Outrage as stall sells IRA T-shirts
A STALL selling IRA merchandise at one of Northern Ireland's biggest cross-community festivals has sparked outrage.
T-shirts bearing the face of terrorist hunger striker Bobby Sands were spotted hanging peacefully beside tables offering dulse and yellowman at this year's Auld Lammas Fair in Ballycastle.
The stand also offered tops bearing the face of rebel Wolfe Tone and others with the slogan Oglaigh na hEireann or Soldiers of Ireland.
Posters in memory of republican hunger strikers were also on display, with many of the T-shirts marked IRA.
Hundreds of thousands of people thronged Ballycastle this year for the 400-year-old fair to enjoy attractions including horse trading and delicacies like dulse – a purple, dried seaweed – and yellowman, a honeycombed sticky toffee.
The festival wrapped up yesterday after crowds had packed the Co Antrim seaside town despite the occasional heavy downpour.
North Antrim MLA Mervyn Storey said the event had sullied by a glorification of terrorism and called on police to stamp out the sale of IRA propaganda.
He said: "This just confirms that certain republicans are intent on perpetuating the old war and are not prepared to move forward.
"We need the police to make sure that any stall selling these items is closed down."
One visitor said he was "aghast" and "deeply offended" to see the memorabilia.
Moyle Sinn Fein councillor Paudie McShane said he saw no problem with the stall.
He added: "I would be more concerned about the sale of knives in this day and age than the sale of a T-shirt."
A PSNI spokesman said they had no complaints about the sale of the merchandise.
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Monday 13 February 2012
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