51 Comments

• Los Leandros | Mar 28, 2012, 07:45 AM EDT

  Next on the agenda, Galway County Council plan a memorial to Pol Pot & Oliver Cromwell !.

• ciaradexy | Mar 03, 2012, 02:32 PM EST

  I dont know about you but it says at the top of this page-'Irish central' and 'Irish voice' and most articles are about Ireland or the inaccurate insulting view of Ireland by Americans so Im on here giving an Irish persons response to issues in my country. And as Galway is in my country, Im entitled to express an opinion.

• Curitiba | Mar 03, 2012, 10:43 AM EST

  Well you're not Irish American and neither am I so why are we contributing to this site?

• ciaradexy | Mar 03, 2012, 09:18 AM EST

  He wasnt Irish Curitiba, youre right but sure neither are most on this site! He was a revolutionary which is why some Irish people like him.

• Curitiba | Mar 03, 2012, 08:48 AM EST

  Why? Leaving aside the fact he was a troublemaker, this lot on here would be screaming "HE'S NOT IRISH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!". Who they should be building a monument to is all of the fine irish men and women who were forced to emigrate to England during the 20th century because their own country made it clear it didn't want them.

• Springfield9 | Mar 02, 2012, 11:20 PM EST

  The one who came up with this idea is definitely 'round the bend.

• seanomelb | Mar 02, 2012, 06:26 PM EST

  Fabferm appears to be quoting from a right wing catechism

• GeorgeDillon | Mar 02, 2012, 12:48 PM EST

  If they do go ahead and erect this statue, I hope Che fares better than did poor old Padraig O Conaire. Padraig, to those who don't know, was a minor writer in the Irish language who had a charming and whimsical statue to him erected in Galway's main square. It lasted quite a few years, beloved by everyone, until one night a few years back a group of Irish drunks took it on themselves to smash it to pieces in yet another orgy of mindless Irish violence. As far as I remember the stupid Irish judge (are there any other?) gave them a derisorily soft sentence.

• pattbaa | Mar 02, 2012, 12:02 PM EST

  Remember Lee Harvey Oswald who idolized Castro and Communist Cuba?

• maryosullivan | Mar 02, 2012, 09:51 AM EST

  This reminds me of the criticisms of Jane Fonda when she attempted to bring attention to the illegal US war against Viet Nam while ignoring Robert McNamar's book admitting the Bay of Tonkin attack [the claimed reason for the for the war] was fabricated Find fault w/Che if you wish but first let's hear what he was fighting against

• faberm1 | Mar 02, 2012, 09:49 AM EST

  Che Guevara was a totalitarian. He organized and presided over the Cuban Revolution's first firing squads. He established Cuba's system of labor camps which incarcerated those who didn't agree with him and Castro. These are the same camps that eventually have been used to incarcerate gays, dissidents, and AIDS victims. This is a bad idea. There are many others whom Galway could honor as freedom thinkers who were of Irish origin.

• ciaradexy | Mar 02, 2012, 05:53 AM EST

  Pilib, so answer the question then! No one seems to be able to give a good reason as to why Che and Obama arent 'Irish' when they are as 'Irish' as the rest of the Americans on this site!

• IrelandNorth | Mar 02, 2012, 05:45 AM EST

  I'm disappointed in Declan Ganley. Though he was a little more broad minded. Almost as disappointed as some American right-wingers on this site. Personally, I think it's a great idea. Why not a statue to Ernesto Che O Guervara. We should be equal opportunity embracers of all our luminaries.

• Mustard | Mar 01, 2012, 11:19 PM EST

  Personally I can1t for the life of me understand why anyone would want to glorify a ringin when you have so many HOME GROWN heros and heroines to choose from..

• pilib04 | Mar 01, 2012, 09:07 PM EST

  ciaradexy, you are beginning to sound like a stuck record! Same old song and dance.

• pilib04 | Mar 01, 2012, 09:06 PM EST

  Che might have preferred a wall mural to a statue. The concept is a great one. Pay tribute to one of the best loved person's in the world.

• galway2001 | Mar 01, 2012, 08:23 PM EST

  they got to be kidding who ever came up with that idea must be using drugs.The grandmother must be trash to begin with.Who cares that she was from galway,he was a murdered or do they care, why dont you name the people that came up with this idea,they should be punished.What the heck is happening to the irish, they should get out of there liberel way's instead of acting stupid.

• seanomelb | Mar 01, 2012, 05:48 PM EST

  Che's "Irishness" is as pure as some Irish American posters and he deserves a statue for giving his life for the oppressed.

• ciaradexy | Mar 01, 2012, 05:41 PM EST

  Jaysis, Most of the Americans on this site claim to be irish and yet deny Che and Obama from having the same claim. Youre all as irish as each other but in Ireland, none of you are irish! We'll take anyone if it brings in the tourists though! Why is it good enough for one of you but not for another? Hypocrites!

• Rebelforce | Mar 01, 2012, 04:37 PM EST

  Let's face it, Che Guevara is considered a hero and freedom fighter by millions of people around the world. Others consider him a terrorist. He's kind of like a Hispanic version of the I.R.A. I see no reason not to honor this world famous revolutionary for his Irish roots. And as for investors, their only concern will be whether they can make a buck in Galway, not whether there is a statue there honoring Che.

• GeorgeDillon | Mar 01, 2012, 04:20 PM EST

  roryobrien: Hate to break this to you, but what you believe to be your family history is bunk. The Lynches in Che's case came to Argentina via Spain, and had left Ireland in the early 18th century.

• khayes8684 | Mar 01, 2012, 04:19 PM EST

  Che was Irish? About the same way Cromwell was Irish, both stopped in Ireland and both liked to kill people. Che just got lucky and had a good photo taken of him. Even Castro couldn't put up with him and sent him to South America to "export the rev." and, of course, to get him killed - problem sloved.

• roryobrien | Mar 01, 2012, 04:10 PM EST

  I would oppose it because Che's antecedents did NOT come from Galway!The Lynch's were Fenians who emigrated from Milltown Malbay to Argentina in the late 19th century. I know because my family is related to him ( through the Lynch connection).

• KevinKehoe | Mar 01, 2012, 03:51 PM EST

  I think some of the commentators here are reading from the Fox News version of history. Was it not the US backed Dictator Fulgencio Bastista who raped, tortured, pillaged and murdered 20,000 of his people. And then imported the Mafia Scum to the island and all this before Che Guevara, Castro and the rebels took up arms and kicked there greedy murdering ass out of Cuba [as you say in the good old US of A]. Can you people not read or maybe even study, because you will be a dumb as ever if you don't start soon. Time to remove the embargo and start talking.

• GeorgeDillon | Mar 01, 2012, 03:01 PM EST

  Stiofain: "Che's (Dr.Ernesto Guevara-Lynch) mother was from Ireland". That's utter bunk. Che's links with Ireland were extremely remote, the Lynches were one of those families that had to emigrate to Spain during the Penal Laws (18th century). By the way, there used to be a clip on the Irish TV web site of an interview with Che when he stopped in Shannon some time in the mid-1960s. I guess he was coming in from Moscow. For many years, up to quite recently, Shannon was used by AEROFLOT and other exotic airlines as a stop on their flights to places like Havana or Nicaragua. Maybe the clip is still up.

• citizen69 | Mar 01, 2012, 02:52 PM EST

  Sure what's the big deal? There are already a few monuments to Marxist terrorists in Ireland.... the Provisional IRA!

• merefalow | Mar 01, 2012, 02:11 PM EST

  brilliant,a man who stood up for the poor and downtrodden,of course the millionaire land owning class would hate him.there is a tradition in Ireland of similar fighters against exploitation and invasion. Honor to Che,the right wing Pinochet killer squads that were trained and armed by uncle sam were the real murdering b,,,,,, in s,america.ask the thousands upon thousands of mothers where their children disappeared to, anything that is a light shade of pink that tries to change the status quo of the rich and powerful is fair game to these exploiters.and its still happening/

• Dompedro | Mar 01, 2012, 01:52 PM EST

  Talk about crossing places off your Bucket list!

• JerryLynch | Mar 01, 2012, 01:44 PM EST

  Relatively speaking, now I know why I've always had such revolutionary thoughts. It's in my genes!

• Stiofain | Mar 01, 2012, 01:31 PM EST

  GOOD IDEA! Che's (Dr.Ernesto Guevara-Lynch) mother was from Ireland.

• micky74007 | Mar 01, 2012, 01:27 PM EST

  Why not put one up for Oliver Cromwell as well?

• colkelley | Mar 01, 2012, 01:25 PM EST

  Sure...why not...he was a terrorist and a mass murderer...just what the Irish idealize about the Irish Republican Army. If this stupidity continues I am going to have to change my last name and start claiming to be Lithuanian because the Irish in Ireland are becoming an embarrassment.

• HumbertoCapiro | Mar 01, 2012, 01:03 PM EST

  THE TRUE STORY OF CHE GUEVARA- The History Channel presentation: From his famous motorcycle trips to his historic role in the Cuban Revolution, Argentinean revolutionary Che Guevara is profiled in a documentary produced to explore the life of the man whose visage has become an iconic symbol of hard left politics. This man, who ordered the execution of countless human beings while in charge of the notorious La Cabaña prison in Havana, who terrorized Cuban society and who denied freedom to thousands of citizens whom he considered “deviants” or “anti-revolutionaries” can never be accepted as a hero, martyr or — the shock of it — a saint. TO SEE THE FULL DOCUMENTARY CLICK LINK http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-true-story-of-che-guevara/

• HumbertoCapiro | Mar 01, 2012, 01:01 PM EST

  216 DOCUMENTED VICTIMS OF CHÉ GUEVARA IN CUBA: 1957 TO 1959 From Armando M. Lago, Ph.D.´s - Cuba: The Human Cost of Social Revolution http://www.cubaarchive.org/downloads/CA08.pdf

• combroker | Mar 01, 2012, 12:55 PM EST

  brengun, I don't disagree with you about Bush - I would opposed him and his warlike stance, even as he was planning to invade Iraq. Supporting the downtrodden is laudable, but not at the expense of the same people who live in far greater feare than before they were "liberated". As a teen, I admired Che, as well. But I learned that the romantic picture resulted from information spoonfed to biographers and historians by the Cuban government. It was, and to a large degree still is an isolated country, and the information coming out of the Castro camp was filtered - as all governments do; but with Cuba, the isolation provided no means of verifying the data. What we received was a one-sided, very positive perspective. Now, additional sources of information are available. The picture is far less than romantic than what we were previously given, and more like era of The Inquisition - and worse. So, I have grown up; when will you?

• BrendanDunphy | Mar 01, 2012, 12:14 PM EST

  While I don't think this will deter American investment in Eire, it is still yet another example of how Ireland is sadly becoming a much less-friendly, and more unwelcoming, ungrateful, and borderline hostile, nation.

• ceceann | Mar 01, 2012, 12:11 PM EST

  Sorry did not mean Ganley. This is such a poorly written article I cannot name the culprit.

• ceceann | Mar 01, 2012, 12:09 PM EST

  Why doesn't Ganley give his millions to the poor? Wouldn't that be a better way to honor Che, since he decried the inequaties between the rich and poor? The poor cannot eat statues.

• hermitTalker | Mar 01, 2012, 11:57 AM EST

  The current Government honoured Barry O' and Mrs Windsor last May- he is as far Left as Guevara was or further. Her ancestors and in her 60 years her troops have stripped Ireland of trees, land and perhaps other raw materials and murdered and imposed Penal Laws. I absolutely reject the agenda of extreme lEFT and RIGHT so let us be fair in our evaluation of who gets a statue please

• bogsidebunny | Mar 01, 2012, 11:55 AM EST

  The Irish think Ché was a Saint. A Socialist icon in the moralistic shadow of Socialist Ireland.. Like Robin Hood. They deny the truth when I try to tell them he was a butcher, murderer and worse. They love Castro as well. He'll be the next to be "honoured" with a statue larger than life. After that (or maybe before) Hugo Chavez. Another Irish hero!

• rugbyplayer | Mar 01, 2012, 11:55 AM EST

  Maybe Che's Irish connection was responsible for the activist blood that later flowed in the young Argentinean's veins? Che, a young doctor, saw too much of the inequalities between rich and poor as he traversed thru many South American nations("Motorcycle Diaries"). These encounters changed his life forever.

• tundish45 | Mar 01, 2012, 11:34 AM EST

  Che would have flipped off -- or even worse -- every one of the City Council, even the proponents of this sillyness. He considered everyone who worked within existing government systems to be the unredeemable enemy of his version of The People.

• Skibberrean | Mar 01, 2012, 11:09 AM EST

  Surely this is a pathetic joke. A monument to a terrorist? Why not Bin Laden and Sadam Hussein also. What about Hitler, Stalin. Put one up for each one you sorry fools!

• edmundburke | Mar 01, 2012, 10:59 AM EST

  Good work, Mr. Declan. Che stood for the destruction of the kind of society Ireland has been building since 1922, even if that destruction included the mass murder of civilians. In its place he would have built the kind of society a third of the world suffered through for 80 years and then rejected and which the citizens of the remainder -- Cuba, North Korea, China, Vietnam -- hope in their poverty comes to a quick end. Radical communism is nothing to celebrate, and certainly in a country with only remote connections to the man and in which such a system has been roundly rejected in each of the many elections since the founding of the State.

• Murph46 | Mar 01, 2012, 10:50 AM EST

  Rubbish!

• Rebelforce | Mar 01, 2012, 10:40 AM EST

  Let's face it, Che Guevara is considered a hero and freedom fighter by millions of people around the world. Others consider him a terrorist. He's kind of like a Hispanic version of the I.R.A. I see no reason not to honor this world famous revolutionary for his Irish roots. And as for investors, their only concern will be whether they can make a buck in Galway, not whether there is a statue there honoring Che.

• brengun | Mar 01, 2012, 10:31 AM EST

  HI conbroker, , the only difference between Che and your mates the neantherdal Bush and co is that Che sacrificed his life for the liberation of the disposessed enslaved massesI guess in your world everyone drags their knuckles still,

• antoman | Mar 01, 2012, 10:22 AM EST

  As I said over in yer mans article. Get a Che Guevara t-shirt from a student and put it on an existing statue.

• combroker | Mar 01, 2012, 08:51 AM EST

  Or Adolf Eichman, or Heinrich Himmler...or Oliver Cromwell. Che's backers apparently do not understand that the man was in charge of Cuba's version of the secret police, and was responsible for mass arrests, false accusations, torture and murder. Congratulations to Galway on celebrating such achievements.

• DrTrelawney | Mar 01, 2012, 08:27 AM EST

  It's not the "Labor Party". It's the "Labour Party".

• DrTrelawney | Mar 01, 2012, 08:06 AM EST

  A monument to a terrorist. Why not add Arafat as well?