April 3, 2016
Letters Editor
ROCKFORD REGISTER STAR
99 E. State Street
Rockford, Ill 61104
Dear Editor:
This is in response to “Republican Army’s Ghost…” (3/25) which misinformed and misled your readers. But not without purpose. First, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams was not denied entry to the White House for a St. Patrick’s Day luncheon. He was invited to the event but the well established incompetence of the Secret Service was on display yet again. Second, Professor Burns cites “widely rumored” accusations of Gerry Adams’s role in the death of Jean McConville. Those rumors were provided by two dead people, Dolours Price and Brendan Hughes, who were vigorously opposed to the Irish peace process and wished to keep the war going. Some loyalists, British security services types and, apparently Professor Burns, are also opposed to it. Why else cite the sad case of Ms. McConville when there are many similar victims of loyalist hatred and savagery? For example loyalists, at the behest of British Minister Hogg and aided by the police, carried out the assassination of Mrs. Rosemary Nelson , a defense attorney, wife and mother of three, by blowing her to pieces just a block from the school her children attended. Did I mention she was Catholic?
No matter how many times Professor Burns travels to Belfast he will never admit that the British and their bigoted allies killed half of the victims of the conflict which included the largest mass slaughter of the entire conflict, the NO-WARNING bombing of Dublin and Monaghan shopping centers (1974) killing 34 innocent women and children.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Cummings
12 Marion Ave
Albany, NY 12203-1814
518-650-6049
Michael J. Cummings, a native of Springfield, Mass., is a graduate of St. Anselm’s College (B. A., 1968) and New York University (M. P. A., 1970) and a former member of the National Boards of the Irish American Unity Conference (1996-2013), the Ancient Order of Hibernians (2001-2008), and the Irish Northern Aid Committee (1988-1996). He served six National AOH Presidents, 5 IAUC National Presidents and two National Chairman of INA primarily in public relations capacities. He is the only person to serve on the national policy making bodies of all three major Irish American organizations. He also served on the Commission on Peace and Justice of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Albany.
Did you not already post this one Jude? Looks familiar.
Oh bugger…Had a tiny warning bell going in my head but I ignored it. Grma, BYC…
You did Jude. 5th April. 3 comments.
Has he got a new one? Can’t wait.
So, whenever the topic is Gerry Adams’ involvement with the death of McConville it’s merely rumour mongering but whenever it’s the death of Rosemary Nelson or the Dublin & Monaghan bombings it’s ‘absolute’?
I understand why people would think Adams was involved in McConville’s death and I understand why would people think elements of the British security services were involved in the aforementioned murders, however, as of yet we don’t know and it undermines the credit of anyone to try and peddle such views as fact.
It’s a bit inconsistent to believe the confessions of people like John Weir or Colin Wallace but at the same time dismiss the views of Hughes or Price.
I mention often that one of the curses of the Irish people is arriving at a conclusion first and then fitting (and selectively ignoring) evidence to support the favoured conclusion, this post appears to be yet another example of that.
“I mention often that one of the curses of the Irish people is arriving at a conclusion first and then fitting (and selectively ignoring) evidence to support the favoured conclusion”
Yep. We read just enough to justify our prejudices and then take to the keyboards to lecture people on our wee bit of the story. And look how we freak out when someone adds another point of view or an extra bit of nuance. Revisionism!! It’s the latest word for heresy. Burn the Revisionist!
Well there’s revisionism and revisionism, BYC. There’s revisionism that feeds in factors that had hitherto been ignored in the particular historical event; and there’s revisionism that seeks to transform/degrade the historical event by attempting to present it to favour a particular group/power. In short, there are truth-seeking revisionists and truth-warping revisionists.
I have to say, Am Ghob that i have some sympathy with your point of view on this one . I’m a bugger for facts and logic too..as you no doubt already know. I like a bit of consistency too.Mind you , i’ve some major problems with how unionism seems to believe the Troubles got going and why.It’s an odd thing for me that they believe they can somehow have such clean hands. it just doesn’t make any kind of logical sense and i know my memory isn’t completely screwed.Hughes and Price had axes to grind with Adams .That’s for sure and they wanted the war to go on so they have reason enough for tearing him down… That might make them poor witnesses for instance . Then there’s the killing of Rosemary Nelson……rarely discussed at all and something of a spectacular crime as were the Dublin and Monaghan bombings……They are never even discussed in the republic it seems….I’m currently watching the series on OJ Simpson and how a simple thing like a murder can become something entirely different in a courtroom….dependant on so many other factors…