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Irish Post
8 hours ago
- General
- Irish Post
Priest tells Maguiresbridge service that murders are 'more than any heart should bear'
MOURNERS at a church service for a mother and her two children who were murdered in Co. Fermanagh last week have been told that the deaths are 'more than any heart should bear'. Fr Raymond Donnelly was speaking at a removal service at St Mary's Church in Maguiresbridge for 45-year-old Vanessa Whyte and her children James Rutledge, 14, and Sara Rutledge, 13. All three died after being shot at their home in the town a week ago. 'Questions too deep for words' Crowds lined the streets as the coffins of the three family members were brought to the church, with friends of the children forming guards of honour, dressed in school uniforms and club colours. Addressing those gathered, Fr Donnelly said: "Today in a church filled with grief, there is a heaviness in the air, a silence within our hearts that speaks volumes. "The tragedy we have endured has shaken this community and country to its core. "We are left shocked, grieving, heartbroken, searching for meaning, grappling with questions too deep for words. "The loss of Vanessa and her two beautiful children, James and Sara — lives taken in such an unspeakable way — is more than any heart should bear. "A woman full of kindness and warmth, a friend to so many, and her children so young, so vibrant, so full of promise. "Their laughter rang through school corridors, through playing fields, especially on the GAA pitch where they thrived with passion and joy — that zest for life, their infectious energy, their open smiles. "Words fail us and when words fail, we turn to the word of God." Support Fr Donnelly added: "We wish we could understand why this has happened. These are the mysteries that shake our faith. "Yet the Christian faith, our faith, does not pretend that pain doesn't exist — it meets us in our sorrow and walks with us through it." The priest offered his support and prayers to the family of Ms Whyte, James and Sara. He also encouraged friends of the children to speak to someone about their feelings since the tragedy. "Grief is not something we carry alone, it's a journey we make together," he said. Ian Ellis, Church of Ireland Bishop of Clogher, led a candle-lighting ceremony while hymns were sung. Payers of the Faithful were then offered by members of the family and community, including representatives from Lisbellaw FC, St Patrick's Lisbellaw Hurling Club, Maguiresbridge St Mary's GFC and Maguiresbridge Primary School. Following the service, the three family members were taken to Ms Whyte's native Barefield, Co. Clare, where they will be laid to rest on Saturday. Investigation Police were alerted to a shooting incident at the family home in Drummeer Road last Wednesday morning. Two people were found dead at the scene and two were taken to hospital, one of whom passed away later that day. The three deceased were subsequently named as Ms Whyte and her two children. At the time, investigators said that a suspected triple murder and attempted suicide was one line of enquiry, although they did not anticipate making any arrests. On Monday, police confirmed that the fourth person, identified as 43-year-old Ian Rutledge, had also passed away. Police have continued to appeal for information and particularly want to hear from anyone who saw a silver Mercedes saloon car being driven in the Clones Road area of Newtownbutler, or between Maguiresbridge and Newtownbutler, the night before the murders. See More: Clare, Fermanagh, Maguiresbridge
Irish Post
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Irish Post
Roger Casement — honouring a champion for Ireland
The Roger Casement Commemoration and Re-interment Association are holding their annual wreath-laying ceremony outside Pentonville Prison, on Caledonian Road, London this Sunday, August 3 at 1.30pm Tributes will be paid by a number of speakers from across Britain and Ireland, and there will also be lament played on the uillean pipes in honour of the great patriot. Of the 16 men executed in 1916, Roger Casement was the only one executed outside Ireland, and the only one known to have made a request concerning his final resting place. 'Don't let my body lie here – get me back to the green hill by Murlough – by the McCarry's house – looking down on the Moyle. That's where I'd like to be now – and that's where I'd like to lie,' he said. Casement was referring to Murlough Bay in County Antrim. It has been said that Éamon de Valera never met a British government minister without requesting the return of Casement's remains. Eventually, in 1965, the Labour Government under Harold Wilson agreed to the repatriation of his body. Casement's remains were returned and given a state funeral in Dublin. He was reinterred in Glasnevin Cemetery, despite his stated wish to be buried in County Antrim. The decision was made to avoid provoking unionist tensions. Portrait of Roger Casement, Artist: Sarah Henrietta Purser, 1848-1943. Image in public domain Career, knighthood, and the struggle for Irish freedom Sir Roger Casement, born in Dublin in 1864, was a British diplomat and Irish nationalist executed for treason in 1916 following the Easter Rising. His father was from Belfast with Antrim roots; his mother, Anne Jephson, came from a Church of Ireland family based in Dublin, with some genealogical ties to Mallow, Co. Cork. She died when Roger was nine, after which the family relocated to County Antrim to be near relatives. He attended the Diocesan School in Ballymena, later incorporated into Ballymena Academy. Casement joined the Gaelic League in 1904 and was impressed by the newly formed Sinn Féin party in 1905, founded by Arthur Griffith, which advocated for Irish independence. He worked for the British Foreign Office, earning renown for his humanitarian investigations into atrocities in the Congo Free State and Peru. In recognition, he was knighted in 1911. Disillusioned by colonial abuses, Casement became increasingly opposed to imperialism and aligned with Irish republicanism. Trial and execution During World War I, Casement travelled to Germany to seek arms and support for a rising in Ireland. In April 1916, he was landed by German U-boat at Banna Strand, County Kerry, but was captured shortly after and imprisoned in the Tower of London. He was stripped of his knighthood and tried for treason under the Treason Act 1351. The prosecution faced challenges because the alleged acts occurred outside British territory. However, the court interpreted the unpunctuated original Norman French version of the Act in such a way—by inserting a comma—that allowed for a conviction. Casement later wrote that he was to be 'hanged on a comma.' To sway public opinion, the British government circulated extracts from what became known as the Black Diaries, which allegedly contained explicit accounts of homosexual activity. Their authenticity remains disputed. Some believe they were forgeries intended to discredit him. The diaries are held in the UK National Archives, while other trial exhibits are housed in the Crime Museum of the Metropolitan Police. Aftermath Casement's appeals were unsuccessful. Calls for clemency came from figures including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, W. B. Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw. His knighthood was officially revoked on 29 June 1916. He was hanged on 3 August 1916 at Pentonville Prison, aged 51. He was attended by two Catholic priests, Dean Timothy Ring and Father James Carey, of SS Mary and Michael Church, Commercial Road, East London. Casement was the last of the 1916 Rising leaders to be executed. In Riedau, Bavaria, a plaque honours Casement: 'Here resided in Summer 1915, Sir Roger Casement, a martyr for Ireland's freedom, a high-minded friend of Germany in difficult times. He sealed the love of country with his blood.' Pentonville Prison, Caledonian Road, London Sunday, August 3 Assemble at junction of Caledonian Road and Blundell Street at 1 pm See More: Easter Rising, Roger Casement
Irish Independent
3 days ago
- Irish Independent
An ecumencial first on Croagh Patrick for Reek Sunday
People travelled from all over the island to partake in the centuries-old pilgrimage, which took place at Croagh Patrick over the entire weekend. This year's pilgrimage was again blessed by favourable weather conditions, with the surface mostly dry except for some occasional mist near the summit. Mass outside the chapel on the summit took place hourly between 8am and 2pm. Over 3,000 loaves of Holy Communion were distributed on the day. At 10.30am, a Church of Ireland priest led an ecumenical service for the first time in the history of the pilgrimage - which dates back to pagan times before St Patrick's arrival to Mayo in the fifth century. Francis Duffy, Archbishop of Tuam and Killala, was among those present for this year's pilgrimage, which took place as part of the Jubilee Year conceived by the late Pope Francis. The theme for this year's Jubilee was 'Pilgrims of Hope'. Fr John Kenny, Parish Priest of Westport, said this year's reek Sunday pilgrimage was 'unique occasion' as it coincided with both Jubilee Year and World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. This year, those who do the Reek Sunday, Lough Derg and Knock pilgrimages can receive a passport stamp and a memento to signify their completion of three pilgrimages. 'We're following in the footsteps of centuries of people coming up here today,' Fr Kenny told the Irish Independent. 'Since the time of Patrick - and even Patrick was following in the steps of Pagan worshippers - he made this a place of Christian worship. 'People came here to worship the sun and the sky which is shining in and out between the clouds at the moment, harvest time, spring time, planting time. He [St Patrick] came here for 40 days, 40 nights, and he Christianised the mountain, so to speak, making it a place of Christian worship, baptising local people in Aughagower after he came down from the mountain, and ever since his visit it has been a place we honour as Ireland's holy mountain.' ADVERTISEMENT Glen Duff travelled from Termonfeckin in County Louth to the place where he got engaged to his wife, Deborah in 2005. 'I got engaged just exactly where the altar is set up,' the father-of-four told the Irish Independent. Mr Duff, who climbed the mountain in his bare feet, said he found the ascent 'tough enough'. 'I'm not looking forward to going down because I did it before and going down is hard,' he said. A number of people carried Palestinian flags up the mountain while Lety Sanchez and Xiomara Cullen brought a Cuban flag. 'We came to tell the world that we are from Cuba,' explained Ms Sanchez who has been living in Sligo for a number of years. 'We are for Cuba independence, free of communism. Cuba is a communist country, it's a dictatorship and we all have to emigrate looking for a better life. 'We want Cuba to have independence, a better economy, freedom, to have so many things.' Ms Cullen told the Irish Independent: We're Catholics. Apart from asking for the freedom of Cuba. I am asking to get back to Cuba to see my family. We are here to ask for health for our family, for our friends, for everybody." Charlie Brady from Longford, a member of the Legion of Mary, was among those who distributed Miraculous Medals to hundreds of pilgrims at the bottom of Croagh Patrick. 'We need to get back to prayer again and Mass. A whole lot of people stopped going to Mass, we want to get them back on the rosary,' Mr Brady said. Andrew Canavan, a member of Grace Baptist Church in Galway city, distributed leaflets and copies of the New Testament to pilgrims passing the statue of St Patrick at the bottom of the mountain. 'Certainly, we see an acknowledgement of the Lord by people who are climbing this mountain for spiritual reasons,' Mr Canavan told the Irish Independent. 'So what I'm trying to talk to people about is that they can know for sure that they are going to heaven, that is because Christ fully paid for our sin. He paid, in full, my sin debt. So I am forgiven on the basis of his substitutionary debt for me. So, if I can have conversations and encourage people to believe it, it's been great. 'This is my first year,' he added. People have been very friendly, people seem dedicated, it's been great. The weather has been lovely.'
Metro
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Metro
'Racist' bonfire with migrant dummies on a boat set on fire
A bonfire with a display of refugees in a boat was lit and is being treated as a hate incident. The model which shows a small boat with several figures inside has received widespread condemnation after it was set alight in Moygashel, Northern Ireland, last night. Under the boat, a sign said 'stop the boats', while another placard said: 'veterans before refugees'. Among those to hit out at it was Church of Ireland Archbishop John McDowell who said it was 'racist, threatening and offensive.' He added: 'It certainly has nothing whatsoever to do with Christianity or with Protestant culture and is in fact inhuman and deeply sub-Christian. 'I hope that the many people from other countries, who live in that area, and who contribute so much to the economy and to the diversity of Dungannon, can be reassured that it does not in any way represent the feeling of the vast majority of their neighbours.' Other critics include Sinn Fein's Assembly member Colm Gildernew who branded it 'vile' and 'deplorable'. A number of reports to police were made about the bonfire and the material on it and they are investigating it as a hate incident. The PSNI statement added: 'Police are here to help those who are or who feel vulnerable, to keep people safe. 'We do this by working with local communities, partners, elected representatives and other stakeholders to deliver local solutions to local problems, building confidence in policing and supporting a safe environment for people to live, work, visit and invest in Northern Ireland, but we can only do so within the legislative framework that exists.' Moygashel Bonfire Committee said the bonfire 'topper' should not be seen as 'racist, threatening or offensive' and it is 'expressing our disgust at the ongoing crisis that is illegal immigration'. More Trending Bonfires like these are lit annually each year in some unionist areas across Northern Ireland in July to usher in the Twelfth of July, the main date in the parading season. The majority are lit on the eleventh night and the twelfth night commemorates the Battle of the Boyne in 1690 when the Protestant King William III defeated Catholic King James II. The Moygashel bonfire has been known for its controversial displays in the past. A mock police car was burnt on top of the bonfire last year and in 2023, a boat designed to represent the post-Brexit Irish Sea economic border was torched. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Woman charged with murder after man dies in house fire MORE: 'Beautiful and much-loved' mum and daughter, 6, killed in car crash named MORE: Rail ticket gives unlimited travel in 24 countries from £34 — but you need to be quick
The Journal
11-07-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
PSNI investigating 'hate incident' as bonfire with refugee effigy and Irish tricolour set alight
A LOYALIST BONFIRE in Northern Ireland that was controversially topped with an effigy of refugees in a boat was set alight last night. The Police Service of Northern Ireland said earlier yesterday that they were investigating a hate incident in reference to the pyre in Moygashel on the outskirts of Dungannon in Co Tyrone. An Irish tricolour flag was also placed on the bonfire, which is among about 300 which will be burned across last night and tonight in the region, ahead of the Orange Order's annual 12 July parades. The display on top of the bonfire in Moygashel was criticised by political representatives across the spectrum in Northern Ireland. Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland John McDowell described it as 'racist, threatening and offensive'. Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty International's Northern Ireland director, described the bonfire as a 'vile, dehumanising act that fuels hatred and racism'. The bonfire structure before it was lit Alamy Alamy The boat containing more than a dozen life-sized mannequins wearing life jackets was unveiled on top of the bonfire. Advertisement Below the boat are several placards, one saying 'stop the boats' and another 'veterans before refugees'. The Moygashel bonfire has become well known in recent years for contentious displays. Last year, a mock police car was burnt on the top of the bonfire and in 2023 a boat designed to represent the post-Brexit Irish Sea economic border was torched. Prominent loyalist activist Jamie Bryson said it was a form of 'artistic protest'. 'Every year Moygashel bonfire combines artistic protest with their cultural celebration,' he posted on X. 'Their yearly art has itself become a tradition. This year the focus is on the scandal of mass illegal immigration.' Earlier on Thursday police said they had received a number of reports regarding the bonfire in Moygashel and the material on it. 'Police are investigating this hate incident. Police are here to help those who are or who feel vulnerable, to keep people safe,' they said. 'We do this by working with local communities, partners, elected representatives and other stakeholders to deliver local solutions to local problems, building confidence in policing and supporting a safe environment for people to live, work, visit and invest in Northern Ireland, but we can only do so within the legislative framework that exists.'
