Kevin Myres in the Irish Times on thuresday asked 5 questions saying that no one answered them. So here I will attempt to answer them.
What right had the 1916 insurgents to kill anyone?
Why had none of the signatories of the Proclamation ever stood for parliament?
How could they call the butchers of
First question. Their right came from the quest for freedom. Whether or not the country was better run by the British or not is beside the issue. People have the right to be free. Self-determination if you will. If you think they didn't have a right then what right have the people of
The last election prior to 1916 was in 1910.
In 1910 Eamon Ceannt was not in any movement he joined the IRB in 1913
Joseph Plunkett was also not in any movement joining the IRB in 1915
Thomas MacDonagh was also not in any movement (save Gaelic League ) joining the ORB in 1915
Pearse was busy trying to keep his lost making school afloat and was not involved in politics.
James Connolly was deputy head of the ITGWU so his efforts were devote to that
Their gallant allies gave them their weapons. They hoped the Germans if they won would give them a republic. They were unlikely to criticise them. Did
How could people today "celebrate" an orgy of violence. Every country does American, France Ireland is no different 1916 is our defining moment.
So in 1910 only one of the leaders Sean MacDiarmada was active in a political way. Being in the IRB. It would therefore it is not particularly unusual that none of the leaders ran for parliament.
I worth about this here.1916 Commemoration and Neo-Redmondness
Also to his point. Did the murderers of Jerry McCabe not arrogate that self-same right. No the difference with the North is in the south well over 90% of the people were nationalists that wanted to move away from
2 comments:
It may be reasonable to question the making of common cause with the butchers of Belgium, as Myers calls the entire German people, but it makes no sense to invoke the argument to suggest that the uprisers (if I can call them that) should make common cause instead with the British Empire which was busy doing plenty of its own butchering among the little brown people, their industry in this regard aided by the fact that the sun never set upon their labours.
Thanks for the compliment. The letters page sounds like to much hassle to me :)
Post a Comment