Easter 1916 Rising - 90th anniversary

sturgo

Was just wondering if anyone bsides Sinn Fein will be celebrating the 90th anniversary of the 1916 easter rising. Personally I think it's vitally important that all Irish citizens are able to reclaim one of the most important dates in Irish history.

MonkeyTennis

The problem with Easter 1916 is that its seen a Republican commemoration and not an Irish one. That will no doubt change with time. I have seen some commemorations over the years and the manner in which they are carried out is not something I want to be associated with. Its rather seedy with some very questionable punters about the place.

projectmayhem

i'm sure we can all celebrate when RTE no doubt shows michael collins

alleepally

Plans already in place.....

http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/front/2005/1022/248937426HM1EASTER.html

simu

Par-tay

Ozzy

Another excuse to go to the pub and get pissed, yeah I guess we could do with one of those.


BCOZ WERE FOCKIN OIRISH AND WE CAN! RAAAA!

Gaillimhtaibhse

sturgo wrote:

Was just wondering if anyone bsides Sinn Fein will be celebrating the 90th anniversary of the 1916 easter rising. Personally I think it's vitally important that all Irish citizens are able to reclaim one of the most important dates in Irish history.

Celebration? I feel a profound sense of sadness. How can one people occupy another for centuries? Well, our clan will raise a toast on this day, as they always do. We lost one to the official British executions that followed the 1916 rising.

lostexpectation

its a army parade, still no civillians celebrating

seamus

lostexpectation wrote:

its a army parade, still no civillians celebrating

The parade is part of the ten-year build-up to the 100 years celebrations. Why would you celebrate 90 years, what's the significance?

ateam

I hope the celebrations in April will be successful...and Irish people of all classes and backgrounds can enjoy the day and look back with pride.

Mr.D.Leprachaun

I suppose the 90th anniversary is a big land-mark though not as big as the 75th or 100th. It's a very important date in Irish history so we should have countinued comemorating it as an Irish celebration whatever the Republicans of the time were or are doing.

alleepally

lostexpectation wrote:

its a army parade, still no civillians celebrating

What sort of celebration would you anticipate the anniversary being. I think a large scale parade as anticipated this year onwards is a step forward.

sturgo

Gaillimhtaibhse wrote:

Celebration? I feel a profound sense of sadness. How can one people occupy another for centuries? Well, our clan will raise a toast on this day, as they always do. We lost one to the official British executions that followed the 1916 rising.

I think it's worth celebrating the fact that the Easter Rising led to the foundation of the Irish freestate republic. Also I think it's important to commorate the men and women who gave lives to achieve this. Most importantly I think we as civilian Irish citizens in 2006 sould take ownership of our history. And not let this slip into the hands of entities who use republicanism and in particular the 1916 rebellion for political gain.

ateam

True..why cant we celebrate our independence..Bastille Day and July 4th are celebrated every year, there isn't any questions about 75th or 90th....

hullaballoo

Gaillimhtaibhse wrote:

Celebration? I feel a profound sense of sadness. How can one people occupy another for centuries?

What? How do you think we got here in the first place? How do you think the Britons got to England? Occupation is like evolution. Frankly, if it wasn't for the British occupation here, we'd probably all be still slapping our wives and eating our young.

I really hate nationalism.

ateam

Yes occupation did bring its good points, nevertheless, this isn't the issue. It's about commemorating the 1916 Easter Rising - it led to Ireland's independence...which we now take for granted.

seamus

Without intending to start a political debate, I think the reason it's never been celebrated is because of the North. Although the Rising lead ultimately to the establishment of the Republic, the aim of the Rising - a free Ireland - has not yet been realised, it could be argued. A section of the island is still under British rule.

Personally, I don't think that's an issue. I do however think that for the Republic, April 1st would be a much more appropriate day to celebrate.

Sleepy

Celebrate a couple of guys who essentially commited suicide by cop?

Whatever their intentions, I sincerely doubt that most of the young volunteers realised they were being led on a suicide mission so I'm afraid I can't celebrate the "great" actions of Pearse et al. They sacrificed children in order to highlight their cause (which the vast majority of the country didn't give a flying XXXX about at the time). I've no respect for suicide bombers in Palestine, why would I respect the historical equivalent here?

StupidLikeAFox

I wouldnt call letting your heart rule your head commiting suicide sleepy. It was a disaster, and poorly planned, but thats not the same as suicide

Gaillimhtaibhse

Profound sadness during this time of a proposed 1916 celebration?

hullaballoo wrote:

Frankly, if it wasn't for the British occupation here, we'd probably all be still slapping our wives and eating our young.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember that raising and harvesting Ireland's young was first proposed by Jonathan Swift in his "Modest Proposal." Something about meeting the tastes of the British upper class when there was a shortage of meat? Of course, this was Irish parody? I also seem to recall that my clan was occasionally starving during the "beneficial" British occupation. :rolleyes:

Cheers as we celebrate the 1916 harvest! *Gaillimhtaibhse raises her pint, falls off her stool onto the floor of the pub drunk for the first time in her young, impetuous life* Someone slaps her...Of course, it was for her benefit.

luckat

Can we please try to keep this discussion courteous?

The Real B-man

Deadly il be there in the balaclava & combats

sturgo

Gaillimhtaibhse wrote:

Profound sadness during this time of a proposed 1916 celebration?



Correct me if I am wrong, but I seem to remember that raising and harvesting Ireland's young was first proposed by Jonathan Swift in his "Modest Proposal." Something about meeting the tastes of the British upper class when there was a shortage of meat? Of course, this was Irish parody? I also seem to recall that my clan was occasionally starving during the "beneficial" British occupation. :rolleyes:

Cheers as we celebrate the 1916 harvest! *Gaillimhtaibhse raises her pint, falls off her stool onto the floor of the pub drunk for the first time in her young, impetuous life* Someone slaps her...Of course, it was for her benefit.

What the f**k?!?

sturgo

The Real B-man wrote:

Deadly il be there in the balaclava & combats

Only in your fantasy online gaming world.

LundiMardi

meh... if there were easter eggs involved i'd be a little more excited..

Badly Drunk Boy

LundiMardi wrote:

meh... if there were easter eggs involved i'd be a little more excited..

Or maybe egg-cited....



(I'll get my coat...)

Barry Aldwell

The annual Easter parade of the Irish Defence Forces was cancelled indefinitely in 1969, when things started kicking off in Northern Ireland, and an annual parade would have looked like the Irish were lending their support to the nationalist side and sticking up 2 fingers to the unionist side, and we were supposed to be neutral. However, since that is all supposedly over now, with the IRA decommissioning and all, it has been decided to reintroduce the parade. I for one look forward to it. Of course, the reintroduction has nothing to do with Fianna Fail's "we're more republican than Sinn Fein, and we don't kneecap people either" campaign. Nope, nothing to do with it at all.

slipss

hullaballoo wrote:

What? How do you think we got here in the first place? How do you think the Britons got to England? Occupation is like evolution. Frankly, if it wasn't for the British occupation here, we'd probably all be still slapping our wives and eating our young.

I really hate nationalism.

Isn't that Che Guevara you have as your sig? Unless your trying to be ironic I think we have a contender for hypocrite of the year.

ateam

The Real B-man wrote:

Deadly il be there in the balaclava & combats

This is the regrettable reteric that turns Irish people off celebrating the Rising. The rebels didn't wear masks...

nlgbbbblth

ateam wrote:

This is the regrettable reteric that turns Irish people off celebrating the Rising. The rebels didn't wear masks...

or the jersey of a foreign football club - Celtic.

Amazotheamazing

Hmm, considering more people looted than died for Irish freedom during that Easter week, I think it's only appropriate we go and thrash Dublin. Anyone on for burning Brown Thomas' to the ground?

Of course, if anyone feels like celebrating rebels who would have struggled to organise a piss up in a brewery, then go for it.

nlgbbbblth

Amazotheamazing wrote:

Hmm, considering more people looted than died for Irish freedom during that Easter week, I think it's only appropriate we go and thrash Dublin. Anyone on for burning Brown Thomas' to the ground?

Of course, if anyone feels like celebrating rebels who would have struggled to organise a piss up in a brewery, then go for it.

BRITS OUT

tj-music.com

I hear that the Calypso Theatre company is putting on a play concerning the 1916 rising to be shown at Kilmainham Gaol.

TheVan

I agree....keep Sinn Féin out of it.....

So as a middle-finger to Sinn Féin we should embrace Ireland's new multi-culturalism and have break-dancing outside the GPO.

embee

Didn't the Republicans lose that day?

Anyways, if this is to be marked, it makes more sense to make an occasion out of it on the 100th anniversary. 90 years after has no real significance.

N_Raid

Why should we celebrate a failed rebellion? Why not celebrate the 1798 rebellion? or the 1641 rebellion? or even the nine years war from 1594 - 1603? they all failed too. no one at the time gave a crap about the 1916 rising. The only things to make public opinion turn sympathetic to the rebels were the executions. Why not celebrate the executions? They had people dying for Irelands freedom too and not actually achieving anything. Why not celebrate the war of independence? Maybe January 21st since thats the date it started in 1919 or July 11th since thats when it finished in 1921, since thats truly what led to Irish independence. Or even better December 6th since thats when the Anglo-Irish treaty was signed in 1921.

Or if you really are nationalist why celebrate at all since in your eyes the whole of Ireland isn't free? What's there to celebrate? Since the whole island doesn't have independence.

sturgo

No they didn't fail. As we now live in the Republic of Ireland. A republic as opposed to a monarchy.

Amazotheamazing

The didn't "loose" (sic), really? Fair play, not many commanders would view surrendering and being shot as winning.

ateam

It started the process that culminated in the independence of the country..its indisputable! Being a 90th celebration is irrelevant...it should be celebrated every single year...just as in American on July 4th and Bastille Day in France on July 14th(i think)

Amazotheamazing

Well Done Sturgo, I see you've mastered the republican art of changing history to suit yourself, or is there another reason you edited your post, rather than address what I said?

sturgo

Amazotheamazing wrote:

Well Done Sturgo, I see you've mastered the republican art of changing history to suit yourself, or is there another reason you edited your post, rather than address what I said?

Nope I was addressing the previous post to yours. Why should I address what you say?

Amazotheamazing

Because I was quoting your original post, and it's a valid point.

The sheer incompetence surrounding the rising would be funny if it hadn't led to such pointless death, a civil war, and partition of this island.

I wonder if 1916 hadn't occurred, would we now have a wholly free, wholly united Ireland?

bringitdown

Funny thing, I was thinking the very same thing today. I was walking down the Mall in Washington DC, having read the Gettysberg address, and then the Declaration of Independence just saying how well the Americans commemorate their past.... 4th of July and all that. Now why can't we Irish have a day to celebrate our independence and institution as a republic? (Leave an American/Anti American rants aside).

What am I saying I thought to myself ... there'd be war ... 1916 the Easter Rising, or 1919 or 1922 (Free State), or 1949 when the Republic formally entered being?

I'll stick with Paddy's Day ... a pity perhaps but no one really argues over it except maybe on the day itself after 10 pints and then its usually an arguement with your own reflection.

StupidLikeAFox

Its seen by *many* as the turning point in the struggle for independance, when England finally started to take Ireland seriously. Sure there are many significant dates, but this is seen to be a *particularly* important one.

Im no expert on the whole thing, but thats what comes across as the general consensus on the event.

Amazotheamazing

I think we should plan to hold it on the Easter Sunday, but panic and take out ads in national papers cancelling the celebrations, some stragglers could parade on the Monday if they want.

ateam

bringitdown wrote:

Funny thing, I was thinking the very same thing today. I was walking down the Mall in Washington DC, having read the Gettysberg address, and then the Declaration of Independence just saying how well the Americans commemorate their past.... 4th of July and all that. Now why can't we Irish have a day to celebrate our independence and institution as a republic? (Leave an American/Anti American rants aside).

What am I saying I thought to myself ... there'd be war ... 1916 the Easter Rising, or 1919 or 1922 (Free State), or 1949 when the Republic formally entered being?

I'll stick with Paddy's Day ... a pity perhaps but no one really argues over it except maybe on the day itself after 10 pints and then its usually an arguement with your own reflection.

St Patrick's Day celebrates the coming of Christianity to Ireland...Commemorating 1916, we celebrate our independence and thank the men and women who participated in its attainment..What's so wrong with that?

StupidLikeAFox

Amazotheamazing wrote:

I think we should plan to hold it on the Easter Sunday, but panic and take out ads in national papers cancelling the celebrations, some stragglers could parade on the Monday if they want.

hahaha

Clever!

sturgo

Amazotheamazing wrote:

Because I was quoting your original post, and it's a valid point.

The sheer incompetence surrounding the rising would be funny if it hadn't led to such pointless death, a civil war, and partition of this island.

I wonder if 1916 hadn't occurred, would we now have a wholly free, wholly united Ireland?

Well 1916 did occour and weather you like it or not, it directly led to the foundtion of the republican freestate in which we live in today. Personally I think after 800 years of occupation and opression our indipendance is worth celebrating.

bringitdown

ateam wrote:

St Patrick's Day celebrates the coming of Christianity to Ireland...Commemorating 1916, we celebrate our independence and thank the men and women who participated in its attainment..What's so wrong with that?

Yeash I realise that is its spirit for many, but I don't celebrate it for that reason at all I, and I suspect many celebrate it for being Irish / Irishness.

The problem I alluded to is that many people have many many different opinions as to which people constitute those who 'attained' Irish independence and as to which days are most important as regards our history..... hence picking a day more affiliated with one particular group might inflame other people....

The Easter Rising of 1916 is unquestionably important, but should it be our day of indepence? I don't believe so. We were'nt independent on Easter Monday .... we should celebrate it but should it be our DAY so to speak.

St. Paddys has become so diluted (literally for many) that it is more a celebration of Irishness than of Christianity, IMHO and as such may suit just as well as a day to celebrate indepence.... I choose it as my day.... Until a more suitable one can be settled upon.

hullaballoo

sturgo wrote:

Personally I think after 800 years of occupation and opression our indipendance is worth celebrating.

Independence?

Amazotheamazing

We don't live in either the or a "republican freestate". I disagree by the way, 1916 was a crucial factor in leaving 6 counties behind. Had we eventually had an all-Ireland plebiscite I think we would have a free island, and we would have avoided a civil war in the south, and terrorism in the north. Of course we could theorise on whether the Unionists would have opted for a civil war on a pan-island level, but either way, I doubt the country would have been rent apart by the boundary commission, and subsequent conflicts mentioned above. In my view 1916 brought an awful lot of misery on the 6 counties, and on the island as a whole.