bunch of a### holes this side of the nuthouse.
Only watched it last night. Great movie. Gotta love chevy chase.
Yes I’m just blousing ..browsing… its very nippley ….I mean nippy
Santa clause the movie!
Miracle on 34th Street
Polar express!
Bad Santa
Miracle on 34th street should be there
Willy wonka or albert finney’s scrooge
Nightmare before Christmas,
@Enda Murtagh: yaaaaas
The snowman
Home Alone
Gotta be “Elf”
Christmas Carol with Alastair Simon. Black & white version.
@Liamog: Black & white is gay.
Willy Wonka!
@Lily Shannon: what does that have to do with Xmas?
Elf
The Grinch….watch it every year :-)
Home alone
Miracle on 34th Street
By far the best
Willie wonka and the chocolate factory
It was a tough call between Its a wonderful life and Love Actually out of the listed choices but there are so many other classics associated with Christmas that I love. Miracle on 34th Street, Annie, The Grinch, Santa Claus and of course Christmas isn’t Christmas without Willie Wonka:-)
Miracle on 34th street
Home Alone!
The apartment
Superb film
Gremlins :-=
Santa Clause – 1985 http://imdb.com/rg/an_share/title/title/tt0089961/
Miracle on 34th Street…. never on the telly anymore
Christmas Carol
Scrooge1970.or willy wonka
It’s a wonderful life is pure depression. I don’t know how people watch it
A Christmas story
Willie wonka and the chocolate factory
I would sit down to either “Christmas with the Kranks” or else “The Muppets – A Christmas Carol”
First one is quite funny, I love it! And the Muppets movie …., well that one is funny, touching and christmasy. If I HAD to choose ONE it would have to be “Christmas with the Kranks”
Muppet Christmas Carol and The Polar Express. Watch then time and time again and blame the kids for it. Merry Christmas everyone.
Miracle on 34th street
Elf!
The Polar Express
Home Alone and Elf
Miracle on 34th Street
darby o’gill and the little people
Miracle On 34th Street (Original)
Santa Claus The Movie
A muppet Christmas carol or Bad Santa
Trading Places.
The Family Stone with Diane Keaton although Its a Wonderful Life is an absolute classic.
Wilkie Wonka and the chocolate factory!
Fiddler on the Roof
My top 5 in no particular order. Die hard, Willie wonka, rise of the guardians, scrooged and trains plane’s and automobiles.
Jaws. Wouldn’t be Christmas without it.
As good as it gets!
Santa claus the movie
Exorcist
@Abe Brennan: Pllenty of dark spirits on that day?
Bad Santa .
The Bishop’s Wife…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bishop’s_Wife
Polar Express
No one else mentioned wizard of oz
@Louise Ní Riain: you’re confused. It’s not an Xmas movie,
Scrooge Albert finney.
Showgirls
I would sit down to either “Christmas with the Kranks” or else “The Muppets – A Christmas Carol”
First one is quite funny, I love it! And the Muppets movie …., well that one is funny, touching and christmasy. If I HAD to choose ONE it would have to be “Christmas with the Kranks”
@Lilly Passet: Sorry!!! Don’t know WHY my comment went up twice
A Christmas Carol
The return of the man who never came back
A Christmas story, Ralph’s struggle to get a red Ryder BB gun
Santa Clause- made me believe all over again- simply magical
FakeTaxi
Elf
Bad Santa
Miracle on 34th street
Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory. Not a typical Christmas movie but it’s the only time of the year it’s ever on TV so I think it counts.
Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale
A Christmas Carol with Jim Carry.
100% yes. Work of genius. Love it
Where Eagles Dare is on every Christmas, so it is a Christmas movie by now? As are other movies, it seems having a bit of snow in a long movie is enough but then there is The Quiet Man.
They never play movies like Lifeforce or The Medusa Touch at Christmas but always choose a whole load of Hollywood or British WW2 films, how is that Christmassy?
Then the same old films are seen that often that the TV films seem like no matter what station you tune to there is nothing on and the same can be said about the Carols. There are some beautiful medeval carols that are never played and they compete with Christmas songs that are Christmas songs because they mention snow or Christmas.
A Tapestry of Carols by Maddy Prior, Christmas Musicke by The York Waits, Christus natus est | An Early English Christmas by The Sixteen, Harry Christophers and then Christmas Music from Medieval and Renaissance Europe by the same.
The thing about Christmas is people accept the same old stuff and call it tradition, when there is more to Christmas than the same old movies or songs / carols. A bit of something new might put a bit of life into it?
Von Ryans Express, Kellys Heroes, The Heroes of Telemark, Guns of Navarone. All brilliant Christmas time movies to pass away an afternoon on the couch with club orange and ham sandwiches.
@EdmundOrlando: Yes but are they Christmassy? Just asking….
Christmas ape
Jack Frost!!!
The Sound Of Music is a must-watch on Christmas Day (even though it’s not actually a Christmas film, it’s played every year on Christmas Day and watching it while eating a tin of roses is a memory I have from every year!!)
I cannot believe Home Alone 1 or 2 isn’t on the shortlist by the way…. that’d be my other choice !!
Surviving Christmas
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