I have just heard over the radio that there has been another bombing in Northern Ireland. Belfast, I think. SOme splinter of the IRA is taking credit. My questions: When will there be peace there? Why has it been so hard to make peace?
It’s not how you pick your nose, it’s where you put the boogers
There are several violent young men in Ireland who are being given the choice between being “freedom fighters” (with guns) or “bar room thugs” (without guns). Although you could never get them to admit it, they care more about their own prestige than they do about peace, their country or their countrymen. It’s up to those members of the Republican movement who truely want peace to do something about the thugs among them. How they eventually go about doing that is something the official peacemakers don’t want to know anything about.
The bombing was in County Fermanagh. Credit for it was taken by the Continuity IRA, who broke off from the Provisional IRA (the group you’re thinking of when you think “IRA”) over the issues of the latter’s cease fire and Sinn Féin’s participation in British governmental institutions. The CIRA has always opposed the peace process and it’s really just a wonder this hasn’t happened sooner.
No injuries apparently, at least.
the bombing took place at a Hotel in Irvingstown, Co. Fermanagh, with Warnings given about a number of devices in a number of other premises. A warning was phoned to Belfast newsrooms In the name of the Continuity IRA about 30 minutes before the explosion, but it was not accompanied by a recognised codeword.
This sickens me. It is putting any hope of having a peaceful settlement . but these are little people… pretty soon they’re going to die out from in-fighting that always ends up from these groups. The sooner these scumbags stop claiming to represent us the better.
J
“Cast a cold Eye, On Life, On Death, Horseman, ride by”
W.B. Yeats
My take on this-there will never be peace in N. Irleland-never. The reason: Gerry Adams and his Unionist counterparts LIKE being international figures! THEY DON’T want peace, because it would return them to being what there were before-NOBODIES! Think about it-through violence, a small group of people have been able to become celebrities, with the attendant speaking engagements, all-expense-paid world tours, etc. -they don’t want to give this fun up!
There are a lot of problems in achieving peace in Northern Ireland. One way to understand the problems is to know the history of how it came that England has possession of a part of Ireland, all of it at one time, in the first place. To understand that is to understand what brings them to this point.
It is also of interest to understand what the current problems is in the Peace negotiations - the RUC, Royal Ulster Constabulary 90% Protestant and loyal to the crown 10% Catholic, the Right Wing Loyalist 100% P, the Protestant Freedom Fighters 100% P, the mirror opposite, and equal, to the IRA, want the IRA to unilaterally disband and give up all their weapons. This is totally unheard of that ONE enemy has to lay down arms, except under terms of surrender, which is not the case. It is NOT a good faith attempt to settle differences but to take away the IRA’s ability to fight on equal terms with the INVADERS of their country, as they are rightly viewed. There is a long history of Loyalist brutality towards non-Loyalist-Catholics-in Ireland. It is NOT a religious war between Protestants and Catholics, who happened to be on opposite sides in the conflict, but one of Irish sovereignty over its own lands, which was taken away unfairly by the English, by Right of Conquest.
There is thuggery on BOTH sides and too many innocent people have died, which makes me wish a POX on both houses. No good comes from continued killing, and no good comes from the DISTORTION paraded out by the Crown Loyalist everyday. If peace is to come, BOTH SIDES MUST LAY DOWN THEIR ARMS and the RUC MUST open its ranks to Catholics and negotiate in good faith, ON BOTH SIDES.
You can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow. Janis Joplin
You can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow. Janis Joplin
BTW- The RUC has changed it’s name and is embarking on a recruiting program that will hopefully have their ranks reflecting the general population of Northern Ireland by 2005. Not that they are doing all this on their own initiative, though. Ironically, London is exerting unprecidented control to establish a police force that is answerable to the needs of all the people of Northern Ireland.
Elmer J. Fudd,
Millionaire.
I own a mansion and a yacht.
egkelly- get your head out of your ass. to say that we cant have peace because of ego is absoutely sickening to me and shows just how ignorant you are of the real situation in the north.
Gerry Adams has had to put a great deal on the line, as well as David Trimble, John Hume
and many more.
If anyone is to get credit in this, It should go to Mo Molam, the former Secretary of state for Northern Ireland, how did so much to get the sides talking. She was removed as The Unionists believed her to be too sympathetic towards Sinn Fein. and now Peter “Mandy” Mandelson has taken all the credit, and has nearly destroyed the process.
The Widespread changes implemented in the Patten Report will be responsible for the make or break of the new “Northern Ireland Police Force”. Hopefully the people of the North will finally have a police force they can trust.
Continually Blame has been heaped upon Sinn Fein, for not delivering IRA Weapons. I believe that they should give up their arms, but not before something more stable can be arranged regarding the decommisioning of Unionist arms.
before the flame war starts, I am a pacifist. I believe that it is time for both sides to start co-operating, not just for one side to be pressurised
J
“Cast a cold Eye, On Life, On Death, Horseman, ride by”
W.B. Yeats
It sickens everyone. I am from the mid-west coast of Ireland and this has been going on all my life and long before it.
I live in America currently and I am often asked about the conflict in the north. What a lot of people outside of Ireland don’t know is that the number of active IRA terrorists is very small. It’s impossible to cite an accurate number, but it’s estimated to be as low as 300 or fewer people at any given time, which is hardly representative of the general population of the Republic or of the north.
The reasons for the conflict and its resistance to resolution are complicated but I’m pleased to see that a few of you have a decent grasp of some of the issues involved. I usually don’t talk about it at all outside my family and friends from home because there is too much to explain before even attempting a discussion.
Not many people outside Ireland take much of an interest in understanding what is really going on there. This thread is rather heartening to me.
Hello Uppity,
Where in Ireland are you from? Im a true Jackeen, Dublin Born and bred.
It is really good to see so many people from abroad taking an active intrest in our small Island. Lets hope it can remain informative.
J
“Cast a cold Eye, On Life, On Death, Horseman, ride by”
W.B. Yeats
Hi, John. 
I’m from Galway City.
I was surprised to see this title this morning and pleased by what I’ve read so far. I hope it can remain informative, too. In my opinion, dispassionate analysis best fosters understanding.
While i believe that this is indeed an accurate description of the small element of the CIRA who revel in the limelight of chaos, it discounts the activities of the Orange Lodges. These are considerably larger segments of the Loyalist cause that take great pleasure in parading - purposefully through predominately Catholic communities - to “celebrate” a victory from a 400 year-old war.
It seems to me that the Republican cause is not the only one enamored of the vainglory associated with death and destruction.
Z
All those who believe in psychokinesis raise my hand.
Not to mention a couple other things:
[ul][li]The Good Friday Agreement only calls for decommissioning by May. The ink was barely dry on the GFA before Trimble started making all sorts of threats if the IRA didn’t begin to disarm immediately. The current “crisis” is really more to do with his tenuous hold on leadership of the loyalist population than anything else - this is his way of proving to the many who are deeply suspicious of him that he isn’t, in fact, betraying their cause.[/li][li]Similarly, Sinn Fein/PIRA have their own extremists to worry about. If they were to give in to Trimble’s threats and disarm now, it would be seen as surrender, and would give a dangerous propaganda victory to the groups (such as Republican Sinn Fein/CIRA, and the 32 County Sovereignty Movement/Real IRA) who have always opposed the peace process as the first step toward surrender.[/li][li]Many (although by no means all) Catholics in the North also oppose disarmament because they see those arms as their protection against the RUC and the loyalist paramilitaries. An anecdote may help to illustrate this: Last week, a British paratrooper was acquitted for shooting three unarmed Catholic teenagers in Belfast. When this news was related to two NI Catholics I know - separately - they both responded in exactly the same way: “And they expect us to disarm now?” This fear is a genuine fear, and must be taken into account.[/ul][/li]
It really irritates me that the media over here are presenting this issue as though the crisis is all the republicans’ fault.
“Peace in Ireland?”
Sounds like it belongs in MPSIMS.
The IQ of a group is equal to the IQ of the dumbest member divided by the number of people in the group.
Uppity
Welcome to America.
You can destroy your now by worrying about tomorrow. Janis Joplin
Oops. Caed mela Failte, Uppity.
Now, see, who says there can’t be peace in Ireland…
… if John John can welcome an immigrant to America, anything can happen!!! 
it’s Céad Mile Fáilte btw.
rudah
Tis. Thanks for the spelling correction
I am pretty ignorant about the history behind the British occupation of Northern Ireland. Being an American I, of course, say, “Force the damn redcoats the fuck out of there!” but I imagine it’s a bit more complicated than that, right?
I would greatly appreciate it I someone could summarize the history behind the current quagmire of violence and terrorism. I’ve got my hands full researching the Holy Land right now.
Yet to be reconciled with the reality of the dark for a moment, I go on wandering from dream to dream.