'1169....' was represented at the 'Irish Blog Awards' ceremony on Saturday last , 11 March , in The Alexander Hotel in Dublin . And we made a 'record' (of sorts!) of our own at same - we were the only blog that walked into the Awards ceremony with two spot-prizes [2 framed 1916 Proclamations to be given away during the raffle] and left the Awards ceremony with two spot-prizes [2 passes for a film premier in Dublin] !
It was a great night , enjoyed by all : well organised by Damien Mulley and ably presented by Rick O' Shea . Congratulations to all the winners , and 'Thank You' to all the sponsors . We here at ' 1169 And Counting....' are looking forward to the next one . Especially now as we have a whole new list of people to hassel for votes .... !
FIANNA FAIL - THE MASK OF DE VALERA ....... From 'AP/RN' , August 10th , 1989 .
(No 'By-Line')
It was under the names of Eamon de Valera and Frank Aiken (IRA Chief of Staff in succession to Liam Lynch and later a leading Fianna Failer) that the 'Dump Arms' order of 1923 was issued , ending IRA actions against the Free State forces .
In the year that followed , as Republicans re-grouped and re-organised , there was intense debate on the way forward : de Valera was to emerge the victor in that debate . There were roughly three schools of thought ; firstly , there was the section of the IRA leadership which , after the Treaty betrayal , was intensely suspicious of all 'politicians' and which saw the re-organisation of the IRA in preparation for a renewed military campaign as the only way to restore the Republic .
Secondly , there were those who believed that opposition to the Treaty should be rallied around the Republican members of the Second Dail which they recognised as the only legitimate government in the country . The third was that of de Valera who believed that Republicans should enter the Free State parliament and 'reverse the Treaty from within' : all three broad strands of opinion were represented in the IRA which at the same time maintained its independence from them and was committed primarily to the task of military re-organisation .......
(MORE LATER).
1913 : 75 YEARS AFTER THE LOCK-OUT .......From 'Liberty News' , March/April 1988 .
(No 'By-Line' )
The workers also began to defend themselves through the formation of a Citizen Army : intellectuals and many middle-class sympathisers rallied to the workers' side , shocked at the awful conditions and horrified at the pig-headedness of the employers : however , the Catholic Church was less sympathetic and positively hostile to the notion of Dublin's starved youngsters going to the 'Godless' homes of English sympathisers for the duration .
James Connolly wondered why souls were of greater concern than bellies ! In the face of uneven odds the Lock-Out began to crumble in January 1914 as the Building Labourers' Union returned , as many others were to do , without signing the offending document . Some stuck it out until May 1914 but , in the end , the employers could and did claim victory as resistance collapsed - but they lacked the strength to enforce their victory , as the Irish Transport and General Workers Union survived ; in defeat , the ITGWU had gained many adherents and , more significantly , had laid the foundations that led James Connolly to conclude :
" From the effects of this drawn battle both sides are still bearing heavy scars . How deep those scars are , none will ever reveal . But the working class has lost none of its aggressivness , none of its confidence , none of the hope in the ultimate triumph . No traitor amongst the ranks of that class has permanently gained , even materially , by his or her treachery .
The flag of the Irish Transport and General Workers Union still flies proudly in the van of the Irish working class , and that working class still marches proudly and defiantly at the head of the gathering hosts who stand for a regenerated nation , resting upon a people industrially free . "
(MORE LATER).
PLUS CA CHANGE .Charles Haughey and Charles Stewart Parnell .
From 'MAGILL' magazine , February 1998 .
By Vincent Browne.
Charles Haughey was not the first 'great Irish leader' whose reputation has been besmirched by allegations of financial corruption . Charles Stewart Parnell was the subject of the most serious allegations of financial impropriety , and the substance of these allegations has been added to by evidence that has emerged . In 1883 , the then huge sum of £40,000 ( in present-day terms , about £2.5 million) was collected from around the country to enable Parnell to get out of financial difficulties .
This donation was open and its purpose clear , so that his acceptance of it is not questionable - what is questionable , however , are two other huge donations that Parnell received : £1000 (about £62,500 in present-day terms) from a Mr. John Morrogh and a massive £10,000 (£600,000 in present-day terms) from the South African imperialist Cecil Rhodes .
It would seem clear that both of these donations were intended for the Irish Party ; however , when challenged about these donations after the split over the O'Shea divorce case ,Parnell was unable to account for certain items .......
(MORE LATER).
