IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... the Brits tried to introduce conscription in Ireland in 1918 ; it went bad for them , but they did'nt learn from it : in 1941 , they looked at the Six partitioned North-Eastern Counties of Ireland -and considered conscription again ! At a meeting in January 1941 between the US Ambassador to the 26-County State , a Mr. David Gray , and Eamon de Valera , strong words were spoken .......
Mr. Gray stated that de Valera "...had capitalised on hatred of Great Britain for political reasons and so must take some responsibility for the existing popular state of mind ..." , by which he meant the Free State policy of (so-called) 'neutrality' and the then impending strong possibility of conscription by Westminster in the Six Occupied Counties , which de Valera and his State Administration were opposed to .
David Gray said afterwards - " He ( de Valera ) began to talk about his rights . I told him that the only right that he and myself enjoyed was to believe in our religion , and be burned for it if need be . Every other right depended upon force to maintain it , and he was steering a very dangerous course if he thought otherwise ... " ('1169...' comment - that is a truism that the Free Staters and their latest 'new friends' , the Provisional Sinn Fein political party , amongst others , would do well to remember ) .
Although pro-British in his mindset , Mr. Gray recognised the reality of the then existing political situation on the island of Ireland - on 24th May , 1941 , he sent a wire-cable (ie - like a 'text message' , for our younger readers !) to the American Secretary of State ...
(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.
AISLINGI .......
" ....... all places steeped in history - Slaine , connected with our Saint Patrick , and Sliabh Mis , where the herdsmen gathered ......."
" We pass over time and space to visit the mighty Brian at Kincora ; he is mighty because by his energy and tenacity he succeeded in uniting the warring factions of his country-men , and with one strong blow drove from Ireland a powerful invader . The death of Brian and the almost entire destruction of his race on the day of victory at Clontarf was a calamity not fully appreciated at that time . For , when the next invader came , a weak-kneed monarch occupied the throne of Ireland .
To encompass within a small space even the names of all the historic places of Ireland would be difficult ; to enumerate the battles , large and small , which, during the past ten centuries , have been fought on the sod of Ireland would take a long time . To assess the amount of suffering endured by the people of Ireland during one day of foreign rule would be impossible .
I will mention only one more famous place - Aileach : ancient fortress of the O'Neills ; its age is over two thousand years ... "
(MORE LATER).
Communication from BOBBY SANDS , Long Kesh H-Blocks , early December 1978 .......
As published in 'IRIS' magazine , November 1981 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
(5 of 6).
" We have now reached the stage where we have not a single thing left to lose except the loss of life among us and we know that even this is imminent . We are not prepared to sit back and be battered to pulp , to be literally torn apart , to have our naked bodies scalded and scarred .
In our naked state we are easy prey and very vulnerable to attack . We have little to fight back with . We can suffer no more than is being inflicted upon us now . If necessary we shall fight to the death ... "
(MORE LATER).
