Lines, Life, Laura.

I love this time of year I love the cold, dark nights I love the cold early mornings, I love the winter..strange I know but I do. Also at this time of the year we see our neighbours across the waters remember the fallen of their wars. We the Irish we have a turbelent and troubled history with our nearest neighbours. I know our history and I know our past I also know that thousands of Irish men died particuarly in the first war. For many reasons many Irish men went to war in 1914 for Redmond, for the Crown, for money. The denial of the involement of the Irish in the British Forces is something the Irish public needs to accept it happens today, then and will tomorrow and as an Irish nation we need to address it.
I started building a family tree awhile ago and while searching I came across a 17 year old John A. McMahon of the Lenister Regiment who died at Ypes. He came from Dublin’s north inner city and he is in my thoughts today as is his conterpart from Berlin, Hamburg, Dusselfdorf or some little hamelet in the Black Forest. The first war was the war to end wars … really I wish. So tonight as you sit down and watch your TV, go on the net, pat your dog, talk to your partner, kiss your kids, spare a momemt to remember to those like Private John A. McMahon 1st Boy who died at seventeen on a cold lonely field in France and for what?