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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Sordid tale of Boston College IRA tapes should now be over - Death of Dolours Price means no prosecution possible for British

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Sordid tale of Boston College IRA tapes should now be over - Death of Dolours Price means no prosecution possible for British

Posted on Sunday, January 27, 2013 at 07:20 AM

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Dolours Price

In Friday's Boston Globe newspaper, columnists Kevin Cullen states that he believes that the death of Dolours Price, the dissident Republican, meant that the issue of the Boston College IRA tapes was now over.

Price died of a suspected overdose in her Dublin home. She had suffered from mental health issues for many years.

The British government had been seeking the tapes in an attempt to link Gerry Adams to the murder of Jean McConville, an alleged IRA informer who was killed in Belfast in 1972.

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Price had apparently fingered Adams on the tapes but what use the word of a clearly ill woman would have been was never explained.

Cullen’s point was well made; the death of Dolores Price means she cannot give evidence against Gerry Adams in court which was the main reason why the British government wanted to seize the tapes.

The tapes were part of the Boston College Project which was intended to be an oral history of The Troubles but quickly turned into a Gerry Adams witch hunt led by project director journalist Ed Moloney who clearly holds Adams in great contempt for daring to sign up to the peace process.

Despite the fact that the Boston College project was allegedly an historical one aimed at creating an oral an archive of The Troubles the British government decided that their long time vendetta against Gerry Adams could be well served by seizing the tapes.

Read More: Boston College Irish tapes - the truth about Ed Moloney’s book and letting the cat out of the bag

Cullen pointed that without Price the tapes are no longer useful to the British and they and the U.S. government should now reach an agreement that no further tapes will be sought.

The timing is perfect as I wrote here last week. The new Secretary of State, John Kerry, is on the record as opposing the British attempt to gain access to the tapes. Now is the perfect time for Kerry to make clear to the British that they should give up their efforts to get the tapes.

The episode has been a sordid one from the beginning with the initial efforts to get Adams by the researchers followed by the British government efforts to use historical records to cause problems in the peace process.

There is enough death and destruction attached to The Troubles to last several lifetimes. Cherry picking cases or fomenting historical feuds is a waste of time

With the death of Dolours Price this episode can now be brought to an end. Hopefully John Kerry will take the opportunity to do so in no uncertain terms with the British.

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puffin | Jan 28, 2013, 07:56 PM EST

To get back to my original point which none of your foreign posters seem to have addressed,what right has a foreign country to stop a dying declaration, to put it bluntly died of their own hand,to put forward their life statements and story,surely this is a denial of free speech,but then she wascannon fodder for Jerry Prostrate friend of Nial

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puffin | Jan 28, 2013, 07:31 PM EST

warren Is that the same serene country where a garda was murdered,were the ordinary people are in debt to American and German Bankers, without any say on their behalf and were Irish Americans like yourself Keyboard Warriors dictate what way we should live our lives shove the gathering up your arse

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warrenpoint00 | Jan 28, 2013, 06:17 PM EST

Before you toddle along Puffin I have to burst your bubble and let you know that you just can not be Irish and a british unionist at the same time.My god man have you no sense about your heritage at all. If you are living in Ireland your allegiance should be to Ireland while you are living here, just like all the other foreign nationals that are more than welcome to live and work here in our serene, beautiful country .

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warrenpoint00 | Jan 28, 2013, 06:17 PM EST

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seanomelb | Jan 28, 2013, 06:05 PM EST

Irrelevant Dano Maire,marie same name different spelling.Had lunch with her husband some years ago when he was in Aus for a speaking tour,nice man. have you got something interesting to say Dano??.Or at least some mindless drivvvel.

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warrenpoint00 | Jan 28, 2013, 05:55 PM EST

No Falls, not all Scottish prods are british,there are Scottish nationalists and there are English and Welsh nationalists as well,these are decent human beings that have a lot pride for their respective nations.The british ,as you know are a conglomerate of tramps,thieves and religious zealots from these nations that formed their own little corrupt empire by pillaging,raping and stealing from other free nations including Ireland and Scotland.This is the british that I refer to and we all know of, here in Ireland. And you are wrong about the constitutional change to Ulster too, three of the Ulster counties are free from the pillagers, the future of the other six will be determined by the people of the thirty two counties of Ireland and not by the English,Welsh or Scottish people.I think Fallser lad, your views are back in 1690.slan leat

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puffin | Jan 28, 2013, 05:34 PM EST

I dont know if i will visit this site again not very gooood

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FallsRNat | Jan 28, 2013, 04:48 PM EST

warrenpoint - by the brits, i assume you mean the scottish prods, because the English & Welsh don't give 2 hoots about perceived Irish victimhood, the only thing they agree on is that there will be no constitutional change to Ulster until the 6 counties say so. Your views are more in common with the 2nd, 3rd, 4th generation irish americans on this board

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puffin | Jan 28, 2013, 04:10 PM EST

warren you choose your opponents well,I am Irish and Unionist and I will not fall into the raciest trap that you have set,Dolores I surely entitled for her say even it is from the grave,I could quote that other nutter pierce they have left us our fenion dead

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warrenpoint00 | Jan 28, 2013, 03:48 PM EST

You are foaming at the mouth with accusations Gordon duggan, just like the british you perceive all Irish people to be guilty until proven innocent.That must be how democracy works in your Irish free state then,Mr Duggan?.I am glad the people of Ireland do not share your views. One could be forgiven for acquainting you with the bold Anglo-norman, tory tory or Dan O longshanks, they do change their posting names frequently, you know.it has something to do with "no balls" I guess.Typical british.

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Gordan Duggan | Jan 28, 2013, 02:27 PM EST

you won't find any people in the Irish Republic crying because of the death of PRICE(thank God she was buried in Northern Ireland) or because of ADAMS. Both were/are a blot on the name of Ireland and as for the Boston tapes. release them and let's get it over with. The death of another Irish policeman and what really happened to poor Jean McConville is far more important. Adams is afraid to go to court. He knows the Irish Security Forces and Government have a lot of evidence on him so he won't chance it.! Those who support this creature will one day have red faces!

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Gordan Duggan | Jan 28, 2013, 02:15 PM EST

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Gordan Duggan | Jan 28, 2013, 02:12 PM EST

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Gordan Duggan | Jan 28, 2013, 02:11 PM EST

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Gordan Duggan | Jan 28, 2013, 02:10 PM EST

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