Bomb found in Dublin overshadow Queen’s visit and recalls memories of Irish War of Independence
by Michael Orfanos
A bomb was discovered in the trunk of a parked car near a bus stop near Dublin and a controlled explosion carried out -by bomb squad units- in order to secure the area and extinguish any threats against the Queen's life. The Queen is set to become the first British monarch to visit Ireland since her grandfather's (King George V) visit at 1911. The conditions seem mature enough for such a visit, that is viewed by the vast majority of the people as a sign of goodwill gesture, putting an end to the bitterness caused by the partition of the island and the following strain in Anglo-Irish relations . The Irish President Mary McAleese stated to RTE: "…I think it is an extraordinary moment in Irish history. A phenomenal sign and signal of success of the peace process and absolutely the right moment for us to welcome on to Irish soil Her Majesty the Queen". The Queen is scheduled to visit and pay tribute to Croke park and Garden of Remembrance. Both historical monuments for Ireland, exemplifying Ireland's war of independence and all those who fought for Irish freedom. The Queen is expected to be greeted by a huge mass of spectators, much like her grandfather (King George V) in 1911, when thousands of people gathered to greet him giving him a warm-hearted reception. However, King George's visit could not avoid the upcoming war between the two countries that occurred from 1919 until 1921, resulting in a tremendous death toll-for both sides, and eventually to the creation of the Irish Republic.
Let's take a journey back in time. Since mid 1880's Irish nationalists had been demanding secession from Britain and self government, thus in 1916 Irish Volunteers -issued a Proclamation of the Irish Republic- and launched an insurrection campaign against British military and officials in Dublin-also known as "Easter Rising"- which was easily restrained within a week by the British militia. However, Britain choose to set an example out of the insurrectionists and in response executed their leaders. This action increased public discontent for British rule and produced mass support for the IRA. However, it was in 1919 when an incident ignited the beginning of armed hostilities between the two sides: the murder of 2 Constabulary officers who were escorting explosives. Soon, IRA attacks occurred to all British officers in Ireland, imitating the "hit & run" tactics used by the Boers in South Africa against British troops, that proved to be particularly effective, demoralizing the British troops. By 1920, IRA had complete control of the countryside restraining the British rule to major cities. The same year, the British newspaper "The Nation" wrote: "the central fact of the present situation in Ireland is that Irish Republic exists". Indeed, the IRA had succeeded in creating "a-fait-accompli" the Irish Republic.
The main driving force behind this was Michael Collins. The later was -by mid 1919- Minister of Finance, Director of Intelligence & Organization along with President of Supreme Council of the IRB. On November 9, 1920 Lloyd George announced that he had "murder by the throat" referring to the results of his elite intelligence organization called the "G-Division" or Cairo gang, since most of its members were drafted from the Middle East and having adopted new names, kept their distance from associating with the British rule, but provided valuable insights to IRA movements. Moreover, in response to violence escalation in the area, British created and moved to Ireland an army unit of WWI veterans, also known as "Black and Tans" that wore khaki uniforms- from the name of a famous pack of foxhounds from Limerick, the Scar teen Black and Tans, whose colors were similar. The "Tans" burned and sacked numerous small towns as reprisals to IRA attacks.
Collins immediately realized that by wiping -out Britain's spy network in Ireland, the British forces would be blind. Thus, made careful preparations to eliminate it, by creating his personal team of executioners/hit-men, called the "Squad". In the early morning of the same year, on November 21st , the Squad executed most members of the G-Division: 11 officers were assassinated, and 4 badly wounded. This put an end to "G-Division's" operation in Ireland. British reprisals were severe: the same day, Black and Tan units entered Croke park during a football match and started firing indiscriminately at the crowd killing 12 and wounding more than 70. Later that night British militia executed 2 of the Collins' closest associates (McKee & Clancy), that they had captured the previous day during a raid. The incidents of Croke park became known-since then-as "Bloody Sunday".
Violence escalated dramatically and during December 1920 - July 1921 peaked, costing greatly to both sides, reaching the death toll to 752 killed and 866 wounded, leading to a stalemate. From their part, the English government insisted that IRA should surrender their firearms, but secretly acknowledged that the death toll for British militia was heavy and the army was demoralized. It was also not-cost effective for the British government. As from the IRA's point of view, the death toll for their fighters was also great, and even worst: their ammunitions and rifle quantities were now at minimum levels, which meant that the IRA could not continue indefinitely the war. King Georges' speech in Belfast on June 22, 1921 provided the reconciliation platform and opened a communication channel between both sides. The King called upon "…all Irishmen to pause, stretch out the hand of forbearance and conciliation, to forgive and forget…". Soon after, peace talks lead to the Anglo-Irish Treaty which was ratified by both the Dail Eireann and the British Parliament in March 1922, allowed for Northern Ireland independence.
Stay tuned to [http://www.naro.gr/] for all latest news and activities regarding the Queen's visit to Ireland.
A bomb was discovered in the trunk of a parked car near a bus stop near Dublin and a controlled explosion carried out -by bomb squad units- in order to secure the area and extinguish any threats against the Queen's life. The Queen is set to become the first British monarch to visit Ireland since her grandfather's (King George V) visit at 1911. The conditions seem mature enough for such a visit, that is viewed by the vast majority of the people as a sign of goodwill gesture, putting an end to the bitterness caused by the partition of the island and the following strain in Anglo-Irish relations . The Irish President Mary McAleese stated to RTE: "…I think it is an extraordinary moment in Irish history. A phenomenal sign and signal of success of the peace process and absolutely the right moment for us to welcome on to Irish soil Her Majesty the Queen". The Queen is scheduled to visit and pay tribute to Croke park and Garden of Remembrance. Both historical monuments for Ireland, exemplifying Ireland's war of independence and all those who fought for Irish freedom. The Queen is expected to be greeted by a huge mass of spectators, much like her grandfather (King George V) in 1911, when thousands of people gathered to greet him giving him a warm-hearted reception. However, King George's visit could not avoid the upcoming war between the two countries that occurred from 1919 until 1921, resulting in a tremendous death toll-for both sides, and eventually to the creation of the Irish Republic.
Let's take a journey back in time. Since mid 1880's Irish nationalists had been demanding secession from Britain and self government, thus in 1916 Irish Volunteers -issued a Proclamation of the Irish Republic- and launched an insurrection campaign against British military and officials in Dublin-also known as "Easter Rising"- which was easily restrained within a week by the British militia. However, Britain choose to set an example out of the insurrectionists and in response executed their leaders. This action increased public discontent for British rule and produced mass support for the IRA. However, it was in 1919 when an incident ignited the beginning of armed hostilities between the two sides: the murder of 2 Constabulary officers who were escorting explosives. Soon, IRA attacks occurred to all British officers in Ireland, imitating the "hit & run" tactics used by the Boers in South Africa against British troops, that proved to be particularly effective, demoralizing the British troops. By 1920, IRA had complete control of the countryside restraining the British rule to major cities. The same year, the British newspaper "The Nation" wrote: "the central fact of the present situation in Ireland is that Irish Republic exists". Indeed, the IRA had succeeded in creating "a-fait-accompli" the Irish Republic.
The main driving force behind this was Michael Collins. The later was -by mid 1919- Minister of Finance, Director of Intelligence & Organization along with President of Supreme Council of the IRB. On November 9, 1920 Lloyd George announced that he had "murder by the throat" referring to the results of his elite intelligence organization called the "G-Division" or Cairo gang, since most of its members were drafted from the Middle East and having adopted new names, kept their distance from associating with the British rule, but provided valuable insights to IRA movements. Moreover, in response to violence escalation in the area, British created and moved to Ireland an army unit of WWI veterans, also known as "Black and Tans" that wore khaki uniforms- from the name of a famous pack of foxhounds from Limerick, the Scar teen Black and Tans, whose colors were similar. The "Tans" burned and sacked numerous small towns as reprisals to IRA attacks.
Collins immediately realized that by wiping -out Britain's spy network in Ireland, the British forces would be blind. Thus, made careful preparations to eliminate it, by creating his personal team of executioners/hit-men, called the "Squad". In the early morning of the same year, on November 21st , the Squad executed most members of the G-Division: 11 officers were assassinated, and 4 badly wounded. This put an end to "G-Division's" operation in Ireland. British reprisals were severe: the same day, Black and Tan units entered Croke park during a football match and started firing indiscriminately at the crowd killing 12 and wounding more than 70. Later that night British militia executed 2 of the Collins' closest associates (McKee & Clancy), that they had captured the previous day during a raid. The incidents of Croke park became known-since then-as "Bloody Sunday".
Violence escalated dramatically and during December 1920 - July 1921 peaked, costing greatly to both sides, reaching the death toll to 752 killed and 866 wounded, leading to a stalemate. From their part, the English government insisted that IRA should surrender their firearms, but secretly acknowledged that the death toll for British militia was heavy and the army was demoralized. It was also not-cost effective for the British government. As from the IRA's point of view, the death toll for their fighters was also great, and even worst: their ammunitions and rifle quantities were now at minimum levels, which meant that the IRA could not continue indefinitely the war. King Georges' speech in Belfast on June 22, 1921 provided the reconciliation platform and opened a communication channel between both sides. The King called upon "…all Irishmen to pause, stretch out the hand of forbearance and conciliation, to forgive and forget…". Soon after, peace talks lead to the Anglo-Irish Treaty which was ratified by both the Dail Eireann and the British Parliament in March 1922, allowed for Northern Ireland independence.
Stay tuned to [http://www.naro.gr/] for all latest news and activities regarding the Queen's visit to Ireland.