“Viciousness was unleashed.”
President Michael D. Higgins has suggested that the Irish Civil War needs a thorough examination because of the viciousness that occurred during it and the terrible price that both sides had to pay.
He believes that there is a “bogus amnesia” in the country when it comes to remembering the war and that the time had come for that way of thinking to change.
Higgins said that the atrocities carried out by both sides need to be examined in proper context and speaking to RTE Radio 1’s The History Show, he said that all 81 executions carried out by the Free State should be re-examined along with the internment of 459 women by the government.
“There is no doubt whatever that horrific actions took place, but equally we cannot make a blanket condemnation of all of the members of a particular unit. It requires patient and good scholarship,” Higgins told host Myles Dungan.
Higgins admitted that his own family had been divided by the Civil War as his father took the anti-treaty side, leaving Co. Clare and his job as a travelling salesman.
Higgins’ uncle, whom the President had a good relationship with, was an officer in the National Army and supported the Treaty.
The President said the war had “destroyed warm relationships between people” especially between his father and uncle.
President Higgins spoke to the host Dungan about his family history, the variety of experiences of Irish emigrants to Australia, the idea of ‘ethical memory’ in relation to the upcoming centenary of the Irish Civil War, and also talked about why he hasn’t yet announced whether or not he’s running for a second term.
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