The paramilitaries

There is a scene in Monty python’s Life of Brian in which Brian is selling snacks to members of People’s Front of Judea. He mistakes them for the Judean People’s Front, and as a result, he earns a lecture on the different combatants involved in the paramilitary resistance to the romans. They explained that they were the true representatives of the struggle, whilst everyone else were ‘splitters’.

After I saw that movie, the extensive list of acronyms that made up the plethora of nationalist and the loyalist paramilitary and political organisations, had new meaning to me. I guess both the protestant loyalists and catholic republicans had their own problems with splitters. Ireland had become a minefield of abbreviation and initialism. For the benefit of those unfamiliar.

Now this may be a contentious subject to some people even though the official end to hostilities between the main protagonists was at the turn of the century, and that followed a 10 year ceasefire. However, it was a very different situation back in the early eighties. Back then, you often had to prove your affiliation to the cause (whichever it was). Simply being in the wrong place, or speaking with the wrong accent could have lethal consequences in some parts of the North or South. I remember being challenged to say the Hail Mary in Gaelic. I knew the first line and challenged my challenger to say it backwards. I had memorised it purely for the reason of saving my bacon. I had also taught myself to be able to mimic the different accents of East and West Belfast. Why? Because I didn’t want any trouble as I walked a fine line between the supporters of the acronyms, and because my friends were from both communities. We were united through a common sense of humour and a background odour of hashish.