March 29, 2016
Letters Editor
THE INQUIRER
801 Market Street, Suite 300
Philadelphia, PA 19107
Dear Editor:
The views expressed in “In blood of rebels…” and “With its ancient roots, courage of martyrs…” (3/27) on the Easter Rising in Ireland were a welcome surprise when compared to the British propaganda hosted by the New York Times.
I would expand upon Professor Rossi’s statement that the rebels were “..proclaiming a Republic, a concept then alien in English constitutional law.” Alien indeed! There is no document called an English constitution such as Americans have. There is no Bill of Rights for the British people who are not referred to as citizens but Subjects of Her Majesty. There is only a collection of statutes which any sitting Parliament might revoke or amend at any time.
Mr. Barone is distressed that “…many of the finer qualities that the Rebels of 1916 displayed were rejected in the ensuing 80 years “of sporadic violence, assassinations, bombings and even horrible hunger strikes…” On the contrary, those who were gunned down in peaceful civil rights protests and those unarmed imprisoned men who died on hunger strike represented the best of non-violent protest. It is the British who were in character in 1974 with the killing of 34 innocent women and children in Dublin and Monaghan shopping centers.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Cummings
12 Marion Ave
Albany, New York, New York 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.
Nils Muižnieks, Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe Speaking in Belfast, 6 November 2014:
“It is clear that budgetary cuts should not be used as an excuse to hamper the work of those working for justice. Westminster cannot say ‘well we will let the Northern Irish Assembly deal with this, this is under their jurisdiction’. The UK Government cannot wash its hands of the investigations, including funding of the investigations. These are the most serious human rights violations. Until now there has been virtual impunity for the state actors involved and I think the Government has a responsibility to uphold its obligations under the European Convention to fund investigations and to get the results. The issue of impunity is a very, very serious one and the UK Government has a responsibility to uphold the rule of law. This is not just an issue of dealing with the past, it has to do with upholding the law in general.”
How come ultra conservative right wing Catholics in America supported a socialist, left wing terrorist group in Ireland? That’s not very Christian of them. How come too they can rhyme off to a tee those killed by British security forces and loyalists but always fail to mention the Protestants killed by the terrorists they support from 4000 miles away? That’s not very Christian of them. Lots of Irish Americans seem to think the starting point Of the Troubles was those killed on bloody Sunday, when in fact there had been over 240 burials prior to that.
Also, if Republicans claim to be the inheritors of Wolfe Tone in that they are non sectarian, why do they oppose the OO but not the AOH? The OO oath tells it’s members to keep it’s distance from acts of Roman worship, but does the AOH oath not take things a stage further and call for the actual killing of Protestants? That’s not very Christian of them. If Republicans were truly consistent and non sectarian they would keep their distance from both religious fraternities, but maybe the ‘filthy lucre’ collected from right wing Conservative zealots in America is too tempting to resist. That’s not very Socialist of them.
I know little or nothing about the AOH, KC, but I do know that in its origins, ordinances and history, the OO is an anti-Catholic organisation. So it would be odd for those claiming to be non-sectarian not to oppose it…
You’ll notice Kop is extremely selective and picky when it comes to Irish History Jude, Unionists tend to do that.
He also makes the fatal flaw in assuming that all Irish Republicans are Socialists. I’m not a Socialist. James Connolly was but that doesn’t mean I am. I support Sinn Fein due to their stance on Irish Unity and a few other things but when it comes to many social and economic issues I’m more conservative, I oppose abortion and I believe in lower tax levels for Small and Medium sized businesses (not large corporations) because they provide the bulk of the jobs here and are unlikely to run away and hide their cash in Panama.
I know little of AOH but they don’t have the same history as the Orange Order. They haven’t made a “culture” out of going out of their way to pass Protestant Churches or provoke countless riots that ended in loss of life. They certainly haven’t taught young Catholics to distrust and hate Protestants.
Kop, do you have any evidence that the AOH call for the actual killings of Protestants? A link? because I’ve been in a pub on the Falls Road many years ago where a tiny group of AOH meet and I’ve never heard of that in my life. It sounds too much like the so called “Sinn Fein Oath” or “Jesuit Oath” that Loyalists claim is meant to be about destroying Protestantism. Of course there’s absolutely no evidence of any “Oath”. Sounds a lot like the crackpot claims Paisley use to use to incite Loyalists to rage/fear and which inspired many Loyalists to murder innocent Catholics. One of Paisleys claims was that 80% of Protestants in the South were “Eliminated”. Another was the South was a “Catholic State” and “Anti-Protestant”, Paisley just conveniently forgot to mention that the first elected President of the Irish Free State was a Protestant, Douglas Hyde……yep, facts never lie.
Hyde was never elected Ryan. He was appointed. When he ran in an election (for his senate seat) he lost. The Catholic Truth Society campaigned against him specifically because he was a protestant.
The story of Irish protestants in Irish elections isn’t exactly a happy one. Hyde was lucky. Billy Fox was murdered by the IRA a result of the lies spread to stop Catholics voting for him.
You should be a bit more careful if you’re going to start your post lecturing people on their partial history. The facts prove the exact opposite of the case you’re trying to make.
Where does this ráiméis about an AOH oath come from? This sounds like another cowboy on Malbec.
Utter nonsense fiosrach, Loyalist propaganda to put fear into normal Protestant people. You see the DUP/UUP do it at every election.
Even at the start of the Troubles the UVF was planting bombs in order to frame the IRA. It wasn’t really about attacking the IRA and getting the blame put on them, it was all about putting the fear into their own community and radicalizing Protestants. Its the same with these claims of “Oaths” of destroying Protestantism, apparently the Catholic Church, Sinn Fein and now AOH have an Oath to kill or destroy Protestantism, according to Loyalists.
Just a matter of time before Loyalists claim the PSNI, NHS, and Stephen Nolan swear an Oath to destroy Protestantism lol
find out all about the AOH here http://www.aoh.com/
First major piece of info – it appears to be an American organization
Nurse, nurse, Koppaberg needs his pills!!
He’s put the AOH on the highest pedestal possible along with the GAA as one of the Unionist/Loyalists’ chief bogeymen.
Like some Unoinists/Loyalists he knows both organizations/associations spend their time plotting the downfall of Ulster, ethnic genocide of protestants,and Fenian uprisings .
Is there no help for a person who’s so detached from reality?
You think the fact that the AOH is in America has no bearing on Northern Irish politics Ben? Where do you think those Armalites came from? Irish American republicans are all the more dangerous because they don’t have to temper their prejudice with actual experience of the reality of life here. They’re just endlessly rehearse past wrongs to justify their continuing hate. Just look at the unremitting zeal of the Michael J Cumming’s letter writing. Or if you prefer here’s Martin Galvin telling us what he things of the GFA.
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=video&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwi9teXZ2_7LAhXK2SwKHZHSBuYQtwIIHDAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DtyQIfi9-2Ks&usg=AFQjCNEskV98qX_HvWTPeh4AOKaFJe5eOQ&sig2=O7chiCqmX5JPhKvOWmwCUw&bvm=bv.118817766,d.bGg
This is the same Martin Galvin who was appointed by the AOH as an aide to the St Patrick’s Day Grand Marshall.
Here’s a story about another AOH appointed Grand Marshall.
“On the trail of US funds for IRA” http://www.csmonitor.com/1985/0114/anor1.html
“In May 1981, US District Court Judge Charles S. Haight Jr. in New York ruled in a Justice Department suit against Noraid that the organization was acting in America as an arm of the Provisional IRA. Judge Haight wrote in his decision: “The uncontroverted evidence is that [Noraid] is an agent of the IRA, providing money and services for other than relief purposes.” Flannery objected. Noraid lawyers appealed the decision but lost. Half of funds diverted for weapons, Irish police suspect”
“Noraid was founded and directed by Michael Flannery, who in the 1920s was an IRA member in the North Tipperary Brigade, and has provided the Republican movement in Northern Ireland with its largest regular source of American funds ($2 million to $3 million since 1970) and unstinting moral support from a vocal minority of Irish-Americans who openly support the IRA. Irish, British, and American officials say the US has also been the IRA’s largest source of guns. `If I was young . . . I would be back on the firing line’
Mr. Flannery was … elected by the Ancient Order of Hibernians as grand marshall of New York City’s 1983 St. Patrick’s Day Parade.”