Ireland and the Empire:

BBC News - Ireland and the Empire: Divided by a shared history

Have always had a poor impression of Fergal Keane as a reported, and having spent a few days with him at a conference I was not too impressed with as a person.

However this article shows a total lack of understanding that the 'planted' British lower class royalty, known in polite circles as 'west brits' were for teh most part people whose wealth was generated in the basis of land robbed from the real locals.

In addition they spent little time in Ireland, were educated in England and shared little interest in Irish culture.

They were Irish only in the same way as colonials liked to refer to themselves as Rhodesians. They tried to stamp out all traces of irishness (otherwise they risked being considered Irish by the 'real' Brits').

Finally, they were part of a class of exploiters in a time when class dictated everything.

While there were many exceptions to these usurpers, there were just that: exceptions.

Its in the past and we should always move forward, but with a valid sense of our past.