Fergus Finlay should thank fighters for freedom

I was hopeful that, in this of all years, the forelock tuggers would maintain a silence during the 1916 anniversary celebrations. Not so it seems.

Fergus Finlay (Irish Examiner, March 22) describes as “dreadfully overblown” the documentary series narrated by Liam Neeson. Perhaps it is such described as it had a nationalist perspective, and sure we can’t be having that now can we? You see Fergus and the intellectual betters of the new establishment would have us believe that to venerate the brave and idealistic men of 1916 makes you a Provo. I would suggest that the plain people of Ireland are not as intellectually stunted as Fergus seems to think.

Fergus also states he is not sure what we are celebrating. It’s quite simple really. It’s the first blow that was struck that lead to the war of independence and freedom for 26 counties. Nothing more, nothing less. The revolutionary idealists were not happy to settle for a very limited from of independence masquerading as Home Rule, and Fergus and his fellow insiders who have benefitted hugely from this freedom should be thankful they have had the chance to replace London and exploit the mass of the people from Dublin.