Hunger (2008 film)

[fakepigtails73]

I saw that film about Provisional-IRA member Bobby Sands the other day.

 

Holy crap, what a moving film.

 

It stars Michael Fassbender, who is becoming one of my fave actors lately.

 

Don't be in an over emotional mood before watching this though, as it is not "light" entertainment...

[JesusFightClub]

Hello fakepigtails, I came here to answer your questions (and hear about the film!)

1. What do Scottish people think about the Troubles and the IRA? We are still pretty divided on this issue. There's close ties between Northern Ireland and Scotland so you get more of a range of views than you would in England. In quite a few pubs I know you'd better know a few Irish rebel songs and what "Tiochfaidh ar la" means...

On the Left you're more likely to get sympathy for the aims of the IRA if not the tactics. Which is how I know all the words to Up the 'RA. This is nice pro-IRA song, which I am singing to my smartphone as I type. Luckily for you, you can't hear me ;) so I reproduce some lyrics:

"Well I have been a Provo, for fifteen years or more

Of Armalites and mortar bombs I thought I knew the score..."

Later on in the song "So who did I join, I joined the IRA!" and "The Brits will never be beaten until when? Until they're blown away!"

Under the Offensive Behaviour law in Scotland it is a criminal offence to sing this song pretty much anywhere in public and people have been arrested and charged for it. Fortunately I am singing it in my bedroom so I'm OK. But sometimes people sing it and other like songs at some Scottish football matches or chant pro IRA chants and this has been in the news a lot lately. I think it is a bad idea to sing the songs but should not be an arrestable offence. This has me in danger of getting sidetracked but you can see there's still a problem in Scotland regarding such matters.

2. Martial law...large parts of Northern Ireland! My dad as well used to travel to London for work and was caught up in bomb scares a few times. Sometimes it was a parcel or bag left in the wrong place and sometimes the IRA called in a bomb threat for a laugh even though there wasn't one. (Maybe bored or too much Guinness? :D) My dad tells me there was a LOT of suspicion of Irish accents, like there is nowadays of visibly Muslim people.

I remember a lot of little things like there being a military parade in my town. All the bins were taped up and armed soldiers stood guard. And I also remember when I was little, Sinn Fein members weren't allowed to speak on TV. Their words had to be spoken by an actor. This was to avoid them getting "the oxygen of publicity" which made no sense as a reason.

My personal views on the IRA are generally very complicated despite my singing "skills" and I will not bore you with them but this may have answered a bit of your question?

[fakepigtails73]

Yes, thanks for the reply! Wow, singing a song is illegal? Damn!

French Québécois were known for their support of the IRA, in thoughts not really in deeds (being fellow Catholics, living under a monarchy we don't really feel any link to, etc...) Rumours are that some members of our area's organised crime sent $$ in the 60s and early 70s; other rumours are priests taking $ out of the communion plates and sending it to Catholic dioceses in N-Ireland (many members of the clergy there were rumoured to be doing more than just "praying for the boys"). Members of the 2nd wave of FLQ terrorists reportedly trained with members of the P-IRA under the tutelage of the PLO in the Middle-East in the late 60s, but I put that as well into the unfounded rumours lot.

I don't know much about the period of the Troubles, although I remember at a time weekly killings. Is it true that Loyalists prefered shooting people whereas Nationalists were more fond of bombings? Were there many families of mixed religious backgrounds?

Just the name of a city is contentious: "Derry" for the Nationalists, "LondonDerry" for Loyalists. Am-I naming groups right? "Nationalists" for Catholics wanting a united Ireland and "Loyalists" for Protestants wanting the status-quo?

I'm fascinated with the murals in N-Ireland. Never seen anything like it.

We just recently finished the 3rd season of the biker-gangs-oriented series "Sons Of Anarchy" and most of the action this season took place in Belfast. You can still see unfinished business in the Befast of 2010...

The only time I visited England (yes, I know the dif. between England and the UK! Sadly not many people do know it) was in 1994; I remember taking the subway and noticing ads telling passengers : "If you see any unattended bags or parcels move away and notify personnel immediately". At the time France had terrorist attacks due to the GIA so I thought it was that but a cop told me it was mainly due to the IRA.

I read on N-Ireland and it seems to me that their Loyalist politicians are almost fundie-like in their thinking (Paisley and Robinson come to mind).

[JesusFightClub]

Yes, thanks for the reply! Wow, singing a song is illegal? Damn!

French Québécois were known for their support of the IRA, in thoughts not really in deeds (being fellow Catholics, living under a monarchy we don't really feel any link to, etc...) Rumours are that some members of our area's organised crime sent $$ in the 60s and early 70s; other rumours are priests taking $ out of the communion plates and sending it to Catholic dioceses in N-Ireland (many members of the clergy there were rumoured to be doing more than just "praying for the boys"). Members of the 2nd wave of FLQ terrorists reportedly trained with members of the P-IRA under the tutelage of the PLO in the Middle-East in the late 60s, but I put that as well into the unfounded rumours lot.

I don't know much about the period of the Troubles, although I remember at a time weekly killings. Is it true that Loyalists prefered shooting people whereas Nationalists were more fond of bombings? Were there many families of mixed religious backgrounds?

Just the name of a city is contentious: "Derry" for the Nationalists, "LondonDerry" for Loyalists. Am-I naming groups right? "Nationalists" for Catholics wanting a united Ireland and "Loyalists" for Protestants wanting the status-quo?

I'm fascinated with the murals in N-Ireland. Never seen anything like it.

We just recently finished the 3rd season of the biker-gangs-oriented series "Sons Of Anarchy" and most of the action this season took place in Belfast. You can still see unfinished business in the Befast of 2010...

The only time I visited England (yes, I know the dif. between England and the UK! Sadly not many people do know it) was in 1994; I remember taking the subway and noticing ads telling passengers : "If you see any unattended bags or parcels move away and notify personnel immediately". At the time France had terrorist attacks due to the GIA so I thought it was that but a cop told me it was mainly due to the IRA.

I read on N-Ireland and it seems to me that their Loyalist politicians are almost fundie-like in their thinking (Paisley and Robinson come to mind).

The Canadian link I did not know about but it totally makes sense (though like you I am dubious about the PLO training, partly because it was the PFLP who did the training and partly because that timescale would be off). Guess what will be my new interest in the next few days? And any more info you can give will be gratefully received!

Loyalists and Nationalists are fine, unionists and republicans are less charged terms but all will understand you. There's also some crossover between groups, some Catholics are unionist and some Protestants republican.

I'm now wishing you come to Scotland and I could take you to two pubs from opposite sides of the divide and you could see! I would just explain in one you are from abroad and do not know songs, in which case men would be falling over themselves to teach you them. The other, watch out if you discuss these matters...

As you can probably tell I say Derry.

I have a funny mural picture and I wish I was clever at links. It is a photoshop of a guy sat in front of a gigantic mural of a kitten looking despairing with his head in his hands. When I got it the subject was "Feckin' peace process!"

As for bombings vs shootings, the 'RA had the upper hand in both weaponry and training. Loyalists were fairly unsupported and mostly at the level of local thugs. That probably accounts for the difference more than anything else.

Mixed marriages...it is still a big deal in some places (though less so now by a long way in 21st century Scotland). My cousin married a Catholic girl. Although my sympathies are in the other direction re Northern Ireland my family would not agree with me. My dad drove past the church my cousin was getting married in because it was a Catholic church and he didn't believe they would go there...