Dublin Repeals English Laws Designed To Curb The Irish

The Telegraph (UK) ^ | 3-13-2006 | Tom Peterkin

[blam]

Dublin repeals English laws designed to curb the Irish

By Tom Peterkin, Ireland Correspondent
(Filed: 13/03/2006)

The draconian laws the English imposed on Ireland to keep the natives at bay are to be repealed hundreds of years after they were first put on the Statute Book.

Bertie Ahern, the Irish prime minister, has finally got round to dealing with more than 2,000 pieces of legislation drawn up by colonial parliaments following the 12th century, Norman invasion of his country.

The revision programme will see the removal of ancient acts banning the Gaelic language, prohibiting the English from fraternising with the locals and preventing Jews from owning armour.

According to some of Ireland's more archaic laws, the Irish are forbidden from marrying the English or joining religious orders.

Laws promoting an Anglo-Irish apartheid have remained in existence despite it being almost 90 years since the rebellion that led to the withdrawal of the British and the creation of the Republic of Ireland.

The overhaul of the Irish Statute Book has been initiated not only to remove relics of the past that are no longer relevant in modern Ireland but also to simplify the legal system for lawyers and the public.

"This will be the single largest body of legislation to be repealed in this way in the history of the State," said Mr Ahern. "As legislators, Governments tend to add to the Statute Book, but not to take away from it. There is a large volume of legislation that pre-dates the foundation of the Irish State, much of which is now redundant."

Many of the old acts reflect England's determination to suppress Irish nationalism.

Many still resonate today. Resentment at legislation that forced the Irish to give up their land still simmers.

Many of the laws listed for appeal are "acts of attainder", which declared certain people to be enemies of the English king.

Those decried as traitors would forfeit their lives and have their lands confiscated by the Crown.

One Act of 1798 relates to the Attainder of Lord Edward FitzGerald, one of the leaders of the 1798 rising under Wolfe Tone that attempted to sever Ireland's links with Great Britain.

Lord Edward's imprisonment in Dublin contributed to the failure of the uprising. He died in Newgate Prison, aged 35, from wounds sustained while resisting arrest.

[RichInOC]

Dublin Repeals English Laws Designed To Curb The Irish

Heh. I thought they used the toilets like everybody else.

[Bosco]

I'm surprised this hasn't been done already.

[Sonny M]

The overhaul of the Irish Statute Book has been initiated not only to remove relics of the past that are no longer relevant in modern Ireland but also to simplify the legal system for lawyers and the public.

I wish legislators across the country and throughout the nation would think like this.

[muawiyah]

The laws were there but the will to enforce them wasn't. Every country has such laws.

[The Worthless Miracle]

There really is something to that. Even the language of the law is unnecessarily comlicated. Citizens shouldn't have to hire a lawyer to answer to the government.

[Incorrigible]

DeValera: "Burn everything British except it's coal!"

[BW2221]

Irish Thatcherite will hate this. He loves being under England's heel.

[BIGLOOK]

The draconian laws the English imposed on Ireland to keep the natives at bay are to be repealed hundreds of years after they were first put on the Statute Book.

Impeacht gan teacht ort!

[ChEng]

Most of these laws were put in place to counter the great Irish ability to assimilate all comers...After a generation or two, most of Cromwell's occupying forces were; marrying Irish, riding bareback, growing wild beards, singing Irish songs and speaking Gaelic and having a grand time....hardly suitable, hence the laws..Which were observed for less then the time that it took to compose them..This was most evident beyond, as opposed to, within the "Pale"...Hence the expression..

Sorry, the Pale being that small area of Ireland under total English control..

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Irish Thatcherite will hate this. He loves being under England's heel.

I see BW2221, just because I oppose the IRA I must be Unionist. If that is the case, then the majority of southern Irish Catholics must also be Unionist.

Go trolling elsewhere!!

I suppose you are still defending the Dublin riots?

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Most of these laws were put in place to counter the great Irish ability to assimilate all comers

We are the Irish. Lower your shields. Power down your weapons. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

Seriously, you are right - Ireland is the original melting-pot!!

[reelfoot]

Éire go brách.

[fanfan]

The revision programme will see the removal of ancient acts banning the Gaelic language, prohibiting the English from fraternising with the locals and preventing Jews from owning armour.

Old laws sound so strange to us!

[Irish_Thatcherite]

There must have been liberals around in those times - they didn't want the Jews defending themselves!!

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Nice one!!

[Pilsner]

We are the Irish. Lower your shields. Power down your weapons. We will add your biological and technological distinctiveness to our own. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

LOL

The Irish weren't breaking any ground by assimilating Cromwell's soldiers. They had by and large done the same thing with Tudor, Norman and Viking conquerors. There is a lesson there too about a culture that decides that its members are too good to do some sorts of work, and allows (or forces) members of another culture to be their drawers of water and hewers of wood.

In any event this doesn't strike me as any blow for Irish freedom, but as empty political grandstanding.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Nope, it doesn't matter - I don't think those laws were being enforced!!

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Any law that remains on the books even if not currently enforced has the potential to be pulled out, dusted off and used.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Oh, I know that - I'm not disputing that it was a good idea to remove archaic laws from the statute books.

Still... would they enforce a law preventing a Jew from wearing armour LOL!!

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Make it illegal to buy Kevlar with out first having a DNA test? :)

I wonder if the London law that, "Every free man must keep armor and weapon at ready for the defense of the city" is still on the books. You could potentially have great fun with that one.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Hmmm... So Ireland could have a 2nd Amendment afterall!!

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

I think it was a special law for London only. London was a "free city" it did not have a lord to defend it, (or to exploit it either). Even the king walked softly around the merchants of London.

But it could be used as a wedge. After all, if the citizens of London have a right then surely with all UK citizens being equal the same right should naturally extend to all citizens. And such a right would also extend to those lands which were formerly under British control. Thus leading to a historical right, nay a historical DUTY, to keep and bear arms.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Which is interesting, the Bill of Rights is based on the Magna Carte - the only difference is the Magna Carte didn't have the right to bear arms!!

Still, it makes me wonder at John Major's gun restrictions!!

[ncpatriot]

Many of the old acts reflect England's determination to suppress Irish nationalism.

No wonder the Irish-Americans I know are patriotic.

[kstewskis]

"IT'S MY ISLAND!"

[Colosis]

Irish Thatcherite will hate this. He loves being under England's heel.

Wha? Is this true Irish - do you love being under England's heel?? If you don't support the warrington baby killers, then you must be boot-lickin'-queen-loving west-brit. \sarcasm

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

No wonder the Irish-Americans I know are patriotic.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

ROTFLOL!!!!

I notice BW2221 didn't come back today!!

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Good pics!!

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Yeah, I actually had a t-shirt commemorating that unit that I bought at the Great Irish Fair a few years ago, which I eventually outgrew.

It's amazing to think that there's only one military base left in this city, and even that was on BRAC's chopping block, before being spared, this past year.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Amazing, only one base in America's largest city?

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Yeah, as far as I know Ft. Hamilton is the only one fully-functioning Army base left.

It's about a ten minute car or bus drive from where I live.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Dublin has several!!

I don't get it, surely they need more than one base in NY, particularly post 9/11.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Yeah, you would think.

It is a big Coast Guard hub-being the port of entry for so many vessels, people, and contraband-but even the Army bases upstate are starting to be mothballed, which I suppose is a combination of things, e.g. an exodus of people, the base-closing commission, etc...

Manufacturing is becoming nonexistent here in many respects as well.

When people said that there were few companies able to carry off the responsibilities of DP World they were correct, but I think they drew the wrong conclusions.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

I see, thanks.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Yeah, there was another FReeper from New York who explained this a lot better than I'm able to on an unrelated Dubai port thread.

Suffice it to say, this borough, Brooklyn, used to be an industrial center on the East Coast, just like the rest of the city.

Red Hook especially.

I don't know if you ever read "A View From The Bridge," but that novel-the only Arthur Miller that didn't stink, IMO-gives you a pretty good idea of what it was like to live here fifty years ago.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

I'm not the bookworm you are, I like to read, but I haven't gotten around to reading some books I bought last year!!

*Plato Republic gathering dust, Chaucer's Cantebury Tales gathering dust....*

[Colosis]

Really good pics - especially the first one.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

"The Republic" is an interesting book.

The Cantbury Tales I've never read, although I think my teacher might have used snippets from one of the books during a high school literature class years ago.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

I dunno, I have yet to find it out!!

*still finishing a biography of Michael Collins, no wonder - it's by Tim Pat Coogan*

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

Yeah, Tim Pat Coogan is the gold standard for contemporary Irish historians I suppose.

I have to start reading some of his work.

[Irish_Thatcherite]

Actually, he has some strange ideas... and a bit of an Irish Republican.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

The wonders of Google Image Search.

:0)

[TEXASPROUD]

I see BW2221, just because I oppose the IRA I must be Unionist. If that is the case, then the majority of southern Irish Catholics must also be Unionist.

Actually our southern Irish Catholic side of the family(Lynch) was Confederate. The Harrison's were heathen prod's from New York and pro union.

[OldEagle]

"Yeah, as far as I know Ft. Hamilton is the only one fully-functioning Army base left."

Has Ft. Totten been closed?

[Irish_Thatcherite]

I see.

[TEXASPROUD]

Ya gotta get a leg pulled every now and then.

Actually I'm quite happy to see the economy growing in NI as in the Republic. Hard as hell for the IRA recruiting efforts. I can hear it now, "Don't f*ck with me, I'm too damn busy working, bringing home a paycheck, and raising a family." The IRA never impressed me going after soft targets.

[Do not dub me shapka broham]

http://www.usarc.army.mil/77thrsc/