It is hardly surprising that the 50th anniversary of the independence of Burma (Myanmar) this year has gone largely unnoticed here. For a start, it appears to be of little relevance to Ireland. The Burmese people's history of struggle against military rule and state brutality and their strong tradition of Buddhism seem a million miles away from our modern experiences as a nation.
Moreover, there seems to be little to celebrate about the occasion. Five decades after Aung San, known as the father of Burma, welcomed the end of 63 years of colonial rule, his daughter, the 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi, is leading a "second struggle for independence".
But, despite this, the anniversary warrants attention if only to highlight the little-known contribution made by Ireland towards Burma's struggle.
Some 50 years ago, the Burmese and the Irish did not seem so far apart as today. Ireland's campaign against British occupation had become an inspiration for political and student leaders in Burma, declared part of the British empire in 1885. Among those students was Aung San, who in 1930 helped found the Burmese independence movement, Dohbama Asi-ayone (meaning "We Burmsese"), which was modelled on its Irish counterpart, Sinn Fein.
Irish influence The Irish influence can further been seen in the list of titles published by the movement's Nagani (Red Dragon) book club, established in 1937 by students from Rangoon University with the aim of making available to the public low-cost Burmese translations of important national and international works. Of 101 titles published, 21 were on Michael Collins, two more than on Burmese history. Among the remaining titles were two on Eamonn De Valera and others on the works of James Connolly and Arthur Griffith. In contrast, only one book was published on the Indian prime minister Nehru and just two on Mahatma Gandhi.
It seems the student leaders were particularly taken by the Irish strategy of non-co-operation and labour resistance as expounded by Griffith and Connolly. The Rangoon University boycotts of 1920 and 1936 were believed to have been modelled on the great Dublin strike of 1913.
The influence of Ireland's labour movement was acknowledged by Aung San who wrote in 1940 that central to his plan was "a countryside mass resistance movement . . . in the form of a series of local and partial strikes of industrial and rural workers leading to a general rent strike finally . . ."
A few years earlier he had also looked admiringly to Ireland, among other countries, when writing about the need for effective leadership.
"We are fully prepared to follow men who are able and willing to be leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, C.R. Das, Motilal Nehru and Tilak of India; like de Valera of Ireland or Garibaldi and Mazzini of Italy. Let anybody appear who can be like such a leader, who dares to be like such a leader. We are waiting."
Connaught Rangers
According to Dr Peter Carey, vice-president of Trinity College, Oxford, the Burmese "would have known about the Irish situation not just in reports and in the press but via an extensive number of Irishmen who were serving in colonial armies."
Among them were the men of Connaught Rangers, stationed in the area from 1917. Many were known to have freed from captivity local people involved in independence struggles in Burma and neighbouring countries.
Dr Carey, who is a guest speaker at AFrI's 11th annual famine walk tomorrow week, has carried out extensive research on the Irish connection with the Burmese independence movement. He said the Burmese looked upon Ireland "as an example of what could be done. They felt a strong sense of identity with the Irish and their insurrection movement."
Fifty years on, however, Ireland's place in the world is quite different and one wonders what kind of inspiration, if any, we are for other nations. Our recent history of economic success has brought us many accolades but also much criticism. In particular, our attitude - both official and public - to refugees has threatened to undermine our much-cherished international reputation as a friendly and welcoming nation.
Ironically, this issue is close to the heart of the leader of the "second struggle for independence" in Burma who has appealed for "a brighter world which will offer adequate refuge to all its inhabitants".
"Narrow self-interest"
In a lecture in 1993, Aung San Suu Kyi warned that "the drive for economic progress needs to be tempered with an awareness of the dangers of greed and selfishness which so easily lead to narrowness and inhumanity". The greatest enemy of society and government, she said, "is not so much hatred, anger or ill-will as the rigid mental state that comes from a prolonged and unwavering concentration on narrow self-interest".
Citing the Burmese expression for refugee, dukkha-the (meaning "one who has to bear suffering"), she called for people to empathise with their plight. "None of us can avoid knowing what it is to be a refugee. The refuge we all seek is protection from forces which wrench us away from the security and comfort, physical and mental, which give dignity and meaning to human experience."
Her appeals would suggest, that 50 years on from Burma's independence, Ireland's international reputation is becoming less a source of pride than a cause for shame. As a result, the anniversary provides an opportunity not so much to reflect proudly on our past influence in Burma but to listen to the dignified message of tolerance and generosity that lies behind the "second struggle".
"Ireland's Welcome to the Stranger" is the theme of AFrI's 11th Annual famine walk from Doolough to Louisburgh, Co Mayo on May 16th.