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The National Archives/State Papers

The Christmas cards sent to Haughey asking him not to forget The Birmingham Six

“This will be the 16th Christmas that my father and the five men… will spend imprisoned for a crime that they did not commit,” one letter said.

TAOISEACH CHARLES HAUGHEY received Christmas Cards in 1989 calling for the release of the Birmingham Six – as well as a poem from one of the six Irish prisoners. 

Documentation has been released to the National Archives under the 30-year rule showing the intense lobbying to the Irish government on behalf of the five Belfast men and Derryman in their 16th year in prison.

The Birmingham Six Christmas cards were created by the Birmingham Six Committee to raise awareness of the case, but also to raise funds. Four were sold for £1, and there was a special rate of five for £1 for orders of more than 50. 

“Dear Sir,” one card read, “I hope you will think of these six Irish men when you are enjoying your Christmas dinner.” 

Another said: “Make 1990 the year The Birmingham Six are released. Not enough is being done. We want positive action so that these men, totally innocent, are released.”

“Please continue to request the British government to review the case of these prisoners,” another person wrote. “During your presidency of the European Parliament, you will have a unique opportunity to highlight the case of the Birmingham Six.”

In 1990, Ireland held the presidency of the European Community (a precursor to the EU), which rotated semi-annually between the member states. 

IMG_1706 The National Archives / State Papers The National Archives / State Papers / State Papers

In 1975, six Irishmen were sentenced to life imprisonment for the IRA Birmingham pub bombings, in which 21 people died and 182 were injured. Those men were Patrick Joseph Hill, Richard McIlkenny, Gerard Hunter, William Power, Hugh Callaghan and John Walker.

Following a number of allegations of misconduct by the West Midlands Police, in March 1991 the men won a court appeal after initial forensic evidence that had indicated two of the six men had handled explosives was discounted.

The judge called the convictions “unsafe and unsatisfactory”, and all six men were released and financially compensated.

In a yellow card from Maggie McIlkenny, the daughter of Dick McIlkenny, she wrote the following message to Haughey and attached a poem written by her father in prison:

“On behalf of the Birmingham Six and their families, I would like to wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year.

“This will be the 16th Christmas that my father Dick McIlkenny and the five men will spend imprisoned for a crime that they did not commit.

“PLEASE think of them this Christmas, and help us in any way you can.”

The poem written by Dick McIlkenny, who died of cancer in May 2006, begins with the line “What price justice for the innocents”:

IMG_1715 The National Archives / State Papers The National Archives / State Papers / State Papers

About 1989

The year 1989 was an unstable one in Irish politics: efforts were being made by the UK and Irish authorities to stabilise Northern Ireland, which was still almost decade away from the Good Friday Agreement.

There was a spike in violent incidents against UK forces in Northern Ireland in the previous year – meaning the total of British Army deaths in 1988 was the highest since 1974. In 1989, ten thousand people marched in Dublin calling for British withdrawal from Northern Ireland.

In June, Charles Haughey resigned as Taoiseach, but remained in the role as a caretaker pending elections.

Margaret Thatcher was in her second last year of an 11-year tenure as British Prime Minister, and Ronald Reagan left the White House in January 1989 to make way for George Bush as US President. 

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    Mute Ebeneezer Goode
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    Dec 28th 2019, 8:55 AM

    Fianna Fáil, the Republican party! The party that cared not a jot for it’s fellow Irish man, woman and child in the north. 50 years of discrimination in jobs, education, housing. Gerrymandering, pogroms. FF stood idly by and did SFA. Republican party? Don’t make me laugh.

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    Mute Paddy J
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    Dec 28th 2019, 10:51 AM

    @Ebeneezer Goode: As a matter of interest what should FF have done differently? Should the party have attempted a military coup in the North for instance?

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Dec 28th 2019, 12:27 PM

    @Paddy J: What F.F. could have done differently was not to collaborate with the government of England . Would have expected the blueshirts to cooperate with the British, but for all the retric sprouted in the past and today by the likes of Michael Martin the blueshirt government kept in power by F.F. are the same parties that for decades buried their heads in the sand concerning the apartheid state that existed in the six counties.

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    Mute Paddy J
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    Dec 28th 2019, 3:24 PM

    @Donal Desmond: The elephant in the room Donal, IMHO, is that 26 county electorate didn’t want to know and government policy was a mirror image of that indifference. Pointing the finger solely at FF or FG is letting your fellow countrymen off the hook. Once the Free State was founded it’s citizens very quickly forgot about the 6 counties.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Dec 28th 2019, 5:08 PM

    @Paddy J: The ordinary citizens of the 26 counties were brain washed by F.G. and F.F. it suited their agenda in regards to their right wing viewpoint of keeping the status quo
    . Supported by a church that kept people in the dark ages. Unfortunately we are still dealing with a conservative mentality as far as the electorate are concerned.

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    Mute Ebeneezer Goode
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    Dec 28th 2019, 6:37 PM

    @Paddy J: Something. Anything. Doing nothing was a cop out. They turned their backs on those they should have been trying to protect.

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    Mute Paddy J
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    Dec 28th 2019, 7:06 PM

    @Donal Desmond: Donal, I really think you are giving politicians way too much credit. The ordinary people were and still are conservative and normal service of conservatism resumed once the civil war was out of the way. I really can’t see any evidence for brainwashing, the plain unvarnished truth is the Irish people by and large had no interest in the Nationalist people of the 6 counties for most of the past 90 odd years. It may be a sad reality but reality it is nonetheless.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Dec 28th 2019, 10:16 PM

    @Paddy J: Will will agree the average person in the 26 counties had no interest in their fellow nationalist in the six counties. Even before the illusion of independence, the ordinary people of Ireland struggled daily for existence. As you will be aware immigration or the dole was the option for the majority. At an age when the Christian brothers poured propaganda concerning the 1916 Rising, War of Independence, Civil War… which they slipped over lightly…What they failed to teach us Pearse and other conservatives had a pie in the sky version of Irish freedom.. The brothers failed to mention the vision of Connolly and a socialist Republic. This propaganda came from the pulpit and gombeen politicians .little wonder we elect the same paracites over and over.

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    Mute DaMoons
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    Dec 28th 2019, 8:34 AM

    FF and FG forgot the people of the North once the civil war ended. Even today they refuse to set up a peoples assembly on discussing issues on possible future reunification.

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    Mute Paddy J
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    Dec 28th 2019, 10:47 AM

    @DaMoons: I think what you are trying to say is that the Irish people who voted for the FF and FG candidates who ran for election for the last 90 odd years forgot the North or gave it a wide berth. FF and FG candidates come from the communities that vote for them and their vote share was 80 to 90% combined for much of those 90 odd years. Let that sink in for a second and think of the implication.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Dec 28th 2019, 3:29 PM

    @Paddy J: F.F. and the blueshirts had a monopoly between them since the foundation of this state. Dev a conservative Catholic like is counter parts in the blueshirts , support certainly by an electorate who for generations were ruled by the pulpit. Ironically we are now in a position where the F.F. party who facilitated in the economic destruction of this country now keep in power the blueshirts who endorsed the corruption that brought this country to it’s knees .

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    Mute Gerry Cummins
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    Dec 28th 2019, 7:21 PM

    @Donal Desmond: “Economic destruction of the country” , lol, we are one of the most successful in Europe, take your blinkers off…

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Dec 28th 2019, 9:43 PM

    @Gerry Cummins: In case it has escaped your attention we have repaid billions and billions more to go before we clear the bailout caused by the greed and gangsterism of the banks. The ordinary citizens of Ireland were forced through austerity measures to repay for this gangsterism facilitated by F.F. who now prop up the blueshirt government. Housing crisis, Crumbling health service, Homelessness, Scandal after Scandal. Is that what you call a successful economy.

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    Mute C_O'S
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    Dec 28th 2019, 9:20 AM

    ‘Tightening belts’ statement, and expensive shirts are things that stick out in mind regarding Me féin Charlie Haughey. As well as putting kerry on the map as a tourist destination is another one.(and that’s no joke), He didn’t take a leaf from his father in law Seán Lemass’s book who was a brilliant Taoiseach and always put the people first according to my father.

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    Mute Peter Hegarty
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    Dec 28th 2019, 10:22 AM

    @C_O’S: I have to believe that Bo bo is being sarcastic. If not what a load of drivel.

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    Mute Bo bo
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    Dec 28th 2019, 8:49 AM

    A little respect for the office of Taoiseach please. I’ve no great time for the man but calling him ‘Haughey’ in the heading is very disrespectful to the highest office of our Country.

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    Mute Ebeneezer Goode
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    Dec 28th 2019, 10:15 AM

    @Bo bo: Those who struggled to survive while he lived a life of luxury at the taxpayers expense would think your comment is disrespectful. He himself had no respect for the office of Taoiseach.

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    Mute MiseBean
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    Dec 28th 2019, 10:21 AM

    @Bo bo: He was Haughey before, during and after being Taoiseach. It was his name.

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    Mute matthew o reilly
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    Dec 28th 2019, 10:30 AM

    @Bo bo: no respect for one of the biggest crooks this country has ever produced.you must be be too young to remember Charlie with a statement like that

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    Mute Fr Romeo sensini.
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    Dec 28th 2019, 12:25 PM

    @Bo bo: haughey, haughey.

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    Mute Donal Desmond
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    Dec 28th 2019, 1:09 PM

    @Bo bo: Haughty, Ahern, Fitzgerald all Taoiseacht,s , but what do they have In common? All had bank loans written off. The mafia must In awe of them and their underlings . As that paracite Ahern would state …it was only an old dig out.

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    Mute Mossy Quito
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    Dec 28th 2019, 1:40 PM

    @Bo bo: Haughey, heehaw heehaw

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    Mute Gerry Cummins
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    Dec 28th 2019, 7:19 PM

    @matthew o reilly: ahh but the free travel for the pensioners! A masterstroke!

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    Mute Pen Name
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    Dec 28th 2019, 12:44 PM

    Nice handwriting on the cards. It’s a different world today with texts and emails.

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