Ireland as it is, and as it would be under Home RuleBuckley, Robert John
History
Ireland as it is, and as it would be under Home Rule
Buckley, Robert John
Home rule -- Ireland; Ireland -- Politics and government -- 1837-1901; Irish question
I met a very savage Separatist in Castlebar. They are numerous in Mayo
and Galway. The more uncivilised the district, the more ignorant the
people, the more decided the leaning to Home Rule. My friend was not
of the peasant class, but rather of the small commercial traveller
breed, such as, with the clerks and counterskippers of the country
stores, make up the membership of the Gaelic clubs by which the
expulsion of the Saxon is confidently expected. He said, "I am for
complete Independence, and I do not believe in what is called
constitutional agitation. Who would be free, themselves must strike
the blow. Every country that has its freedom has fought for it. I
would not waste a word with England, which has always deceived us and
is about to deceive us once again. England has always wronged us,
always robbed us. England has used her vast resources to ruin our
trade that her own might flourish. The weakest must go to the
wall--that is the doctrine of England--which thrives by our beggary
and lives by our death. You have heaps of speakers in England who
admit this. Gladstone knows it is true. The Irish people have let the
English eat their bread for generations. The Irish people have seen
the English spending their money for centuries. This must be stopped
as soon as possible, and Ireland grows stronger every day. Every
concession we have obtained has been the result of compulsion, and I
am for armed combination. Every Irishman should be armed, and know the
use of arms. The day will come when we shall dictate to England, and
when we may, if we choose, retaliate on her. We shall have an army and
navy of our own; all that will come with time. We must creep before we
walk, and walk before we run. The clubs already know their comrades;
each man knows his right and left shoulder man, and the man whose
orders he is to obey. Merely a question of athletic sports, at
present. But when we get Home Rule the enthusiasm of the people will
be whetted to such an extent that we shall soon enroll the whole of
the able-bodied population, and after then, when we get the WORD, you
will see what will happen. Where would be your isolated handfuls of
soldiery and police, with roads torn up, bridges destroyed, and an
entire population rising against them? Yes, you might put us down, but
we'd first have some fun. In a week we'd not leave a red coat in the
island."
The gratitude, the warm generosity of the Irish people is very
beautiful. The Union of Hearts, however, as a paying investment seems
to have fallen considerably below par.
Castlebar, June 8th.
No. 33.--TUAM'S INDIGNATION MEETING.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account