Erin Go Bragh!

This isn't my St. Patty's day post. No four leaf clovers or mentions of "The Quiet Man".

The recent murder of two British Army soldiers in Northern Ireland by the Real IRA has Ireland fearful of "the troubles" once again. This is a difficult topic for me to discuss as my affinity for Ireland and the Irish is strong. I don't condone the violence, but am empathetic toward those in Northern Ireland who want their independence from Great Britain. Sad - very sad.

Sappers (engineer soldier) Mark Quinsey, 23, from Birmingham, and Patrick Azimkar, 21, from London.

I don't know if you're aware of this but there was a sniper attack two days after the Massereene Barracks that resulted in the death of Stephen Carroll, a Northern Ireland policeman (PSNI) in Craigavon, County Armagh. This was the first murder of a police officer in Northern Ireland since 1998. The Continuity IRA claimed responsibility for this shooting and stated that "As long as there is British involvement in Ireland, these attacks will continue". The Continuity IRA is different than the Real IRA - same goals, just different splinter groups of the IRA. Shit - there's so many splinter groups it's insane and would make anyone skeptical of a shred of ongoing peace there.

When I was in Belfast in 1989, the tanks and military that....well it was evident this was a police state. Whatever you wanna call it. When my friend Justyna and I were in Belfast in April 2006 (has it been that long?), it was completely different. I fear now things might possibly change. Did I mention how sad this is?