The Irish army is not descended from the murderous fascists of 1916

It is lamentable that the Irish Defence Forces, who perceive themselves committed to the defence of our country, to liberal democracy, and to the rule of law (in times of crisis ) insist that they are descended from Oglaigh na hEireann — the group that staged the 1916 insurrection.

This belief is historically false. However since the Irish Republic asserts that this claim is correct, democrats are entitled to experience a sour taste in the mouth in relation to the IDF.

It would be interesting to ascertain what percentage inside the IDF (officers and rank-and-file ) believe that the army they faithfully serve are the heirs of 1916.

It is reasonable to argue that the Irish Defence Forces (founded as an apolitical national army in 1922 ) are being used by the State to whitewash 1916 as an noble and ethical patriotic act, which produced the Irish nation. All of these contentions, concerning patriotic nobility and national birth, are a lie.

The Irish nation was not conceived inside a grandiose post office, and six days later (inclusive of the first day of bloodshed) born out of the murderous brutality of an ummandated and horrific insurrection.

It might come as a surprise to 1916 apologists, but the Irish nation already existed, forged from the turbulent adversity of the 1640s.

The fall of the old Gaelic order (the Gaedhil ) led to the rise of the Eirenannaigh (the people of the island, to quote Professsor Steven G. Ellis), which was a fusion of the native Irish — defeated at the battle of Kinsale in 1603 — and the ‘Old-English’, including elements within Anglo-Norman society, thus producing the new ‘English-speaking Irish Anglophone’ nation, which we are today.

As long as most of the body of the IDF passively accept what the Irish State orders them to believe — that they are Oglaigh na hEireann, the private insurgent army that attacked liberal democracy in 1916 — how can they claim to be protective of liberal democracy as a concept and foundational value? The credibility gap here is obvious and cannot be brushed away like a speck of dust upon an otherwise pristine piece of furniture.

This paradox does not bother the Irish State, whose 1916 paragons appear to believe that they can pass off any old lie and get away with it — and, furthermore, waste €26m euros of blood money on sanitising Irish nationalist fascism.

Pierce Martin

Willowbrook Grove

Celbridge

Co. Kildare