Well said, Phillipa, great post as usual. The language is the language of the Irish. Being Irish does not imply being or not being Republican. As I referenced earlier in another thread, one need only look at the success of Mea/scoil Feirste (Belfast Secondary School which uses Gaelige as its primary teaching medium) to see that. This is a school which has kids from all backgrounds as students. They are united in their love of the language of their people. And the students from this school score far above average on their boards. They are Catholic and Protestant, Orange and Green........they are Irish.

One other distinction that is important to make is that being of a Republican persuasion does not necessarily make one a supporter of the IRA and the various splinter factions. Many Irish people support the reunification of the North with the Republic, but do not support the IRA. Many Irish Americans share this sentiment.

One last distinction. The violence perpetrated on behalf of the struggle is oft times assumed to be perpetrated by "the IRA". There are a number of splinter groups, in addition to the Provisional IRA. The senseless act of brutality that was committed at Omagh was carried out by one of these. This distinction is not offered for any other reason other than helping to understand the situation.

Mick