I think one should be wary of what the actress Rose McGowan said, the context within which it was said, how the question was posed to her, and what the media has chosen to publish and chosen to edit out.

If the quote is an accurate, verbatim copy of what she said, it doesn’t on the face it appear to be a tacit support for the IRA. The sentence “I imagine had I grown up in Belfast I would have 100 percent joined the IRA,” sounds like she was trying to posit the view that, had she experienced a childhood in that troubled, blighted city, and been a Catholic - which being part Italian/Irish I would imagine she is - then she can envisage experiences and ingrained views that would have led to her support to the pro-Republican cause, even to potential support for the paramilitary terrorist groups of differing complections. That doesn’t sound to me as though she was advocating explicit support as such. I’m sure, upon reflection, she would have considered wording it a little differently. It isn’t, it should be noted, a very articulate or considered Englsih sentence. And by that, I don’t mean to attempt to make the statement a little more innocuous, diplomatic or objective. It appears the answer was on the spur of the moment. ” … would have 100 percent joined the IRA” ? Well, either you join or you don’t; one doesn’t join 50 percent, do you ? Of course, you may argue, whether the sentence is literate or not, it will still betray the thought and opinion that underwrote it. It still suggests that she tried to give an instant sound-byte reply, but put her Gucci booted, perfectly pedicured foot photogenic foot well, truly and squarely into her loose mouth.

Rose McGowan is not a heavyweight intellectual, political commentator or leading voice of someone caught up in The Troubles. She’s a Hollywood actress. Her comments, insensitive or offensive, ill-informed or downright ignorant, were made from the cushioned, luxurious, fully air-conditioned insulation of La-La Land, USA. It can be assumed that the media put a loaded question to her in such a way that the response was practically pre-governed, then taken out of context, and then advertised around the world’s media platforms like some dubious sermon from the Mount. Why, I ask myself, was this comment published ? What, you have to ask yourself, was the desired reaction the media wanted ? Controversy ? Insult ? The anger whipped up based on lies by omission of the whole truth ? Well, it seems to have worked, doesn’t it.

The fact that as story is reported in the news doesn’t infact mean that it has any news-worthy value or importance whatsoever. Better to regard the comments as those of a silly woman who was put on the spot, wished to say something with intelligence or merit, and was found wanting.

I can’t believe she said this, it is so hurtful. I have lived in Belfast all my life and the damage that the Troubles have caused is inexplicable. It a shocking that anyone would wish to assosciate themselves with a any group involved in the Troubles. To date, 1500 have died. Why would she involve herself in that? She obviously does not understand her subject matter.

I think evie like many others was not a student of a complete history. While Rose may have made her comment off the cuff, I believe there may be quite a few people who didn’t live in Ireland through the troubles that would have joined the PIRA. This is evidenced by people in the states, as well as Irish throughout the world engaging in many acts to support those brave volunteers on the home front. I will not deny, war is never pretty. While we romance it afterward, war at its most vicious is an ugly affair. But a bid for freedom from a historically oppressive government is never a wrong move.

Not long ago Nelson Mandela was seen as a terrorist by the British Govt. as well as many other democracies.The fact is one mans terrorist is anothers freedom fighter,it just depends on what side you’re on.A life’s a life no matter who,what or where they are.However,if i awoke tomorrow and a foreign power had taken rule of my country & my civil rights were denied i would most certainly be motivated to join a group that stood against them - any right minded person would.Standing up to violence by using violence isn’t terrorism it’s common sense.Violence is abhorrant but in the world we live it is also inevitable.The British have a long history of violence & i’m sure the many peoples who have suffered at their hands don’t see them as heroic soldiers,again it just depends on what side you take.Rose McGowan was asked a question & answered it.Maybe if politicians were to adopt the same policy the need for violence would be diminished.I wouldn’t hold my breath though.

robbie, you are presuming that i want the UK to break up which is not what i said, if you read what i wrote…no we are not ruling ourselves, most of Englands mps are scottish with posh accents… scottish mps can vote in English situations but english not in scottish… i said i would prefer it seeing as we are all apparently ruling ourselves to have the natives of those coutries to rule there’s its only fair seeing as natives will do best by their own countries because they actually care, i said ireland because nothern ireland wanted to be part of the UK but southern did not…. fact is rose’s comments make me feel sick and what she said is basically she is a proud terrorist… she has people my age (19) who are her fans….she really gross.

she needs to learn to shut up and grow up. her dad wouldnt have let her do anything with the ira. why cause its a dirty job. what a cow she dosent think of the kids with no moms. the moms with no babys and the fathers with no sons. dosent matter what freaken side you are on….. people have lost there lives…. familys left behind….. I say she should be canned and never put on tv again. what a lippy cow.

People are incredibly stupid. I’m not talking about Rose McGowan. I’m talking about the media, the movie’s producers and the public, who are taking the position that the actress is advocating the violent actions of the IRA.

No one really bothered to stop and contemplate what she was really saying. Reading some of these comments has made me realize how moronic the majority of the human race can truly be. Especially when they listen to the likes of the media, with their history of misinterpreting celebrities.

I suppose that blowing up women and children out shopping or shooting dead a dad at a dinner table infront of his children is OK because “My heart just broke for the cause”?

This woman should have thought about what the IRA did (just like all terrorists in Northrn Ireland).

Iwonder just what it is about the murderous activities of the IRA which she finds appealing,” he said.

As an IRA member would Miss McGowan have been happy to participate in the abduction, torture and murder of Jean McConville, a widow and mother of 10?

Perhaps she wishes she had murdered shoppers in a bomb outside Harrods? Fire bombed diners in the La Mon restaurant? Shot dead people doing a days job? Set off no wraning bombs killing scores of people? Or does she wish she has been responsible for the murder of two young boys in Warrington?

If Miss McGowan can develop such a misplaced sense of sympathy for murdering terrorists after making a film about the IRA, I sincerely hope she is never asked to make a film about the terror attacks on the Twin Towers, lest she come out with some rubbish about sympathising with Bin Laden and wanting to join Al Qaida.

Murdering men, women and children is never justified. Never.

ps. i agree with nick. she’s obviously made a lot of people angry at her stupidity, she needs to do her research. i feel mostly for the victims in northern ireland and britain than just her attack on the UK, it must be making their blood boil. i dont think it was wise to make the book in to a film just yet, people are still bruised from this and its not helping us to move on…

Evie:
“tbh british people couldn’t give a toss about ireland being part of the UK, WE DONT CARE”

Actually, we do.

John from Dublin:
“The conflict in the North of Ireland was created by the British Government’s anti-democratic partition of Ireland based on a sectarian headcount (that’s why three of Ulster’s nine counties were excluded from the ‘Northern Ireland’ state) and the threat of the Empire’s might in 1922.”

There was conflict in the south of Ireland, the west of Ireland and the east of Ireland too. It was created by people who wanted a compromise between the wishes of some Irish people and the wishes of other Irish people. Some refused to accept the compromise, though it was ratified democratically by an international treaty. Sinn Féin was invited to take part in the border talks, but they declined.

“If she’d said the same about joining the MI5/MI6/Military Intelligence ‘James Bonds’ who ran loyalist paramilitary death squads no one would have batted an eyelid.”

Those same ‘James Bonds’ who ran Loyalist “paramilitary death squads” also ran Republican “paramilitary death squads”. For the same reason too: counter-terrorism.