BLOODY SUNDAY VICTIMS REMEMBERED

[Lar Naparka]

I never came across that before, Fear, though I was born and reared a few miles from Curragha (or Curroghá, as it's rendered here) and Curragha GFC is amalgamated my own old club for under-age.   John McDermott played his first football with Curragha - a man in the Páid O'Donoghue mould, I'm sure Tyrone people will agree and I'm waiting now for the first of the posts to point out that Páid O'Donoghue wouldn't be the last Meathman to hit a fella between the two eyes and brain him.

Thanks for that.

I'm somewhat surprised, Hardy, that you were not familiar with the recitation about Paid O'Donoghue's exploits.  I used to drink (quite) a lot in Patsy Swann's pub once upon a time and raised my glass to Paid's memory once or twice!
The old boys of the locality knew the recitation and could yap for hours (or as long as I was buying) about the goins' on of '98 and any other time I'd care to mention. I'm not saying Patsy, mine host of The Forge Bar, was a noted antiquarian or anything like that, but he could be relied on to chip in his tuppence worth as the craic got better.
When the fire was lit of a could winter's evening, it took little persuasion to get any Christian to tarry there.
No one knew for certain where the woods of 'dark Kilbrue' were.
Several of the old boys I used to meet up with thought it was a mile or so from Swann's bar on the Ratoath road. I think it was called the Commons, but it's over 25 years since I last drank there so my memory isn't what it used to be.
I don't think I ever heard the one about Preston, the distiller either. I heard assloads of tales about '98 in general and the scrap at Tara okay but no one ever mentioned that to me, far as I know.

[Farrandeelin]

I'm just replying to teachtaire's thing about people pining away for the Irishmen who fought in WW1. Let me tell you that it was the must stupid war for anyone to get involved in and they only got involved in it because of the unemployment levels in Ireland at the time. I do agree with teachtaire's original point that we should not go out of our way to remember those who died in that war, however. Kevin Myers says they died for our freedom, I say they died to create the (what ultimately happened) Europe for Hitler and other Fascists to rise to power, the Treaty of Versailles being one of them etc. I do not know the causes of WW1, but of course they should RIP, however those who were shot dead by the British army in Croke Park should be remembered every year by us GAA men and women.

[Hardy]

I'm surprised myself, Lar. As I say, I was born and brought up about eight miles away (long gone from there now), but never heard of Páid O'Donoghue and the story never penetrated as far as my bailiwick - and that's having had a set of uncles who could tell stories for Ireland. We weren't twinned with Curragha in my day, so the only time I would pass through the metropolis itself would be on the way to Fairyhouse. I don't remember Juice's statue either - mustn't have been there in my day. In fact, the only time I was ever in Swans was relatively recently after a Meath AIF win - probably 1999 - and I don't even remember noticing the statue then, but there's probably a good reason for that.

I took Kilbrue to be Kilbrew, which I often heard mentione, but never knew the exact location of – somewhere along the Ashbourne road between Cushenstown and Curragha. Just a townland, I think There mightn't be any woods there now, but there might have been in 1798.

I can't reference my Preston story. I googled it there and nothing. I read it in Cork City Library a few years ago when I was reading up on 1798 in Meath, but I can't remember the source. I may have mixed up my Prestons a bit, though. Preston was Viscount Tara. Prestons were also the last distillers in Drogheda (closed in the 1960s). Preston of Tara, on checking now, probably wasn't the distiller – viscounts back then didn't tend to be merchants or industrialists – but the story is essentially the same. It said Preston of Tara sent a wagon of whiskey down the road, knowing it would be intercepted by the rebels, that they duly consumed it overnight and that the timing of the Reagh Fencibles' attack was not unconnected with this.

[thejuice]

The statue is new enough though i think it was unvieled in 1998 in commemoration (if that counts as new, it does to me). Kilbrew starts after Kilmoon cross roughly, and goes almost as far as Curragha, not really sure how far it extends in other directions

[thehulk!!]

sooner the gaa removes itself from all this political bull the better- the gaa is a sporting organisation not a republican idiots mecca. commemorating hunger strike in casement was the lowest ever for the gaa and they wonder why they are considered sectarian

[carribbear]

sooner the gaa removes itself from all this political bull the better- the gaa is a sporting organisation not a republican idiots mecca. commemorating hunger strike in casement was the lowest ever for the gaa and they wonder why they are considered sectarian

And what part of OWC do you come from?

I didn't know Gregory Campbell was a subscriber to this board.....

[Teachtaire]

Hulk, where is the political bull in innocents being gunned down by murderers? This was not a political act. It was act of savagery. The victims were innocent civilians. All, with the honourable exception of Vol Michael Hogan, were non-combatants. How could this incident even be considered to be remotely political? All decent and right thinking people would admit that in remembering the slaughter of innocents is not in any way political.

However, does your post reflect your bigotry? Do you have a difficulty with recalling the memory of innocents because the terrorists who carried out this massacre were British?

I fail to see how recalling the memory of these poor people can considered to be secterian. By being so dismissive of this act of butchery carried out by murderous terrorists says much more about your narrow minded bitterness than it does about CLG. 

[SidelineKick]

I had a look at some of Hulks posts yesterday and turns out theyre all as stupid as that one.  A wind-up merchant me thinks.

[Teachtaire]

Again, I will ask the qusetion, "How is recalling the memory of innocents sectarian?"

I think that you don't undertsand the meaning of sectarianism.

Now, be a good lad and answer the question and try not to break off in a meaninless rant. Everybody laughs at you as it is, so, try and keep to the point.

[Final Whistle]

Hulk,,,,,,lol,,,,,,,,lol!!!!!