A chara, - Kevin Myers, in a recent article states: "Brendan Bradshaw remarked that I vilified the rebels because of those deaths. Not correct. I did not vilify the rebels personally."
Indeed you did Kevin - agus bi cinnte de!
In an earlier article you made the statement that Sean McEntee shot unarmed captives, Lt Dunville and Const Charles McGee, in the back quite casually and coldly in Castlebellingham in 1916. This was a sickening libel on the memory of a man who was no longer alive to defend himself.
Of course it never happened! No such claim was ever made at the court martial - not by Major Kimber, the prosecuting officer, not by any of the witnesses including Lt Dunville, who recovered from his injuries, and not by Major-General Lord Cheylesmore, presiding officer at the court martial.
Since Voltaire stated "the dead are entitled to one thing at least and that is justice," would it be too much to ask that Myers withdraws his allegation and expresses some regret for defaming the memory of the dead?
I notice that Myers is now moving on to another extraordinary story, "the perfectly atrocious campaign against ex-servicemen during the War of Independence". Is he joking? The vast majority of Irishmen who served in the first World War returned home with no love for England or British imperialism and certainly no regard or respect for England's stupid and incompetent generals. They gave full allegiance to the Republic, the lawful government of the Irish people. Very many joined and trained the IRA and took a prominent part in the War of Independence. Men like General Tom Barry and General Emmet Dalton come immediately to mind. Only a very small number of exservicemen were urged into co-operating with British intelligence agencies. Those who were caught paid the penalty. But the unfortunate wretch who betrayed six members of the IRA in Ballycannon near Cork, (they were immediately murdered by their British captors) was not typical of the honourable Irishmen who served, no matter how misguidedly, in the first World War.
Kevin Myers may not be able to grasp the subtleties of Irish history, but it is true, even if ironic, that the London junta would never have been forced to ask for a truce in 1921 if it had not been for the active training and leadership role provided by many ex-British soldiers on the one hand, and the steady flow of highly-qualified intelligence that Michael Collins and local IRA units received from very many serving members of the RIC.
Is ait an mac an saol agus ta stair na hEireann ana-aisteach ar fad! - Yours, etc., PadraIG O Cuanachain,
Dun an Oir,
Sean Bhothar na hEochaille,
Corcaigh.