The photograph above, which appeared in The Irish News on Tuesday morning (May 7th), purports to show ‘independent veteran former IRA members’ firing a volley of shots in honour of former Belfast IRA member, Peter Rooney who died last week of cancer.
His funeral was, The Irish News reported, one of the largest seen in Belfast in years and in attendance were former IRA Adjutant-General Gerry Kelly, former IRA Northern Commander, Sean ‘Spike’ Murray and former Intelligence chief and personal fixer for Gerry Adams, Bobby Storey.
The presence of these gentlemen suggests the funeral arrangements had the blessing, as it were, of the Provo leadership and that raises questions about the true ownership and origin of the weapons used to fire a volley in Rooney’s memory.
Where did these weapons come from? Is it really credible that ‘independent veteran former’ Provos would have access to such weaponry, or that if such a group exists, which is doubtful, they would do such a thing, or own arms dumps, without the say-so and approval of the Provos?
Isn’t it much more likely that the pistols used in the salute came from a dump whose contents somehow managed to escape the decommissioning process which, we were all told, had removed IRA weaponry in total and for good? And isn’t it much more likely that what happened was a deniable piece of chicanery on the part of the Provo leadership?
Or is it just a huge coincidence that this show of force happened just as fresh talks were being convened between Sinn Fein and the DUP in a bid to restore the Stormont Assembly?
I wonder what Mary Lou makes of all this?
The Broken Elbow 
Interesting take, although I thought that D-Company (who you mention in VFTG) would have at least held onto a few weapons rather than hand them over (considering the history of St Comgalls, Bombay Street etc)?
I don’t think the dead man was in D Coy…..family were from upper andytown direction
Nope, he was from St James’s, Rodney actually.
Thanks for the correction, which others have pointed out as well….
Wasn’t it reported that the fourth member of the Gibraltar was a woman? This same woman was part of the group of SF members during their first visits to Downing St.
It will be interesting to see how Mary Lou explains this one.
Siobhan O’Hanlon, Gerry Adams’ former secretary, sister of Eilis, hardline anti-Provo Sunday Independent columnist….
A nasty little piece.Snidey posing as sophisticated is not becoming.
you cant beats scum at any thought or act, adams now saying he was never ira man…
nothing new there
Hi Ed,
Great to see Gerry [I-was-never-in-the-IRA] Adams giving you such positive reviews and character references in Belfast today [9th May 2019] under cross-examination.
What could he possibly have been doing at an IRA training camp in Ballinamore, Co Leitrim in November 1969 apart from picking a late crop of wild mushrooms to make a tasty French mushroom fricassée for his family back in Ballymurphy? Pity the car crashed….did the mushrooms survive?.
Given his culinary talents, perhaps Brig. Gen. Adams can make a nice Yorkshire dish with the peas process…..after he concludes his evidence.
I wonder just who Gerry thinks he is fooling when he spouts this nonsense? It’s got to the stage of the plain ridiculous. How those do those lawyers manage to keep a straight face when he answers questions about IRA membership? And under oath too I presume.
Next he will be swearing he has never had a beard.
perhaps these so called veterans were so senior , they needed no ones blessing but their own. perhaps they dictated to storey and co who would be burying Peter and perhaps todays leadership know who they can dictate to, and who they cant dictate to.
….and perhaps the moon is made out of cheese.
…and perhaps youre not as well informed as you think you are, my learned friend .