Posted on 11/14/2006 8:32:32 AM PST by xzins
1. Separate Religions in conflict in Ireland.
2. Political intrigue at home undercutting England's Cromwell.
3. Propaganda that even today can't be sorted out.
4. Continued conflict for years.
5. Realization that the initial campaign should be short and sweet.
6. Others.
I'm sure there are dissimilarities, too. One thing that strikes me is that the England/Ireland thing STILL isn't resolved.
BTTT
Later reading.
This is about the time that my protestant Scotch-Irish family came to America. Ireland is pretty, but I wouldn't want to live there!
It strikes me that England, Ireland, and N. Ireland should have some helpful opinions on dealing with clandestine wars and emerging with something similar to a victory.
Hopefully, we can do better than 3 centuries at the task.
Including, one hopes, a subsequent Glorious Revolution!
Pretty expensive today.
Cromwell put us off the idea of republicanism for good. Never was a country so pleased to restore it's monarchy than England in 1660.
They weren't separate religions conflicting, they were two christian sects conflicting. As for continued conflict in Ireland, from the battle of the boyne in 1690 right up to the 20th century Ireland was largely peaceful - that's nearly as long as the USA has existed!
I was struck by the role that propaganda played.
It sounded like Cromwell was on the losing end of the information war.
'This is about the time that my protestant Scotch-Irish family came to America.'
If you use the word 'Scotch' to describe people in Scotland you'll more than likely get a punch in the gob. Scotch is a drink, people are Scots so Scots-Irish is ok, but not Scotch-Irish. So says my Scots brother in law anyway! ;-)
<< from the battle of the boyne in 1690 right up to the 20th century Ireland was largely peaceful >>
Actual there was a major uprising in 1798, and localized violence waxing and waning throughout this period
Cromwell ping
'It sounded like Cromwell was on the losing end of the information war.'
So often the case - those with right on their side usually feel less need for propaganda to support their position. Remember the Iraqi information minister cheerfully telling the media there were no coalition forces anywhere near Baghdad as an M1A2 rolls past on the other side of the river! :D
Belfast had its own "issues" in 1848, 1886, and quite a few other years as well.
No question that the massacre at Drogheda is a permanent blot on Cromwell's reputation. Many have tried to make the argument that you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs, and that Cromwell did what he had to do.
Most notable in this regard are two poems: Andrew Marvell's "An Horatian Ode" and Milton's Sonnet 16 on Cromwell as an instrument of divine providence.
But it won't wash. The murder of women and children is still remembered. The English Civil War, called by some the Puritan Revolution, was a seminal event in world history, but the English themselves preferred to call back Charles II.
'Actual there was a major uprising in 1798, and localized violence waxing and waning throughout this period'
There was a fairly major uprising in America between 1861 and 1865 which accounted for more deaths than have died in all the battles of Ireland, but no-one would describe the US as anything but largely peaceful. By the standards of the day, Ireland was largely peaceful for over 200 years.
Yes, it was largely peaceful during the Famine in 1847 and onward - lots of Irish died while grains were exported from Ireland to the British Empire. Happy, happy, happy. And peaceful.
My people left Ireland in 1850. My ancestor was illiterate and very peaceful. Well done, England!
Funny that nobody is calling for the Brits to pull out of Ireland, quagmire though it is.
I see the parallels here but fail to read any solutions in the outcome.
I prefer Genghis Khan's treatment of Islamic troublemakers - problems solved for his lifetime and into the lifetimes of his successors.
The tangle of relgious intrigue is also thought provoking. There wered Catholics and protestants, but the protestants were divided. Cromwell, I think, sided more with the puritans. There were a host of Anglicans (in the tradition of Laud) still in England. I'm not sure what the mix of protestantism in Ireland was....my guess would be the same split, and maybe split along class lines.
In Iraq we've got the Sunnis, Shias, and Kurds. The Christians exist but are minor, except for the US Military is predominantly Christian.
The Sunnis trust no one, even though the Kurds are Sunni.
It was a huge tangle with great emotions. I think the tangle still exists, but the emotions (for many) are not overwhelming.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.