Hashishi

In Irish council estates (housing projects), paramilitaries have a long history of painting militant murals on the sides of houses. Often they're commemorations to the fallen: they're depicted in balaclavas, wielding guns and standing proud. Where else do we see this? In the Middle East, for one. Next time you see footage from Iraq, for instance, of a mural depicting a martyr with Arabic scripture written across the bottom, cast your mind to the Irish and realise it's not all that foreign. The Sunni - Shiite divide is (cosmetically, at least) identical to the loyalist/Protestant - republican/Catholic divide. We've lived with this on our doorstep long before 9/11 ever came to light.

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Bernie420

And a good deal of the funding for the Irish terrorist groups come from the US. Isn't that interesting?

Hashishi

Wasn't gonna say anything, but since you bring it up - no.

Stupid, rich Americans with an unhealthy obsession with their Irish 'heritage' have got a lot to answer for.

Vicki

I have an Irish heritage, but I'm not obsessed with it, and I'm not rich, so I'm glad I don't fall into that category. I'm more obsessed with my Dutch ancestry.

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Be kinder than necessary as everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.
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Those that forget the past are condemned to re-live it.
"If you have men who will exclude any of God's creatures
from the shelter of compassion and pity,
you have men who will deal likewise with their fellow man."
~ St. Francis of Assisi ~

Passage

My mom lived in Ireland during "the troubles" so I'm well learned in this part of history. The peace between the orange and the greens (my family is green) gives me hope for peace in the middle east. If you had asked anyone in the 1930's if the Catholics and the Protestants could live together they'd have looked at you like you've lost your plot.

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And then take that finger off of that hole...

Hashishi

You'd also have to be stupid - i.e. openly donate funds and arms to known terrorist organisations. ...I'm guessing there's not too many of them knocking around the boards.

@ Passage: you're mum's generation are one of the lucky ones in that they've been able to see Ireland stabilise. Things are so much better now. It's a 'Celtic tiger economy', tourism and industry thrive and even the paramilitaries are settling down. It's worth sparing a thought for the many generations before that only saw things getting worse in their time.

To those interested, check out Brian Friel's 'Lost in Translation' (NOT the film). It's a play, but it's worth just reading. Powerful stuff.