Friday, May 16, 2008
Moane’s Cross and the end of history
We quite frequently drive along the mountain road between Fivemiletown and Rosslea. Last time we were along that road a car was stopped beside the memorial at Moane’s Cross to two IRA men: Feargal O’Hanlon and Sean South, who died after an attack on Brookeborough RUC station on the 1st January 1957. An elderly couple seemed to be laying flowers at the place. I wondered if they were friends or relatives of those who had died there all those years ago in the IRA border campaign.
Mary McAleese has suggested that the end of Ireland’s centuries long political conflict is at hand. This in many ways echoes comments by Bertie Ahern whilst he was in Washington. Of course these sentiments are not confined to RoI politicians or to nationalists and also seem to have some echoes in Dr. Paisley’s latest remarks. I do feel, however, that this is a very difficult conclusion to draw when one considers the history of this island and indeed the history of other conflicts in the world.
The conflicts here have been “solved” with tedious frequency. Ireland has been “pacified” whether by force or by politics on many occasions. By turns Elizabeth I, James I/VI, Cromwell and Gladstone used “pacification” of various forms and the list of rebellions includes so many dates: 1641, 1798, 1916 etc. I would suggest that the nature of our conflict here is somewhat similar to ethnic conflicts, although as with many so called ethnic conflicts, there are no actual ethnic differences, merely cultural ones. The problem is with totally differing political aspirations and that is unlikely to change any time soon.
Looking to other places in the world there are frequent examples of conflicts supposedly solved years ago, which recurred. How many expected the orgy of violence visited on the Balkans? Remember also that the Balkan conflict was “solved” by the creation of Yugoslavia after it had helped precipitate the First World War (of course the above is utterly simplified but there is some truth therein). The horrors of Rwanda were unexpected but had causes and (much milder) precedents in the history of that region.
So maybe we have some form of permanent peace and all subsequent quarrels about Northern Ireland will be solved peacefully. However, this sounds a little like the pronouncement of “The End of History” after the end of the Cold War.
Whilst I agree with Mick that at the moment there (thankfully) seems little likelihood that the dissident terrorists will manage to return us to major violence; I am brought back to that elderly couple at Moane’s Cross with whom I started. I sometimes wonder if the terrorist attacks we are seeing now are a little like the IRA border campaign. At the time I am sure the RUC and the government in Stormont were delighted with how relatively easily they defeated that campaign. Little did they know that massively more violence (initiated let us remember by loyalists) was then less than a decade away.
Turgon @ 10:26 PM
An interesting bit of history, ty, Rory. I wept at the end of *Michael Collins* inevitable tho the ending was.
I thought the actor paying De Valera did it to a T. Or is that a *D*? :)
What an eternal pity Collins didnt live as long as that “oul hoor”. God has and will judge.
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 02:06 PMThe stature of Liam Neeson.. awesome.
Recall Oscar Schindler
Has he turned down playing Ian Paisely?Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 02:14 PMDream on. First the agreement is that there wont be a united Ireland without consent. Second, there is no sign whatsoevr that consent is at all likely.
Replace ‘a reunified Ireland’ by ‘Northern Ireland’ and I might agree
Posted by cynic on May 17, 2008 @ 08:12 AM
The largest aspect of “adequately accommodated” would be consent, if only you weren’t so cynical cynic.
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 02:34 PMJo,
That was Alan Rickman who played DeValera and I agree with you that he got him just right. I was at a London screening of the film at the Screen on the Green which was afterwards addressed by the producer Mike Wooley, followed by a q&a;session. One bright young thing asked why Alan Rickman played Dev with such a funny posh high pitched accent. I was able to tell her that it was probably because he had done his research well as that was just how Dev spoke and I had listened to him as a boy.
Gery Lawless used to tell the story of how, when he was a mere lad, he accompanied his grandmother a Fianna Fail stalwart to a meeting with Dev at the presedential residence. As they entered his room the great man was just rising from the turf fire which he appeared to be in the process of setting and made a show of brushing his hands as he came forward to greet them. Afterwards Gery marvelled to his granny at the humility of the President of Ireland bending down to kindle his own turf fire.
“Arra, wisht”, said granny,"Did ye not notice the place is centrally heated. That was all for show so we would spread the legend of his humility”.
But the best Dev story is of how during the Truce he and Harry Boland (played by Aidan Quinn in the movie as Collins’ best friend later shot in the river when he takes the Republican side)had both been out to buy bread on a Saturday night - which was really a pretext for their long suffering spouses to cover up that were off scheming again rather than pay their wives the courtesy of some time alone.
Anyway they are standing on the corner, loaves under their arms gabbing and scheming, and, as a body will, each began picking at the loaf under his arm until there was a great hole in each which they only noticed when it came time to part.
“Holy Mother”, says Boland, “the missus’ll kill me. What will I tell her now?”
“She has a soft spot for me, Harry, “says Dev,” tell her that it was me that picked at the loaf and she’ll be forgiving”.
“Right - oh, God no! I can’t. That would be a lie and I’ve just been to confession and need to take communion in the morning”.
Dev had a think for a moment and then simply took Boland’s loaf from under his arm and replaced it with his own.
“Now tell her”, says Dev and sauntered off.
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 03:05 PMI can somewhat sympathise with the English who got a wee bit pissed off with the characterisation of their race in Hollywood in the 1990’s, where every villain had to speak with a toffee nosed English accent and the only true heroes were Irish.
Even Ben Elton satirised it in one of his skits where he had Lord Toff calling to his chum on the Titanic “Come on Lord Bastard throw another Irish baby on the barbeque”.
Just for the record Eamon De Valera was an Irishman, a Republican patriot who fought bravely for his country, he was not some sort of Rickmanesque “Die Hard” mitteleropa villain who was up against Bruce Willis’ noble Michael Collins. If ye want your villains decided by Hollywood at least have the decency to accept that they were actually Irish (if a little hispanic) and don’t try to change them into Englishmen.
Forgive me but I’m of the old fashioned school, my Irish rebel ballads of choice are ‘Boulevogue’ and ‘The West’s Awake’.
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 03:25 PMJust a number of points to consider, Harry. Dev did speak with a fussy precision which Rickman captured quite well. It was Irishman Liam Neeson who played Collins and the film was written and directed by the Irish director, Neill Jordan.
For sure the movie can be seen as a revisionist hagiography of Collins and a demonisation of Dev as the Daddy of all the Cute Hoors. But this view and the contrary one have been endlessly disputed and counter-disputed over the decades and no doubt will continue to be. Best to lie back and enjoy the movie.
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 03:57 PM....or you might soon wish to view a cinematic take on a more recent period of Irish history:
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 04:13 PMFurther to Harry’s question, the reason the attack on the station where South was killed went so badly was because the lorry was parked on the wrong side of the road, enabling a hail of death to pour without accurate return fire.
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 08:41 PMDewi is very quiet today. That girl from the Ardoyne must be controlling the sheep in the Welsh valleys!
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 09:27 PMOh Come on ! it’s a great song ! - I promise to review any Loyalist songs with an entirely indifferent attitude.
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 09:35 PMDewi,
It may amaze you (and others) to know that I have a mild interest in Irish traditional music (though I am more into classical).There are many very good Irish songs with good tunes without getting excited about that reasonably good tune about an incompetent revolutionary / terrorist who managed to get himself and one of his comrades killed in an utterly daft attack on a sleepy village police station. One might just as well celebrate an attack on say Betws-y-coed police station (now a B+B).
I do not approve of celebrating anyone’s death but the only people who seem to merit approval in that daft raid were the 3 policemen who fought off the attack.
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 09:49 PMIt was a daft raid but it is a wonderful song sorry. Have you got any great Unionist songs ?
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 09:57 PMIt also saddens me that although Moane’s Cross was nice in the spring sunshine last time I was past, I am sure it was a dreadful place to leave dead or dying men on New Year’s Day.
If those people laying flowers were relatives: remember that Messers. O’Hanlon and South might still be alive today had they not embarked on that attack. Had they succeeded what would that have achieved other than for some other people to lay flowers at a cemetery somewhere in Fermanagh.
Remember (by a Welshman) The old Lie; Dulce et Decorum est
Pro patria mori.Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 09:59 PMOK Turgon - and touche - but fighting for freedom - and you must admit in 1959 NI a terrible place.
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 10:05 PMOkay Dewi, I have been fighting with YouTube to get good unionist songs. Here are some I like (I suspect Darth might be your best bet for good unionist songs).
There are the ones everyone knows such as The Sash and Derry’s Walls. My favourites, however are Orange and Blue and especially The Blackman’s Dream.
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 10:15 PMThanks Turgon - watched them all and with all due respect - not much fun… the Irish have got all the best tunes !!!
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 10:24 PM“Further to Harry’s question, the reason the attack on the station where South was killed went so badly was because the lorry was parked on the wrong side of the road, enabling a hail of death to pour without accurate return fire. “
So the RUC introduced the first fixed penalties for parking offences too....
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 11:06 PMTo Dewi - Did the Ardoyne girl wake up the sheep?! Now you’re awake, I’ll repeat the question that you’ve so far failed to answer: Would you be happy with a band singing UVF songs in Windsor Park?
Posted by on May 17, 2008 @ 11:56 PMWithout having watched Turgon’s You Tube links (broadband packed up and I’m on a snail like dial up) I have to say his choice of good Orange songs is pretty much the ones I’d have chosen (except for the Blackman’s Dream, never heard of that one) but what about The Orange Lilly and my absolute favourite (and favourite of my Republican Granny) The Oul’ Orange Flute?
By the way Dewi can I bother you again to tell me how to link? The information I’ve got below tells me to use an “i” umlaut followed by an upside down question mark then a 1/2 fraction, I’m fairly certain that’s not right, this time I will write it down and keep it safe.
Posted by on May 18, 2008 @ 12:13 AMOh and how could I forget the song so good the BBC World Service pinched it, Lilibullero?
Posted by on May 18, 2008 @ 12:16 AMDewi, Dewi, Dewi.
Don’t let yoursel be barracked into apologising for anything at all. These volunteers are worth remembering, they were fighting and dying for a worthy cause not an apartheid Unionist hegemony.
I’d learnt Sean South long before I was out of primary school, Irish soldier laddie and the broad black brimmer etc.. And my party piece;
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ylrodyILCj0&feature=related
And one I never tire listening to;
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ieNwb07tgG8&feature=related
Every night is a rebel night here in Glasgow Dewi, the new home of Irish Republican music. the party on the Gallowgate on friday will be unmissable after we win the league on thursday night.
Posted by on May 18, 2008 @ 01:28 AMHarry - >a href="http://sluggerotoole.com/index.php/weblog/comments/moane-cross-and-the-end-of-history/P25/">Like that</a> With the first > the other way round. P&J;it depends on the song I suppose.
Posted by on May 18, 2008 @ 08:32 AMThat Blackman’s Dream grows on u a bit - Pyramids and Toads - reminds me a bit of early Pink Floyd.
Posted by on May 18, 2008 @ 08:40 AMTony - “No Pasaran!” - excellent.
Posted by on May 18, 2008 @ 08:54 AMThanks Dewi, this is how the instructions look on my screen:-
[a href=�http://URL]name[/a] then change the [] brackets to <>
Strange isn’t it?
Posted by on May 18, 2008 @ 11:39 AM
