Cothrom na Féinne don 5 Ros Dumhach

October 2nd, 2005 | by aobaoill |

Shell SignOriginally uploaded by Monasette.It’s been very interesting following the story of the Rossport 5 from the US. As I’ve discussed with others, the conjunction between radical and populist politics that seems to be in play is quite unusual for Ireland.It may be that the Irish language influence is coming to bear here. Irish language media activism has been among the most radical in the country, while being tied very much to a sense of community. The sense of marginality experienced so often by the Irish language community may be responsible here.The title to this entry comes from the back of a t-shirt that my mother sent to me a few weeks ago. It translates, basically as Justice for the Rossport 5. The front, incidentally, reads Déan baghcat ar Shell agus Statoil – Boycott Shell and Statoil. Perhaps significantly, the world’s first boycott occurred in County Mayo, in which Rossport is situated.Some readers will balk at that claim – surely direct action has a long and indeterminate enough history as to make such claims problematic? The answer, however, is simple: the term boycott is named after one Captain Boycott, a land-agent in the nineteenth century. As noted by wikipedia:

The word boycott is derived from Captain Charles Boycott, an English evicting land agent in Ireland who was subject to a boycott organized by the Irish Land League in 1880. Boycott, an agent of Lord Erne in County Mayo, was unable to hire anyone to harvest his crops (until Irish Unionists and the British Army volunteered) and at one point needed 7,000 men to protect him. He eventually was forced to temporarily withdraw from Ireland. 

Staying with the historical theme, also got a handbill with the lyrics and tune to a song written about the Rossport 5. Using the traditional ‘Come All Ye’ form and distributing the song by way of a handbill grounds the protest firmly in the history of political action. Given the context of a fight between a local community and a trans-national corporation/industry, this is particularly appropriate and symbolic.

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