IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
.......the British 'Military Services Bill' (the 'Conscription Act') was 'introduced' to Ireland by Westminster in 1918 ; the then leader of the Irish Volunteers , John Dillon , warned the Brits that it would cause further trouble for them in Ireland .....
Two days after Conscription was 'introduced' into Ireland (16th April 1918) , a meeting was held in the Mansion House , in Dublin (on 18th April) , at which representatives of all political opinion (and none) turned up . A statement was issued to the media following that meeting -
- " Denying the right of the British Government to enforce compulsory service in this country , we pledge ourselves solemnly to one another to resist conscription by the most effective means at our disposal . " The 'natives' were stirring ... and 19 days later , the Brits struck back : on the night of 7th May , 1918 , the British 'Lord Lieutenant of Ireland' , Field Marshal 'Lord' French , sent out his armed thugs and 'arrested' the leadership of the then Sinn Fein organisation - 73 people in all .
This 'round-up' by the Brits became known as the 'German Plot' arrests . However - those 'arrests' backfired on Westminster ; Sinn Fein had been 'tipped-off' in advance about them .......
(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 .......
" Padraig Pearse , Roger Casement , Jim Daly - all knew the 'Aisling' , and all had their spirits raised by it . As did James Fintan Lalor , who made the following resolution ....... "
" That of natural right , on the grant of God , the soil of Ireland belongs to the people of Ireland , who therefore have a clear vested right of property in the soil to the extent of full , comfortable , and secure subsistence therefrom , which never could or can be parted with , pass or perish .
And which no power on earth , nor any length of adverse possession can take away , annul , bar , or diminish . That the people of Ireland have for ages been deprived of their natural right to property in their own soil , that their right has been in practical effect , utterly defeated and diverted , and that it now requires to be asserted , enforced and established . "
The all-encircling ocean is the boundary of their heritage . Let the thoughts wander like fleeting cloud-shadows over the land ; they will pause , here and there , above the dust of our illustrious forefathers , and over that of the great men and women of our own time . All are now part of the spirit-world of the Gael , an invisible but potent force . When we think of the past , we think of places like Tara and Clonmacnois ....... "
(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 .
(2 of 6).
" At present , and with the coming of Christmas , the prison administration here have set about and are carrying out an escalated and massive torture offensive aimed directly at breaking the blanket protest . Within the past week here the prison administration have claimed that an epidemic of head lice has broken out in H-Block 3 , and using this as an excuse - with the backing of their own medical cronies - they have dragged blanket men from their cells , beat them senseless , threw them into baths of disenfectant , forcibly scrubbed them , cut their hair and shaved their beards off with a razor .
This is simply another blatant brutal attempt to brutalise us into submission ....... "
(MORE LATER).
(Please note - the 'Long Weekend' starts today , Friday , 22nd October - the coming Monday is a Bank Holiday here in the 26 Counties ie the whole State practically shuts down ! Our 'Junior' is off with his 'moth' , so we may or may not be here on the Monday . If not , Tuesday will be business as usual -Sharon ).
Thursday, October 21, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .......
....... 1918 ; Sinn Fein declared by the Brits to be "...an illegal organisation ...." , as was the Irish Volunteers and the Gaelic League . 'The Great War' ('WW1') was going badly for Westminster , and conscription was made law in England in 1916 - now the Brits were looking towards Ireland ...
Since the outbreak of 'The Great War' in August 1914 , tens-of-thousands of Irishmen had fought , and were fighting , side-by-side as volunteers in the British Army , having answered the call by British 'Lord' Kitchener to help defeat "...the dastardly Hun ..to protect small nations ....." . But the 'Conscription Act' worked against the British - even the then leader of the Irish Volunteers , John Dillon , was against it .
It should be noted that that same organisation (Irish Volunteers) , then under the leadership of John Redmond , had , in 1914 , backed the British war machine , which led to a split in the Irish Volunteers . However - John Dillon stated , in the British 'House of Commons' , as he was leading his members in a walk-out from that institution in protest over the Conscription Act - " All Ireland will rise against you ."
He was to be proved right .......
(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 .......
"....... those with the 'Vision' were not 'contented serfs' , happy with their lot as long as their bank account eased their conscience . But the Ireland which Padraig Pearse envisaged was not yet established ....... "
" Padraig Pearse wanted an Ireland " ...not Gaelic merely but free as well ; not free merely but Gaelic as well . " Some progress has been made , but there is yet much to be done . What has been achieved was the result of great sacrifice and hard work by good Irishmen and women ; the ranting of politicians had no part in it , and it is not to be expected ever will have in future progress . It is Irish men and women , educated to the true meaning of freedom , who will one day achieve it .
The 'Aisling' of the Ireland of the future , as seen by the greatest as well as the most humble among her lovers was simply a picture of the people , happy , prosperous and Gaelic-speaking , back on the good land from which they had been driven to make room for the bullock and the sheep . This condition once achieved , the prosperity of the towns and cities was assured . The old virtures , culture and pride of race would soon return ; the politicians say that such a movement was begun soon after the Treaty of 1921 : its progress is not perceptible . The people are still in the waste places where they were driven to die , while the bullock and the sheep live on the fat of the land .
Our people must go up again to the mountain and look out over their splendid heritage and into the mighty past ; there they will see an 'Aisling' that will raise their hearts and cause them to make certain resolutions . Some of these will be the resolutions of James Fintan Lalor ....... "
(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 .
(1 of 6).
This communication was written by Bobby Sands in early December 1978 . At that time he was the PRO of the protesting Republican prisoners . This 'comm's' contents say more of the conditions which the prisoners were subjected to in the H-Blocks than any external publicist of the H-Block protest ever could and is an explanation in itself of the conditions and the political commitment of the prisoners which eventually forced them to use the hunger-strike weapon as their last alternative means of protest having exhausted every other method .
" In the past 27 months , we republican prisoners of war on the blanket protest for political status , in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh , have been subjected to continual and extreme torture to break our resistence and protest . We have faced untold and constant brutalities , indignities and torture from the prison administration ...whose daily aim is to break our resistence ...
Not a single day passes in these hell blocks without several blanket men being beaten unconscious . We are hosed down , forcibly bathed until the skin is scrubbed from our backs . We are constantly moved from wing to wing and made run , naked , a gauntlet of merciless screws . We are spread eagled across a table to have intimate parts of our bodies probed and examined . Young lads , some barely 17 and 18 years of age , are punched senseless .
Such injuries as a broken nose , split head and multiple bruising are common place ... "
(MORE LATER).
....... 1918 ; Sinn Fein declared by the Brits to be "...an illegal organisation ...." , as was the Irish Volunteers and the Gaelic League . 'The Great War' ('WW1') was going badly for Westminster , and conscription was made law in England in 1916 - now the Brits were looking towards Ireland ...
Since the outbreak of 'The Great War' in August 1914 , tens-of-thousands of Irishmen had fought , and were fighting , side-by-side as volunteers in the British Army , having answered the call by British 'Lord' Kitchener to help defeat "...the dastardly Hun ..to protect small nations ....." . But the 'Conscription Act' worked against the British - even the then leader of the Irish Volunteers , John Dillon , was against it .
It should be noted that that same organisation (Irish Volunteers) , then under the leadership of John Redmond , had , in 1914 , backed the British war machine , which led to a split in the Irish Volunteers . However - John Dillon stated , in the British 'House of Commons' , as he was leading his members in a walk-out from that institution in protest over the Conscription Act - " All Ireland will rise against you ."
He was to be proved right .......
(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 .......
"....... those with the 'Vision' were not 'contented serfs' , happy with their lot as long as their bank account eased their conscience . But the Ireland which Padraig Pearse envisaged was not yet established ....... "
" Padraig Pearse wanted an Ireland " ...not Gaelic merely but free as well ; not free merely but Gaelic as well . " Some progress has been made , but there is yet much to be done . What has been achieved was the result of great sacrifice and hard work by good Irishmen and women ; the ranting of politicians had no part in it , and it is not to be expected ever will have in future progress . It is Irish men and women , educated to the true meaning of freedom , who will one day achieve it .
The 'Aisling' of the Ireland of the future , as seen by the greatest as well as the most humble among her lovers was simply a picture of the people , happy , prosperous and Gaelic-speaking , back on the good land from which they had been driven to make room for the bullock and the sheep . This condition once achieved , the prosperity of the towns and cities was assured . The old virtures , culture and pride of race would soon return ; the politicians say that such a movement was begun soon after the Treaty of 1921 : its progress is not perceptible . The people are still in the waste places where they were driven to die , while the bullock and the sheep live on the fat of the land .
Our people must go up again to the mountain and look out over their splendid heritage and into the mighty past ; there they will see an 'Aisling' that will raise their hearts and cause them to make certain resolutions . Some of these will be the resolutions of James Fintan Lalor ....... "
(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 .
(1 of 6).
This communication was written by Bobby Sands in early December 1978 . At that time he was the PRO of the protesting Republican prisoners . This 'comm's' contents say more of the conditions which the prisoners were subjected to in the H-Blocks than any external publicist of the H-Block protest ever could and is an explanation in itself of the conditions and the political commitment of the prisoners which eventually forced them to use the hunger-strike weapon as their last alternative means of protest having exhausted every other method .
" In the past 27 months , we republican prisoners of war on the blanket protest for political status , in the H-Blocks of Long Kesh , have been subjected to continual and extreme torture to break our resistence and protest . We have faced untold and constant brutalities , indignities and torture from the prison administration ...whose daily aim is to break our resistence ...
Not a single day passes in these hell blocks without several blanket men being beaten unconscious . We are hosed down , forcibly bathed until the skin is scrubbed from our backs . We are constantly moved from wing to wing and made run , naked , a gauntlet of merciless screws . We are spread eagled across a table to have intimate parts of our bodies probed and examined . Young lads , some barely 17 and 18 years of age , are punched senseless .
Such injuries as a broken nose , split head and multiple bruising are common place ... "
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, October 20, 2004
IRELAND , JANUARY 15th , 1920 : ELECTIONS .
13 months after the landslide 1918 General Election results for the then 13-years-young Sinn Fein party , the British and pro-British elements in the country were still 'sore' about the outcome ; it was in that same year (1918) that the 'Military Services Bill' (Conscription) was 'introduced' in Ireland by Westminster (on April 16th) .
The Sinn Fein organisation was declared by the British to be " illegal " , as was the 'Irish Volunteers' and the 'Gaelic League' (all 'outlawed' on the 3rd July , 1918) . Conscription had been law in what Westminster referred to as "the United Kingdom" since 1916 , but 'The Great War' was going badly for the Brits and they needed more 'front-line fodder' ...
... so they looked to Ireland .......
(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 .......
" 'Roisin Dubh' ; 'the Old Woman' ; the 'Aislingi' : Visions . Of an Ireland free from outside interference . Padraig Pearse had that 'Vision' , as did Tom Clarke . So , too , did Roger Casement and Jim Daly ....... "
" Roger Casement , who returned a 'Knights Insignia' , and Jim Daly of the Connaught Rangers who removed his tunic so that the bullets of the British firing-party might not pierce his body through a British uniform had that same 'Vision' . It thrills one to think that such men belong to Ireland ; their bodies were destroyed in foreign lands but their indestructible spirit came home to live for ever in the hearts of their race .
There still live among us some of those who described Padraig Pearse and his comrades as " visionaries , " " dreamers ," " rainbow-chasers , " etc ; that type deserve no credit for their descriptive efforts , though they were literally correct . They forget that the vision precedes the reality - their own vision was one which was very remote from the Aisling ; it was that of an ever-increasing bank account , to be added to regardless of the humiliating slavery which bound their country , and their people . " Stability " was one of their favourite catchwords - to gather-up the goods of the world and live the lives of contented serfs , to fawn on their oppressors and to decry the actions of those who would break their chains , was its meaning for them . They called Padraig Pearse " ...a fool ....." , but he had anticipated them -
- " A fool that in all his day hath done never a prudent thing ,
Never had counted the cost , nor reckoned if another reaped
the fruit of his mighty sowing , content to scatter the seed . "
The Ireland which Padraig Pearse envisaged has not yet been realised ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .......
First published in 'AP/RN' , September 5th , 1981 .
Re-published here in 5 parts .
[5 of 5] .
" There is room for republicans to examine if the struggle for independence can be improved by an intervention in the electoral process in order to show clearly that people support radical republicanism and resistance to the British presence more than they support any other (sic) collaborationist tendency .
There is fundamentally a need for Irish Republicans to bring about conditions whereby the Irish people may seize political and economic control of their own destinies ; whether this can be assisted by an intervention in the electoral process should be the basis for discussion within republican circles . What should not be the basis for discussion is whether this intervention means a run-down of the armed struggle : it patently does not . ('1169...' comment - should the Provos re-commence their armed struggle , it will only be to secure a better deal in Stormont for themselves , and/or to ensure that no other armed organisation will challenge the British militarily in the occupied Six Counties . Such is the 'price' of Provo acceptance by the 'Establishment'.)
We must fight on many fronts and the armed struggle has been historically and contemporarily shown to be the most important . It must be coupled , of course , with political and economic resistance . "
[END of ' THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .......'].
(Tomorrow - ' Communication from BOBBY SANDS , Long Kesh H-Blocks , early December 1978 .)
13 months after the landslide 1918 General Election results for the then 13-years-young Sinn Fein party , the British and pro-British elements in the country were still 'sore' about the outcome ; it was in that same year (1918) that the 'Military Services Bill' (Conscription) was 'introduced' in Ireland by Westminster (on April 16th) .
The Sinn Fein organisation was declared by the British to be " illegal " , as was the 'Irish Volunteers' and the 'Gaelic League' (all 'outlawed' on the 3rd July , 1918) . Conscription had been law in what Westminster referred to as "the United Kingdom" since 1916 , but 'The Great War' was going badly for the Brits and they needed more 'front-line fodder' ...
... so they looked to Ireland .......
(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 .......
" 'Roisin Dubh' ; 'the Old Woman' ; the 'Aislingi' : Visions . Of an Ireland free from outside interference . Padraig Pearse had that 'Vision' , as did Tom Clarke . So , too , did Roger Casement and Jim Daly ....... "
" Roger Casement , who returned a 'Knights Insignia' , and Jim Daly of the Connaught Rangers who removed his tunic so that the bullets of the British firing-party might not pierce his body through a British uniform had that same 'Vision' . It thrills one to think that such men belong to Ireland ; their bodies were destroyed in foreign lands but their indestructible spirit came home to live for ever in the hearts of their race .
There still live among us some of those who described Padraig Pearse and his comrades as " visionaries , " " dreamers ," " rainbow-chasers , " etc ; that type deserve no credit for their descriptive efforts , though they were literally correct . They forget that the vision precedes the reality - their own vision was one which was very remote from the Aisling ; it was that of an ever-increasing bank account , to be added to regardless of the humiliating slavery which bound their country , and their people . " Stability " was one of their favourite catchwords - to gather-up the goods of the world and live the lives of contented serfs , to fawn on their oppressors and to decry the actions of those who would break their chains , was its meaning for them . They called Padraig Pearse " ...a fool ....." , but he had anticipated them -
- " A fool that in all his day hath done never a prudent thing ,
Never had counted the cost , nor reckoned if another reaped
the fruit of his mighty sowing , content to scatter the seed . "
The Ireland which Padraig Pearse envisaged has not yet been realised ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .......
First published in 'AP/RN' , September 5th , 1981 .
Re-published here in 5 parts .
[5 of 5] .
" There is room for republicans to examine if the struggle for independence can be improved by an intervention in the electoral process in order to show clearly that people support radical republicanism and resistance to the British presence more than they support any other (sic) collaborationist tendency .
There is fundamentally a need for Irish Republicans to bring about conditions whereby the Irish people may seize political and economic control of their own destinies ; whether this can be assisted by an intervention in the electoral process should be the basis for discussion within republican circles . What should not be the basis for discussion is whether this intervention means a run-down of the armed struggle : it patently does not . ('1169...' comment - should the Provos re-commence their armed struggle , it will only be to secure a better deal in Stormont for themselves , and/or to ensure that no other armed organisation will challenge the British militarily in the occupied Six Counties . Such is the 'price' of Provo acceptance by the 'Establishment'.)
We must fight on many fronts and the armed struggle has been historically and contemporarily shown to be the most important . It must be coupled , of course , with political and economic resistance . "
[END of ' THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .......'].
(Tomorrow - ' Communication from BOBBY SANDS , Long Kesh H-Blocks , early December 1978 .)
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
....... the British were quick to dismiss the failed 'Young Ireland' Rising of 1848 as "...a farce .." ; but , while the Brits were sniggering at the failure , the Irish were learning from it ...
The British derisively described that attempted Rising as "...the battle of the Widow MacCormicks cabbage garden .." ; the fact that armed British military personnel practically kidnapped five Irish children that day , and held them hostage to save their own skins , was not talked about . Incidentally , ten years after the Brits 'distinguished' themselves that day , 29th July , 1848 , in Ballingarry , County Tipperary , Irish Rebel veterans from that campaign , who had re-grouped , set-up the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) (ie in 1858) .
James Stephens had organised the IRB in a 'cell' system (which he learned while 'on the run' in France after the 1848 Rising) and John O'Mahony used his enforced 'stay' in America , again after the 1848 action , to obtain material resources and support from the Irish community there to have another go at the Brits . With 'thanks' to the British themselves , it can be seen that the 1848 Young Ireland Rising led to the establishment of the Irish Republican Brotherhood in 1858 .
But the British would prefer that no link be made , that each Rising , each Rebellion , be dismissed as "...a farce .." , as the actions of an unrepresentative few 'malcontents' . That is , after all , how the 'Empire' was built and maintained ; and , for our part , this 'weblog' has no hesitation at all in cheering on those 'malcontents' !
[END of ' JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......'].
(Tomorrow - ' Ireland , January 15th 1920 - Elections'.)
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
AISLINGI .......
" .......in 1907 , at 49 years young , Irish Rebel Tom Clarke returned to Ireland and opened a newspaper shop in Parnell Street , in Dublin . Padraig Pearse was amongst those who were frequent visitors ..... "
" They sought the help of the man who had for so long been tested in the crucible of suffering and had been found unbreakable ; nor did he fail them . In 1916 , they repaid him by insisting that his should be the first signature to the Proclamation of the Republic ; it was the greatest day of Tom Clarke's life , though well he knew it meant for him the end . He was shot on 3rd May 1916 , at 58 years of age . Of those only eighteen had been spent in Ireland .
A man is judged by the life he has led ; I know of no more splendid figure than Tom Clarke ; the onset of the years chills the blood of most men - add to this the incredible physical and mental torture which he had endured for almost sixteen of those years . Most of the remainder were years of hardship and disillusionment . His father's influence and his early environment militated against his faith yet , like Padraig Pearse , he turned his back on 'the beautiful vision of the world' , and set his face to the road before him , the road indicated by 'the Old Woman...'
It would be easy to give many more examples from amongst the elite of the followers of Roisin Dubh , as 'the Old Woman' is sometimes called , but space would not allow it . Our own time produced many heroic men and women of a standard that could not be excelled ; some of the greatest came from the least-expected direction - the British service . I will mention only two : Roger Casement and Jim Daly ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .......
First published in 'AP/RN' , September 5th , 1981 .
Re-published here in 5 parts .
(4 of 5).
" For those who would be concerned that such an intervention in the West Belfast election is a new tendency , or departure , they can be assured that the military struggle will go on with all the energy at our disposal and , in fact , victory would actually be hastened with the development of a complementary radical political offensive . ('1169...' comment - the Provo military struggle , against the British , at least , is over , and their "radical political offensive" now involves sitting in Stormont and Leinster House - the more things change etc .)
Our attitude to constitutional politics is quite simple and clear cut - there is no such thing as constitutional politics in this country ; the last legitimate constitutional forum in Ireland , Dail Eireann , was proclaimed "illegal" and subverted by the British and the Free Staters . Outside of a thirty-two county sovereign , independent , democracy the IRA will have no involvement in what is loosely called 'constitutional politics ' . " ('1169...' comment - "...no involvement ...in constitutional politics ..." Stormont ? Leinster House ? )
(MORE LATER).
....... the British were quick to dismiss the failed 'Young Ireland' Rising of 1848 as "...a farce .." ; but , while the Brits were sniggering at the failure , the Irish were learning from it ...
The British derisively described that attempted Rising as "...the battle of the Widow MacCormicks cabbage garden .." ; the fact that armed British military personnel practically kidnapped five Irish children that day , and held them hostage to save their own skins , was not talked about . Incidentally , ten years after the Brits 'distinguished' themselves that day , 29th July , 1848 , in Ballingarry , County Tipperary , Irish Rebel veterans from that campaign , who had re-grouped , set-up the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) (ie in 1858) .
James Stephens had organised the IRB in a 'cell' system (which he learned while 'on the run' in France after the 1848 Rising) and John O'Mahony used his enforced 'stay' in America , again after the 1848 action , to obtain material resources and support from the Irish community there to have another go at the Brits . With 'thanks' to the British themselves , it can be seen that the 1848 Young Ireland Rising led to the establishment of the Irish Republican Brotherhood in 1858 .
But the British would prefer that no link be made , that each Rising , each Rebellion , be dismissed as "...a farce .." , as the actions of an unrepresentative few 'malcontents' . That is , after all , how the 'Empire' was built and maintained ; and , for our part , this 'weblog' has no hesitation at all in cheering on those 'malcontents' !
[END of ' JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......'].
(Tomorrow - ' Ireland , January 15th 1920 - Elections'.)
WHERE MOUNTAINY MEN HAVE SOWN :
war and peace in rebel Cork ,
in the turbulent years 1916-21.
By Micheal O'Suilleabhain : published 1965.
AISLINGI .......
" .......in 1907 , at 49 years young , Irish Rebel Tom Clarke returned to Ireland and opened a newspaper shop in Parnell Street , in Dublin . Padraig Pearse was amongst those who were frequent visitors ..... "
" They sought the help of the man who had for so long been tested in the crucible of suffering and had been found unbreakable ; nor did he fail them . In 1916 , they repaid him by insisting that his should be the first signature to the Proclamation of the Republic ; it was the greatest day of Tom Clarke's life , though well he knew it meant for him the end . He was shot on 3rd May 1916 , at 58 years of age . Of those only eighteen had been spent in Ireland .
A man is judged by the life he has led ; I know of no more splendid figure than Tom Clarke ; the onset of the years chills the blood of most men - add to this the incredible physical and mental torture which he had endured for almost sixteen of those years . Most of the remainder were years of hardship and disillusionment . His father's influence and his early environment militated against his faith yet , like Padraig Pearse , he turned his back on 'the beautiful vision of the world' , and set his face to the road before him , the road indicated by 'the Old Woman...'
It would be easy to give many more examples from amongst the elite of the followers of Roisin Dubh , as 'the Old Woman' is sometimes called , but space would not allow it . Our own time produced many heroic men and women of a standard that could not be excelled ; some of the greatest came from the least-expected direction - the British service . I will mention only two : Roger Casement and Jim Daly ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .......
First published in 'AP/RN' , September 5th , 1981 .
Re-published here in 5 parts .
(4 of 5).
" For those who would be concerned that such an intervention in the West Belfast election is a new tendency , or departure , they can be assured that the military struggle will go on with all the energy at our disposal and , in fact , victory would actually be hastened with the development of a complementary radical political offensive . ('1169...' comment - the Provo military struggle , against the British , at least , is over , and their "radical political offensive" now involves sitting in Stormont and Leinster House - the more things change etc .)
Our attitude to constitutional politics is quite simple and clear cut - there is no such thing as constitutional politics in this country ; the last legitimate constitutional forum in Ireland , Dail Eireann , was proclaimed "illegal" and subverted by the British and the Free Staters . Outside of a thirty-two county sovereign , independent , democracy the IRA will have no involvement in what is loosely called 'constitutional politics ' . " ('1169...' comment - "...no involvement ...in constitutional politics ..." Stormont ? Leinster House ? )
(MORE LATER).
Monday, October 18, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
....... one of those who escaped from the battle at the Widow McCormicks house at Ballingarry , County Tipperary , on July 29th , 1848 , James Stephens , had made his way to Paris , France , but eventually returned to Ireland . In Dublin , on Saint Patricks Day (17th March) in 1858 , he helped to found the 'Irish Republican Brotherhood ' (IRB).......
James Stephens had learned of a better way in which to organise a secret society - his 'stay' in France had been spent studying the structures of anti-government organisations there , and the IRB (Ireland) and the Fenian Brotherhood (America) were established to consist of 'closed circles' , in which only one member was allowed to know only one other member of any other 'circle' , and all 'business' was to be conducted in public venues ie bars , restaurants , sporting events etc , instead of holding same , as had been done , in a room in an hotel or in a members house .
The new system worked - only months after its inception (ie towards the end of 1858) a young man named Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa , who worked for the Irish Republican Brotherhood , was caught in Cork with three or four other men , whom the RIC alleged were acting suspicious ; it was actually a 'swearing-in' ceremony which the RIC had discovered but , due to their lack of information (their informers knew nothing about it) the RIC let the men go , believing , as they were told by O'Donovan Rossa , that the group were discussing the possible establishment of a political grouping , to be called ' The Phoenix Society' !
However - the failed 'Young Ireland' Rising of 1848 , which began on July 29th that year , was dismissed by the British as " ...a farce.." - but it was that which came from the attempted Rising that was to prove the British wrong in that description .......
(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 .......
"....... arriving in London on Active Service for the Irish Republican Brotherhood , Isle-of-Wight -born Tom Clarke , in his mid-twenties , was arrested by the British and sentenced to penal servitude for life ......."
" For 15 years and nine months , in the prisons of Chatham and Portland , Tom Clarke endured imprisonment without flinching ; 15 years and nine months of an incessant attempt , by the British , to deprive him of his life or reason . This torture did not cease with daylight and recommence on the following day ; it was maintained during the hours of darkness when even the vilest criminal was entitled to sleep and rest . But Tom Clarke and his comrades got neither sleep nor rest .
Cunning devices for producing continuous disturbing sounds were erected over their cells - these are described in his book 'Glimpses of an Irish Felon's Prison Life' . The relentless brutality at length drove two of his comrades , Whitehead and Gallagher , hopelessly insane . With John Daly , they were released in 1896 ; Daly had been arrested a year after Tom Clarke , and had hitherto shared the same prisons with him ; though kept apart , they had managed to communicate with each other now and again . The release of his friend was a sore loss to Tom Clarke who , for a further two years , had to endure alone an even more intensified form of torture .
Released in 1898 , he spent a short time in Limerick with his friend John Daly before returning to America where , in 1901 , he married Kathleen Daly , John Daly's daughter . With Devoy , he founded the 'Gaelic American' newspaper and , as its Assistant Editor , worked in New York until 1907 . Then he returned to Ireland and opened a newspaper shop at Parnell Street , Dublin .
It quickly became the meeting-place for Padraig Pearse and all that valiant company of a new generation who had also seen the Aisling ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .......
First published in 'AP/RN' , September 5th , 1981 .
Re-published here in 5 parts .
(3 of 5).
" Irish Republicans have periodically contested elections in both six and twenty-six county states ; in 1917 , 1918 and 1919 , before partition , and from then until the 1950's and in 1964 , republicans contested elections on an abstentionist ticket . There is no reason now , where practical , as it appears in West Belfast , that republicans should not oppose nationalist collaboration .
If Sinn Fein contests this election the IRA will obviously whole-heartedly support their decision . Sinn Fein spokespersons and prisoners' supporters have demanded Gerry Fitt's resignation over the hunger-strike when it was obvious that Fitt was totally out of step with those whom he purported to represent .
There is an obvious need to give the people of West Belfast the opportunity of showing whether they support the politics of Gerry Fitt , the benign unionism of the SDLP or a republican candidate ..."
(MORE LATER).
....... one of those who escaped from the battle at the Widow McCormicks house at Ballingarry , County Tipperary , on July 29th , 1848 , James Stephens , had made his way to Paris , France , but eventually returned to Ireland . In Dublin , on Saint Patricks Day (17th March) in 1858 , he helped to found the 'Irish Republican Brotherhood ' (IRB).......
James Stephens had learned of a better way in which to organise a secret society - his 'stay' in France had been spent studying the structures of anti-government organisations there , and the IRB (Ireland) and the Fenian Brotherhood (America) were established to consist of 'closed circles' , in which only one member was allowed to know only one other member of any other 'circle' , and all 'business' was to be conducted in public venues ie bars , restaurants , sporting events etc , instead of holding same , as had been done , in a room in an hotel or in a members house .
The new system worked - only months after its inception (ie towards the end of 1858) a young man named Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa , who worked for the Irish Republican Brotherhood , was caught in Cork with three or four other men , whom the RIC alleged were acting suspicious ; it was actually a 'swearing-in' ceremony which the RIC had discovered but , due to their lack of information (their informers knew nothing about it) the RIC let the men go , believing , as they were told by O'Donovan Rossa , that the group were discussing the possible establishment of a political grouping , to be called ' The Phoenix Society' !
However - the failed 'Young Ireland' Rising of 1848 , which began on July 29th that year , was dismissed by the British as " ...a farce.." - but it was that which came from the attempted Rising that was to prove the British wrong in that description .......
(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 .......
"....... arriving in London on Active Service for the Irish Republican Brotherhood , Isle-of-Wight -born Tom Clarke , in his mid-twenties , was arrested by the British and sentenced to penal servitude for life ......."
" For 15 years and nine months , in the prisons of Chatham and Portland , Tom Clarke endured imprisonment without flinching ; 15 years and nine months of an incessant attempt , by the British , to deprive him of his life or reason . This torture did not cease with daylight and recommence on the following day ; it was maintained during the hours of darkness when even the vilest criminal was entitled to sleep and rest . But Tom Clarke and his comrades got neither sleep nor rest .
Cunning devices for producing continuous disturbing sounds were erected over their cells - these are described in his book 'Glimpses of an Irish Felon's Prison Life' . The relentless brutality at length drove two of his comrades , Whitehead and Gallagher , hopelessly insane . With John Daly , they were released in 1896 ; Daly had been arrested a year after Tom Clarke , and had hitherto shared the same prisons with him ; though kept apart , they had managed to communicate with each other now and again . The release of his friend was a sore loss to Tom Clarke who , for a further two years , had to endure alone an even more intensified form of torture .
Released in 1898 , he spent a short time in Limerick with his friend John Daly before returning to America where , in 1901 , he married Kathleen Daly , John Daly's daughter . With Devoy , he founded the 'Gaelic American' newspaper and , as its Assistant Editor , worked in New York until 1907 . Then he returned to Ireland and opened a newspaper shop at Parnell Street , Dublin .
It quickly became the meeting-place for Padraig Pearse and all that valiant company of a new generation who had also seen the Aisling ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .......
First published in 'AP/RN' , September 5th , 1981 .
Re-published here in 5 parts .
(3 of 5).
" Irish Republicans have periodically contested elections in both six and twenty-six county states ; in 1917 , 1918 and 1919 , before partition , and from then until the 1950's and in 1964 , republicans contested elections on an abstentionist ticket . There is no reason now , where practical , as it appears in West Belfast , that republicans should not oppose nationalist collaboration .
If Sinn Fein contests this election the IRA will obviously whole-heartedly support their decision . Sinn Fein spokespersons and prisoners' supporters have demanded Gerry Fitt's resignation over the hunger-strike when it was obvious that Fitt was totally out of step with those whom he purported to represent .
There is an obvious need to give the people of West Belfast the opportunity of showing whether they support the politics of Gerry Fitt , the benign unionism of the SDLP or a republican candidate ..."
(MORE LATER).
Friday, October 15, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
.......British Crown re-inforcements had arrived at the Widow McCormicks house at Ballingarry , County Tipperary , to rescue their forty-six colleagues who were hiding-out in the house , and who were holding the five McCormick children as hostages , in order to stop the Irish Rebels from attacking them . The Rebels had to flee the scene.......
William Smith O'Brien , Thomas Francis Meagher and Terence Bellew MacManus were captured , but John O'Mahony , James Stephens and John Blake Dillon escaped . John O'Mahony went to America and was one of the founders in that country of the American Fenian Brotherhood (or 'Clann na Gael' , referred to in Ireland as simply 'The Organisation' or the 'IRB') , while James Stephens made it safely to Paris , France , and , that being the time of Louis Napoleon , made contact with several 'secret societies' which existed in France at that time .
(Small 'tangent' - eight years later [ie in 1856] , James Stephens was to go on a 3,000-mile 'tour' of Ireland , mostly on foot , organising opposition to British mis-rule in Ireland) On Saint Patricks Day in 1858 (17th March) , James Stephens was one of those who took an Oath , in Dublin , -
- "...in the presence of God , to renounce all allegiance to the Queen of England , and to take arms and fight at a moments warning to make Ireland an independent Democratic Republic , and to yield implicit obedience to the Commanders and Superiors of this Secret Society . " That "..Secret Society ..." was the Irish Republican Brotherhood ...
(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 .......
"....... in Ireland , the 'vision' of freedom is known as the 'Aisling' - a desire to strike back at the British , and lead others in that Cause . One who had this 'Vision' was Tom Clarke ... "
" Tom Clarke was born in a British military camp at Hurst Park in the Isle of Wight , on 11th March 1858 . His father was then a Corporal in the British Army but , like Tom's mother , was Irish born . A year later Corporal Clarke was drafted to South Africa where the family lived until 1865 . Tom first saw Ireland about 1870 , when his father was appointed a Sergeant of the Ulster Militia and was stationed at Dungannon , County Tyrone .
Here Tom grew to early manhood , and his father wished him to follow in his own footsteps and join the British Army , but the 'Old Woman' had already enlisted Tom in her own small but select Army , and at a time when prospects appeared most dreary . For the gloom of the 'Famine' and the defeat of the Fenians still hung heavy over the land . Tom Clarke was sworn into the Irish Republican Brotherhood by Michael Davitt and John Daly ; he could have had no more worthy sponsors .
In 1880 , at twenty-two years young , he emigrated to the United States where he joined Clann na Gael , and quickly volunteered for Active Service in Britain . The ship he travelled on struck an iceberg and sank , but he was rescued and landed on Newfoundland . Resuming his interrupted journey , he reached London where he was soon arrested - he had been followed from New York by 'Henri Le Caron' , a British spy . On 14th June , 1883 , at the 'Old Bailey' , he was , with three others , sentenced to penal servitude for life ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .......
First published in 'AP/RN' , September 5th , 1981 .
Re-published here in 5 parts .
(2 of 5).
" There was also , at the time of the split , a simplistic republican attitude , heightened by the 1969 pogroms , to the 'Stickies' position . Therefore , there was a reaction within the Republican Movement against taking political control within the nationalist community or examining methods , even electoral , for doing this .
The 'Sticky' attitude towards elections is one of complete involvement with the system and cannot be divorced from their collaborationist attitude towards the RUC and loyalist paramilitiaries and reactionary elements within Fine Gael , and towards the whole national question , and the partitionist state , Leinster House and Stormont . ('1169 ...' comment - 'Stickies' [WP] then , Provos now ...)
Similarly , the republican attitude towards elections cannot be divorced from our total rejection of the six-county state , our struggle for the last twelve years , of unbroken resistance to the British government and to its crown forces , and our refusal to compromise with loyalism . "
(MORE LATER).
.......British Crown re-inforcements had arrived at the Widow McCormicks house at Ballingarry , County Tipperary , to rescue their forty-six colleagues who were hiding-out in the house , and who were holding the five McCormick children as hostages , in order to stop the Irish Rebels from attacking them . The Rebels had to flee the scene.......
William Smith O'Brien , Thomas Francis Meagher and Terence Bellew MacManus were captured , but John O'Mahony , James Stephens and John Blake Dillon escaped . John O'Mahony went to America and was one of the founders in that country of the American Fenian Brotherhood (or 'Clann na Gael' , referred to in Ireland as simply 'The Organisation' or the 'IRB') , while James Stephens made it safely to Paris , France , and , that being the time of Louis Napoleon , made contact with several 'secret societies' which existed in France at that time .
(Small 'tangent' - eight years later [ie in 1856] , James Stephens was to go on a 3,000-mile 'tour' of Ireland , mostly on foot , organising opposition to British mis-rule in Ireland) On Saint Patricks Day in 1858 (17th March) , James Stephens was one of those who took an Oath , in Dublin , -
- "...in the presence of God , to renounce all allegiance to the Queen of England , and to take arms and fight at a moments warning to make Ireland an independent Democratic Republic , and to yield implicit obedience to the Commanders and Superiors of this Secret Society . " That "..Secret Society ..." was the Irish Republican Brotherhood ...
(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 .......
"....... in Ireland , the 'vision' of freedom is known as the 'Aisling' - a desire to strike back at the British , and lead others in that Cause . One who had this 'Vision' was Tom Clarke ... "
" Tom Clarke was born in a British military camp at Hurst Park in the Isle of Wight , on 11th March 1858 . His father was then a Corporal in the British Army but , like Tom's mother , was Irish born . A year later Corporal Clarke was drafted to South Africa where the family lived until 1865 . Tom first saw Ireland about 1870 , when his father was appointed a Sergeant of the Ulster Militia and was stationed at Dungannon , County Tyrone .
Here Tom grew to early manhood , and his father wished him to follow in his own footsteps and join the British Army , but the 'Old Woman' had already enlisted Tom in her own small but select Army , and at a time when prospects appeared most dreary . For the gloom of the 'Famine' and the defeat of the Fenians still hung heavy over the land . Tom Clarke was sworn into the Irish Republican Brotherhood by Michael Davitt and John Daly ; he could have had no more worthy sponsors .
In 1880 , at twenty-two years young , he emigrated to the United States where he joined Clann na Gael , and quickly volunteered for Active Service in Britain . The ship he travelled on struck an iceberg and sank , but he was rescued and landed on Newfoundland . Resuming his interrupted journey , he reached London where he was soon arrested - he had been followed from New York by 'Henri Le Caron' , a British spy . On 14th June , 1883 , at the 'Old Bailey' , he was , with three others , sentenced to penal servitude for life ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .......
First published in 'AP/RN' , September 5th , 1981 .
Re-published here in 5 parts .
(2 of 5).
" There was also , at the time of the split , a simplistic republican attitude , heightened by the 1969 pogroms , to the 'Stickies' position . Therefore , there was a reaction within the Republican Movement against taking political control within the nationalist community or examining methods , even electoral , for doing this .
The 'Sticky' attitude towards elections is one of complete involvement with the system and cannot be divorced from their collaborationist attitude towards the RUC and loyalist paramilitiaries and reactionary elements within Fine Gael , and towards the whole national question , and the partitionist state , Leinster House and Stormont . ('1169 ...' comment - 'Stickies' [WP] then , Provos now ...)
Similarly , the republican attitude towards elections cannot be divorced from our total rejection of the six-county state , our struggle for the last twelve years , of unbroken resistance to the British government and to its crown forces , and our refusal to compromise with loyalism . "
(MORE LATER).
Thursday, October 14, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
.......the forty-six RIC men had taken over a house for their own safety - the Irish Rebels they were hunting had 'turned the tables' on them . Five children were in the house , and were now being held as hostages by the RIC , as they knew the Rebels would not attack as long as the five McCormick children were there . They also knew that their RIC colleagues were on the way to assist them .......
The RIC men in the house 'got brave' ; refusing to release the hostages or surrender , surrounded yet safe from attack - so they cleared window-space in the house and fired a volley at the Rebels , killing two and wounding about a dozen . The McCormick children were by now hysterical , the Rebels were in disarray - they could'nt attack but were under fire , and were about to be surrounded themselves : British Crown re-inforcements had arrived .
The Irish Rebels - led by William Smith O'Brien , James Stephens and Terence Bellew MacManus - had to flee , and headed for the countryside . O'Brien , MacManus and Thomas Francis Meagher were captured within days and sentenced to death by the British , but the sentences were later commuted to transportation for life to Tasmania . Other leaders of the failed 1848 Rising - John O'Mahony , James Stephens and John Blake Dillon - escaped capture and left the country ...
(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 .
" What is it that has stirred the hearts of all true lovers of Ireland , in every generation , and has steeled them to do some deed worthy of recognition as a link in the unbroken chain of resistance to slavery ? It is the 'Aisling' or 'Vision' which only true lovers are privileged to behold . It is said that our forefathers saw it before they ever set foot on this land of Ireland ; since then , our bards and poets have sung of it and have spared no effort to describe it . The Spirit of Ireland invariably appears in the form of a woman , young and beautiful in appearance though of immeasurable age , older even 'than the old woman of Beara' . She is the Mother of the Irish race , her children are scattered to the four corners of the earth .
In her hour of need she appears before , and her sorrowful glance rests on some favoured one amongst her children ; sometimes it is at home in Ireland where the task she implies is comparatively easy , but sometimes it is far from it in a foreign land , alone among strangers or in the midst of bitter enemies . But wherever it be , whether on an Irish hillside , or deep in the gloom of a British gaol , or on a barrack square in India clad in the uniform of a British soldier , that appeal shall be , and has been , answered by the true son or daughter . Neither time , nor place , nor environment can intercept or obscure the 'Aisling' of Ireland from the chosen few .
And so it was for one child , the son of an Irish-born British Army Corporal ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .
First published in 'AP/RN' , September 5th , 1981 .
Re-published here in 5 parts .
(1 of 5).
In September 1981 , a spokesperson for the (then - ie ; 1981 , before they went constitutional in 1986) IRA authorised to speak on behalf of the leadership outlined the attitude of the Army to republican participation in elections .
He spoke about the republican attitude to contesting the West Belfast Westminster seat presently held by Gerry Fitt and how the IRA generally view constitutional politics , especially given the experience of republicans of a bitter split with the 'Sticks' (ie - the so-called 'Workers Party') , part of which was their reformist attitude to elections -
- " There can be no doubt that media speculation regarding Sinn Fein contesting the West Belfast constituency may have caused some confusion among republicans , especially given the intensity of falling-out between republican supporters and their erstwhile comrades in the so-called Republican Clubs .
Sections of the Republican Movement have , over the decades , had vastly differing attitudes to an intervention in the British or Free State electoral process . Generally speaking , what was wrong with the Sticks was not just that they contested elections but that they had a totally incorrect analysis of the nature of British imperialism .
They believed that the six-county state could be 'democratised' from within (*) and that the so-called democratic process was one method by which this reformation could be made . "
(* '1169...' comment - as do the Provisionals , but now they call it "...parity of esteem ." )
(MORE LATER).
.......the forty-six RIC men had taken over a house for their own safety - the Irish Rebels they were hunting had 'turned the tables' on them . Five children were in the house , and were now being held as hostages by the RIC , as they knew the Rebels would not attack as long as the five McCormick children were there . They also knew that their RIC colleagues were on the way to assist them .......
The RIC men in the house 'got brave' ; refusing to release the hostages or surrender , surrounded yet safe from attack - so they cleared window-space in the house and fired a volley at the Rebels , killing two and wounding about a dozen . The McCormick children were by now hysterical , the Rebels were in disarray - they could'nt attack but were under fire , and were about to be surrounded themselves : British Crown re-inforcements had arrived .
The Irish Rebels - led by William Smith O'Brien , James Stephens and Terence Bellew MacManus - had to flee , and headed for the countryside . O'Brien , MacManus and Thomas Francis Meagher were captured within days and sentenced to death by the British , but the sentences were later commuted to transportation for life to Tasmania . Other leaders of the failed 1848 Rising - John O'Mahony , James Stephens and John Blake Dillon - escaped capture and left the country ...
(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 .
" What is it that has stirred the hearts of all true lovers of Ireland , in every generation , and has steeled them to do some deed worthy of recognition as a link in the unbroken chain of resistance to slavery ? It is the 'Aisling' or 'Vision' which only true lovers are privileged to behold . It is said that our forefathers saw it before they ever set foot on this land of Ireland ; since then , our bards and poets have sung of it and have spared no effort to describe it . The Spirit of Ireland invariably appears in the form of a woman , young and beautiful in appearance though of immeasurable age , older even 'than the old woman of Beara' . She is the Mother of the Irish race , her children are scattered to the four corners of the earth .
In her hour of need she appears before , and her sorrowful glance rests on some favoured one amongst her children ; sometimes it is at home in Ireland where the task she implies is comparatively easy , but sometimes it is far from it in a foreign land , alone among strangers or in the midst of bitter enemies . But wherever it be , whether on an Irish hillside , or deep in the gloom of a British gaol , or on a barrack square in India clad in the uniform of a British soldier , that appeal shall be , and has been , answered by the true son or daughter . Neither time , nor place , nor environment can intercept or obscure the 'Aisling' of Ireland from the chosen few .
And so it was for one child , the son of an Irish-born British Army Corporal ....... "
(MORE LATER).
THE IRA ATTITUDE TO ELECTIONS .
First published in 'AP/RN' , September 5th , 1981 .
Re-published here in 5 parts .
(1 of 5).
In September 1981 , a spokesperson for the (then - ie ; 1981 , before they went constitutional in 1986) IRA authorised to speak on behalf of the leadership outlined the attitude of the Army to republican participation in elections .
He spoke about the republican attitude to contesting the West Belfast Westminster seat presently held by Gerry Fitt and how the IRA generally view constitutional politics , especially given the experience of republicans of a bitter split with the 'Sticks' (ie - the so-called 'Workers Party') , part of which was their reformist attitude to elections -
- " There can be no doubt that media speculation regarding Sinn Fein contesting the West Belfast constituency may have caused some confusion among republicans , especially given the intensity of falling-out between republican supporters and their erstwhile comrades in the so-called Republican Clubs .
Sections of the Republican Movement have , over the decades , had vastly differing attitudes to an intervention in the British or Free State electoral process . Generally speaking , what was wrong with the Sticks was not just that they contested elections but that they had a totally incorrect analysis of the nature of British imperialism .
They believed that the six-county state could be 'democratised' from within (*) and that the so-called democratic process was one method by which this reformation could be made . "
(* '1169...' comment - as do the Provisionals , but now they call it "...parity of esteem ." )
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, October 13, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
....... fleeing from a crowd of about one-hundred armed Irish Rebels , the RIC forced their way into a two-storey house just east of the town of Ballingarry , County Tipperary . There were no adults in the house at the time , but five children were inside .......
An RIC Inspector , followed by forty-five of his men , ran into the house shouting - " British Grenadiers ! British Grenadiers ! " They then proceeded to thrash the dwelling , ignoring the cries of the children , and used what little furniture there was , and the debris they created , to block doors and windows .
On being told that there were five children in the siege house , Rebel leader William Smith O'Brien offered the RIC hostage-takers the opportunity to surrender , making it clear that they would only lose their weapons , not their lives ; but the offer was rejected . The RIC contingent inside the house realised that the Rebels would not attack as long as the McCormick children remained in the house .
They also knew that their RIC colleagues were on the way ; so they 'got brave' , refusing to release the child hostages or surrender : surrounded by their enemy , yet safe from attack . They cleared window-space in the house and readied their rifles .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
" ....... one of the neighbouring Republican judge's , a good man in all ways , had let his new position go to his head , with talk of "...long experience..." on the bench ......."
" The Courthouse was packed when he made that remark - people looked at each other , but the heavy silence was maintained . It continued long enough to allow the full import of the judge's opening remark to be assimilated by even the most dull-witted among the audience . And then the ' envious Casca' struck - not from behind the judge's back , but from somewhere amongst the edge of the populace . It was not a short sword or dagger that was used ; it was a high-pitched cachinnation .
It rent the silence with cumulative effect , for it was possessed of that diabolical quality which compelled the listeners to genuine laughter in spite of their utmost efforts to restrain it . Alas for the blight on flowering genius ! Olagon for the glories departed !
It is indeed a fact that people in high places must needs walk warily , and even the utmost circumspection will sometimes avail them little ..."
[END of ' THE TRUCE....... '].
(Tomorrow - 'AISLINGI'['Visions']).
HISTORY LIVES ON .......
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
[6 of 6].
Cumann na mBan was incredible in its militancy - Eithne Coyle (Cumann na mBan President) recalls how ..."...as things developed in 1922 , we could see that the Free State was toeing the line for Britain . Nearly all the girls stayed Republican , but the men seemed to waver ." Later , in a political address to Cumann na mBan in 1935 , she stated : " We offer no apology to the rulers North or South of this partioned land in asserting our rights as freeborn Irish women to repudiate that Treaty and the Imperial Parliament of partioned Ulster . We fight for an Ireland where the exploitation of Irish workers by imported or native capitalists will be ruthelessly exterminated . (We will) put an end for all time to that state of chaos and social dis-order which is holding our people in unnatural bondage . "
In this book , Republican women and men recall for the first time the vivid and historic epoch through which they lived ; the high hopes , the scrambles , the fights , the escapes , periods of imprisonment , executions ; the long weary road back into civilian life , back to an Ireland where the reality fell far short of the dream ...
[END of 'HISTORY LIVES ON .......'].
(Tomorrow - 'The IRA Attitude to Elections' : first published in 1981).
....... fleeing from a crowd of about one-hundred armed Irish Rebels , the RIC forced their way into a two-storey house just east of the town of Ballingarry , County Tipperary . There were no adults in the house at the time , but five children were inside .......
An RIC Inspector , followed by forty-five of his men , ran into the house shouting - " British Grenadiers ! British Grenadiers ! " They then proceeded to thrash the dwelling , ignoring the cries of the children , and used what little furniture there was , and the debris they created , to block doors and windows .
On being told that there were five children in the siege house , Rebel leader William Smith O'Brien offered the RIC hostage-takers the opportunity to surrender , making it clear that they would only lose their weapons , not their lives ; but the offer was rejected . The RIC contingent inside the house realised that the Rebels would not attack as long as the McCormick children remained in the house .
They also knew that their RIC colleagues were on the way ; so they 'got brave' , refusing to release the child hostages or surrender : surrounded by their enemy , yet safe from attack . They cleared window-space in the house and readied their rifles .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
" ....... one of the neighbouring Republican judge's , a good man in all ways , had let his new position go to his head , with talk of "...long experience..." on the bench ......."
" The Courthouse was packed when he made that remark - people looked at each other , but the heavy silence was maintained . It continued long enough to allow the full import of the judge's opening remark to be assimilated by even the most dull-witted among the audience . And then the ' envious Casca' struck - not from behind the judge's back , but from somewhere amongst the edge of the populace . It was not a short sword or dagger that was used ; it was a high-pitched cachinnation .
It rent the silence with cumulative effect , for it was possessed of that diabolical quality which compelled the listeners to genuine laughter in spite of their utmost efforts to restrain it . Alas for the blight on flowering genius ! Olagon for the glories departed !
It is indeed a fact that people in high places must needs walk warily , and even the utmost circumspection will sometimes avail them little ..."
[END of ' THE TRUCE....... '].
(Tomorrow - 'AISLINGI'['Visions']).
HISTORY LIVES ON .......
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
[6 of 6].
Cumann na mBan was incredible in its militancy - Eithne Coyle (Cumann na mBan President) recalls how ..."...as things developed in 1922 , we could see that the Free State was toeing the line for Britain . Nearly all the girls stayed Republican , but the men seemed to waver ." Later , in a political address to Cumann na mBan in 1935 , she stated : " We offer no apology to the rulers North or South of this partioned land in asserting our rights as freeborn Irish women to repudiate that Treaty and the Imperial Parliament of partioned Ulster . We fight for an Ireland where the exploitation of Irish workers by imported or native capitalists will be ruthelessly exterminated . (We will) put an end for all time to that state of chaos and social dis-order which is holding our people in unnatural bondage . "
In this book , Republican women and men recall for the first time the vivid and historic epoch through which they lived ; the high hopes , the scrambles , the fights , the escapes , periods of imprisonment , executions ; the long weary road back into civilian life , back to an Ireland where the reality fell far short of the dream ...
[END of 'HISTORY LIVES ON .......'].
(Tomorrow - 'The IRA Attitude to Elections' : first published in 1981).
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
....... a contingent of forty-six RIC men from Callan in County Kilkenny arrived in Ballingarry , County Tipperary , on 29th July 1848 , to arrest the Irish Rebels that were in that town . Realising they were outnumbered , the RIC retreated - but were seen by the Rebels .......
The RIC gang quickly headed out of the town , followed closely by the insurgents . The British 'policemen' headed East out of Ballingarry and took refuge in a two-storey grey-stone farmhouse on the top of a small hill (the house now boasts a plaque above its door , inscribed 'Remember 1848' , and is known locally as 'The War House' ) .
At that time , a British 'warrant' had been issued for the 'arrest' of William Smith O'Brien and , in all probability , the RIC detatchment from Callan , Kilkenny , were out to prove to their British paymasters that they were a trust-worthy bunch of loyal serfs , and decided that , by putting down a Rebel Rising and 'arresting' a wanted man , they could do just that .
But , out-numbered two-to-one , they fled - but could'nt escape their pursuers ; so they forced their way into a house owned by the Widow McCormick , who was not at home at the time . But her five children were .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
" .......the Republican Court system was up-and-running ; a neighbouring Republican , a small farmer , who acted as a judge , was on his third case ....... "
" His judgements had been applauded by the litigants , the people and the lawyers ; naturally , like all good workmen , he took a legitimate pride in his work , and why not the same in his new profession ? So far his efforts had been crowned with success , and a bright future beckoned to him imperatively . But the course of success , like that of true love , does not always run smoothly . Around the corner will be found the obstacle , awaiting its opportunity .
The scene was again the forum , and the third trial was in progress . The great interest it had aroused was manifest in the numbers of the populace who followed with respectful and rapt attention the varying stages in the unravelling of its tangled skein . For it was a fairly complicated legal problem ; at length , however , the full legal facts were before the bench , and nothing remained to be said but the pronouncement of judgement . All eyes were now turned on the judge .
Very efficient and calm , he seemed , as he handled his notes . After a reasonable period of time he appeared to have made up his mind . He glanced upwards , then lowered his eyes again and , clearing his throat a little , said :
" This has been a complicated case , the most difficult I have met with , in all my long experience on the bench ..." The people looked at each other ......."
(MORE LATER).
HISTORY LIVES ON .......
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
(5 of 6).
Most interesting of all I found Peter Carleton of Belfast , who was a Section Leader in Na Fianna Eireann ; he tells of when Frank Ryan came up to Belfast in 1925 for the Wolfe Tone Commemoration which was held on the summit of Cave Hill , at MacArts Fort .
Referring to the 'Union Jack' flags flying about the city , he declared - " Where I come from , if we can't pull them down , we shoot them down ..." . A new generation of Irish Republican fighters is now carrying out this task .
Until recently we knew about Republican men in the past but little about Republican women ; this book makes up for that to a large extent . Apart from Nora Connolly O'Brien , it collects the memoirs of a number of very brave and dedicated fighters - Marie Comerford , Eithne Coyle (President , Cumann na mBan) , May Dalaigh , and Shiela Humphreys (Vice-President , Cumann na mBan) .
The story of Cumann na mBan is still largely untold - the steady , hard and unrewarding work they did in the political and military spheres .......
(MORE LATER).
....... a contingent of forty-six RIC men from Callan in County Kilkenny arrived in Ballingarry , County Tipperary , on 29th July 1848 , to arrest the Irish Rebels that were in that town . Realising they were outnumbered , the RIC retreated - but were seen by the Rebels .......
The RIC gang quickly headed out of the town , followed closely by the insurgents . The British 'policemen' headed East out of Ballingarry and took refuge in a two-storey grey-stone farmhouse on the top of a small hill (the house now boasts a plaque above its door , inscribed 'Remember 1848' , and is known locally as 'The War House' ) .
At that time , a British 'warrant' had been issued for the 'arrest' of William Smith O'Brien and , in all probability , the RIC detatchment from Callan , Kilkenny , were out to prove to their British paymasters that they were a trust-worthy bunch of loyal serfs , and decided that , by putting down a Rebel Rising and 'arresting' a wanted man , they could do just that .
But , out-numbered two-to-one , they fled - but could'nt escape their pursuers ; so they forced their way into a house owned by the Widow McCormick , who was not at home at the time . But her five children were .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
" .......the Republican Court system was up-and-running ; a neighbouring Republican , a small farmer , who acted as a judge , was on his third case ....... "
" His judgements had been applauded by the litigants , the people and the lawyers ; naturally , like all good workmen , he took a legitimate pride in his work , and why not the same in his new profession ? So far his efforts had been crowned with success , and a bright future beckoned to him imperatively . But the course of success , like that of true love , does not always run smoothly . Around the corner will be found the obstacle , awaiting its opportunity .
The scene was again the forum , and the third trial was in progress . The great interest it had aroused was manifest in the numbers of the populace who followed with respectful and rapt attention the varying stages in the unravelling of its tangled skein . For it was a fairly complicated legal problem ; at length , however , the full legal facts were before the bench , and nothing remained to be said but the pronouncement of judgement . All eyes were now turned on the judge .
Very efficient and calm , he seemed , as he handled his notes . After a reasonable period of time he appeared to have made up his mind . He glanced upwards , then lowered his eyes again and , clearing his throat a little , said :
" This has been a complicated case , the most difficult I have met with , in all my long experience on the bench ..." The people looked at each other ......."
(MORE LATER).
HISTORY LIVES ON .......
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
(5 of 6).
Most interesting of all I found Peter Carleton of Belfast , who was a Section Leader in Na Fianna Eireann ; he tells of when Frank Ryan came up to Belfast in 1925 for the Wolfe Tone Commemoration which was held on the summit of Cave Hill , at MacArts Fort .
Referring to the 'Union Jack' flags flying about the city , he declared - " Where I come from , if we can't pull them down , we shoot them down ..." . A new generation of Irish Republican fighters is now carrying out this task .
Until recently we knew about Republican men in the past but little about Republican women ; this book makes up for that to a large extent . Apart from Nora Connolly O'Brien , it collects the memoirs of a number of very brave and dedicated fighters - Marie Comerford , Eithne Coyle (President , Cumann na mBan) , May Dalaigh , and Shiela Humphreys (Vice-President , Cumann na mBan) .
The story of Cumann na mBan is still largely untold - the steady , hard and unrewarding work they did in the political and military spheres .......
(MORE LATER).
Monday, October 11, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
.......in the midst of so-called 'famine' , with disease such as typhus fever and cholera stalking the land , the 'Young Irelanders' were attempting to recruit for a Rising against British mis-rule in Ireland . The British 'police' force , the RIC , were watching developments .......
The RIC were 'the eyes and ears of Westminster' , and were told by their informers of the intentions of the Irish Rebels and of the fact that armed men and women were gathering in Ballingarry , County Tipperary .
The RIC were also told that William Smith O'Brien , James Stephens and Terence Bellew McManus were in that town , organising the insurgents . A patrol of forty-six RIC men , from Callan in County Kilkenny , were the first to arrive in Ballingarry on that day , the 29th July , 1848 , knowing that more British Crown re-inforcements were on the way .
However , on seeing a rebellious crowd of about one-hundred people , armed with firearms and/or pikes , the RIC decided to retreat until their re-inforcements arrived ; but the Irish Rebels had seen them .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
"....... during one case in the Republican Courts , at which my brother Pat was the judge , the defendant , Mikeen , was listening to the evidence against him ....... "
" An IRA policeman finished his evidence by stating " I took him into custody ..." , when Mikeen rose and shouted " Ya did , ya yob ya ! " . Calamity ! But the people and court bore up bravely ; not until they saw the learned judge show grave symptoms of disintegration did they surrender . Then , led by the bench , they all laughted together . The sentence was light - the judge lectured Mikeen on the virtures of self-restraint and , of course , on the evils of drink . Mikeen promised to reform completely , but the judge hastened to explain that that was not entirely necessary , that a fair distance along that particular road would suffice .
The neighbour whom he had assaulted was then brought forward and Mikeen completed his sentence by shaking his hand cordially . Furthermore , he promised the judge that never again would he interfere "...with the same man ," a pronouncement so specific as to be viewed with misgiving by some of the more discerning among his neighbours . However , their fears were never realised and , ever afterwards , they lived in the harmony which began on that night when judge and prisoner , people and policeman , all laughed together .
The next case occurred in a neighbouring parish . The new judge , a local farmer , had already dealt successfully with the first two cases to be brought before the Republican Court in his district ......."
(MORE LATER).
HISTORY LIVES ON .......
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
(4 of 6).
John Joe Sheehy , Commandant Kerry No. 1 Brigade , IRA , stated - " I admire the struggle of the oppressed Northern people , and how they are hitting back at an invading army trying to do the 'cos ar bholg' on them . " So much for the spineless commentators who tell us "...the old IRA was never like this , " etc etc .
Others who provide us with a personal view of the historic battles and ambushes are Pax O'Faolain (Brigadier General IRA) , Tom Kelleher (Commandant General IRA 1st Southern Division) , Tony Woods , Con Casey , Walter Mitchell , Connie Meenan and Dan Gleeson .
From the North there is Neil Gillespie (Volunteer 2nd Northern Division IRA) , who tells of the struggle in Derry , as does James McElduff (Captain 2nd Northern Division IRA) .
(MORE LATER).
.......in the midst of so-called 'famine' , with disease such as typhus fever and cholera stalking the land , the 'Young Irelanders' were attempting to recruit for a Rising against British mis-rule in Ireland . The British 'police' force , the RIC , were watching developments .......
The RIC were 'the eyes and ears of Westminster' , and were told by their informers of the intentions of the Irish Rebels and of the fact that armed men and women were gathering in Ballingarry , County Tipperary .
The RIC were also told that William Smith O'Brien , James Stephens and Terence Bellew McManus were in that town , organising the insurgents . A patrol of forty-six RIC men , from Callan in County Kilkenny , were the first to arrive in Ballingarry on that day , the 29th July , 1848 , knowing that more British Crown re-inforcements were on the way .
However , on seeing a rebellious crowd of about one-hundred people , armed with firearms and/or pikes , the RIC decided to retreat until their re-inforcements arrived ; but the Irish Rebels had seen them .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
"....... during one case in the Republican Courts , at which my brother Pat was the judge , the defendant , Mikeen , was listening to the evidence against him ....... "
" An IRA policeman finished his evidence by stating " I took him into custody ..." , when Mikeen rose and shouted " Ya did , ya yob ya ! " . Calamity ! But the people and court bore up bravely ; not until they saw the learned judge show grave symptoms of disintegration did they surrender . Then , led by the bench , they all laughted together . The sentence was light - the judge lectured Mikeen on the virtures of self-restraint and , of course , on the evils of drink . Mikeen promised to reform completely , but the judge hastened to explain that that was not entirely necessary , that a fair distance along that particular road would suffice .
The neighbour whom he had assaulted was then brought forward and Mikeen completed his sentence by shaking his hand cordially . Furthermore , he promised the judge that never again would he interfere "...with the same man ," a pronouncement so specific as to be viewed with misgiving by some of the more discerning among his neighbours . However , their fears were never realised and , ever afterwards , they lived in the harmony which began on that night when judge and prisoner , people and policeman , all laughed together .
The next case occurred in a neighbouring parish . The new judge , a local farmer , had already dealt successfully with the first two cases to be brought before the Republican Court in his district ......."
(MORE LATER).
HISTORY LIVES ON .......
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
(4 of 6).
John Joe Sheehy , Commandant Kerry No. 1 Brigade , IRA , stated - " I admire the struggle of the oppressed Northern people , and how they are hitting back at an invading army trying to do the 'cos ar bholg' on them . " So much for the spineless commentators who tell us "...the old IRA was never like this , " etc etc .
Others who provide us with a personal view of the historic battles and ambushes are Pax O'Faolain (Brigadier General IRA) , Tom Kelleher (Commandant General IRA 1st Southern Division) , Tony Woods , Con Casey , Walter Mitchell , Connie Meenan and Dan Gleeson .
From the North there is Neil Gillespie (Volunteer 2nd Northern Division IRA) , who tells of the struggle in Derry , as does James McElduff (Captain 2nd Northern Division IRA) .
(MORE LATER).
Friday, October 08, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
.......a 'War Council' was established by the 'Young Irelanders' in July 1848 ; then a 'Provisional Government' was set-up by the Irish Rebels .......
At a meeting in July 1848 at Ballinkeale , County Wexford , it was agreed that a 'Provisional Government of Ireland ' would be established , to operate from Kilkenny . The Young Irelanders 'War Council' sent its people out to all districts in the South of Ireland to organise any local resistance groups and to make a reconnaissance of enemy strength and movement .
But the timing was wrong - the blight that became known as 'The Great Famine' (sic) was on the land ; the potato disease first hit , that time, in 1845 and , by 1846 , every county on the island had been struck by it , with three-quarters of the potato crop destroyed . Typhus fever , diarrhoea , cholera and dysentery followed . It was in this atmosphere that the Irish Rebels were attempting to organise a military challenge against British mis-rule in Ireland .
Meanwhile , the RIC - 'the eyes and ears of Westminster' - had their informers at work against the 'Young Irelanders' .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
" .......the Republican Courts were run by the people , for the people , not like the old British 'justice' system with its 'pomp' and 'ceremony' ......."
" The British 'judge' used wear a wig and gown , which gave him a most sinister appearance ; other wigs and gowns in a pit underneath him , uniformed (British) 'policemen' who glared about , the 'prisoner' in the dock , the 'witness' box - all gave an impression of unreality and unkindness . The silence of the 'court' was the silence of fear , not respect .
We talked of the evening Mikeen , the 'hard man' of our village , had been tried by a 'special' court ; he had got drunk , assaulted a neighbour and threatened to blow up the neighbour's house with dynamite . He had assaulted the Republican police who had obtained a warrant for his arrest and , now , he was about to be tried but no judge was available . My brother Pat was asked to take the Office of judge , and agreed on condition that Mikeen would be satisfied with his appointment .
The prisoner expressed his entire willingness to be tried by a court with my brother as judge , remarking that he could now be sure of obtaining justice , so my brother Pat took his seat on the bench , for the first time . Public interest in the trial was great ; the court (Den Buckley's barn !) was crowded . Though the case appeared bad on paper , the 'world' (ie local people) knew that it had its extenuating circumstances , but the law had to take its course and the trial proceeded in the most formal manner , with the usual good order and silence being observed .
The "state" evidence had almost concluded and , in fact , the last witness - a Republican policeman - was giving evidence ; he was very precise and formal about the matter , perhaps too much so . Mikeen , old soldier that he was , took advantage of the favourable tide which seemed to be going in his direction - it was well known that himself and that particular IRA policeman did not see eye-to-eye ......."
(MORE LATER).
HISTORY LIVES ON .......
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
(3 of 6).
There is another group of recollections from the legendary Commanders of the Irish Republican Army during the Tan War and after ; there is Thomas O'Maoileoin (better known as Sean Forde) , Commandant General , IRA , who remained on the Army Council until 1938 . Apart from his fascinating account of military operations he notes how , in the 1930's , .....
... " ...with the right political organisation , we could sweep the land . Without a real revolution - a revolution of the mind - the wheel , I knew , would turn full circle again ..." . It did , of course . He ends with an uncompromising statement on the present -
- " I see no difference in the fight being waged against English domination of this country today , and the fight we fought in Westmeath in 1916 , and in East Limerick in 1920 and 1921 . As far as I am concerned , they are the same people at grips with the same enemy . " John Joe Sheehy , Commandant , Kerry No. 1 Brigade IRA , had much the same to say .......
(MORE LATER).
.......a 'War Council' was established by the 'Young Irelanders' in July 1848 ; then a 'Provisional Government' was set-up by the Irish Rebels .......
At a meeting in July 1848 at Ballinkeale , County Wexford , it was agreed that a 'Provisional Government of Ireland ' would be established , to operate from Kilkenny . The Young Irelanders 'War Council' sent its people out to all districts in the South of Ireland to organise any local resistance groups and to make a reconnaissance of enemy strength and movement .
But the timing was wrong - the blight that became known as 'The Great Famine' (sic) was on the land ; the potato disease first hit , that time, in 1845 and , by 1846 , every county on the island had been struck by it , with three-quarters of the potato crop destroyed . Typhus fever , diarrhoea , cholera and dysentery followed . It was in this atmosphere that the Irish Rebels were attempting to organise a military challenge against British mis-rule in Ireland .
Meanwhile , the RIC - 'the eyes and ears of Westminster' - had their informers at work against the 'Young Irelanders' .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
" .......the Republican Courts were run by the people , for the people , not like the old British 'justice' system with its 'pomp' and 'ceremony' ......."
" The British 'judge' used wear a wig and gown , which gave him a most sinister appearance ; other wigs and gowns in a pit underneath him , uniformed (British) 'policemen' who glared about , the 'prisoner' in the dock , the 'witness' box - all gave an impression of unreality and unkindness . The silence of the 'court' was the silence of fear , not respect .
We talked of the evening Mikeen , the 'hard man' of our village , had been tried by a 'special' court ; he had got drunk , assaulted a neighbour and threatened to blow up the neighbour's house with dynamite . He had assaulted the Republican police who had obtained a warrant for his arrest and , now , he was about to be tried but no judge was available . My brother Pat was asked to take the Office of judge , and agreed on condition that Mikeen would be satisfied with his appointment .
The prisoner expressed his entire willingness to be tried by a court with my brother as judge , remarking that he could now be sure of obtaining justice , so my brother Pat took his seat on the bench , for the first time . Public interest in the trial was great ; the court (Den Buckley's barn !) was crowded . Though the case appeared bad on paper , the 'world' (ie local people) knew that it had its extenuating circumstances , but the law had to take its course and the trial proceeded in the most formal manner , with the usual good order and silence being observed .
The "state" evidence had almost concluded and , in fact , the last witness - a Republican policeman - was giving evidence ; he was very precise and formal about the matter , perhaps too much so . Mikeen , old soldier that he was , took advantage of the favourable tide which seemed to be going in his direction - it was well known that himself and that particular IRA policeman did not see eye-to-eye ......."
(MORE LATER).
HISTORY LIVES ON .......
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
(3 of 6).
There is another group of recollections from the legendary Commanders of the Irish Republican Army during the Tan War and after ; there is Thomas O'Maoileoin (better known as Sean Forde) , Commandant General , IRA , who remained on the Army Council until 1938 . Apart from his fascinating account of military operations he notes how , in the 1930's , .....
... " ...with the right political organisation , we could sweep the land . Without a real revolution - a revolution of the mind - the wheel , I knew , would turn full circle again ..." . It did , of course . He ends with an uncompromising statement on the present -
- " I see no difference in the fight being waged against English domination of this country today , and the fight we fought in Westmeath in 1916 , and in East Limerick in 1920 and 1921 . As far as I am concerned , they are the same people at grips with the same enemy . " John Joe Sheehy , Commandant , Kerry No. 1 Brigade IRA , had much the same to say .......
(MORE LATER).
Thursday, October 07, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
.......'evictions' were common-place ; as the President of 'The Irish National Land League' (also known as 'The Land League of Ireland') , Charles Stewart Parnell was advocating a different method other than " violence " , by which 'tenants' could strike-back .......
It should be noted that the " violence " referred to by Parnell was , in this scribblers opinion , used in self-defence , as is the " violence " used today by the Irish .
However - at a meeting in Ennis , County Clare , in 1880 , Charles Stewart Parnell stated - " Now what are you to do with a tenant who bids for a farm from which his neighbour has been evicted ? Now I think I heard somebody say "Shoot him !" - but I wish to point out a very much better way , a more Christian and more charitable way . You must show what you think of him on the roadside when you meet him , you must show him in the streets of the town , you must show him at the shop counter .
Even in the house of worship , by leaving him severely alone , by putting him into a sort of moral 'Coventry' , by isolating him from the rest of his kind as if he were a leper of old , you must show him your detestation of the crime he has committed . " That became known as the 'Boycott Campaign' , after the name of the first British 'Land Agent' (in County Mayo) against whom it was applied .
But I digress (again...) ; In July 1848 , the 'Young Irelanders' assembled a 'War Council' and then set-up a 'Provisional Government of Ireland '.......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......my uncle , Dan MacNamara , was a judge in the Republican Courts , which we all had experience of ....... "
" The judge of the District Court was always a local man - farmer , labourer or artisan , selected by the people as the man best qualified for the position ; his honesty was his only qualification . The Court was held in the parish school or hall , and the litigants could employ the men who had practised during the British regime , or call on any man they liked to defend them . IRA Policemen and magistrates were all local men ('1169....' Comment - Unlike today , the 'IRA Policemen' of the 1920's did not safely usher Orange parades through Nationalist areas and then rescue British Army footpatrols - ref the Provos in Ardoyne recently ...) .
It might appear to some people that such an arrangement was not conducive to the dignity and proper administration of the law , but such an opinion would be very far from the fact - the public were , of course, admitted to the court , the proceedings were conducted with the utmost decorum and a respectful silence was always maintained .
This atmosphere was not due to the presence of IRA Policemen or other Officers of the law ; it was just due to the pride the people felt in the realisation of one of their ideals . True , if the occasion arose to justify laughter , then they had to laugh , but it was not done without ample provocation . In the days of the old regime the judge sat sphinx-like on the bench , and his wig and gown gave him a most sinister appearance ......."
(MORE LATER).
HISTORY LIVES ON .......
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
(2 of 6).
Peadar O'Donnell is also critical of the abstract "leftist" critics of Republicanism - " Though the IRA was often dubbed a purely nationalist organisation , those critics forgot that nationality itself is a progressive force . A nationalist movement , generally speaking, gathers its strength from the working class . If the working class pushes up to the front , they can carry on the revolution to the social revolutionary stage . "
A similar theme - the relation between national and social liberation - is developed by Frank Edwards who was a Lieutenant with the Waterford City Battalion IRA , and a Sergeant with the XV International Brigade in Spain . In his recollections , he tells of agitation in the 1930's in Waterford over the slum 'landlords' , the organisation of 'tenants' and the unemployed and , of course , strikers , concluding simply - " Most of the local IRA supported us , They were working class ."
Nora Connolly O'Brien , the late daughter of James Connolly , provides fascinating glimpses of her eventful life , as does Sean MacBride , one time Chief of Staff of the IRA , today an 'international statesman .......'
(MORE LATER).
.......'evictions' were common-place ; as the President of 'The Irish National Land League' (also known as 'The Land League of Ireland') , Charles Stewart Parnell was advocating a different method other than " violence " , by which 'tenants' could strike-back .......
It should be noted that the " violence " referred to by Parnell was , in this scribblers opinion , used in self-defence , as is the " violence " used today by the Irish .
However - at a meeting in Ennis , County Clare , in 1880 , Charles Stewart Parnell stated - " Now what are you to do with a tenant who bids for a farm from which his neighbour has been evicted ? Now I think I heard somebody say "Shoot him !" - but I wish to point out a very much better way , a more Christian and more charitable way . You must show what you think of him on the roadside when you meet him , you must show him in the streets of the town , you must show him at the shop counter .
Even in the house of worship , by leaving him severely alone , by putting him into a sort of moral 'Coventry' , by isolating him from the rest of his kind as if he were a leper of old , you must show him your detestation of the crime he has committed . " That became known as the 'Boycott Campaign' , after the name of the first British 'Land Agent' (in County Mayo) against whom it was applied .
But I digress (again...) ; In July 1848 , the 'Young Irelanders' assembled a 'War Council' and then set-up a 'Provisional Government of Ireland '.......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......my uncle , Dan MacNamara , was a judge in the Republican Courts , which we all had experience of ....... "
" The judge of the District Court was always a local man - farmer , labourer or artisan , selected by the people as the man best qualified for the position ; his honesty was his only qualification . The Court was held in the parish school or hall , and the litigants could employ the men who had practised during the British regime , or call on any man they liked to defend them . IRA Policemen and magistrates were all local men ('1169....' Comment - Unlike today , the 'IRA Policemen' of the 1920's did not safely usher Orange parades through Nationalist areas and then rescue British Army footpatrols - ref the Provos in Ardoyne recently ...) .
It might appear to some people that such an arrangement was not conducive to the dignity and proper administration of the law , but such an opinion would be very far from the fact - the public were , of course, admitted to the court , the proceedings were conducted with the utmost decorum and a respectful silence was always maintained .
This atmosphere was not due to the presence of IRA Policemen or other Officers of the law ; it was just due to the pride the people felt in the realisation of one of their ideals . True , if the occasion arose to justify laughter , then they had to laugh , but it was not done without ample provocation . In the days of the old regime the judge sat sphinx-like on the bench , and his wig and gown gave him a most sinister appearance ......."
(MORE LATER).
HISTORY LIVES ON .......
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
(2 of 6).
Peadar O'Donnell is also critical of the abstract "leftist" critics of Republicanism - " Though the IRA was often dubbed a purely nationalist organisation , those critics forgot that nationality itself is a progressive force . A nationalist movement , generally speaking, gathers its strength from the working class . If the working class pushes up to the front , they can carry on the revolution to the social revolutionary stage . "
A similar theme - the relation between national and social liberation - is developed by Frank Edwards who was a Lieutenant with the Waterford City Battalion IRA , and a Sergeant with the XV International Brigade in Spain . In his recollections , he tells of agitation in the 1930's in Waterford over the slum 'landlords' , the organisation of 'tenants' and the unemployed and , of course , strikers , concluding simply - " Most of the local IRA supported us , They were working class ."
Nora Connolly O'Brien , the late daughter of James Connolly , provides fascinating glimpses of her eventful life , as does Sean MacBride , one time Chief of Staff of the IRA , today an 'international statesman .......'
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
.......the 'Boycott' Campaign got its name when Charles Stewart Parnell was addressing a large outdoor meeting at Ennis , in County Clare , in 1880 - the previous year (1879) , speaking in Westport , County Mayo , Parnell stated .......
" A fair rent is a rent the tenant can reasonably afford to pay according to the times , but in bad times a tenant cannot be expected to pay as much as he did in good times . Now , what must we do in order to induce the landlords to see the position ? You must show them that you intend to hold a firm grip of your homesteads and lands .
You must not allow yourselves to be dispossessed as your fathers were dispossessed in 1847 . I hope that on those properties where the rents are out of all proportion to the times , a reduction may be made and that immediately . If not , you must help yourselves , and the public opinion of the world will stand by you , and support you in your struggle to defend your homesteads . "
Evictions were by then common-place and , at the above-mentioned meeting in Ennis , County Clare , in 1880 , Charles Stewart Parnell again promoted a different method by which the 'tenant' could strike-back at the 'Landlord' classes ; but again , what Parnell called "violence" was ruled out .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......we were relaxing under a pine tree on a sunny day in 1921 on my uncles farm in Knocksaharing , having worked the land that day . We got to talking about the troubled times we lived in ......."
" It was but natural that our thoughts should wander back over that period of eventful years which had ended only a few months ago ; Dan MacNamara was the first to express his thoughts aloud - he laughed and said - " Bedammed , lads , do you know what it is , we have been through some stirring scenes during the past seven or eight years . If one could only think of all the laughable incidents that occurred from time to time .
Here I am , thank God , back at work again on my bit of territory , I who was once a judge on the bench of the Republican Court , dispensing justice alike to rich and poor , bowed to and called 'Your Worship' by the regular practitioners of the law , some of whom always thought , no doubt , that the dock and not the bench would be the summit of my legal career ! Well , at least we can claim to have been the first Irishmen to establish Courts for our own people since the lapse of the Brehon Laws . And did they not work well ?
They never failed to measure out justice so fairly that the parties concerned were well pleased with the judgement . And what more was wanted ? Soon you will see the British system working again , with some of the old outward pomp and ceremony . This was usually accompanied by , as we know from bitter experience , damn little justice for Irishmen . No matter ! That can hardly happen again ..."
The allusion to the Republican Courts which had entirely replaced the British system , and which had proved such a complete success , evoked many amusing reminiscences ....... "
(MORE LATER).
HISTORY LIVES ON .
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
(1 of 6).
This truly remarkable book covers the story of Ireland's struggle as told through some of her outstanding living people (the 'Survivors') recalling events from the days of Davitt , through James Connolly , Collins , Liam Mellows and Rory O'Connor to the present day . We often forget that there are people still alive today who can remember the Easter Rising , lived through the Tan War , the Civil War and the difficult years of the 1930's .
These recollections are a rich repository of historical knowledge ; not the 'dry' history of the textbooks , but the real history of living people . Some of the twenty-three 'Survivors' are familiar names , people who have written extensively and so on . Thus we have Peadar O'Donnell of 'Land Annuity Campaign' and 'Republican Congress' fame . He is particularly critical of the Labour Party after 1916 -
- " One of the reasons Dublin voted Republican rather than Labour was because the masses in Dublin are very Republican . They resented the fact that Labour had deserted the Republic ..."
(MORE LATER).
.......the 'Boycott' Campaign got its name when Charles Stewart Parnell was addressing a large outdoor meeting at Ennis , in County Clare , in 1880 - the previous year (1879) , speaking in Westport , County Mayo , Parnell stated .......
" A fair rent is a rent the tenant can reasonably afford to pay according to the times , but in bad times a tenant cannot be expected to pay as much as he did in good times . Now , what must we do in order to induce the landlords to see the position ? You must show them that you intend to hold a firm grip of your homesteads and lands .
You must not allow yourselves to be dispossessed as your fathers were dispossessed in 1847 . I hope that on those properties where the rents are out of all proportion to the times , a reduction may be made and that immediately . If not , you must help yourselves , and the public opinion of the world will stand by you , and support you in your struggle to defend your homesteads . "
Evictions were by then common-place and , at the above-mentioned meeting in Ennis , County Clare , in 1880 , Charles Stewart Parnell again promoted a different method by which the 'tenant' could strike-back at the 'Landlord' classes ; but again , what Parnell called "violence" was ruled out .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......we were relaxing under a pine tree on a sunny day in 1921 on my uncles farm in Knocksaharing , having worked the land that day . We got to talking about the troubled times we lived in ......."
" It was but natural that our thoughts should wander back over that period of eventful years which had ended only a few months ago ; Dan MacNamara was the first to express his thoughts aloud - he laughed and said - " Bedammed , lads , do you know what it is , we have been through some stirring scenes during the past seven or eight years . If one could only think of all the laughable incidents that occurred from time to time .
Here I am , thank God , back at work again on my bit of territory , I who was once a judge on the bench of the Republican Court , dispensing justice alike to rich and poor , bowed to and called 'Your Worship' by the regular practitioners of the law , some of whom always thought , no doubt , that the dock and not the bench would be the summit of my legal career ! Well , at least we can claim to have been the first Irishmen to establish Courts for our own people since the lapse of the Brehon Laws . And did they not work well ?
They never failed to measure out justice so fairly that the parties concerned were well pleased with the judgement . And what more was wanted ? Soon you will see the British system working again , with some of the old outward pomp and ceremony . This was usually accompanied by , as we know from bitter experience , damn little justice for Irishmen . No matter ! That can hardly happen again ..."
The allusion to the Republican Courts which had entirely replaced the British system , and which had proved such a complete success , evoked many amusing reminiscences ....... "
(MORE LATER).
HISTORY LIVES ON .
Review of the book 'Survivors' , written by Uinseann MacEoin , and published by Argenta Publications , Dublin , 1980 .
First published in 'IRIS' magazine , Volume 1 , Number 2 , November 1981 , page 117 .
Re-published here in 6 parts .
(1 of 6).
This truly remarkable book covers the story of Ireland's struggle as told through some of her outstanding living people (the 'Survivors') recalling events from the days of Davitt , through James Connolly , Collins , Liam Mellows and Rory O'Connor to the present day . We often forget that there are people still alive today who can remember the Easter Rising , lived through the Tan War , the Civil War and the difficult years of the 1930's .
These recollections are a rich repository of historical knowledge ; not the 'dry' history of the textbooks , but the real history of living people . Some of the twenty-three 'Survivors' are familiar names , people who have written extensively and so on . Thus we have Peadar O'Donnell of 'Land Annuity Campaign' and 'Republican Congress' fame . He is particularly critical of the Labour Party after 1916 -
- " One of the reasons Dublin voted Republican rather than Labour was because the masses in Dublin are very Republican . They resented the fact that Labour had deserted the Republic ..."
(MORE LATER).
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
.......the President of the 'Irish National Land League' (also known as 'The Land League of Ireland') , Charles Stewart Parnell , was in an unenviable political position for a while - he was distrusted by both the British and the Irish .......
Charles Stewart Parnell's great-grandfather was known to have been strongly opposed to any form of an ' Official ' union between Ireland and England ; his mother , apparently , by all accounts, was an 'in-your-face' up-front lady , American by birth , who had no great love for the British -
- her own father had dispatched many an English soldier during the war of 1812 . However - I'll leave the Parnell 'tangent' there and refer back to the previous 'tangent' (!) ; the 'boycott' campaign , which got its name during the Irish 'Land War' when Charles Stewart Parnell (... mini-tangent coming up !) was addressing a large outdoor meeting at Ennis in County Clare , in 1880 .
The previous year (1879) , Parnell had delivered a speech on the same topic (ie 'tenants , rents and landlords') to a large crowd in Westport in County Mayo .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......we were working the corn-fields at my uncles farm at Knocksaharing , on a beautiful day in 1921 . 'Reaping' and 'Stooking' , and working up an appetite ....... "
" Above us stood a grassy plateau with a lone pine tree in the middle of it ; the sun , slanting downwards from the west , fell on the short green grass and cast a long shadow eastwards from the pine . My uncle spoke - " It is too early for tea , lads . " Then , looking at the land , and then at the pine tree , he quoted -
- ' Come to the sunset tree ,
The day is past and gone ,
The woodman's axe lies free ,
And the reaper's work is done . '
With one accord we all moved towards the grassy plateau and sat or stretched ourselves at ease around the stem of the pine tree . No one spoke for a while , but I broke the silence - " Dan ," I asked , " did you finish your poetry ? " " No ," he replied , " there's a little more , and it is very appropriate to the time and place . Here it is : "
' Sweet is the hour of rest ,
Gentle the winds low sigh ,
And the bright gleaming of the west ,
On the turf whereon we lie . '
Certainly it was appropriate : above us a gentle breeze stirred the dark branches of the pine , while the sun sinking towards Beal a' Ghleanna maintained its pleasant radiance of light and heat . We thought , and spoke , of the troubled times we lived in ....... "
(MORE LATER).
PASSPORT SCANDAL....... !
By Patrick Murphy .
First published in 'New Hibernia' magazine , May 1987 , page 13 .
A 'skit' in five parts .
[5 of 5].
Special guerilla training will of course be provided on such subjects as how to smuggle washing powder across the border from the North and how to live off the land without paying income tax . Counter espionage tactics will include how to spot a television licence detector van at 100 yards and training in how to blend in with the countryside will be given by county council workmen .
And news is just coming in of clashes between rival Arab groups in Limerick ; heavy fighting is reported in the pro-Iranian area of the Ennis Road and the United Nations has asked the Government to send peace-keeping forces to the area . But as part of the Government cut-backs , Mr. Brian Lenihan has suggested that the fighting should take place for only an hour each day .
Mr. Lenihan was later sold to an Arab by a senior Civil Servant in his department for five pounds . In a communique just issued from Damascus , the Arab has demanded his money back !
[END of PASSPORT SCANDAL....... ! ].
(Tomorrow - 'History Lives On : Survivors . ' : from 1981).
(MORE LATER).
.......the President of the 'Irish National Land League' (also known as 'The Land League of Ireland') , Charles Stewart Parnell , was in an unenviable political position for a while - he was distrusted by both the British and the Irish .......
Charles Stewart Parnell's great-grandfather was known to have been strongly opposed to any form of an ' Official ' union between Ireland and England ; his mother , apparently , by all accounts, was an 'in-your-face' up-front lady , American by birth , who had no great love for the British -
- her own father had dispatched many an English soldier during the war of 1812 . However - I'll leave the Parnell 'tangent' there and refer back to the previous 'tangent' (!) ; the 'boycott' campaign , which got its name during the Irish 'Land War' when Charles Stewart Parnell (... mini-tangent coming up !) was addressing a large outdoor meeting at Ennis in County Clare , in 1880 .
The previous year (1879) , Parnell had delivered a speech on the same topic (ie 'tenants , rents and landlords') to a large crowd in Westport in County Mayo .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......we were working the corn-fields at my uncles farm at Knocksaharing , on a beautiful day in 1921 . 'Reaping' and 'Stooking' , and working up an appetite ....... "
" Above us stood a grassy plateau with a lone pine tree in the middle of it ; the sun , slanting downwards from the west , fell on the short green grass and cast a long shadow eastwards from the pine . My uncle spoke - " It is too early for tea , lads . " Then , looking at the land , and then at the pine tree , he quoted -
- ' Come to the sunset tree ,
The day is past and gone ,
The woodman's axe lies free ,
And the reaper's work is done . '
With one accord we all moved towards the grassy plateau and sat or stretched ourselves at ease around the stem of the pine tree . No one spoke for a while , but I broke the silence - " Dan ," I asked , " did you finish your poetry ? " " No ," he replied , " there's a little more , and it is very appropriate to the time and place . Here it is : "
' Sweet is the hour of rest ,
Gentle the winds low sigh ,
And the bright gleaming of the west ,
On the turf whereon we lie . '
Certainly it was appropriate : above us a gentle breeze stirred the dark branches of the pine , while the sun sinking towards Beal a' Ghleanna maintained its pleasant radiance of light and heat . We thought , and spoke , of the troubled times we lived in ....... "
(MORE LATER).
PASSPORT SCANDAL....... !
By Patrick Murphy .
First published in 'New Hibernia' magazine , May 1987 , page 13 .
A 'skit' in five parts .
[5 of 5].
Special guerilla training will of course be provided on such subjects as how to smuggle washing powder across the border from the North and how to live off the land without paying income tax . Counter espionage tactics will include how to spot a television licence detector van at 100 yards and training in how to blend in with the countryside will be given by county council workmen .
And news is just coming in of clashes between rival Arab groups in Limerick ; heavy fighting is reported in the pro-Iranian area of the Ennis Road and the United Nations has asked the Government to send peace-keeping forces to the area . But as part of the Government cut-backs , Mr. Brian Lenihan has suggested that the fighting should take place for only an hour each day .
Mr. Lenihan was later sold to an Arab by a senior Civil Servant in his department for five pounds . In a communique just issued from Damascus , the Arab has demanded his money back !
[END of PASSPORT SCANDAL....... ! ].
(Tomorrow - 'History Lives On : Survivors . ' : from 1981).
(MORE LATER).
Monday, October 04, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
.......as a result of a campaign led by John Blake Dillon , one of the leaders of the 'Irish National Land League' (and a member of 'The Young Irelanders' War Council) a new word was to enter the English language .......
The British 'Landlord' who was buying-up land from which the Irish had been 'evicted' was Captain Boycott ; he was targetted by the 'Land League' , whose President , Charles Stewart Parnell was , for a time , viewed with suspicion by both the British and Irish - in 1876 , it was said of him in Westminster -
" Mr. Parnell combines in his person all the unlovable qualities of an Irish member with the absolute absense of their attractiveness . Something really must be done about him . He is always at a white heat or rage and makes with savage earnestness fancifully ridiculous statements ..."
Meanwhile , on 'the other side of the house' , so to speak , the Irish had their view of Charles Stewart Parnell 'coloured' by , amongst other things , the man's background ; he was a Protestant 'Landlord' who 'owned' about 5,000 acres of land in County Wicklow and his parents were friends of (and , indeed, in some cases , related to) the local Protestant 'gentry' .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......we were convinced that we had lost one of our IRA Officers , as he had dived into heavy flood waters to rescue our supplies from a cart , but , in time , he made his way back to us in the training camp . Our Brigadier , Sean O'Hegarty , looked at the soaked man ....... "
" " You got wet then , Dick ," , said Sean . " Unfortunately , I did, " poor Dick replied , " visibility was deceptive and I erroneously concluded that an island I saw was part of terra firma . " " Better change your clothes , Dick , " said Sean . " Yes, " said Dick , " I will , for a sudden immersion of that nature is liable to bring on pangs of excruciating pain in both arms . " " You are all right yet , anyway .....," Sean observed , tongue in cheek !
It was the harvest time in that beautiful year of sunshine , 1921 ; we had heard that my uncle Dan was reaping the corn at Knocksaharing and , ever anxious to spend a day in his company at that peaceful spot , my brothers , sisters and I arrived there early in the day . We found that a goodly number of the neighbours , including the local IRA Volunteers , had already come to help with the harvest , anticipating a day made pleasant by merely listening to my uncle's discourses .
Work was commenced on Paircin na Coille ; it was the old-time harvest scene - four scythes , wielded with precision by strong arms , cut a wide track from fence to fence . A 'taker' followed each scythe , and two 'binders' easily bound the sheaves each 'taker' laid at right angles to the line of standing corn . Now and then half the 'binders' would leave their work and stook the sheaves . Between the work , the pleasant intervals of rest , dinner and afternoon tea on the field , we found that time had gone by un-noticed .
We had finished the reaping and stooking and now stood straightening our backs at the top of the field called Pairc na mBeach , and had worked up an appetite ......."
(MORE LATER).
PASSPORT SCANDAL....... !
By Patrick Murphy .
First published in 'New Hibernia' magazine , May 1987 , page 13 .
A 'skit' in five parts .
(4 of 5).
Speaking at a meeting of the Colonel Gadaffi Fianna Fail Cumann in Libya North last night the Taoiseach , Mr. Haughey , said that having brought Christianity to many parts of the world the Irish were now bringing passports .
A team of teachers from the Department of Education has gone to the Middle East to give a crash course on how to be Irish to the thousands of new Irish citizens there . Candidates have a choice of talking rural Irish (" It's that bloody crowd up in Dublin that's to blame....") or urban Irish (" It's the bloody farmers that have the country ruined ....").
Traditional Irish airs such as ' Big Tom is still the King ' and ' Do ya want yer auld lobby washed down ?' will be taught by skilled musicians and Gaelic football , which was to have been taught by a few Kerry men will now be handled by Dublin people .......
(MORE LATER).
.......as a result of a campaign led by John Blake Dillon , one of the leaders of the 'Irish National Land League' (and a member of 'The Young Irelanders' War Council) a new word was to enter the English language .......
The British 'Landlord' who was buying-up land from which the Irish had been 'evicted' was Captain Boycott ; he was targetted by the 'Land League' , whose President , Charles Stewart Parnell was , for a time , viewed with suspicion by both the British and Irish - in 1876 , it was said of him in Westminster -
" Mr. Parnell combines in his person all the unlovable qualities of an Irish member with the absolute absense of their attractiveness . Something really must be done about him . He is always at a white heat or rage and makes with savage earnestness fancifully ridiculous statements ..."
Meanwhile , on 'the other side of the house' , so to speak , the Irish had their view of Charles Stewart Parnell 'coloured' by , amongst other things , the man's background ; he was a Protestant 'Landlord' who 'owned' about 5,000 acres of land in County Wicklow and his parents were friends of (and , indeed, in some cases , related to) the local Protestant 'gentry' .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......we were convinced that we had lost one of our IRA Officers , as he had dived into heavy flood waters to rescue our supplies from a cart , but , in time , he made his way back to us in the training camp . Our Brigadier , Sean O'Hegarty , looked at the soaked man ....... "
" " You got wet then , Dick ," , said Sean . " Unfortunately , I did, " poor Dick replied , " visibility was deceptive and I erroneously concluded that an island I saw was part of terra firma . " " Better change your clothes , Dick , " said Sean . " Yes, " said Dick , " I will , for a sudden immersion of that nature is liable to bring on pangs of excruciating pain in both arms . " " You are all right yet , anyway .....," Sean observed , tongue in cheek !
It was the harvest time in that beautiful year of sunshine , 1921 ; we had heard that my uncle Dan was reaping the corn at Knocksaharing and , ever anxious to spend a day in his company at that peaceful spot , my brothers , sisters and I arrived there early in the day . We found that a goodly number of the neighbours , including the local IRA Volunteers , had already come to help with the harvest , anticipating a day made pleasant by merely listening to my uncle's discourses .
Work was commenced on Paircin na Coille ; it was the old-time harvest scene - four scythes , wielded with precision by strong arms , cut a wide track from fence to fence . A 'taker' followed each scythe , and two 'binders' easily bound the sheaves each 'taker' laid at right angles to the line of standing corn . Now and then half the 'binders' would leave their work and stook the sheaves . Between the work , the pleasant intervals of rest , dinner and afternoon tea on the field , we found that time had gone by un-noticed .
We had finished the reaping and stooking and now stood straightening our backs at the top of the field called Pairc na mBeach , and had worked up an appetite ......."
(MORE LATER).
PASSPORT SCANDAL....... !
By Patrick Murphy .
First published in 'New Hibernia' magazine , May 1987 , page 13 .
A 'skit' in five parts .
(4 of 5).
Speaking at a meeting of the Colonel Gadaffi Fianna Fail Cumann in Libya North last night the Taoiseach , Mr. Haughey , said that having brought Christianity to many parts of the world the Irish were now bringing passports .
A team of teachers from the Department of Education has gone to the Middle East to give a crash course on how to be Irish to the thousands of new Irish citizens there . Candidates have a choice of talking rural Irish (" It's that bloody crowd up in Dublin that's to blame....") or urban Irish (" It's the bloody farmers that have the country ruined ....").
Traditional Irish airs such as ' Big Tom is still the King ' and ' Do ya want yer auld lobby washed down ?' will be taught by skilled musicians and Gaelic football , which was to have been taught by a few Kerry men will now be handled by Dublin people .......
(MORE LATER).
Friday, October 01, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
.......the ' Loyal National Repeal Association ' had 'split' ; those that left formed ' The Young Irelanders ' and immediately called for an armed revolt against British mis-rule in Ireland . The Brits moved quickly .......
One of the leaders of 'The Young Irelanders' , John Mitchel , was 'arrested' for writing " ...wild and menacing words ..." then , in April 1848 , the 'Treason Felony Act' was introduced , followed by the suspension of 'Habeas Corpus' on July 25th , 1848 ; William Smith O'Brien recognised that the Brits were 'battening down the hatches' - with John Mitchel in a British prison , he was in command ; he called for an immediate Rising against the British .
A 'War Council' was appointed , comprising William Smith O'Brien , Thomas Francis Meagher and John Blake Dillon ; the latter was to come to the fore in the late 1870's when , as a member of the 'Irish National Land League' , which was formed in 1879 to protect the Irish 'tenantry' against the abuses of British 'landlords' , he led a campaign against a British 'landlord' who was buying-up lands from which Irish 'peasants' had been evicted .
As a result , a new word was to enter the English language .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......we were milling around the scene of the 'lake' incident when , out of nowhere , our gentlemanly Officer announced that he had "...a good expedient ..." to save the situation ....... "
" He jumped in to the flood waters ; we were stricken with complete but short-lived paralysis , which gave way to violent contortions , followed by sustained convulsions . The group holding on to the big horse let him go and he started to drown again - they held on to each other and by this means managed to save their lives . Dan MacNamara took hold of me and somehow we managed to reach the house ; Sean O'Hegarty , our IRA Brigadier , had come outside to meet us but we could tell him nothing ; we staggered indoors - Sean now started to swear at us since we would not tell him the joke . At length I managed to speak the Officer's name , and Sean heard it .
" Maybe he's drowned ? " , he enquired . " Well " , I said , " he was under water when we left . " Sean now became afflicted by this announcement ; at length we sat on chairs and waited , our eyes on the open door . By and by the procession arrived , headed by the 'victim ' ! The 'mourners' made an indecent scramble for position , determined to extract the full value from this unexpected windfall : Sean's face was as grave as the hanging judge's as his eyes assessed the depreciation . " You got wet then , Dick ," he commented dryly ......."
(MORE LATER).
PASSPORT SCANDAL....... !
By Patrick Murphy .
First published in 'New Hibernia' magazine , May 1987 , page 13 .
A 'skit' in five parts .
(3 of 5).
Meanwhile , at the opening of a new IDA (Free State 'Industrial Development Agency') sponsored passport-making factory at Tallaght , Dublin , yesterday , the new Minister for Women's Affairs , Mrs. Bridget Tehran Radio announced that passports have gone on sale to all newsagents and post offices throughout the country . Anyone who buys two passports with the same number stands to win £1,000 , plus two Iranian women , plus the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs or one million free passports !
The State Government has disclosed that the money raised by the sale will go towards funding social security benefits for the three million Irish citizens who now live in Tripoli .......
(MORE LATER).
.......the ' Loyal National Repeal Association ' had 'split' ; those that left formed ' The Young Irelanders ' and immediately called for an armed revolt against British mis-rule in Ireland . The Brits moved quickly .......
One of the leaders of 'The Young Irelanders' , John Mitchel , was 'arrested' for writing " ...wild and menacing words ..." then , in April 1848 , the 'Treason Felony Act' was introduced , followed by the suspension of 'Habeas Corpus' on July 25th , 1848 ; William Smith O'Brien recognised that the Brits were 'battening down the hatches' - with John Mitchel in a British prison , he was in command ; he called for an immediate Rising against the British .
A 'War Council' was appointed , comprising William Smith O'Brien , Thomas Francis Meagher and John Blake Dillon ; the latter was to come to the fore in the late 1870's when , as a member of the 'Irish National Land League' , which was formed in 1879 to protect the Irish 'tenantry' against the abuses of British 'landlords' , he led a campaign against a British 'landlord' who was buying-up lands from which Irish 'peasants' had been evicted .
As a result , a new word was to enter the English language .......
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......we were milling around the scene of the 'lake' incident when , out of nowhere , our gentlemanly Officer announced that he had "...a good expedient ..." to save the situation ....... "
" He jumped in to the flood waters ; we were stricken with complete but short-lived paralysis , which gave way to violent contortions , followed by sustained convulsions . The group holding on to the big horse let him go and he started to drown again - they held on to each other and by this means managed to save their lives . Dan MacNamara took hold of me and somehow we managed to reach the house ; Sean O'Hegarty , our IRA Brigadier , had come outside to meet us but we could tell him nothing ; we staggered indoors - Sean now started to swear at us since we would not tell him the joke . At length I managed to speak the Officer's name , and Sean heard it .
" Maybe he's drowned ? " , he enquired . " Well " , I said , " he was under water when we left . " Sean now became afflicted by this announcement ; at length we sat on chairs and waited , our eyes on the open door . By and by the procession arrived , headed by the 'victim ' ! The 'mourners' made an indecent scramble for position , determined to extract the full value from this unexpected windfall : Sean's face was as grave as the hanging judge's as his eyes assessed the depreciation . " You got wet then , Dick ," he commented dryly ......."
(MORE LATER).
PASSPORT SCANDAL....... !
By Patrick Murphy .
First published in 'New Hibernia' magazine , May 1987 , page 13 .
A 'skit' in five parts .
(3 of 5).
Meanwhile , at the opening of a new IDA (Free State 'Industrial Development Agency') sponsored passport-making factory at Tallaght , Dublin , yesterday , the new Minister for Women's Affairs , Mrs. Bridget Tehran Radio announced that passports have gone on sale to all newsagents and post offices throughout the country . Anyone who buys two passports with the same number stands to win £1,000 , plus two Iranian women , plus the Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs or one million free passports !
The State Government has disclosed that the money raised by the sale will go towards funding social security benefits for the three million Irish citizens who now live in Tripoli .......
(MORE LATER).
Thursday, September 30, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
.......the British were not , and indeed still are not , shy about spilling blood in their 'conquests' and in holding on to the 'spoils' of same ; and not all Irish men and women were , or are , adversed to 'fighting fire with fire'.......
Even when Irish 'violence' was to be employed in self-defence , Daniel O'Connell's 'Loyal National Repeal Association' was against it ; this led to tension within that organisation , and a 'split' developed - those that left included William Smith O'Brien (a Member of the British Parliament , Harrow-educated , with an accent to match !) , Thomas Francis Meagher and John Mitchel - a new group was established ; 'The Young Irelanders' .
That new group's political position was outlined in there newspaper 'The United Irishman' : a call for immediate armed revolt against the British . Westminster was alarmed ; the 'Paris Revolution' , which had taken place that February (1848) must have helped to put the final 'wind' up the Brits , as they moved quickly -
- John Mitchel was accused of writing " wild and menacing words....."
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......a whistle had sounded the alarm - myself and Dan MacNamara ran towards the sound to investigate ; recent heavy rain had created a 'lake' nearby , and Jer Carthy's horse and cart , carrying our supplies , was trapped in the flood ......."
" A few of our lads had partly stripped and now stood perilously on a submerged rock , holding up the horse's head . Others were engaged in salvaging some of the goods from the cart which was almost under water and was tilted dangerously . It was evident now , from soundings taken , that an isthmus , a small neck of land , ran out around the wreck and that it was easier to work from the lake side . A deep hole lay between the horse and the road . I stooped and started to remove my boots .
" Have sense man , " said Mac , " there are more than enough on the job . The horse is safe now - we'll go back and tell Sean . He'll be wondering what happened . Look , the whole lot are here now . " He was right ; men were fast hurrying to the scene and , as we turned to go , we heard a measured voice say - " I have just thought of what I think is a good expedient . " It was our portly and genteel Officer ; he passed in front of us and , reaching the edge of the deep hole , jumped into it and disappeared beneath the water . A gathering of flotsam half-way across to the horse had deceived him in the now failing light .
Everybody had paused , on hearing of the " ...good expedient , " to watch its implementation ; now , as well as I could see , it far exceeded their most hopeful expectations . It would need a medical man to describe their reactions ....... "
(MORE LATER).
PASSPORT SCANDAL....... !
By Patrick Murphy .
First published in 'New Hibernia' magazine , May 1987 , page 13 .
A 'skit' in five parts .
(2 of 5).
Speaking in Conamara Arabic , Mr. Mohammed Ali , the Minister for the Gaeltacht , said that people should not believe what they read in the newspapers and other newspapers should not believe what they read in the 'People' . Denying allegations that he was not Irish , Mr. Ali said that he was a descendant of a long line of Irish handball allies .
Continuing the debate on Kerry County Council's failure to repair the main road from Beirut to Damascus , the leader of the Progressive Democrats , Mr. Yasser Arafat , told the House that Ireland was not sending enough passports to the Third World ; he said that the 2,000 tons of passports which arrived in Ethiopia would not last for long .......
(MORE LATER).
.......the British were not , and indeed still are not , shy about spilling blood in their 'conquests' and in holding on to the 'spoils' of same ; and not all Irish men and women were , or are , adversed to 'fighting fire with fire'.......
Even when Irish 'violence' was to be employed in self-defence , Daniel O'Connell's 'Loyal National Repeal Association' was against it ; this led to tension within that organisation , and a 'split' developed - those that left included William Smith O'Brien (a Member of the British Parliament , Harrow-educated , with an accent to match !) , Thomas Francis Meagher and John Mitchel - a new group was established ; 'The Young Irelanders' .
That new group's political position was outlined in there newspaper 'The United Irishman' : a call for immediate armed revolt against the British . Westminster was alarmed ; the 'Paris Revolution' , which had taken place that February (1848) must have helped to put the final 'wind' up the Brits , as they moved quickly -
- John Mitchel was accused of writing " wild and menacing words....."
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......a whistle had sounded the alarm - myself and Dan MacNamara ran towards the sound to investigate ; recent heavy rain had created a 'lake' nearby , and Jer Carthy's horse and cart , carrying our supplies , was trapped in the flood ......."
" A few of our lads had partly stripped and now stood perilously on a submerged rock , holding up the horse's head . Others were engaged in salvaging some of the goods from the cart which was almost under water and was tilted dangerously . It was evident now , from soundings taken , that an isthmus , a small neck of land , ran out around the wreck and that it was easier to work from the lake side . A deep hole lay between the horse and the road . I stooped and started to remove my boots .
" Have sense man , " said Mac , " there are more than enough on the job . The horse is safe now - we'll go back and tell Sean . He'll be wondering what happened . Look , the whole lot are here now . " He was right ; men were fast hurrying to the scene and , as we turned to go , we heard a measured voice say - " I have just thought of what I think is a good expedient . " It was our portly and genteel Officer ; he passed in front of us and , reaching the edge of the deep hole , jumped into it and disappeared beneath the water . A gathering of flotsam half-way across to the horse had deceived him in the now failing light .
Everybody had paused , on hearing of the " ...good expedient , " to watch its implementation ; now , as well as I could see , it far exceeded their most hopeful expectations . It would need a medical man to describe their reactions ....... "
(MORE LATER).
PASSPORT SCANDAL....... !
By Patrick Murphy .
First published in 'New Hibernia' magazine , May 1987 , page 13 .
A 'skit' in five parts .
(2 of 5).
Speaking in Conamara Arabic , Mr. Mohammed Ali , the Minister for the Gaeltacht , said that people should not believe what they read in the newspapers and other newspapers should not believe what they read in the 'People' . Denying allegations that he was not Irish , Mr. Ali said that he was a descendant of a long line of Irish handball allies .
Continuing the debate on Kerry County Council's failure to repair the main road from Beirut to Damascus , the leader of the Progressive Democrats , Mr. Yasser Arafat , told the House that Ireland was not sending enough passports to the Third World ; he said that the 2,000 tons of passports which arrived in Ethiopia would not last for long .......
(MORE LATER).
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
JULY 29th , 1848 : RIC , Firearms , Pikes - and Five Children .......
.......the 'Orange Order' was formally dissolved in 1836 , but was revived again around 1846 - the 'Battle of Dolly's Brae' was on the way .......
At an Orange Order 'celebration' in Castlewellan in County Down in 1849 , a number of Nationalists were set upon by the Loyalists and put to death . Hand-to-hand fighting broke out and British troops were sent in to put the Nationalists 'back in their box' .
However - the incident that this article is about ; July 29th , 1848 , had its roots two years earlier , in July 1846 - Daniel O'Connell's ' Loyal National Repeal Association' was simmering with discontent - not all in the leadership , or membership , agreed with O'Connell that " Irish independence was not worth the spilling of one drop of human blood ....." .
Then , as now , the Brits were not shy about who's blood they spilled in their 'conquests' and in holding on to the 'spoils' of same and , also , then as now , not all Irish men and women were adversed to 'fighting fire with fire .....'
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......we were in an IRA training camp when , in the distance , a warning whistle sounded - Dan MacNamara and I grabbed our guns and hurried out ......."
" Some little time before the whistle blew a big horse with a cart heavily laden might be seen coming up the boreen , the only road to the valley . The driver was Jer Carthy , a most useful man ; he was just now the 'mere driver' of the big horse , but that was only one of his duties . It was he who had loaded the bread , the home-made cakes , the meat for tomorrow , the tobacco and cigarettes - in fact , everything , on the cart .
But who had acquired them all ? The same man - who else could do it ? He had done it daily for the IRA Column ; everything could be bought or requisitioned but the home-made cakes - they could be had gratis and welcome , but it would need a small army to collect them . Jer alone could do it in no time . Someone tried to explain Jer's system to me one time , but I doubt if my mentor understood it himself !
However - Dan MacNamara and I went down the road at a sling-trot pace : we hardly expected the enemy but we knew from the whistle alarm that something had gone wrong . Rounding a corner , we came on the scene of the disaster - the road in front of us was under water , and to the left of it and well out in the newly formed 'lake' , the big horse's head only showed above the flood ......."
(MORE LATER).
PASSPORT SCANDAL !
By Patrick Murphy .
First published in 'New Hibernia' magazine , May 1987 , page 13 .
A 'skit' in five parts .
(1 of 5).
A Civil Servant in the (Free State) 'Department of Foreign Affairs' has been selling seats in the Dail (ie Leinster House) for up to £15,000 each ! That was the 'shock-horror' story which rocked Leinster House yesterday where the new Ceann Comhairle , Mrs. Abdula Ben Hassid , said it was all a load of lies .
Mrs. Hassid (Fianna Fail , Cavan/Monaghan) denied that seating in the 'Dail' chamber had been rearranged so that everyone faced Mecca - " There has been no worthwhile Mecca-nisation in the Dail for years , " she said .
The new Minister for the Gaeltacht , Mr. Mohammed Ali , said the incident had been blown up and if it had'nt it should be . Mr. Ali (Fine Gael , Kerry North) was elected only last week on the first count of £14,500. He was deemed elected without reaching the quota of £15,000 and he may have difficulty holding on to his seat at the next sale since Kerry North is now a 37-seater constituency .......
(MORE LATER).
.......the 'Orange Order' was formally dissolved in 1836 , but was revived again around 1846 - the 'Battle of Dolly's Brae' was on the way .......
At an Orange Order 'celebration' in Castlewellan in County Down in 1849 , a number of Nationalists were set upon by the Loyalists and put to death . Hand-to-hand fighting broke out and British troops were sent in to put the Nationalists 'back in their box' .
However - the incident that this article is about ; July 29th , 1848 , had its roots two years earlier , in July 1846 - Daniel O'Connell's ' Loyal National Repeal Association' was simmering with discontent - not all in the leadership , or membership , agreed with O'Connell that " Irish independence was not worth the spilling of one drop of human blood ....." .
Then , as now , the Brits were not shy about who's blood they spilled in their 'conquests' and in holding on to the 'spoils' of same and , also , then as now , not all Irish men and women were adversed to 'fighting fire with fire .....'
(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.
THE TRUCE.......
".......we were in an IRA training camp when , in the distance , a warning whistle sounded - Dan MacNamara and I grabbed our guns and hurried out ......."
" Some little time before the whistle blew a big horse with a cart heavily laden might be seen coming up the boreen , the only road to the valley . The driver was Jer Carthy , a most useful man ; he was just now the 'mere driver' of the big horse , but that was only one of his duties . It was he who had loaded the bread , the home-made cakes , the meat for tomorrow , the tobacco and cigarettes - in fact , everything , on the cart .
But who had acquired them all ? The same man - who else could do it ? He had done it daily for the IRA Column ; everything could be bought or requisitioned but the home-made cakes - they could be had gratis and welcome , but it would need a small army to collect them . Jer alone could do it in no time . Someone tried to explain Jer's system to me one time , but I doubt if my mentor understood it himself !
However - Dan MacNamara and I went down the road at a sling-trot pace : we hardly expected the enemy but we knew from the whistle alarm that something had gone wrong . Rounding a corner , we came on the scene of the disaster - the road in front of us was under water , and to the left of it and well out in the newly formed 'lake' , the big horse's head only showed above the flood ......."
(MORE LATER).
PASSPORT SCANDAL !
By Patrick Murphy .
First published in 'New Hibernia' magazine , May 1987 , page 13 .
A 'skit' in five parts .
(1 of 5).
A Civil Servant in the (Free State) 'Department of Foreign Affairs' has been selling seats in the Dail (ie Leinster House) for up to £15,000 each ! That was the 'shock-horror' story which rocked Leinster House yesterday where the new Ceann Comhairle , Mrs. Abdula Ben Hassid , said it was all a load of lies .
Mrs. Hassid (Fianna Fail , Cavan/Monaghan) denied that seating in the 'Dail' chamber had been rearranged so that everyone faced Mecca - " There has been no worthwhile Mecca-nisation in the Dail for years , " she said .
The new Minister for the Gaeltacht , Mr. Mohammed Ali , said the incident had been blown up and if it had'nt it should be . Mr. Ali (Fine Gael , Kerry North) was elected only last week on the first count of £14,500. He was deemed elected without reaching the quota of £15,000 and he may have difficulty holding on to his seat at the next sale since Kerry North is now a 37-seater constituency .......
(MORE LATER).
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