Aidan McAnespie 25th Anniversary

[stew]

Myles Na G.  that's a silly statement, knew a few families that had brothers, sisters that were republicans and they were not, by tarring people because of their families involvement or not led to many deaths in this shit hole.

When a tr**p of his ilk has nothing decent in him and nothing good to say about an innocent man he stoops to unforeseen new lows

[Myles Na G.]

I'm sure many's a poster on the board would have some stories to tell from going through the infamous checkpoint at Aughnacloy. In my own experience, it was always the most hostile checkpoint to have to cross and often involved being directed into the large "shed" and locked inside for long spells, often in the dark, and receiving some fairly horrible abuse and threats. Aidan McAnespie recieved many threats to his life as he passed regularly through the checkpoint. His won father once reported a British soldier at the checkpoint telling him "I've a bullet here in the gun for your son Aidan". Sadly, just over a year later, the British army acted upon these repeated threats when they shot him dead as he walked towards his club grounds for a match one Sunday.
February 21st will mark the 25th Anniversary of his murder and I see there are a number of events being held to mark the occasion so I just though I'd spread the word here for anyone interested. On that day in 1988, Aghaloo were due to play Killeeshil. Players from those clubs from that era, with others, will compete for the Aidan McAnespie Trophy on Saturday 23rd February at 4.00pm. While on the Thursday night before that (21st Feb) there will see a candlelit vigil with Peter Canavan as main speaker.

Excuse my ignorance, I remember the incident really well at the time but didn't realise he was known to the army. Was Aidan in the RA

Brother Vincent was in the IRA.

Explain what his brother Vincent has to do with Aidan getting murdered by brit scum you horror show?

MR said that he hadn't realised Aidan was known to the army. The fact that his brother was an active member means that the family would've been known by the local squaddies. How hard is that to understand?

[Myles Na G.]

Myles Na G.  that's a silly statement, knew a few families that had brothers, sisters that were republicans and they were not, by tarring people because of their families involvement or not led to many deaths in this shit hole.

I wasn't excusing his murder. You said you weren't aware that he was known to the army. I was explaining why he would've been well known to the army, RUC, UDR and probably the UDA and UVF as well.

[Milltown Row2]

Myles Na G.  that's a silly statement, knew a few families that had brothers, sisters that were republicans and they were not, by tarring people because of their families involvement or not led to many deaths in this shit hole.

I wasn't excusing his murder. You said you weren't aware that he was known to the army. I was explaining why he would've been well known to the army, RUC, UDR and probably the UDA and UVF as well.

You didn't post it like that though, you left the post hanging without finishing what you have said now, my post was based on the first post. You should at least acknowledge that relatives of republicans doesn't make you guilty

[muppet]

Did the bullet really ricoche though?

Is it a known, proven fact that the bullet struck the ground first?

Even if it happened that way there was and still is a moral responsibility to come clean and tell the family the facts and hold any guilty party to account.

[Main Street]

Of course Aidan was well known to the British Army seeing as they harassed him for 7 years.
The ricochet version has been discredited as the least likely scenario and the accidental slip of the trigger finger was totally discredited.
The lad was coldly and cynically assassinated.

[tyssam5]

Did the bullet really ricoche though?

Is it a known, proven fact that the bullet struck the ground first?

Aye was wondering that

I think I remember some claims that they shot the ground later to create that appearance.

[Nally Stand]

Myles Na G.  that's a silly statement, knew a few families that had brothers, sisters that were republicans and they were not, by tarring people because of their families involvement or not led to many deaths in this shit hole.

I wasn't excusing his murder. You said you weren't aware that he was known to the army. I was explaining why he would've been well known to the army, RUC, UDR and probably the UDA and UVF as well.

You didn't post it like that though, you left the post hanging without finishing what you have said now, my post was based on the first post. You should at least acknowledge that relatives of republicans doesn't make you guilty

Milltown, Aidan himself was more than just a "relative of republicans", he was a republican himself and was active for Sinn Féin, but was not involved in the IRA. Anyway, when I was opening this thread today, I did so by beginning a fresh thread instead of continuing an old one about Aidan, as the old thread was quickly polluted by pathetic posts from none other than Myles na G. His record on that thread, his repeated claims elsewhere Pat Finucane was in the IRA despite zero evidence, and his attempts to bring Aidan McAnespie's brother's alleged IRA past into a thread about anniversary events tells us all we need to know about the attention seeking cretin he is. Best not respond to him.

[The Subbie]

I'm sure many's a poster on the board would have some stories to tell from going through the infamous checkpoint at Aughnacloy. In my own experience, it was always the most hostile checkpoint to have to cross and often involved being directed into the large "shed" and locked inside for long spells, often in the dark, and receiving some fairly horrible abuse and threats. Aidan McAnespie recieved many threats to his life as he passed regularly through the checkpoint. His won father once reported a British soldier at the checkpoint telling him "I've a bullet here in the gun for your son Aidan". Sadly, just over a year later, the British army acted upon these repeated threats when they shot him dead as he walked towards his club grounds for a match one Sunday.
February 21st will mark the 25th Anniversary of his murder and I see there are a number of events being held to mark the occasion so I just though I'd spread the word here for anyone interested. On that day in 1988, Aghaloo were due to play Killeeshil. Players from those clubs from that era, with others, will compete for the Aidan McAnespie Trophy on Saturday 23rd February at 4.00pm. While on the Thursday night before that (21st Feb) there will see a candlelit vigil with Peter Canavan as main speaker.

Excuse my ignorance, I remember the incident really well at the time but didn't realise he was known to the army. Was Aidan in the RA

Brother Vincent was in the IRA.

You'll have a link to back that up then i suppose Myles?

I played football with Vincy McAnespie, a real nice sound fella, handy wing half back and corner back in his day.

The shadowy forces of her maj also tried to take out another brother Gerry at his place of work in Monaghan in the early/mid 90's but the pricks only succeeded in shooting one of their own, whole thing was hushed up big time with the by now customary assistance of our own gardai special branch defectives.

[Myles Na G.]

Myles Na G.  that's a silly statement, knew a few families that had brothers, sisters that were republicans and they were not, by tarring people because of their families involvement or not led to many deaths in this shit hole.

I wasn't excusing his murder. You said you weren't aware that he was known to the army. I was explaining why he would've been well known to the army, RUC, UDR and probably the UDA and UVF as well.

You didn't post it like that though, you left the post hanging without finishing what you have said now, my post was based on the first post. You should at least acknowledge that relatives of republicans doesn't make you guilty

Milltown, Aidan himself was more than just a "relative of republicans", he was a republican himself and was active for Sinn Féin, but was not involved in the IRA. Anyway, when I was opening this thread today, I did so by beginning a fresh thread instead of continuing an old one about Aidan, as the old thread was quickly polluted by pathetic posts from none other than Myles na G. His record on that thread, his repeated claims elsewhere Pat Finucane was in the IRA despite zero evidence, and his attempts to bring Aidan McAnespie's brother's alleged IRA past into a thread about anniversary events tells us all we need to know about the attention seeking cretin he is. Best not respond to him.

So why didn't you say that in the first place when you were asked by MR if Aidan was known to the army? Why did you reply with a rather disingenuous 'no'?

[magpie seanie]

Myles - you're a disgrace.

[red hander]

Myles Na G.  that's a silly statement, knew a few families that had brothers, sisters that were republicans and they were not, by tarring people because of their families involvement or not led to many deaths in this shit hole.

I wasn't excusing his murder. You said you weren't aware that he was known to the army. I was explaining why he would've been well known to the army, RUC, UDR and probably the UDA and UVF as well.

You didn't post it like that though, you left the post hanging without finishing what you have said now, my post was based on the first post. You should at least acknowledge that relatives of republicans doesn't make you guilty

Milltown, Aidan himself was more than just a "relative of republicans", he was a republican himself and was active for Sinn Féin, but was not involved in the IRA. Anyway, when I was opening this thread today, I did so by beginning a fresh thread instead of continuing an old one about Aidan, as the old thread was quickly polluted by pathetic posts from none other than Myles na G. His record on that thread, his repeated claims elsewhere Pat Finucane was in the IRA despite zero evidence, and his attempts to bring Aidan McAnespie's brother's alleged IRA past into a thread about anniversary events tells us all we need to know about the attention seeking cretin he is. Best not respond to him.

So why didn't you say that in the first place when you were asked by MR if Aidan was known to the army? Why did you reply with a rather disingenuous 'no'?

The Brits had a file on every nationalist male between the ages of 16 and 65, you arsehole. Didn't think you could get any lower, but you really are beneath contempt

[Myles Na G.]

Myles Na G.  that's a silly statement, knew a few families that had brothers, sisters that were republicans and they were not, by tarring people because of their families involvement or not led to many deaths in this shit hole.

I wasn't excusing his murder. You said you weren't aware that he was known to the army. I was explaining why he would've been well known to the army, RUC, UDR and probably the UDA and UVF as well.

You didn't post it like that though, you left the post hanging without finishing what you have said now, my post was based on the first post. You should at least acknowledge that relatives of republicans doesn't make you guilty

Milltown, Aidan himself was more than just a "relative of republicans", he was a republican himself and was active for Sinn Féin, but was not involved in the IRA. Anyway, when I was opening this thread today, I did so by beginning a fresh thread instead of continuing an old one about Aidan, as the old thread was quickly polluted by pathetic posts from none other than Myles na G. His record on that thread, his repeated claims elsewhere Pat Finucane was in the IRA despite zero evidence, and his attempts to bring Aidan McAnespie's brother's alleged IRA past into a thread about anniversary events tells us all we need to know about the attention seeking cretin he is. Best not respond to him.

So why didn't you say that in the first place when you were asked by MR if Aidan was known to the army? Why did you reply with a rather disingenuous 'no'?

He didn't ask was he known to the army. He asked was he in the RA.

The question 'was he in the Ra?' doesn't make sense without the context provided by the preceding sentence. Try this:
'I didn't realise he was known to the local branch manager of Tescos. Was he in the Ra?'
What MR was trying to establish was (a) was he known to the army and (b) why was he known to the army. Nally Stand ignored this and chose only to answer a small, subordinate part of the sentence. Why did he do this? Is he thick? Absolutely not. He deliberately ignored the real question because he didn't want to spoil the image he had created with his first post, in which he painted a picture of ordinary Catholics / Nationalists being abused and assaulted at this particular army post for no other reason than that they were Catholics / Nationalists. He then cleverly links this to the shooting of Aidan McAnespie; the clear inference to be drawn is that Aidan was just a random nationalist murdered by the British Army. Any mention that Aidan might've been known to the British because of his IRA connections or because of his republican activism threatens to collapse the image, which is why NS ducked the question. The truth is that Aidan McAnespie was not a random nationalist targeted by people who didn't know him. He was murdered by a squaddie acting on his own initiative or by a soldier acting under orders - take your pick - precisely because they knew him and his family well and because they had decided he was an enemy. Is any of this important? Absolutely. Allowing republicans like to NS to get away with evasions and half truths is to allow them to perpetuate the myth that the British were the persecutors of all Catholics / Nationalists and that, consequently, the IRA was 'the people's army' set up to defend poor croppies under attack.

[Nally Stand]

Myles - you're a disgrace.

He is. This is the second thread about Aidan McAnespie that he has attempted to pollute with his shameful posts. May as well just lock the thread, it has served it's purpose of spreading the word about the anniversary events. Hopefully there'll be a big crowd.