Cromwell certainly was no saint, but neither were the Irish forces that engaged in war with him. What happened in Drogheda had lots of bad repercussions in England for Cromwell too.
Remember that the union with Britain really started under Henry II, when the king of Leinster, Dermot McMurrough, swore allegiance to him and two successive popes recognized the English king as “Lord of Ireland”. And right after that, the Norman nobleman Richard “Strongbow” Fitzgilbert engaged in holy war against the remaining pagan holdouts on Irish soil. It never was really about the Irish being “left alone”.
> It never was really about the Irish being “left alone”. <
You make an interesting argument. Thanks. On the other hand, Muslims are like weeds. They spread whenever there is no push-back. And that’s just what’s happening in Dublin today, and in so many other places in Europe. Muslims provoke. The authorities fold. Islam advances.
Oh, well. At least I have Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers on CD. That and my 12 gauge shotgun should me through at least the next crisis, at least.
https://youtu.be/NhFtxGpvn-E?si=WKQVAjzDl_aSN0OU