Interesting Books on Irish History in last 30 yrs

[Citysmith]

Thatcher was the biggest ganster of them all. I'll be having a few pints when she drops off. Not for what she did to Ireland but what she did to England.

What a load of bollocks you talk.

Well put.

That's your opinion, but instead of just putting 'bollocks' or 'well put' I'd love it, just love it ;o) if you justified why you feel that way. This thread to me has been an interesting debate, with all opinions thrown in to the melting pot. I'd like to think that someone reading the whole thread would like to offer more of an opinion than 'bollocks'? It shows a lack of sustenance and displays an incredible lack of knowledge or understanding. I'm not saying that this is the case, but short one word (or indeed one sentence) answers certainly add nothing to an otherwise fascinating subject matter.

I’ve had a few so I hope the above makes sense?

 

[mammutly]

i dont think anyone agrees with the violence on either side...but what i was suggesting earlier on in this thread is exactly what is happening now.

People have their opinions, fair enough, but they MUST also be prepared to accept the views/feelings of others.

FFS i live here, ive seen the crap that WENT on but as someone with a British Army Officer father (deceased), a Catholic wife (from a very non-British area of Belfast), 2 children both in Intergrated education...i think i can speak for the MAJORITY of people in NI (yes i truly believe majority) that WE are over it, we have to be, we as a country voted 10 odd years ago to move on and move FORWARD.

I appreciate that people on the mainland will have feelings/opinions on the subject..possibly through experience. But surely the horrors inflicted here by both "sides", in the grand scheme of things, far out weigh what has happened on the mainland.

Dont take that as me suggesting they are insignificant, as obviously they are not.

Suggesting that Thatcher was right/good/great/whatever is very shortsighted (jeez, in any contect let alone the NI issue).
The 100's of years of oppression, whilst not directly her fault, is just cause for people to be "pissed off"...to deal with any objection to it in such a brutal way really was just the final straw....people (paramilitaries) reacted to it in the only way they saw fit...with the violence they too had to suffered.

Was that right? No. But when you have very little to live for, you're gonna fight back


I'll say it again, its a long, arduous aregument that will never be resolved on an internet forum. But if you are going to debate it, at least use informed statements, and be open to other opinions

I have to say simply, Bravo!

I've long had a keen interest in the 'troubles' and Irish history in general. For years I've debated the issues and talked all around the various houses.

This is one of the best posts/ position statements/letters or whatever I have ever read. Needless to say I agree with it all. It's brilliantly put. Well done.

 

[LEE BRADBURY]

Few years ago did the tour of Ireland with City,2 games against Athlone then on to Cork, I decided to go with a couple of lads one who had relatives in Kildare near the race course we started the tour there and spent the night.

One of the lads with us was nervous about going because it was near the border (bandit country), to be honest he had bad nerves anyway.

Anyway we had a great day all got pissed, the lad with the bad nerves ended up staying at a remote farmhouse with my mates extended family.

You know what happens next.

A couple of my mates family donned black balaclavas, and couple of dilapidated shotguns, they kicked his bedroom door open at 2 in the morning and said.

“get up you cnut”

Rolled him out of bed on to the floor (pissed)

“get up you cnut”

They then frogged marched him in to the farm yard and made him kneel, and convinced him they were the IRA and were going to cap him.

Before bursting out laughing.

He later told me he was absolutely fcukin terrified and thought they were going to shoot him.

Class…………………….

 

[mammutly]

Few years ago did the tour of Ireland with City,2 games against Athlone then on to Cork, I decided to go with a couple of lads one who had relatives in Kildare near the race course we started the tour there and spent the night.

One of the lads with us was nervous about going because it was near the border (bandit country), to be honest he had bad nerves anyway.

Anyway we had a great day all got pissed, the lad with the bad nerves ended up staying at a remote farmhouse with my mates extended family.

You know what happens next.

A couple of my mates family donned black balaclavas, and couple of dilapidated shotguns, they kicked his bedroom door open at 2 in the morning and said.

“get up you cnut”

Rolled him out of bed on to the floor (pissed)

“get up you cnut”

They then frogged marched him in to the farm yard and made him kneel, and convinced him they were the IRA and were going to cap him.

Before bursting out laughing.

He later told me he was absolutely fcukin terrified and thought they were going to shoot him.

Class…………………….

That is just about the sickest 'joke' ever. Class? It's fucking horrible.

In fact, please tell me you are joking and it never happened? Please?

 

[ElanJo]

Fuckin Cromwell...

Tis a real pity what happened to Ireland :(

 

[LEE BRADBURY]

Few years ago did the tour of Ireland with City,2 games against Athlone then on to Cork, I decided to go with a couple of lads one who had relatives in Kildare near the race course we started the tour there and spent the night.

One of the lads with us was nervous about going because it was near the border (bandit country), to be honest he had bad nerves anyway.

Anyway we had a great day all got pissed, the lad with the bad nerves ended up staying at a remote farmhouse with my mates extended family.

You know what happens next.

A couple of my mates family donned black balaclavas, and couple of dilapidated shotguns, they kicked his bedroom door open at 2 in the morning and said.

“get up you cnut”

Rolled him out of bed on to the floor (pissed)

“get up you cnut”

They then frogged marched him in to the farm yard and made him kneel, and convinced him they were the IRA and were going to cap him.

Before bursting out laughing.

He later told me he was absolutely fcukin terrified and thought they were going to shoot him.

Class…………………….

That is just about the sickest 'joke' ever. Class? It's fucking horrible.

In fact, please tell me you are joking and it never happened? Please?

It really did happen, I thought it was hilarious, but was glad it was not me

Luckily he was a proper lush so was in a drunken haze.

Still he said he was terrified.

I could print his name ( but it wouldn’t be right though lol)

 

[ElanJo]

Few years ago did the tour of Ireland with City,2 games against Athlone then on to Cork, I decided to go with a couple of lads one who had relatives in Kildare near the race course we started the tour there and spent the night.

One of the lads with us was nervous about going because it was near the border (bandit country), to be honest he had bad nerves anyway.

Anyway we had a great day all got pissed, the lad with the bad nerves ended up staying at a remote farmhouse with my mates extended family.

You know what happens next.

A couple of my mates family donned black balaclavas, and couple of dilapidated shotguns, they kicked his bedroom door open at 2 in the morning and said.

“get up you cnut”

Rolled him out of bed on to the floor (pissed)

“get up you cnut”

They then frogged marched him in to the farm yard and made him kneel, and convinced him they were the IRA and were going to cap him.

Before bursting out laughing.

He later told me he was absolutely fcukin terrified and thought they were going to shoot him.

Class…………………….

That is just about the sickest 'joke' ever. Class? It's fucking horrible.

In fact, please tell me you are joking and it never happened? Please?

It really did happen, I thought it was hilarious, but was glad it was not me

Luckily he was a proper lush so was in a drunken haze.

Still he said he was terrified.

I could print his name ( but it wouldn’t be right though lol)

Why? Your spelling doesn't seem too bad to me...

 

[blue jim]

More of a clue than you will ever know SON

Clearly fuckin not dickhead. If you can pull up evidence that Sands ever killed anyone then fuck me you may report yourself to the nearest PSNI station because itll be the first they've heard of it.

Ohh ye haven't a clue.

 

[blue jim]

The British Army were originally brought into the Province to protect the Catholic minority, who offered tea and biscuits to the squaddies, funny how it all got skewed.

Aye, thats right, for a few weeks anyway until they started to put curfews on them and raid their homes looking for guns that didnt exist.

My granny offered biccies to the british army, thinking the young english lads would protect her house from the UVF setting it on fire. She was forced out by gunpoint by the UVF, where were the British army then? No where to be seen.

That was well before the IRA started targetting them, as well.

RIGHT, my point here isnt that the IRA were good or bad or whatever, I couldnt give two fucks about the 'ra, they're worse than hoods to me, but by fuck if the British army were in any way innocent. My fucking hole, they were as bad as any paramilitary that ever formed. They're hoods to me too.

You should keep in mind two things. 1. the British army were never brought in to protect catholics, it was to "keep the peace" and 2. they were brought in to eliminate any threat to the state i.e any form of Republicanism. While they were officially protecting catholics they were running laundary companies collecting bioligical "evidence" in west belfast on any potential IRA member i.e any catholic over the age of 16, and they interred every single one of them, my family members included, for as long as they wanted, any fucking wonder they were the best recruiting agent the provos ever had.

I hate the IRA, cant stand them, but no excuses on behalf of the british army of government.

 

[M19]

One man's terrorist is another mans freedom fighter.

Do you have them same view about Mandela, insofar as you believe it would be better if he was dead?

Yeah he was another terrorist