Now let us see what history according to Jim Carroll tells us:

1: That the Irish Volunteers who largely supported the Home Rule Bill that they were formed to defend did not split with the advent of the First World War to become the National Volunteers (Redmond Faction which comprised 92.5% of the movement) and the Irish Volunteers ( the IRB Faction which comprised only 7.5% of the movement)

2: That some 210,000 Irishmen volunteered to serve in the British Army during the First World War did not represent any significant political faction while the 1,500 people who Pearse and Connolly lied to and completely hoodwinked into joining their "Blood Sacrifice" somehow do represent the political views of the people of Ireland at that time. Jim absolutely deplores the blood sacrifice made to preserve freedom, justice, and liberty in France, but totally supports the betrayal of the men who foolishly followed Connelly and Pearse in Easter 1916.

3: That the Irish Volunteers of 1916 did not become the IRA of 19th January 1919

4: That the IRA who fought the war of independence were also the IRA that fought the Civil War - Nationalist against Nationalist - might is right, fortunately for all they lost.

Jim wants us all to believe that the IRA only became the IRA to fight the Unionists and unite Ireland - utter bloody hogwash and I do not need a single quote, a single link or any vast log boring and pointless screed to back that up - all you have to do is look at where we are today.

History consists of events that actually happened, it does not consist of events that you only think happened. Of all the people who took up the gun in Ireland in 1913 the Republican Nationalists were the only ones to actually through their own choice use them and to what result? A united independent Ireland is further away today than it was 102 years ago - FACT - haven't they done well.

Hope that you have had fun "celebrating" all that bloodshed Jim - it after all got them nowhere as far as a united independent Ireland goes.