Scariest place in NI?

[MuddyOldEngineer]

especially in Dundalk!

Did you have the pleasure of being posted there ?

 

[irlsgt]

I had anecdotally heard that the Reserves were largely populated by anti-treaty types. Accepted as a sort of de facto balance to the Regulars.

No word on the standard of regulation though.

Don’t believe everything that you hear

 

[irlsgt]

Did you have the pleasure of being posted there ?

A brief visit

confined barracks for security reasons (and that was post GFA)

come to think of it there are many parts of RoI where “Free Stater” aren’t popular

 

[Whiskybreath]

Oh, go on...

Oh, ok. 1984ish. Ptl returns, tired and mucky, gunner fails to do something he should do, and the sand in the trap sprayed out absolutely all over the driveway at front of t'mill. Bn ops instantly stood everyone to, much scuttling around, consultation of maps showing mortar baseplate analyses, orders barked with Military Precision and Authority, troops deployed at fast double, Bessbrook village wonders whether it should panic. Sheepish gunner raises hand. BBK Coy gets another rocket. QM furious about sandy mess. W'breath and pals disappear to t' Pot Belly for stiff snifters.

No idea which bn it was, after all this time; they all look the same to me, anyway. Think it might have been RGJ...

 

[Helm]

It was certainly carried by people out of BBK, and one bn spectacularly used it to clear out the 1m range at the front gate there.

Were they of a certain mafia of colour persuasion by any chance?
Edit to add, well looky there

 

[irlsgt]

It fits with the political history of Ireland. The two dominant parties in the Republic emerged from a pro-treaty background while Sinn Fein and PIRA evolved from an anti-treaty ancestry. The IDF have always leaned towards the pro-treaty side of the equation and would thus be regarded as 'traitorous' by the predominantly Republican population around the border areas.

more than that, the DF (IDF are the Israelis) are the pro-treaty side. They fought a very bloody if short Civil War and won for the pro Treaty side

 

[irlsgt]

It sounds a bit like the way the RIC were treated during the 'War of Independence' between 1919 - 1921 with police boycotts and the subsequent divisions after the Civil war with which side did your Grandad fight on - Pro-Treaty Free State Army or the Anti-Treaty rebels.

The civil war was far more polarised than that. You had brothers fighting on opposing sides in many many cases.

a lot of families had children that they were never allowed speak of again.

that continued on for a long number of years as families continued to vote as if the Civil War had just happened. In many cases that continued on into the next generation (“this is a Fianna Fáil house” for example)

 

[par avion]

more than that, the DF (IDF are the Israelis) are the pro-treaty side. They fought a very bloody if short Civil War and won for the pro Treaty side

As the Free State Army?

 

[irlsgt]

I tried to give the easy version - but of course you are correct albeit that Dev was then regarded as a traitor by the remaining Shinner representatives who stood by the proclamation (2nd Dail) went on to sign away their allegiance to the IRA. It's complicated I guess.
ETA easier to understand than to explain - shorter at least

But that happened in 1926

what is it you guys like to say? First thing on the agenda is the spilt

 

[irlsgt]

As the Free State Army?

Officially “National Army”

can also be called Pro-Treaty IRA, Free State Army etc

Things happened very quickly in 1922, in some cases the British Army handed over posts to the local Pro-Treaty IRA (no uniforms just civvies and flat caps).

 

[irlsgt]

There was at least one Garda station that came under fire from British Army (which was incorrectly identified as a firing point) probably in the 70s.

I want to say Lifford (across the border from Strabane) but not 100% sure

 

[irlsgt]

I can recommend “Soldiering against Subversion” by Dan Harvey (retired DF Lt Colonel)

Gives a good insight into the going on from the start on the Irish side of the border from a military perspective (we always had police (Garda) supremacy).

lot of short insides into individual incidents

 

[CutLunchCommando]

There was at least one Garda station that came under fire from British Army (which was incorrectly identified as a firing point) probably in the 70s.

I want to say Lifford (across the border from Strabane) but not 100% sure

Would the return fire have come from the "Camels Back"? Google tells me that the Garda Station in Lifford is currently on the north side of "Foyle View" which would have been obscured from there by the houses on the south side. The Customs Post would have been in full view of the Camels Back but I don't remember a Garda presence there.

ETA Seems to be the original building LINK but has been partly relinquished to commercial property. The upper part might have been visible to the Camels Back.

 

[AULD_SWEAT]

Would the return fire have come from the "Camels Back"? Google tells me that the Garda Station in Lifford is currently on the north side of "Foyle View" which would have been obscured from there by the houses on the south side. The Customs Post would have been in full view of the Camels Back but I don't remember a Garda presence there.

Camels Hump, IIRC the favoured PIRA firing point was a church tower which had direct line of sight to the SF PVCP on the Strabane side of the bridge.

 

[MuddyOldEngineer]

A brief visit

confined barracks for security reasons (and that was post GFA)

come to think of it there are many parts of RoI where “Free Stater” aren’t popular

Besides Dundalk, where else are Garda and Army treated as the enemy ?

 

[par avion]

Besides Dundalk, where else are Garda and Army treated as the enemy ?

The Shankill Road, Belfast?

 

[CutLunchCommando]

Don’t believe everything that you hear

To be fair, this would have been them talking about the 20's and 30's, even if it were true then I think it would be unlikely to be true after WW2.

 

[CutLunchCommando]

Besides Dundalk, where else are Garda and Army treated as the enemy ?

Don't know about the Army but the Garda got many a stiff ignoring at closing time. Leading to one of my Dads favourite quotes:

"Do yez think I'm a Postman? GO HOME!"

 

[CutLunchCommando]

Camels Hump, IIRC the favoured PIRA firing point was a church tower which had direct line of sight to the SF PVC on the Strabane side of the bridge.

Hence the quotes. I knew it was Camel related though.

 

[Stonker]

you’d get a like but there is only one Oglaigh na hEireann and that is the Defence Forces as allowed for under Bunreacht na hEireann (Irish Constitution) and the (Irish) Defence Acts.

Others illegally claim the name

Ooh!

I just love the noise when a heated agreement kicks off