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Hunger Strike commemoration on Flickr

on 22 August 2006 , 7:30 pm 53 | 6 views

Here is a photo slideshow of this month’s National Hunger Strike commemoration, which culminated in Casement Park, from ‘Slainte.’

  • DaithiO

    Excellent photos which capture the day perfectly.

  • Peking

    Seriously, whose idea was it to get the fattest(not to mention ugliest) people they could find to traipse about in the monk-like outfits to commemorate hunger strikers? Republicans just don’t do irony.
    Nice to see another generation or two of youngsters being filled with hate as well.
    I see Uncle Tom licking round the leadership as usual – has that man no pride at all?

  • JD

    Peking,

    You are obviously unaware that the people dressed in the blankets are actual ex-prisoners who took part in the blanket protest, slightly fat and ugly as some of them may be. I am sure you are no oil painting yourself.

  • John Maynard

    That sackcloth and ashes observation is just impossible to avoid, isn’t it? The whole thing looks like a special-needs school play.

    To change the subject for a moment, what did happen to Tom Hartley? I recently read ‘Killing Rage’ (it should be on the GCSE syllabus) and it reminded me that Hartley used to be a big cheese at Connolly House. Now you only ever see him riding his rusty bicycle around, looking like a grumpy tramp.

    What’s the story?

  • BH

    I have to agree that it looks like a school play. Sad to say but it seems to me there’s more dignity in the INLA’s idea of a ceremony. Compared to Sinn Fein’s one-day-only hunger strike theme park, a burst of machinegun fire is remarkably subtle.

  • lib2016

    The republicans who were there seemed very pleased at the whole tone of the day, particularly the generosity of the hand reached out to unionism by Adams.

    I am no longer surprised at unionist and SDLP eagerness to grab the mantle of being ‘The Nasties’. I suppose they feel its better than being merely remembered as ‘The Losers’.

    If they don’t come up with a positive message soon they won’t even be remembered.

  • Blackadder

    Poor kids

  • circles

    Now lib – there you go spoiling the rant for so many by reminding them that Adams did something else positive.
    Of course those in the know see through this kind of SF/IRA trick straight away. Adams “generosity” is yet another of the duplicitous manouevres of the nefarious godfathers behind republicanism. It was all just coded and actually meant the exact opposite.

    (I though I should post that shite before somebody beats me to it!)

  • Peking

    lib2016

    Oh yes, some losers.
    “The conflict will go on until the british presence in Ireland is removed” said the provos.
    Thirty years and nearly 4,000 deaths later the same people are begging for Stormont to be returned so they can help administer British rule.
    As I said, republicans just don’t do irony.

  • Keith M

    It’s startling to see “Barbie” DeBrun in what can only be described as “shocking” pink. It may be for terrorists who committed suicide but it was after all a commemoration.

    And when did Lebanon become an Irish province? I’m sure the poor Lebanaese who have had to live with decades of terrorist militias would be shocked to see their flag being used like this.

  • lib2016

    There’s lots of other for you to quote. What about ‘not a bullet, not an ounce’?

    The Republican movement has come a long way and brought it’s supporters with it while adding a great many new admirers. Nice of you to notice.

    You have probably also noticed the occupation troops are leaving. Wonder why that is?

  • lies, damned lies

    “The whole thing looks like a special-needs school play.”

    ROFL. It certainly does alright. But every attempt at ‘political drama’ by PIRA republicans leaves anyone half-sensible embarrassed and trying very hard not to snigger. Productions by a certain senior, elderly and bearded North Belfast former Provo are some of the most unintentionally funny pieces shows ever staged. Did he have a hand in this ludicrous, amateurish and gauche display, at all?
    I avoided this event because it was clearly going to turn into another mawkish parade of SF self-aggrandisement over the graves of men who did not die for the enshrining of partition and the administering of British rule by Sinn Fein leaders, copperfastened by Provo thought police.
    I see from the above farce I was right. Sad.

  • John Maynard

    The photographer’s lovingly lingering focus on the unfortunate children being indoctrinated into this bollocks was particularly sickening.

  • lies, damned lies

    “You have probably also noticed the occupation troops are leaving. Wonder why that is?”

    Might it just have something to do with the fact that the Provos surrendered all our weapons before securing even a statement of intent to withdraw, let alone withdrawal?!
    The Brits don’t need any more than a peacetime garrison now and 5000 Brit troops are staying here inperpetuity! We’re at the mercy of a border poll which there is no possibility of us winning!
    Stop deluding yourselves! That march was a disgrace. Those men deserved far better than where the movement was led by traitors.

  • fair_deal

    circles

    “Of course those in the know see through this kind of SF/IRA trick straight away. Adams “generosity” is yet another of the duplicitous manouevres of the nefarious godfathers behind republicanism. It was all just coded and actually meant the exact opposite.”

    Any examples of a Unionist politician making such an argument?

  • csp

    wonder when we’ll have the follow up Sinn fein history of the troubles? Then they can indoctinate the poor Nationalist young of the North even more.

  • circles

    LDL – so whats your wonderful solution to all this? Sounds like you’d be up for a bit of McKevitt style random violence, extortion and thuggery? Shooting them pesky unionists out of the picture?
    OUR guns? and who gave them to you in particular?

    This is the kind of post that is based on pure self-delusion. To imagine that there is any legitimacy in continuing to kill, maim and torture society simply because you don’t have the confidence in your own position to put it to the electoral test is beyond disgusting. To further pretend that it is some pure form of republicanism is disgusting. I’d advise you to stop posting before you embarass yourself further.

  • mnob

    its easy to win when you keep altering the definition of the word.

  • Lib-

    “The Republican movement has come a long way.”

    By definition, this means that there was a lot about the organisation which needed changed, and you don’t change things that aren’t wrong. Certain other parties didn’t have to ‘come a long way’ because they were already at a point whereby they recognised the primacy of democracy and the will of the people, and the futility of killing.

    It is certainly heartening that the provos have ‘come a long way’, but if I were you, I certainly wouldn’t be proud of the fact that said organisation has had to stage a 180 degree turn on so many of its policies such as violence and abstention from elections to get to the position it currently occupies.

    As regards the troops leaving, do you not realise that the key reason they remained here was to counteract the provisional republican threat? Why else would they be now leaving other than due to the fact that the IRA has (thankfully) castrated itself with regard to armed preparedness? It’s a bit rich for provos to claim credit for the reduction of troop occupation, an occupation whose continued presence was as a direct result of provo activity in the first place.

  • circles

    F_D: “those in the know” does not necessarily refer to politicians.

  • Nick J

    Was particularly moved by the re enactment of the brutal treatment meated out to Neil from ‘The Young Ones’ in three or four of these pictures.

    (I thing the screws were Mike and Vivian)

  • lies, damned lies

    Those guns were not the PSF’s leadership’s to surrender, they belonged to the true republican movement and its sacred objectives. People died and languished in gaol to bring in those weapons to free Ireland, not to give their full backing to the partitionist principle of consent, their endorsement to Stormont and a barely touched RUC!
    “The only thing you will see is the decommissioning of the British state from the north’ we were assured by a senior Provo in 1996. A man I would once have thought better of.
    MI5 are building a huge HQ in north Down. 5000 troops are here and are staying. And Gerry is begging Paisley to be First Minister in Stormont over it all!
    The Hunger Strikers did not die for this and any real republican knows it. That event was grotesque.

  • circles

    So what do you suggest as a way forward LDL?

    Its easy to yap, cry and point the finger, but put yer money were yer mouth is. What should “true republicans” do then in your opinion to reach their “sacred objectives”? If you don’t have the guts to stand by the politics of your position (which you obviously don’t), what would be your suggestion?

  • Irish in America

    Maynard,

    Wonder why a kid might want to attend an event like that?

    Perhaps when they see their friends trampled to doeath by loyalist militias…

  • lies, damned lies

    I’m not the one who sqandered our hard won weaponry and right to resist in negotiations to achieve no republican objectives WHATSOEVER, so I find it hard to answer that question. The damage which has been done has left republicanism almost completely defeated and I can’t see what the way back is.
    Faul was right: the Brits do play a long game as cricketers…and by God they played the PSF leadership well! Those who weren’t directly working for them, that is!
    We got NOTHING. It was never about reforming this failed statelet and never about guarateeing Unionists a veto over our national destiny. PSF delivered both. They lead us into defeat, they let the unionists and Brits beat us. Look what we have now. Begging letters to Paisley to join him in Stormont. You cannot tell me, as a republican, that the hunger strikers died for that. It is utter betrayal.

  • unionist

    A couple of things come to mind

    X factor does auditions for the role of Friar Tuck in new Robin Hood musical

    or

    M15 removes clothing allowance from agents

    seriously lets not forget that all these guys died for was the right to wear denim.

  • circles

    LDL – I think you know that the reason for the hunger strikes was the reinstatement of political status for republican prisoners. To turn around today and churn out the continuity bollocks of “this (peace process) is not what the hunger strikers died for” is a blatant abuse of their memory. They achieved what they died for in Long Kesh – political status was granted in all but name.
    Regarding the future way forward for republicanism, you admit yourself that you have no vision. So why not leave the future to those republicans who do have vision and have confidence enough in this vision to put it to the electoral test? Why constantly harp on about “our” weapons etc. when you have no idea what to do anyway? Sure they’d be of no use to people of your opinion as you have admittedly no vision.
    By the way – republicanism has, in my opinion, never been healthier. Or would you rather return to the days were republicans hid their faces?

  • Peking

    lies, damned lies

    The Brits don’t want to be here, so how would you suggest the unionists should have been dealt with?

  • John Maynard

    “political status was granted in all but name”

    i.e. it wasn’t actually granted.

  • fair_deal

    ““those in the know” does not necessarily refer to politicians.”

    Nor are they necessarily excluded from “those in the know”. Is there an editorial or Unionist commentator who has made such an argument? I’ve read the slugger thread on the speech and I can’t spot any Unionist making the argument you ascribe either.

  • lies, damned lies

    “By the way – republicanism has, in my opinion, never been healthier. Or would you rather return to the days were republicans hid their faces?”

    I’d rather return to the days when withdrawal was a very real possibility and the Brits were in anyway close to it. When it was a matter for serious consideration by them. That was at the height of the struggle. Now the Brits, who you think want to leave(?!), have managed to get the PSF leadership through a combination of trickery, lies, co-option, flattery and bribery to convince the republican electorate to enshrine the illegal claim of the Brits to the north FOR AS LONG AS THE UNIONISTS WANT IT. In international law.
    While they continue to keep a peacetime garrison here, an armed and unreformed PSNI / RUC (which SF will be supporting within the year) and the construction of an MI5 headquarters for 400 agents to co-ordinate the on-going coercion and emasculation of what was once the world’s strongest and most effective revolutionary movement.
    To suggest that the hunger strikers did not die as part of a broader struggle which we were promised would not be abandoned until British rule was ended (let alone re-enforced) is plainly dishonest and an insult.

  • circles

    John – check the demands and check how the prisoners were subsequently held and I think you’ll find that all demands were fulfilled.

    F_D: Could you be a little sensitve on this? If you read my post carefully you’ll see that I wasn’t even saying that anybody had already said this, let alone that it was an unionist reaction. But were unionist reactions to Adams’ speech were recipirocal in their generosity?

  • Nevin

    Any sign of that Adams’ speech yet – or of Adams?

  • circles

    So thats your “final” solution LDL?
    “I’d rather return to the days when withdrawal was a very real possibility and the Brits were in anyway close to it….That was at the height of the struggle.” Get the old time mlachine started and return to the glorous 70’s? And what a beautiful time it was eh? Everybody who managed to live through the early 70s has such find memories of the sectarian murders, house raids, internment, bombings, hijackings – absolutely fantastic altogether LDL. Why didn’t anybody else think of that?
    The thing is that it did not and could not work – not even in your wildest McKevitt inspired fantasies could this bring about the united ireland called for in the proclamation. Its a blood-thirsty, dead-end vision that should never have happened in the first place, and far removed from republican ideals.
    I did not suggest that the hunger strikes were not part of the broader struggle. I simply stated why they went on hunger strike – political status. To deny this and hijack the hunger strikers for some anachronistic fantasy of the glorious blood-drenched uprising is a corruption of their memory.
    If the only way you think a united ireland can be achieved is at gun point then you obviously have no confidence at all in the legitimacy of your arguments. And, as I asked before, how would you accommodate unionists in this fantasy of yours? Or do they just not exist?

  • circles

    Folks – sorry for the spelling etc. Am posting from a very dusty and sweaty using a french keyboard.

  • circles

    “very dusty and sweaty INTERNET CAFE”!!!
    geeez – sorry!

  • John Maynard

    You’re on holiday while you’re doing this?
    Christ, get a life.
    Slugger should only be used during office hours or while drunk. Preferably both.

  • circles

    No John – I actually live amongst foreigners! Imagine!

  • Nick J

    Circles

    Damn those cheese eating surrender monkeys!!

  • John Maynard

    That just makes it even worse.
    It also makes you a fairly crap Irish nationalist. Shouldn’t your loyalities and energies be devoted exclusively to your new homeland? What are you? Some sort of Planteur?

  • fair_deal

    Circles

    I don’t think people’s reactions should be created.

  • spirit-level

    circles,
    I admire your support of the commemoration day, the republican movement has come along way,
    and is in a stronger position than ever.
    With the violence out of the way I wouldn’t be suprised if SF became more mainstream,
    and parties in the south would be under pressure to adopt a more pro-united ireland stance.
    Add this to the fact that the British Gov’t wish to continue to disengage,
    that the catholic church has a diminished influence now in the south,
    plus the south is very well off, its quite possible that unionists may well be persuaded to ease off their attachment to the an anachronistic Queen, and get into the idea of “an Ireland of Equals” and feel proud of it as well.
    I think patience is the key, both sides coming to terms with and getting over “mopery” and its horrible twin “resentment”.

    Next season when the Protestants march I think catholics should just wave and say hello, and be welcoming, as the “real loyalist nasties” amongst the marchers only feed off catholic resentment, so if we deny them that pleasure, they’d look very foolish marching up and down nationalist areas.

  • The Devil

    That is really scary shit, if Scum Fein thinks that by taking children about four or five years old and then brainwashing them into believing that in 1981 the republican hunger-strikers sacrificed their lives for Scum Fein and Gerry Adams (who is primarily responsible for the death of four of them) then the residents of nationalist areas hold an obligation to their children if not themselves, at the next election to remind Scum Fein where the filthy propaganda has to stop.

    The 1981 hunger-strikers were in a direct confrontation with the Government in power and the regime running Long Kesh at the time, in all the books, column inches, personal memories, political speeches and video tape donated to the subject not once is the political growth of Scum Fein mentioned by the hunger-strikers or their families, not one “comm.” enquires about how many new cumanns were set up or when Gerry would run for President of Ireland (his main goal, well that and not being rumbled)

  • Garibaldy

    LDL,

    I think quite a lot of your argument is nonsense, but this is just plain silly

    “what was once the world’s strongest and most effective revolutionary movement.”

  • GPJ

    LDL

    I understand your arguement, however what now is the alternative, to a political solution to British mis-rule and unionist bigotory?

  • Johnkingii

    Pity the Isreali Airforce did’nt take an interest in this bunch of terrorist soap-dodgers

  • Ranger1640

    Do you see the happy smiley faces on the pseudo religion Sinn Fein/IRA leaders?

    You would swear they have just cum from Newtownards and one of those swingers parties. Wee Martin and Barbra seem to be particularly happy?

  • B em us ed

    Un-fucking-believable. What is it about Belfast’s untermensch population that makes them masters of the most stomach-churning, pre-adolescent, kevin the teenager-style MOPERy. I used to the think that the loyalist sub-humans (the Long March, Holy Cross piss-throwers, FAIR, “we’re the ones actually being discriminated against; themmuns get everything” etc. etc. ad nauseum) had taken this schtick as far as it could go, but on the evidence of these photos, the republican sub-humans seem determined to out-do them in sheer jaw-droppingly awful shite. Fuck the Hunger Strikes. Fuck the Hunger Strikers. Fuck a Socialist (‘Socialist’ for fuck’s sake – I ask you) republic. Fuck the ‘struggle’. Get a job. Stand up straight. Speak clearly and distinctly. Stop eating lard, smoking fags and drinking your head off and then blaming everyone else when your health gets “wrecked like” and I and thousands of other taxpayers like me have to pick up the tab for your slovenly antics. Stop fathering children you have no means of supporting. Start parenting the poor unfortunates that you have fathered/mothered…. I could go on but my dinner’s ready.

  • circles

    Bad day at the office Bemused? Or did ya just get stuck in traffic coming up the Andytown road?

    F_D: I take it you don’t like satire much either then?
    And John – how does not living in Ireland make someone a crap nationalist? But maybe you’re right – I’m not a very good nationalist, but I’m not a bad republican.

    At least LDL has decommissioned his/her keyboard.

  • notfair

    What about the wee sexy one frm kerry? no photo’s of her?? thats a shame.

  • iluvni

    Did the National Lottery pay for that big TV screen at Casement Park too?

  • Obi Wan Kenobi

    Can anyone else see the similarity ????

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/slainte/217438938/

    and

    http://www.homestead.com/anakin_sky/news_ep3_obi-wan.jpg

    may the Farce be with you Jimmy Sans

  • circles

    Obi Wan – I think the blanket men would take that comparison well. The Jedi Knights of republicanism has a mystical touch I think they’d appreciate.