“Hammered by the Irish” by Harry Browne deals with the militarisation of Ireland’s Shannon Airport in service of the U.S invasion and occupation of Iraq.
The book tells the story of 5 Catholic Workers, known as the Pitstop Ploughshares www.peaceontrial.com , who in 2003 disable a U.S war plane at Shannon causing $2.5 million damage.
The five were demonised by the mainstream media and condemned by large sections of the anti-war movement.
Their act of nonviolent resistance was to resonate with a Dublin jury which unanimously found them not guilty of all charges at their third trial in 2006
AK Press is now selling the book. Should be available on Amazon eventually. AK Webpage link for ordering “Hammered by the Irish” by Harry Browne
http://www.akpress.org/2008/items/hammeredbytheirishakpress
If you would like to spread this story and push this project along, you could approach likely bookstores in your town and ask them to order from AK. If you tell them of the Australian involvement that might help convince them there is local interest etc,
$U.S.7 Million Disarmament Hammer Retrieved from Shannon Gardai
Photos of retrieved ploughshares hammers, youtube, skype interviews, more background on the $U.S.7 million ploughshares hammer and info on Harry Browne’s forthcoming book “Hammered by the Irish – How the Pitstop Ploughshares Disabled a U.S. Navy Plane with Ireland’s Blessing” (www.counterpunch.org ) on the Pitstops on http://www.indymedia.ie/article/88451
**SHANNON GARDAI RETURN HAMMERS TO ANTI-WAR ACTIVIST
A collection of hammers and other objects that were used to disable a US Navy plane in 2003 were turned over by Shannon gardai to one of the activists who carried out the action.
Veteran anti-war resister Ciaron O’Reilly held a press conference outside Shannon Airport Wednesday July 24th., following the return of hammers used to disable a U.S. Navy war plane at the airport in Feb 03. He brought the hammers and other returned property to the press conference.
O’Reilly was one of the Pitstop Ploughshares group, who along with Deirdre Clancy, Nuin Dunlop, Karen Fallon and Damien Moran were charged with $US 2.5 million criminal damage to a U.S. Navy war plane at Shannon in the build up to the invasion of Iraq. The group were intially imprisoned on remand in Limerick before being put on trial three times at Dublin’s Four Courts. They were eventually acquitted unanimously by a jury at the Four Courts in August 2006. The groups action is the subject of Dublin journalist’s Harry Browne’s forthcoming book “Hammered by the Irish – How the Pitstop Plougshares Disarmed a U.S. War Plane with Ireland’s Blessing!”.
Continued….. http://www.indymedia.ie/article/88451
Hopefully this book will set the scene for the development of the CW movement in Ireland. We badly need it. The demise of the Tiger may also help
LINK – July 4th Independence Day Message from U.S. anti-war activist Kathy Kelly in Jordan
http://www.antiwar. com/orig/ kelly.php? articleid= 13092
Harry Browne’s previous article on the Pitstops “Lawful Excuse” for Dublin Review……
http://thedublinreview.com/archive/twentyfive/browne.html