Comments on The Pensive Quill: The Thorn in Sinn Fein's Side

2011-01-11T16:20:57.097Z

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Mise Eire, ‘Ta power document - The essay called ...

2011-01-04T20:30:40.431Z

Mise Eire,

‘Ta power document - The essay called for the armed aspect of the movement to subordinate itself to the political direction of the party … this was a virtually unheard of concept.’

It was very much the topic of debate within the prisons which Ta was able to feed into. Ta’s one time comrade and later enemy, Jimmy Brown, was very au fait with the concept.

The INLA prisoners were no different from the IRA prisoners. Same levels of political awareness and motivation. In both organisations some were politically astute and some were not.

The best political mind within the INLA in the prison that I came across was Gerard Steenson. Yet he wasted it all in a terrible feud where we saw friends and comrades on both sides gunned down.

2010-12-27T10:00:33.107Z

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2010-12-27T09:38:14.053Z

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Mise Eire, The split was on the cards long before...

2010-12-26T18:40:14.810Z

Mise Eire,

The split was on the cards long before Fianna Fail made its move.

‘the censorship within the movement was appalling’

And they tell you they were opposed to censorship and Section 31.

Your description of the bullying, intimidation and censorship was informative. Ta Power and Brendan operated in different environments. I think there was a lack of depth to political thinking in the RSM of Power’s day and his writings acquired a status because they were a molehill on a flat plane. A decent guy nonetheless who wanted better for his community/class.

‘the fact that hayes was tortured is immaterial to me.i'm not glad it
happened but i dont believe for a minute you can honestly believe this
was beyond the pale to happen again.come on.the intelligence services
dictated everything for 25 years’

Hardly the point. If the guy was tortured his confession is meaningless.

Tain Bo

‘Louth and the republic need not worry Gerry and “this "great" party of
Sinn Fein” is on their way to “replicate the great work done in the
north”.’

A parody perhaps! Someone winding them up. Maybe they have a Swift in their midst!!

2010-12-19T09:07:30.880Z

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2010-12-19T08:50:25.472Z

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2010-12-19T08:33:36.642Z

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Mise Eire, all fine. But it does not mean that it...

2010-12-19T07:51:31.071Z

Mise Eire,

all fine. But it does not mean that it caused the split. The ingredients for it were long on the boil.

2010-12-19T07:30:30.802Z

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2010-12-19T00:21:34.504Z

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Anthony Louth and the republic need not worry Ger...

2010-12-18T21:55:05.536Z

Anthony

Louth and the republic need not worry Gerry and “this "great" party of Sinn Fein” is on their way to “replicate the great work done in the north.”
Can’t remember word for word reading that last week god help the south.

Mike, ‘the increasingly apparent failure of Provi...

2010-12-18T17:10:17.950Z

Mike,

‘the increasingly apparent failure of Provisional republicanism as part of the legacy from which dissident republicanism sprang … Another, and related, part of the story involves the peace initiatives that have been developed in the past 15 years.’

I am not sure you have developed this argument as far as you intended to. I think your overall argument is solid and convincing but I am uncertain as to how it links into the above.

Mise Eire

Free state Minister of Defence sent an Irish officer to Derry in 1969
with an offer of support to the IRA OC in Derry...If you assassinate
your leadership we'll give youse a few quid...’

Is this sourced anywhere? It is an interesting account.

Tain Bo

‘the great master magician who has made many things disappear all but the one thing British rule.’

You are so cynical!!

Mise Eire,

It was Stephen Hayes and given the fact that he was tortured his confession can not be taken as reliable.

2010-12-12T13:13:10.255Z

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2010-12-12T13:05:50.597Z

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2010-12-12T12:40:42.619Z

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Nuala, Thanks for the compliment. It pleases me ...

2010-12-12T00:59:05.711Z

Nuala,

Thanks for the compliment. It pleases me immensely that you enjoyed the piece.

Alfie,

I think it is self serving because he tries to superimpose an intellectual rationale on his reasons for agreeing to give evidence on behalf of the state. I did not buy into the troubled mind wrestling with the futility of violence.

‘Collins portrays himself as a cold, callous arranger of killings - that's hardly self-serving.’

Not on its own. But it is used to provide context to his decision to abandon the activities he was engaged in.

Mise eire- Why soldiers should become politicians...

2010-12-10T15:37:43.120Z

Mise eire-

Why soldiers should become politicians

Cathal brugha td
Bobby sands mp
Jim lynagh councillor
Kieran doherty td
Martin mc caughey councillor
Mairead farrell 1987 td candidate

you against them

there are others- but you get my drift.

Helen i was iun shennanigans in S. Boston in the l...

2010-12-10T15:15:04.081Z

Helen
i was iun shennanigans in S. Boston in the late 90's and a few cork lads were askin me if i thought Adams might be took out of it. i thought they werte a tad OTT but maybe they were on the nail.

2010-12-10T12:56:08.690Z

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2010-12-10T10:15:23.174Z

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Tain Bo, Check this one, out sure to have your t...

2010-12-10T07:09:18.576Z

Tain Bo,

Check this one, out sure to have your toe tapping, only recently been rediscovered. Written by Pat McGuigan, The Brave United Men

http://www.youtube.cf/watch?v=egYPy0ez21A

Mike, "But it also says something about the B...

2010-12-10T00:04:03.881Z

Mike,
"But it also says something about the British and Irish governments (and their supporters), who insisted that peace “negotiations” have a pre-determined outcome and cynically used the peace process as a means of helping Provisional republicanism manage defeat".

You forgot to mention the US government's part in that as well. I always felt Clinton's "generosity" in granting Gerry Adams a visa (however never granting Ruairí Ó Brádaigh the same consideration especially after Adams made his first appearance on US soil) was the beginning of the sell out. I felt Ruairi had the same right to be given a visa too, so that Irish-Americans could have been exposed to both political sides of the issue. Maybe a more well informed Irish-America could have made a difference. However, we’ll never know. Unfortunately, Sinn Fein vehemently campaigned against him being given a visa to the USA and that is when PSF started to turn me off.

Another indication that a sell out was coming was when Joe Cahill started making his rounds to various Irish-American groups blowing smoke up our arses about the “new way forward with Sinn Fein”. Yet, when you would ask very direct, serious questions about a possible “sell out” you were told whatever you wanted to hear to keep the support base in America going. I was a Sinn Fein supporter for 30 years, but I knew in ’94 something was very, very wrong.

2010-12-09T23:57:37.457Z

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MartyDownUnder You certainly can’t beat the auld ...

2010-12-09T23:28:55.342Z

MartyDownUnder

You certainly can’t beat the auld chants good on you mucker.

Slan