Badge Of The Swarmguard

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“Claims by Sinn Féin to be wholly committed to achieving Irish reunification through peaceful methods are brought into question on a regular basis. The continuing sale of memorabilia such as this brings further questions.

“The establishment of a United Island Unit in the Department of the Taoiseach under this Government will allow these questions to be considered with the respect they deserve.”

Fine Gael Senator Mary Seery-Kearney

Name that truck, anyone?

Sale of IRA badges on Sinn Féin Website is a glimpse behind their party mask (Fine Gael)

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68 thoughts on “Badge Of The Swarmguard”

  2. Joe

    I wonder what items she was looking to buy on the Shinners web site when she found that one. A Mary Lou poster for her office perhaps? :)

  3. Rob_G

    I don’t know which I am more offended by: the glorification of terrorist violence, or the historical inaccuracy.

          1. Rob_G

            Well, as FG weren’t didn’t set up a squarespace website to sell black & tan hats, not quite as offended, no. But I certainly expressed my disquiet at the time.

          2. Pat Mustard

            You didn’t.

            And comparing a small piece of a website with a public offering by both Flanagan and Leo, complete with tweets, is laughable.

            You’re a hypocrite, and you know it.

  5. Jonickal

    As much as I hate having to defend the Shinners, that badge looks like the early 1920s IRA, not the terrorists from the 1970s.

    1. Janet, dreams of big guns

      and there’s a big difference, speaking as someone who didn’t even realize what a catholic was until a few friends popped up in gorgeous white dresses with bags of money, I find it ridiculous to try muddy the waters by mixing the two,
      would FF rather go back to having the queen as head of state ? It’s the past, leave it there like a grown up.

    5. Cian

      And the “Gibraltar 3” badge?
      Or the “Francis Hughes” badge?

      “new” IRA the lot of them.

      Does this mean we can revert to the auld “SF/IRA” moniker?

        1. Cian

          I’m confused.

          What has an individual selling a “Fine Gael lapel badge with red St. Patrick’s cross on a blue shield and the words Fine Gael written above” on an auction site have to do with Sinn Fein selling IRA paraphernalia on their official website?

          2. GiggidyGoo

            No confusion Cian.
            Seery-Kearney draws attention to a political party promoting its history, while a promotion of another political party happens at an auction website. Closer to the bone for you though may be Jim O’Leary’s penchant for FG (Blueshirts) historical actions..

          3. Cian

            Great, the Sinnerbots (or should it be ‘RA-bots) have cleared it up.

            There is literally no connection.

            One is a political party selling terrorism paraphernalia on their official website. The other is unconnected.

            I wonder if they fall foul of the (anti)Terrorism Act 2000 under terrorist financing.

          4. GiggidyGoo

            How did you read that into my post? Oh, I forgot, sure you’re prone to the odd diversion, distraction etc. Sure that’s FG Nazis for ye.

          5. Cian

            Your post was almost totally irrelevant.
            Relevant:
            – it is also a political pin/badge.

            Not relevant:
            – It is an antique.
            – It isn’t on sale by a political party, it’s an auction website
            – it isn’t directly linked to an illegal terrorist organisation

            You are good one for the diversion, distraction yourself.
            This article is about Sinn Fein selling IRA paraphernalia on their official website

          7. GiggidyGoo

            The article is about a FGer drawing attention (in as far her knowledge of history allows her) to a political party, to try gain some brownie points from the guy who put her in the Seanad. My comments (and your reaction to them, though you fail to address the Jim O’Leary thing) show up the immaturity and stupidity of the type of people that FG choose to be put in office. The frape room isn’t doing its job. Yourself and Rob obviously have your hours cut.

      2. Gabby

        Maybe in due time they will issue a beaming Chuckle Brothers badge with Martin & Big Ian smiling benevolently at a New Ireland.

  6. Rob_G

    Sure no wonder the Brits were able to catch them all, if they went around in a big truck that said ‘IRA’ on the side, with a flag flying out the back…

  7. A historian

    Not that anyone will care but that badge is commemorating the border campaign of 1956-62, before the troubles began. One of the key organisers of the campaign (or Operation Harvest as the IRA labelled its) was Tom Barry. The Irish State and Cork County council routinely commemorates Tom Barry’s earlier violent exploits at Kilmichael.
    I take from this the senator will not be engaging in any future 1916 / War of Independence or even WW1 State Commemorations Activities if she objects to the commemoration of any acts of violence in the historic past.

      1. Cathal

        Wolfe Tones song “Sean South From Garryowen”. 1950s border campaign, He died from injuries received while attacking the RUC barracks in Brookborough in 1957.

      1. Brother Barnabas

        more accurate parallel would be if FG started selling FG-branded God Save the Queen tea towels and When Harry Met Meghan baseball caps

        seems SF isnt ashamed of its past, whereas FG might be

        1. Rob_G

          They aren’t too fond of highlighting that time that the IRA collaborated with the Nazis, if it comes to that – I don’t see any pins featuring German U-boats.

          Do you really think it’s acceptable for any political party to sell memorabilia featuring armed paramilitaries – particularly commemorating a paramilitary organisation that tried to overthrow the state that said political party nominally serves?

          “more accurate parallel would be if FG started selling FG-branded God Save the Queen…”
          well, stretched parallel – a more accurate parallel would be if the Democratic Party had an online shop selling memorabilia commemorating the time the Confederate Army tried to overthrow the Union.

          2. Rob_G

            Well, as a history buff, I recommend you read up about proxy bombs and the Niedermeyer kidnapping – perhaps you wouldn’t be quite so glib about SF making money on the backs of their murder victims then.

          1. Janet, dreams of big guns

            neither am I for the record but how can anyone take the current and past shower seriously, they have shown over and over meprise for the average Irishman, for your wives and daughters health, for victims of the church, for our elderly in carehomes, what’s it gonna take for people to get browned off ?

          4. Rob_G

            Well, your comment kind of seems like whataboutery, given that I can’t see the link with SF seeking to profit from terrorist atrocities*, but what are the rates of social deprivation like in Northern Ireland, where SF are in government?

            *which they themselves in fact carried out

          6. goldenbrown

            Rob, nobody gives a fupp about what li’l enamel badges SF does or doesn’t sell on their website

            what they DO care about is surviving and improving their day-to-day lives

            this angers me to see because herself there should spend precisely ALL of her time working on the wide gamut of issues we face in our communities today and precisely NONE of her time on this kind of silly attention seeking schoolgirl tweeting nonsense that means fupp-all to most people out there. if she did her job then who knows she might even manage to make a difference.

            enough with the badge crap already, that’s definitely not what I’m paying these people to argue about.

          9. Rob_G

            gb – fair enough. Perhaps Senators should concentrate on… well whatever it is that senators are responsible for, and perhaps SF can concentrate on being the main opposition party, and leave the handicraft business for etsy instead.

          11. Rob_G

            no – my position was always that the senate is a useless institution, and that political parties in this state should not sell merchandise of a terrorist group that took up arms against this state – it’s a very straightforward position.

          12. Pat Mustard

            Blah blah senate..

            Shouldn’t sell merchandise lol..

            What about doubling down on commemorating the tans?

            Glass houses Rob.

  9. Art Vandelay

    FG really do love the whole “mask” trope don’t they? Leo must have sent around a talking point on it!

  10. Walter Ego

    Any news yet on the Black & Tans celebration Senator Mary Seery-Kearney? Charlie Flanagan must be still working on the plans. I wonder will there be badges for sale to commemorate the big event.

  11. Johnnythree

    Stop. Let her on. She’ll be grand. She’ll end up doing Interior Design or Homeopathy next so just let her roll.

  12. John Davis

    Shinners on here defend them to the hilt while Mary Lou send he son to the most exclusive school in Dublin so as not to mix with with the them.

    People are easily led to say the least.

  13. goldenbrown

    oh dear

    there’s something a little pathetic about all of this

    I doubt it had fraperoom approval….but if it did I imagine it makes SF very pleased to see that this is the best they can currently manage

  14. Ruille Buille

    Has it escaped this politician that FG has a history of involvement in 1916 and the Blueshirt movement? Or that Flanagan wished to honour the Black and Tans. Or that in 2020 the FG Taoiseach had a portrait of ‘arch terrorist’ Michael Collins in his office.

    1. Rob_G

      Have they started selling Eoin O’Duffy tea towels on the FG website? If not, I’m not really sure it’s quite the same thing…

  16. Veronica Bairead

    The senator must have realised that they had rung the last ounce of publicity out of Bobby Story’s funereal- (not minding one bit any distress caused to his family for a cheap shot) to now be doing a spot of internet shopping- it looks to me like a badge commentating Seán South? Hero of mine, I’ll just pop over and buy one, thanks Senator Seery-Kearney…will I throw one in the bag for you while I’m at it?

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