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THE GREAT BETRAYAL OF

IRELANDS COUNTERREVOLUTION

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April 1, 2016

Current Affairs, History, Journalism,

Military, Politics 10 comments

Back in 2014 I wrote about the Great Betrayal, the

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abandonment of an all-Ireland republic, an all-

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Ireland revolution, and an all-Ireland community

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through the actions of the Provisionals, the

minority Collins-Griffith faction of Sinn Fin and

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the Irish Republican Army, following the signing of

the Treaty between Great Britain and Ireland
in December of 1921. In violation of their oaths as
members of the government, parliament and

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defence forces of the 32 County Republic, in

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contradiction of its constitution, in contempt of

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three plebiscite-elections supporting the

revolutionary state, the breakaway Pro-Treaty

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grouping gradually turned on their comrades and

friends in pursuit of a policy of appeasement with
the rump United Kingdom. A policy which inevitably
led to the abandonment of men and women in the

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north-east of Ireland, in the 6 Counties, who had

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fought to gain the same freedoms that their fellow

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citizens would eventually enjoy in the 26 Counties.

Despite the partial history that some would

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espouse, the liberation of the greater part of this

island and its population was secured on the streets
of Belfast and Derry as much as it was on the
streets of Dublin and Cork. The years 1919 to 1921
represent not a Southern Irish War of Independence
but simply an Irish War of Independence.
The journalist, Jennifer Hough, touches upon this
domestic al-Nakbah in a recent opinion piece for the
Irish Examiner, giving voice to a view largely
rendered silent by the ideological, quasi-unionist
consensus of the Irish press. Pondering on the
supposed apathy that exists across the country
when it comes to the demand for
national reunification, Hough comes upon a
memorial in Belfast to one of the seminal events
of the anti-Irish pogroms of 1969, the razing of the
citys Bombay Street district:

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Im ashamed to admit, it was the first time Id
heard of the event in 1969, which saw loyalists
burn Catholics out of their homes.

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Eight people died during the burning of

Bombay St, 750 were injured and more than
2,000 Catholics were left homeless. Standing in

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that tiny memorial garden, surrounded by the

names of civilians killed in their communities,
its not difficult to understand why people
reacted like they did. And indeed walking
around West Belfast in general, it is very easy to

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understand why the IRA flourished the

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people felt they had no other support or

protection.

It was always easy for us in our largely middleclass trouble-free 26 counties to tut tut at what

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went on during the Troubles, but if the British

army had set up in Galway, Cork, Athlone; if
people were burnt out of their homes, do we
not think the population in those areas would
have responded in a similar fashion? I will

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Western media romanticized
the Afghan rebels too, even
as they threw acid in women's
faces
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freely admit that it felt good to stand with the

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people of West Belfast on Easter Sunday and

to honour their dead.
That doesnt mean condoning the bloodshed,
but acknowledging it, and the reasons why it
happened, not least because a civilian
population stood up to discrimination they

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faced and were met with the might of the

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British Empire.

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Its likely that calling Bobby Sands a terrorist is

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not something that would sit easy with most

new posts by

Irish people. If we dont call Sands a terrorist,

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then can we call the rest of the people, who

fought in what they considered a war, one?
Speaking to ordinary Irish people in Belfast over
the weekend, what came across strongly was
the feeling of being abandoned by the Republic,
not just in the worst of times but all of the

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time. They are a proudly Irish people They

look South to us
One man put it bluntly: I live in an occupied
land. At first I dismissed what he said as an
old-school Republican stance. But as the
weekend wore on, the statement niggled at
me

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Apart from Sinn Fin, (I am not a member) Irish

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political parties do not entertain the notion of a

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united Ireland.
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Is it because weve so blatantly abandoned our

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Irish population in the North that we cannot

2016, 2015, 2014,

bear to face up to it?

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the Republic, through our apathy, and lack of

real understanding about the horrors that Irish
people in the North faced, are a stumbling
block.

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As we wave our tricolours proudly in honour of

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1916, that feels very wrong.

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feature stories or
articles. To submit

For more on the background of what can be

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justifiably called our own Nakba in 1921-23, and

publication please

what could have been if the pro-treaty Provisionals

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had not abandoned the revolution, see my article on

and convenient

the Battle of Pettigo and Belleek in June and May of

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1922, when a united Irish defence forces faced the

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British occupation forces for the last time.

reflect the views

of the authors and
not necessarily
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ARTHUR GRIFFITH

BELLEEK

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THE CIVIL WAR - COGADH NA GCARAD

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Questions The

Of Shame

Geneva Conventions

10 COMMENTS

Derek H says:
April 1, 2016 at 17:08

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I dont think Collins can be identified as counterrevolutionary. I dont know enough about Griffith
but, as they were both dead in 1922 they cannot be
responsible for what came after. As for the treaty,

Collins et al were in an impossible situation.

You could argue there is a terrible damage in the
Irish psychie as a result of largely abandoning (or
being bullied into rejecting) core elements of the
Irish nation/culture/identity at different points:
paganism, the language, the Six Counties, the
revolution, Christianity. Im not sure its that simple
but its an interesting area.
Reply

benmadigan says:
April 1, 2016 at 21:42

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jennifer houghs comments are very honest. It is

surprising to see a reporter finally admit weve so
blatantly abandoned our Irish population in the
North.
Faced with the Orange State Northern
republicans/nationalists/catholics had no way out of
despair other than allegiance to, and hope in, the
Republic.
A further aspect of their tragedy is they did/do not
realise they and their pledges were/are unwanted by
successive Dublin governments.
For the latest slap in the face to Ulsters
nationalists/republicans see the President s decision
to pull out of a centenary celebration dinner
organized by Belfast City hall on the vague pretext
that if the DUPs not going, then Im not.
Note this is the first time in its history that
nationalists/republicans/catholics are tending to
lead in numbers in Belfast city council. What will it
take for the Dublin establishment to stretch out a

hand of friendship and solidariety to them.?

Reply

Jnis says:
April 3, 2016 at 00:17

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It would be weird for the unionists to

commemorate that, because they were on the
opposite side in both the rising and the war of
independence. They didnt gain anything from all
those hostilities.
Reply

Kevin Broaders says:

April 2, 2016 at 07:27

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Apart from Sinn Fin, (I am not a member) Irish

political parties do not entertain the notion of a
united Ireland. not an entirely accurate
Statement. For example, the People Before Profit
Alliance is a cross-border political movement.
Socialists understand that Irish unification can only
sustainably come about when the Capitalists are
dis-empowered by the working classes North and
South.
Reply

paulculloty82 says:
April 3, 2016 at 21:19

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Similarly, the Green Party operates on an allisland basis. Re the article, I usually have a lot of

time for ASFs writing, but here hes veering

somewhat close to Republican SF territory. Lloyd
George may indeed have been bluffing in
threatening a return to war, but the Treaty terms
were a vast improvement on even the
Government of Ireland Act, and the consequent
Dil approval overrode the mandate of 1918,
unless you take the Tom Maguire approach that
such a vote converted the Dil into an illegal
parliament.
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Derek H says:
April 4, 2016 at 11:05

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A chara, Im not sure what evidence there is to

suggest the British wouldnt have engaged in
all-out war. Connolly thought the materialistic
Imperialists would never destroy property.
They blitzed the inner-City in 1916. They could
have visited immediate and terrible war on
Dublin, and elsewhere.
Reply

benmadigan says:
April 2, 2016 at 20:59

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I mentioned the president in my comment above.

can I ask and even encourage readers, posters and
supporters to write a letter to president higgins over
his decision not to attend a civic dinner organised
by belfast city Council to commemorate 1916? And
maybe pass word along to friends, relatives, the
diaspora and so on, asking them to do the same?
https://eurofree3.wordpress.com/2016/04/02/letter

-writing-campaign-to-the-president-of-ireland/
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gendjinn says:
April 6, 2016 at 01:49

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Arent presidential speech and engagements

completely controlled by the government?
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Jnis says:
April 3, 2016 at 00:10

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if it is OK to stand in commemoration of the men

and women of 1916, is it wrong to do the same for
those who fought in the Troubles?

Maybe thats because the IRA was and still is an

illegal organisation in the south as well?
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gendjinn says:
April 5, 2016 at 20:53

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What if the alternative to the betrayal was the fate

of Scotland?
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