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Wikileaks reveals top-level briefings by Irish govt for US Embassy

1,900 secret Ireland cables are now revealed in newspaper

SEAN O'BRIEN,

IrishCentral Contributing Writer

Published Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 7:35 AM

Updated Tuesday, May 31, 2011, 7:44 AM

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US Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney

Photo by Google Images

The Irish Independent newspaper has acquired 1,900 classified cables from the American Embassy in Ireland via Wikileaks which reveals how information is achieved by US diplomats from Irish sources.

The cables reveal the full extent of the very extensive briefings which US embassy personnel receive from senior Irish diplomatic and political sources.

Among the cables is a reported conversation with former Irish government minister Mary Hanafin from Fianna Fail who spoke frankly about problems with their coalition partners, the Greens.

The word “PROTECT” was used beside her name in the cables.

She told her source she had the impression that, “if some of the Greens had their way, the Programme for Government would emphasize ‘hares, stags and badgers while everyone else in the country is drowning in this economy’,” US Ambassador Dan Rooney told Washington in the cable.

Hanafin told the newspaper that she was giving a “a frank update on the state of politics in the country at that time”.

Other cables show that US embassy officials had top level access to information on events in Ireland and were often briefed before the opposition was or the public was fully aware of upcoming events.

The cables run from 1985 to 2010 before the election victory of the current government.

Nster.com

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8 Comments

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mamaginnty | May 31, 2011, 09:27 PM EDT

Wikileaks, worth looking into.

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mamaginnty | May 31, 2011, 09:00 PM EDT

No government will tell the people what they are really up to. World wide conections and secret service will always be there.

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SeamusMor | May 31, 2011, 11:07 AM EDT

That's not much out of 1900 messages.Tell us more!

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antoman | May 31, 2011, 11:00 AM EDT

there* typo.

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antoman | May 31, 2011, 10:59 AM EDT

Psst..Ambassador Rooney..The Irish have acquired a submarine from the Germans.Its a diesel boat.It will be ten years or more before they can afford to outfit it with torpedoes.It is to be tasked with patrolling the Shannon estuary in an effort to observe and if possible stop foreign submarines from operating their too.

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Trealach | May 31, 2011, 10:19 AM EDT

@Cillowen - were you born stupid, or is it something you managed to develop? Alan Shatter is the CURRENT Minister for Justice and was NOT part of the previous government, which these Wikileaks refer to ...sheeeeeeeshhhh

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Chiefjustice | May 31, 2011, 10:17 AM EDT

Small potatoes

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cillowen | May 31, 2011, 10:07 AM EDT

their master and that shatter chap's big time reporting back to base. don't you love this so-called irish type democracy. Croquet anyone.

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