NORAID web site launched id NAA20952; Wed, 24 Sep 1997 13:02:01 -0400 Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit source: cbhaird@nextek.net (Chris Ward) Irish Northern Aid Committee National Office: 363 Seventh Avenue, Suite 405, New York, N.Y. 10001 212-736-1916 *1-800-IRELAND * 212-279-1916 (FAX) Press Release For Immediate Release Contact: Christy Ward National Press Relations Officer 614-344-9651 (day/eve) 614-344-2819 (FAX) cbhaird@nextek.net New York (Sept. 17) - Ever conscious of the rapidly changing political climate in the north of Ireland and the many questions these changes bring, the Irish Northern Aid Committee has launched a home page on the World Wide Web, where Irish American supporters, Human Rights activists and journalists can access the latest information about the struggle for Irish self-determination in Ireland, the plight of Irish political prisoners and their families, British occupation in the Six Counties, the Orange Order and Orange marches and general information about Irish Northern Aid. Gerry Coleman, director of political education for the Irish Northern Aid Committee, said the long-term project was aimed at all levels of interest and anticipated the site would help counter the nearly 30 years of British propaganda that has wrongly portrayed the struggle as a religious fight between warring Irish tribes and Noraid as something other than a humanitarian organization dedicated to helping Irish political prisoners and their families. "We've been working on this web site for more than a year," said Coleman, "pulling together literally thousands of pages of information about the struggle for justice and liberty in Ireland, the underlying causes of the conflict, background on the Orange Order and the siege of Drumcree, information on the Royal Ulster Constabulary, the British Army, lethal plastic bullets and reports on what your member of Congress is doing to advance peace with justice in Ireland." Coleman complimented Maria Manko, an Irish Northern Aid volunteer with extensive experience in web page design, for her tireless efforts to insure the site is inclusive and up-to-date. "People with only a entry level understanding of the conflict can visit the site and come away with a better understanding of why the struggle for civil rights in the late 1960s developed into an armed conflict with the British Army. Journalists will have instant access to the latest press releases from our New York office and students will find the site useful for research and documentation," said Coleman. "Those who visit the site will also be able to access the current issues of The Irish People, the weekly newspaper published in New York since 1971, which reports on the current conflict from an Irish Republican point of view with an American touch. The paper lists activities around the nation in support of freedom and justice in Ireland, news, local and regional columns, and suggests ways activists can support Irish political prisoners," Coleman said. The Irish Northern Aid web site can be accessed at http://inac.org and The Irish People is at http://inac.org/IrishPeople/ on the World Wide Web. The New York-based Irish Northern Aid Committee, founded in 1970, is a non-profit, humanitarian organization which raises funds for the families of Irish political prisoners in British, Irish and American jails. -30- ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us 339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012 http://www.blythe.org e-mail: nyt@blythe.org ================================================================= nytire-09.24.97-13:02:02-4386