It wouldn’t be St. Patrick’s Day without some war tunes.

The Old Black Brimmer

The Boys of the Old Brigade


Come out Ye Black and Tans

The Wild Rover (not a war tune)

Ok, and a bit of Metalica – Whiskey in the Jar

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11 COMMENTS

  2. They faded into history.

    It's interesting that I was there during some of the most intense fighting – and I was on the side of the British. And the British did their share of life-taking as well.

  4. My late first wife (divorced 26 years ago) was from Dunmurry just outside of Lisburn (and just uphill from the DeLoren plant and about five air miles from HM Prision Maze). The politics were interesting at the least. My ex and probably late father-in-law was caught in the middle of things as a priest in the Church of Ireland (Anglican). The British Military did some life taking but I think in general they were justified in what they did. That the British Military was initially invited in by the Provos (Provisional Wing of the Irish Republican Army) to protect them from the dominant powers back in the late 1960's and then turn around on the British calling them oppressors when the Provos started bombing campaigns against the British and the Prots (Protestants/Northern Irish Loyalist). The Provos were using the same rules that Saul Alinsky immortalized in his book Rules for Radicals. Militias on both sides ended up operating as criminal organizations by about 1990. I don't have anything nice to say about either side at that level. The British Military were just doing what they had to do.

  5. We (I'm English) were as usual caught in the middle and just couldn't win. Tried to support Catholics against discrimination, instant enemy of the Protestants! Tried to keep the rule of law, instant enemy of the bully boys on both sides who loved chaos! Tried to support all the people who voted in a referendum to remain part of the UK, instant enemy of the Catholics and hence the murderers of the IRA! I honestly believe that if they hadn't had 'the English' to blame for all their woes, they would have had to invent us.
    PS. I say this as one who has had a good many Irish friends male and female (red haired loving psycho chicks, yum)
    PPS. Best version of Whisky in the Jar is by Thin Lizzy

  6. The money that the IRA relied on for support came from the US and from the Russians (who provided weapons – soft money). It was a mess and it was unnecessary, but it still was.

  7. The Irish have been at each other for 800 years. My ancestors were Protestant, but not CE, who hated the British and didn't much care for priests. I suspect many were happy to see their backs as the got on the boat.

    It is said the Irish won't fight for anything, but will fight against anything.

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