[1]10th July. Received a letter from the Press Complaints Commission acknowledging my complaint that the ‘Irish News’ refuses to carry a retraction in relation to false information it published by Richard O’Rawe about myself [and Gerry Adams].
8th July. Spoke at the launch of Féile’s 2009 programme. Interviewed by UTV and Marie-Louise Muir of BBC Arts Extra. Later, Sean Paul O’Hare, director of Féile, and I gave a presentation to the Arts Council at Louis MacNiece House, Malone Road, about the festival and the city of Belfast.
7th July. Rewriting ‘Rudi’ – again!
4th July. Leslie and I went to see ‘Public Enemies’, starring Johnny Depp, the script for which was written by Ronan Bennett.
3rd July. Went to Belfast Crown Court in solidarity with the family of Harry Holland before the sentencing of those involved in his murder.
30th June – 4th July. Proofing the Féile programme.
23rd June – 29th June. At Glastonbury festival. Neil Young and Tom Jones brilliant. Bruce Springstein disappointing. The Prodigy’s gig was incredible.
17th June. Very emotional meeting in Gulladuff with the families of the 1981 hunger strikers. Some of them hadn’t seen each other in many years. Humbled in their presence and by their dignity given the nasty, ego-driven revisionism by certain elements on that heroic period and how we on the outside, advising the prisoners, coped.
11th June. Left copies of ‘’The Wrong Man’ with David at No Alibis bookshop, Botanic.
10th June. Addressed law students from Duquesne [USA] at Queens University.
9th June. Meeting of Féile’s Drama sub-group.
6th June. Birth of granddaughter, Lauren Louise. Liam’s wife Lisa, doing well.
30th May. ‘Irish Times’ printed a correction, pointing out that a letter it had published by former prisoner Richard O’Rawe had falsely quoted documents released by the British under the Freedom of Information Act. Richard had disingenuously inserted mine and Gerry Adams’ name into the document.