Judge Orders Release Of IRA Oral History Projects

By Dan Mauzy
Dec 29, 2011, 3:40 PM
4 Comments

A man walks past a wall daubed with Provisional IRA graffiti in the Unity Flats area of Belfast Tuesday Feb 13 1996. (AP)

A federal judge has ordered Boston College to turn over recorded interviews and transcripts of a former member of the IRA that were compiled by oral historians. At stake are promises of confidentiality, a criminal investigation overseas, and academic freedom.

The interviews were conducted as part of a Boston College oral history project called the Belfast Project, and many of the participants had been involved in some of the most violent episodes of what’s known as the Troubles in Northern Ireland. In exchange for their candor, BC promised them their interviews would remain sealed until their deaths.

But law enforcement officials in Northern Ireland have subpoenaed the materials as part of an investigation into a murder committed decades ago. On Wednesday, Federal Judge William Young ordered Boston College to comply.

Guests:

Ed Moloney, former director, the Belfast Project; author, “Voices from the Grave: Two Men’s War in Ireland”
Jack Dunn, director of news and public affairs, Boston College

Other stories from this show:

Edagro12

Well,. it does seem like a bit of legal cowardice on BC’s part. Sectors of the US & Irish governments seem to regard privacy/openness, let alone the sanctity of agreements freely entered into, as purely Machiavellian concerns for the cementing of their own power or partisan advantage. On the one hand they scream about wikileaks, on the other they leak or give away what can well risk lives and a fragile peace. It’s up to citizens and academia to counterbalance this, regardless of risk. Where has our backbone gone?
Rob Shaun

As an Irish-American and a Roman Catholic I’m very disappointed in Boston College and its failure to file an appeal in this matter. (The Judge actually told BC to appeal). Mr. Moloney’s comments were impressive and quite correct while Mr. Dunn seemed snide while making his.

Here’s a good site that provides all pertinent info on this matter http://chrisbrayblog.blogspot.com/2011/12/boston-college-time-for-resignations.html

Hopefully Mr. Moloney will be successful in his appeal. These records must be protected!
Chris Fogarty

Let get this straight: No prosecutorial interest in the interview of David Irvine whose Ulster Volunteer Force, led by MI5, Army Intel, and the FRU, murdered close to 1,000 noncombatant Catholics? Who can forget their Cromwellesque grafitti; ANY TAIG WILL DO, or ATWD? No British interest in these genocidal murders? Interest only in a single murder; that of Jean McConville?

This is Britain’s mop-up following its victorious acquisition of what had been contested territory, Ireland’s Six Counties; a British victory mostly due to the sell-out by Adams/McGuinness. And the US Justice Dept. and Boston College are playing its part for Britain in the mop-up.

Rob Shaun

Very true.

There are hundreds of cases that can be cited. Here’s another:

The UVF has admitted it targeted East Tyrone as it was a Republican stronghold that would be opposed to the Good Friday Agreement. Bernadette Devlin-McAliskey put it this way: “The UVF were enlisted to persuade people into the peace process by making the price of staying out of it too high.”

David Ervine said “One card the Loyalists knew they had was the capacity to inflict violence. The idea was to escalate the war to end the war.”

The Irish were literally intimidated into the GFA.

Boston College will be inflicting “more” on the Irish due to their foolish refusal to file an appeal.

Ed Moloney said “In other words the basis of the subpoenas was bogus and was the result
of an atrocious piece of dishonesty by two journalists in Belfast.”

Read: http://thebrokenelbow.com/2011/12/18/ciaran-barnes-the-boston-college-blackguard-outed-as-internet-troll/

Listen to the interview. Mr. Dunn was not responsive to a pertinent question. He choose instead to use the air time to make a snarky remark about Mr. Moloney’s appeal.

Boston College let down all the Irish when it decided not to appeal.

And endangered many, many Irish in the offing.

Boston College should hang their heads in shame!

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Judge Orders Release Of IRA Oral History Projects