On This Day / October 30, 1970
Go BackReproduced with permission from The Irish News.
19701030
Reference Date
19701030
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 30th October 1970, Charles Haughey, Captain James Kelly and others were acquitted in the Dublin Arms Trial, shaking the Lynch government. Meanwhile, Provisional Sinn Féin elected Ruairí Ó Brádaigh as president, marking a decisive moment in the Republican split. Edited by Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Arms Trial Acquittals | On This Day – 30th October 1970
THE outcome of the Dublin arms trial, in which a jury found all four accused not guilty of conspiracy last night, brought calls for an immediate general election.
As the four men celebrated their acquittal, news of the verdict was given to the Taoiseach, Mr Jack Lynch in New York where he has been attending the United Nations.
Cleared in one of the most dramatic trials in Irish history were Mr Charles Haughey (former Minister for Finance); Captain James Kelly (retired Army Intelligence Officer); Belgian-born company director Albert Luykx and Belfast engineer, John Kelly.
Asked if he considered the trial had been a political one, Mr Haughey said: ‘I was never under any doubt…’
He said there were fundamental differences between himself and the Taoiseach.
Provisional Sinn Féin
ABOUT 200 delegates from all parts of Ireland and from Britain attended the Ard Fheis of Sinn Féin in Dublin on Saturday.
The new president is Ruairí Ó Brádaigh who was a candidate in the Imperial election in Tyrone a few years ago.
In his speech to delegates he said he hoped that on the conclusion of this Ard Fheis, the various news media would ‘at last acknowledge who is the true Sinn Féin’.
They welcomed the statement from the IRA that the 1970 General Army Convention had been held, that the ‘Provisional’ period was ended and that a duly-elected leadership had been installed, pledged to uphold the thirty- two county republic of 1916 and 1919, and to defend the rights of the Irish people.
He said that their newspaper, An Phoblacht was now selling 30,000 copies and that Republican News in Belfast was selling 15.000 copies per month.
The new Ard Chomhairle includes the 1916 veteran Joe Clarke; the Civil Rights leader in Derry, Sean Keenan and Seán MacStíofáin.
Police Called to Council
Police were called to Dungannon Urban Council Chamber last night to evict six non-Unionist members who had refused to leave after the Unionist chairman had closed the meeting. The special meeting had been requested by Independent and Labour members to discuss a ‘points system’ for house allocations. Councillor Michael McLaughlin (Independent) said there was ‘a looming crisis of public confidence’ in the Urban Council and demanded the appointment of an Opposition councillor to the Housing Committee.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: Less than a year after the IRA split over criticism of it for alleged inaction in August 1969, the Republican traditionalists formed Provisional Sinn Féin under the Longford IRA veteran, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh. At the same time the Lynch government was rocked by the acquittal of Charles Haughey and his co-defendants in the Dublin Arms Trial.)
On This Day – 30th October 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19701030
Reference Date
19701030
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Listen Along in Éamons Voice
Summary: On This Day – 30th October 1970, Charles Haughey, Captain James Kelly and others were acquitted in the Dublin Arms Trial, shaking the Lynch government. Meanwhile, Provisional Sinn Féin elected Ruairí Ó Brádaigh as president, marking a decisive moment in the Republican split. Edited by Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Arms Trial Acquittals | On This Day – 30th October 1970
THE outcome of the Dublin arms trial, in which a jury found all four accused not guilty of conspiracy last night, brought calls for an immediate general election.
As the four men celebrated their acquittal, news of the verdict was given to the Taoiseach, Mr Jack Lynch in New York where he has been attending the United Nations.
Cleared in one of the most dramatic trials in Irish history were Mr Charles Haughey (former Minister for Finance); Captain James Kelly (retired Army Intelligence Officer); Belgian-born company director Albert Luykx and Belfast engineer, John Kelly.
Asked if he considered the trial had been a political one, Mr Haughey said: ‘I was never under any doubt…’
He said there were fundamental differences between himself and the Taoiseach.
Provisional Sinn Féin
ABOUT 200 delegates from all parts of Ireland and from Britain attended the Ard Fheis of Sinn Féin in Dublin on Saturday.
The new president is Ruairí Ó Brádaigh who was a candidate in the Imperial election in Tyrone a few years ago.
In his speech to delegates he said he hoped that on the conclusion of this Ard Fheis, the various news media would ‘at last acknowledge who is the true Sinn Féin’.
They welcomed the statement from the IRA that the 1970 General Army Convention had been held, that the ‘Provisional’ period was ended and that a duly-elected leadership had been installed, pledged to uphold the thirty- two county republic of 1916 and 1919, and to defend the rights of the Irish people.
He said that their newspaper, An Phoblacht was now selling 30,000 copies and that Republican News in Belfast was selling 15.000 copies per month.
The new Ard Chomhairle includes the 1916 veteran Joe Clarke; the Civil Rights leader in Derry, Sean Keenan and Seán MacStíofáin.
Police Called to Council
Police were called to Dungannon Urban Council Chamber last night to evict six non-Unionist members who had refused to leave after the Unionist chairman had closed the meeting. The special meeting had been requested by Independent and Labour members to discuss a ‘points system’ for house allocations. Councillor Michael McLaughlin (Independent) said there was ‘a looming crisis of public confidence’ in the Urban Council and demanded the appointment of an Opposition councillor to the Housing Committee.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: Less than a year after the IRA split over criticism of it for alleged inaction in August 1969, the Republican traditionalists formed Provisional Sinn Féin under the Longford IRA veteran, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh. At the same time the Lynch government was rocked by the acquittal of Charles Haughey and his co-defendants in the Dublin Arms Trial.)
On This Day – 30th October 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
19701030
Reference Date
October 30, 2020
Publication Date
Listen Along in Éamons Voice *
Summary: On This Day – 30th October 1970, Charles Haughey, Captain James Kelly and others were acquitted in the Dublin Arms Trial, shaking the Lynch government. Meanwhile, Provisional Sinn Féin elected Ruairí Ó Brádaigh as president, marking a decisive moment in the Republican split. Edited by Dr Éamon Phoenix.
Arms Trial Acquittals | On This Day – 30th October 1970
THE outcome of the Dublin arms trial, in which a jury found all four accused not guilty of conspiracy last night, brought calls for an immediate general election.
As the four men celebrated their acquittal, news of the verdict was given to the Taoiseach, Mr Jack Lynch in New York where he has been attending the United Nations.
Cleared in one of the most dramatic trials in Irish history were Mr Charles Haughey (former Minister for Finance); Captain James Kelly (retired Army Intelligence Officer); Belgian-born company director Albert Luykx and Belfast engineer, John Kelly.
Asked if he considered the trial had been a political one, Mr Haughey said: ‘I was never under any doubt…’
He said there were fundamental differences between himself and the Taoiseach.
Provisional Sinn Féin
ABOUT 200 delegates from all parts of Ireland and from Britain attended the Ard Fheis of Sinn Féin in Dublin on Saturday.
The new president is Ruairí Ó Brádaigh who was a candidate in the Imperial election in Tyrone a few years ago.
In his speech to delegates he said he hoped that on the conclusion of this Ard Fheis, the various news media would ‘at last acknowledge who is the true Sinn Féin’.
They welcomed the statement from the IRA that the 1970 General Army Convention had been held, that the ‘Provisional’ period was ended and that a duly-elected leadership had been installed, pledged to uphold the thirty- two county republic of 1916 and 1919, and to defend the rights of the Irish people.
He said that their newspaper, An Phoblacht was now selling 30,000 copies and that Republican News in Belfast was selling 15.000 copies per month.
The new Ard Chomhairle includes the 1916 veteran Joe Clarke; the Civil Rights leader in Derry, Sean Keenan and Seán MacStíofáin.
Police Called to Council
Police were called to Dungannon Urban Council Chamber last night to evict six non-Unionist members who had refused to leave after the Unionist chairman had closed the meeting. The special meeting had been requested by Independent and Labour members to discuss a ‘points system’ for house allocations. Councillor Michael McLaughlin (Independent) said there was ‘a looming crisis of public confidence’ in the Urban Council and demanded the appointment of an Opposition councillor to the Housing Committee.
(Eamon Phoenix editor’s note: Less than a year after the IRA split over criticism of it for alleged inaction in August 1969, the Republican traditionalists formed Provisional Sinn Féin under the Longford IRA veteran, Ruairí Ó Brádaigh. At the same time the Lynch government was rocked by the acquittal of Charles Haughey and his co-defendants in the Dublin Arms Trial.)
On This Day – 30th October 1970
Further Reading on Irish History:
List of other On This Day columns
Other resources: National Library of Ireland Irish News CAIN Archive
On This Day is a daily column in the Irish News looking back either 50 or 100 years. The column was compiled by Dr Éamon Phoenix from the mid 1980s until autumn, 2022. The Foundation is very grateful to the Irish News for giving permission to reproduce Eamon’s columns. Funding gratefully received from Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and the Magill Trust.
* The Foundation has worked hard to recreate Eamon’s distinctive voice through AI. Since this is an emerging technology, occasional imperfections may be audible.