IRA "fired first" in 1987 attack in Loughgall

[Myles Na G.]

I think it's fair to say most Volunteers knew it was a case of kill or be killed so, what happened in Loughgall that night was another terrible incident in this country's history, same as all the IRA autrocities that were carried out in the name of Freedom.

Army Cadets... Do kids join that for honing the use of a Camogie stick? Or a rifle? Look it doesn't matter if only 1% of Cadets join the British forces, it's set up to make sure as many as possible do which, when that Lord Mayor found out the true extent of what was going on, put him in a very very difficult position. I think he handled it well, he has many many people to try and keep happy and inevitably some of those people will always be pissed off regardless.

My opinion on this won't change your Unionist slant-minded opinion on the whole thing anyway, that's ingrained in you now and good luck to ya. Just make sure you remember what side your bread is buttered the next time you go to a GAA match or when the lads stop you at some random border checkpoint some time in the future.

Not everyone swallows the Unionist media sway what's put out there either Minder... That's cos some just aren't that gullible, others are.

Which lads would that be? Not the British Army, obviously, since they're off the streets. Not the RUC either, since it's gone too. You must mean the PSNI, the organisation which sent a GAA team to Croke last week. If they're setting up checkpoints on the border, it must be to catch either smugglers, or republican fuckwits who haven't yet realised that they're the Irish equivalent of Japanese soldiers still holding out in the forest. Either way, more power to the peelers!

[Myles Na G.]

I think people will see from this post , the difference between sf and the IRA.

sf (or some of them like mr mcelduff). We all know it was a war. thats why republicans accepted as well as mourned those killed at loughall.
I didnt realise that some republican families had received compo - not something that is pursued by republican families that I have heard of at least.

I know people are unhappy that those killed at loughall were done in an ambush, but again its a war and that the way war goes.
if it wasnt a war then the authorities would have tried to arrest them prior to this point.
Again it disproves the loyalist/unionst claims (from some of their posters on this board) that it wasnt a war.
Also that the war ended up in stalemate as they generally do with the republicans winning the sought after cessation of persecution to nationalist/Irish/republican peoples and winning the rights to move above second class citizenship.
The other aspect , the secondary aim - the reunification of Ireland - well thats ongoing as we see - and the recent media outbursts from dup conf and all other whinges against it are counter productive - as the more these unionist/loyalists highlight and talk about it the more it is going to gather momentum and when the world economy changes, this will partition will be rectified! I laugh at the unionists/loyalist over reaction to the inevitible on here and in the media - its obv they are running scared !
they doth protest WAY too much !! 

as for this report - well if there was any truth in it, this chink would have been exploited long ago - so I cant see it being the truth, but it is irrelevent anyway.

Republicans won nothing. The objective of their 'long war' was the removal of the British presence from the north of Ireland. Instead, they ended up taking their places in a devolved British assembly at Stormont and accepting that unionist consent (provos used to call it the unionist veto) was necessary before a united Ireland could be achieved. It took them 3500 deaths before they realised that what John Hume had been saying all along was right.

Your opinion is noted, but incorrect if you are trying to paraphrase objectives from the republican perspective - something you obv know nothing about!
No point in discussing anything further to be honest as it seems you just don't know, understand or won't accept reality!

'IRA objectives had always been to force Britain to withdraw from Ireland and to follow this up with a tidal wave of popular support North and South, enough to sweep away the existing parliaments and replace them with one Dáil for a 32-County Socialist Republic.'
'The Long War: The IRA and Sinn Fein', Brendan O'Brien, 1999

[sammymaguire]

Fed up now with it. I just can't be arsed with all the anti - republicanism / British Support / british sympathisers from so called Irish men on a GAA Forum, if that is what the majority of you claim to be. Utterly pathetic attitude that goes against what I personally believe Irish men and women should believe and stand for.

Carry on

[Minder]

Fed up now with it. I just can't be arsed with all the anti - republicanism / British Support / british sympathisers from so called Irish men on a GAA Forum, if that is what the majority of you claim to be. Utterly pathetic attitude that goes against what I personally believe Irish men and women should believe and stand for.

Carry on

Before you go tell me what "next time you are at a Gaa match remember what side your bread is buttered on" means?

[sammymaguire]

Sure. Some people in the crowd amongst you are prepared to stand up and be counted. Some, like yourself, will just stand back and let others shovel the shit but lap up the rewards when the work is done. I can't stand that kind of attitude, where some are happy to let others put their head on the block, knowing what is coming but would NEVER do it themselves but are first to pat them on the back when they come back with the readies 

[thewobbler]

Sammy, you've lost the plot.

[Maguire01]

Fed up now with it. I just can't be arsed with all the anti - republicanism / British Support / british sympathisers from so called Irish men on a GAA Forum, if that is what the majority of you claim to be. Utterly pathetic attitude that goes against what I personally believe Irish men and women should believe and stand for.

Depressing that you have such a homogeneous view of what Irish men and GAA members / fans should believe in and stand for. So much for diversity in our country and greatest sporting organisation.

[Main Street]

One thing i could never understand or agree with the IRA or Sinn Fein on. If you agree this was a war and 2 armies fought it then surely you have to accept that the British army won this particular duel. If  the IRA were the ones hiding in the ditch they would have done exactly the same as the SAS did. That is the risk of being a soldier is it not? What exactly are the IRA families unhappy about?

Families have a different perspective and different issues on the death of their loved ones and the manner of the deaths, than the protagonists in a war.

Although this ambush has the hallmarks of an act of war, only one side in this conflict agree that there was a war. To this day you have elements decrying the republicans as a murderous rabble.

[Minder]

Sure. Some people in the crowd amongst you are prepared to stand up and be counted. Some, like yourself, will just stand back and let others shovel the shit but lap up the rewards when the work is done. I can't stand that kind of attitude, where some are happy to let others put their head on the block, knowing what is coming but would NEVER do it themselves but are first to pat them on the back when they come back with the readies 

You need to have a lie down.

[trileacman]

Fed up now with it. I just can't be arsed with all the anti - republicanism / British Support / british sympathisers from so called Irish men on a GAA Forum, if that is what the majority of you claim to be. Utterly pathetic attitude that goes against what I personally believe Irish men and women should believe and stand for.

Carry on

Before you go tell me what "next time you are at a Gaa match remember what side your bread is buttered on" means?

Apparently you haven't sholleved enough shit in your time.

what I personally believe Irish men and women should believe and stand for.

And also you don't believe exactly what Sammy believes so therefore are a West Brit/anti-republican/british sympathising cnut.

[Myles Na G.]

Fed up now with it. I just can't be arsed with all the anti - republicanism / British Support / british sympathisers from so called Irish men on a GAA Forum, if that is what the majority of you claim to be. Utterly pathetic attitude that goes against what I personally believe Irish men and women should believe and stand for.

Carry on

I personally believe that Irish men should stand for pregnant women and old people on crowded buses. Aside from that, I'm easy.

[sammymaguire]

  maybe my point is a little on the extreme side so I will let you get back to your golden jubilee preparations and straighten that picture of King Billy in yer front room when you are there ha ha

[Maguire01]

maybe my point is a little on the extreme side so I will let you get back to your golden jubilee preparations and straighten that picture of King Billy in yer front room when you are there ha ha

It's clear that you consider there to be the two extremes... and nothing in between.

[Orior]

It seems like a lot of johnny-come-lately unionists are taking delight in denouncing sammymaguire.

I suspect these newly converted british subjects dont rememeber the britsh army attrocities in the six counties, or have air-brushed them from memory. You would nearly think the Troubles was caused by the IRA.

[trileacman]

If it's double standards, it's just amazing how many Irishmen are on here happily ignoring the fact that Britain has also been applying the exact same double standards, and how these posters are happy to just criticise the families of these eight men instead.

The thing is Nally, I personally would expect nothing less from the British. It's the apparent u turn that Sinn Fein have made on the matter that disappoints, yet doesn't surprise me. I'm more let down by the actions of SF in recent years than the Brits.

Your own opinion to which you are perfectly entitled. My own thoughts is that it is shameful that people here on this thread are happy to lambaste sf and more importantly, the families, over this whole thing; while blissfully refusing to criticise the british for the EXACT same apparent 'hypocrisy'. It seems the message the families would get from the majority of the posts by their fellow Irishmen on this thread would be, "You can't have it both ways.....But Britain can."

But the same argument could be made for the militant republican agenda. SF and their followers are happy to lambast and criticise the dissident republican movement but on the other hand defend and romanticise the actions of the provisional IRA. It seems the message the families would get from the statements by their fellow Irishmen would be "The deaths brought about by the dissident IRA are unjust and criminal . . . . . . but the provo's were grand."

Your point is one that has already been brought up by numerous posters on the board. Can't you read? Or is it just that you cannot tolerate somone quietly pointing out that if Republicans are using double standards, then Britain must be to?

Through the laces pointed that out in a few quotes above as did another poster after him. I may spell it out for you again though. Hypocrisy? We expect nothing less from the British. You can't high-step your way around the world, claiming moral superiority, whilst simultaneously tramping the native population into the dirt without tying yourself in a few knots. It's the nationalist movement who should be a step above it.

Even me pointing out that Britain is doing the same thing has prompted you to try to quickly change the focus of criticism back to Republicans. Eight men dead due to British shoot-to-kill policy and you don't wish to talk about the inconsistency of their stated position of what the conflict was. Seems you can't stomach somone pointing out that Republicans weren't the only side involved. Pathetic. Keep talking like that and you'll suddenly find yourself leader of the sdlp. Or the TUV.

Sure if you can't format a reply just play the man and not the ball. Also where did I say I didn't wish to talk about the inconsistency of the British position on the conflict? Quote me if you can? The British are a crowd of hypocritical c***ts. Turns out though that the Shinners now aren't much better.