Only in the Sindo
An article in the Sunday Independent this morning will cause a few scowls from the good people of Limerick.
The article entitled “Why not say sorry to the Brits?,” in reference to the absence of an apology from Peter Hain, Northern Ireland Secretary, for the Massacre at Croke Park in 1920, the paper listed off all the things the Irish owed the British an apology for. The following paragraph was contained.
The crowning glory, I think, if we really want to go back in time, could have been an apology from the people of Limerick for the massacre of 600 Brits in King John’s Castle in that fair city in 1642. In scenes reminiscent of, well . . . of Limerick, hundreds were brutally murdered, women raped and so on. I feel the people of Limerick still have it on their minds and they might like to get it out there and clear the air.
I fail to see why scenes of this nature would only be reminiscent of Limerick.
Had the author of the article gone back just one year, he would have read about the massacre of 12,000 Protestant settlers in Ulster by dispossessed Catholics during the same rebellion as the Limerick massacre.
Why stop at 1642, lets go back to 1209 where in Dublin, 500 Brittish settlers were massacred after they left the safety of the City’s walls.
In 1798, the United Irishmen carried out the massacre of 100 civilians, including women and children as reprisals after they heard rumours that their field hospital had been torched by Brittish forces.
From Wikipedia:
Following the disastrous defeat at New Ross, fleeing and panicked surviving rebels brought news of military atrocities, including the incineration of rebel wounded in their makeshift hospital, which incensed elements of the rebel forces stationed at Scullabogue. After twice preventing a gathering mob from harming prisoners, the prisoners guards gave in to the crowd baying for vengeance and allowed some executions by musket-shot of a dozen or so particularly hated individuals. All semblance of control was quickly lost however and the barn was soon torched. People trying to escape the barn were stabbed and beaten to death or forced back into the flames.
So you see, bloodthirstyness might not be as reminiscent to “…well, Limerick” as you might think, Mr. nameless Sunday Independent guy.