No poppy thread this year??

L.Ball

Good to see our inferiority complex towards the brits still as strong as ever.

dom40

I noticed a lot of small metallic poppy's this last few years,also I have seen larger ones that were like satellite dishes on some people,knitted ones as well.Thank christthe nonsense is over after tomorrow,saying that I see some people wearing them all year round.

martingriff

Will the thread title is an oxymoron. OP wanted to start one but seem aloof as if not interested. Not starring 1 but stating one

downcow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355353#Comment_121355353

This is just nonsense. You are struggling with the fact that so many have kept the promise made ie that we will remember them.

you seem to need to invent stuff that people are forced to wear them.

I live in ni in a nationalist area. I would love to wear the poppy these few weeks but I don’t as I feel people like you will misunderstand my motives. Ironically the only person wearing one in my workplace is a catholic. I guess she feels able as she is less likely to be misunderstood. Not one Protestant is wearing one. And I know exactly why. Though I, like many others, will be at my local cenotaph c/w poppy for a very moving time of silence tomorrow morning.

this is done out of huge respect for those who paid the ultimate price to keep us free

tune into bbc now and surely you will feel compassion

Odhinn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356853#Comment_121356853

The funds raised are not totally aimed at ww1 and ww2 veterans though (the few that are left)- its veterans in general. Theres no way in hell I'd give my time or cash to veterans of NI or Iraq.

downcow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356864#Comment_121356864

That’s your choice. But don’t try and stop the rest of us giving our support to the brave men and women who made huge sacrifices to keep us safe

Xander10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121354871#Comment_121354871

Roy "not so hard" Keane pandering to the compulsory wearing of one on UK TV, always amuses me.

Odhinn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356875#Comment_121356875

....the vast vast majority of whom are dead.

downcow

Royal Albert hall event was touching beyond belief, as always. Great to see the Greenfinches of the UDR get recognised so many years on. Also the Royal Irish got special place in ceremony.

it is special to be part of the UK on a night like this. Sadness and pride.

Xander10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356853#Comment_121356853

It is a fact that no one is allowed present on UK TV without wearing one. Why are you saying different?

downcow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356889#Comment_121356889

Absolutely nonsense. Bbc, for one, is completely clear that it is voluntary. That fact you are saying this demonstrates that you are unhappy that so many want to wear it. Sad really.

BorneTobyWilde

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FF6uKMYYBeA

..

Xander10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356899#Comment_121356899

I'm happy for anyone who wants to wear one, wearing one. Made up assumption by you of my view.

Name one presenter on ITV, BBC, sky, that isn't currently wearing a poppy on TV now?

AyeGer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356853#Comment_121356853

When it’s virtually everyone these days including Irish people who wouldn’t wear one if they weren’t on British TV. This wasn’t the case even 20 years ago. It’s so contrived.

AyeGer

I never had an issue down the years with people choosing to wear the poppy.

But it’s this recent thing of EVERYBODY on English TV wearing them now. It doesn’t seem genuine, I don’t believe everyone wants to wear one, maybe 70%, 80%, even 90% but not 100%. It’s all just a bit suspect imo.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356899#Comment_121356899

I'm slightly puzzled at the constant wearing of the poppy on TV. People could make a generous donation to the Legion without wearing one....the wall to wall poppies for a fortnight on TV looks quite bizarre or weird to be honest.

Facthunt

I’m curious…. Has anyone seen anyone south of the border wearing one?

All the Irish seem to wear them on UK television- Roy Keane, Graham Norton, Irish lady on Strictly come dancing, Irish who play football in the UK etc etc

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121355395#Comment_121355395

I think his mam (QE2) only wore a poppy on Remembrance Sunday itself. Having them wearing them for 2 or 3 weeks on telly is a bit OTT IMO.

gipi

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356989#Comment_121356989

Did I see one on Leo's lapel the other day when in the Dáil? I might have been mistaken, but thought I saw a small metal poppy.

Strazdas

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121357094#Comment_121357094

He wears a special 'shamrock poppy' badge - a modified poppy superimposed onto a shamrock. I guess he wears it in honour of Ireland's war dead.

An Claidheamh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356888#Comment_121356888

Sure,

shame the UDR are “commemorated” as terrorists like the UVF and the Royal “Irish” are from the south of England and will never rear their head in actual Ireland

BlueSkyDreams

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121357108#Comment_121357108

I believe he does.

Anything to commemorate the dead from the war is a good thing.

France and other countries have their own versions also.

lumphammer2

We remember these wars .... yet we never learn from them ... WW1 ended 105 years ago and brought a nasty pandemic with it back to base .... but the Spanish flu was the least deadly of its legacy .... every war fought ever since was inspired by .... directly or otherwise ... WW1 ... lessons need learning .... the war to end all wars? sadly no ...

downcow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121357127#Comment_121357127

More nonsense

The RIR and the UDR are to all intent and purpose, the same. I am quite sure I am telling you what you know anyway.

The UDR was the largest infantry regiment in the British army. It amalgamated with the very small Irish Rangers to form the Royal Irish Regiment. It is held with great affection in Northern Ireland and is the go-to regiment for most young people joining the British army. And I’m sure you’re also aware one of us two bases are in Northern Ireland.

So to try to imply it’s unconnected to Northern Ireland, is just nuts

here is a homecoming I had the pleasure of attending. What you see here went on for literally miles. If you are not part of it, you could not fathom the affection and pride this regiment the held in. And so many paid the ultimate sacrifice.

https://youtu.be/H97khaS0xqg

downcow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356989#Comment_121356989

In my view, there is no contradiction. It is quite simply about respect. I am guessing Roy Keane would not wear one if he were not on British TV, but when on British TV I assume he wears it out of respect to the British public who are watching and paying his wages. If anyone has some big personal issue with the poppy, then like others before them, they may choose they do not want to wear it on TV.

does it hurt peoples eyes looking at it? If I am not mistaken, I think our broadcasters in Northern Ireland wear a shamrock on Saint Patrick’s Day reading the news. I don’t imagine this is something they wear outside of the newsroom, but again, they presumably wear it to show respect to the Irish people here for whom as it is important.

I am really not sure what the issue is except simply intolerance

iniscealtra

I live in the west. I have never seen anyone wear a poppy. If I did I would assume they were English tourists.

downcow

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121357313#Comment_121357313

If I was visiting the west of Ireland a round this time, I would not wear a poppy out of respect for locals and how they may perceive it.

bnt

If you can confidently state that all English TV presenters are wearing poppies, maybe you shouldn’t be watching that much English TV ..? 😜

I happen to be in London at the moment and made a donation yesterday for a lapel pin. I’ve worn one in Dublin before and also went to the Remembrance ceremony at the Irish National War Memorial in 2018. It wasn’t a problem.

“The Troubles” might be on people’s minds in Ireland, understandably, but that’s not on people’s minds in the UK. You can say schoolchildren should learn about that and be ashamed, but would you say the same about the Raj, or Aden, or the Second Boer war and its concentration camps? The English Civil Wars were far more important to England, and Cromwell’s invasion of Ireland was basically a side quest to the main narrative.

elperello

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356989#Comment_121356989

If you were at any of the commemorations held in ROI yesterday you would have seen people wearing poppies.

ancapailldorcha

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121357313#Comment_121357313

I had to wear them at Church growing up. That said, this was the nineties so it was fair to say that it actually was about remembering the fallen.

slay55

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356889#Comment_121356889

Do you know this for fact ?

just googled and you are talking nonsense

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121357347#Comment_121357347

I absolutely think British children should learn about the concentration camps, the famines, the partitions of lndia & Ireland and treatment of native populations. You can claim these are "side quests" but they had long term global impacts and maybe young people might benefit from understanding what "empire" was.

Similar to how US schools tend to avoid topics like the Vietnam war, it's more to do with avoiding the unpleasant realities of a nation's history. Plus when the British government tends to love to push the concept of empire, you don't want to actually show it for what it is.

Hyperbollix

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356989#Comment_121356989

Roy had a reputation as a brute force hardman, but he was always a skilled tacitican and shrewd operator, both on and off the field. He always knew where his bread was buttered and made no bones about it.

The poppy hysteria in the UK is curious but so very British and particularly in this age of conformism. Is it any wonder they would end up with a fanatical, semi religious weekend of worship to a symbol? Not really, it's been going that way a long time and now with a, let's call a spade a spade, fascist home secretary and PM in waiting, I wouldn't be surprised if observance became compulsory with penalties for those who need some "reeducation"

The remembrance aspect of the day is like the religious aspect of Christmas. At this stage its just a set of rituals to give pomp and circumstance to what is essentially a festival of economic consumption. The whole poppy thing is now an excuse for mainly older white British people of all classes to come together to celebrate "Britishness™" and revel in the glorious past when the world shook with the force of their might. A chance, for one day, to think of King and Country and bellow the anthem proudly in the faces of all those who now tell them they are being problematic.

mattser

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356414#Comment_121356414

Correct. The Jack Russell barking up at the Alsatian as usual.

L.Ball

It's not fair why arent they doing this for us poor Irish?

6541

UDR should not be commemorated. They were part of the problem. History is not kind to them. Better they get lost in history along with the RUC.

An Claidheamh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121357286#Comment_121357286

An "Oirish" regiment made up of Brits too afraid to have a homecoming parade in the capital of the country they supposedly represent.

Is there any other country apart from Britain who would fall for this nonsense

An Claidheamh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121357108#Comment_121357108

Craig Doyle the tv presenter was doing the same,

once again donating money to the Brits responsible for terror and intimidation in Ireland ... but it has a shamrock on it

Leo never heard of the white poppy then?

Gonna start putting shamrocks on swastikas and Isis flags so, make it more palatable to Irish people

Also, if you are in the UK and Ireland and you want to wear a British poppy, would you not just wear the regular one than be so divisive

coolbeans

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121357127#Comment_121357127

Can you walk straight with the weight of that chip on your shoulder?

An Claidheamh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121358059#Comment_121358059

You clearly don't understand the meaning of that phrase

But good one coolbeans,

I now feel that the murdering Tans are jolly good blokes and they will give up whingeing about the Provos 🙄 ...

Rosahane

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121357988#Comment_121357988

Do you yourself have any Irish republican forebears?

I have, involved in pretty much every rebellion from 16th century right through to the Irish Civil War!

…and I wear a poppy, and have done so for years to commemorate all my ancestors who fought over the centuries!

Oh, and I have 100% Irish ancestry that I can trace back hundreds of years 👍

Galwayguy35

McClean was bullied every year by the Brits because he didn't want to wear one, that was totally unacceptable.

m2_browning

Thread is turning into a load of poppycock

road_high

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356989#Comment_121356989

Yep. Saw quite a few various days in Kilkenny- most likely older English visitors or people living here. No big deal and free to wear one if that’s what you want to do and should be safe to do so

Strumms

A cousin of mine in London turned up on social media wearing a small poppy yesterday…

Yes she was born in London to Irish parents but I thought this was interesting on two fronts…

she’s a very active extremely left wing member of the British Labour Party…

at least one of her parents were members of the old IRA…. and was quite involved in hiding weapons for them…and whatever else.

Rosahane

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121358536#Comment_121358536

There’s nothing unusual in that, the poppy is no longer seen as a symbol of colonialism or oppression rather a symbol showing honour and remembrance to brave warriors - very many of whom were Irish.

Odhinn

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356875#Comment_121356875

Yep, we were in real danger from Iraq. Them kenyans, Burmese, cypriots and all the rest. "keep us safe" my ass

eightieschewbaccy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121358349#Comment_121358349

Plus plenty of abuse directed at his family too.

An Claidheamh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121358646#Comment_121358646

If anything, it is increasingly seen as all those things

riffmongous

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121356832#Comment_121356832

No I didn't want to start one actually, I've said my piece enough times over the years. I was genuinely curious what was up this year, not just on Boards but in the wider media