I love Ireland; it’s a wonderful country. (The Cromwell for whom this blog was named was not Oliver.) That said, I’m not much enamored of its creation myth, for the following reasons:
1. There is a modern, and uncomfortable, analogy to the leaders of the Easter Rising. Suicide bombers–think about it.
2. The obvious, and intended, analogy to the crucifixion is obnoxious. Christ never killed anybody.
3. Under the circumstances, the execution of the ringleaders by the British was perfectly understandable. It might have been, and probably was, a political blunder, but with thousands dying every day in Flanders, how would you expect the government to react?
4. The Easter Rising made the creation of a single unified Republic less, not more, likely in the long run. The Protestant reaction to what was perceived as an appalling act of treason during wartime was completely predictable.
On a much more positive note, I consider the continuing existence of Northern Ireland to be an unnecessary anachronism, due to the evolution of the Republic into a more secular and multi-cultural country and the fact that both the UK and the Republic are EU members. I think there is a reasonable chance we will see a united Ireland in my lifetime. And that will be a good thing.