LANGUAGE, PROPAGANDA AND THE ART OF DECEPTION by Donal Kennedy

The following was published on 20 February 2006 –

“Kevin Myers, who occupies the northeast corner of the comment page of THE IRISH TIMES, not long ago  referred to the ‘police cadets’ ambushed at Kilmichael in November 1920.

Generally they have been recognised as the Auxiliary Division of the Royal Irish Constabulary, but British propaganda at the time, for purposes of deception, described them as ‘police cadets.’  This was in line with

calling tracked armoured vehicles as ‘tanks’ or assassination squads as ‘Special Air Services’.

Was the Royal Irish Constabulary a pukkha Police Service? Were its members kosher Coppers? Not really, according to their masters in London.

I quote……

  The source of that statement was His Britannic Majesty’s Chief Secretary for Ireland on 6 March 1919, and I

  defy Kevin Myers and his admirers to trump that authority.

   It would be only fair to add that in Match 1919 virtually all non-Unionists in Ireland were unarmed, unlike  the

   forces which had faced Britain’s army and navy forces before November 1918. For instance my uncle Jack,          two months shy of 17, was badly wounded serving with Britain’s navy in May 1916, whilst his brother Ned had

   been badly gassed with the Dublin Fusiliers in Flanders. The RIC by contrast, faced a virtually unarmed             population .

   I consulted the Oxford English Dictionary, the Cambridge English Dictionary and Chambers’ English Dictionary

   for the meaning of “cadets” and they were agreed that it meant “young uncommissioned gentlemen receiving

   military or police training.”

  Young? The average age of the “cadets” at Kilmichael was 29.Soldiering had given the English language the English language the word “infantry” and the Irish language the word “oglaigh” deriving from the fact that most soldiers enlist before they are 21.

  Uncommissioned? All the Auxiliaries at Kilmichael had been commissioned officers in the British forces and

  one of them was a Lieutenant Colonel who had commanded, or was deemed competent to command, a

  battalion of 300 men.

  Undergoing training? They were, every one of them, veterans of the greatest war the world had ever seen. And

   they were not undergoing training.

   Their funeral can be downloaded from the British Pathe Newsreel archive.   All units of the British army’s     Aldershot Command are represented there, but no police units are shown nor mentioned in the captions,

   So the next time anyone tells you that “the Auxies” were cub-scouts or bunny-girls you can tell them to

   look up “MACROOM” on British Pathe.

    And when they insist that the RIC were servants of the Irish people, refer them to Hansard 113 Series, House

    of Commons Debates, colum 626 of 6th March 1919.

    END OF EXTRACT FROM IRISH DEMOCRAT LETTERS ARCHIVE.

    Remember, remember this month of November –

    Leonard Cohen, whose death was announced today, recorded “Kevin Barry” and can be heard on you tube.

    Paul Robeson, who was taught the song by Peadar O’Donnell can also be heard singing it, as can Lonnie

    Donegan.  May they all rest in peace.