Only Our Rivers Run Free!

.......at 3am on Monday 9th August 1971 thousands of British soldiers raided homes in nationalist homes across the 6 counties, 340 men were arrested, brought to interrogation centre’s and eventually to Long Kesh, internment had begun!

.......the Truce of 1921 left Ireland divided, civil war in the 26 counties, sectarian slaughter in the 6; what did we learn from history in 1971 when ‘armed struggle’ returned to the streets!

Truce to Turmoil

........2019-21 has been the years of the Pandemic-COVID!But throughout history events have shaped the world, we look back and marvel at how the world developed ?

.......the birth of the ‘NI’ statelet in 1921, born in violence it has been a dysfunctional society for a century, a cesspit of sectarian bigotry and hatred, it has run its course!

........Rangers football club are an institution imbedded in sectarian bigotry. A few weeks ago they won the league title for first time in a decade and 20,000 celebrated in the Centre of Glasgow, it turned into an orgy of sectarian bigotry, drunkenness, violence & hatred, there is no place for it in 2021!

.......’Phil the Greek’ passed recently, born in Corfu to Greek royalty he became a large part of the British monarchy, we look at this archaic form of life in the 21st century!

........40 yrs ago on the 5th May Bobby Sands died on hunger strike, he was 27. His death changed everything, hie election as MP propelled the republican movement into electoral intervention which in 2021 sees SF as the largest political in Ireland, in Govt in the 6 counties and soon to be in power in the Republic! Bobby Sands RIP🌹

The Tuam baby home scandal, a stain on our past! Also a tale of a brother I never knew who died at 2 before I was born!

........the darling of Belfast and Glasgow, Charlie Tully was a football genius with both Belfast Celtic and Glasgow Celtic! In barren times for Celtic in the 50’s Tully lit up the field with his play and became a Celtic icon!!

.....on the 2nd January’71, 80,000 went to a Rangers v Celtic game at Ibrox, 66 wouldn’t come home! On stairway 13 an unparalleled disaster took place as the fans exited the stadium, 66 men, youths and one girl were crushed on the steps, a horrific day for football!!

......it was 72 hrs that shocked the football world! 12 of the richest clubs in Europe threatened to create a Super League, invitation only, a closed shop, financed by American bank JP Morgan to the tune of 3bn, but the football world rejected it and the idea collapsed .......but for how long??

......in November a golf society was formed in Dunfanaghy, it was christened ‘the Muckish Ramblers’ and began a 20+ year adventure around the golf courses of Donegal, Tyrone, Derry, Sligo, Cavan, Scotland, Spain and the Algarve! It was a special time in our lives, and so many friendships and memories made which last a lifetime. It definitely wasn’t a ‘good walk spoiled’!

Ireland 32 England 18! There’s nothing like beating England at anything, from soccer to showjumping, boxing to badminton, and definitely racing to rugby!

.......23 years of peace since the GFA and then a week of rioting, burning, petrol bombs and apathy! Loyalism hits out at an evolving situation in the EU, UK, Republic and the 6 counties, the union is finished, a referendum on unity is a decade away, loyalism needs to sit down with nationalists and plan a new future for our children!

.......it’s a slow news day but a major story is developing as word comes that an American hedge fund PLC are investing $30m to create a new golf resort in the bog at Glenveagh, as I said a slow news day on April 1st, 2021!

Claire Byrne hosted a first ever discussion on Irish Unity recently, Mary Lou, Leo, An Taoiseach, John Briton, Naomi Long, Gregory Campbell & Joe Brolly! As the 6 counties face up to a nationalist majority for the first time in the recent census, the debate on unity has begun!

The virus and lockdown has deprived us of many things but not being able to head to Gran Canaria or Malta has been the worst for us!

Charley Brady writes for an American publication, a former journo with the Indo, he now enjoys the quiet life in Oranmore!

.......during his imprisonment after Nuremberg Albert Speer to keep sane planned a route around Europe, in his mind! During COVID I planned something similar around Ireland, it was some journey!