His Grand-dad Was A Blueshirt

He talked of  his grand-dad who was a Blueshirt in the Ireland of the nineteen thirties a long time ago

In post civil war years and the enemies back then are no longer the foe

In the nineteen eighties he spent three weeks with him an ageing widowed man

An octogenarian then in time going back quite a span

Since his time as  a Blueshirt of life he had learned quite a lot

But the post civil war hostilities he had not forgot

He told him for the anti government rebellion the blueshirts were only partly to blame

That the supporters of the Government of the day to the hostilities also added fuel to the flame

The Blueshirts were led by Eoin O' Duffy a former Sinn Fein T D and Garda Commissioner sacked by the then Taoiseach De Valera  a man who had a grudge

Against the leader of the Country who had set himself up as his judge

Until the Blueshirts were finally disbanded and O' Duffy took some of his followers with him to fight with Franco in Spain

As Ireland's first fascist leader the long deceased and legendary O' Duffy the title does retain

From his grand- dad he learned a lot about the history of Ireland's past

And the post civil war hostilities that over time did not last

He told his visting Australian grandson things in life just happen this way

The past is in history and the now is today

As he talked of his visit to Ireland he looked a bit sad

Reliving the happy few eeks he spent with his wise old grand-dad

A Blueshirt under Monaghan's Eoin O' Duffy a fascist and one of Ireland's legenday men

And in Ireland a lot of things have changed since then.