The cliche “is this what Bobby Sands died for?” gets trotted out by too many ‘war at all cost’ republicans.
The vast majority of those who fought for Irish freedom were inspired by the need for justice and equality for Irish people.

Ireland 26 or 6 county might not be the socialist Utopia James Connolly had in mind, but the days of institutionalised bigotry and state sanctioned terror have been gone for over a decade.

There is barely even a customs post to mark the border anymore. Yet, we still have some who want to kill others for an imaginery line on a map. The lives of all Irish people will be dragged down by a resumption of war… in what way does this improve the lives of anyone?

If Connolly and Sands died for anything other than improving the lives of ordinary Irish people- then they were wrong. I don’t believe for a second that either would support re-opening this wound.

The reality is that this is a power grab by a small number of emasculated revolutionaries. Their roles as local ‘big men’- feared and shown respect for decades- will have taken a hit in recent years. Those too inarticulate to thrive in civil politics might just be more comfortable with an Armalite than the ballot box… and are now acting accordingly.

Also, we cannot ignore the deathly dullness and boredom of normal peaceful towns. Many youths will have grown up infused with the legends of riots and shootings from the 70s and 80s. Many have a clear generational envy. The previous generation had a cause, whereas today’s 15-25 year olds have had nothing but humdrum job and mortgage issues with which to contend. Most of those who support R/CIRA simply want a return to the sense of victimhood (and the justification for violence which comes with it) which every previous generation of nationalists in the six counties has known. For a small % of the population- peace and justice is simply boring. For the R/CIRA men themselves, they are gambling on a restoration of their placxe in the hierarchy of life.

Nothing else explains these recent actions. There is no way to connect the dots in this story. There is no way to tell a tale which starts with these 3 killings and finishes with the acceleration of an independent 32 county Ireland.

Those days are gone. It has been a long and painful road but the good (and bad) folk of the Province now have genuine hope and ambition of a bright future for all.

Apart from a few. What is their aims? To get rid of British rule entirely? I firmly belive this will happen, whether in my lifetime or not, by democratic means. Not in this way it won’t. Did these eejits actually think for a second of the damage they are doing to their own ‘communities’ (whatever they might be)? The real possibility of Loyalist revenge attacks on innocent Catholics doesn’t bear thinking about.

The positive thing that can be taken from all this is the widespread universal condemnation of the whole tragedy, and the coming together of people who have suffered more than anyone can imagine over the years.

Peace and goodwill will always win through in the end.

The so-called freedom fighters who once again want to delve the six counties into war and retribution do the heroes of Irelands struggles a great dis-service.

They are emabarking on a campaign that no right minded man woman or child wants to see in Ireland, That my friend is tyranny……