Periscope
Recent Posts
- The devil at work in the Vatican, says chief exorcist
- Now al-Qaida is operating in Ireland
- Surprise as George Bush intervenes in Northern Ireland peace process
- New York Times' Paul Krugman blames Irish bank regulators for financial crisis
- Why 'Danny Boy' ban should be imposed on St. Patrick's Day
Archives
-
March 2010
(11 entries)
-
February 2010
(41 entries)
-
January 2010
(37 entries)
-
December 2009
(17 entries)
-
November 2009
(9 entries)
-
October 2009
(9 entries)
-
September 2009
(14 entries)
-
August 2009
(7 entries)
-
July 2009
(8 entries)
-
June 2009
(14 entries)
-
May 2009
(11 entries)
-
April 2009
(7 entries)
-
March 2009
(7 entries)
Most Recent Tags
8 Comments
Posted on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 06:48 PM
IRA man should not be extradited from U.S. in Nairac murder
Larger Text
Print
E-mail
Pat Maguire was living quietly in New Jersey when his past caught up with him on Monday .
He was one of nine men said to be responsible for the death of British undercover soldier Robert Nairac in South Armagh 32 years ago.
Robert Nairac was educated at Oxford and joined the British undercover services after college. He attempted to infiltrate the IRA but was instead rumbled by them. He met his death in a lonely country wood just over the border from South Armagh. His body has never been found.
The Nairac murder has never gone away.
Perhaps because he was such a star in the British Army, perhaps because he had the good looks and Oxford background his death resonated far more than the hundreds of other Tommies who also died in the conflict.
Pat Maguire was allegedly there on the night that Nairac was killed. Soon after he fled to America and made a safe home for himself in New Jersey and lived quietly ever after, married and had four children, held down a good job.
Then the past came knocking yesterday in the shape of a British Sun newspaper reporter who had tracked him down.
So for Patrick Maguire the Troubles have never gone away -- but they should. Since the peace process a general amnesty has essentially been in place on all sides in Northern Ireland . It should apply to Patrick Maguire too. Enough lives have been ruined by that conflict. It is time we all moved on. It is a waste of everyone's time to try and drag up the past. An IRA man once said to me that we needed a solution the "dead could live with' We have that now and it is no good bringing them back to life.
Most recent comments - See all comments
Posted by Southernpride on Jan 23, 2010, 09:50 AM EST
I was born in Co Mayo, Ireland and 90% of the people in the South of Ireland look upon Sinn Fein/IRA as murderers and criminals.
Maguire should be extradited right away to pay for his crime. Those IRA scum are an embarrassment to good, decent Irish people
Posted by citizen69 on Jan 03, 2010, 08:46 AM EST
Maquire is a Marxist Socialist terrorist and should be extradited! Do not forget that the IRA indiscriminately bombed pubs, restaurants, hotels & shopping malls murdering countless innocent civilians in the name of a socialist Ireland. The IRA were the very definition of the word Terrorist.
Posted by IreneMarie on Jan 01, 2010, 12:21 PM EST
I agree Mr. Maguire should not be extradited. The General Amnesty should cover Mr. Maguire& his family.
Posted by elektros on Dec 30, 2009, 12:33 AM EST
Nairac was a spy, and it is customary to shoot spies. I'm sure that's what he himself expected if he was caught. Of course, as he was theoretically killed in his own country it does count as murder, but a general amnesty should mean a general amnesty. Even if Maguire did kill him, he was a legitimate military target, not a civilian. I'm English (of Irish descent) and I reckon there should be no extradition.
Posted by pjdolan on Dec 29, 2009, 04:38 PM EST
It is a sad but true fat about war.People on all
sides die.But to compare a volunteer to a nazi.Is way off the mark
Posted by wasqazz on Dec 26, 2009, 10:19 PM EST
Not sure, I'm an american [Irish decent]. I never understood the conflict. i was 19 in "77.. Here murder is never a closed case. i grew up in next to Dumont, NJ .. i know there have been nazi's found here in the states and they have been sent back to europe to face trials ..is this any different? murder is murder. 30 yrs or 1 yr. I do feel for his family over here but what of the soldier's family's feelings about this?
Most Popular News Stories
