Should Donegal join Northern Ireland?

05-02-2022 1:08pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118585857#Comment_118585857

Scotland has a stagnant population... could do with the influx... and better still

"Jocks are coming home, they're coming home'.

'Red hand on a shirt

Bigotry still intact

Four hundred years of hurt

Never stopped me drumming'

You know it makes sense😁

pixelburp · 05-02-2022 1:20pm

Unionism isn't some desire to live in England, kind of hard to take a debate in good faith if it's based on a fallacy that those up north yearn not to be Irish. It's a complex identity, this is their home. They're as Irish as anyone else on this island, and whatever shape a UI takes it'd have to be mindful of that heritage. No more than an independent Scotland would have to square away its own Scots who share an identity with the UK as a whole.

05-02-2022 2:19pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118585929#Comment_118585929

Hard to take this post seriously when some 'up North' would likely express quite forcibly they are no way Irish.

pixelburp · 05-02-2022 2:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118586182#Comment_118586182

And do you think this is the majority? Treating unionism as a monolith, with the DUP extremist position as the centre, is exactly the kind of divisive, exclusionist principle that'll only hurt the UI movement, not help it. Unionists don't yearn to live in England, TBH it shouldn't even need saying. I don't have an easy answer to brining unionists into a UI, but going "to hell or to England" isn't it.

BorneTobyWilde · 05-02-2022 3:05pm

Everyone knows it's the youth that makes the difference, the only way NI will be part of Ireland is if the 30% of those in NI who identify as Irish multiple like rabbits, and win that race through numbers.It's a thing in the US this, Republicans have far more kids than Democrats, it's a simple numbers game.

blanch152 · 09-02-2022 12:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118584678#Comment_118584678

Ah yes, the ethnic cleansing/displacement issue raises it's head again, every few months we get somebody proposing a scheme like this.

Northern Ireland is home to these people, this is where they have grown up, lived, worked, brought up their children. Why should they have to give this up and move to England to retain their identity?

Quitelife · 15-02-2022 12:56pm

Looking at recent NI elections there would be a stronger case for Derry City ( Foyle Constituency ) which has 82% nationalist voters to be become part of Republic Of Ireland than Donegal going anywhere.

Whilst your at it you also close by have West Tyrone 61% Nationalist and Mid Ulster 60% Nationalist which would be more at home in ROI. Equally over the other side of the province South Down 64% Nationalist and Newry& Armagh 62% Nationalist should also be in the south .

The Unionist Vote in those 5 constituencies is only 12% in Foyle , 28% in West Tyrone, 30% in Mid Ulster, 22% in South Down and 30% in Newry & Armagh .

L1011 · 15-02-2022 1:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118634200#Comment_118634200

Re-partition has been floated by Unionists on multiple occasions to keep an easy majority in the remainder. Much of which they would have willingly divested had minimal infrastructural investment so wouldn't have been missed.

"assisted resettlement", or ethnic cleansing by a cuddly name, was also on the cards if this worked - to help Unionists move East of the Bann and effectively force Nationalists the other direction. Sammy Wilson was a notable proponent of these plans.

There's a citation on a wiki article to an actual book claiming to have early 80s polling figures on it, and it was a much more popular idea with Nationalists (albeit still under a quarter in favour) than Unionists - which is odd as basically only Unionist have ever suggested it!

And its never going to happen. Would never get cross community support and probably couldn't get a 50%+1 majority either.

retalivity · 15-02-2022 2:02pm

Always a good excuse to post these - now it conflates religion with national identity but they correlate closely anyway when it comes to NI...

The pettiness of the powers that be, that they couldnt even be arsed building a motorway between the 2 largest cities, as one of them is full of 'themmuns'. Same story as building a motorway to the other largest city on the whole island, instead its a DC spur off the motorway to the metropolis of Portadown, not to Newry and onwards to Dublin. Even the cross community effort to link Dublin to Donegal and also Derry through the North with the A5, which the ROI was fronting a lot of cash for, has been hampered for years by unionist controlled councils - incredibly petty.

Why would donegal want to join that when you see how Derry and the western part of NI is treated??

Quitelife · 15-02-2022 2:05pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118634249#Comment_118634249

Think at this stage Counties Derry, Tyrone, Armagh have significant nationalist Majorities... Fermanagh has a slight nationalist Majority and Down has a shrinking light Unionist Majority leaving Antrim as the only county with a sizeable Unionist Majority. Thats 4 out of the 6 counties with Nationalist majorities yet we are forcing people to remain under British rule that dont want to be.

L1011 · 15-02-2022 3:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118634526#Comment_118634526

There is an agreed procedure in regards to the status of NI, which re-partition would tear up. You'd be effectively ensuring that Nationlists in Down and Antrim would be in a sectarian statelet again, forever.

Quitelife · 15-02-2022 4:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118635278#Comment_118635278

Is it a bit like what we already created in 1921- 26 counties were sorted and happy out but if we now add Derry, Tyrone, Armagh & Fermanagh 30 Counties would be where they should be ?? ..review it every 100 years

L1011 · 15-02-2022 4:50pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118635606#Comment_118635606

The original partition was supported by a majority on both sides, as shown by the electoral results. What reasons those in Southern Ireland / Free State had for supporting it is a different discussion people can have if they want, but they elected sufficient pro-Treaty TDs for it to happen.

There is absolutely no political support for doing it again. Nationalists wouldn't be happy with dumping part of their own base; Unionists don't want to give up anything.

Quitelife · 15-02-2022 4:56pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118635620#Comment_118635620

So the Good people of Derry City-West Tyrone-South Armagh - Newry put up with been a state they dont want to be part of for another couple of hundred years ???

L1011 · 15-02-2022 4:57pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118635653#Comment_118635653

There is a specific, agreed mechanism for dealing with Northern Ireland.

Your idea, which has no political support, would lead to pogroms in West Belfast.

15-02-2022 5:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118635653#Comment_118635653

The people of these places are quite happy in the UK at the end of the day don't forget.

This was most striking browsing Facebook during the pandemic. Lots of Derry people putting up banners supporting the NHS and banners proudly working for the NHS. They won't give that up or the Queens shilling getting paid to "work" as a "community worker"

Quitelife · 16-02-2022 9:55am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118635720#Comment_118635720

Thats codswallop and you know it-Derry is 82% nationalist

16-02-2022 10:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638981#Comment_118638981

Hmmm. See, I kinda agree with salonfire. NI is in place over 100 years, it's the status quo, it's the only thing they know. Change is difficult. I can even see how they'd vote for Nationalist parties i.e. SF and the SDLP, because they are 'their parties' and will get things done for them, but still be happy with the way things are.

Add into the equation these people are no longer second class citizens, catholics make up the bulk of the Civil Service and legal professions. Their parents had fook all, but to have them educated. The others had closed shop jobs like H&W, and were less suited to the modern world. The more wealthy/ambitious skipped across the Irish sea, so things have changed mightily.

Now, ask them to give up what many will see as better services. Why should they join with the ROI?

BUT, I think NI is too damaged to reach its full potential and would be better off in political union with the ROI that would have the island's interests as a whole in common. London/GB even has no interest in NI. That doesn't matter to traditional unionists, but it should matter to traditional nationalists.

16-02-2022 10:37am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118638981#Comment_118638981

I know that. Still proud of their NHS though and won't want to give that up, and why would they?

A united Ireland makes everyone worse off. Who is going to vote to make themselves poorer? The people of the North want to live their life as best they can.

Dempo1 · 16-02-2022 10:46am

Bizzare Question , doesn't even warrant a vote 🙄 Does OP think Donegal as a county is singled out for neglect, have they been out of Donegal in the past 30 year's.

The question is as Ludicrous has the suggestion last night from James Lawless TD (FF) on the late debate, that Ireland should join NATO 😳 and not a whisper about it this morning.

Capt'n Midnight · 16-02-2022 7:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118639267#Comment_118639267

Derry has the busiest single track railway line in the UK and still doesn't have a dual carriageway to Belfast

So Letterkenny would still be out in the Styx.

Meanwhile the Irish govt is part finding the A5 which would improve links from Letterkenny and north Donegal to down to the N2 in Monaghan.

Dempo1 · 16-02-2022 7:33pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118642586#Comment_118642586

🤔 Nice maps but ??

Capt'n Midnight · 16-02-2022 8:13pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118642610#Comment_118642610

If Donegal joins NI then north Donegal would be more remote than it is now. Stormont doesn't spend much on infrastructure west of the Bann. And Irish govt would have no reason to subsidise the A5 so that road upgrade would get pushed back further. No EU money for regional development as a lot of places like Cornwall are realising as the UK is not even pretending to match the missing funds.

Unless the plan is for Donegal to join NI in order to win a border poll because in a UI there'd be a motorway built to Derry.

From the map thread so actual units unknown, but you can see Donegal , Derry and Knock airports

Dempo1 · 16-02-2022 8:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118642813#Comment_118642813

Now I get you 😁

gormdubhgorm · 15-03-2022 2:59pm

Only if it was put in writing that the conditions of leaving the ROI meant taking Daniel O’Donnell with them.

Ardillaun · 15-03-2022 3:18pm

I take the OP as a rhetorical question. For decades, Donegal was an obscure appendage of the state dangling into the sea up there. We all know about the regional neglect that occurred in NI but we were fairly good at that game in Dublin too.

gormdubhgorm · 15-03-2022 8:16pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118788590#Comment_118788590

Isn’t the old joke that Donegal never gets mentioned in the weather. In the ROI or NI. I always felt there was a grain of truth to it the forgotten county.

trashcan · 15-03-2022 8:36pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118000714#Comment_118000714

Or is you ‘ere on ‘Oliday ?

AyeGer · 15-03-2022 8:39pm

The north missed the boat in taking on Donegal. Along the coast during good weather you’d think you were in Northern Ireland as there are so many NI Reg cars there.

Sam Russell · 15-03-2022 8:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118790131#Comment_118790131

But most of those are Donegal owned and driven - probably not insured or taxed.

AyeGer · 15-03-2022 9:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118790211#Comment_118790211

Unless they own all the holiday homes too.

13-04-2022 4:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118642586#Comment_118642586

"Meanwhile the Irish govt is part finding the A5 which would improve links from Letterkenny and north Donegal to down to the N2 in Monaghan."

Worth pointing out that the Irish government contribution is very small, some £200m from a 2019 total cost projection of £1134m, and the amount does go up and down a bit, including being withdrawn depending on world events. This is detailed in the small print of the page you link to.

maccored · 09-12-2022 3:49pm

may as well since its already in Ulster, and the Unionists think they own all of that

Francis McM · 25-01-2023 2:25pm

If Donegal was in N.I., at least the houses would have not been built with Pyrite / govt inspectors come out to check quality standards.

I told ya · 25-01-2023 2:46pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058212432/should-donegal-join-northern-ireland

My sister is currently receiving chemo in Letterkenny hospital.

The actions of the Ulster Transport Authority effectively cutoff the railway in Donegal from the rest of the network.

Whilst mica is a major problem in Donegal, it has also been found in other parts of the country. As regards the redress, the Gov response would have been the same regardless of county.

A lot of other counties have poor roads. Discounting the motorway network, the national roads are by and large, basic.

Francis McM · 25-01-2023 3:52pm

Of course Mica was found in a few other counties, but the majority of affected buildings were in county Donegal . Not totally surprising. Who inspected the places that made the blocks, where were they made, did anyone inspect the houses as they were being built?

I told ya · 25-01-2023 5:26pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120156309#Comment_120156309

Do you think Donegal was targeted with mica?

As regards inspections, nothing was independently inspected. Everything was self certified.

It is a Dunne Deal · 25-01-2023 5:32pm

They can have Meath.

Francis McM · 25-01-2023 5:58pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120156769#Comment_120156769

I agree, nothing was independently inspected. Self certification does not suit us Irish, look at the banks. If the houses were built in NI, they would have been inspected by government officials during the build. This despite the fact vat on new houses in NI is 0%, here it is I understand 13.5%. The people here who made the blocks got away with it, same as the rogue bankers here who also self certified, and retired on big pensions.

I told ya · 25-01-2023 6:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120156944#Comment_120156944

The banks weren't self certified. There was the Central Bank, The Financial Regulator, the Auditors, Dept of Finance...

Maybe the question should be what was the quality of the work carried out by the above bodies and others.

niallpatrick · 25-01-2023 6:20pm

Maybe the Brits will set aside some of their own counties for when their planters and soupies return home.

Chips Lovell · 25-01-2023 6:30pm

Mod Note

Thread locked. Many thanks to @It is a Dunne Deal for their inane witticism and @niallpatrick for their little sectarian dig, both of which provided ample illustration for why the thread is being closed.

Should Donegal join Northern Ireland?

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