Conversations with History: Conor Cruise O'Brien

Wow, a lot of the comments here are examples of the typical reactionary republican thinking that drove the Irish conflict for so long. Its very similar to a more recent Republican ethos that you are either with us or against us and appeals to the same type of intellectually retarded notions of nationalism and patriotism

CCB did not kill maim terrorise intimidate rob torture disfigure, the IRA/Sinn Fein did all that not only against their natural enemies but committed these crimes against humanity against their own people/ neighbours politicians and countrymen (hows that for patriotism?)

TREASON is any attempt to overthrow the government or impair the well-being of a state to which one owes allegiance - the IRA and Sinn Fein did this for a long time against the Irish state and its citizens. They justified this by believing that they were the rightful government of Ireland and did not recognise the democratically elected government of the Irish republic.

They attacked the political/social and economic institutions of the Irish Republic as well as it citizens. Just as much as the unionists wanted the Irish state to fail so too did the IRA and politicians in the Republic knew this.

CCBs censorship Act of the IRA/Sinn Fein was supported by all the main parties for a long time and the censorship Act was not repealed by any of them until relatively recently thus proving the support that the Irish people had for that censorship.
Him becoming a caricature in later years was sad and comical much like the nasty comments made here by guys whose reading started at nationalism and ended with patriotism (with only weapons manuals in-between).

But hey Im not surprised, the IRA was funded by religious conservative rightwingers in the USA for years not a brain between them reactionaries on both sides of the Atlantic at least the power of the fascist nationalist republician reactionaries on both sides of the Atlantic has dwindled recently.

CCB was a world respected intellectual and writer, its a pity that some Irish muppets cant see beyond their own prejudices .

I named my first-born son Conor owing to my respect and admiration for the wriitng of Conor Cruise O'Brien. I must say the interviewer deserves kudos (sic) for portraying an exciting man as something this bland. Methinks the interviewer should be driving a car with a vanity license plate reading: "For this I went to college." What a dullard!