There's nothing new under the sun
(media.gab.com)
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My dad's family originated in Ulster as well - County Fermanagh. They were some of those that were not Scottish imports but original Irish clans. We often speculate on what concessions they had to make with the crown in order to keep their ancestral lands when others were removed. Then again, we were a stubborn lot. My father's family immigrated to the US long before the famines - before the Revolutionary War.
During the famines, besides buying food, some land owners bought passage for many Irish to immigrate to the US rather than starve. Entire areas were depopulated by the mass migration. What people also don't understand about Ireland is that all that bad blood between North and South, Protestant and Catholic, did not go away. It is still bubbling beneath the surface and any match could set it ablaze again.
Wow you're family went long before the war of independence that's impressive. You must have a Scots Irish connection as I thought it was all Scots that migrated, I might be wrong and some native Irish also went.
My family are originally from Donegal so not that far away. Both were taken into the Irish free state.
You're right tensions are really high, Sinn Fein(Irish republican nationalist party) had a very successful election and the census is showing that catholics outnumber protestants the first time ever.
Also, the New IRA and Saoradh have started to ramp up the fighting again. These NIRA are a lot like antifa, they have some of the same talking points and doctrines.
It is a powder keg that's ready to blow and It looks like a lot of people are hell bent in taking it that direction.
I have a mix on my father's side of English and Irish. The family is mixed with Scots here and there after coming to the colonies, but the original clan is Irish - one of the few that remained with an ancestry that goes back centuries. Not many in Ulster do. The English were brutal and unfortunately they finished what the clan fighting started. From what I understand, the landscape of my ancestors did not make things easy for others to take over - they had some good defensive strategic positions. Then again, we can never underestimate just plain old politics. One of my ancestors, a clan head, married a daughter of Edward I - better known as Longshanks from Braveheart fame. Their European royal connections brought with it certain perks. Staying intact in Ulster being one, and immigration to the colonies was another.
I guess some immigrated to the colonies to get out while the getting was good - the political winds in Europe were a changing and the Brits were fickle as to whether favor would continue. They immigrated and set up homesteads and other operations in the colonies with their wealth rather than stay in Ulster. I actually have one colony born ancestor that was a young drummer for Washington. The Continental army bought his first three drums. He kept getting holes shot in them. The last four he had to purchase himself. Also as a side note, I have a non-Irish ancestor, the son of a Mennonite, that was with Washington when he crossed the Delaware. My father's side of the family has been in the US since the beginning.
Thanks for the update on the Irish political factions all jockeying for position. I always tell people that the appearance of peace in Ireland is only a facade for the tensions that lie underneath - its in our DNA. Lol
I am afraid that the next couple of years could push many long held animosities to break forth in Europe as things degrade. Europeans have been fighting each other for centuries with only short periods of truce. A united Europe is a modern construct held together by mutual financial benefit. When the squeeze happens and that benefit is removed, there will be nothing to hold them together and we may witness those old national rivalries resurface for nationalistic self preservation. The continent once again may find itself in struggle and chaos. I just pray that the Irish find their fighting spirit buried within them so they can survive what is coming. Their geography will protect them to some extent - but they will need to do the rest.
You have an interesting family history, especially with Gen. Washington and the Continental Army. You should be really proud of that.
Even us Ulster Scots we have great love for the American Revolutionaries. In Ulster all our newspapers were openly supporting the American cause and whenever Thomas Paine made a new book/pamphlet it was printed out and given free with every newspapers.
My ancestors also had a great military history, I'm a mix of Crawford and Comyn clans. The comyns especially they were the most powerful clan in Scotland during our wars of independence from England.
You're right about the peace we all have due to being economically aligned and how when that money drys up we will be at each others throats. It'll probably be a bit more than that as well as we know they love to play divide and rule.
Just in Britain we have the two sides in Ulster fighting, the Scottish independents versus the unionists in Scotland, Welsh nationalists against the English, the million immigrants washing up on our coastline each year, there's a little war between the Hindus and Sikhs against the Muslims.
The elites will cease upon these opportunities for their advantage, it will take a remarkable leader to bring them together and redirect our aim where it needs to go.
Thank you again. I love to hear about the history and the geopolitics. I try to stay abreast to happenings in the EU and UK. I like listening to the Duran and both Alex and Alexander. They give a pretty good analysis of European geopolitics and the fighting in Ukraine. Alex's parents were diplomats and Alexander has been involved in government and diplomacy workings throughout his career. They are both well prepared to give good breakdown on what is occurring.
I try to stay away from any mainstream media outlets for information. If you have any channels that give good information on the UK and Ireland specifically, I would greatly appreciate it. You can take the Irish out of Ireland, but you can't take Ireland out of the Irish. In some small way it would help me to feel connected to the place of my ancestors to know what is happening there.