June 29
GUEST: John McDonagh, citizen
activist, successful playwrite, DJ on WBAI and long time
yellow cab driver in NYC, talks about his engaging and popular
play “Off The Meter” that opened at the Irish Repertory
Theater.
New
York Irish Arts review
John and I had a good time talking about New York City's culture and complexities since the 1960s. The humor has a distinct Irish flavor, and John is a consumate story teller. But soon the discussion turned to colonialism, both in Northern Ireland and in Occupied Palestine.
John explained how the Protestants were sent to Ireland to force the Irish Catholics out of their homeland, much like how Jews were sent to ethnically cleans the Holy Land. The real culprits are the empires that make fortunes by invading and occupying foreign lands. The racism one can see in Northern Ireland, Palestine and Apartheid South Africa all stems from the same source, the creation of settlements and the ethnic cleansing that always follows.
In fact, comparing Northern Ireland to Palestine reveals complexities that are important for Americans to know. There will be an end to all apartheid states some day. The world abhors a racist bully, and at some future time, freedom and justice will prevail.
