What was the worst event in modern Irish history?

Reformed Character

The Whiddy Island disaster in 1979, when the oil tanker Betelgeuse exploded killing 50 people.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiddy_Island_Disaster

Santa Cruz

The rejection of the Sunningdale Agreement by Paisley and Co which resulted in another 20 years of slaughter before they agreed to Sunningdale 2

Muahahaha

I think one crucial decision that affected Ireland was the decision of the Irish Labour Party not to contest the 1920 General Election. As a result Ireland never grew up politically with tradition left-right cleavages, instead we settled into pro and anti treaty politics.

Our inability to move on from the Treaty has been like a millstone round the neck of the country for too many years. It's not such a huge issue today but right throughout the 1920s up until recently many Irish people voted along civil war lines which is daft when you think about it.

We'll never know for sure regarding the Labour Party in Ireland, but Ireland is the only country in the EU who political scientists deem not to be split on left-right cleavages. We didn't have industrialisation like the UK, which brought about a strong left wing political tradition, with politicians coming from the ranks of trade union leaders in factories up and down the country. Instead in Ireland 1920 Sinn Fein split into Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil and we ended up with two right wing parties who are basically two cheeks of the same arse.

Mackas_view

For me nothing's worse than civil war. Irish men spilling Irish blood

vitani

Surprised nobody has mentioned Linda Martin singing 'Get Lucky' yet...

As for the worst event, I'd have to say the Civil War. What should have been a moment of triumph - (some of) Ireland finally achieving independence - turned into a horrible, bitter conflict that divided people for generations.

cerberos

The birth of the Provos...............the civil rights movement would have prevailed in the end (through US and public opinion) and lots of lives saved.

Wossack

that boyzone dance on the late late

Dyr

Muahahaha wrote: »

I think one crucial decision that affected Ireland was the decision of the Irish Labour Party not to contest the 1920 General Election. As a result Ireland never grew up politically with tradition left-right cleavages, instead we settled into pro and anti treaty politics.

Because the labour party bottled it, quelle suprise. The lack of a left wing alternative had more to with the anti treaty side losing plus the sky pilots being worried about reds under the bed for most of the ensuing decades

foxy farmer

Hundreds of thousands of people believing that a plaster cast of a religious icon was dancing jigs on the side of a hill down in Ballinaspittle in Cork.

Ash.J.Williams

Un Croissant wrote: »

Probably shíte. Wasn't it the executions of these fellas that gained the whole thing support? So if they had lived....

When ya think about, the 1916 we all think of and will celebrate in 2016 isn't actually the rising. The executions WERE the rising, the actual rising was a bit of a joke. If those leaders were not executed the rising would have been a farce. THe politicians are lining up to celebrate 1916 because it symbolises the birth of Fr. Paddy gombeen politics.

lazygal

The passing of the eighth amendment. As a woman I feel as though my rights are always subservient to those of a foetus.

Muahahaha

Bambi wrote: »

Because the labour party bottled it, quelle suprise. The lack of a left wing alternative had more to with the anti treaty side losing plus the sky pilots being worried about reds under the bed for most of the ensuing decades

Yeah for sure but I guess by 1920 James Connolly was dead and Jim Larkin had emigrated so the Labour Party's two founders and leaders were gone off the scene.

How do you mean that a lack of a left wing alternative was due to the anti treaty side losing ?

I personally think the main reason left wing politics never took off here like every other country in Europe was because Ireland never industrialised in the same way other European nations did. We never had a culture of manufacturing here which would have brought about factories and trade unions and all that goes with it. Sure there were TUs but that was largely a city thing in a time when Ireland was very rural. The traditional cleavage in European politics is Labour Vs Capital, I.e the interests of factory workers Vs the interests of factory owners which brought about a traditional left-right dichotomy. Ireland never had that and the failure of the Labour Party to assert itself at a crucial juncture in 1920 was a major factor in Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil dominating Irish politics for the next 80 years.

I do take your point re:the Church. Labour and left wing politics was always going to struggle to get a foothold when the men with the keys to heaven were telling everyone voting for those godless communists will defintely send you to hell. The Roman Catholic Church has typically been a very right wing organisation so given the grip that they had in Ireland at the time it is probably no surprise that we ended up with two right wing parties.

Ash.J.Williams

Zamboni wrote: »

It was Brian Lenihan's bank guarantee that consequently led to recapitalisation and the IMF program.
The OP asked for the worst event. That single event has led to the downfall of the state.
If you think Lenihan had no choice on the guarantee, fair enough.

the downfall of the state would mean no ATM's ....no wages....looting, looking to street gangs for protection, famine and death. .....we're doing ok

foxy farmer

Allowing a love ulster march in dublin in 2006.

TV3 believing it was in the national interest to publicise the fact that Brian Lenihan had cancer.

gugleguy

Omagh Bombing August 1998.

Ash.J.Williams

foxy farmer wrote: »

Allowing a love ulster march in dublin in 2006.

TV3 believing it was in the national interest to publicise the fact that Brian Lenihan had cancer.

hardly a national disaster by tv3...rude maybe

Dyr

Muahahaha wrote: »

Yeah for sure but I guess by 1920 James Connolly was dead and Jim Larkin had emigrated so the Labour Party's two founders and leaders were gone off the scene.

How do you mean that a lack of a left wing alternative was due to the anti treaty side losing ?

Labour didnt stand back from the election to give the shinners a clean run of it, they were more concerned that they'd lose the support of loyalist trade union members if they came down on one side or the other so they abstained


Most of the radical/progressive elements in the IRA and Sinn Fein were anti treaty, after the civil war they either left the country or wound up disenfranchised from political life by being opposed to the new state. Which left the decidedly conservative elements running the county.

smellmepower

The state turning a blind eye (at best) to decades of kiddy fiddling and torture of vulnerable children and single mothers by the catholic church.And then not having the bottle to make the church pay either financially or legally for their crimes once the true scale of the abuse emerged.

That scumbag Michael Noonan bullying the woman who was dying from infected blood products,on her deathbed and then issuing a mealy mouthed apology.

Bertie Ahern's three terms as taoiseach.

Roger_007

Independence!........can anyone think of even one way in which it made us better off, or healthier, or more contented, or better governed?.....I can't.

Ash.J.Williams

Roger_007 wrote: »

Independence!........can anyone think of even one way in which it made us better off, or healthier, or more contented, or better governed?.....I can't.

It was unfortunate that a minority of muck savages were handed the keys to the country

2011

Easy, cancellation of Garth Brooks concerts :pac:

Starscream25

Letting Paul mcshane play on the international team leading to Henry's handball moment...... Seriously though there's so much to choose from, I would say the Omagh bombing aswell as the church cover ups, Having said that the amount of corruption and wrong doings from some of the people in 'powerful' positions is sickening to the bone (golden handshakes, brown envelopes etc) and I'm sure we only hear of a fraction of this kind of stuff.
I'm only in my late 20's and I often find myself feeling completely uninspired and full of despair for this country to the point that I find comfort in ignorance.

MayoSalmon

Roger_007 wrote: »

Independence!........can anyone think of even one way in which it made us better off, or healthier, or more contented, or better governed?.....I can't.

Feel free to emigrate whenever

realdanbreen

Panthro wrote: »

the success of Mrs Brown's boys.
I heard there's a second film in the pipeline.


Dear.
God.
No.

Say it ain't so,PLEASE say it aint so!!

realdanbreen

Ash.J.Williams wrote: »

It was unfortunate that a minority of muck savages were handed the keys to the country

Yeah,they should have allowed a real 'howya' Dub like Bertie to rule on!!

Harry Palmr

Roger_007 wrote: »

Independence!........can anyone think of even one way in which it made us better off, or healthier, or more contented, or better governed?.....I can't.

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Feel free to emigrate whenever

Oh the irony within that reply!

whupdedo

[QUOTE=foxy

TV3 believing it was in the national interest to publicise the fact that Brian Lenihan had cancer.[/QUOTE]

Would he still be alive if they hadn't ???

Roger_007

MayoSalmon wrote: »

Feel free to emigrate whenever

Since independence, 6 million have chosen do exactly that. Whether they felt free or not is open to question. Emigration is the the most obvious example of how this state has failed. There are now twice as many people who were either born in Ireland, or have parents who were born here, living outside the the country as live inside it. Hardly a vote of confidence by Irish people in their motherland!

Ash.J.Williams

realdanbreen wrote: »

Yeah,they should have allowed a real 'howya' Dub like Bertie to rule on!!

bertie was a product of it

Agricola

Was going to say the complete collapse of the economy, following years of mismanagement by government, banks etc. Then I remembered the Garth Brooks thing.