Scariest experience of my life!!! (Nothern Ireland is still a bit mad)

dlofnep

I was blown off the road by a bunch of loyalists on my way back from Derry for having a sticker of Toiréasa Ferris on the window. Knuckle-dragging morons.

fitz0

dlofnep wrote: »

I was blown off the road by a bunch of loyalists on my way back from Derry for having a sticker of Toiréasa Ferris on the window. Knuckle-dragging morons.

by a bomb?

AdamusAdonis

rarnes1 wrote: »

You were lucky OP.

A friend of mine is doing an evening course up in Belfast Uni and has encountered plenty of twats and has had her car keyed a few times. Southern reg's stand out a mile and supposedly this is fairly common.

Aye, hear stories like this all the time.
The whole thing is ridiculous but there's nothing you can do but stay the **** away from it... there's obviously no resoning with such petty mindedness.

asdasd

So what? It's still a stupid idea to go into a loyalist flag waving town, and wave a symbol of Ireland in their face.

The OP was merely driving a car. 4th dumbest comment on Boards, ever.

You gotta be kidding me? The tricolour, a flag of peace and unity between republicans and orangemen, wasn't displayed in a hardcore republican area?

Tricolour is the flag of the Republic and used by Republicans all the time. 2nd Dumbest post ever.

You could call the taigs republicans, as they are from the republic, but often republicans up north are the IRA...

Dumbest ever post.

Being drunk, waving the euro around, in the period around marching season is Darwinism at work.

3rd dumbest post ever.

The whole eurozone should be told however, just in case they make the mistake of going to the North someday, on the wrong season, waving a French Euro coin.

( Seriously, do the loyalist kuckledraggers not realise that the Euro is not just for "taigs")

sneakerfreak

UP THE QUEEN !!! YIS DIRTY TAIGS LMAO

dlofnep

fitz0 wrote: »

by a bomb?

lol nah... they just drove alongside me, beeping at me and throwing stuff at my car.. scary enough experience.

fitz0

dlofnep wrote: »

lol nah... they just drove alongside me, beeping at me and throwing stuff at my car.. scary enough experience.

...oh, they're getting lazy these days.

marco murphy

fryup wrote: »

well in fairness the bigotry works both ways....i mean in Derry city centre you can't be seen wearing a Northern Ireland football shirt or an Ulster Rugby top or anything thats remotely protestant /loyalist

I love the Loyalist slash Protestant.

Who said Protestant = loyalist?

:rolleyes:

stovelid

dlofnep wrote: »

lol nah... they just drove alongside me, beeping at me and throwing stuff at my car.. scary enough experience.

They may have just been shouting: here mucker- it's T-E-R-E-S-A. Don't tell me you got a load of thon posters printed up?

philologos

Perestroika wrote: »

I love the Loyalist slash Protestant.

Who said Protestant = loyalist?

:rolleyes:

Amen, the 5% of the Republic's population who are Protestant are quite happy with the current arrangements, quite a few even advocate Republicanism as many did in Irish history if you look at Irish revolutionaries such as Wolfe Tone and Robert Emmet.

An Fear Aniar

McArmalite wrote: »

Sure there are scumbags everywhere, but are you telling us that the behavior of the loyalists have nothing to do with the supremacist ideology that is the core of unionism ??
Indeed their forefathers also carried out similar acts, but wore the uniform of the B Specials or UDR while doing it :mad:

It's interesting, the supremacist thing because a lot of Ulster Scots Presbyterians went to the USA in the 19th century and many "rednecks" and Klansmen were descended from these settlers. The southern cross is based on the St Andrew's Cross... Maybe they picked up their Ubermenschen ideas in NI and brought them with them to the US.

The scene the OP describes reminds me a lot of the redneck scene on Top Gear.

.

dlofnep

An Fear Aniar wrote: »

The scene the OP describes reminds me a lot of the redneck scene on Top Gear.
.

Yeah, I remember that. Although, they were a little more attention seeking in their ways

Tikkal

Yes, I've had a few incidences in NI. Once I got lost in Craigavon and driving down the main street I realised half the town was cordoned off and they were all in their marching gear. I was frozen with fear, there were so many cops around. I stopped in a garage to ask the direction outta there. One guy I asked (40ish) looked at me and gave me the 'slit your throat' gesture. Another guy in his 4x4 told me to 'F Off'. I was shaking, not knowing which way to go because the roads were closed. A gentleman came up to my car and gave me directions. Another time a car tried to run me off the road in Derry, got the car kicked in Bushmills and in Newcastle. I have also been told that because of my looks (dark hair/blue eyes) I am a typical cailín and therefore immediately identified as a southerner anyway.

On the upside I have been traveling up to NI for years and know sound people (from the divide) and have been treated with courtesy and respect and the sense of humour is fantastic.

dlofnep

dlofnep wrote: »

I was blown off the road by a bunch of loyalists on my way back from Derry for having a sticker of Toiréasa Ferris on the window. Knuckle-dragging morons.

You should have had a picture of Ian Paisley as well, that would've confused them.

marco murphy

Deleted User wrote: »

You should have had a picture of Ian Paisley as well, that would've confused them.

A photo of Pol Pot would do the trick :pac:

Perestroika

Perestroika wrote: »

A photo of Pol Pot would do the trick :pac:

They'd think it's for the local takeaway...

Svalbard

NOGMaxpower wrote: »

I too have family of mixed religion (actually Falls v's Shankill) up north although over the years im of the opinion its the loyalists who are the agressors.


.

THAT'S not a mixed marriage........!!!!!!!!

arybvtcw0eolkf

fippy wrote: »

"where do ya think your bringing that dirty taig car?".

Did anyone else read that with a nordie accent?.

.

Richard

the_syco wrote: »

Reading through the thread, I see a lot of people condemning the violence, etc, etc. Saying that it's not right, that people should be free to move around, etc, etc.

So what? It's still a stupid idea to go into a loyalist flag waving town, and wave a symbol of Ireland in their face.

A car? A Euro note?

You gotta be kidding me? The tricolour, a flag of peace and unity between republicans and orangemen, wasn't displayed in a hardcore republican area?

.

The Tricolour may have meant that originally but it is probably not seen that way by many in NI who love the flag or hate it.

Smcgie

Clay Victorious Vodka wrote: »

Did anyone else read that with a nordie accent?.

.

Yes i did, but i couldnt help notice it was spelt incorrectly...:pac:
"where do ya think your bringing that dirty taig car?".
"wer do ya fink ur brangin don doorty taig char"?

Thats better :P

Richard

McArmalite wrote: »

Sure there are scumbags everywhere, but are you telling us that the behavior of the loyalists have nothing to do with the supremacist ideology that is the core of unionism ??

Yes, I believe the poster was. And if people don't get rid of incorrect notions of "the other side" such as this supremecist nonsense then I fear for the future. The constitutional issue is settled. Constitutional Unionism and Constitutional Nationalism are legitimate aspirations of equal weight. People from anywhere in Ireland should be able to drive anywhere in Ireland without fear.

Richard

Richard wrote: »

The Tricolour may have meant that originally but it is probably not seen that way by many in NI who love the flag or hate it.

Even more so when republicans replace the orange with yellow. now which country does that flag represent!

Edit: this one just turn it 90degrees

Red Sleeping Beauty

topper75 wrote: »

Wearing a GAA jersey in Carrickfergus or driving into Craigavon in a CN reg car are not bright things to do. In the trade we call it "asking for it".

I don't recall any clause in the Good Friday Agreement saying southerners can now go about hardcore loyalist towns unhindered.

Common sense people.

The north has improved an awful lot, but you don't have license to do what you want, nor will you for a while to come I fear.

The EU says you can go wherever you want within the EU without needing to seek prior permission. Quit livin in the past.


We pulled into a wrong turn in Dundrum one night and ended up in place with flats. It was dark and at the end of the cul de sac there was a gang of about 12 who turned towards us when they saw the car. That was a bit weird.

anonymous_joe

In fairness to our Nordie Unionist cousins (they're Scottish that makes 'em Irish originally :pac:) a mate's Scottish cousin got attacked while wearing a Rangers jersey in Dublin.

dlofnep

Deleted User wrote: »

Even more so when republicans replace the orange with yellow. now which country does that flag represent!

Edit: this one just turn it 90degrees

Peace between the Irish & Asians?

prinz

Hendrix89 wrote: »

It was not your fault! You're entitled to enter a public petrol station in your own country.

In his own country? Eh no, in another country. What reaction would a drunk Englishman get trying to buy petrol in Moyross with a sterling £20??

Scien wrote: »

Also, credit to the Nationalists, most of the Murals i saw were in fairly good taste; ie. just pictures of dead 'Martyrs' etc.

Dead terrorists is what passes as good taste nowadays? Hirst has been surpassed.

NOGMaxpower wrote: »

Jasus thats a load of ol rubbish, why is it only in these predominantly Loyalist areas that are so dangerous that your car reg will get you killed? You wouldn't find that happening in West Belfast or Ardoine for example.

(a) I was told to f*** off out of a bar in Derry, the only reason being I was wearing Reebok Classics at the time. If ye know the old reebok classics you can guess why (b) a friend of mine, from the Republic, was literally p*ssed on by an Armagh supporter who was standing beside him in a busy Dublin pub last summer after they lost a GAA match, and my mate was wearing the opposite county's jersey. The perpetrator ran out the door, and when we got security we were told by another group of unconnected Armagh scum that they'd be waiting for us outside.... tbh I'd be happier dealing with loyalist scum.

And I have had a northern friend, Catholic as it happens, called 'proddy english scum' in another Dublin bar. Apparently our own home grown thugs cannot distinguish accents too well.

bug

I don't understand people wearing football jerseys in public when its not on the way or coming back from a match...but that's just me.

I've been up and down a good few times in the passed few years. I have to say, yes, I'm always alert.

I was up at the giant's causeway there about two weeks ago, and something that struck me is that they are a very confused bunch of people.
I drew this final conclusion looking in the window of the touristy trinket shop in the Giant's causeway.
Now it looked like O' Carrolls shop here in Dublin, plenty of leprachauns, and lots of green and shamrock, all very Oirish, but each of the commemorative plates have a big bloody border around the little leprachaun and shamrock..

I giggled. Mr Leprachaun had a huge border around him as if he was standing on an Island. I thought the design would be more tasteful to pehaps, fade out the other counties on the map, but no, ..big.. bloody.. red.. border.. on a plate.

There is a certain small stomach wrenching fear as a "southerner" making that journey down passed larne looking at all the union jacks.
Union jacks never bother me, it's just a flag representing a country. But in the north, it's kinda scary. Neo Nazis in Cologne didn't frighten me as much.

stovelid

prinz wrote: »

Dead terrorists is what passes as good taste nowadays?

Best one I ever spotted was a Loyalist one of the Iron Maiden figure (Eddie?). Think it was in Rathcoole or Monkstown in Belfast. Not the best as in good, but just scary as fuck

anonymous_joe

anonymous_joe wrote: »

In fairness to our Nordie Unionist cousins (they're Scottish that makes 'em Irish originally :pac:) a mate's Scottish cousin got attacked while wearing a Rangers jersey in Dublin.

Only the highland Scots have Irish roots, the lowlanders (ancestors of the Loyalists) are of mainly Viking descent.

jumpguy

Sometimes I think the North is better now and I'd like to visit it. Then, reading these things, I change my mind. The whole point of a tourist is to explore new places, they're hardly gonna know where a loyalist "area" is. The Good Friday Agreement achieved alot as far as organised, sometimes armed conflict went, but I dunno how much it seems to have done on the streets.

As said, fairplay to the policeman for keeping a look out for ya. He should've told ya what was going on where you were going first.

cashback

I remember we went to Donegal on holidays (1993 I think) and my parents decided to go for a drive to Derry. So we were walking around the city and noticed it was fairly quiet. Then as we were walking across the Foyle bridge, we heard drums and bagpipes coming towards us. I just remember my mother telling myself and my sisters to keep our mouths shut. As the Apprentice boys filed past I couldn't figure out the big deal, until the procession that followed walked by, with their shouts of 'F**k the fenian bastards' and other such wholesome phrases. It felt like we were the only onlookers on the whole bridge and maybe we were.

Of course then five years later, again on holiday in Donegal, Bundoran, we took another trip across the border. We decided on Derry and as we heard the sirens leaving the city and listened to the breaking news, we were relieved we didn't go with one of our other possible destinations, Omagh.

I suppose you can't be particularly safe with either 'side'.

I still wouldn't have any problems heading up North, though I'd probably leave the car at home.

robbie_998

Bazzy wrote: »

On my route up from Dublin I get some dirty looks in the southern registered car in some of the villages I go through as I dont go on the main drag. But other than that it does be ok!

i like when cars from other counties come to dublin

better than leaner dublin drivers ! THEY SHOULDNT BE ON THE ROAD

THEY ACTUALLY JUST DONT HAVE THE MENTAL ABILITY TO DRIVE !

well horse

I think the northerners are just pissed off that they live in a region with:
a ratio of two private sector workers for each public sector worker,
high youth unemployment and levels of scumbag activity,
hardly any industry,
politicians with little interest in developing the economic side of things,
ugly villages packed with council houses and nothing to do,
welfare payments less than a third of whats available here.

It is cowboy country up there, I find the north so very very depressing.

I can't imagine a lost protestant chap from up north, in a northern reg car, being harrassed down here, in dublin or something, for trying to buy petrol with sterling. I'm not talking overtly loyalist, just a protestant.

I dont care what anybody says, we've moved on a lot further than those backward cnunts have. Ever watch Utv news? Constant stories related to sectariaism, protestants, catholics etc. Southerners by and large don't care bout that crap.

we'llallhavetea_old

Not many actual stories of peoples experiences! Mine is minor to say the least. When i was only a little fart, me and my family would visit my dads family in newry, this is back when you had to drive past customs. I remember the car being stopped and a soldier coming to the window and pointing the gun in the car while looking around. I had never been so scared in all my life, and walking to the buttercrane there was armed soldiers lining the streets. It makes me think, how absolutely awful it must have been for anyone growing up there. It certainly made an impression on me, and i would never attempt to drive anywhere i don't know up there. The loyalist murals are terrifying to be honest.

DamoDLK

For years I've been going driving up and around the north! i hardly ever got a glance let alone a dirty look! This has quickly become a case of "them" and "us", which is a load of sh*te! The north is a great place to visit, even in my LH reg'd car...

a-k-47

topper75 wrote: »

NI is still a good tourist destination. Belfast and Derry are cool towns and the north coast is beautiful. But you need to be aware where you are going - find out beforehand. Certain towns are not welcoming to southerners, and if this comes as a surprise to you then the outcome could well be Darwinian.

For the sake of common sense, do not betray or advertise that you are a southerner. Do not wear a GAA jersey. If you have a southern reg, do not drive into a town with loyalist estates. Don't broadcast your thoughts loudly in a southern accent whilst wandering around towns.

Learn some political geography - it could save your life.;)

Go whereever the fcuk people of the island of ireland want to go. Its not like your going on holidays there. OP had a few drinks wasnt thinking. You are a lucky man the cops arent what they were like.

Mahatma coat

I had a simmilar experience to the OP many years ago, me and the GF were in Letterkenny and we decided to go over ta have a look at the giants Causway on a Sunday mornin, pulled into a servo ina reasonably clean lookin little village, got the same frosty reception from the attendant when I tried to pay in Euro, so I used me Visa card, as I was headin back to the car I started to notic

e that a crowd was beginnin to mill about the forecourt and that some of em were throwin shapes at the Burd in a very threatinin manner, turns out that the servo is opposite a Church, and whatever their ungodly blasphemy of a mass is called had just ended, cue knuckledraggin yobs from the back of the church wanderin over to the forecourt to check out the 'taig wagon'.

I should point out that I was drivin a Metalic Black 16V Renault 19 with gold alloys, bit of an eyecatcher wherever ya go, when I turned the next corner hightailin it out of there, thats when I saw the flags and kerbs, but there was verry little to identify the village before the servo.

Mahatma coat

Mahatma coat wrote: »

, turns out that the servo is opposite a Church, and whatever their ungodly blasphemy of a mass is called had just ended,

I thought that religious intolorance was a thing of the past, obvously not! :rolleyes:

That is the sort of thinking (from both sides) that's perpetuating the "troubles V2", at least theyve stopped blowing each other up.

grenache

WindSock wrote: »

Do you not think you are giving more power to this word than is necessary? It's harder to insult a person if there are no words by which to insult them with.

How true! I was once called a 'Fenian bastard' while holidaying in England. But it was not one bit insulting to me, as i never was a member of this long defunct 19th century irish republican organisation I'd never been called it before so it was kind of a novely to me and i simply laughed at the guy. Something is only insulting if you pay creedance to it. Regarding the OP's situation, he didn't have his thinking cap on and is a very lucky boy! I first went up North in '95 for a holiday with my folks, we didn't know how long the ceasefire would last so said we'd go while it was still someway peaceful. Had no problems as such but did get a few cold stares in a couple of shops. Society in the North will always be on edge. As already mentioned by a previous poster, some hardcore Protestants are feeling increasingly paranoid at the success by Sinn Féin in recent elections and the increasing Catholic population. There is very much a siege mentality evident in many parts of the North today. And will be for years to come.

In All Fairness

we'llallhavetea wrote: »

Not many actual stories of peoples experiences! Mine is minor to say the least. When i was only a little fart, me and my family would visit my dads family in newry, this is back when you had to drive past customs. I remember the car being stopped and a soldier coming to the window and pointing the gun in the car while looking around. I had never been so scared in all my life, and walking to the buttercrane there was armed soldiers lining the streets. It makes me think, how absolutely awful it must have been for anyone growing up there. It certainly made an impression on me, and i would never attempt to drive anywhere i don't know up there. The loyalist murals are terrifying to be honest.

Yep. Went to the Mary of Dunloe festival with a few mates years ago. We decided that the Omagh road would be the best. Approached the border checkpoint but failed to notice a traffic light which you're supposed to stop at so they can check your reg. Drove up to the checkpoint to be met with rifles in the face. Tried to have a laugh with the soldiers and explain we just hadn't noticed the light. Told in a threatening manner that we'd know next time. Next time we'll take the long way round.

Run_to_da_hills

I was only there three weeks ago and was warned not to park my van away from the from the main streets over night. I have been up there heaps of times travelling with motorcycle clubs and there is a different reception.

nitrogen

topper75 wrote: »

Wearing a GAA jersey in Carrickfergus or driving into Craigavon in a CN reg car are not bright things to do. In the trade we call it "asking for it".

I don't recall any clause in the Good Friday Agreement saying southerners can now go about hardcore loyalist towns unhindered.

Common sense people.

The north has improved an awful lot, but you don't have license to do what you want, nor will you for a while to come I fear.

Your argument is as valid as a black man stopping for gas in a small town in Alabama, then being approached by racist inbreds, and then saying he was asking for it.

nitrogen

nitrogen wrote: »

Your argument is as valid as a black man stopping for gas in a small town in Alabama, then being approached by racist inbreds, and then saying he was asking for it.

Not really, anyone wearing "tribal" symbols of any kind places themselves at unnecessary risk if they stray into "the other sides territory".

It's commonsense, it's a bit like wearing an England shirt in Glasgow and wondering why the locals don't like you!

The cars reg is largly irrelevant (ok there may the odd complete moron who would!) but advertising which tribe you belong to will rile them up! The flip side of course is if you stray into "home turf" you'll be made more than welcome!

brendansmith

fippy wrote: »

"where do ya think your bringing that dirty taig car?".

Maybe he owned the service stations carwash?
Was the car particulary dirty by any chance?

In All Fairness

nitrogen wrote: »

Your argument is as valid as a black man stopping for gas in a small town in Alabama, then being approached by racist inbreds, and then saying he was asking for it.

I could have sworn that was what he said.

nitrogen

Deleted User wrote: »

Not really, anyone wearing "tribal" symbols of any kind places themselves at unnecessary risk if they stray into "the other sides territory".

It's commonsense, it's a bit like wearing an England shirt in Glasgow and wondering why the locals don't like you!

The cars reg is largly irrelevant (ok there may the odd complete moron who would!) but advertising which tribe you belong to will rile them up! The flip side of course is if you stray into "home turf" you'll be made more than welcome!

These thugs are no better than the kkk. A man stopping for petrol isn't advertising which part of the world he comes from by being a different race, the same is true for the registration of his car. A car's registration is not the same as wearing a regional sporting jersey. It's not like there were flags hanging off it.

How could it be common-sense to know not to stop for petrol in the year 2009 with a southern car in the North? It could only be common knowledge if someone teleported from the nineteen-eighties, or who's mindset was stuck in the past.

I'm shocked by what happened to the OP, and my ignorance to these types of events is because I can't for the life of me identify with this petty nationalistic narrow-minded perspective.

topper75

Alan Rouge wrote: »

The EU says you can go wherever you want within the EU without needing to seek prior permission. Quit livin in the past.

So something some bureaucrat in Brussels wrote down saves you from a hiding in Craigavon for having an IRL reg during marching season?

Please forgive me if I don't feel reassured mate!:pac:

topper75

nitrogen wrote: »

Your argument is as valid as a black man stopping for gas in a small town in Alabama, then being approached by racist inbreds, and then saying he was asking for it.

I don't know as much as you may do about the racial geography of Alabama. But, I know enough about the political geography of the North to stay out of trouble.

McArmalite

prinz wrote: »

In his own country? Eh no, in another country. What reaction would a drunk Englishman get trying to buy petrol in Moyross with a sterling £20??



Dead terrorists is what passes as good taste nowadays? Hirst has been surpassed.



(a) I was told to f*** off out of a bar in Derry, the only reason being I was wearing Reebok Classics at the time. If ye know the old reebok classics you can guess why (b) a friend of mine, from the Republic, was literally p*ssed on by an Armagh supporter who was standing beside him in a busy Dublin pub last summer after they lost a GAA match, and my mate was wearing the opposite county's jersey. The perpetrator ran out the door, and when we got security we were told by another group of unconnected Armagh scum that they'd be waiting for us outside.... tbh I'd be happier dealing with loyalist scum.

And I have had a northern friend, Catholic as it happens, called 'proddy english scum' in another Dublin bar. Apparently our own home grown thugs cannot distinguish accents too well.

" I'd be happier dealing with loyalist scum. ". Well sure been a loyalist ofcourse you would prinz .

But now just to prove his nationalist credentials he's going to give me a big lecture and about how he's so angry about Jerry McCabe, Jerry McCabe, Jerry McCabe :pac: Jerry McCabe, Jerry McCabe, Jerry McCabe :pac: Jerry McCabe, Jerry McCabe, Jerry McCabe :pac:

McArmalite

Richard wrote: »

Yes, I believe the poster was. And if people don't get rid of incorrect notions of "the other side" such as this supremecist nonsense then I fear for the future. The constitutional issue is settled. Constitutional Unionism and Constitutional Nationalism are legitimate aspirations of equal weight. People from anywhere in Ireland should be able to drive anywhere in Ireland without fear.

In a word - bollox. If you possibly accept the experience of the OP and others who have posted of similiar incidents you'd easily see that the heart and sole of unionism is supremascist and all declarations, wording, " legitimate aspirations " is a load of sh1te and doesn't change it's underlying mindset. It's like declaring the KKK a legitimate aspiration and then hoping it will be a non rascist organisation.