Article Irish Nationalism
Article Irish Nationalism
Rebels Yell Tribute To Bobby Sands: Bobby We Salute You!
Bobby Sands: A Tribute
On this day, May 7, 1981
[Bobby Sands (Roibeard Gearóid Ó Seachnasaigh) March 9, 1954 - 5th May 1981)
Was laid to rest
When I woke up this morning I felt a strange feeling of fear! After my obligatory cup of coffee and turned on my laptop battle scared, I sat patiently waiting to come in life open my portal to the cyber world! as home page Rebels yell flashed into focus, I was hypnotized fixated on a single picture on my website:
000 DAYS 00 HRS 00 mins 00 SECS UNTIL Bobby Sands 28th ANNIV.
But why now, I asked myself? I added this widget several weeks ago (March 1, 66 days actually!) As a gentle reminder to myself and my Readers of this immortal date and it is important to the case.
As I'm empty into the screen, I unconsciously began quietly humming (as if driven by a primal gut instinct) opening verse of the H-Block song!
"I am a proud young Irishman
From Ulster's Hill my life began
A happy boy through green plots ran
And I loved God and man's laws
But when my age was barely ten
My country wrong was told again
For tens of thousands marching men
And my heart stared at their case. "
~ The H-Block Song ~
Memories of those care free days growing up in this time came flooding back. As each youth crime Ógra Republican this generation will tell you, learning and reciting Irish Republican folk songs celebrate Ireland fallen heroes (& heroines) were intrically flung into growing up! Growing up, these songs again reinforced a serine sense of pride, passion and support for our compatriots struggle for cultural identity and ultimate freedom.
I began to remember excerpts from this period of my childhood, when Bobby Sands both fascinated and galvanized sentiment in his people's struggle. I remembered getting woken up every morning to school, having breakfast around the kitchen table, with one ear finely tuned to news broadcasts from the wireless in the corner and waiting for any scrap of related news!
Why did Maggie (NO!, NO!, NO!,) Thatcher and the British Government does not believe one ounce of compassion these brave men in Ireland? How was Bobby Sands and other hunger strikers bearing up? And as Hunger Strike intensified How many men would have to give up their lives? Oh, cruel Britain when will they ever listen!
So I will not judge wear uniforms
Nor meekly serve my time
That Britain might brand Ireland's fight
800 years of crime
~ The H-Block Song ~
As in the 1981 Hunger Strike won national and international momentum in the press, on the ground disgust deepened by the high seriousness of what was happening began to grip our people. All were effectively at an emotional roll coaster, as they greeted the dawn of each new day with a mixture of trepidation, hope, sorrow, inevitability and optimism.
Pair me out of my trance I began to think beyond what I had to write this article. Although I am relatively new to this new form of blog journalism, the old anecdotes, research, research ... .. kept resonating in my head. Over the last couple weeks, I had been to develop a wealth of useful related links from the wealth of information available online.
I had a prejudice in my head about what and how I should write, but as with all good in plans ... .... I began sifting through bookmarks, which I had prepared. I realized what a wealth of dedicated websites, blogs were actually available online. A far cry from the days when the hunger strikers were the subject of mitigating restrictions on their civil liberties. One point sharp and vivid illustrated in the film Hunger. Bobby Sands and his comrades used pen names such as Marcella and a wealth of ingenious techniques to communicate their thoughts with the world outside. But these bureaucratic British Censorship of Freedom of Speech was also introduced on the outside and including in various guises (eg Article 31). Should we again to witness the various guises of this violation of basic human rights behind the nasty head today, I wonder?
Instead I have decided the focus from a personal perspective and draw on my own atypical experiences and feelings from that time. Every Irish nationalists would agree with me to provide images that left on us all, as a generation. None of us can possibly fathom the personal inner conviction and self-determination to lead a man / woman for the ultimate sacrifice! During this period from the 5th May 20 August 1981, nine brave Irish men had to commit their lives to the Patriot Game. But we can gain an invaluable insight into the inner most thoughts of a man who gallantly leading his comrades into their final realm of this epic battle of will! His diaries, which he compiled during the first 17 days of his fast for justice express exactly this! The very first insert recites as:
"I am standing on the threshold of another trembling world. May God have mercy on my soul. "
~ Bobby Sands ~
Hunger strike
The Role of Hunger Strike has been both devisive and determining, through out Ireland, (as one nation!) The search for freedom, equality and brotherhood.
Between 1913-1920, over 1,000 prisoners went on hunger strike alone. This was followed by another IRA hunger strikes in 1920, 1923 and 1940. In the 1970s Irish prisoners died on hunger strike is also imprisoned in British jails in England. This was followed by both the 1985-1986 and 1995 INCA Hunger Strike's.
1981 Hunger Strike itself was gone with the 1980 Hunger Strike and followed five years of the Blanket and No Wash protest in The Maze and Armagh prisons. They were regarded as final and unequivocal acts of spite against British insistence on the achievement of Irish political prisoners' status. Rather than dive well into the complexity of this approach (because the try and afford them their proper due regard would only serve them an injustice), it suffices to say that it was actually focused on five simple but humanities requirement !!!!!:
The five demands were:
(1) No prison uniform;
(2) No prison labor;
(3) Freedom of association;
(4) Complete remission;
(5) visits, packages and recreational / educational facilities.
Bobby Sands: A Personal Reflection
If there is one person from history that embellishes the exponents of the famous biblical sentence;
'All things to all men,
~ 1 Corinthians 09:22 (href = "http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/bible-phrases-sayings.html"> King James Version) ~
one person thinks immediately, Bobby Sands!
His eternal youth, will be enshrined in Irish republican folklore. His conviction as a secular martyr of our struggle for freedom, has elevated to a similar status of such iconic figures as, Parnell, Pearse, Connolly, Wolfe Tone, et al ... .... a freedom to combat Irish Republican revolutionary and a martyr for our cause! That you and I, the local work classify boy stabbed in the world spotlight for to rule against an imperialist regime. For the British government the day, Democratic and Ulster Unionists, nothing but a simple common criminal and terrorist. For loyalists, to a talismanic figure to be hated and despised on.
But most of all for me and my fellow constituents in Fermanagh and South Tyrone, he was our member of parliament, OUR martyr for the cause and above all our first vote against 800 years of imperialist oppression
I will leave you calmly consider and reflect on what Bobby Sands means to you with this final paste from his diaries:
[Ní bhrisfidh SIAD me March ta an fonn saoirse, agus saoirse na hÉireann mhuintir in mo chroí. Tiocfaidh la eigin nuair a bheidh an fonn saoirse seo le daoine ag taispeáint go camp na hÉireann ansin tchífidh Muiden éirí na gealaí.]
[They will not break me because the desire for freedom and liberty to the Irish people is in my heart. The day will dawn when all the people of Ireland will have a desire for freedom to show. It is then that we will see rising of the moon.]
Go Maith Agat Raibh! Bobby Sands (1954 – 1981)
[PS To understand this article please welcome to visit www.therebeslyell.com to see more articles, photos, links, etc].
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