Friday, February 24, 2006

Kevin Myres 1916 Questions

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 Belgium "gallant allies"? How could people today "celebrate" an orgy of violence in which hundreds of innocent Irish people died?,

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 Iraq to be free. Which Mr Myres is in favour 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
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.

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 Canada condemn the butchers of Dresden.? War time politics is rarely ever moral. And always Machievalian

How could people today "celebrate" an orgy of violence. Every country does American, France Ireland is no different 1916 is our defining moment.

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 Britain. They were fighting the majorities cause. In the North the IRA could never say it was fighting the majorities cause.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

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.

Simon said...

Thanks for the compliment. The letters page sounds like to much hassle to me :)