Conspiracy theory fuelling SF’s need for ‘revolution’
Sinn Féin’s response to the Mother and Babies Homes report was typical of a wider bid to foment mistrust, writes
IN declining to answer questions on the findings of its report after five years of investigation, the Mother and Baby Homes Commission has presented the Government with a problem not of its own making.
That problem is feeding a wider narrative that nothing short of “revolution” will be needed to rid the country of a Fianna Fáil-Fine Gael hegemony which has dominated the State since foundation.
The latest development, that the commission destroyed recorded evidence of survivor testimony — for privacy reasons and legal requirements related to data protection (according to the commission) — has given rise to a conspiracy theory of a kind which is fuelling the “revolution”.
The conspiracy — basically — is that the commission connived with Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, and the Catholic Church, to protect Church and State by laying most blame for the treatment of single mothers and babies on the survivors’ families, absent fathers and society at large.
You do not have to look hard to find evidence of the conspiracy: where else, but online?
And it is through this medium that such conspiracies are thriving and history rewritten.
The largely self-taught English mathematician, George Boole, the first professor of mathematics at Queen’s College in Cork, is credited with laying the foundations for the information age.
We discover this in a brilliant new Adam Curtis documentary Can’t Get You Out of My Head: An Emotional History of the Modern World, which, among grander ambitions, examines the origins of conspiracy theory, and the role of the internet, to the point that many cannot now differentiate fact from fiction.
On February 18, 1996, I was a young news reporter with the Irish Independent when word came through that an explosion had occurred in Aldwych, in the West End of central London. Immediately suspicion fell on the Provisional IRA, between ceasefires, before the signing of the Good Friday Agreement.
Several telephone calls later, I went to the home address of a man called Brendan Woolhead in Finglas, Dublin. As it turned out, Mr Woolhead, an Irish man, was an entirely innocent victim of the IRA bomb, but in the immediate aftermath his involvement was not unreasonably suspected.
Gardaí got to the same address shortly beforehand. When we arrived we witnessed officers carrying away rubbish bins to search for evidence against the unfortunate Mr Woolhead. Our photographs were published widely, including in UK media, and were enough for many there and here to make a wrong assumption and defame Mr Woolhead, who was subsequently to receive substantial damages for the published implication that he was an IRA bomber.
The actual IRA bomber was one Ed O’Brien, a 21-year-old from
Gorey in Wexford: an improvised explosive device he was carrying detonated prematurely on the bus in Aldwych, killing him instantly and injuring eight others, including Mr Woolhead and the driver, who was left permanently deaf from the explosion.
Last week Sinn Féin intended to commemorate online the death of Ed O’Brien.
The commemoration was promoted by elected Sinn Féin politicians, school teachers in Wexford, one of whom would have been in primary school himself at the time Brendan Woolhead suffered horrendous injuries.
But it was cancelled when objection was raised by, among others, Leo Varadkar.
The cancellation was announced on Facebook by a Sinn Féin councillor: “The Edward O’Brien online commemoration, which was organised by Ed’s father Miley and supported by Sinn Féin, has been cancelled at the request of family, due to significant online abuse targeting the family.”
In 1996 the O’Brien family issued a statement through their solicitor unreservedly condemning all paramilitary organisations, stating that the family had no involvement of any description with any paramilitary grouping and asking that the IRA stay away from his funeral.
The request was ignored: representatives of Sinn Féin headquarters in Belfast and notable IRA members attended, as did Sinn Féin members from Derry, Dublin and the wider Wexford area.
What was interesting in the cancellation announcement was reference to “significant online abuse”, said to be targeting the O’Brien family.
Sinn Féin ‘friends’ are past masters as dishing out online abuse to Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael figures, most notably leaders Micheál Martin and Leo Varadkar.
Varadkar has recently complained at homophobic abuse he has received on the official ‘Friends of Sinn Féin’ Facebook account, which continued up to last week with the posting of a mocked-up image of the Tánaiste in a pink wig.
Such abuse on this and related websites is often posted alongside attempts to create a broader narrative that “revolution” is needed to overthrow Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael.
Last weekend Micheál Martin called on Sinn Féin to apologise for acts of terrorism such as, though not referred to, that perpetrated by Ed O’Brien in London in 1996.
In response, Sinn Féin TD Pádraig Mac Lochlainn posted a tweet, shared on Sinn Féin-related Facebook accounts, which referred to Martin’s “determination to block the progressive government
‘An online “friend” of Sinn Féin said Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had literally placed children’s bodies in the Tuam septic tank’
for change that our people voted for” in the election last year; and suggested that the Taoiseach would “never learn” in relation to his determination to hold Sinn Féin to account for the unapologetic actions of the IRA.
The fact remains, Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael allowed Sinn Féin every opportunity to form a “progressive” government with like-minded parties after the election, but it was unable (or unwilling) to do so. Indeed, a case could be made that while Sinn Féin polled well relative to other elections, they still fell short of a mandate for radical “change”.
In reply to Mac Lochlainn’s tweet, however, was an online repost that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael had quite literally placed the bodies of children in the septic tank of a Mother and Baby home in Tuam.
This is part of a wider Sinn Féin view, expressed by ‘friends’ online, that the Mother and Baby Homes Commission effected a cover-up and that its report is part of a wider conspiracy to protect Church and State led by Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael in the last century.
To counter this view, there is recognition within Government that the commission should make itself available to answer questions on the substance and findings of its final report.
As for the revolution: History is littered with inglorious failures.
That said, the Adam Curtis documentary opens with a quote from David Graeber of the Occupy Movement: “The ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something we make, and could just as easily make differently.”
With that in mind, Sinn Féin would be better served to concentrate on policy, instead of fierce online abuse, half-cracked conspiracies and the shameless rewriting of the IRA’s unapologetic history.
÷ THE CHEF
Chad Byrne, executive chef at Killarney’s Brehon Hotel, has mentored young chefs with an exuberance that has impressed everyone in the industry. Never one to sit on his hands, he is now converting a horsebox into a mobile kitchen.
“The Monday before lockdown, I was hosting the Kerry v Cork semi-final of the County Cooking Championships in front of 100 people at The Brehon Hotel. Kerry won, and great fun and food was had. Little did I know it’d be my final week working fully until just before Christmas.”
During this down time, Chad says it was great to work with Meals on Wheels in Kerry, with Paddy Kevane and Junior Locke doing an amazing job running it for St Vincent de Paul. He also set up ChefvChef, an Instagram account that ran for weeks, pitting chefs against one another and highlighting artisan Irish produce.
He’s had a longstanding relationship with Ability@Work Cork, a dedicated supported employment service for young people with intellectual disabilities, inviting students to help at the Chef Collab (which pairs apprentice chefs with established chefs as mentors) and CCC events, and including their families for a good night out. So he started an Insta online class, @abilitytocookireland, cooking along each week with a different student from the programme. He still continues this every Monday.
“This has been a great source of fun and, quite frankly, good for the soul, too.”
Chad is also now converting a horsebox into a mobile kitchen to do great casual food. However, with funds diminishing faster than envisaged, he nervously crowdfunded the project.
“I did a video offering Zoom classes, gift vouchers, putting people’s names on menus, anything to raise the capital. It smashed its target in less than 12 hours. Now the Hungry Donkey is alive and will be ready by spring. I can’t wait to cook some seriously scrummy bangers.” Twitter/Instagram: @chadpbyrne
÷ THE FRENCH CONNECTION
Armelle Siomboing and her husband, Kenny Rorie, have since 2010 been running their popular Armelle’s Kitchen in Kilcullen, Co Kildare, which grew from a micro-business selling cakes from their home to a larger premises in 2017.
“Our business was completely based on sweet treats — French pastries, macarons and cakes for weddings and special occasions. We had a very healthy business,” says Kenny.
With the first lockdown, they lost 75pc of their turnover overnight.
“We had a business to save and knew we had to change what we were offering. Our sweet treats wouldn’t be enough to keep the business going.”
They started doing quiches and savoury crepes (ficelles picarde), a specialty from Armelle’s home area of Picardy in the north of France. These quickly became popular, so they added more dishes. Their new service turned out to be a great help to local people who were isolating.
“The savoury side has kept on building, and the support has been unbelievable. It hasn’t been easy because it’s only the two of us working long hours, but it was our busiest Christmas yet, and having to fight for our business is what has kept us going.
“We obviously can’t wait to see our families once we’re allowed, but we started 2021 with a lot of hope, we’ve saved our business and have the peace of mind to know that we will continue doing meals and pastries for many years to come.” www.armelleskitchen.com
÷ THE RESTAURANT
Johnnie and Maria Begley’s delightful Connemara Greenway Cafe, located in Oughterard village between Galway and Clifden, is a beloved stop-off for people heading
West and for locals who know where the good food is.
They told me how Covid has affected them.
“Little did we think, when we were honoured to win Best Cafe in Ireland at the Irish Restaurant Awards 2019, that only one year later we would be looking for a way to reopen safely,” says Johnnie.
“Normally our dining room is buzzing every evening with people eating, drinking and enjoying good company and chat. In order to reopen at the end of July we took out half our seats and tables downstairs, but expanded into another floor to allow comfortable safe dining.”
In early October, with restrictions in effect, they began offering a full takeaway lunch and dinner menu and found great local support.
“We normally close in January and February. But we have been busy planning for our reopening in the near-future and looking at new ideas and opportunities. We’ve had time to plant our own seeds for salad leaves, tomatoes, kale, and even Padron peppers.
“The provenance of our produce is extremely important to us. We are truly blessed to have wonderful producers here in our beautiful village where fresh fish, meat and cheeses are all available daily. This has made it a little easier when it comes to these unpredictable times.
“We must remain positive. Things will get better. We miss the visitors but we’re delighted to have such wonderful loyal customers and staff. Roll on the good times once more — fingers crossed!” facebook.com/connemaragreenway
÷ THE HOTEL
Tricia and Marty Kelly, of the fabulous Mulroy Woods Hotel, on the Wild Atlantic Way at Milford on Donegal’s Fanad Peninsula, haven’t wasted their down time and look forward to relaunching their four-star hotel.
“We were one of the first hotels in Donegal to make the difficult decision to close in the first wave in March 2020. We decided to hibernate until it was once again safe to reopen, and still remain closed due to the evolving circumstances,” says Tricia.
They had invested heavily in the refurbishment of their banqueting suite, which launched in 2020, and were expecting a bumper year. However, with restrictions in place they were unable to offer couples the ‘dream days’ that they’re known for.
“People were afraid and cautious, not willing to travel, and rightly so. Given our rural location, not being convenient for the essential worker, plus no international travellers, it just didn’t make sense to open. We’ve renovated and upgraded the hotel bedrooms and public areas and, working closely with Fáilte Ireland, we were awarded four-star status in December, which we are proud to have achieved.
“Now our focus is on reawakening Mulroy Woods as a four-star property with our trusted team on board and our local suppliers back with us, plus new offerings and food menus to excite our guests.
“It has been a very tough year for us all. However, it has afforded us the opportunity to reflect and repurpose our goals, to regroup and train, with the dream of coming back stronger together.
“We look forward to sharing that dream with our guests very soon and delivering on a warm Donegal welcome and exceptional service.”