Police in Limerick have confirmed that an investigation is underway into the statements made at a commemoration ceremony in the city, in which threats were made against Irish people serving in the British army.
The threats were made at the annual Seán South commemoration ceremony, which was organised by Sinn Féin. It was attended by about 50 people and a number of them were dressed in paramilitary uniforms.
Irish men and women who are members of the British army were warned that serving in the British military was a legitimate target for the dissident republican group, in a statement which was read out on behalf of the continuity IRA prisoners in Portlaoise.
Police had a presence at the commemoration march held on Sunday in Limerick and also in Mount St Lawrence Cemetery, but no arrests were made.
Read more: Rubber bullets fired by Belfast police in worst violence of 15 years
According to RTE News, a senior garda said any statements or activities that suggest actions that are unlawful or illegal are fully investigated.
Sinn Féin Limerick city councillor Maurice Quinlivan said the threats on Sunday had “no place in a modern Ireland.”
A spokesman for Sinn Féin in Dublin said yesterday's commemoration in Limerick had not been organised by them. He said they had organised their own commemoration at Seán South's grave last Saturday.
Fianna Fáil justice spokesperson Niall Collins, a Limerick TD, described yesterday's activities and the statements made as disgraceful and regretful.
He remarked that a trend was emerging in recent times of these types of displays.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.seanomelb | Jan 11, 2013, 06:01 PM EST
Darragh!! religion was never a criterion to join the IRA thre are many protestants who joined and I know one personally. Your post is typical of an uninformed American
seanomelb | Jan 11, 2013, 05:57 PM EST
AS an ex member of the Irish navy Leah I suddenly find your post maeningless. The provos do not exist(you live in the past) and your feeble west brit attitude insults me.What military did you serve with obviously you did not serve. So go join your Guards relative,put up or shut up.
darragh S | Jan 10, 2013, 09:21 PM EST
@IrelandNorth What HO! You know both those scenarios were possible as its known that Irish people fought on both sides even though most were on their own side being neutral and fighting for freedom. And its Ironic, there is so much regulation in the Armed Services these days that you need a top secret clearance just to watch a radar screen all day. I read the history of the 69th Infantry NY from World War 2. One of the Fighting Irish who served in Leipzig described the Germans as 'Nice People', hospitable and so on and he noted how very the same as 'us' they were. I found the same thing with all the 'Germans' I have met even the Nazi types sadly. He went on to say for himself and his other mates in green and the enemy that at that time in History it was all about getting paid and very few paid much attention to why they were after the Waffen. I say now those serving in the British Army are glad to have work. Its very exciting work to going off to Afghanistan to hunt for Osama Bin Laden and getting paid for it at a time in history when work at home is short. Great experience for the Irish to. What gets me is how these new IRA types where ever they get their influence from cant see past the past and see where we are at now with Islamic Extremists. I read a great piece in the early 90's about the selection criteria for joining the IRA. They generally only accepted highly skilled and disciplined people who would carry through and they had to be Catholic. So how well does it sit with them when Islamists are attacking Christians and Catholics all over the place? This I think they should think about.
Smyrnian | Jan 10, 2013, 06:11 PM EST
Calculus - Your comment was incomprehensible, nonsensical, riddled with typos etc. What is up with you?
STEVENSTAR | Jan 10, 2013, 05:26 PM EST
IT WAS ATTENDED BY 50 PEOPLE ... WELL THAT SAYS IT ALL.... A SMALL BITTER MINORITY ...!! WELL IF ANYONE HAS BEEN TO LIMERICK YOU'LL SOON REALISE ITS NOT THE CLASSY-IEST OF PLACES AND WELL KNOWN FOR ITS DRUG GANGS AND DRUG DEALERS ALOT OF WERE EX IRA MEMBERS .. NOW THAT THE IRA DONT PLANT BOMBS AND KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE ANYMORE MAINLY BECAUSE WE IRISH SPOKE OUT ,, THEY NOW HAVE TURNED TO LUCRATIVE DRUGS TRADE... AND ALSO MAKE BITTER STATEMENTS ABOUT IRISH SERVING IN THE BRITISH ARMY ...BUT HEY IT DOESNT MAKE NEWS HERE IN IRELAND BUT OBVIOUSLY IT MAKES NEWS ON HERE ...!!
STEVENSTAR | Jan 10, 2013, 05:24 PM EST
IT WAS ATTENDED BY 50 PEOPLE ... WELL THAT SAYS IT ALL.... A SMALL BITTER MINORITY ...!! WELL IF ANYONE HAS BEEN TO LIMERICK YOU'LL SOON REALISE ITS NOT THE CLASSY-IEST OF PLACES AND WELL KNOWN FOR ITS DRUG GANGS AND DRUG DEALERS ALOT OF WERE EX IRA MEMBERS .. NOW THAT THE IRA DONT PLANT BOMBS AND KILL INNOCENT PEOPLE ANYMORE MAINLY BECAUSE WE IRISH SPOKE OUT ,, THEY NOW HAVE TURNED TO LUCRATIVE DRUGS TRADE... AND ALSO MAKE BITTER STATEMENTS ABOUT IRISH SERVING IN THE BRITISH ARMY ...BUT HEY IT DOESNT MAKE NEWS HERE IN IRELAND BUT OBVIOUSLY IT MAKES NEWS ON HERE ...!!
IrelandNorth | Jan 10, 2013, 02:46 PM EST
gobdawpaddy! As an ex-member of An Forsaí Cósanta/Irish Defence Forces (popularly if incorrectly known as the Irish Army) with active service in northern Ireland, (patrolling the commissioned boundary between north-eastern Ulster (ie NI) and south-western Ulster (ie nI) along the Cavan/Fermanagh county boundary), I can reassure you that a very thorough backgound clearance by Án Gárda Síochána na h'Éireann (ÁGSÉ)/Guardians of the Peace of Ireland is required. After all, like military formations elsewhere in the world, they can't have common criminals going off to war to commit state sponsored homicide. Just not cricket - old chap! Only thing worse than being bayonetted to death in the trenches of the Somme during WWI as an Irishman in the British Army, would be to have been to be bayonetted to death in the trenches of the Somme by a German soldier with a criminal record. Ouch!
gobdawpaddy | Jan 10, 2013, 12:55 PM EST
I am curious how many of the members of 'dad's army' attending this gathering have been involved in anti-social behaviour in Limerick?
calculus | Jan 10, 2013, 07:34 AM EST
The Yanks come and go as they please from please from the their 51st state Sahnnon airport
IrelandNorth | Jan 10, 2013, 03:48 AM EST
Photograph above depicts Irish Army personnel being shamrocked by Euro-NATO supremo in Bosnia. Note Irish tricolour shoulder badge on end of line soldier! (I do wish IC would get this right. This error was corrected some time ago!) The whole tragedy of the millenium long misadventure of Anglo-Irish hystoria can be synopsised in one simplified political dialectic: "British imperialism was the action - republican paramilitarism was the reaction - loyalist paramilitarism was the counter-reaction!" Cure the disease and symptoms will disappear!
darragh S | Jan 10, 2013, 03:15 AM EST
Leah, Seano is an expat from Ireland living in Australia, which is a minor member of the Commonwealth of Nations. The only thing we have in common with the UK is the Asian and Irish Immigrants. As far is it goes in Australia we are US aligned with the queen as our head of state, big deal, we have the Australia Act, make our own laws and most Australians cant stand all the bull and are happy being with the current level of Australian Indpendence. Given the UK background of the country were still well aligned culturally with the UK but were actually swinging to Asia from the USA but we dont really have much to do with the British Commonwealth, which is like the IRB, doesn't exist anymore. By the Way the British Military sucks even though its the second largest military budget in the world, its dwarfed by the people power of India and China and ofcourse the US. Sad but true they cant even defend their own coast and are lucky they have nukes. Tell me when you find my Sea Stallion in the Pacom area sport. got you there dont I.
leahkinsella | Jan 09, 2013, 08:04 PM EST
Seano, spoken like a true provo supporter from the safety of a British Commonwealth country no less. A right to free speech does not grant you the right to threaten a person's life no matter who they are. These bully boys have never come up against a real soldier (if they did they would run away). They're mostly involved in drugs and criminal activities. It's easy to threaten when you have your face covered up - the mark of cowards!
leahkinsella | Jan 09, 2013, 07:42 PM EST
Seano, a right to free speech does not include a right to threaten somebody's life, that's called incitement to hatred and threat to a person's life. Republican Sinn Fein, Real IRA etc.are bullies and criminal gangs.You are a provo supporter anyway so you would say that and from the safety of a British Commonwealth country no less. I have a relative in the Irish Guards in Britain and another in the Irish Army and your views are aborrent to the vast majority of the Irish people.
seanomelb | Jan 09, 2013, 05:00 PM EST
A right to free speech.
IrelandNorth | Jan 09, 2013, 02:50 PM EST
Na Fíanna/The Fenians - Bráithreachas Póblachtanach Éireannach (BPÉ)/Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) - Airm Póblactánach Éireannach/Irish Republican Army (IRA) - Official IRA - Provisional IRA - Continuity IRA (CIRA) - Real IRA - (RIRA) - Óglaigh na h'Éireann/Irish Volunteers. How many IRA's does it take to change a light bulb? Just one. As long as the light bulb is British. Switch on everything except British lightbulbs.
sean T | Jan 09, 2013, 12:01 PM EST
Also, the photo you have is a photo of the army of the Irish Republic and not a photo of the British Army.
sean T | Jan 09, 2013, 11:58 AM EST
The author of this article clearly has little understanding of the subject matter.According to them the continuity IRA read out a statement at a Sinn Fein event :-). That in itself would send shockwaves through the peace process if it were true. The commemoration in question was organised by a group styling themselves Republican Sinn Fein. That group broke away from Sinn Fein in 1986 and have not accepted the peace process. They have no connection with either Sinn Fein, the party which Limerick Councillor Maurice Quinlivan represents.
darragh S | Jan 09, 2013, 08:44 AM EST
Just saying.
darragh S | Jan 09, 2013, 08:44 AM EST
What if we actually brought back the idea of the IRB.