Here in Ireland, most of us just accept that the Brits have no clue about who we are or what was done to us.
Indeed, many of them are rather taken aback when we gently point out some irrefutable historical truths about their dark colonial past.
Conversely, we know pretty much everything about our colonisers.
The experiences of Irishwoman Jennifer Horgan, who was a school teacher in London, are illuminating.
In recent days there has been a bit of a related media storm here from the usual revisionist suspects.
The Irish women’s soccer got over the line at Hampden and qualified for the World Cup.
The scene in the away dressing room was jubilantly raucous.
One bit of footage that was uploaded had Ár gcailíní singing the Celtic Symphony.
The FAI immediately issued a statement apologising for any offence caused.
However, the line of questioning taken by Sky Sports News presenter Rob Wotton towards Ireland player Chloe Mustaki had many people her gasping at the lack of self-awareness.
“Does it highlight the need for education on issues like this?”
Sweet Jaysus, would you listen to the fecker!
The reaction of Irish Twitter to this Brit was instantaneous.
Of course, a global empire made victims all over the planet.
Consequently, there are many people who have a family history of suffering under the Brits.
If any of ye are not on the same page as Ms Chu, then Google “Opium Wars” and you’ll be better informed.
At the time of An Gort Mór here, the Brits ran a narco-state in the South China sea.
Lest we forget.
The rebel song tradition emerged in the modern era as a way for our people to transmit emotional memories of who we are as a people.
Think of it as inter-generational learning.
Dear reader, your humble correspondent is today a citizen of a separate Irish state precisely BECAUSE of the IRA.
Without the actions of my grandparents’ generation, we would today be an offshore Wales.
Absorbed, colonised and disregarded.
For the avoidance of doubt, that should not be taken as disrespect to Cymru and her brilliant people.
The partition of this island was instigated by a global superpower on the back of a threat of “immediate and terrible war” from British Prime Minister David Lloyd George.
That is why these words blink to life in a part of Ulster that, despite being further north than Belfast, is bafflingly “in the south”.
It is beyond debate that the bigoted Orange State incubated an uprising.
In August 1969, the nationalist people of Derry finally snapped.
The youngsters who foraged for milk bottles around the Rossville flats during the Battle of the Bogside, in time, became very effective operators in Óglaigh na hÉireann.
Armalites replaced the petrol bombs, and they faced the enemy.
There is a spurious argument here in 26 Counties that the IRA of my grandparents’ era were somehow nice and gentlemanly and quite different from those nasty, brutal Provos.
This book is the perfect antidote to that nonsense.
The man himself was on point.
Danny is spot-on about the younger generation.
They seem to be lost to revisionism, an ideology which offered the people of the 26 counties no analysis, only amnesia.
When he was home, my Big Fella reminded me of a chat we had in Westport in 2016.
He said that remembering the Rising and everything that flowed from it was having a profound and moving impact on his contemporaries.
Here Una Mullally in the Irish Times gives a calm analysis and provides context to the furore over “up the Ra” in the Hampden dressing room.
The Brit at Sky News is correct about one thing.
There is indeed a need for education on these matters.
Just not in the way that he meant.
As ever, it is often down to outsiders to carry out a common sense inventory.
Here, the American writer Bonnie Greer, who has lived in Britain for many years, schooled her adopted home with some home truths about this island.
This was remarkable because it was so rare on British TV to hear this narrative.
Meanwhile, the law of unintended consequences seems to be working perfectly!
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Have they ever apologised for their No Irish No Dogs No Blacks. I don’t think so. Let The People Sing, The Bhoys lecturer in Irish History spoke today to him about Fields of Athenry and you stole Trevelyn’s corn and how people were treated.
The audacity of this colossal prick, typical of sky. Admiration and respect to the Irish ladies.
The Sky presenter is an ignoramus. That’s pretty evident. He seriously needs to be ‘educated’ about the horrors of Brutish Empire. It’s strange, and almost funny, when their media establishment gets agitated about dissension on imperialism. Millions of people globally will be offended by GSTQ. Not because it’s a decrepit dirge. They’ll also be considering why Britain has laid waste to so many countrries: like Iraq, Libya, Afghanistan, and of course Ireland.
Respect & Solidarity with those women.
100%
Exceptional post.
I would encourage everyone to listen to the Raymond Williams lecture to the end.
Fe godwn ni eto
I enjoy 90% of your posts.
This one is exceptional. Thank you.
I would encourage anyone reading to listen to the Raymond Williams lecture all the way to the end.
Fe godwn ni eto
Great summary of the situation Phil. The Irish Times piece is so accurate in its analysis. I can’t imagine any circumstance where any mainstream UK newspaper would publish such an article. Except for the Excellent Irish Post of course.
Wonder if Jangles Jackson or any of the other Record illiterati will come out and defend this as just banter and part of the game, while dismissing anyone who complains as a whiny snowflake? You know, like they did with a certain song about a certain Irish famine. Or maybe a certain SNP MP might come out and dismiss them as “Plastic Patriots”.
Dead on BriBhoy…!!!
Hi Phil
Can you tell me why I can’t view your twitter account. An answer here or to my email would be great thanks. I don’t know why I would be blocked as although I have an account. I don’t think I have ever tweeted so I couldn’t have offended you.
KEEP THE FAITH
Tony
The views of the Brits (mainly English and “proud Scots but”) are ridiculous on this. Their narrative is British army good, IRA bad. Despite quite a lot of evidence to the contrary. But everything must be black and white for blighty. Education in their own bloodied past will never come. I had a tour of Dachau concentration camp once with an English tour guide, who pointed out the German soldiers who came to learn why they had to question immoral orders. His view was that “the blood never dried” should be on the reading list in every school in Britain, it was hard to disagree.
One thing your excellent article doesn’t touch on is that in the context of the song in qu the “Ooh ahh up the ra!” lyrics are more descriptive of the graffiti of Glasgow back in the day.
These girls did their country proud in sport, and celebrated with a fitting song linking their homeland with the city they were in. They were badly let down by the FAI and the usual politicians. This was a potential launch pad for a discussion about our heritage and what we owe to the members of the IRA. But it’s 2022 and the art of explaining nuance has gone. We have 24 hour news channels now but have somehow lost the art of long form debate and civil discussion. Everything is soundbite and knee jerk. The “printing press release” churnalism has hit the TV too.
At least there’s still actual journalists in Ireland.
All relevant points. Many British people are still ‘uneducated’ about their empire’s despicable role in the Irish famine. They should study their imperialist history, and how their nation invaded, plundered, contaminated every continent on earth. They’ll surely learn nothing from robotic presenters on Sky TV.