Saoirse na hÉireann

Saoirse na hÉireann (English: "Freedom of Ireland") is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that formed in 2005 and mainly contains disaffected, young, republicans, from the Belfast area. [cite web | author=Dan McGinn | title="Watchdog body says two new hardline republican groups at work in North" | work=Irish Examiner | url=http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/2006/02/02/story142753038.asp| accessdate=13 June | accessyear=2007]

In February 2006, the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) reported that a new republican group styling itself "Saoirse na hÉireann" (SnaÉ) had been formed, along with another organisation, "Óglaigh na hÉireann", after a split from the Continuity IRA. The report claimed the SnaÉ was responsible for a number of hoax devices. [ [http://www.independentmonitoringcommission.org/documents/uploads/8th%20IMC%20Report.pdf Eighth Report of the Independent Monitoring Commission] ]

In April 2006, the IMC report that the group where recruiting members and the SnaÉ were behind a hoax bomb scare at Down Royal racecourse in December 2005. [ [http://www.nio.gov.uk/independent_monitoring_commission_tenth_report.pdf Tenth Report of the Independent Monitoring Commission] ]

The IMC stated that they did not know how long the group would last and Derryman Richard Walsh, a member of the Ard Chomhairle of Republican Sinn Féin, claimed that he was not aware of the group's existence stating "We don't pay much attention to the IMC reports. To be honest, I have never heard of a group called Saoirse na hÉireann and I don't think that many other people have heard of them either." [cite web | author= | title="IMC split claim rejected" 3 February 2006, p.5 | work=Derry Journal | url=http://www.derryjournal.com/| accessdate=13 June | accessyear=2007]

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