Tuesday 31 January 2012

The shady world of Gombeen Nation and its funding

Sometimes I wish the blog had the power and influence some seem to think it has. Take a comment that came in the other day on an older post detailing Councillor Nial Ring’s opposition to the recent visit by our nearest neighbour’s head of state.

The correspondent had been searching for the good councillor’s contact details, and was rather miffed to come across the bould Gombeen Nation topping the Google search (I tried it myself, but was rather miffed to see Gombeen Nation only came up second). I paste the comment below:

No doubt since I'm not a hater of all things Irish my words won’t get printed. One question I would like to ask is where does the money come from that maintains this bile and hatred? I was just searching for Councillor Rings’ contact details and this is the first thing that presents itself. I know that Google doesn’t provide this kind of exposure cheaply.

I wonder can it be traced back to the British treasury or a British org that promotes their monarchy?

Please note that Councillor Nial Ring was democratically elected by his constituents, which is more than can be said for some!

Padraig Beirne


Conspiracy afoot, it seems. Declan Ganley has nothing on the shadowy world of Gombeen Nation and the money that funds it.  Does the dodgy cash come from the British Treasury, or a British organisation that promotes its monarchy? Or maybe it is even bankrolled by those masters of dirty tricks, M15?


No, far more banal than that Padraig, I’m afraid. It’s free to set up a blog. The only thing it costs is time - and the odd headache, from beating your head against the wall all the time.

Ireland is, after all, a place where many cannot see beyond the “bile and hatred” that passes for everyday, orthodox political discourse and opinion. Councillor Ring’s banging on about the Rising, "informers" and The 800 Years being a very good example of the genre.

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14 comments:

Frederick said...

Ha Ha Ha! Your denial is futile - by the process of elimination you must, therefore, be working for the CIA!

Un-be-fuck-ing-livable!

The Gombeen Man said...

Isn't it just? Mind you, stuff like that makes it all worthwhile!

John said...

I was always wonder why in certain sections I have met in Ireland are those that maintain the view that any type of criticism of Ireland is deemed as a form of treason and that one is then classified as a "West" Brit.

I think that, the Marxist social historian, Eric Hobsbawn sums this kind of make believe view of a nations history in his book , The Invention of Tradition, he argues that invented tradition includes, "both "traditions"actually invented, constructed and formally instituted and those emerging in a less easily traceable manner with a brief and dateable period - a matter of a few years perhaps - and establishing themselves with great rapidity." These "invented traditions" are "a set of practices, normally governed by overtly or tacitly accepted rules and of a ritual or symbolic nature, which seek to inculcate certain values and norms of behaviour by repetition, which automatically implies continuity with the past."

This I think sums up the GAA and our Gaelic culture inventions of the 19th Century and the view as expressed by this worthy person that this site must be financed by the "Brits" is part of this myth making culture beloved by many on this Island.

Anonymous said...

one laughs as one pictures the gombeen man in a kind of tinker tailor spy setup , in a secret room with top mi5 brass composing posts with a printing buisness as a front to launder funds

The Gombeen Man said...

Sounds like it could be a lucrative little sideline, Anon.

That sounds like an interesting read, John. Is it in print, do you know?

Even the term "West Brit" is off the mark, as the term British Isles (or translations of such) go back to antiquity. The pre-Gaelic inhabitants of this particular island, and the one across the way, are thought to have spoken Brittonic, a P-Celtic language - hence the geographical term.

Ella said...

Hi GM, breaking my shite laughing here!! ha ha! The idea that you might be secretly funded by some sinister British based group. Wot a pity you don't have more influence though.

Elisabeth R said...

Did you get my cheque GM? Keep up the good work.

Dakota said...

Classic. Another clear demonstration of where "Ireland" is, and how "it" got there. A perfect example. A true authoritarian state always acts upon the psychology of the individual. What the author - and many like him - fail to understand is, he, is its willing host. In Ireland, the individual always was a type of metaphor, a sensor of the individual mind. The British/Irish dimension was always a convenient representation for money, wealth, power, fixations, insecurities and control. A mechanism for immature Irish mind games, within a psychological context.

GM, and with all due respect to Mr Beirne, when he says democracy, he obviously means cute-hoorism? He is an adherent of "all things Irish" after all?

The Gombeen Man said...

@ Ella. Some people think it quite feasible, it seems.

@ Elizabeth R. No Ma'am.

@ Dakota. I wonder what has to happen here before such people turn their ire inwards, and focus on our own political class as the source of much of our ills?

Dakota said...

GM I won't happen on any meaningful level. Ireland is backward.

Could the fiscal compact be any worse than institutionalised insanity?

Anonymous said...

GM Surely the lads in GCHQ could have sorted out your broadband issues by now or do you agent chaps still file your reportes in morse ?

The Gombeen Man said...

-. ---

Anonymous said...

The full extent of conspiracy shall be revealed soon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CmUiUXMEyRw

The Gombeen Man said...

Ha ha. That's great!!!! Thanks for posting - will give it a slot of it's own soon.