Niall Meehan roundup of issue behind "The Wind that Shakes the Barley"

national | history and heritage | other press

Sunday November 12, 2006 19:25

by R. Isible

Counterpunch: Ireland's Freedom Struggle and the Foster School of Falsification

Niall Meehan of Griffith College has a very thorough article in Counterpunch which charts the progress of the Struggle Against Lies surrounding the vitriolic reception given to Ken Loach's _The Wind That Shakes the Barley_

Drawing on a wide range of contemporary scholarship about the war of independence, Meehan points out some fascinating omissions from the "revisionist" school of Irish history. These do not merely include the by now well-known discrediting of Peter Hart's claims of ethnic cleansing in West Cork, but also cites John Borogonovo's recent book and letters to The Times in the 1920's complaining of how there were indeed attacks made on protestants -- but these attacks were made by the RIC on protestants objecting to Orange Order propaganda.

A compelling summary of what looks like a rout of very shoddy scholarship driven by a distorting ideological agenda.

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Some further reading

by Niall Meehan

Wed Nov 15, 2006 20:43

The Counterpunch article examines the ideological origins of revisionist history during the 1970s. Also, cover of new book by John Borgonovo.

Condensed version of Counterpunch article in Village 9-15 November

Some further reading arising out of the Counterpunch artcle:

Further Reading:

The Origin and Organisation of British Propaganda in Ireland 1920 (2006), by Brian P Murphy, 2006, Spinwatch/Aubane.
Tom Barry IRA Freedom Fighter (2003), by Meda Ryan, 2003 HB, 2005 PB, Mercier
Spies, Informers, and the "Anti-Sinn Fein Society" (2006), by John Borgonovo, Irish Academic Press.
Florence and Josephine O'Donoghue's War of Independence (2006), by John Borgonovo, 2006 (Irish Academic Press).

Irish Examiner article at: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76966
(This page also includes a letter to the Irish Times from Peter Hart, and replies)

See also Luke Gibbons introduction to the published script of The Wind that Shakes the Barley: http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76800

Articles on Indymedia on Pearson Brothers:

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/74400
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76350

Articles on Spinwatch.org on Brian P Murphy book on British propaganda:

http://www.spinwatch.org/content/view/3374/24/
http://www.spinwatch.org/content/view/2739/9/

Articles from Church & State magazine Autumn 2006 (full text of J Annan Bryce letters to Times in 1920):

http://www.atholbooks.org/magazines/cands/bryce.php
http://www.atholbooks.org/magazines/cands/bury_fitz.php

History Ireland debate with Peter Hart:

www.historyireland.com/magazine/features/featlist.html
www.historyireland.com/magazine/features/13.5FeatA.html
www.historyireland.com/magazine/features/13.5FeatC.html
www.historyireland.com/magazine/features/13.4FeatB.html
www.historyireland.com/magazine/features/13.3FeatB.html
www.historyireland.com/magazine/features/13.2FeatC.html

Articles on Indymedia.ie on Irish War of Independence:

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/67769
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/69172
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/70063
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/76966
http://www.indymedia.ie/article/75117
http://radio.indymedia.org/news/2005/04/4572.php
http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69567