'TAN WAR' REPUBLICAN NEWSPAPER - 'An tOglach' , 1918-1921.......
.......on 11th July 1921 a 'Truce' between the IRA and the British was signed ; then , on 6th December 1921 , Michael Collins accepted 'Dominion' status and an 'oath' which gave 'allegiance' to the new Irish Free State and 'fidelity' to the British Crown . He knew it was a mistake .......
Walking through the foggy London streets after signing the British document , Michael Collins stated -
- " When you have sweated , toiled , had mad dreams , hopeless nightmares , you find yourself in London's streets , cold and dank in the night air . Think - what have I got for Ireland ? Something which she has wanted these past seven hundred years ? Will anyone be satisfied at the bargain ? Will anyone ? I tell you this ; early this morning I signed my death warrant . I thought at the time how odd , how ridiculous - a bullet may just as well have done the job five years ago . " That 'Treaty' ripped Irish society asunder ; within six months a Civil War had erupted and , to this day , the issue remains unsolved . Other 'Treaty's ' , such as those entered into at Sunningdale , Hillsborough , Stormont and now Leeds Castle in Kent , England , will also fail , and for the same reason - the British claim of jurisdiction over any part of this island .
However - (Tangents aside ...!) - the 'An tOglach' newspaper , 'The Official Organ of The Irish Volunteers' , was not re-published after the 'Treaty of Surrender' in 1921 ; its first and last Editor , Piaras Beaslai , unfortunately followed the example of a previous Editor of 'An tOglach' , Ernest Blythe - he 'jumped ship ...' .......
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WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
THE TRUCE.......
".......the 'Truce' was on ; ten feet apart stood four armed British Auxies and four armed IRA men - a Model T. Ford car was parked between them . The car used to belong to the Brits , but was now in the employ of the IRA . One of the British Auxies was adament that the car should be returned ; he squared-up to us and asked his colleagues to back him up ....... "
" "Sorry , old bean ," one of his colleagues replied , "there's a Truce you know . We were just going in across the way . Will you come ? " So saying , they turned away and , without looking back , made straight for the hotel . We stood motionless ; the British gunman held his ground for a few moments only then , putting his pride in his pocket , he started after his colleagues . As he passed by the front of the car on his way across the street , I passed by the rear of it . I could not forbear to fling at him a taunt - " Well , what about it ? " I said to him . " Some other time , " was the reply , as he continued on his way .
We resumed our journey ; again , we wondered how the next enemy group would receive us - a few miles to the west of Ballincollig we met them ; it was a lorry of British Auxiliaries , coming towards Macroom . They slowed down to have a look at the car - realising what we were , they waived gaily and shouted to us ! We waived back - that particular crowd was in good humour at any rate . At Ballincollig we got another friendly reception from the Brit Tommies ; every group and individual saluted us good humouredly , even the sentry at the gate . Arriving in Cork , we got a great ovation from the ordinary people who recognised us as IRA men , but the "shawlies" and "Echo" boys were especially embarrassing to us .
Wherever we stopped they gathered around us , and the " shawlies" would shout to their friends across the street - " Look at 'em , Mary Ann , look at 'em ! Ah, dere the lads dat knocked de stuffing outa d'ould Royal Irish and de Black-and-Tans . More power to ye , boys , more power to ye ! " The "Echo" boys examined our Model T. Ford , pointing out the scars of battle and weaving tales about its adventures ; it had dashed through enemy-occupied towns , overturned barricades and knocked out armoured cars ... !
Spoofers all , no-where to be seen when the fight was on ......."
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TINKER , TAILOR , HIGH RISK SPY .......
By Frank Doherty .
First published in ' New Hibernia ' magazine , May 1987 , pages 7 , 8 and 9 .
Re-produced here in 11 parts .
(9 of 11.)
Just how many of the various British 'initiatives' in Ireland were 'sired' by Maurice Oldfield is uncertain , but he was certainly behind the two sets of 'truce talks' with the Provos , in 1972 , when Sean MacStiophan , Gerry Adams ('1169...' comment - Gerry was only there to fetch drinking water for the participants - he must have been as , according to himself , he was never a 'member' ...) and others were flown to London to meet British politicians in an MI6 'safe house' and in the 1976 'incident centre' ceasefire .
Talks on that occasion were held in the MI6 Station at Laneside , conducted largely by Maurice Oldfield's people , led by James Allan . Ironically , the pick-up point for the two IRA representatives at some of those talks was at an MI6 house on Old Hollywood Road , Belfast , which, it later emerged, was also used for homosexual orgies , although not while the Provos were visiting . (!)
But it was in the long-term strategy which Maurice Oldfield and his colleagues in the 'Foreign Office' applied to Ireland that he left his mark .......
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