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WE GATHER TODAY TO PAY TRIBUTE TO,WHILST MOURNING THE LOSS OF A LOVING SON AND BROTHER,A DEVOTED HUSBAND AND FATHER,A GENUINE
FRIEND AND A COMMITTED COMRADE.
ALEC LIKE MANY OF HIS CONTEMPORARIES WAS CATAPULTED INTO THE STRUGGLE FOR LIBERATION
AS THE EVENTS OF 69 UNFOLDED.
BORN AND REARED IN THE COLIN AREA HE WITNESSED,AT FIRST HAND,THE BURNING OF HIS NEIGHBOURS
HOMES IN BOMBAY STREET,KASAHMIR ROAD ,CLONARD GARDENS,BY LOYALISTS AIDED AND ABETTED BY THE R.U.C.
ON THAT SAME
DAY,A CLOSE PERSONEL FRIEND OF ALEC'S,FIAN GERARD McAULEY,AGED 15,WAS SHOT DEAD,WHILST HELPING TO DEFEND THE CLONARD AREA.
THIS PROVED TO BE A MAJOR WATERSHED IN ALEC'S LIFE,AS WAS THE CASE FOR MANY NATIONALIST TEENAGERS THROUGHOUT
THE 6 COUNTIES.A BURNING RESENTMENT WAS SPARKED AT THE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION INFLICTED ON OUR COMMUNITY,AS THE ORANGE STATE
MANIFESTED ITSELF AND LAID BARE THE SECTARIAN EDIFICE ON WHICH IT WAS BUILT AND MAINTAINED.
THAT SPARK BECAME A FLAME,ENOUGH
WAS ENOUGH!OUR COMMUNITY HAD TO BE DEFENDED AND THE ORANGE STATE DE-STABILIZED.THE VEHICLE TO HELP US ACHIEVE THESE AIMS AND
OBJECTIVES WAS OGLAIGH NA h-EIREANN.
ACCORDINGLY,ALEC JOINED THE RANKS OF C COMPANY,2ND BATT,BELFAST BRIGADE.
THE CULTURE OF FOOTBALL,DANCES AND TEENAGE INNOCENNCE WAS OVERTAKEN BY A NEW IDENTITY, WEAPON TRAINING AND ARMED
STAND-BYS AS THE ARMY TRAINED AND EQUIPPED ITS VOLUNTEERS TO FULFIL THEIR INITIAL DEFENSIVE ROLE.
UT WAS A COLLECTIVE
COMMUNITY RESPONSE TO A REAL AND DEADLY THREAT FROM LOYALISM AS WITNESSED SUBSEQUENTLEY IN, MAYO ST, ARDOYNE AND THE SHORT
STRAND OVER THE NEXT TWELVE MONTHS.
BUT THE RESPONSE WAS OF A DIFFERENT NATURE ON THESE OCCASIONS AS THE DISCIPLINE,
COURAGE AND EQUIPMENT OF OGLAIGH NA h-EIREANN HELP REPULSE LOYALIST INCURSIONS WHILE ESTABLISHING THE ARMYS DEFENSIVE CREDENTIALS.
OTHER WATERSHEDS WERE TO BE CREATED BY THE BRITISH AS THEY IMPOSED THE JULY CURFEW OF THE FALLS,AS A PRECURSOR TO THE
INTRODUCTION OF INTERNMENT AS THEY LAUNCHED A FULL-SCALE ONSLAUGHT ON OUR COMMUNITY.
IN RESPONSE OGLAIGH NA
h-EIREANN SWITCHED TO AN OFFENSIVE MODE,TAKING THE WAR TO THE HEART OF THE BRITISH ESTABLISHMENT.ALEC WAS IN THE COLIN SECTION
OF C COMPANY WHICH HAD IT'S OWN UNQUE WAY OF DOING THINGS.
NEVER THE LESS THEY PROVED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST
OPERATIONAL UNITS IN THE 2ND BATT,AS THEY LAUNCHED BOTH SNIPING ATTACKS ON BRITISH FORCES IN ADDITION TO BOMBING ATTACKS ON
THE CITY CENTRE.
IT WAS ON SUCH OPERATION IN APRIL 76 THAT ALEC WAS ARRESTED AND SUBSEQUENTLY IMPRISONED FOR 15 YEARS.
IMPRISONMENT IS A DAUNTING EXPERIENCE AT ANY TIME,BUT IN THE PROTEST ERA OF THE MID 70'S TO THE EARLY 80'S IT PROVED
TO BE A TRUELY TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE FOR MANY REPUBLICANS.THE NATURE OF THE PRISON PROTESTS,THE CONSTANT BEATINGS AND HUMILIATIONS
AT THE HANDS OF THE SCREWS ALONGSIDE THE PROLONGED ISOLATION FROM ONE'S FAMILY AND FRIENDS,COLLECTIVELY TOOK THEIR TOLL.
IMPRISONMENT PUTS IT'S STAMP ON EVERY P.O.W FOR SOME IT IS MORE MARKED AND OVERT THAN FOR OTHERS,BUT NO P.O.W LEAVES
THE PRISON ENVIROMENT UNAFFECTED.IT'S IMPRINT REMAINS WITH THE INDIVIDUAL UNTIL THE DAY THEY DIE.
ONLY ALEC'S FAMILY AND
CLOSE FRIENDS WILL POSSIBLY KNOW THE FULL EXTENT OF HIS PERSONAL PRISON EXPERIENCE.MAYBE NO ONE WILL EVER KNOW AS EX/PRISONERS
TEND TO REFRAIN FROM DISCLOSING THEIR INNER SECRETS.HOWEVER THERE IS NO DOUBT THAT HE IS AS MUCH A VICTIM OF THE BRITS CRIMINALISATION
POLICY AS WAS CIARAN NUGENT PAT McGEOWN OR THE HUNGER STRIKERS THEMSELVES.
IT IS INDEED IRONIC THAT ONLY LAST WEDNESDAY
ALEC ALONG WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER EX/PRISONERS FROM THE GREATER CLONARD AREA INITIATED A SERIES OF DISCUSSIONS ON THE STRUGGLE
IN GENERAL AND IMPRISONMENT IN PARTICULAR.
ALEC SPOKE WITH PASSION ABOUT HIS CHILDHOOD FRIENDSHIPS WITH GERARD McAULEY
AND FINBARR McKENNA.HOW EVENTS IN 69 CHANGED HIS LIFE AND HELPED FORMULATE HIS COMMITMENT TO THE REPUBLICAN CAUSE.ALEC BEGAN
TO RELATE HIS PERSON ACCOUNT OF THE JOURNEY,WHICH REMAINS UNCOMPLETED,DUE TO HIS UNTIMELY DEATH.
WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF
HIS CLOSE COMRADES WE CAN FINISH THAT ACCOUNT AND PRESENT IT AS AN EXAMPLE OF UNSELFISH COMMITMENT TO THE WELL-BEING OF ONES
COMMUNITY.
TO ALEC'S FAMILY,TO HIS WIFE SHARON,SON NEIL,DAUGHTERS CARMEL AND JENNIFER,TO HIS FATHER HUGHIE AND MOTHER
SHEILA,TO HIS SISTERS SUSAN,MAIREAD,KAY,SHEILA AND CONNIE,AND HIS MANY FRIENDS WE EXPRESS OUR HEARTFELT SORROW AND SYMPATHY,YOUR
LOSS IS OUR LOSS.
TO ALEC,WE BID YOU A LAST FAREWELL,
SLAN GO FOIL COMRADE
MAY YOU ENJOY THE PEACE
YOU SO RICHLY DESERVE ALONGSIDE GERALDO AND BIG FINN.
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