Hi Gerry and Ryan! Impressed that you are familiar with this part of NJ. Did you know the air often smells like chocolate?

I am excited to be a part of the Wild Geese. While I love all of Ireland, my academic study focuses on the Hooded Men and 1971. In fact, I am off for a visit with them later this month, and then down to Longford Town for the Farrell Clan Rally.

Best,

Lauretta

Gerry,

The Hooded Men are a group of 14 Irish Catholic men living in the north of Ireland, most of whom were active with the IRA, who were interned on August 9, 1971 as part of Operation Demetrius. They were chosen for what British security forces called " enhanced interrogation," otherwise known as tortured. The response to their treatment was so great that the government of the Irish Republic filed a human rights abuse case against the UK in the European Court of Human Rights. Their case is the benchmark used by democratic governments, including Israel and the US, to justify the use of techniques such as hooding and water boarding. I am writing a book about this, but in the meantime, you can check out my blog at The14HoodedMen.blogspot.com.