Comments on The Pensive Quill: Me and You and a Dog Named Boo

Remember seeing Adams make a bee line for Darkie a...

2010-11-23T19:09:38.103Z

Remember seeing Adams make a bee line for Darkie after Geraldine Hughes' Belfast Blues show in St Marys. It looked then like he only went over to greet him as he knew people were watching

Nuala, I know the routine. He patted my back leav...

2010-11-23T08:51:27.284Z

Nuala,

I know the routine. He patted my back leaving an Eamon McCann lecture one night during the festival when he knew the eyes of many people in the hall would be on him. I never batted an eyelid. Done for the reasons that you outlined. Myself and Tommy Gorman were at a funeral in the Murph and him and Gibney were behind us. Now Jim wouldn’t move a muscle without his Master’s approval but the Master leaned over and greeted Tommy. We were laughing about it and Tommy said that the next funeral he would be ignored and somebody else greeted to underscore the point. So at a later funeral he greeted Marian who was with Tommy but never acknowledged Tommy at all.

‘Amazed at the loyalty shown by Danny Morrison’

I am not. The disappointment is that he created such space in the jail for others who thought differently but out here seeks to close it all down. I was pretty thick with him in jail. Even smuggled Bacardi back in from a parole for him. His smile when getting it brings a smile to my face now! And I would call to his house regularly when out and still have a certain personal regard for him although no political regard whatsoever. In the end he found it difficult to accept an alternative view of the way things had gone. When I’d ring him he would launch into a tirade – me sitting laughing on the other end of the phone. We shared a platform at Oxford a few years ago and he even bought me a pint after it!

But when you think of it he was quite prepared to deflect allegations of touting away from Scap when he had more reason than any of us to believe Scap was a tout. What therefore would he not deflect away from the Master? It is sad that he is where he is but c’est la vie.

Mackers, I read in Richard's book about Adams ...

2010-11-19T20:32:39.971Z

Mackers, I read in Richard's book about Adams speaking to him at Brian Keenan's funeral. I would say that was every inch a playing to the crowd gesture, 'Look at what a reasonable man I am, I am speaking to Richard in spite of all he has done.'
Amazed at the loyalty shown by Danny Morrison, considering he was shafted to a certain extent.
Nice when you see a shafter getting shafted. Not many people would sleek out the back door of a house and omit to tell those inside their home was surrounded.
Selective memory on Danny's part or just saving his own skin?

Nuala, Use the find facility if that sort of thi...

2010-11-15T16:38:15.304Z

Nuala,

Use the find facility if that sort of things happen. But you didn’t miss anything. Just rubbish you would have a laugh at.

You are right – they hate you if you stand your ground and express a different point of view.

‘At the table where we had our dinner whether Gerry Bradley's had the
right to write such a book was bitterly contested.’

Gerry Bradley was made to suffer by that attitude. To what extent it contributed to his decision to end his life I don’t know. But we never imagine these things are inconsequential.

After every war there are memoirs It is what adds to our understanding of wars. How much would we know about the Soviet military strategy during World War 2 had people like Georgy Zhukov and Vasily Chuikov not left us memoirs?

‘The republican movement has a long history of ostracising its own.’

It simply cannot deal with different viewpoints. Now you can imagine the type of bully an outfit like that will pull to it. And the strange thing is there was so little bullying in jail on the wings. The IRA was a major factor in curbing the tendency. But the amount of it outside is staggering.

Ruairi,

How can SF honestly call for 'Truth & Reconciliation Forums'

They don’t honestly call for it

Marty,

There is a strong core of reality in what you say. The Master would stop them reading the book. They would make people feel bad who did read it. A Shinner told me about appearing at a party meeting with my book and they were ripping.

Alfie, Afterlives covers the story sufficiently. ...

2010-11-13T09:23:19.526Z

Alfie,

Afterlives covers the story sufficiently. Blanketmen is a brilliant read. One of the men who O'Rawe has been at loggerheads with over it told me a few years ago that while he had not read the book he had been told it was a great read. His problem with it related to the contentious point. Well worth a read if you have time.

Alfie You should read The Blanketmen first. Slan...

2010-11-12T19:46:47.407Z

Alfie

You should read The Blanketmen first.

Slan.

I haven't really followed this debate as I was...

2010-11-12T19:31:44.653Z

I haven't really followed this debate as I was ill when it began, but I'd be interested in finding out more. From what little I know, I'd be inclined to believe O'Rawe, but I wonder why he didn't go public with his claims earlier. Is it advisable to read "Blanketmen" first before "Afterlives" or does "Afterlives" cover everything?

Becks have a look at their property/business portf...

2010-11-11T21:48:19.987Z

Becks have a look at their property/business portfolios.these wasters like to pretend they are socialists,I doubt they spend any time talking about Richards books,for one the bearded one wouldnt allow it and two,they would be to busy stuffing their faces with subsidised nosh and checking their expense accounts!

have a look at the menu at stormont.how do these p...

2010-11-11T19:50:06.671Z

have a look at the menu at stormont.how do these people eat like this and dont be sick they have very short memories.they discuss o rawes book at the table ffs.

How can SF honestly call for 'Truth & Reco...

2010-11-11T17:47:36.952Z

How can SF honestly call for 'Truth & Reconciliation Forums' & so called 'Truth Commissions' when a respected republican like Richard O'Rawe is called a liar etc for having the cheek to question the SF line on a subject of huge importance like the Hunger Strike..

Amazing practice of double standards!!

Methinks you have started something here Marty... ...

2010-11-11T16:14:37.268Z

Methinks you have started something here Marty...
Paisley will be twinned with itwasntme..
Super surfing weather here just now.

Or his old war cry Robert "remember No"

2010-11-11T16:11:34.105Z

Or his old war cry Robert "remember No"

All, Ian Paisley has just been diagnosed with alz...

2010-11-11T16:03:28.169Z

All,

Ian Paisley has just been diagnosed with alzheimers. He has been seen walking the streets of Belfast shouting, "NO REMEMBER!!"

Mackers, still can't find it. Although, I did ...

2010-11-11T12:20:53.393Z

Mackers, still can't find it. Although, I did read quite a poignant piece about Gerry Bradley.
Gerard Hodgkins (hope I spelt this right) writes a bit of a damning piece about how the ostracization campaign against Gerry Bradley was unrelenting.
It actually brought me back to a trade union conference I attended in the Wellington Park last Christmas.
At the table where we had our dinner whether Gerry Bradley's had the right to write such a book was bitterly contested.
To be honest I found the whole experience both amusing and sad, because those who objected most had never belonged to any part of the republican movement in their lives, they did not even tinker on the periphery, yet here they were unashamedly advocating their support for one Gerry and berating the other.
It did not seem to matter that one Gerry had just been recently exposed for lying and covering up child sex abuse. The whole focus was on a former volunteers right to write such a book.
The republican movement has a long history of ostracising its own.
People like Dan Mc Cann, Choc Carmichael and Ivor Bell were tortured and maligned for years.
Then, it was the turn of the Dark, youself Mackers, Tommy, Richard and Gerry Bradley.
Where will it end? Or will it ever end?

I have just got my copy of Afterlives today and lo...

2010-11-11T00:21:22.381Z

I have just got my copy of Afterlives today and look forward to reading it ASAP.

Well done to Mr. O'Rawe and to this blog for keeping this important matter in the public mind.

Rory

Read some of the voluminous comments on Slugger. B...

2010-11-10T23:45:39.580Z

Read some of the voluminous comments on Slugger. Boy this is big now eh. Some seriously interesting commentaries there.

Mackers, could not find the piece you were speakin...

2010-11-10T22:49:08.532Z

Mackers, could not find the piece you were speaking about and I sort of got bored trawling through the stuff.
Unfortunately yourself, Carrie and all the other peace wreckers now have to tread this earth as the 'Unforgiven' too formidable Mackers that was the problem.
I had such a comment made to me several months ago in the Felons.
It is is quite okay if you keep it medicore and then apologise, throw yourself on their mercy and declare that you are totally insane and have suffered psychological set backs for years.
Stand your ground and your well and truly f##ked.

Yes the peace process is the SF catch-all escape c...

2010-11-10T22:31:36.650Z

Yes the peace process is the SF catch-all escape clause. A short read? Will have to get a coppy then and read it enroute to Spain next week...there I'm totally repentful, reconstructed, and INTERESTED!

LOL Anthony as someone who is an unrepentant lesbi...

2010-11-10T21:42:34.210Z

LOL Anthony as someone who is an unrepentant lesbian can I be in your gang!