In the song -“THE FOGGY DEW” , in James Carty’s “CLASSBOOK OF IRISH HISTORY” , in THE IRISH PRESS and in the UNITED IRISHMAN, Irish Nationalists and/ or Republicans, writing in English, remembered Irishmen’s involvement off Jutland and at Gallipoli, the Somme and other battles of the First World War. Writing in Irish, the most popular writer Cathal O Sandair mentioned that War, and a priest who had been a chaplain in it wrote “CEACHTA AS LEABHAIR NA CRUINNE” which was on the Leaving Certificate syllabus in the 1950s. The book was about the natural world, inects, animals and the rest, and he decribed how, in the trenches. the rats would part to make way for pedestrians and close in again when they passed.
The Royal British Legion paraded regularly on Remembrance Sunday and, on at least one occasion, they were joined in Dublin by the local branch of the British Union of Fascists.Perhaps the Legion, BUF veterans or other history buffs, might be able to inform those of the public who HAVE forgotten, or never knew, of their fraternal amity?
Recently BBC Television repeated the falsehood that the First World War and the part played by it in Ireland had been airbrushed from our history. It has become a tradition with
the BBC, the British media generally, and much of the Irish media, and I don’t expect them to abandon it.
I’m, or I was, as always, surprised at the BBC coverage of those men whom, for one reason or another left Ireland to fight for ‘the freedom of small nations’ even those whom, despite their relativly small size managed to devestate huge parts of our globe, and we’re now forced to remember, I, for mine own part, choose to do my remembering in Coalisland, Carrickmacross, O Connell St, Arbour Hill and Kilmainhaim this year, and all years however, you must have bought yoursrlf a new, big, shovel Jude to dig this up.
The ‘Ulster’ men whom did die at the behest of their neighbouring country’s king failed to do so to anything like the same extent twenty one years later and cancelled orange parading for fear ofbeing questioned as to why they weren’t away fighting, as they had before.
Theres a curious irony in this posting thetefore, orangism and fascism and britannia, all tied up together at the time yet, at one anothers throats subsequently.
Donal is not correct. The new Irish state wrote a version of history that ignored the significant Irish involvement in the First World War. Father F X Martin called it amnesia. I went to primary school in the 1950s. We used an Irish text, Eire Sean is Nua, which was in comic book format. It focussed on the rebellions against the English invaders. The final drawing was a map of Ireland with the North shown with the Union Jack and the implication that the story was not over.
Commemorations by the Royal British Legion were picketed by Sinn Fein and finished with the British National anthem.
The National Museum history section had nothing about the War. Carty’s history has a small section on the War. The scale of the losses, the campaigns, the consequences were ignored. The Foggy Dew derides the men who volunteered. The contrast between the Republic’s full participation in the recent ceremonies and the official attitude up to about 15 years shows how Ireland used to have only onn set of heroes. You will recall that Charlie Haughy refused to allow President Mary Robinson attend the November commemoration in St Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin. President Higgins laid a wreath at the Thiepval Memorial on the 1st July. . There were Irish military in uniform present. It is difficult to understand Irish history without some knowledge of the impact of the First World War. Those who served and died were from every class and corner of this island
See my blogs for 30 June GALLIPOLI, TWO GERMAN OFFICERS AND THE FOG OF MILITARY HISTORY
1st JULY SERMONS IN STONES
1st July Carson’s KISS OF DEATH
2nd JULY TOM KETTLE – A HOUSEHOLD NAME IN IRELAND
THEY WILL PROVE CORRECTIVES TO SEAN CONNOLLY’S CLAIMS
My uncle Jack was wounded at Jutland, his brother Ned in Flanders and their youngest
brother Leo was killed at Singapore in 1942