The following headline appeared in ‘The Belfast Telegraph’ of Saturday 10th January, 2025.
File claiming Gerry Kelly was key IRA figure in 1990s ‘removed from Dublin archives at request of Irish government’
(See also ‘Secret Garda security briefing note identified Sinn Féin’s Gerry Kelly as key figure within the IRA’)
(Another article worthy of note —
Woman identified by Garda as Enniskillen bombing IRA commander ‘living an ordinary life in Fermanagh)
There is a saying in Ulster regarding that which is well-known: ‘Even the dogs in the street know that it is so!’
If our canine neighbours could only laugh, there would be much ‘guffawing’ from our furry friends the length and breadth of Ulster at the attempted denial of Gerry Kelly and the attempts of the fools in the Dublin government who have complied with his demands to hide away his past links with terrorism!
The ‘Belfast Telegraph’ report states:
‘A once-classified file which included a secret garda briefing note that claimed Sinn Fein’s Gerry Kelly was a key figure in the IRA in the mid-1990s has been recalled after being publicly released by Ireland’s National Archives, it has been reported.
It was among documents recently declassified in Dublin under the 20 and 30-year rules.
However, the file has now been withdrawn, according to The Irish Times, who reported it was at the request of Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs.
The department, Sinn Fein and Mr Kelly have all been contacted for comment.
According to The Irish Times, the file was pulled following “urgent consultations between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice” in the Republic.’
The article continues:
‘However, there has been no explanation as yet about why the file with the references to Mr Kelly has been withdrawn.
It contained a letter, written by assistant garda commissioner Noel Conroy, which identified Mr Kelly as “the most dominant figure” within the Provos in the 1990s.
The North Belfast MLA has taken a number of libel actions over reports about IRA activities.
He previously rubbished a classified British document, which formed part of the UK’s State Papers, which claimed he had been put in charge of the IRA reorganisation to ensure centralised control for the peace process. Mr Kelly said the allegation was “not true”.
Mr Kelly had served a prison sentence for the 1973 Old Bailey bombing before escaping from prison. He became a Sinn Fein politician and played a central role in the peace process and 1998 Good Friday Agreement.’
‘Mr Conroy, who would go on to become garda commissioner in 2003, wrote the briefing note to the Irish Department of Justice on May 21, 1996.
The letter was addressed to the department’s secretary general Tim Dalton and formed a two-page security analysis of the leadership of the IRA.
It said: “The current PIRA [Provisional Irish Republican Army] strategy continues to be dominated and controlled by the leadership of Gerry Kelly, Belfast; Brian Keenan, Belfast; Martin McGuinness, Derry; Pat Doherty, Donegal; and Thomas ‘Slab’ Murphy, Louth. Gerry Kelly is emerging as the most dominant figure within this group.
“Martin Ferris is also emerging as highly influential in formulating strategy and is consulted and advised by the northern leadership on all major issues.”
In 1996 Mr Conroy was serving as the head of the garda’s critical Crime and Security branch.’
Fount of Folly in Ireland
Irish Roman Catholics, for the moral teaching of the Church of Roman is the fountain from which all ethical thinking and decisions spring for many in Ireland, live in great ignorance of the teaching of the Word of God.
The hiding away by the Irish Government of a record of Gerry Kelly’s crimes does not eradicate his activities from the eternal record that the Lord keeps. Nor do the words of pardon uttered by a bachelor priest in the secrecy of a ‘confession box’, wipe out the ‘file’ kept by the Lord in the vaults of heaven!
Rome teaches a way of salvation that entails the counting of beads, the invoking of the saints and Mary, and the blasphemous practice of confessing one’s sins to a priest, a carrying out the ‘works of penance’ he prescribes, and the obtaining of an assurance from him that the sins and wrong-doings, of which they were guilty hitherto, have been eroded and pardoned. Through the merits of the attendance at the Mass, the matter is more or less settled. God has put their sins away!
That is lie of the devil.
On the day of Pentecost, Peter, after he set forth the central truths of the gospel, was asked by conscience-stricken hearers, “Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?” Acts 2:37.
Oh that the Roman Catholic people of Ireland understood the reply that Peter gave them to that absolutely vital question.
“Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles,” Acts 2:38-43.
Repentance is the essence of true religion, not the religious ‘paraphernalia’ invented by men and which is the essential core of today’s ‘Christianity’, practiced by both ‘Protestant and Roman Catholic’ gatherings!
What is Repentance?
The Shorter Catechism, a true setting forth of biblical doctrine, which dates back to 1647, states the matter so:
‘Question 85: What doth God require of us, that we may escape his wrath and curse due to us for sin?
Answer: To escape the wrath and curse of God due to us for sin, God requireth of us faith in Jesus Christ, repentance unto life, with the diligent use of all the outward means whereby Christ communicateth to us the benefits of redemption.
Question 86: What is faith in Jesus Christ?
Answer: Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.
Question 87: What is repentance unto life?
Answer: Repentance unto life is a saving grace, whereby a sinner, out of a true sense of his sin, and apprehension of the mercy of God in Christ, doth, with grief and hatred of his sin, turn from it unto God, with full purpose of, and endeavour after, new obedience.
Christ shows us the way
At the end of the Old Testament era, John the Baptist, the last of the prophets (Matthew 11:13) came as the herald of the Saviour and preaching, “Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” Matthew 3:2. Shortly afterwards, came Christ preaching the Gospel and inaugurating a new era, “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” Matthew 4:17.
An essential part of the message that both Christ and John the Baptist preached was the rebuking of the ‘religious establishment’ of that day!
“And the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire,” Matthew 3:4-12.
The Saviour in like fashion contended with the falsehoods of the religious leaders of that time set forth as God’s truth!
“But their scribes and Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, Why do ye eat and drink with publicans and sinners? And Jesus answering said unto them, They that are whole need not a physician; but they that are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance,” Luke 5:30-32.
A fuller reprimand of the religious leaders is found in Matthew 23. Here he exposes the errors and deceit of those counted as ‘God’s servants’.
It is a most blistering reproof that should be read carefully by all, especially those who would wish to follow in the footsteps of Christ and preach His Word to their fellow man!
Heart of God’s Word.
Paul sets forth the very core of the Gospel.
“But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his deeds: to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: but unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; but glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God,” Romans 2:2-11.
Mindset
The established set of attitudes held by the Irish Government and Gerry Kelly is born of their Roman Catholic upbringing. It is anti-British republicanism. Irrespective of the ‘niceties of diplomatic chit-chat’, seen in the exchanges between London and Dublin, the true thinking of Irish politicians surfaces on occasions like that of the attempt to hide away Kelly’s crimes.
They fool themselves if they think that this secreting away of the record of the crimes of the IRA means an end of them. Far more serious is the general folly of the human heart when it thinks that man-invented religious exercises eternally does away with sin!
I repeat again the wonderful and blessed ‘kernel’ of the Bible’s message of mercy.
“He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.”
“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.”
(John 3:36, 5:24, 6:47)
Rev Ivan Foster (Rtd)
Monday, 12th January 2026