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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/kurt-cobains-roots-traced-to-co-tyrone-14737909.html

Nirvana legend Kurt Cobain's roots traced to Co Tyrone

Wednesday, 24 March 2010



Kurt Cobain


The rolling hills of Tyrone may not scream rock legend to the average person but one family's journey into their ancestry has uncovered a little piece of musical history.


The roots of Kurt Cobain, lead singer of cult band Nirvana, have been traced back to the small village of Inishatieve near Pomeroy in the Red Hand county.

Fionnola O'Reilly was moved to delve into her family tree after an American relative hinted that there may be a connection to the famous rock singer dating back to the 1800s.

After nearly six years of ploughing through family records Fionnola and her sister Maeve Erwin confirmed that their long-lost cousin was indeed the legendary Nirvana frontman.

They discovered that Kurt's ancestors Samuel and Letitia, whose surname was originally spelt Cobane, left their humble farm five generations ago bound for Canada before settling and working as shoemakers in the state of Washington in the US.

The wild and mountainous terrain of the village of Inishatieve is a world away from the mean streets of Aberdeen in Washington where Kurt, who married the controversial Courtney Love in 1992, grew up.

While Nirvana went on to have massive success with well-known hits, including Smells like Teen Spirit, the tragic singer developed a drug problem in his teens and committed suicide at the age of 27.

But the band, a former member of whom founded modern-day chart-toppers Foo Fighters, still has a cult following worldwide.

Fionnola's niece Caoimhe Kelly, who is Kurt's fifth cousin and still lives in the small Co Tyrone townland, was delighted when she found she was related to rock royalty.

"I am a big fan of Nirvana and thought it was really cool when I was told I'm Kurt's cousin," said the 18-year-old.

"I've told most of my friends. Some of them haven't heard of him but most of them are impressed.

"I play the guitar and I'd love to be in a band. Someday I would love to be as good as Kurt was."

Fionnola's father Pat Kelly, who lives with his wife Eileen in Inishatieve, said the famous family tree discovery was of more interest to his children and grandchildren than himself.

"To be honest I didn't know who Kurt Cobain was or who Nirvana were but my children were quick to tell me," he said.

"There are some Cobanes living around us here in Tyrone and I think there are a few in Antrim, but this is the first time the link has been discovered and written down."

Fionnola, who alongside her siblings presented her father with the completed family tree on his 70th birthday last month, said she is looking forward to bringing this history to life one day.

"I would love to see where Kurt was based during his lifetime so we will have to plan a trip to Aberdeen and Seattle sometime down the line for sure," said Finnola.

"Maybe when my baby son is all grown up."

Are you sure that isn't Gabriel Hurl?

Is that Gaberiel on the left?

Came across this group on facebook in support of Cardinal Brady.

"Cardinal Brady Is A Good Man". 
http://www.facebook.com/terry.hoey#!/pages/Cardinal-Brady-is-a-good-man/10150142702460462?ref=mf

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/world-news/bishop-resigns-over-child-sex-abuse-2109763.html

Pope Benedict has accepted the resignation of a senior Irish bishop who stood down over his mishandling of clerical child sex abuse allegations, it was confirmed.

Scandal-hit former bishop of Cloyne John Magee, a one-time Vatican aide, quit the day-to-day running of parishes across rural Cork in March last year.

The cleric, from Newry, Co Down, faced scathing criticism after the church's own watchdog found he took minimal action on accusations against two of his priests and branded his child protection inadequate and dangerous.

The Catholic Church confirmed the Pope accepted his resignation at an announcement in the Vatican.

Bishop Magee, who served as private secretary to three different popes, apologised when the watchdog's report was first published on the internet the week before Christmas 2008 but refused to resign.

His daily duties were taken over by Dermot Clifford, Archbishop of neighbouring Cashel and Emly, last year.

The Archbishop said: "I would like to thank Bishop John Magee for the cooperation he has given me since my appointment as apostolic administrator to the Diocese of Cloyne.

"I wish him all God's blessings in his retirement. I ask for the continued prayers and support of the lay faithful, priests and religious of the Diocese of Cloyne for all those who have suffered abuse."

Is there any chance Ireland will expell any Israeli's?
Big move by the UK today:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/mar/23/israel-mossad-agent-expelled-passport

Britain expelled a senior Mossad official at the Israeli embassy today after directly accusing Israel of forging British passports used by a hit squad in Dubai.

The blunt allegation, coupled with parallel investigations by other European countries into possible transgressions by the Mossad, seemed certain to deepen Israel's isolation at a critical moment. It coincided with a visit by Israel's prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, to Washington aimed at soothing US anger over Jewish settlement building in Jerusalem.

David Miliband, the foreign secretary, laid out the case against Israel in parliament, saying a police investigation found "compelling reasons" to believe Israel was responsible for the copying of British passports, which were used by the killers of a Hamas leader, Mahmoud al-Mabhouh. He said the documents "were copied from genuine British passports when handed over for inspection to individuals linked to Israel, either in Israel or in other countries".

The name of the official was not published. British officials said the diplomat had been asked to leave because of their position at the embassy and was not being accused of direct involvement in the falsification of British passports. The Guardian understands the official is a senior Mossad agent.

Tonight the Foreign Office warned British travellers to try to avoid entrusting their passports to Israeli officials.

British sources said there was evidence that the 12 British victims of stolen identity had had their passports temporarily taken away either by Israeli immigration officers or other officials. Clones of those passports were subsequently used by some of the large team sent to kill Mabhouh.

"They found no link to any other country," Miliband said. Without mentioning the Mossad by name, he added that "the government judges it is highly likely that the forgeries were made by a state intelligence service".

He said British investigators had interviewed all the passport holders affected, who hold dual British-Israeli citizenship, and "found no evidence to suggest any of those individuals were anything other than innocent victims of identify theft".

British officials stressed that the findings by the Serious Organised Crime Agency (Soca) were focused on the abuse of British documents rather than the assassination in January, which they stressed was a matter for the United Arab Emirates, and they said that the evidence uncovered so far was circumstantial. However, the government decided it was strong enough to take action.

Police in Dubai have already said they are "99% certain" the Mossad was behind Mabhouh's killing, and Miliband's remarks represented the first official endorsement of that view by a western government. Ireland, France and Germany are all investigating use of their passports.

Miliband said that he had handed his counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman, a letter seeking assurances that Israel would never again "misuse" British passports. Israel gave similar assurances following an incident in 1986.

The allegations and retaliatory measures taken by Britain seemed certain to weaken Netanyahu's hand as he met Barack Obama and Congress to fend off US anger at Israel's settlement-building. British officials said the timing of the foreign secretary's statement to the House of Commons was coincidental, and dictated by the completion of the Soca enquiry, not by global politics.

"Such misuse of British passports is intolerable," Miliband said. "It presents a hazard for the safety of British nationals in the region. It also represents a profound disregard for the sovereignty of the United Kingdom.   The fact that this was done by a country which is a friend, with significant diplomatic, cultural, business and personal ties to the UK, only adds insult to injury. No country or government could stand by in such a situation."

The Israeli response was also uncertain. Miliband said yesterday that there was no justification for Israeli retaliation, and After Miliband's statement to parliament, the Israeli ambassador, Ron Prosor, said: "It is now our intention to strengthen the firm foundations of our relationship, which is vital for both our countries."

There is a lot of chat on here about good priests and that they "arn't all bad".

Well, for me, they are ALL guilty by staying silent. If they are good priests, then it's time they stood
up and added their voice to the millions world wide who are crying out for change within the church.

Until the good priests speak out, they are as guilty as the abusers.

All this sympathy for the church and good priests make me sick. How about some compassion for the innocent victims?

Where is Stephen Nolan?

A few months ago I watched a documentary called "Deliver Us From Evil". It is about a priest in northern California, Oliver O' Grady, who abused children from as young as 1, to a mother of another abuse victim.
The church knew about it from before he was ordained, and until the police caught up with him many many years later, they did nothing about it. He was moved from parish to parish after complaint after complaint.

This documentary includes interviews with O'Grady who describes in grafic detail his behaviour, what made him do it, what the church did, and how he was set up for life with a pension by the church in order to keep quiet. Just as disturbing is the video of Cardinal Mahony in police interviews where he refuses to answer questions, and put himself and the church 1st. The victims dont even register on his radar.

This documentary was nominated for an Oscar for "Best Documentary" in 2007. It is a compelling piece of work, and although it is tough to watch in parts, it is well worth watching to see what happened, what the church did, and how they covered it up. The cover up even goes up to the present Pope.

Please take the time to watch this documentary, and by doing so, you will get a sense of what the victims of abuse went through, and how the church let them down. If anyone thinks Brady should stay in power right now, then I would advise them to watch this and I will gaurantee you that you will have changed your mind by the end of the film.

"Deliver Us From Evil" :       http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=7745088455537169028#

["the responsibility for going to the police was the children, their parents, and in the event of no parents, their gaurdians"]

While listening to the William Crawley show today on Radio Ulster, he interviewed Monsignor Maurice Dooley.
Now, without going into the full details, this man demonstrated exactly what is wrong with the catholic church in Ireland right now. Defending Brady to the last, he said on numerous occasions that Brady was not "Morally Oblidged" to report Smith to the police. Brady did his duty, and broke no criminal or moral law!
He even went futher, and said that "the responsibility for going to the police was the children, their parents, and in the event of no parents, their gaurdians" .

Now, the arrogance in this man while saying all this was scary. I think it shows the church up in it's complete lack of understanding, morality, honesty, compassion, guilt, and a severe lack of respect to it's follower's.
If this man is a reflection of the men in charge of the catholic church in Ireland, then, it may as well close its doors now. The sooner the top brass are removed from power, the better.

Parents right across the north are telling principals of primary schools that they will refuse to allow their child be confirmed by Brady this spring. How can this man stand in front of a congregation right now knowing that everyone in front of him know that he knew about Smith raping 2 children, about how he made them sign a shut up for life agreement, and how Smith was rewarded with a new parish to do it all again, which he did for another 20 years, and until this weekend, never said a word.

There is no defence for Brady as far as i'm concerned. He has to step down for the sake of the people who were abused as children by Smith. He knew what Smith did, he knew it was wrong, he shut the children up, and for 20 more years, Smith abused more children.  Brady said nothing, and ended up Cardinal. He could of saved countless lives, but he choose to save his ass, and that of the Church. Could he look a victim of child abuse straight in the eye and say, "I did all I could"?

Folks, just after reading this on the BBC web site.
This is just plain wrong, and you could imagine the outcry if it was the other way around?

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/8561247.stm


An Israeli supermarket chain is using a spoof of surveillance footage showing the alleged assassins of a Hamas commander in a television advert.

The advert's fake grainy surveillance footage shows actors wearing elaborate disguises.

Dubai police released footage they said showed the assassins of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, some dressed for tennis, as they followed him through his hotel.

Israeli's secret service is widely suspected of being behind the killing.

But the government says there is not enough proof that its agents were involved.

In the advert for Mahsanei Kimat Hinam shops, disguised customers prowl the supermarket's aisles and an actress wearing a wide-brimmed hat says she: "cannot admit to anything". The final line is: "We offer killer prices".

Advertising executive Sefi Shaked said the campaign was inspired by the original footage.

"We were fascinated by the technique of using surveillance cameras instead of high-production cameras, and the latest events in Dubai have us a great opportunity," he said.

"It's a parody, a take-off of what happened in Dubai. All the Israeli television comedy shows have done it, so why shouldn't we?" he added.

Well folks, this day last year, March 9th, I crossed the Rafah border into Gaza and witnessed sights that will stay with me forever. Those sights changed my life, and until my last breath, I will support and champion the cause of the Palestinians.
What they have had to endure for over 60 years in just unbelievable. Here is a link to the damage I witnessed and recorded in Gaza http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKOellc4DVE

In the past year I have been following the news there very closely. What goes on there in a daily basis is unreal.
F16's fly over Gaza almost every day, and every week or so, they bomb a tunnel or two. When I was there in early January, they bombed an area close to where I was, killing 1, and killing 2 at the tunnels. That is the reality there, and the world justs sits silent. Practically all the children there live in a terrified state, and the sound and sight of F16's freaks them out. Less than 20% of the food needed on a daily basis gets through, according to John Ging of UNRA.

Politicians come and go to Gaza, and to the west bank. They come home, make a bit of noise and then they get back to doing what they are told by Israel and the US. What western Government has imposed any form of sanctions on Israel following the massacre in Gaza last year? Have any of them threated to close their embassy if they are found guilty of forging passports? Will Ireland continue to spend millions of their military budget on equipment made in Israel?

The land grabs, the evictions, the settlements, the internment and murder of innocents among other things that goes on in the West Bank are also crimes against humanity. Plus, Cement Roadstone supplies the cement into these illegal settlements and worst of all, the illegal Apartheid Wall. For an Irish company to build and profit from these settlements and the wall is a complete disgrace and an embarrasment.

So, for Carrickmacross council to acknowledge these injustices and remove the ambassadors name is a step that has my full support. Fair play to them for having the courage to do it. The message was indeed symbolic, and it made serious news not only in Israel, but across the world. I don't care what Israel thinks about us over this, and they can make Fr Ted jokes all day long. It just shows them up for what they are. I can tell you this much, there are millions of Palestinians who are proud of the councillors for their actions.

For anyone else who think that human rights in Iran, China, Tibet or wherever else, are just as important, I agree. However, I am focussed on the Palestinian cause for now. So, in the meantime, if any of you feel strongly enough about them, I will give you my full support in any way I can in your work for them.

Below is a link to an Indy Media article about how the Gardi and an Israeli security man, possibly Mossad, followed a friend of mine yesterday in Dublin and harassed her. Read the story please.

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/96003

Main Street, we dont need to have US boots to lick Iraq blood off. The boots of the Irish Government are coverered with Iraq blood since they allow the US killing machines to re fuel in Shannon.

As far as i'm concerned, i'm proud of what these councillor's have done, and i'm also disgusted with Michael Martin who was more annoyed over this than he was with Israel stealing and abusing Irish passports.

On another note, how do people feel about Cement Roadstone Holdings (CRH Plc) supplying cement to the building of the illegal apartheid wall in the West bank in Palestine? Should they be subject to a boycott?

http://www.ipsc.ie/crhdivest/index.html

I think it was a brave decision and I support them for doing this.

People might think this was a stupid thing to do, or pettty, however, this news spread
across the world through the internet, and made the news in every major newspaper in Israel.
It has sent out a message to Israel that the world will not forgive them for their treatment
of the Palestinians, and what they did in Gaza last year.

Today marks the 1,000th day of the illegal siege on Gaza. It's time that Governements in the west
stopped bowing down to Israel/US pressure and take a stand like the councillor's in Carrickmacross
did. This siege has to end, for the sake of humanity.

Was in the Mandella/Lama region myself..............