I
am writing in response to Mr Egans letter, in which
he says I denigrate the term fenian. That was not
the intent of the article, the article was about books,
and the repentant fenian bastards that I was referring
to was sarcastic shot at another book. Lawerence McKeown
wrote a doctoral thesis entitled Unrepentant Fenian
Bastards, the social construction of the Irish Republican
prisoner community. The book was then published under
the title Time Out. I also remember Brendan Hughes
using the term in an interview that he remained an
unrepentant fenian bastard.
The term was used not to denigrate the word fenian,
but to take a shot at those who in former times in
our jails, and out side our jails, were noted as unrepentant
fenian bastards. That now they wear armani suits perhaps
they have repented. That was the context of the term
and not to denigrate the word.
Also, the article was meant only as a satirical look
at our very own die hards, it was never meant to be
taken with extreme seriousness.
If I have offended Mr. Egans' feelings I do apologise,
that was not the intent.
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