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Martin Ferris

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Martin Ferris
Teachta Dála
In office
February 2016–February 2020
ConstituencyKerry
In office
February 2011–February 2016
ConstituencyKerry North–West Limerick
In office
May 2002–February 2011
ConstituencyKerry North
Personal details
Born(1952-03-28)28 March 1952(age 72)
Tralee,County Kerry,Ireland
Political partySinn Féin
Spouse
Máire Hoare
​
(m.1978)​
Children6, includingToiréasa
EducationSt Mary's CBS

Martin Ferris(born 28 March 1952) is an Irish formerSinn Féinpolitician and formerProvisional Irish Republican Army(IRA)volunteerwho served as aTeachta Dála(TD) from 2002 to 2020.[1]

Early and personal life

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Ferris was born in Strand Street inTralee,County Kerry,in 1952.[2]His father was a farmer who was also a caretaker for Barrow House, which was at that time owned by an aunt. He was educated locally at Barrow National School,St Mary's CBS,and Tralee Technical School. He left school early, working on his family's farm and as a fisherman. His father died from a stroke in 1970.

Martin met his wife, Máire Hoare, after his release fromPortlaoise Prisonin 1977. They married in January 1978 and have six children. A daughter,Toiréasa,is a formerCathaoirleachofKerry County Counciland councillor for the Tralee electoral area.

Gaelic football career

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Ferris played in the Cotter Cup at the under-14 age group as a back. He played as centre forward forChurchill GAA.He began his inter-county career in 1972 playing Under-21 football forKerry.He lined out as a forward, beatingCorkat the Munster final, although the team was beaten byGalwayat the All Ireland Final. Despite being on the run, he was selected in 1973. He won anAll-Ireland Under-21 Football Championshipmedal with Kerry, beatingMayo2–12 to 0–13. His career was interrupted by his imprisonment later that year. After being released he resumed playing for Churchill and was selected byMick O'Dwyerto play for theSeniorsin 1978. Ferris left the Kerry training panel after the Munster final that year (in which he was unable to play), owing to poor health andGarda Special Branchsurveillance.[3]

Provisional IRA activity

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Ferris joined theProvisional IRAshortly after the death of his father on 29 May 1970. Aged 18, he was sworn in by Paddy Kelly and Liam Cotter, a former vice-chairman of the Kerry County Board of the GAA.[4]The IRA in Kerry was under the direction of theIRA Southern Command,whose main responsibility was to support IRA activity inNorthern Ireland.

From September 1974 to February 1975, Ferris was on the run. He was suspected of having taken part in a robbery at the Tralee post office, which resulted in £74,000 being stolen, and a robbery at theChase Manhattan BankinShannon, County Clarein December 1974 which led to the theft of £159,000.[5]He was arrested byGardaíinYoughal,County Cork,on 14 February 1975, along with two other IRA members, viz., Danny O'Sullivan and Robert McNamara. The Gardaí had been on the alert after a robbery at Central Dairies inDungarvan,County Waterford.[6]They were later tried by theSpecial Criminal Courtwhere O'Sullivan was sentenced to six and eight years concurrently. Ferris was not convicted of robbery but was remanded toPortlaoise Prisonpending further charges of membership in the IRA as a proscribed organisation.[7]He was sentenced to 12 months in Portlaoise. He was released after nine months in November 1975.[8]

He was arrested again in February 1976 at a Garda roadblock inBallinrobe,County Mayoafter attending the funeral ofFrank Stagg.On 16 February, he was charged with IRA membership at the Special Criminal Court in Dublin, and sentenced to 18 months in prison.[9]In March 1977, Ferris took part in a hunger strike along with 20 other prisoners, demanding a public inquiry into conditions in the prison. After 32 days he was transferred to Curragh Military Hospital. The hunger strike ended after 47 days. A guarantee had been given to the prisoners by BishopJames Kavanaghthat the government would work to improve prison conditions.[10]Although conditions improved somewhat,Tim Pat Coogan,a nationalist historian and former editor ofThe Irish Press,noted that after a visit in 1977 tensions still remained, and mentioned reports of visitors being denied visits after long distances and that strip searching was still carried out.[11]Ferris was released two months later in June 1977.[11]

In September 1984, Ferris attempted to import seven tons of explosives, firearms and ammunition,[12]as well as medications, training manuals, and communications equipment, using the fishing vesselMarita Ann,which was piloted by Mike Browne, another IRA member.[13]The plan involved rendezvousing with the trawlerValhalla,captained by Bob Anderson, which sailed fromBoston, Massachusetts,transferring arms and ammunition to theMarita Annand sailing to the south coast of County Kerry, where a number of cars were on standby to deliver the weapons to various Provisional IRA arms dumps.[14]TheMarita Annwas intercepted by theIrish Navyvessels theLÉEmerand theLÉAislingoff the south coast of Kerry with the weapons and ammunition on board. The crew were arrested. On 11 December 1984, Ferris and two other members of theMarita Anncrew, including Browne and a United States citizen, John Crawley, were sentenced to ten years imprisonment at Portlaoise Prison. Gavin Mortimer and John McCarthy both received suspended sentences.[15]He was released on 11 September 1994.

In February 2005, theMinister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform,Michael McDowell,usingparliamentary privilege,named Ferris—as well asGerry AdamsandMartin McGuinness—as a member of theIRA Army Council,an allegation that has been denied by Ferris and the Sinn Féin leadership. In July of that year, theIrish Independentreported that Ferris,[16]along with Adams and McGuinness, had stepped down from the Army Council in the lead-up to an IRA statement on its future.

Ferris has courted controversy by his refusal to condemnthe murder of Detective Garda Jerry McCabeduring a botched Post Office raid by the Provisional IRA in 1996. Ferris had also greetedPearse McAuleyand Kevin Walsh, the men charged with the manslaughter of Garda McCabe, upon their release from prison as part of the Good Friday Agreement.[17]

Political career

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Kerry County Council

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Following his release from prison he began focusing on community activism, particularly against drug dealing in Kerry. He was appointed to the Sinn Féin Árd Chomhairle in 1995. He ran for election to the Dáil at the1997 general electionin theKerry Northconstituency, polling 5,691 first-preference votes, but was not elected. At the1999 local electionshe was elected to Kerry County Council and Tralee town council. He was an unsuccessful candidate inMunsterinelection held on the same dayto theEuropean Parliament.[18]

Dáil Éireann

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Ferris was first elected toDáil Éireannin Kerry North at the2002 general election,topping the poll and unseating formerLabour leaderandTánaisteDick Spring.[18]

During the election campaign Ferris was arrested but later released. He later claimed that he had been verbally and physically assaulted while in Garda custody.[19]His biographer J.J. Barrett described the Garda surveillance of Ferris as "unhealthy", writing that "it was to backfire seriously".[20]He was re-elected in Kerry North at the2007 general election,for the redrawn constituency ofKerry North–West Limerickat the2011 general election,and for the new constituency ofKerryat the2016.[21]

In the31st Dáilhe was the Sinn Féin spokesperson onAgriculture and Rural Development,and also onthe Marine and Natural Resources.

At the 2017 Sinn Féin Ard Fheis,Gerry Adamsconfirmed neither himself nor Ferris would be standing at the2020 Irish general election.[22]

References

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  1. ^"Martin Ferris".Oireachtas Members Database.Archivedfrom the original on 7 November 2018.Retrieved28 May2009.
  2. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 1".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. pp. 13–14.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  3. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 1".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. pp. 115–117.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  4. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 2".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. p. 44.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  5. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 2".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. pp. 52–53.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  6. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 2".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. pp. 54–55.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  7. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 2".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. pp. 56–57.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  8. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 4".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. p. 72.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  9. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 4".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. p. 74.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  10. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 5".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. p. 109.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  11. ^abCoogan, Tim Pat (2008). "Chapter 11:Liberals Bear their Fangs".Tim Pat Coogan: A Memoir.Weidenfeld & Nicolson. p. 207.ISBN978-0-297-85110-3.
  12. ^"Scannal: Boston".RTÉ Television. 20 October 2010.Archivedfrom the original on 17 August 2016.Retrieved12 December2013.
  13. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 7".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. p. 129.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  14. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 7".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. p. 130.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  15. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 8".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. p. 165.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  16. ^"McGuinness, Adams and Ferris had quit the IRA council".Irish Independent.23 July 2005.Archivedfrom the original on 27 September 2013.Retrieved24 September2013.
  17. ^Ryan, Conor; Fallon, John (6 August 2009)."SF defends Ferris as freed McCabe killers elude media".Irish Examiner.Archivedfrom the original on 3 February 2020.Retrieved4 June2021.
  18. ^ab"Martin Ferris".ElectionsIreland.org.Archivedfrom the original on 3 February 2009.Retrieved28 May2009.
  19. ^"A Draft Chronology of the Conflict – 2002".CAIN.Archivedfrom the original on 6 August 2011.Retrieved24 September2013.
  20. ^Barrett, J.J. (2005). "Chapter 9".Martin Ferris: Man of Kerry.Brandon. p. 205.ISBN0-86322-351-6.
  21. ^"Kerry results".RTÉ News.28 February 2016.Archivedfrom the original on 1 March 2016.Retrieved28 February2016.
  22. ^"Martin Ferris says he will stand down as TD".The Irish Times.Archivedfrom the original on 19 November 2017.Retrieved19 November2017.

Sources

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