Addressing Army recruits in Dublin in 1952 the Minister for Defence,Oscar Traynor, assured them that they would never be required to take part in attacks on the lives and liberties of any nation.
I am unaware of similar assurances being given to volunteer soldiers or conscripted ones in NATO by any of their statesmen.
Traynor was neither a pacifist nor an isolationist. He had ignored the siren calls of John Redmond to join in the slaughter of Germans. Austrians and Turks. whose countries had never threatened nor injured ours. He was not impressed by the call to avenge little Catholic Belgium.
As a star soccer player, Traynor had toured Germany, Austria and Hungary with Belfast Celtic in 1912 .
His failure to join the sheep-like flock to the colours of Ireland’s enemies may have denied him the opportunity to again test his skills against the sportsmen he met then, during the Christmas Truce of 1914.
Instead he stayed in Ireland and fought for her freedom in the streets of Dublin, and commanded the IRA’s Dublin Brigade from 1920 to 1922.
Though a Catholic, he ignored the instruction of Archbishop of Dublin to boycott a visit by the Yugoslav soccer team in1955. The Archbishop’s displeasure was effective with most of the public, but as President of the Football Association of Ireland Oscar Traynor gave the visitors a hearty Cead Mile Failte.
It was noted by the spectators that many of the visiting team BLESSED THEMSELVES as they came on the pitch, being Catholics themselves.
Comments are closed.