The Opression was/is one-sided. You can argue that is life, and that it is only a matter of "survival of the fittest". However, you cannot deny that land in Ulster was confiscated and sold to small Scottish farmers. The idea was that they would not sell the land back to the native Irish.
I would agree that if you seek deeper along the lines of population genetics self-identity based on nationality is indeed an artificial/man-made creation. The ancient tribes of Europe did not know the political borders of modern Europe. Nevertheless, I doubt you disagree that an Irishman probably has more in common with his countrymen than he does with populations in other nations of Europe.
"This time the Irish were really punished. And in 1695 the Penal Code severely reduced the rights of Catholics. These Penal Codes were added to over the years, all designed to keep the Irish Catholics in their place. At this time the Irish Catholics had only one-seventh of the land. Most Catholics were tenants and laborers. The Penal Laws and the attendant economic deprivation of the Irish Catholics were the start of the determined push to make the Irish a group with "minority status" in their own country."
http://www.vernonjohns.org/plcooney/ireland.html
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Originally Posted by Dirkhrod
As for who is right... both, of course. Whom does Ulster belong to ? To the strongest. Both Celts and Anglo-Saxons are invaders, not only in Ireland, but in Britain too, in Western Europe even. None has a moral right greater than the other. It is absurd to talk about Ireland being Irish by right, since it is Irish by right of conquest, and it was British by right of conquest. It is ultimately the only right that matters.
If you are British, fight for your side. If your are Irish, fight for yours. If you are anything else, either stay out of it or pick a side, according to your heritage and values. But do not talk about divine right or justice or non-violence. If our ancestors had thought like this, we would still be living in caves.
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