Friday night saw a highly informative and engrossing talk on the United Irishmen, with particular reference to Tyrone, at Quinn's Corner. Brendan Donaghy of The James Connolly Society got things started by introducing the panel and reading some comtemporary quotes from the United Irishmen which echoed tellingly down through the years to be particularly relevant today. The next speaker was John Gray, former Curator of the Linen Hall Library and former head of the Belfast United Irishmen Society. John spoke extensively giving a detailed and learned background to the local and global sociopolitical conditions and events that gave rise to the United Irishmen, the 1798 Rising and the reasons why the rising failed. A key feature of John's talk was the British policy of Sectarianisation which is still in effect today. Tommy McKearney spoke last and his talk complimented John's with a more particular empahasis on Tyrone and the way in which the United Irishmen were organised in the county as well as the acts of intimidation and terror carried out by the state and state-sanctioned Orange forces.
There was then a detailed question and answer session with some excellent questions coming from the floor and this could have gone on for hours but it was decided to wrap up around 23:15 after about 3 intense hours of historical analysis.
The evening was taped and dvds will be available in the future.
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