A bit of a rant here now, so apologies in advance.
Why do some idiots (mostly Irish, I'm ashamed to admit) turn into freedom fighters after a few drinks when they're on holidays? Give these clowns, men and women alike, a few pints and all of a sudden, they want to start singing "rebel" songs?
Let's leave aside the fact that most of these eejits have never even been to the North of Ireland, nevermind know anything about the Troubles there. But no, surrounded by people they don't know, in a foreign country, they start bawling about Sean South and the Black n'Tans.
A true story: I was in a bar a few years ago and the musicians were both Englishmen*. A drunken Irish couple asked them to sing the Broad Black Brimmer. Now this couple weren't trying to be smart, you understand. It just never dawned on them that such a song might be offensive to an English person.
* Any Irish musician worth his or her salt would be equally offended to be asked to sing such clap-trap.
It said much about what they really knew about the song itself or its meaning. Like most people who sing rebel songs, this couple knew nothing of the North. (Like myself - perhaps I'm lucky as I know nothing much about it either. But then I don't ever profess to know much about the Troubles. And certainly not enough to sing songs about the suffering of either side.)
Why oh why do people who wouldn't pick a fight with the junior office clerk at home turn into wannabe freedom fighters on holidays? As a friend of mine once said, they wouldn't fight their way out of a Tayto bag!
There used to be an Irish bar at the entrance to the Pueblo marinero,Costa Teguise. We were in there about 15 years ago and the group struck up with 'rebel songs'.
ReplyDeleteI served in Ulster in the early 1970's and it was not a nice time to be there.
We walked out of the place without fuss, though I wanted to extend my displeasure.
Thankfully that bar went bust ! :)