I ,like many other people,particularly in the Armed Forces,used to love,and indeed,sing,Irish "Rebel Songs " as they were so wonderfully anti-authoritarian, and many had quite stirring melodies. The passage of time had,as always,somewhat blurred the original 'message', and even some of the quite virulently anti-British songs were still seen as 'acceptable'. Of course,we were all aware of Irelands troubled history, and the legacy of Cromwell,the BLACK-&-TANS,the Easter Rising,the barbaric treatment of Plunkett & others, etc. But somehow ,time had,as I say,somewhat taken the edge off things .THEN---suddenly,it was 1969, and it all started up AGAIN. Within a few years, we had the terrifying prospect of being killed or maimed,men women or children,by an IRA nail-bomb,placed by some twisted,psychotic ,sub-human thug,who possessed NO IDEA of the bounds of decency or of civilisation, who revelled in the waging of terrorist warfare against civilians who had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the political situation in Eire,and for whom the next thirty years were to be a time of fear,anxiety,and outrage. Under the circumstances,I think we can be forgiven for feeling a bit miffed when confronted with the REALITY of IRA fund-raising,especially in the USA !! How hypocritical is that !! Perhaps Tommy Makem did innocently appear with the Clancy Brothers, not knowing that the men walking around with the collection -boxes were collecting money in order to furnish the IRA with the funds to kill and maim women,babies, and even horses ( how many Irish people were killed by English terrorist nail-bombs? Yes, NONE !! ), but he must have had SOME idea of what was going on ,surely ?? And I don"t recall him ever coming out and openly condemning the dreadful,bloody,inhuman,violence.
So I'm sorry, but I don't believe anyone who says that Tommy Makem didn't know what was going on. Now then---Many of us love Ireland and the Irish people.Many of us still sympathise with the Irish for the hardships that they suffered under the British Government, mainly because MILLIONS of us BRITISH people were also suppressed by the British Government !! But for thirty long years, it was VERY HARD to sympathise with a nation who sought their freedom from oppression by blowing children to pieces by placing bombs in the garbage -cans in shopping malls.That is not the way-------EVER !!