never was born an Englishman

 

"There never was born an Englishman who understands the Irish people."

~ Bernadette Devlin, 1969

I remember this photograph -- in either TIME or Newsweek, of this person with the mini-skirt and long straight hair that was in style -- that she was going to represent the Irish people in Parliament.

Contemplating the murder of Lord Mountbatten depicted in The Crown -- got me thinking about Northern Ireland and that whole phenomenon.  

(Are they still fighting?  Have they always been fighting?  Is it like the Gaza Strip, where it's always something...?  I haven't kept track well enough.  How can we keep track?  How can we know?  Why do people want to fight and kill each other.

I remember in junior high being really interested in what was going on in Northern Ireland and why there were shootings and explosions.  In seventh grade we were required to make book jackets for our Ohio History books, to keep them nice.  I made mine out of newspapers and scotch tape, and put a photograph of people running with guns in Belfast and taped on the stark, one-word question:  "Why?"

Heavy, man.

        Over there, they call it "The Troubles."

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