Letter to Irish Red Cross Central Council Members

Dear Readers,

The Blog has decided to post the following letter which was written by Irish Red Cross member, Gerard Moyne, to all Central Council members. Mr. Moyne requested central council contact details from Irish Red Cross head office but he was informed if he wished to send correspondence to central council members he should send the letters to IRC head office in Dublin and letters would be distributed from there. Mr. Moyne did this last week and to-date head office has failed to forward on the correspondence to central council members. As it is very important members receive the letter before the upcoming Central Council meeting on 5th March the Blog has agreed to post Mr. Moyne’s letter on the Blog as there are real and warranted fears that Merrion Square will censor such correspondence and either refuse or intentionally delay posting out the letters. Letter as follows:



18 February 2011

Dear Colleagues,

I wrote to all of you in November 2010 and I would like to thank most sincerely the three Central Council members who responded to my letter. Some have suggested that no response was necessary and indeed given the amount of information that has been given to you to date it is probably beyond anyone’s ability to respond to the revelations which have been exposed to you directly and within the Blog.

Still though inaction is never the answer to solving problems and I hope that is something that can change.I now write to you, to appeal to your better judgment in the hope that you will act. I ask that you speak out against the fundamental wrongs taking place within the Irish Red Cross. I have spoken of this for over twenty years and can stand firm over my conviction that those responsible must be held accountable for their unacceptable actions and behavior. The flame of madness they have kindled must be extinguished.

I have no doubt that the majority of you are good honest hardworking individuals with absolutely no intention of consciously harming anyone, yet inaction and silence in the face of deep rooted problems and immoral actions such as diverting overseas funds to pay for domestic activities, misgovernance, mismanagement, negligence, bullying, harassment and intimidation, causes real harm and untold damage to the Irish Red Cross. As Central Council members I appeal to you to honour your fiduciary responsibilities and address the crisis within the Irish Red Cross. The findings of the internal investigation into the Tipperary Tsunami bank account prove beyond doubt that all is not well within the Irish Red Cross. And yet no-one has been held accountable. It is a lack of accountability and responsibility that has ruined this country and similarly it is ruining the Irish Red Cross.

I ask that you not ignore the fact that two major political parties, Fine Gael and Labour, one of whom and possibly both, will shortly be in government, have singled out the Irish Red Cross in their manifesto as requiring fundamental governance changes. Our future government has in effect recognised that without their intervention the Irish Red Cross is on a path of self destruction. Not one other charity in the whole country is singled out like this. This is a terrible indictment on the Irish Red Cross and is a huge humiliation for all our hard working and committed members. The incoming Government has deemed it necessary to intervene directly simply because the Irish Red Cross has failed to properly regulate its own affairs.

Many of the allegations I have made over the past twenty years as well as those on the Blog have now been proved to be correct and those that have yet to be proved we have called for independent investigations, which I have no doubt will prove them accurate. Why has the Irish Red Cross failed to mount a defence to my allegations, to the allegations on the Blog and the hundreds of questions asked in Dail Eireann? The answer is because it cant, because the allegations are correct and truthful.

The Red Cross was founded in 1864 to combat the real enemy as stated by Henry Dunant:“The enemy, our real enemy, is not the neighbouring country; it is hunger, cold poverty, ignorance, routine, superstition, prejudice”.

I beg you to read Dunant's book “In Memory of Solferino”. Here you will find the real meaning why you and I have committed ourselves to the humanitarian struggle which we do proudly through the Red Cross. If we do not combat the malevolent wrongs and the obsession with power and control which pervades the core of the Irish Red Cross then we will have failed not only ourselves but all that rely on the protection of the Red Cross. In the past and still to this day I have been castigated by those threatened by the truth and numerous attempts have been made to damage my character and reputation. Despite this I stand firm in my conviction that in all my years of lobbying for change in the Irish Red Cross I have at all times been committed to the protection of the integrity of the Irish Red Cross and have only spoken out when wrongs are committed. I shall continue to speak out until such time as the Irish Red Cross is reformed and in particular until those responsible for the organisation’s ills are held accountable and expelled from the organisation for life.

We must all act together to insure that the Principles of the Red Cross are not only promoted, but are fully understood and adhered to by all within the Irish Red Cross. I am not the enemy, nor is Noel Wardick. Juanita Majury was not the enemy, Mary Cullivan was not the enemy, James Walsh was not the enemy, Louis White was not the enemy, Bernadette Buckely was not the enemy. The list of those courageous enough to stand up to the powerful elite and who were chased from the organisation, while not endless, is very long and reflects the extent of the disease that grows deep within the Irish Red Cross. All these people are far more committed, dedicated and loyal to the Irish Red Cross than any member of the antiquated ruling elite.

As a life-long member I hope that you as a governing member of the Irish Red Cross will act on behalf of the good that Henry Dunant and others dreamed of. End this incompetent and debased regime, trust in yourself and stand behind the emblem of the Red Cross with pride. You are the future and you are the person that has been appointed and trusted to act responsibly. Do what you feel is right, show no fear and trust in yourself and I as a member of the Irish Red Cross will stand behind you. But please do not stay silent. Please demand change. Please seek resignations.

History has shown time and time again that those individuals who are obsessed with power and who serve lengthy and unchallenged periods in office do great damage to countries and organisations. The Irish Red Cross is no exception.

“Tutti Fratelli”

Gerard Moyne
Life Member
Irish Red Cross