Fugitive IRA 'supergrass' visits sister in New York

Suzanne Breen Northern Editor

One of the North's best-known IRA informers, Raymond Gilmour, has made a dramatic visit to New York to be reunited with the sister he hadn't seen for almost 30 years.

Gilmour lives in a secret location in Britain and is battling alcoholism and depression. He remains a target for dissident republicans and individual Provisional IRA members, but didn't give MI5 warning of his trip so no security measures were in place.

"It was a spur-of-the-moment decision to go," Gilmour said. "My psychiatrist had asked MI5 to make arrangements for me to see my family in America but MI5 wouldn't help. Then, I won £2,000 on an accumulator bet on the horses. I thought, 'This is fate, I'm going to America', and I booked myself and my wife on flights. I saw all the sights – Times Square, Fifth Avenue, Central Park, the Brooklyn Bridge, Harlem and the Statue of Liberty. Of course, I was apprehensive in case I was recognised. There are almost as many Irish people in New York as there are in Ireland. But the need to see my family was so strong."

Gilmour's sister, Geraldine Dametz, hadn't seen him since he fled Derry in 1983 after giving evidence against 31 republicans in a supergrass trial. On recently reading aSunday Tribune interview with Gilmour, Dametz, who now lives in New Jersey, asked us to put her in contact with him.

Until then, Gilmour had believed his family had disowned him. For decades after going into hiding he tried unsuccessfully to contact his parents, who are now dead, and his 10 brothers and sisters.

"I couldn't believe it was really Raymond standing there in the airport," said Dametz. "I'd thought I'd never see him again. I hugged him longer and harder than I've hugged anyone in my life. We were separated for three decades but the bond between us is so strong that it was like we'd never been apart."

Gilmour stayed in New York and Atlantic City for 10 days. Dametz said: "One night, we sat up chatting for 14 hours. We talked about mammy lighting the wee fire at home every night and polishing our shoes until they shone so brilliantly even though the soles were full of holes.

"Never seeing my parents again after the trial, or even being able to go to their funerals, tormented Raymond. I had a video of mammy and daddy and our brothers and sisters at home in Derry in 1991. It was very emotional for Raymond watching it and seeing how much he had missed out. After my mother died, I kept the bible that she had read every day. I gave that to Raymond before he left America."

August 29, 2010

Comments

#1 ryan commented, on August 30, 2010 at 9:14 p.m.:

He is a creep who ratted on the cause and his friends.

#2 Michael commented, on August 31, 2010 at 10:16 a.m.:

The " cause " being what, Ryan? And his " friends " being who exactly? How about the "cause" being wholsale murder and mayhem and his " friends " being cold-blooded killers? I'll accept a creep who " rats " on such people any day over terrorists and supporters of terrorism.

#3 Tom commented, on August 31, 2010 at 6:18 p.m.:

1. Why is this convicted terrorist allowed to enter the US?

2. How many people were convicted because of the persons "evidence"? It is funny that even a british judge Lord Lowry, ruled that Gilmour was not a credible witness. He said he was, "entirely unworthy of belief ... a selfish and self-regarding man, to whose lips a lie comes more naturally than the truth".

How can anyone believe anything that comes out of his mouth? Let him go back to Derry and see how the everyday people treat him.

#4 Michael commented, on August 31, 2010 at 7:28 p.m.:

Tom ( Comment #3 ), Just because Lord Lowry opines that Gilmour was not a credible witness doesn't make it so. But I would like to know are you in agreement with ryan ( Comment #1 ) because he appears to be an apologist for terrorism. Are you?

#5 Tom commented, on September 1, 2010 at 5:52 p.m.:

Well now Michael, since I referred to him as a convicted terrorist how would that seem to you to be an apologist for terrorism. If you are going to post a quote let’s not be selective and address the whole quote. You failed to address why a convicted terrorist was allowed into the US?
How many people were convicted by his testimony and what I find the hardest to understand in your post is that you chose to ignore the fact that a british judge, in a diplock court refers to this individual in these terms and threw out all charges against those charged. If a british judge has this opinion of him how can you seem to defend him? Also if this individual is to believed, the british forces allowed this individual to participate in attacks and other illegal activities and allowed them to happen to protect their informant so I ask you, are you an apologist for the security forces allowing innocent people to be killed or maimed by using this tactic or do you just have tunnel vision? If you know anything about Irish society through the years and probably most societies for that matter, is that informers are despised and ostracized, this individual is no different and I find it hard to believe they paint in him in such sorrowful terms, in my opinion he did a deal with the devil and got the bad end of the deal.

#6 Geraldine Gilmour commented, on September 2, 2010 at 12:09 a.m.:

Dear Tom,
First of all my brother was never a convicted terorist he was recruted at the age of 16 years old by the british. He was far to young to understand what he was doing but again i state he was never a member of the IRA but a member of the RUC. If he saved a life of one cathlic, protestant, soldier, or policeman, then he is a hero. To your comment about Judge Lord Lowry i dont believe that comment for one minute. that everything my brother stated about these 31 woman and men i believe it was accurate and i believe the reason he ruled against my brother in these charges was because he was afraid for his own life and thats why these people got off. now my brother is 50 years old and he should be getting the same benefits as any government official, which he is not and this should be looked into, he told me when he was here in the U.S that if he had to do it all over again he would, this is somebody who put thier life on the line everyday for five years. So therefor Tom, you dont know what you are talking about and the article that i put in July 18th, the top articles at that time, one got 1 comment, one got 4 comments, one got 8 comments, and i got 28 comments and 99% of them agreed with me, that my brother Raymond Gilmore, is a hero.

#7 Michael commented, on September 2, 2010 at 2:39 p.m.:

Tom ( Comment # 5 ), I apologize for my mistaken interpretation of what you said and accept you are not an apologist for terrorists. It is true that Irish society despises informers, but there are exceptions in that those who pass on information that exposes criminality or other wrong doing have a right to be protected. Not all British judges are without prejudice and I recall one British judge expressing a wish that the Birmingham Six be executed. As to this particular informer - is it the case that all of the information he passed on was suspect? Of course if even a little of the information he gave was unreliable then there is an arguable case that all of his claims should be rejected.

#8 Paddy McG commented, on September 2, 2010 at 4:47 p.m.:

Well said Geraldine-
Ray was only a kid(16) when he got recruited into being a grass for the British against the Prov IRA-
I can understand by doing this Ray got sucked into the mire and your family had to suffer as the Provos would see your brother as a traitor.
I don't see your brother as a traitor- I see him as an informer whose intentions were to prevent murder...

#9 Tom commented, on September 2, 2010 at 4:57 p.m.:

Geraldine,
Are you for one minute telling me your “hero” brother was never in jail?
Are you telling me that your brother never participated in illegal activities?
The comment from Lord Lowry is an actual comment from the trial right before he dismissed all charges against the accused. The accused were found innocent and your brother was called a liar that is just a fact whether you choose to believe it or not.
Lord Lowry was a judge of many years and convicted many people for terrorist offences so his life was always in danger so that is probably the weakest argument I have ever heard on why the case was thrown out.
Your brother was not a member of the RUC, he was an informer straight and simple and was paid $600 a week for his services. He was a tool that was used and tossed aside when he was no longer useful.
To quote an article in the Tribune from September 14th 2008 “He remembers hearing his minders saying: "'He's not one of ours. He's just another criminal who touted to save his hide and earn a few quid.'"
In the same article your “hero” Gilmour wanted to move to the US or Australia but was told "they wouldn't have me because I'd been in a paramilitary organization." So if he was in a terrorist organization under the US patriot act he should have not been allowed to enter the US.
Even your own sister Dymphna said to one journalist about him: "I'm so ashamed of Raymond that I go by any other name but Gilmour. His claims he was a police agent are laughable – he was a tout. He should stay in his little hell-hole and leave us alone to live in peace."
I have read recently in the Derry Journal your claims that he has been in touch with his family was denied this and still disowned. I very much know what I am talking believe me as a young man I knew some of the families affected by your “hero” and saw them struggle every day to feed their families. I think that you and your “hero” are about the only catholic Derry people who think that he was right. You are defending your brother and that is understandable but just know that is in the past no one believes your brother and as in the past no one but yourself and fellow informers have any sympathy for his plight

#10 Fin MacCool commented, on September 2, 2010 at 8:51 p.m.:

Judas Iscariot was also an informer/betrayer. Judecca, named after the apostle who betrayed Jesus (Judas Iscariot), is the innermost zone of the ninth and final circle of hell

#11 Geraldine Gilmour commented, on September 3, 2010 at 9:32 a.m.:

Dear Tom,
When my Brother Was about ten years old My mother took my brother to a wake. One of my older brother friends "M. Best" joined the irish rangers in the British Army, They joined before the troubles in Derry began. It so happens that when M. Best comes home on holiday, he was Kippnapped By the IRA. He tourcehed and murdered, he was burned with ciggerttes, in his eyes, on his face, They pulled out his nails, lit matches under his finger. When my mother returned home she explained to father in detail what these animals did to my sons friend. The details were so vivid it was like I wittnessed he murder, and to think that could of been my brother. When he was Fifteen or sixteen year old, Raymond Had gotten into a minor crime. He was then sent to the "Chrum Road Jail" for his crime, Then IRA members beat Raymond so suverly that he decided at that time He knew he had enough. As a young man around the age of Sixteen years old, RUC Aproched him about becoming a agent, they later told him to join the IRA and bring all the IRA criminal activites back to the RUC Speacial branch and they educated him. Then the IRA Kippnapped My Father so Raymond would Retrack his edvidence agaisnt the 31 woman and men....

#12 Tom commented, on September 3, 2010 at 7:09 p.m.:

Geraldine,
I am perfectly aware that your brother was found guilty of robbery; imagine your brother doing something for money it is shocking is it not?
I am perfectly aware of the ranger best story, the official IRA killed him which effectiveley finished that organization in Derry.
I am perfectly aware that your brother was beaten for being a hood in jail.
I am perfectly aware that your father was held by the IRA, it is all known information, if I never had knowledge of some of these events then the internet is a wonderful tool. You can find out things such as what your brother went to jail for, the weather in Japan, people going to jail for phoning in scares to Princeton University all these things, it’s a small world now.
If I sat here and started out a list of all the things I had seen growing up in Derry say for example Gary Gormley getting squashed up against a wall by an armored personnel carrier when I was 6 years old and saw the soldiers open up the back door and laugh before driving off we could be side tracked for a long time. We all have seen terrible things.
Let us get to the crux of the issue here; the vast majority of informers do not become informers just because, there is always an underlying reason.
They either get caught in a compromising position such as a criminal act where a long jail sentence is possible, they have a personal vendetta for say a beating or some other reason but it is never because they want to do the right thing.

#13 Tom commented, on September 3, 2010 at 7:11 p.m.:

continued..
People in Derry lined up to join the IRA after Bloody Sunday because they wanted to get back at the british, maybe your brother joined up to get back at the people who beat him or simply to save his own skin . He at any time could have said no, there have been many 16 years olds that have been approached and said no. I was approached at the age of 14 and offered money and also threatened to be put in jail or family members harmed by the RUC to watch people, I choose to say no, he could have also.
When the trial was going on, your own mother called out to him in court to stop and again he could have retracted and he chose not to. He did not do it because he was a dedicated agent; he did it for himself again the judge referred to him as a selfish and self regarding man. Why did your brother not retract his false evidence when his own father’s life was at risk?
In all these posts you put on here, if anyone comes up with a logical reason to refute you or your brothers claims, you choose to ignore them and move on to some other rambling nonsense to try and justify what your brother did.
You choose to ignore that the rest of your family members (and I personally know a few) have called him a liar, a tout and disowned him.
You made statements that the judge was afraid for his life, but never tried to refute my response.
You tried to disregard the actual fact and court description of how the judge referred to your brother’s testimony and the type of individual that he was.
You never refuted what his minders thought of him or the fact he could not live anywhere else because he was a member of an illegal organizationYou made the statement that you believe the innocent individuals your brother gave evidence against and that people agree that your brother is a hero. Well I challenge you to back up these claims and it is fairly simple, you do not even have to leave your home to do so.
Write an open letter to the Derry journal, explain that you agree that these individuals were indeed guilty as you claim and offer proof. Back up your claims that your brother is in touch with other family members and they have spoken to him and offer proof.
Request an online poll in the journal that they run for all types of issues for people to agree or disagree that your brother should be allowed to return to Derry unharmed or even do they believe your brother was telling the truth.
Simple enough to do and if you will not do this can you give a reason for why not?
Back up your claims, every post I have placed on here has been based on fact which I have documented, you have not produced one factual piece of evidence to back up these and your earlier claims
I would like to pass along that I and others have contacted our local congressman to inquire from the department of homeland security why under the patriot act your brother was allowed to enter the US.

#14 joe commented, on September 4, 2010 at 2:48 a.m.:

At least the Irish don't talk things to death like they did 20 years ago, and have grown up a bit.

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