And a martyr for Ireland.
Ireland? How was he a martyr for me living in an independent state, mate? He died for nothing.
Ireland is not independent, it is partitioned and part of it remains under foreign rule. Bobby Sands died for the persecuted and indigenous minority, so that they may get their freedom. He is a hero to Italian people, right across the spectrum - from the far left to the far right. We even named a street after him in Florence.
We (in the republic) have the part of Ireland we want, pal, and have no interest in the British part so these martyrs can die for somewhere else. I’m in no mood to give you a history lesson but Ireland as a nation encapsulating the whole island never existed, we in the south carved it out.
Ireland is not a republic, the northern part of it is ruled by a monarch.
Italy is a republic.
I must ask the next Italian I meet for his in depth analysis of Bobby Sands. Should be interesting.