British propaganda paints the conflict in the north of Ireland to the world as a religious conflict between Catholics and Protestants. This is false. The British occupation of Ireland is the root cause of the conflict, not religion. This video details some of the many Protestant Irish republicans who founded Irish Republicansim and fought against British rule in Ireland.
This song is about the United Irishmen rebellion in 1798 when Protestants and Catholics joined forces to try to free Ireland from British rule. Many Protestants throught the centuries have played important roles in the Republican movment, right from its foundation. The Orange in the Irish tricolour represents Protestants, The founding father of Irish Republicanism, Wolfe Tone was a Protestant. Pics also include some of the many protestant republicans throughout the centuries.
Pics of Protestant Republicans (in order) -
James Napper Tandy- United Irishmen
Robert Erskine Childers- Sinn Féin
Henry Joy McCracken- United Irishmen
Theobald Wolfe Tone- United Irishmen
(and founder of Irish republicanism)
John Mitchell - Young Irelanders
Charles Stewart Parnell - Irish
Parlimentary Party
Noel Lyttle- INLA
Jack White - IRA
George Plant- IRA
Ronnie Bunting - INLA
John Martin - Young Irelanders
Lord Edward FitzGerald - United Irishmen
Robert Emmet - United Irishmen
The IRA had many protestant members.
The IRA in Belfast had Protestant commanders nicknamed 'The Prod Squad' This included Billy Smith, Rex Thompson and John Graham.
Jack White was another protestant IRA member from Broughshane, Co. Antrim who had previously founded the Irish Citizen Army. Erskine Childers was a protestant IRA member, as was George Plant and George Gilmore from Portadown. Bulmer Hobson from Holywood Co. Down was a leading member of the Irish Volunteers and IRB. He also helped to found the Fianna na hEireann youth movement.
Protestants from the loyalist shankill road also were invloved in the Republican Congress in the 1930's.
Ronnie Bunting was a protestant IRA member who went on to found the Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) Noel Lyttle was also a Protestant member of the INLA
Sinn Féin have an protestant ex-orangeman, Billy Leonard who is elected in Coleraine, Co. Derry.
In 1905 the Sinn Fein party was co-founded by Edward Martyn, who served as its first President.
The Sam Maguire Cup, the biggest prize in Gaelic Football, is named after another famous protestant Irish Republican. Sam Maguire was the man who recruited Michael Collins into the IRB
Protestant Men (Lyrics)
It was back in history's page, the story's told of Napper Tandy brave and bold
With his scarlet and green, he then was seen with his big long gun and his fighting men
They did beat upon the drum, they fired their gun and shook the English establishment
And the Lords and the Peers they then took fears and Grattan got his Parliament
So here's to those brave Protestant Men
Who gave their lives to free our land
All the people they sang their praises then
For the brave United Irishmen
In Belfast town there lived a man and his name was Samuel Neilson
A minister's son, Presbyterian, and the paper called the Northern Star
There was Henry Joy, the Green Volunteers and Thomas Russell and McCabe and McTeir
And to them was known a man Wolfe Tone and they formed the first United Men
So here's to those brave Protestant Men
Who gave their lives to free our land
All the people they sang their praises then
For the brave United Irishmen
So your laws with dragons teeth and then you'll see you've sowed the seeds of bigotry
Be Englands fool divide they'll rule so they set to break the United Men
And they killed them in the fields and some in jail and some upon the Gallows high
When Willie Orr did die his very last cry was "Unite and fight brave Irishmen"
So here's to those brave Protestant Men
Who gave their lives to free our land
All the people they sang their praises then
For the brave United Irishmen
Cast dissensions to the wind let all men lend to the common name of an Irishman
For across historys page to rant and rage men crossed the pails of bigotry
There was the men of '98 no sadder fate, Lord Edward, Tone and the brothers Sheres
It was Emmet's plea in 18 and 3 when he tried to set our country free
So here's to those brave Protestant Men
Who gave their lives to free our land
All the people they sang their praises then
For the brave United Irishmen
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