The Artane Boys’ Band en route to America in 1962; the image was on an album in 1969
Last week, it was reported that Dublin City Councillor Mannix Flynn, a former resident of the St Joseph’s Industrial School in Artane, was putting a motion down calling for the Artane Band to be renamed.
The original Artane Boys’ Band was established by the Christian Brothers at St Joseph’s in 1872 and started to become involved with the GAA in 1886.
Mr Flynn was reported as saying:
“It’s an absolute insult to those of us who are still trying to recover. When you go to Croke Park and that band marches out, we are constantly reminded.”
Further to this, two days ago, Mr Flynn released a statement that he is changing his motion and, instead of asking for the band to be renamed, he’s calling for the Artane School of Music to be disbanded.
In his statement, he said his new motion is as follows:
That this monthly meeting of Dublin City Council, mindful of the shameful legacy of institutional abuse in industrial schools documented in the Commission of Inquiry into Child Abuse, call on the Artane School of Music to disband as a matter of human rights.
The School of Music is an establishment jointly run by the Christian Brothers and the GAA, yet encompasses the original and traditional insignia and uniforms that hark back to an age of chronic sexual and physical abuse at the hands of the religious.
The Artane Boys’ Band was used as a front to hide the gross inhumanity that took place at St Joseph’s School in Artane and other industrial schools run by the Christian Brothers at home and abroad.
The harrowing memories of these institutions for abuse victims are regularly flaunted without care or recognition at national sporting events in Croke Park in the form of the present Artane band.
A disbandment of the trust would sever all ties with the former industrial school and its brutal history and in doing so, would acknowledge the ongoing collective suffering of so many.
Further to this, the Lord Mayor of Dublin Brendan Carr has released the following statement this afternoon, ahead of this weekend’s All Ireland Football Final:
“Congratulations to The Artane Band on their 130 years of proud association with the GAA and Croke Park. I urge all Dublin fans attending the big match on Sunday to show their support and appreciation for the ‘other’ boys and girls in blue, as they entertain us all and march in front of the parade of both teams at Sunday’s final.”
“Please show your support by giving them a special cheer of appreciation for their unwavering and dedicated service and commitment to the GAA and the fans over the years.”
Statement: Disband the Artane Band (Mannix Flynn)
Call to rebrand Artane Band due to ‘trauma’ (Mark Hilliard, Irish Times)
Pic: Mannix Flynn
Should we disband the state too who were also complicit?
Disband being Irish also, as the Irish people were certainly complicit
I like where you are going with this.
oh I can keep going
I’ve been saying this for years…
You know what, Cllr Flynn? Idle hands are the devil’s workshop.
“…to disband as a matter of human rights.”
Human rights. One of the most abused phrases in the English language.
Agree wholeheartedly, Andyour etc.
Disband them, Sure I heard he learned to play the flute quite well.
Is this a reference to Mannix Flynn being a victim of clerical sexual abuse as a child? This comment should be removed.
Calm down
it was a stupid remark
Sure we’ve moved on from all this. Not acknowledged it, faced up to it or dealt with it. Just moved on from it.
Is Cllr Mannix becoming a millennial?
He’s getting triggered way too easily.
I’m so glad you’ve found a vector which allows you to mock abuse survivors for being abuse survivors. You’re execrable, but I’m glad all the same. This was always going to be the ultimate logic of the ‘hur hur millennials hur hur trigger warnings’ stuff.
Perennial bore more like.
Is this just himself…. or has he consulted with other ex-band members?
There was a kid fiddled with in my school…. and I now have a box of matches, and vengence on my mind…. it’s the only way to be sure.
.
.
.
.
.
* Lights candle, and prays *
Listen, they we’re sick bastards, especially in Artane. But nothing is off limits when joking. I find plenty of things sickening but iv no time for PC and would joke about anything .
Then you should be happy when people find you as horrible and revolting and disgusting as your humour makes you out to be!
Your mother being viciously gang-raped and murdered.
Off ya go, make a joke.
The jokes on them, you haven’t seen my mother.
Magnificent! Haha, you showed them :)
There were kids abused where I went to school 30 years ago. The priest in question was convicted, jailed and defrocked. Do I now insist that the school closes 30 years later and all the kids there nowadays go to a different school. ? No!! What is it to do with them. What’s next, shutting modern Germany down because of what the Nazis did?
It would be nice if the religious organisations involved in covering up thousands of abuse cases were moved on from managing the same schools though. Spesh since they continue to this day to not pay a penny towards the compensation bill.
I mean if it was Educate Together they’d have been shut down and re-patroned overnight.
Jus’ sayin’.
& Keep saying it cause you’re bang on the money.
Even though what you’re saying is clearly obvious, it’s also obviously clear that some people have lost the ability to think straight?!?!
Rebrand it, close it, burn it down or whatever but get the filthy hands of the religious fundamentalist perpetrators away from it.
Peace and love to all…
:-J
NAZI KLAXON!!!
Is there something in particular about this subject that caused it to attract so many heartlessly stupid and asinine responses? I don’t know if the band should be disbanded, but I could see a couple of good arguments as to why it should.
I don’t.
Why punish the kids?
Refound and rename it.
It seems weird to keep sending kids to a group with a name at least so associated with abuse, so that does seem to be the bare minimum you could do.
Can of worms there though.
I find it slightly bile inducing when parents let their kids become altar servers for the same reason.
Do you find it bile inducing when parents let their kids get swimming lessons?
I thought that “Swim Ireland” was disbanded, if that is the comparison you are making, rotide.
At this point I reflexively worry about all situations where children are engaged in activities supervised by other adults. Garda screening and child safety guidelines help, but I watch them like a hawk when my own kids are involved.
I wasn’t allowed swim, or be an altarboy (missed out on some sweet wedding money too)
It disturbed me how many people “knew” “something” yet nobody could say anything. The duty is to allow victims to speak and to be listened to.
While clergy across Europe were prosecuted from the 1950s we continued to cover it up here.
It’s all bile-inducing.
If we are to believe the “1 in 4” statistic I would presume that 75% of people have no idea, in fact some, in my experience, are quite defensive, even dismissive, when the topic is raised.
(As was I, once upon a time)
they should disband it, and then make a movie about 2 brothers who want to get it back together to play some blues.. they could call it… the blues brothers..
haha…
or a Pre-Prequl Brothers Grimm decathlon…
:-J
That vinyl looks great. Vinyl is so much more real than CD.
Disband “Fatima Mansions” too. Crap band.
There needs to be a public inquiry into the role of the Artane Boys Band in the Michael Hutchence of INXS suicide…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welcome_to_Wherever_You_Are
http://nessymon.com/where-are-they-now-inxs-artane-boys-band-cover-stars/
Surely there’s a few quid in it from the Redress Board for Paula Yates, …er… no, wait…
Mannix Flynn is a thug. An awful moaner.
Maybe the sensible thing to do would be to get together all the people who were in the band over the years and let them decide?
I suspect they’d decide the same as Mannix Flynn.
Like the Artane Senior Band? Comprised mostly of ex Artane band members? A look at their Facebook page would suggest they’re most upset by Flynn’s motions. For the record, Flynn was sent to Letterfrack, not Artane, for arson.
Every time the band takes part in the GAA spectacle, the subconsious connects
with the history of the Artane School and the way the children were treated, there
needs to be a fresh approach, possibly by the GAA is sponsoring a National Band
for sporting occassions, what Mannix Flynn has exposed is the attempt to wipe out
from the public mind what went on at Christian Brothers run Institutions, in fact the
use of the word “Christian” for the Brothers is far off, when the actions of some
them were discovered and exposed.
Thanks Brother Barnabas, I’m aware of two cases of arson for which Flynn was charged and found guilty, I don’t know the chronology. Also, arsonist or not, no child deserved the abuse meted out by the Christian brothers.
And as we approach the biggest day in the GAA calendar, can we remember that the children marching on Sunday are just that, children, and can in no way be held in any way responsible for the Christian Brother’s crimes.