Dublin republicans gathered today to mark the 12th anniversary of the death of Vol. Martin Doherty, who was killed in the act of preventing a UVF bomb attack on a Dublin pub.
Despite torrential rain, well over a hundred people turned up to pay their respects - and rightfully so, as many of them were among those whose lives Doco saved.
Had the UVF succeeded they would have caused an atrocity to dwarf Omagh and Dublin-Monaghan in scale. Everyone inside the crowded pub, everyone in adjacent premises, anyone walking by at the time could have been killed. It's important for non-republicans to remember that, when they're tempted to focus in on the "Volunteer" title in front of his name. His actions were heroic and should be viewed as such by all Dubliners regardless of political persuasion.
For all my friends and comrades whose lives you saved, Doco, thank you. Go raibh míle maith agat.
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14 comments:
A nice tribute Wednesday, I wonder how many "Free Staters AKA PD's and Blue shirts" will be thinking about Martin today.
Gone but never forgotten
The same comment in two different blogs Gnarles? You must have a lot of time on your hands.
Oh, and do pay attention, my post wasn't about the hunger strikers anyway.
Neither a boy nor particularly old. As I said, do pay attention.
So Wednesday, which one is it ?
;-)
This Gnarls/snarls is a complete tit.
Let's remember a brave man died to save others.
My sentiments exactly!
Nice post, Wednesday.
Don't mind Gnarles.
He's not responsible for his actions, poor soul.
Can't seem to get his old marching songs out of his head.
The tribulations of age and a bygone glory.
Remarkable people like Martin Doherty, while reminding us of what is great about the human spirit, also serve to remind us of our own shabby human limitations. I'm not sure what I would have done, but I'm damn sure that getting as far away from the bomb would have been near the top of my option list. If ever a man deserved a street to be renamed in his honour, it was surely Martin Doherty. It's the least Dublin can do.
That's a great idea Dubliner. Not sure which street (we're hardly going to rename the one on which he died, Pearse Street!) but certainly another street. Hopefully this can happen after the next local election when we have a majority on DCC :)
I think Doco would be the first to oppose any description of himself as a "better" class of IRA men.
However, the facts are precisely as stated: he took a bullet (several bullets actually) to save the lives of others.
You can read an impartial account of the event here
Be careful not to refer to Jo's comments as pitiful attention-seeking, Wednesday, lest the delicate 35-year-old child suffers another one of her highly-entertaining mental meltdowns. ;)
Actually Jo, I have no difficulty whatsoever putting them in the same category, though I appreciate that others will feel differently.
And I hope there will be no mental meltdowns here, I have enough issues of my own to deal with ;)
Of course I can see the distinction that you're making. I just don't make it myself.
At Jo's request I have deleted a comment of Dubliner's which had to more to do with her than with the subject of this blog entry. I have remained largely out of the loop of that particular controversy and would prefer to remain that way, thanks very much.
Blogspot only allows me to delete comments outright, not edit them, but I thought there was a germ of a valid point at the end of the deleted comment and I would invite Dubliner to repost it if (s)he can do so in less of an ad hominem (or ad feminem in this case) manner.
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