The Following is taken from a book weve just came into the possession of. The first batch of extracts relate to the build up to the United Irishmen Rising of 1798. Enjoy the read, we did. Remember to read them in the order they were posted. In the Heat of the Hurry - A History of Republicanism in Co. Down Author: Marcas Mac Ruairí - First Published: 1997 We rapidly approach the bicentenary of the 1798 rebellion, when republican rebels threatened the future of the English establishment in Ireland. County Down played an important role then, and the force of republicanism that came into being in Ireland during that period has been one of the key formulative factors in Irish society since. It is, therefore, timely that the history of republicanism in Co. Down is collated. In writing such a history, I had hoped that I would be able to produce an accurate sketch of republicanism in the County from the 1790’s until the 1950’s. I hope that the finished work will be viewed as complementary to the history of republicanism in Newry, Cath Saoirse an lúir, written by Raymond Watson. It is essential not to underestimate the organisation for republicanism in Down. It and the extreme south of the County are inextricably linked with the region covering South Armagh and North Louth. I have not attempted to bring those areas within my scope. Events and personalities relating to Newry are not, therefore, related with the consistency that they merit. Needless to say, the history of republicanism in Down as a whole cannot be understood in isolation from the rest of the country. I have, therefore, attempted to put events and characters in the framework of a skeleton history of Irish republicanism in general. This book is essentially a narrative of facts rather that an analysis or an academic work. I have drawn heavily on secondary source material and newspapers. However, I have also carried out many interviews with veteran republicans and those who had close contact with republican activist of the 1920’s. With their help, many of the details relating to Down for that period are recorded here for the first time. Bheadh an saothar seo dodhéanta gan a gcuidiú. Having completed this book, my greatest regret is that the contribution, sacrifice and commitment of women to the struggle for an Irish Republic is seldom acknowledged. This of course reflects the patriarchal nature of Irish society throughout the period in question; women were (and often still are) very much marginalised. There were many people active who are not named as I was not able to place them in context of events as they unfolded. This is not to belittle their contribution, but rather illustrates the difficulty in finding out the details after the passage of the intervening years. The work is not comprehensive, but a collation of what historical facts and anecdotes relating to the subject which I was able to turn up. Although not academic work, I have tried not to simplify the subject. However, at times this has happened. Republicans fall within the general nationalist family and must be viewed as such. At times in the text the term is used to in this broad sense, at other times it is used in reference to those political parties who have held nationalist aspirations but not the political philosophy of republicanism. It will, at all times be clear what is being stated but a good rule of thumb is that in the latter case the nationalist will be written with a capitol ‘n.’ There are a great many people who have helped me to get this far, they know who they are, but because of the subject nature I shall refrain from naming anybody. Their help is nonetheless greatly appreciated. Tá mé buíoch díobh uilig. Marcas Mac Ruairí
Posted on: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:31:45 +0000
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