I have to defend Tommy Makem. I know that he doesn't support the violence of the IRA and did not officially try to raise money for them. He played with the Clancys because that was a good gig for him. The idea that he raised money for the IRA is promoting a view of Irish citizens that is not true. Many Irish people do not support the violence of the IRA and are appalled at those tactics. It's the same stereotyping of the Irish as drunks or fist-fighters and it's well-proven that there are many more cultures that are more alcoholic than the Irish and many that are just as much if not more violent. I have not heard of the Irish destroying the likes of Hiroshima or Nagasaki. So the idea that all Irish support the IRA including Tommy Makem is specious.

Frank Hamilton