15 January 1998 Edition
Television: Beware of men in uniform
By Sean O'Donaile
Being a free spirit I never had much time for uniforms and after witnessing the brutal deeds of the RUC, the ``Pagan Biker Gang'' and the Russian Army my views have hardened. Most Irish people know Sean South as ``the song you sing in the pub after a few jars'' or on the Irish soccer team bus before playing ``d'aul enemy''. `Léargas'', RTE, gave ``The death of Sean South'' a second viewing on Tuesday last, complete with most inaccurate statements from Frank Ross and friends.
The IRA of the 50s have sometimes been portrayed as the ``Rosary Bead Brigade'' who couldn't fire straight. Ruairi O'Bradaigh assured us that they only prayed ``before getting on with business'' and although the campaign of 1956-62 wasn't overly successful they had their moments. Unfortunately, it is mostly remembered for its martyrs, including Paddy Parle and the Edentubber Five, who were blown up in November 1957 in a premature explosion and Sean South and Feargal O'Hanlon who were killed in an attack on Brookeborough Barracks in January of the same year.
Councillor Padraigin Ui Mhurchu recalled brother Feargal as ``kind and generous'' although to Viscountess Brookeborough they were but ``murr-derr-errs''. Unfortunately for the IRA the peelers at the local barracks had recently received a Bren gun which put paid to the attack, South and O'Hanlon were mortally wounded and their bodies were found in a shed along the border. Harry West, ex-Unionist and harbringer of trust, was ``chattered'' to see this ``trust'' being broken, and was ``alarmed that people had the objective of killing people''.
The Free State government reacted in their usual stoical manner, denouncing these ``violent forr-ayes'' and ``evil'' doings. The programme made the mistake of interviewing two ex-volunteers, Tom Gill and Frank Ross (Proinsias De Rossa), who admit they hadn't a clue what they were fighting for. McGiolla states that ``I thought that if you had a gun you were a Republican'' and De Rossa mistook the Unionist people as ``the invader''. An old colleague recalls eating ice-creams under Nelson's Pillar with De Rossa and McGiolla in the 60s after selling An Phoblacht. Obviously they weren't reading it often enough!
I myself mistook Animals in Uniform, BBC 1, as an account of the UDR.
I wasn't far off the mark however as the programme followed the tale of Fre and Alo' (alastian), as his cruel owner donates him to the British army and condemns him to a life of misery. Poor Fred has to sped months running after silly Brits who utter such lines as ``How's he on the bite - all they way through - nice!''
Eventually Fred is turned into a psycho and sent of to Bosnia where he is ``licenced as a weapon'' and has to listen to a lager lout with feathers in his hair barking at him. It's no wonder they bite.
I was refraining from making any sarcastic comment until the ``killer dog'' appeared. The Doberman is specially encouraged to bite all over and delights in going for people's heads. Viewers were assured however ``that this dog is only used in Northern Ireland'' ie on Republicans.
Inside Story, UTV, told us the heartbreaking story of the 1974 disappearance of American girl Amy Billig and her mother's 24 year quest to find her. Nixon was still in power and Flower Power was still in vogue as were Biker gangs who reputedly abducted 17 year old Amy.
Mother Sue follows a trial across Florida, Oklahoma and beyond as she is awakened to the life of the sadistic bikers. Amy was abducted by ``The Pagans'' who treated women as ``chattel'', selling them among themselves, addicting them to drugs and using them as prostitutes. One unlucky lady who dared to withhold her proceeds from the streets, was nailed to a tree for her misdemeanour.
Sue recruits Detectives Frank Rubino and Jack Calver who would readily fit into ``Miami Vice'' but it is her own detective work which yields results. After following a false trail to Cornwall, she finally meets the widow of a biker who extracted a death bed confession from her husband. Amy overdosed at a biker party shortly after her disappearance and her death was ensured by a battering at the hands of a biker who took a dislike to her. Her body was dismembered and fed to the alligators in the local swamp.
Speaking of sickness and alligators The Yeltsin Years, BBC 2, told us what we already knew - Boris is a drunk and a crook. Who could forget his visit to Irish soil, when he never actually got to walk on it, having consumed too much vodka. Hapless Albert Reynolds, Taoiseach at the time, was left standing on the runway for two hours as Boris' bodyguards pinned him to his seat.
Like any decent dictator Boris rewrote the Russian Constitution to suit himself and set up his own private secret service to harass anyone who might cross his path. He courted the rich and made his tennis coach among others into multi-millionaires overnight, selling lucrative government properties at a fraction of their true worth.
Then treachery was repaid in the General Election of 1996, when the media which was owned by Yeltsin's cronies turned the tide against Communist candidate Zyguanov, ridiculing him and his ideals. Yeltsin's most glaring catastrophe was his venture into Chechnya to take on the ``bandits and traitors'', destroying much of the infrastructure and killing 50,000 civilians and soldiers. The tribute finished with the delightful Russian song commemorating Chechnya; ...''our commander has just had his skull smashed in, tra, la, la, la, la....it's time to say Goodbye...!'' Me thinks so.
Being a free spirit I never had much time for uniforms and after witnessing the brutal deeds of the RUC, the ``Pagan Biker Gang'' and the Russian Army my views have hardened. Most Irish people know Sean South as ``the song you sing in the pub after a few jars'' or on the Irish soccer team bus before playing ``d'aul enemy''. `Léargas'', RTE, gave ``The death of Sean South'' a second viewing on Tuesday last, complete with most inaccurate statements from Frank Ross and friends.
The IRA of the 50s have sometimes been portrayed as the ``Rosary Bead Brigade'' who couldn't fire straight. Ruairi O'Bradaigh assured us that they only prayed ``before getting on with business'' and although the campaign of 1956-62 wasn't overly successful they had their moments. Unfortunately, it is mostly remembered for its martyrs, including Paddy Parle and the Edentubber Five, who were blown up in November 1957 in a premature explosion and Sean South and Feargal O'Hanlon who were killed in an attack on Brookeborough Barracks in January of the same year.
Councillor Padraigin Ui Mhurchu recalled brother Feargal as ``kind and generous'' although to Viscountess Brookeborough they were but ``murr-derr-errs''. Unfortunately for the IRA the peelers at the local barracks had recently received a Bren gun which put paid to the attack, South and O'Hanlon were mortally wounded and their bodies were found in a shed along the border. Harry West, ex-Unionist and harbringer of trust, was ``chattered'' to see this ``trust'' being broken, and was ``alarmed that people had the objective of killing people''.
The Free State government reacted in their usual stoical manner, denouncing these ``violent forr-ayes'' and ``evil'' doings. The programme made the mistake of interviewing two ex-volunteers, Tom Gill and Frank Ross (Proinsias De Rossa), who admit they hadn't a clue what they were fighting for. McGiolla states that ``I thought that if you had a gun you were a Republican'' and De Rossa mistook the Unionist people as ``the invader''. An old colleague recalls eating ice-creams under Nelson's Pillar with De Rossa and McGiolla in the 60s after selling An Phoblacht. Obviously they weren't reading it often enough!
I myself mistook Animals in Uniform, BBC 1, as an account of the UDR.
I wasn't far off the mark however as the programme followed the tale of Fre and Alo' (alastian), as his cruel owner donates him to the British army and condemns him to a life of misery. Poor Fred has to sped months running after silly Brits who utter such lines as ``How's he on the bite - all they way through - nice!''
Eventually Fred is turned into a psycho and sent of to Bosnia where he is ``licenced as a weapon'' and has to listen to a lager lout with feathers in his hair barking at him. It's no wonder they bite.
I was refraining from making any sarcastic comment until the ``killer dog'' appeared. The Doberman is specially encouraged to bite all over and delights in going for people's heads. Viewers were assured however ``that this dog is only used in Northern Ireland'' ie on Republicans.
Inside Story, UTV, told us the heartbreaking story of the 1974 disappearance of American girl Amy Billig and her mother's 24 year quest to find her. Nixon was still in power and Flower Power was still in vogue as were Biker gangs who reputedly abducted 17 year old Amy.
Mother Sue follows a trial across Florida, Oklahoma and beyond as she is awakened to the life of the sadistic bikers. Amy was abducted by ``The Pagans'' who treated women as ``chattel'', selling them among themselves, addicting them to drugs and using them as prostitutes. One unlucky lady who dared to withhold her proceeds from the streets, was nailed to a tree for her misdemeanour.
Sue recruits Detectives Frank Rubino and Jack Calver who would readily fit into ``Miami Vice'' but it is her own detective work which yields results. After following a false trail to Cornwall, she finally meets the widow of a biker who extracted a death bed confession from her husband. Amy overdosed at a biker party shortly after her disappearance and her death was ensured by a battering at the hands of a biker who took a dislike to her. Her body was dismembered and fed to the alligators in the local swamp.
Speaking of sickness and alligators The Yeltsin Years, BBC 2, told us what we already knew - Boris is a drunk and a crook. Who could forget his visit to Irish soil, when he never actually got to walk on it, having consumed too much vodka. Hapless Albert Reynolds, Taoiseach at the time, was left standing on the runway for two hours as Boris' bodyguards pinned him to his seat.
Like any decent dictator Boris rewrote the Russian Constitution to suit himself and set up his own private secret service to harass anyone who might cross his path. He courted the rich and made his tennis coach among others into multi-millionaires overnight, selling lucrative government properties at a fraction of their true worth.
Then treachery was repaid in the General Election of 1996, when the media which was owned by Yeltsin's cronies turned the tide against Communist candidate Zyguanov, ridiculing him and his ideals. Yeltsin's most glaring catastrophe was his venture into Chechnya to take on the ``bandits and traitors'', destroying much of the infrastructure and killing 50,000 civilians and soldiers. The tribute finished with the delightful Russian song commemorating Chechnya; ...''our commander has just had his skull smashed in, tra, la, la, la, la....it's time to say Goodbye...!'' Me thinks so.