Sad country

Smudge_pot

Last week, as part of my job I was given the task of archiving old photographs from the Easter Rising, War of Independence, and Civil War. Really I think that it would be beneficial to all Irish citizens to sit down with these photographs and go through them for a few hours. Not getting up on my 'I know more about Irish history than you do' high horse, before this I had virtually no clue about any of this stuff before, beyond a vague notion. But afterwards I was almost in a state of shock just by the pure sadness of our country in the 20th c. Photos and photos of young men accompanied by captions about when and how they died. Photos of bodies and burning buildings. And photos that were just purely interesting, like group shots of people from both sides, ordinary people. I realise the reasons behind such conflict, I don't want to demean their ideals and what they were fighting for. It just sort of hit home for me how many sad things Ireland has gone for, makes me so ashamed of what's going on up north at the minute (and I'm from there originally, and as a teen had all those high-minded ideas about united Ireland etc. Now I would just like us all to get along. In hindsight, though, we're not doing too badly. Maybe?)

newbie2013

There will always be conflict in ireland and the world. That wee pipe dream about being peace is all bullsh1t. Get over it!!

rolliepoley

newbie2013 wrote: »

bullsh1t. Get over it!!

Only if ya move the bull.


:P

wretcheddomain

Veiled 'I know more about sad Irish history than you do' thread

rwg

paragraphs

BlurstMonkey

rwg wrote: »

paragraphs

Don't pick up a book, you'll crap yourself. OP wrote what would be considered a paragraph, but they've got even more words all over every page. These small wiggly things that you have to try to make sense of. You'll fall off your chair.

rwg

BlurstMonkey wrote: »

Don't pick up a book, you'll crap yourself. OP wrote what would be considered a paragraph, but they've got even more words all over every page. These small wiggly things that you have to try to make sense of. You'll fall off your chair.

we arent in a book though, are we? were on tinternet

Spring Onion

If you live in the past, you die in the present.

JuliusCaesar

The thing you realise is how many lives were wasted, and for what? All those grieving people, mourning their lost son/daughter/partner/parent. All those people killed for their principles. All those caught up not knowing what the hell was going on. Such a waste.

And yet it goes on, day after day. At least here we're just typing at each other, and any sniping is purely verbal.

goose2005

tbh what I find most suprising about the irish wars is how few people died. About 500 dead in 1916, 2,000 in the War of Independence, 3,000 in the Civil War, 3,500 in the Troubles. I mean, that's unimaginably minuscule on a global scale

LordSutch

Smudge_pot wrote: »

Last week, as part of my job I was given the task of archiving old photographs from the Easter Rising, War of Independence, and Civil War. Really I think that it would be beneficial to all Irish citizens to sit down with these photographs and go through them for a few hours. Not getting up on my 'I know more about Irish history than you do' high horse, before this I had virtually no clue about any of this stuff before, beyond a vague notion. But afterwards I was almost in a state of shock just by the pure sadness of our country in the 20th c. Photos and photos of young men accompanied by captions about when and how they died. Photos of bodies and burning buildings. And photos that were just purely interesting, like group shots of people from both sides, ordinary people. I realise the reasons behind such conflict, I don't want to demean their ideals and what they were fighting for. It just sort of hit home for me how many sad things Ireland has gone for, makes me so ashamed of what's going on up north at the minute (and I'm from there originally, and as a teen had all those high-minded ideas about united Ireland etc. Now I would just like us all to get along. In hindsight, though, we're not doing too badly. Maybe?)

In your 1st sentence you mention the Easter Rising, War of Independence, and Civil War. But what about the Big One?
Like the elephant in the room of that period, with Fifty thousand Irish dead in a conflict beyond our control.

philstar

goose2005 wrote: »

tbh what I find most suprising about the irish wars is how few people died. About 500 dead in 1916, 2,000 in the War of Independence, 3,000 in the Civil War, 3,500 in the Troubles. I mean, that's unimaginably minuscule on a global scale

but for an island of 5 million people, its quite alot