US Marine Corps Hercules KC-130T arrived at Shannon Airport today at 14.45pm, coming from Al Udeid US air base in Qatar, Persian Gulf via Sofia in Bulgaria.
The KC-130T is desribed by the Naval Air System Command (NAVAIR) as multi-role, long-range, land-based tactical aircraft that "provides logistic support and air-to-air refueling to fleet operating forces."
Such breaches of Irish neutarlity are happening almost daily at Shannon Airport.
The trial of two peace activists, Edward Horgan and Dan Dowling, ended today at the Circuit Criminal Court in Parkgate Street, Dublin after a trial that lasted ten days.
Almost 6 years ago on 25th April 2017, the two peace activists were arrested at Shannon Airport and charged with causing criminal damage by writing graffiti on a US Navy aircraft. They were also charged with trespassing on the curtilage of Shannon Airport. The words “Danger Danger Do Not Fly” were written with a red marker on the engine of the warplane. It was one of two US Navy aircraft that had arrived at Shannon from Oceana Naval Air Station in Virginia. They subsequently flew on to a US air base in the Persian Gulf having spent two overnights at Shannon.
Over the course of the trial of peace activists Edward Horgan and Dan Dowling we will provide daily updates here. We encourage anyone who can attend in support to go to the court.
See our pre-trial press release here.
Today the two peace activists, Edward Horgan and Dan Dowling, were acquitted on the charge of criminal damage.
The Jury of eight men and four women accepted their arguments that they acted with lawful excuse. In addition, Judge Martina Baxter gave the defendants the benefit of the Probation Act on the charge of trespass, on condition that they agree to be obund to the peace for 12 months and make a significant donation to a Co. Clare charity.
Both said they have no problem being “bound to the peace” and making the contribution to charity.
Peace activists Dr Edward Horgan, former army Commandant and United Nations peacekeeper, originally from Tralee Co Kerry, and Dan Dowling also a native of Tralee Co Kerry, are due to go on trial on 11th January 2023 at Dublin Circuit Court. This is as a result of an incident that occurred at Shannon Airport five years and nine months ago. The date of this incident was 25th April 2017, and there are two charges. The first alleged offence is trespass at the airport contrary to Section 11 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act, 1994 as amended by the Intoxicating Liquor Act, 2008. The second is criminal damage by writing graffiti to a US Navy aircraft contrary to Section 2(1) Criminal Damage Act, 1991.
Letter pubished in today's Belfast based Irish News.
In recent times our Irish government is doing all it can to end Irish neutrality against the wishes of the Irish people. The Fine Gael ard fheis passed a motion to effectively scrap the triple lock on sending Irish soldiers on overseas missions, by eliminating the need for a UN mandate. Our Defence Forces have become so run down due to lack of government support that it seems like our government wants to decommission our Defence Forces and invite Nato or a European Union defence alliance to defend our country thereby ending the sovereignty of the Irish people and the Irish state.
An executive jet owned by large weapons supplier General Dynamics Corp landed at Shannon Airport today at about 14.32. It took off again at about 15.44pm heading towards the USA.
Peace activists from around the country will gather at Shannon on Sunday 13th November at 2pm to protest against the continuing US military use of the airport. The event takes place two days after Armistice Day which is intended to mark the end of fighting in World War I and to honour the war dead. It will draw attention to how little peace there is in the world today and how Ireland's increasing support for militarization is escalating global instability .
Armed US troops pass through Shannon on a daily basis, despite the fact that the country claims to be neutral.
In the short hour we spent at our peace vigil at Shannon Airport on Sunday (Sept 11th), three different US military aircraft used the airport.
An Omni Air International troop carrier (registration N234AX, call sign OY401/CMB401) sat at the terminal building, alongside an Aer Lingus passenger plane. It came in from Slovenia, and later in the day it took off heading towards the US.
Today at our peace vigil at Shannon Airport we read out the names of the 17 Palestinian children murdered by apartheid Israel in its last brutal attack on Gaza.
It's now over a week since the publication of Sabina Coyne Higgins' letter to the Irish Times saying that the war between Russia and Ukraine will continue until the leaders of both countries are persuaded to agree a ceasefire and enter negotiations.
Ms Coyne Higgins said that concerned people anxious to live together in peace and sustainability must demand that the war be brought to an end so that lives are saved, there is a lessening of the suffering, and the reconstruction of lives and livelihoods can begin. She has been subjected to unreasonable criticism simply because she called for a negotiated ceasefire. And despite some commentary and reaction, she did not suggest that the Russian invasion was justified in any shape or form.
