Inniu, agus na náisiúin Arabacha ag cur troda ar son a saoirse, is mithid dom cuimhneamh ar cheann de na teagmhálacha de thaisme a bhíonn chomh coitianta sin ar an idirlíon. Today, with the Arabic nations fighting for their freedom, it is the right time to remember one of those random encounters that are so common online.
Roinnt bhlianta ó shin chaith mé súil ar bhlag le fear óg Éigipteach agus é ag cur suime i gcath saoirse na hÉireann. Bhí cúpla focal comhrá agam leis an bhfear seo i mbosca freagraí a bhlag, agus tháinig chun solais go raibh stair nua-aimseartha na hÉireann á spreagadh go mór agus é ag éileamh tuilleadh saoirse ina thír féin.
Bhí sé eolach ar an bpáirt a bhí ag an nGaeilge in imeachtaí na staire sin, agus é an-sásta a chloisteáil go raibh mise, an Fionlannach gan lúb ghaoil le haon duine in Éirinn, tar éis an teanga a fhoghlaim.
Iad siúd – an colúnaí Kevin Myers agus an blagscríbhneoir The Gombeen Man – a bhíonn ag caitheamh anuas ar gach cineál náisiúnachas Éireannach, is maith leo dearmad a dhéanamh den bhaint atá ag an náisiúnachas sin le cath saoirse na gcoilíneachtaí, le cath saoirse an Tríú Domhan. Inniu, bíonn nua-Fhaisistigh agus lucht ciníohais i dtíortha éagsúla an Iarthair ag áitiú nach Faisistigh iad ach “náisiúnaithe”, agus nach bhfuil siad ach ag iarraidh a gcultúr náisiúnta féin a chur chun cinn. Is iomaí iriseoir a ghlacann i ndáirire iad agus é ag baint an tátail as a gcuid bolscaireachta gurb ionann mar rudaí iad náisiúnachas agus ciníochas brúidiúil.
Ní bhíonn i gceist le bolscaireacht sin an lucht ciníochais, ar ndóigh, ach na gnáthbhréaga a d’inseodh a leithéidí siúd - má thagann tú ar fhíor-nua-Fhaisisteach in Éirinn, gheobhaih tú amach, de réir dóchúlachta, nach bhfuil focal Gaeilge ina phluc, ná ciall ná tuiscint aige do thraidisiún náisiúnachas na hÉireann. Le fírinne, bíonn Kevin Myers féin – an fear mór frith-Ghaeilge agus frith-náisiúnachais – ag scríobh colúin uaireanta ar féidir blas an chiníochais a aithint orthu.
Is fíor go raibh biogóidí Caitliceacha agus, is féidir, lucht ciníochais i measc na náisiúnaithe Éireannacha, ach ansin, cad é a déarfá le fear cosúil le Proinsias Mag Aodhagáin? Bhí sé i gceannas an IRA nuair a bhí na Saorstátairí agus na Poblachtánaigh ag cur cogadh cathartha in Éirinn i dtús na bhfichidí, agus ní shéanfadh aon duine gur náisiúnaí tréan a bhí ann. Rinne sé éacht mar Aire Gnóthaí Eachtracha sna caogaidí agus sna seascaidí, agus é an-bháúil leis na tíortha nua neamhspleácha sa Tríú Domhan, ó bhí sé féin tar éis cath saoirse na hÉireann a chur. Mar náisiúnaí Éireannach, fuair sé nádúrtha fadhbanna na stát sin a thuiscint.
Ar ndóigh is iomaí locht is féidir a fháil ar an náisiúnachas Éireannach agus ar an dóigh ar cuireadh cath saoirse na hÉireann. Ní hionann sin is a rá, áfach, gurb ionann náisiúnachas Éireannach agus Faisisteachas nó ciníochas. A mhalairt ar fad is iomaí náisiúnaí Éireannach – iad siúd san áireamh a thacaíonn leis an IRA – a chuireann an-bhéim ar an dlúthpháirtíocht leis na tíortha bochta agus lena muintir mar chuid den náisiúnachas Éireannach.
Ba chóir aitheantas cuí a thabhairt don ghné seo den náisiúnachas sin, fiú mura nglacaimid leis an IRA. Agus níl sé mícheart, dar liom, más cúis bhróid do na hÈireannaigh an inspioráid a thug a stair féin do ghluaiseachtaí saoirse sa Tríú Domhan.
Tá Panu Höglund scríbhneoir Fionlannach ar líne agus aistritheoir
Some years ago, I stumbled upon the blog of a young man from Egypt who was interested in Ireland’s fight for freedom. I had a couple of words with this man in the comments of his blog, and it turned out he was strongly inspired by the modern history of Ireland demanding more freedom.
He was also aware of the role of the Irish language in those historical events, and was very satisfied to hear that I, the Finn with no relatives in Ireland, had taken the trouble of learning the language.
Such people as the columnist Kevin Myers and blogger The Gombeen Man who attack any kind of Irish nationalism, conveniently forget the connection of that nationalism with the decolonisation of the Third World. Today, neo-Nazis and racists are in many western countries trying to re-brand themselves as “nationalists” who are only trying to further the cause of their own national culture. Many journalists take such statements seriously, coming to the conclusion that any nationalism is the same as brutal racism.
That sort of racist propaganda is of course nothing but the usual lies told by such people. If you find a real neo-Nazi in Ireland, chances are he does not speak Irish or know much about the nationalist tradition in Ireland. In fact, the very anti-Irish-language and anti-nationalist Kevin Myers sometimes writes columns that could easily be seen as racist.
True enough, there certainly were Catholic bigots and maybe even racists among Irish nationalists, but what about Frank Aiken? He led the IRA when the Free Staters and the Republicans were fighting a civil war in Ireland at the beginning of the 1920s, and nobody could say that he wasn’t an ardent nationalist. In the 1950s and ’60s, he was a successful Minister of Foreign Affairs who was very sympathetic towards the new independent countries of the Third World, having himself experienced Ireland’s fight for freedom first-hand. Understanding the problems of those countries came naturally to him, as an Irish nationalist.
Of course you could criticise Irish nationalism in many ways, or find fault with the way the Irish struggle for freedom was conducted. That does not mean, however, that Irish nationalism is just the same as fascism or racism. Quite the contrary: there are many committed Irish nationalists, even people sympathetic to the IRA, who strongly emphasise solidarity with poor countries and their inhabitants as part of Irish nationalism.
This aspect of nationalism should be duly acknowledged, even though we do not accept the IRA. And in my opinion there is nothing wrong with Irish people being proud of the inspiration their history has given to liberation movements in the Third World.
Panu Höglund is a Finnish online writer and translator
