Enda Kenny Commemorates Kevin O'Higgins In Booterstown Tonight

[C. Flower]

On at 7 p.m. tonight, cross roads at Booterstown (Kenny unveiling a plaque to O'Higgins).

Excellent set of photographs here, including one of the devastation at the Four Courts.

http://irishvolunteers.org/2012/03/i.../#comment-4962

[Dr. FIVE]

I've only ever heard of O'Malley and others planting mines in the basement just before surrender. 'Records of British oppression' apparently, though that probably wasn't front of mind at the time. The British administration destroyed a load over the years and pulped the 1881 and 1891 census during wwi due to a shortage of paper!

Disasters all anyway.

[Sam Lord]

On at 7 p.m. tonight, cross roads at Booterstown (Kenny unveiling a plaque to O'Higgins).

I predict it will have a short life span.

[Dr. FIVE]

Slightly related post from cedar lounge last year where TDs were asked about their politcal heroes past and present. It runs through each party then concludes

The Daíl’s universal hero then is Mandela, with 19 mentions, whose appeal cuts across left, right and centre, and is, in some senses, practically meaningless. How many of the TDs who chose him, especially those from Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael, supported the Anti-Apartheid movement or the Dunnes Stores strikers during the 1980s? Gandhi also gained smaller scale cross-party support, which at least evokes memories of past Irish-Indian solidarity. Michael Collins led the field of Irish contenders, but all of his support came from Fine Gael bar one vote from Sinn Féin. Bloc voting by Fianna Fáil saw Lemass come in with nine. James Connolly also scored nine with votes from Sinn Féin, Labour and independents: clearly the leading left choice.

The big names of 19th century Ireland, O’Connell and Parnell managed a couple of mentions. There was no Tone, Emmet or Davis, and only one vote for Michael Davitt (from Labour’s Robert Dowds). No mention of Liam Mellows or Countess Markievicz from the republican left and only one vote for Jim Larkin. Love him or hate him, the total exclusion of de Valera is telling. Bobby Sands, John Hume and Seamus Mallon were the only contenders from north of the border. In terms of popular culture we are clearly closer to Boston than Berlin: JFK, RFK, FDR, LBJ, MLK, Obama, Lincoln and Bill and Hillary Clinton all featured, but there were far fewer British figures and only Mitterand, De Gaulle, Gorbachev and Dubcek from the rest of Europe. There were far more male heroes than women. Of course the whole idea might just demonstrate that people choose heroes they think people want them to choose, personalities who are already popular or those whose popularity they think might rub off on them.

http://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/201...-about-heroes/

[Apjp]

The mire of the civil war, commemorating either side is no good.

Worst part of Irish history barr none imo

Enough said. Divided the country to this day and we're still living with the political fall out with the 2 and a half party 'divide'.

[Apjp]

Liam Mellows is commemorated with a monument in Eyre Square Galway, also the Army Barracks in Renmore, Galway and The Agricultural College in Athenry is named in his honour.

The historian - Brian May is it - on now saying the executions while being draconian appears to be saying were necessary to preserve democracy. O'Connor, Mellows, McKelvey and Barrett were executed in reprisal for the killing of Sean Hales TD who was shot by someone else. An odd way to preserve democracy, they could've kept them in jail.

democracy, stability and the establishment are all key words often linked with the words necessaries and preserve. I read a few interesting books by Ken Griffith and Tom Barry on this period. Most people, in fact damn near all, said that only Collins could have bridged the gap between both sides. Barry I think it was said he was too good for the counter revolutionaries that came after him and that as well as supplying the IRA with arms in the North he was demanding a transfer of half the counties(those with Republican majorities) from Craig and that they could see he wasn't finished with the British yet(hinting that they felt there could be a renewed war in 5 years or so which could have happened who knows).

I'd be interested in seeing how many killings the elitists, Collins so called 'heirs', ordered the killings after his death compared to the amount and frequency of such killings Collins ordered himself. The prevailing view froma few people on here that he should have shot de valera is an interesting one. Whatever else, might have saved us a few decades of economic stagnation.

[Apjp]

Sam's quote was very telling. No knowing how different Ireland might have turned out if the republican forces had won. Might even have been a republic. History though is often directly traceable and this is one good example why.

[Hapax]

I've only ever heard of O'Malley and others planting mines in the basement just before surrender. 'Records of British oppression' apparently, though that probably wasn't front of mind at the time. The British administration destroyed a load over the years and pulped the 1881 and 1891 census during wwi due to a shortage of paper!

Disasters all anyway.

Given what happened to the record office down south, I felt a slight sense of foreboding just now on seeing the address of the one up north:

Public Record Office of Northern Ireland
2 Titanic Boulevard
Titanic Quarter
Belfast
BT3 9HQ
Northern Ireland

I hope they've got enough lifeboats for all them pages.