The
county Cork has a reputation of fostering rebels, for example the legendary
3rd brigade of the IRA, under the command
of Tom Barry. They got their reputation during the fighting against the
British paramilitary Black and Tans in the early 20s. It's natural to
find the National Monument, with statues of the freedom fighters, in the
city of Cork.
It
may look like a paradox that many of the great Irish nationalists were
Protestants, some even had English background. People like Jonathan Swift,
Wolfe Tone, Robert Emmet, CS Parnell and WB Yeats were Protestants who
opposed the British rule.
People
act according to their convictions and material circumstances. Sometimes
the borders between people follow the religious line and sometimes not.
The conflict in Northern Ireland must not be reduced to a mere question
of different religions. In the province of Ulster we witness the sad remainders
of many centuries of British imperial ambitions.
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