Have you ever been to Northern Ireland?

A Little Pony

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

A Little Pony wrote: »

Why can't people just see it was an evil time in Ulster history, not much more to it.

Loyalist sympathisers always try to sell themselves as the 'other side of the coin' - this is also known as 'moral equivalence'. You don't want to face the fact that revelling in, and celebrating, the torture and murder of people based on nothing other than their religion was the raison d'etre of Protestant  murder gangs and serial killer fraternities.

[Shankill Butcher] Murphy was given a large paramilitary funeral by the UVF with a guard of honour wearing the UVF uniform and balaclavas. A volley of three shots was fired over his coffin as it was brought out of his house and a piper played "Abide With Me". He was buried in Carnmoney Cemetery; on his tombstone the following words were inscribed: "Here Lies a Soldier"

wikipedia.org

____________________________________________________

"There is a congenial, indeed government-backed myth, in both Scotland and in Ireland, that "one side is bad as another": that Sinn Fein-IRA are pretty much the same as the UDA/UVF. This is simply untrue. There is no republican equivalent to the Romper Rooms of the UDA, wherein men were routinely beaten to a pulp by loyalist thugs, and from which both the term and the practice became celebrated. And then there was Lenny Murphy and his merry gang, the Shankill Butchers, who for years in the mid-1970s abducted, tortured and murdered Catholics -- usually by cutting their victims' throats".

Kevin Myers.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Armagh_Republican_Action_Force

http://www.newsletter.co.uk/news/tullyvallen-massacre-40-years-on-the-memories-never-really-go-away-1-6930557

Keep supporting the Provos if you want, most people don't and never did.

A Little Pony

getzls wrote: »

Junkyard Tom wrote: »

Stasi 2.0 wrote: »

Would this be the same Arlene and the DUP who campaigned for a leave vote ?

. The DUP's bitter pseudo-British nationalism has done more to accelerate the date of a UI than the PIRA bombing campaign in Britain the 1990's imho.

Hall ha!!
Bitter or what!
You may live two long life's and you still won't see a UI.

Too many people willing to die to stop it, so he won't.

SeanW

The Backwards Man wrote: »

... I'd be happy enough if the threw our hat in with the North and built that fcuking wall.

Huh? Who or what is "the" and what "fcuking wall"? The only people proposing to build "a wall" at the moment is President-Elect Donald Trump in the United States, regarding his proposal to build a wall on the Southern border with Mexico.

GreenFolder2

At this stage I think we should be able to recognise that trying to justify it explain atrocities of 'the troubles' I'd a mugs game. A lot of horrendous as things were carried out by all sides and no side has a monopoly on victimhood or aggression.

It's one of those situations where you just have to draw a line under it and move on.

It's a common issue right across Europe where if you dwelled on history for too long and treated it as something that was going to influence how you act now, we would all he in some kind of permanent war.

All we can so is just decide to move on and make progress. That's largely what 90%+ have done and continue to do.

Rainman16

Do South Koreans go to North Korea? Exactly!

GreenFolder2

Rainman16 wrote: »

Do South Koreans go to North Korea? Exactly!

Slightly different scenario as both jurisdictions are pretty friendly, although your marriage may not be recognised up north if you're gay, which is completely ridiculous and the DUP don't appear to want to budge a milimeter on that.

reddevilfan

I drove home from Omagh last month? The long road to Harry Corry Omagh felt longer on the route up then it did coming back. I would like to visit Belfast at some stage.

It's a good drive up and back to Dublin 2 latte and a can of Red bull and 3 sets of 15 min break of course...

Safety always

FixdePitchmark

Was up the north a few times for golf and a family holiday.

It is a stunning little place and the Northern Coast is as good as anything you will see.

They have done great on promoting tourism , but like any other country, you can now visit the north and you are fairly sheltered from real life up there.

I like to mix it with the locals - but up there you are fairly clear where you will and won't be welcome - The Celtic and Rangers support clubs are the type of thing that reminds you - past the facade, it is still a fairly divided place. The pubs are, one or the other if you get me.

They are very friendly fun people - but in most situations you can sense the direction the questions are going - where you from - what school did you go to - did you play rugby - what golf club are you in. I had a bit of fun with it - as I have an unusual mix of protestant and catholic in my background.

Overall I left thinking that the North is 20/30 years behind the south in hotel standard, food, structurally, economically , roads, socially.
You get a sense - even past the troubles rubbish - it is a class driven society too. If you were to live there longer - I think this would get to you more and more - easy to be a tourist in it. But try live it.

I could be wrong here - But I found them a bit flash and showy - image centric - expensive logos on show .

It is a great place - but they were obsessed telling you how great it was . Look it is great, but, I've been around a bit and it isn't as good as they think it is. Particularly the food and Hotels.

But had great trips and made friends irrespective of who or where they were from.

FixdePitchmark

Widdershins wrote: »

Once they know why you're there and that it's not to cause trouble.

See, that initial suspicion is quite obvious and I don't think it's acceptable, anywhere, unless there's a very good reason for it at the time. You can't treat people guilty until proven innocent, and expect them to show they're not bad people. Some people are fine with that and others are not. I haven't have to prove I'm not a dodgy troublemaker anywhere else I've ever been. Why would I come back to a place where I did?
Personally I lose interest in being chatty and friendly if I'm treated like that. I'll be civil but you can bet I'll be taking my coin and my time somewhere with less bad minded locals in future.

And you've confirmed that peoples bad experiences are true, but it's funny to you, because in your mind it's normal behaviour.

Yes - but why not , you know, try and change minds.

Running away with your "coin" - is that not a bit sad.

If you were from a country that was basically at war - you would have a natural suspicion. It is a characteristic of the people - all locations have a characteristic,

Dubs - Over Self Confident
Cork - Very freindly - delusional
Cavan - cagey cute
Galway - Confident , Wild
Kerry - cute and nasty.

branie2

I was there on holiday in 2009

A Little Pony

When people say it is a divided place, perhaps on political opinions and ideologies, but socially in terms of interactions etc? Not in my experience, in Belfast it is. People are going to Belfast and judging the whole of Northern Ireland based on experiencing Belfast.

Junkyard Tom

A Little Pony wrote: »

Too many people willing to die to stop it, so he won't.

We'll hire some Israeli security experts if that came to pass, but it won't anyway.