Upcoming Events

National | History and Heritage

no events match your query!

New Events

National

no events posted in last week

Blog Feeds

Anti-Empire

Anti-Empire

offsite link The Wholesome Photo of the Month Thu May 09, 2024 11:01 | Anti-Empire

offsite link In 3 War Years Russia Will Have Spent $3... Thu May 09, 2024 02:17 | Anti-Empire

offsite link UK Sending Missiles to Be Fired Into Rus... Tue May 07, 2024 14:17 | Marko Marjanović

offsite link US Gives Weapons to Taiwan for Free, The... Fri May 03, 2024 03:55 | Anti-Empire

offsite link Russia Has 17 Percent More Defense Jobs ... Tue Apr 30, 2024 11:56 | Marko Marjanović

Anti-Empire >>

The Saker
A bird's eye view of the vineyard

offsite link Alternative Copy of thesaker.is site is available Thu May 25, 2023 14:38 | Ice-Saker-V6bKu3nz
Alternative site: https://thesaker.si/saker-a... Site was created using the downloads provided Regards Herb

offsite link The Saker blog is now frozen Tue Feb 28, 2023 23:55 | The Saker
Dear friends As I have previously announced, we are now “freezing” the blog.  We are also making archives of the blog available for free download in various formats (see below). 

offsite link What do you make of the Russia and China Partnership? Tue Feb 28, 2023 16:26 | The Saker
by Mr. Allen for the Saker blog Over the last few years, we hear leaders from both Russia and China pronouncing that they have formed a relationship where there are

offsite link Moveable Feast Cafe 2023/02/27 ? Open Thread Mon Feb 27, 2023 19:00 | cafe-uploader
2023/02/27 19:00:02Welcome to the ‘Moveable Feast Cafe’. The ‘Moveable Feast’ is an open thread where readers can post wide ranging observations, articles, rants, off topic and have animate discussions of

offsite link The stage is set for Hybrid World War III Mon Feb 27, 2023 15:50 | The Saker
Pepe Escobar for the Saker blog A powerful feeling rhythms your skin and drums up your soul as you?re immersed in a long walk under persistent snow flurries, pinpointed by

The Saker >>

Lockdown Skeptics

The Daily Sceptic

offsite link Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech Fri Jul 26, 2024 13:03 | Toby Young
The Government has just announced it intends to block the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act, effectively declaring war on free speech. It's time to join the Free Speech Union and fight back.
The post Government Has Just Declared War on Free Speech appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link I Wrote an Article for Forbes Defending J.D. Vance From Accusations of ?Climate Denialism?. Forty Ei... Fri Jul 26, 2024 11:00 | Tilak Doshi
On July 18th, Dr Tilak Doshi wrote an article for Forbes defending J.D. Vance from accusations of 'climate denialism'. 48 hours later, Forbes un-published the article. Read the article on the Daily Sceptic.
The post I Wrote an Article for Forbes Defending J.D. Vance From Accusations of ?Climate Denialism?. Forty Eight Hours Later, Forbes Un-Published the Article and Sacked Me as a Contributor appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link Come and See Nick Dixon and me Recording the Weekly Sceptic at the Hippodrome on Monday Fri Jul 26, 2024 09:00 | Toby Young
Tickets are still available to a live recording of the Weekly Sceptic, Britain's only podcast to break into the top five of Apple's podcast chart. It?s at Lola's, the downstairs bar of the Hippodrome on Monday July 29th.
The post Come and See Nick Dixon and me Recording the Weekly Sceptic at the Hippodrome on Monday appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link The China Syndrome: A More Sensible Approach to Nuclear Power Than Britain Fri Jul 26, 2024 07:00 | Ben Pile
While China advances with cutting-edge nuclear power, Britain's green zealots have us stuck with sky-high bills and a nuclear sector in disarray, says Ben Pile.
The post The China Syndrome: A More Sensible Approach to Nuclear Power Than Britain appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

offsite link News Round-Up Fri Jul 26, 2024 00:55 | Richard Eldred
A summary of the most interesting stories in the past 24 hours that challenge the prevailing orthodoxy about the ?climate emergency?, public health ?crises? and the supposed moral defects of Western civilisation.
The post News Round-Up appeared first on The Daily Sceptic.

Lockdown Skeptics >>

Voltaire Network
Voltaire, international edition

offsite link Netanyahu soon to appear before the US Congress? It will be decisive for the suc... Thu Jul 04, 2024 04:44 | en

offsite link Voltaire, International Newsletter N°93 Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:49 | en

offsite link Will Israel succeed in attacking Lebanon and pushing the United States to nuke I... Fri Jun 28, 2024 14:40 | en

offsite link Will Netanyahu launch tactical nuclear bombs (sic) against Hezbollah, with US su... Thu Jun 27, 2024 12:09 | en

offsite link Will Israel provoke a cataclysm?, by Thierry Meyssan Tue Jun 25, 2024 06:59 | en

Voltaire Network >>

Burning the Embassy.

category national | history and heritage | opinion/analysis author Sunday February 05, 2006 15:21author by torch bearer Report this post to the editors

on the 2nd of February 1972, a group of between 20,000 and 30,000 angry people burnt the embassy of Her Britannic Majesty of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Republic of Ireland.

The building used stand on Merrion Square opposite Leinster House. They had laid seige to the Diplomatic mission since January 31st 1972, and threw petrol bombs and stones.
In those days, the Gardaí had neither water cannon nor blunt trauma protection kevlar wear. And they were well worked.

Of course some think this incident best forgotten, and others as a "popular" reaction to the massacre known as "Bloody Sunday" on the Sunday previous (30/1/1972) which saw 14 people shot by the British armed forces in Derry.

Cartoonists both here in Ireland and over there in the UK recognised at once their vital rôle in society and were not found lacking. The British press of the time did its best & damned worst to promote racial, class, religious and other stereotypes, in the name of fair opinion.

The seige of the embassy began as the then President of Ireland, Eamon De Valera and the then taoiseach Jack Lynch had attended a national day of mourning, for which the state broadcaster RTé went off air for 4 hours.

Whilst they government and writers of the constitution of Éire observed silence outside the church an effigy of the then British prime minister Edward Heath and the Prime Minister of the Northern Ireland assembly at Stormont Brian Faulkner were burnt.

A great day out was had by all.

"Fuck you. Fuck yours. Fuck your State. Fuck your sensibilities.
Fuck your memory. Fuck your Church. Fuck your God. Fuck your economy. Fuck your children. Fuck your sensitivities."

The British government made a formal complaint to the Irish government and sued for compensation and damages. The Irish government had only 4 days before made a formal complaint about "Bloody Sunday" and we're still waiting on the truth.
The British used their compensation to buy two adjoining houses on Shrewsbury Road in Dublin 4, where their diplomatic legations to Ireland are to be gound to this day.

At the end of the ruck, everyone avoided singing John Lennon's "Imagine", coz though the prophet (PBUH) had written it the year before, the song described in his own words as "an anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song, but because it's sugar-coated, it's accepted." was still considered respectful by the Irish peoples who knew in their heart that he was on smack getting daily back rubs by Yoko Ono.

Because of this, the conflict didn't end there.

I apologise for the scarcity of detail, I make history not write it.
Please feel free to add details, personal observations or recollections and of course tippy toppy analytical comparisons to how Embassies get burnt in today's society.

author by typopublication date Sun Feb 05, 2006 16:07author address author phone Report this post to the editors

for the line :-
"At the end of the ruck, everyone avoided singing John Lennon's "Imagine", coz though the prophet (PBUH) had written it the year before, the song described in his own words as "an anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic song, but because it's sugar-coated, it's accepted." was still considered respectful by the Irish peoples who knew in their heart that he was on smack getting daily back rubs by Yoko Ono."

please read -

"At the end of the ruck, no-one sang John Lennon's "Imagine" vecause though Lennon the prophet had it written it the year before, the song described in his own words as "anti-religious, anti-nationalistic, anti-conventional, anti-capitalistic [ ... ] sugar coated" was not yet considered by the Irish peoples of either then dominant of ethnic, or cultural, or religious background to be respectful, and many of them knew in their hearts he was on smack getting daily foot massages from Yoko Ono, and if their kids were into that sort of thing, there was always a boat to England which left in daily basis, and no you're not welcome home, off with ye"

Think of this as a Sunday Papers Historical supplement.
Now fish out your elders and ask them about it.

author by migrant diasporiapublication date Sun Feb 05, 2006 18:07author address author phone Report this post to the editors

because of their wish to listen in freedom to the prophet Lennon, and yet more funkier lyricists like James Hendrix. And because of the cartoonists long term effects a few of them got locked up within five years for something they didn't do. But that was history. Oh and it was not that nice for women either, sure they couldn't find a condom unless they hijacked a train from Belfast and copies of edna O'brien had to be passed around on the "Q-T" for their shocking irreligious content. But as the president of Ireland remarked last week in UCC we have to accept that the republic of 1916 was promoted by men and women of catholic persuasion which "opened them up to a global world of reference" and meant they were really nice people just that somewhere between 1916 and 1972 something went wrong with "global catholicism" but its all been sorted out now with the revolutionary motion picture "Life of Brian" by a British sociologically minded collective (open only to Etonians) which they first screened in 1979 though Irish people couldn't see it legally in Erin till 1986.

That was the brits fault.

everyone had a great day out.

FUCK YOU.

kids learn that way.

Fuck the kids as well.

author by Flynn O'Flynnpublication date Mon Feb 06, 2006 18:50author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I believe it was legitimate and indeed inevitable that Irish people vented their anger at the Bloody Sunday tragedy by burning the British embassy.
Few people would disagree that it was sane response rather than that the entire 32 counties of the Irish nation as a whole became locked in a futile war with the British military. It was restrained and within proportion. In "Seven Ages" the RTE produced series from the mid 1990's Garret Fitzgerald believes that the frustration of the Irish people was allowed to be vented without the interference of the police forces on a symbol of the British establishment for percisely this reason.

Some deluded individuals would draw a crude paradigm with the burning of the Danish embassy after the "insult" of Muhammed, the alleged founder of Islam. That's my opinion. Do you agree?
Muslim governments I believe are allowing their citizens to attack symbols of the Denmark so that their violent hostility will be vented harmlessly rather than to cause a bigger explosion later.

author by manserghpublication date Mon Feb 06, 2006 22:22author address author phone Report this post to the editors

I like that line "Muslim governments I believe are allowing their citizens to attack symbols of the Denmark so that their violent hostility will be vented harmlessly rather than to cause a bigger explosion later."

Of course many people make the mistake of thinking something is crude, when in fact is anything but.

The Irish state of course was loathe to pay HMG the compensation it demanded for the destruction of the Merrion Sq legation. There wasn't even enough time to check the walls for the sort of listening devices they later were to get in the Falls road, and sure maybe even popped up in the Rialto home of the Trident ploughshares.
Instead, as the British white-washed Bloody Sunday with the Widgery report, the Irish state organised a deal with many of its vested interests to find a new and more suitable location for the legation of HMG to the republic of Ireland (Eire).

The arrangement of the two adjoining properties on Shrewsbury Road seemed to work well, and the title deeds were transferred from the Royal Dublin Society (founded 1731) to the British state by approval of votes of the member of that society, thus saving the Irish state a few bob.

The British for their part seemed quite happy with the arrangements continuing to hold their ambassador's residence in the Dublin Mountains, and not until they opened the British Tourism offices on Dame street were they to return to the centre of the city.

I wonder where the Lebanese and Syrians will put the new Danish embassy? I wonder these things, because I have occupied so many diplomatic legations over the years, and learnt quite a lot from it.

I hope that young people will do their best to talk to their elders about these years of Irish history. And remember from whence they came. As Tacitus a roman writer put it "veritas visu et mora falsa festinatione et incertis valescunt" = "Truth is confirmed by inspection and delay, falsehood avails itself of haste".

or put very very simply crudely even-

first impressions are generally false.

your history your heritage : think it & work it.

 
© 2001-2024 Independent Media Centre Ireland. Unless otherwise stated by the author, all content is free for non-commercial reuse, reprint, and rebroadcast, on the net and elsewhere. Opinions are those of the contributors and are not necessarily endorsed by Independent Media Centre Ireland. Disclaimer | Privacy