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Clare wedding crashed by US military troops
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01-08-2009 2:20am#1THE actions of dozens of US troops who ‘gate-crashed’ a wedding in Clare last week, have been criticised by a leading anti-war campaigner who has described the matter as another clear breach of Irish neutrality.
The incident occurred at the Clare Inn Hotel near Newmarket-on-Fergus last Wednesday where almost 300 troops stayed for two nights after the aircraft on which they were travelling to Iraq was grounded at Shannon Airport by technical problems.
After wandering into the function room where the wedding reception was being hosted, they were allowed to stay and enjoy the festivities despite the best efforts of their commanding officer to remove them from the hall.
One wedding guest said, “The soldiers were around the hotel all day. We saw them walking around the grounds, chatting in groups outside and in the bar but we were surprised when they came in to the wedding that night.
“You could see that some guests were very uncomfortable with the soldiers being there, especially wearing their uniforms. But they were in great form and seemed to enjoy themselves.”
Retired Irish army officer and international secretary of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, Dr Edward Horgan, has described the actions of US troops as highly inappropriate.
“Again we see how the Irish and US Governments blatantly breach Irish neutrality. Ireland continues to participate in a foreign war and it is highly inappropriate that US soldiers would appear in an Irish hotel or in Shannon Airport in uniform. Remember, the US has a reputation for gate-crashing weddings. They have bombed wedding parties in Afghanistan and killed dozens of people,” Dr Horgan said.
Troops are regularly accommodated in local hotels if an aircraft suffers technical issues while en route to or from the US. Personnel are not allowed leave the vicinity of the hotel where they are staying but have in the past breached the rule.
When contacted yesterday (Monday), the hotel declined to comment on the matter.
BTW: I don't mind US troops using Shannon or even using our hotels, they are more than welcome as far as I am concerned. After all "Ceade mile a failte", what ever happened to that phrase? This article came from the Clare people and just shows you the tabloid quality of newspaper they really are. Very biased commentary by the writer indeed. They only heard from one side of this arguement and failed to actually ask the bride and groom, who it turns out invited them. This was very nice of them to do this and I can imagine it was a great wedding to have.1
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drunken_munky52 wrote: »"American Express is accepted here", there would be no reason for any other nationality of troops to appear in Shannon, only US, because of Ireland's strategic position on the fringe of the Atlantic, its the ideal air way petrol station.
You are missing the point. Has nothing to do with American Express. But guess what: Eastern Europeans and Nigerians and every other foreigner with a bank account might have an Amex-card.
Why do you think only the US has a right to roam the highways of Ireland? What about, say, Lebanese soldiers on their way to Iceland? They might want to stop over in Shannon.
But then, the Irish have a history to welcome the oddest strangers:Didnt De Valera send flowers and a letter of condolence to the German people on hearing of Hitlers death? The man responsible for the most heinous crimes against humanity ever and Eamonn sends him flowers on behalf of the Irish people.
Twat..
True. But that shows only how far neutrality goes. De Valera, and not just him, liked the Nazis because they bombed the English. 800 years and the enemy of my enemy is my friend and blah.
Maybe if the Nigerians would start a bomb campaign in England ... :rolleyes::DAlso, I think we are as racist as any other country, in fact probably a bit more. I was moving equipment after a gig last night and this drunken ape staggered out and just f**kin screamed abuse into a Rumanian girl beggar's face. Now I know that they may be no saints either but this was unprovoked.
Cead mile failte:rolleyes:
You find racism in every country. People are clannish everywhere, especially when there are economic troubles looming. Pople are welcome as long as they spend money or contribute to your own economy. When things go belly-up, they are a hate-target. It's not an exclusive Irish thing, but has some nasty undertones over here. Being a foreigner is rarely of any advantage, not in everyday life. I should know. I am a foreigner in Ireland and I feel the change of attitude.
Anyway. I don't condemn the young lads being invited to a wedding. But what could the wedding party do when they hang around with longing puppy eyes? But they were still in uniform which made them part of an army not individuals. That's the difference.
I do condemn though the not very intelligent line that Eastern Europeans and Nigerians destroyed the 1000 welcomes of the Irish. Blame the others, innit?0 -
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drunken_munky52 wrote: »THE actions of dozens of US troops who ‘gate-crashed’ a wedding in Clare last week, have been criticised by a leading anti-war campaigner who has described the matter as another clear breach of Irish neutrality.
The incident occurred at the Clare Inn Hotel near Newmarket-on-Fergus last Wednesday where almost 300 troops stayed for two nights after the aircraft on which they were travelling to Iraq was grounded at Shannon Airport by technical problems.
After wandering into the function room where the wedding reception was being hosted, they were allowed to stay and enjoy the festivities despite the best efforts of their commanding officer to remove them from the hall.
One wedding guest said, “The soldiers were around the hotel all day. We saw them walking around the grounds, chatting in groups outside and in the bar but we were surprised when they came in to the wedding that night.
“You could see that some guests were very uncomfortable with the soldiers being there, especially wearing their uniforms. But they were in great form and seemed to enjoy themselves.”
Retired Irish army officer and international secretary of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance, Dr Edward Horgan, has described the actions of US troops as highly inappropriate.
“Again we see how the Irish and US Governments blatantly breach Irish neutrality. Ireland continues to participate in a foreign war and it is highly inappropriate that US soldiers would appear in an Irish hotel or in Shannon Airport in uniform. Remember, the US has a reputation for gate-crashing weddings. They have bombed wedding parties in Afghanistan and killed dozens of people,” Dr Horgan said.
Troops are regularly accommodated in local hotels if an aircraft suffers technical issues while en route to or from the US. Personnel are not allowed leave the vicinity of the hotel where they are staying but have in the past breached the rule.
When contacted yesterday (Monday), the hotel declined to comment on the matter.
BTW: I don't mind US troops using Shannon or even using our hotels, they are more than welcome as far as I am concerned. After all "Ceade mile a failte", what ever happened to that phrase? This article came from the Clare people and just shows you the tabloid quality of newspaper they really are. Very biased commentary by the writer indeed. They only heard from one side of this arguement and failed to actually ask the bride and groom, who it turns out invited them. This was very nice of them to do this and I can imagine it was a great wedding to have.
Bit of a non-story all right. Looks like Atomic Chicken were playing!0 -
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netwhizkid wrote: »I highly commend the married couple for inviting them in and that wedding maybe the last bit of fun some of those guys may ever enjoy in their lives. They are young guys and going out there fighting for Democracy, I really think this attitude of our Neutrality and whether they wear uniforms or not is baloney.
They are American citizens and whether Military or Citizen they are welcome to come to Ireland in my book and stay as long as they want. The Lefties don't get it that Americans are our friends and have contributed so much to Ireland accepting our immigrants and troublesome students in recent years. The Irish may have built America but the Americans built the Ireland we know today. The visit of Bill Clinton was an episode I will never ever forget.
They are innocent young fellas going through an airport and should be given every help and assistance of welcome Ireland can give during their brief stay here.
God Bless Ireland and God Bless America
Darling, I've had the laugh of tonight!
Fighting for Democracy .... the last bit of laugh they had (so you do expect them to be cannon fudder?).. what does that say about you?
Democracy in this sense is shooting around the world and prove to be superior?
But wait. Americans have free reign in Ireland whatever they do? I understand. They don't shoot the Irish. Just those "rag heads" in some place beyound the Irish-Pub-Empire?
The Americans aren't your friends. They contributed to this country as long as this country was willing to do as they pleased. As the English (in the past, 800 years and blah). They just use you for their profits, if it is 800 or 8 years. They move one as soon as your are not useful anymore. Dell, anyone?
The young fellows are not innocent. They are brutalized and trained to kill.
Get real.
And god has nothing to do with it.0 -
Darling, I've had the laugh of tonight!
Fighting for Democracy .... the last bit of laugh they had (so you do expect them to be cannon fudder?).. what does that say about you?
Democracy in this sense is shooting around the world and prove to be superior?
But wait. Americans have free reign in Ireland whatever they do? I understand. They don't shoot the Irish. Just those "rag heads" in some place beyound the Irish-Pub-Empire?
The Americans aren't your friends. They contributed to this country as long as this country was willing to do as they pleased. As the English (in the past, 800 years and blah). They just use you for their profits, if it is 800 or 8 years. They move one as soon as your are not useful anymore. Dell, anyone?
The young fellows are not innocent. They are brutalized and trained to kill.
Get real.
And god has nothing to do with it.
Well if any of them could have the misfortune to be killed and they are entitled to have but of fun like the rest of us. They are fighting to enforce Democracy and to give the next generation to chance to grow up in the same peace and freedom we enjoy today.
Shooting "rag heads" come off it, Civilians are never targeted deliberately and most of their enemies are brutal terrorists who would think nothing of cutting of the head of an Irish person or any other nationality for that matter. The Americans are our friends and I beg to differ, our economy has benefited and continues to from US investment and trade relations, Irish companies sell alot to the US and vice versa.
Brutalised, trained to kill?? They are soldiers and have seen horrors people could not imagine, they are still some mothers sons and daughters, they have families and brothers and sisters, by your analogy being a Soldier makes you some sort of sub human animal not worth the dirt on your shoe, these guys have their lives on the line so that people like you have the freedom to criticise them and complain.
They are patriots not only of the US but of any country that enjoys Democracy and freedom like we do. If it was my father or son or daughter I would love the same to be done for them; I would rather have them at any future wedding I'd have than someone who belittles people and are myopic enough to think America is not our friend. BTW, Indymedia and Shell to Sea called one of theirs is missing anyone see a leftie yankee basher lately?0 -
These guys are and around Dromoland a good bit, and they are very nice, such lovely people, and oh so young. It's so sad that they're going back to America with no job prospects whatsoever... So what that couple did is so cool. That made me smile
Also, the American troops are woth €20 mil a year to Shannon. I'd nearly sell my soul for that much, never mind my neutrality.0 -
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Join Date:Posts: 23216
Yeah, Shannon used to be the place that the shuttle was to land if it over shot, now I think they aim for Africa (no not Ennis) I remember going to the Air Show in Shannon, must have been around 1990, and they had a Galaxy class air transport vehicle that everyone was walking through, if I remember correctly they had what was being transported next to it (tanks and the likes), no one said anything, in fact it was 1 of the highlights of the day.
Whereas I think people have the right to protest and have the right to have their opinion on what's right and what's wrong, they shoudn't be impacting on other people's lively hoods by expressing the same, the fact of the matter is there is an awful lot of jobs in the locality a direct result of the US using Shannon as a stop over base, I know the almighty dollar doesn't cure all ills, but it's not as if it's the first time the US has used Ireland (and lets be honest we use them a whole lot more)0 -
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