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Cuireann ‘An Phoblacht’ fáilte roimh litreacha ónár léitheoirí. Scríobh i nGaeilge nó i mBéarla. Is fearr litreacha gearra (200 focal ar a méid) clóscríofa nó lámhscríofa go soiléir ar thaobh amháin den leathanach. Cuir ainm agus seoladh leis ach ní fhoilseoimid iad seo más é do thoil.  

Blaney’s Drumboe election stunt

A chara,
If recent reports are correct, Fianna Fáil TD Niall Blaney intends to organise another commemoration for the Drumboe Martyrs, that fits in with his own plans.
In my view this is an electioneering stunt that has been poorly thought out. But then again, according to former Independent Fianna Fáil voters, thinking things out or consulting with the party faithful would not be one of his strong points. This obviously refers to his swapping one set of principals – ones that  his grandfather Nial, an IRA veteran could look up to – for a set of rather dubious ones, that have more in common with the Fianna Fáil cash tent at the Galway races, than any ideological stand.
You made your bed Nial, so lay in it – fleas and all.
The Drumboe Martyrs commemoration takes place every Easter Sunday, organised by republicans just in case you didn’t know.
So, you have no need to go to all that trouble for a bit of selfish, self-serving publicity.
Is mise,
J. Woods,
Gort an choirce,
Co. Dun nGall.

Are Drumcree’s dark days over?

A chara,
I remember well the sight of Ian Paisley and David Trimble gloating as they triumphantly pranced down the Garvaghy Road in 1995. In 1996 Mr Paisley said “We are not here to play games. We are here to save Ulster. If the parade doesn’t go down Garvaghy Road there will be civil commotion to an extent the authorities cannot handle.”
Thank God those dark days are over. Or are they?
Recent articles in anti-nationalist papers are almost rejoicing at the idea of Sinn Féin agreeing to the Orange Order marching down Garvaghy Road in return for some concession on the Irish language. Presumably that can’t be true, can it? For the life of me, I just can’t see the link between a sectarian, coat trailing march and the Irish language.
And I just can’t picture Martin and Ian hand-in-hand on the Garvaghy Road.
More seriously, we still have the issue of the human rights of the residents of the Garvaghy Road and the simple fact that the Orange Order has still never engaged in direct, meaningful talks. In fact, as time has passed, the route taken by the Orangemen on their way out to Drumcree is now predominantly nationalist, so any further attempts to return down the Garvaghy Road must be seen for what they are – sectarian triumphalism.
And let us not forget the murders of Rosemary Nelson, Elizabeth O’Neill, Frank Reilly, Michael McGoldrick and the three Quinn children, all killed as a direct result of the Orange Order’s demands. There were plenty of other murders of innocent Catholics in the Portadown area, including Adrian Lamph and Robert Hamill, killed by the same people who declare their right to walk the Queen’s highway, even if it means beating the residents off the road.
The nationalist community in Portadown is only recently recovering from the years of harassment and intimidation from Orangemen, insisting on imposing their superiority on the ‘Fenian scum’ who were unfortunate enough to live on the Garvaghy Road.
After ten years, I thought the Drumcree nightmare was over. Any attempt to resurrect it or slip it through as a peace dividend gesture should be exposed for what it is – naked sectarian bigotry.
Is mise,
Highland Paddy,
Port an Dúnáin,
Co. Ard Mhaca.

The Good Old IRA

A chara,
Why do republicans, when being interviewed, allow a lot of jurnalists to play ‘goody goody’ with their very selective condemnations of ‘violence’? The 26 Counties were created out of violence. The ‘old’ IRA had a legitimate right to take up arms and so had the modern IRA. But the old IRA were called murderers and criminals and there were atrocities committed. A woman was drowned in a river for delivering milk to an RIC barracks. A wounded British soldier was shot to death in a hospital bed. RIC men were shot in front of their wives and children everywhere and anywhere – in churces, on farms and in parks and Michael Collins ordered the execution of a 75-year-old man as an informer and two teenage girls for dating British soldiers. They robbed banks and post offices wearing masks and collected war taxes from the people. They were still shooting and killing after the ceasefire settling old scores. Why do republicans not mention this and mention the excommunication of republicans? This is all well documented in that excellent pamphlet The Good Old IRA.
Is mise,
Robert Hayes,
Dublin.