The Starry Plough

The Irish or known for heavy drinking and fighting. As a person who is about ½ Irish all I can say is that for some of us it is true.

As for fighting, we’ve been slaves for centuries and we’ve fought back many times. The IRA may have been universally hated by the British, but they couldn’t really defeat them.
When we came to New York, Americans treated us like shit. So within the unions Irish people formed the Irish Dead Rabbits. They went after union bosses and anyone that didn’t pay the Irish their fair share. Violence was a great part of the action.
One thing American’s can always count on--- Europeans often kill people for ideological reasons, but here in the USA, we usually kill for cash. I guess that’s just a cultural thing.

Today being Irish is not so bad. People where those buttons that say “Kiss me I’m Irish.”
Some people who wore those have no Irish in them at all. But if a cute woman kisses me and she isn’t Irish--- what do I care. It’s all in good fun. I prefer a Stout to a green beer, but to each his or her own.
While some may sport a shamrock--- I prefer the Starry Plough, a symbol of our struggle.



Today in Ireland there is also the Irish National Liberation Army, founded in December 1974 during a meeting in the Spa Hotel, County Dublin.
They were formed to fight for the goals of a thirty two county Irish Workers' Republic. The founding leader of the INLA was Seamus Costello. He had been active in various IRA campaigns before leaving to set up both the IRSP and INLA. He saw that the Official IRA ceasefire of the time was leading to reformism within the movement. After arguing his point of view within that organisation for some time he failed to convince the leadership of the folly of their direction. He was then expelled. The INLA, the army of Ireland's working class, was then formed to fight for National Liberation and Socialism. The INLA have been on ceasefire since September 1998 but have stayed active in defence of working class communities, particularly in Belfast interface areas where loyalist gangsters are repeatedly launching various pogroms against innocent communities.
Presently the INLA are currently active in defence of vulnerable nationalist communities in so called interface areas of Belfast.


While some may sport a shamrock--- I prefer the Starry Plough, a symbol of our struggle.