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Michael Collins named Britain’s second greatest foe after George Washington

Irish revolutionary loses out to America’s founding father in official poll

KERRY O'SHEA,

IrishCentral Staff Writer

Published Monday, April 16, 2012, 7:07 AM

Updated Monday, April 16, 2012, 10:17 AM

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Michael Collins voted Britain's greatest foe

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Michael Collins was officially voted as Britain’s second greatest foe, only losing to the first American president, George Washington. The competition was hosted by the National Army Museum in London, and the two winners were included in a short of list of five foes that had been whittled down from twenty British enemies.

The Telegraph reports on the outcome of the both public and private votes. “The contest was designed to not only identify Britain's most outstanding opponent, but also to draw attention to some lesser-known adversaries,” writes Jasper Copping for The Telegraph.

Barring domestic political enemies from the competition, those who were included in the vote must have led an army against the British empire. Each contender had to have been active from the 17th century onward, which is the same time period the National Army Museum focuses.

The initial twenty enemies were put up for a public online vote in order to determine the top five foes. Then, once the top was selected, each foe’s case would be defended via a speech that occurred Saturday in the Chelsea area of West London.

Following Washington and Collins in the final vote were Napoleon Bonaparte, Erwin Rommel and Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

After being chosen from the twenty person pool, the final five were each defended and championed via a 40 minute speech from an expert on each of the foes.

Speaking for Michael Collins was UCC lecturer Gabriel Doherty. Doherty was born in Birmingham to Irish parents and has taught history at UCC for twenty years.

Dr Stephen Brumwell made the case for George Washington and said: "As British officers conceded, he was a worthy opponent."

Ultimately, Brumwell led Washington to first place foe after clinching 45 percent of the vote; Collins followed with 21 percent.

Nster.com

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29 Comments

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STEVENSTAR | Apr 17, 2012, 07:24 PM EDT

BRDGET QUINN your an even FATTER arse !!!!

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Bridget Quinn | Apr 17, 2012, 05:32 PM EDT

StevenStar your a arse!

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Sparklet | Apr 17, 2012, 12:33 PM EDT

Gordon Brown and the Bankers sounds like some pop group. Were you using rhyming slang there, Merefalow?

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TayandCake | Apr 17, 2012, 10:39 AM EDT

I thought hitler may have been in there

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merefalow | Apr 17, 2012, 07:58 AM EDT

uk,s greatest enemy was gordon brown and the bankers.

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oldboreen | Apr 17, 2012, 07:29 AM EDT

Oh, and one final point Ms O'Shea, should an of your readers actually bother to log on to 'National Army Museum' London,the debate to which you refer,was 'Britain's Greatest Enemy Commander'.Not exactly as you have reported it is it?

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oldboreen | Apr 17, 2012, 07:07 AM EDT

I suggest that Kerry O'Shea has been somewhat selective-to say the very east-in her article. To any Irish of my generation, having still vivid memories of the Nazi bombing of wartime London, let me assure her and everyone else, that had any of us, whether Irish or British, been asked then,or indeed at any time since,to name Britain's greatest foe,Michael Collins and George Washington would certainly not have featured in a 'Britiain' greatest foe' poll!!! Would it be unreasonable to ask Ms O'Shea to publish 'the list' in full. I for one would be interested to see it!

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IrelandNorth | Apr 17, 2012, 05:57 AM EDT

Cromwell's New Model Army was the only national army (sic) England and/or Britian ever had. The British Army (BA)is an intranational standing offence force comprised of Welsh, Scottish and/or Northern Irish contingents, (with a few ambivalent nationalist mercenaries from the 26 counties thrown in to sate England's ethnocentric egotism). The inclusion of Collins is telling, since the whole fight for Irish freedom in which he participated was about not being 'domesticated' by the hardboiled imperialists of old Anglo-Saxonia. Since Washington succeeded in putting the redcoats on the run, and the Irish have yet to conclude the business of so doing, I assume Collin's silver medal status in the military Lonsdale stakes is on account of this. A consolation prize?

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Seanmor | Apr 16, 2012, 10:24 PM EDT

How is Hitler rated among G.B.s greatest enemies?

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warrenpoint00 | Apr 16, 2012, 09:40 PM EDT

The only consoling factor in all of this for me is that the british queen Elizabeth stood and prayed and paid tribute at the memorial stone for Oglach Michael Collins and all the men and women of the I.R.A.She later apologized to the Irish nation for all the evil bestowed upon the Irish people by her regime. She/they the british never did apologize to the Americans for their murderous rampage so obviously they were really pissed at George Washington so it would be a credible assumption that George Washington would have been public enemy No 1 to the failed evil empire.Beannacht de Michael Collins you lost out again.If only you had waited a few more years you would have been a greater hero than Theobald Wolfe Tone

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slainte58 | Apr 16, 2012, 07:28 PM EDT

..don't consider myself, educated nor sophisticated. As a 3rd generation Irish-American, I can only say what my heart speaks from my visits there. from the books that I have read, from the history of my blood, my pride. Please do not deny me that? It was only a poll..Just because I was born in America does not make me feel any less of what my great grandfather, and his father went through. I share my pride and heritage, wear it on my sleeve, passed it on to my daughters etc. No one can take my pride away.

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abbym7180 | Apr 16, 2012, 07:13 PM EDT

That is correct ! George Washington was their biggest enemy.Ancavker, thank you , you speak my languague. Stevenstar, it might be time to read up a bit on history..by the way,as an american,with plenty of irish ancestry, since when did we become the bad guys? Did not our former president try to make peace between ireland & northern ireland ? Also , many of us would not be here in america if the famine had not happened, & the british landowners had not starved,evicted & put on boats bound for the states are ancestors.And replaced them by sheep in your country,instead of irish people.Hence the future of an independent free irish state to come ! As my father used to say somehow ireland never understands we (america) are really their biggest friend.Anyway, if you need a lifeboat call us ! :)

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slainte58 | Apr 16, 2012, 07:12 PM EDT

..love it...Michael, you are still talking to me, so proud of what you did, your organization skills, commited to the cause for your country. Sometimes 2cd place is not so bad.

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luxefaire | Apr 16, 2012, 07:02 PM EDT

war is for monkeys, the greatest mistake britain ever made was not capitalizing on the work of charles babbage; in the long term this sunk their ship more thoroughly than any gun or ambush. irish people need to become smarter, and start to look beyond all the puppet strings and immediate events, the mental capacity is there, though alcohol is your bane, as it was mine, and you have lost all touch with the grove....the cult of the crucified jew was a big step down for us....b

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ancavker | Apr 16, 2012, 04:02 PM EDT

Real Irish people living in the U.S.? Should they not be living in Ireland? After all you have all moved on and now consider yourselves educated,sophisticated, and trendy. And all the rest. I am told this by some so called real Irish people living in Ireland. And yet look at the mess you have made of the place. I know, I know it was not your fault, it was those big bad banks, and those mean Germans. And yet in the 1980's were it not for the effort of those same Orish-Americans as you so insultingly refer to them, thousands of you living here in the U.S. would have never been legalized. Before you criticize me, I am Irish born (came here as a child ) and I go home all the time. My spouse was born in the U.S. but went back when she was 6 and came back in her early 20's. For those real Irish who don't know there were more quite a few from the NY metro area whose parents returned in the early 70's who bought their American born children with them. We both have lots of family still there including siblings. Thankfully they are not ignorant like some of the "real" Irish in Ireland and some of them who post here. Meanwhile back in Ireland as the country bleeds economically I know relations and friends getting the unwed mothers children allowance, the council housing, and all the other free this and that. No wonder the country is in such a desperate state. And of course you still need to take a holiday even if you are not working because of the all the stress of not working. One final point the article stated that the contest was held by the National Army Museum in London. Where do the Oirish-Americans come into play here?

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