WILLIAM ROONEY , poet and journalist ; 1872-1901 .......
....... Ireland , 1872 ; bad times - low wages , shortage of work , sectarian riots .......
In that year (ie 1872), a baby was born in Dublin , and went to school at the CBS ('Christian Brothers School') in Great Strand Street ; as a child , William Rooney became best-friends with another young boy in his class - Arthur Griffith , who , in 1905 , was to establish the Sinn Fein organisation ....
.....a tangent - Griffith himself was an unlikely Irish Republican , and was perhaps better known in his day as , if not an actual capitalist , then an aspiring one ! He was a follower of Deak , the Hungarian author ; Griffith was of the opinion that Irish members of the British Parliament should withdraw from that institution , as he was opposed to the British legislating for internal Irish affairs .
However , Arthur Griffith was known to favour a dual monarchy system (ie as with Hungary and Austria) which would leave the British monarch as 'King of Ireland and England' , but with separate parliaments in both Countries . (...end of [this!] tangent ..)
Arthur Griffith died on 12th August , 1922 ; two weeks later , Michael Collins was killed in an IRA ambush .......
(MORE LATER).
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
COOLNACAHERA and COOMNACLOHY .
" The IRA Column left the old house at Clountycarty at an early hour , sometime about six a.m. It was the morning of 25th February 1921 . The Column had left about the same time every morning for the past fortnight , and returned at the same time when night fell . But the old house would be lonely again tonight without their songs and merry laughter , for they were destined not to return...
Their route was the same as that of the previous mornings , north-east across country , first through the bogs of Gurtanedin , across the Renanirree Road , upwards through Clohina of the stunted oak and holly groves , down Cappanahilla , along a boreen , past a disused farmhouse , along by hedges to cross the inches to the Sullane . Across the Sullane by Tom Murray's Steps , and cautiously upwards and fanning outwards to occupy a quarter-mile stretch of the Macroom-Ballyvourney Road , at Coolnacahera .
The Column crossed the road to the northern side and occupied the full length of the ambush position . A small IRA Column from the Seventh / Macroom Battalion occupied the only suitable positions on the southern side . I was in charge of the Lewis-Gun for the time being , Hughie having gone home the night before ......."
(MORE LATER).
PLASTIC BULLETS - The Child Killers .......
' In Northern Ireland (sic) six children were shot and killed with plastic bullets . Many more were severly injured . Jacinta O'Brien spoke to the families of these innocent victims of violence . '
From 'Womans Way' Magazine , 21st October 1983 , pages 11 , 12 , 13 , and 14 .
Reproduced here in 16 parts .
(12 of 16).
The British soldiers opened fire because word had come through to the Lenadoon Estate that hunger-striker Francis Hughes had died and the women were out banging their bin lids . Witnesses swore that there was no riot in progress ; the banging of bin-lids is a perfectly normal reaction from the women when something happens that they don't like . It's regarded as a peaceful form of protest .
After being taken to hospital with head wounds , Julie Livingstone's parents were told that she was in good condition , but Mrs. Livingstone was not covinced .......
(MORE LATER).
