Comments on The Pensive Quill: Marian Price Free At Last

There are numerous people who have not been mentio...

2013-06-05T12:56:19.788+01:00

There are numerous people who have not been mentioned , Marty and his good lady , but I would have thought Pauline's name would have been at the top of the list. Sandy has made some good points, of which I'm sure everyone knows that the British are on a witch hunt to arrest and intern as many republicans it can, It's not bothered about any signed agreements with reference to the GFA because it has SF were it and the unionist wanted them to be, under a union flag accepting British policing, they are now becoming the old RUC.

While I would not be critical of Sandy given his n...

2013-06-05T08:44:14.530+01:00

While I would not be critical of Sandy given his no-nonsense and can-do approach to matters coupled with a history of tapping into veins of support there is no doubt in my mind that Pauline Mellon played a huge campaigning role which we must not overlook. Nothing is as certain as this: more injustices are on the way and people like Pauline will be crucial to tackling them.

Whilst I appreciate there was a broad spectrum of ...

2013-06-04T23:42:07.814+01:00

Whilst I appreciate there was a broad spectrum of people who gave support I'm curious as to why Sandy completely neglected the contribution of Pauline among other key people, it's not as if he's not aware of their work.

I know that Pauline's not one to float her own boat, but credit where it is deserved. There was barely an event across country that she did not contribute to or organise from start to finish. That's not even taking into consideration her contribution to the international events.

To even begin to consider the level of contribution one only has to look at the website www.freemarian.co.nr, the site ended up with not shy of twenty five thousand hits and put Marian's plight firmly on the world stage. That doesn't even scratch the surface of the work that went on behind the scenes.

The banners, posters, leaflets etc all produced and distributed by Pauline, locally, nationally and indeed internationally aided groups in many different locations in their efforts. Pauline did all this with the support of a small team of Derry based individuals who funded this out of their own pockets.

Others who were not mentioned in the article are Derry based SDLP MLA Pat Ramsey and his assistant Emmet Doyle. Ramsey who only got involved as he put it because Pauline 'badgered him to step in.' something he clearly states in the video of the first public meeting for Marian held in Derry. Monsignor Raymond Murray is another who deserves recognition for his sterling work.

There are many 'unsung' who contributed to the campaign to free Marian, and there are others who are quite content to shout about what they did, but they do say that those who shout the loudest have done the least. In the case of Pauline, Rev Murray, Pat & Emmet to dismiss their contribution intentionally or otherwise is something that I personally felt the need to address, and I'm sure upon reflection Sandy will respect this.

At the public meeting in Derry Monsignor Raymond Murray stated that the British care about their international reputation, a sentiment echoed in a document Pauline received as part of a Freedom of information request from the NIO, this stated that the negative publicity after the meeting in Derry would 'reflect poorly on their office'.

There are other POW's and internees and we must ensure that as individuals or as members of groups that the injustices being meted out against them are not brushed under the carpet by the state and it's partners in the media. And this should be taken as Pauline has done with the campaign to free Marian, to the world stage.

Feargal

I have to agree with the previous post. There wer...

2013-06-04T23:12:26.740+01:00

I have to agree with the previous post. There were many Jonny-come-lately's to this issue, though I accept some members of those groups were involved individually prior to the establishment of those groups. Pauline was always consistent and created the campaign in Derry and assisted in creating it elsewhere, there is no getting away from that, groups claiming they were at 'the forefront' are playing catchup, plain and simple. The outcome of this is that Marian is home, but the campaign in getting her there, from my perspective, was born in the mind of Pauline Mellon.

I would second that Fenian a cara.

2013-06-04T22:43:25.292+01:00

I would second that Fenian a cara.

I think Pauline Mellon deserves credit and public ...

2013-06-04T21:48:07.233+01:00

I think Pauline Mellon deserves credit and public acknowledgement for her contribution throughout Marian's INTERNMENT!