A British scholar, an Anglican divine named Biggar has written in the IRISH TIMES for the instruction of our benighted compatriots who erroneously have underestimated the benign gifts of British Imperialists to our welfare, prosperity and culture.
He asserts that the Imperialists fostered the Gaelic Revival because it occurred when Ireland was part of the United Kingdom.
The loose Canon would seem to be a soulmate of the Jesuit philosopher Seamus Murphy who, also in the Irish Times, advised us that Daniel O’Connell never shot anybody.
In my schooldays those schoolboys who didn’t mitch from school knew that O’Connell killed a man in a duel. (Only English naughty schoolboys “Truant”. Bold Irish boys Mitch. Mitch is an English word still used in the West of England.)
I think the Canon’s contribution should have been spiked and my reasons are below.
In the last two months of 1920 British Crown Forces were assassinating Irish language teachers, burning down, and looting shops displaying signs or owners’ names in Irish, burning down colleges across much of Ireland.
This campaign continued through January and February 1921 and was reported in detail by THE IRISH BULLETIN, the official publication of the elected Government of Ireland, Dail Eireann. The IRISH BULLETIN has never been refuted and revisionist propagandists ignore it because the paper challenged the lies of the British Government at the time, lies which are regurgitated by the revisionists of the day.
The month of March saw a continuation of the Crown Forces Campaign.
E.G.
March 1. Mr Sean O’Brien, Chairman of Charleville District Council and President of the Charleville Branch of the Gaelic League was assassinated in his home by the Black and Tans.
March 6. Mr Thomas O’Donaghue, Gaelic League organiser, taken from his home in Limerick City and assassinated by Crown forces who found an Irish language paper in his pocket.
March 9. At Arva, Co Donegal, Constabulary compelled shopkeepers to obliterate signboards written in the Irish language.
March 10 Mr J.J. O’Kelly. Teachta Dala, President of the Gaelic League, was arrested by the British Military without charge.
March 12 An Irish language school at Listowel, Co Kerry, conducted by Miss M. Gallagher, B.A. where all subjects were taught through Irish, was fired by Constabulary during curfew hours and burned to the ground.
March 15 The Press report that many shopkeepers in Newry, Co.Down have been ordered to remove from their windows show cards printed in Irish characters.
The dates shown are for the edition of THE IRISH BULLETIN which carried them.
Perhaps some enterprising students can check on the accuracy of them.
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