On Mon, 4 Sep 2000, Ray Dillinger wrote:
And the Irish were similary denied the ability to read, or to play thier traditional music. (Bards tended to sing songs counter to the english policies.)
It's a long damn tradition, unfortunately. In England, it goes back to the Norman invasion and the way the Saxons were treated; but the Normans were just copying the Romans, and the Romans were just copying the Greeks.
It's easy to look at history in this way, seeing some people as villians and other as victims. But do remember that St Patrick wasn't Irish at all. He was an English boy, stolen by Irish pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. And for centuries English kings used Irish mercenaries to subdue their unruly subjects.
When the culture of a conqueror is sufficiently different, and they can get away with it, they always try to take the native language away. That takes away all the old songs and poetry, and most of the stories, and makes it easier to stamp your own culture on a subjugated people.
But this is mostly just laziness. When Patrick didn't do what he was told, I'm sure that his masters made no effort to learn his language. They just shouted at him louder in Gaelic. -- Jim Dixon VBCnet GB Ltd http://www.vbc.net tel +44 117 929 1316 fax +44 117 927 2015