It's a tough one. A friend of the family was seriously injured during the troubles. A bomb in a pub in London. I didn't know that person but my nan did. My dad spent hours trying to get her to understand that we have to talk to him and his party to try and establish peace. She like some on here would want him to rot in hell. Personally I find it difficult that he should even of been involved in the peace process.
It's days like these I find it really hard to be from Irish parents, born in England, growing up during the troubles in both London & Ulster, working having sworn allegiance to Her Majesty and now living in Eire. I was always taught to both never speak ill of the dead and to not say anything if you can't find a kind word to say. So I shall say this. May those who were affected by the deeds of this man find peace. And those who have grown up knowing only peace in Ulster continue to do so.
Condolences to his family, but as he never apologised or showed remorse he can rot in hell.
and dont tell me the ISA handed over all their weapons after the 1998 peace agreement. I bet their are a few fields in The Republic that have a few guns, ammo, etc buried in them.
Also, ever noticed there are no waste paper bins at London train stations, They were removed in the 80's as the IRA used to put parcel bombs in them. Never forget that as I worked in the City during that time. Don't know why they haven't been replaced now - maybe think other terrorist groups will do the same but it still rankles with me when I travel up to town & cant find a bin on the concourse - even outside McDonald's at Victoria Station
Will those who have complained about Martin McGuinness say the same about Prince Charles or the Queen as commanders of an army that has blasted its way through history, invaded other countries, and murdered thousands of people in their own lands? You probably won't. As long as 'our glorious boys' are wearing their uniform in foreign countries that they don't belong in they are heroes. Anybody who resists them is a murderer.
Will those who have complained about Martin McGuinness say the same about Prince Charles or the Queen as commanders of an army that has blasted its way through history, invaded other countries, and murdered thousands of people in their own lands? You probably won't. As long as 'our glorious boys' are wearing their uniform in foreign countries that they don't belong in they are heroes. Anybody who resists them is a murderer.
was a terrorist/freedom fighter whatever you wanna call it, the ira weren't far from being closed down so he went along the peace line to keep himself out of jail, you cant can hate like that, people may argue about there would be no ira without british troops over there, without people like mcguinness involved peace would of been achieved by both sides a lot earlier, come from a irish background and believe no tears would be shed by any of my relations murdering bastard and the likes of shane duffy and james mcclean ( Who should look up the birmingham pub bombings) hailing him a hero is a joke aswell.
another thing that does annoy me of times like this is the common misconception that anyone irish/catholic is pro ira/mcguinness which is also laughable.
I'm certainly not pro IRA, or McGuinness, but hes never hidden from his past and without him Northern Ireland would still be a war zone so I thank him for his hand in that. I think the British media has a lot to do with many of the opinions here, and I don't think many understand the circumstances that McGuinness grew up in. It was interestign to see the covers of the Daily Mail and the Sun this week in Ireland and their equivalents in England. I'm sure the Irish media and history I learned growing up colours my opinion.
There aren't that many differences between McGuinness and Mandela, but Mandela is lauded while McGuinness is vilified. Both ordered killings, both brought peace in later life. Northern Ireland was pretty much a state of apartheid in the 60s and 70s and the troubles grew out of that, and the oppression of the Civil Rights movement. Please do not forget Bloody Sunday among other atrocities when you remember the Birmingham and Harrods bombings.
No one was right, not the Republicans, not the Unionists, and certainly not the British forces, and all three killed innocents. I was recently in Belfast and took a black cab tour of some of the affected areas and I was almost in tears when I was told the story of one of the murals of a UVF member, Stephen McKeag who was murdering innocents as recently as the late 90s, including a chemist who was delivering medicine to the Unionist neighbourhood. This mural still exists and he is apparently hailed as a hero to this day. I've no doubt that the particular driver I had was giving me one half of the story but the murder of innocents is not acceptable on either side of the divide.
As for the IRA today, drug dealing scumbugs with no real mission. Any mainstream support the various offshoots of that group may have had died with the Omagh bombing.
Hopefully in a generation or two Northern Ireland will be truly united and the politics there won't be so divided on a single policy.
Comments
I was always taught to both never speak ill of the dead and to not say anything if you can't find a kind word to say.
So I shall say this.
May those who were affected by the deeds of this man find peace. And those who have grown up knowing only peace in Ulster continue to do so.
and dont tell me the ISA handed over all their weapons after the 1998 peace agreement. I bet their are a few fields in The Republic that have a few guns, ammo, etc buried in them.
Also, ever noticed there are no waste paper bins at London train stations, They were removed in the 80's as the IRA used to put parcel bombs in them. Never forget that as I worked in the City during that time. Don't know why they haven't been replaced now - maybe think other terrorist groups will do the same but it still rankles with me when I travel up to town & cant find a bin on the concourse - even outside McDonald's at Victoria Station
There aren't that many differences between McGuinness and Mandela, but Mandela is lauded while McGuinness is vilified. Both ordered killings, both brought peace in later life. Northern Ireland was pretty much a state of apartheid in the 60s and 70s and the troubles grew out of that, and the oppression of the Civil Rights movement. Please do not forget Bloody Sunday among other atrocities when you remember the Birmingham and Harrods bombings.
No one was right, not the Republicans, not the Unionists, and certainly not the British forces, and all three killed innocents. I was recently in Belfast and took a black cab tour of some of the affected areas and I was almost in tears when I was told the story of one of the murals of a UVF member, Stephen McKeag who was murdering innocents as recently as the late 90s, including a chemist who was delivering medicine to the Unionist neighbourhood. This mural still exists and he is apparently hailed as a hero to this day. I've no doubt that the particular driver I had was giving me one half of the story but the murder of innocents is not acceptable on either side of the divide.
As for references to 1919 in this thread. There was a war on. My own city was burned to the ground by British forces in 1920.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_of_Cork
As for the IRA today, drug dealing scumbugs with no real mission. Any mainstream support the various offshoots of that group may have had died with the Omagh bombing.
Hopefully in a generation or two Northern Ireland will be truly united and the politics there won't be so divided on a single policy.