Nelson's Pillar & Dublin's lost Heritage

In 1966 on the eve of the 50th anniversary of the 1916 Rebellion. Dublin lost one of its many icons. Nelson's Pillar, blown-up in an act of cultural terrorism by the IRA. The remains of the iconic monument was then demolished by the Irish Army. In an effort in out-doing the IRA, in this act of cultural vandalism the State TV (RTE) showed the whole event live on national television. 

Long before London had Nelson's Column  Dublin city had its own version; Nelson's pillar. Designed in 1808 by the English architect William Wilkins (1778-1839), the pillar was topped by Thomas Kirk's statue of Admiral Nelson. Some forty meters high it was, at the time the tallest Doric column in the world. An early work by Wilkins, who was already making a name for himself as a leading Greek Revivalist, it was the greatest monument of Georgian Dublin, with the finest public viewpoint in the city. The IRA decided to mark the fiftieth anniversary of the 1916 rebellion with its destruction. Nelson's pillar represented the last of a long list of monuments destroyed by acts of terrorism. In addition to the State policy; in the removal of all monuments which  did not fit into the narrow cultural identity of the Irish State. Statue of William of Orange blown up in 1929, College Green, Gough Statue Phoenix Park blown up in 1953. Photo below showing the removal of the statue of Queen Victoria from Lenster Lawn. Dublin's British heritage lost, not just for the visitors to the city, but also for the citizens of the Irish Republic.

From the Gaelic revival of the 1890s to present day it is the aim of Irish Republicans and Nationalists to remove by force or through democratic influence all British heritage on the Island of Ireland. This policy can be witnessed first hand by the removal of the Union flag from Belfast City Hall in 2012.

Cultural war in Ireland.  

Although political violence in Ireland has abated in recent years. The main aim of Irish Republicans is to demonize and isolate, all protestant and Unionist heritage on the Island of Ireland. By doing so they are waging ethic and cultural war on Unionists communities. To assimilate or remove the British people from Ireland is their goal over future generations.

Dublin Loyal Tours was established in 2010 our aim and motivation is to make available to all visitors the rich Irish and British heritage of our Capital City...Dublin. We are the only historical walking tour officially affiliated to St Patrick's Cathedral. Our tour is a must for every visitor who holds an interest in the history of Ireland. We invite you to visit our website and trust you will enjoy it's content. www.dublinloyaltours.ie

Irish Times letter / Gibraltar Killings

Dear Sir,

Setting aside for a moment the obvious hurt still felt, the remainder of Niall Farrell's letter (Gibraltar Killings 28/3/13) does not stand up to scrutiny on a number of points.

The attack on Gibraltar by the IRA was to have been a high point of their bloody campaign on the European mainland. This campaign dominated their activities in the late 1980's. As was typical of their attacks, unarmed and off duty servicemen and their families were targeted. The death of a young baby, Nivruti Islania, shot in the head, and her RAF father has been forgotten. They were not the only victims of the IRA in Germany and Holland.

Mairead Farrell had been the leader of the female IRA in Armagh Prison and was regarded as a hardened republican. That is an indisputable fact and nothing before or after Gibraltar can change it. Your correspondent, Mark Hennessy (Death on the Rock 23/3/13), did not write a hackneyed piece as Mr.Farrell claims. It is a well researched and balanced piece. As with most republican arguments, however, those making them tend to have an extreme subjective view.

His use of the word ''dove'' alludes to the leaking of this possible bombing by elements within the IRA. There were no ''doves'' in that organisation. London had infiltrated them to a high level and any leaks were more to do with a unit rampaging around Europe and the effect on fundraising in the USA and elsewhere with the mounting deaths.

A cursory of the archive resources clearly shows how during Operation Flavius, MI6 had tracked this unit down through Spain and onto the Colony. Mairead Farrell was aided by two other hardened gunmen, Danny McCann and Sean Savage. The trio had  their target area and collected the car that was to become their bomb. The SAS then moved to arrest them only for McCann to move towards a bag he was carrying. Then and only then did the soldiers open fire. It is interesting to note that the subsequent court hearing in Strasbourg acknowledged ''possible hypotheses'' in IRA activities when ruling out compensation.

Those involved in bombing innocent civilians watching a ceremony have become in, republican mythology, the victims, whilst not a thought is given to those who may have been murdered without a thought by the IRA. I note no mention is made of the events surrounding the subsequent funerals when two Corporals, Wood and Howes, were beaten to death by a rabid, republican mob in full view of the world. Sadly this is something that relatives of these IRA members tend not to consider. 

yours sincerely,

Derek Reid

Mr Derek Reid works as a school teacher and tour guide with Dublin Loyal Tours if you are interested in Irish history then our Dublin Walking Tour is a must. You can book through our booking engine on our blog or directly through our website www.dublinloyaltours.ie  

BELFAST CONFLICT TOURS

Dublin Loyal Tours, Epic Tours, Wild Rover Coach Tours, have linked up to offer the visitor an opportunity to book and organize their political tour of Belfast from Dublin. In addition to our political tours of Belfast, we specialize in organizing coach transfer from Dublin to Belfast.

BELFAST BLACK TAXI TOUR: Our world famous Belfast Taxi tour is set out over 1.5 hours you will see many of Belfast’s wall murals and have a chance to sign your name on the peace wall which divides Republican Falls Road and the Loyalist Shankill Road. You also have the opportunity to visit Clifften Street Orange Hall Museum.  Group size 3-6 people purchase through our paypal engine .

 POLITICAL WALKING TOUR: Our tour has been for many visitors to the North of Ireland the highlight of their trip. Each remarkable wall painting, in addition to the story behind each one, has attracted visitors to Belfast in their thousands in recent times. Many of them have had the unsuspecting opportunity to meet many leading figures involved in the current peace process and also those who were in prison as a result of the conflict in N. Ireland.

Former activists and political ex-prisoners from both the Republican and Loyalist community will host this 2 hour tour and provide the visitor with an in depth insight into the most recent phase of the troubles in N. Ireland. The guides weave their own personal stories into the tour as they visit many different sites that explain both the local and wider history around the “The Irish Question” (British and Irish relations). This is living history; furthermore our guides are a reliable and very real link into the most recent conflict on the Island of Ireland. Group size 6-16 €15pp book by contacting Tours Coordinator & Transport Manager Chris directly by Email

POST CONFLICT SEMINARS & WORKSHOPS: These seminars are geared towards college and university study groups. We specialize in organizing workshops where the student group can meet former security forces personal, Unionist and Nationalist politicians and journalists on a one to one question and answer session. Group size 10-50 all inquiries contact Tour Coordinator & Transport Manager Chris directly by Email.