Willie Gallagher

CONTINUED FPOM PAGS 4, There are those who believe that it is wrong to highlight particular cas They argue that all the srisoners are in the same situation and no-one should receive more attention than others. This 2s a foolish argument! It does nothing to help any of the political prisoners. On the other hand, if Roy Mason and the Diniock Courts are defeated over the case of Willy Gallagher then the chances of winning victories for all the prisoners are increased.

One thing is certein, if Gallagher resumes his hunger strike because we have failed to give our full support and dies then that will be a defeat not just for Willy Gallagher, not just for the H-Block prisoners but The massive demonstrations which have taken place recently around the issues of political status and repression, along with a new awareness in organigations like the Trade Union movement, show that a major fight back is possible. However because a united and democratic movement does not exist organisational sectarianism can allow cases like that of Willie Gailagher to go by default.

PD/MSR ask all organisations and individuals willing to rebuild the Willie Gallagher Defence Campaign to contact us at th Connolly Bookshop, Avoca Park, Andersonstown, Belfast II (phone 623472)

British impertalist rule in Ireland, The latter, although linked often with the struggle against that rule has, in fact, benefited This can be seen in its establishment at Maynooth This seminary was established as a university for Catholics the same year as the founding of the Orange Society, Its position was reinforced under the Union; indeed, it was under one of the most repressive of the Orange administrations that its position as a seminary was asserted and its role as a lay university ended for 150 years, After O'Connell's failure at Clontarf, it gained a United Kingdom state subsidy.which ended with independence, After the failure of the Anti-Partition propaganda campaign in 1951, the 26 County state resumed the subsidy, At all times, Maynooth has lived up to the expectations of its imperialist and pro-imperialist patrons : it has been a bastion of puritanical Catholic conservatism, In 1966, decline of numbers of vocations in the Catholic Church caused Maynooth a corresponding crisis, It was being subsidised to educate fewer priests, The Trustees, its governing group of Bishops, opened its doors, once continued the subsidy, It has not asked for greater control ver administration, even thouh lay students number today twice the amount of clerical ones, Permanent Irish unity must involve the loss of the special privileges both of Protestant ascendency in the North and of the Catholic Church, The first is identified openly with the as much as the former from the struggle's defeats.

sics and Malachy O'Rourke, Lecturer in Modern Languages, decided to leave their clerical orders, They were dismissed from their jobs; McGrath because of articles that he had written and bec.

clerical dress : O'Rourke because he had not always dressed thus, because he had not lived on campus and because of his laicisation, action for restitution of office and for damages, On the 9th a disturbing judgement, Me Grath won damages but not restitution, O'Rourke lost his case altogether, Worse Wages on technical grounds -that the real reason for his dismissal was his laicisation but that this was not given On every other point, judgement was given against the dismissed lecturers, The Trustees! absolute authority on the question of McGrath's articles it was pronounced that the only hope of redress Canon Law. Thus, though two-thirds of its students are ised by the 26 County state _ Maynooth is recagnised legIn 1976, Dr, Patrick Me Grath. Professor of Metaphyause he had not always worn Both lecturers took legal of August 1978, they received still, Mc Grath won his damas a reason by the Trustees, Note :

was affirmed, What was more, -was by appeal to Rome under lay, and although it ts subsidally as independent of the state and under the control of clerical law.

The judgement in the Maynooth case leaves both staff and students at the absolute mercy of the Bishops, But it has implications that go well beyond this and that are of importance to everyone in Ireland, The constitution promises to cherish all the jpeople who believe it is both: | ‘democratic and independent, | This judgement confirms that the Catholic church is placed above the state and the law and that the whole arena of education controlled by it is outside the control of the’ “Irish people (although they are expected to pay for it.)

The case reached court only after a long period of opposition by students and industrial action by the teaching unions, The state has -shown its hand, It's now up to the students, the teaching unions and the trade union movement as a whok to fight for democratie rights in education and an end to church control in the 26 Counties, Archbishop O'Fiaich has gained some credibility because of his H-block state-~ ments, It's worth remembering that he was president of Maynooth at the time the lecturers were dismissed -and was responsible for a lot of personal harrassment _ 2 the. two lecturers, te

~The Struggle in Britain - Part 1 ' ional Marxist Group. The first of three articles on the struggle in Britain by Allen C'Callaghan ofthe Internat-

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again, to lay students, The ‘Government accepted this and

jpeople of Ireland equally and \the state {s supported by many;