Sounds similar to that respected intellectual giant of a Unionist politician who is suggesting a renogation of the terms of the GFA in a challenge to the European court of Human Rights, over this issue.
The IFA can grovel in sack cloths after circumnavigating the globe 10 times on their knees, for all I care.
In persisting with their bizarre position over FIFA eligibility, their public image, both intellectually and morally, has sunk lower than that mad irish 'cleric' who attacked the Olympic marathon runner. That's some ignoble achievement.
Perhaps for the IFA, harakiri would be a more fitting and noble departure.
The OWC and the IFA are indeed a curious, but well matched couple.
Why would any Catholic want to parade to promote protestantism?!
There are plenty of Catholics who WATCH the parades and they are encouraged and welcomed when they do so. It goes unreported because as you know, news agencys are only report interesting news.
This does not make it sectarian. The GAA is there to promote a nationalist agenda, the last Protestant to play it at any decent level in NI was hounded out by what I would describe as dinosaur fans. Still, you don't see me trying to label the GAA as a sectarian organisation, instead I view it as part of a culture, the same as the OO.
My biggest problem though with the word "culture" is that on this island, people think you can only celebrate one or the other, that they are somehow mutually exclusive. It will though take a few years for the "them 'uns and us 'uns" mindset to disappear.
Last edited by awec; 04/08/2010 at 9:25 PM.
No problem with its sectarianism. It may not be an actual church, but it can certainly hide behind a front of being a religious organisation. What would p*ss me off is the racket and general upheaval their 'right to walk the Queen's highway' causes in areas where they are clearly not welcome.
Awec no doubt will give us a Ruth Dudley-Edwardsesque view of a cuddly, cultural body that is just misunderstood.
This is the cooooooooooooolest footy forum I've ever seen!
I've had direct experience of the GAA & the Orange Order if that helps.
In the main the former are enthusiastic but conservative and cheerful in their outlook. The latter are much the same, but swap aggressive/miserable/paranoid (Or any combination thereof) for cheerful.....
Also peered into the inner portals of the latter;Didn't really like what I saw.
There are nuts everywhere - you never know why a catholic might want to march in an OO parade! These parades are being portrayed as a tourist attraction and all inclusive. Of course catholics would love to watch a parade celebrating how they lost a battle a couple of hundred years ago and are still suffering the consequences of it! Imagine if England decided to head off for Germany ever year and march around for a month celebrating the defeat of Germany in the war! Most catholics.nationalists who can afford it, get out of NI for the marching season. I did see a photo of a young girl at the last 12th parade which had some face painting on her face of KAT. Presumably she wasn't the only one getting this done. The rules of joining the OO, if not the actions make it a sectarian organisation.
The GAA was founded to promote gaelic games and promote nationalism - membership is not based on religion though. The GAA is NOT a sectarian organisation. However, it may well have individuals in it who are sectarian - but you can't blame the GAA for that - that is down to the sectarian state they grew up in which the OO had a major part in shaping.
No one has a problem with celebrating any culture - but you don't have the GAA taking over the highways & byeways of NI for weeks on end every year having this 'culture' rammed down everyone's throats.
Your second last paragraph, replace "GAA" with "OO" and what do you have?Oh, take out the "membership is not based on religion though too"
The KAT things is a disgusting thing to paint on any childs head. The OO has come in for criticism in recent years from Protestants as well as Catholics. A lot of Protestants would see it as having adopted a "quantity over quality" approach to it's membership in recent times and that can apply at times. Without trying to single out unfairly, but the provincial lodges (outside of Belfast) would be morally superior in my humble opinion. They also lost a lot of support from Protestants/Unionists over their quite frankly pathetic handling of Drumcree in the 90's/early noughtees.
I am not religious in any way shape or form and I'm not bothered regarding tribal politics (if you can believe that), but I do respect the OO for what they stand for the same way I respect the GAA and what they stand for.
I've never been to a GAA game and it's something I'd love to experience, but being from Armagh and with Armagh being the tinderbox county that it is thanks to certain scumbag individuals I don't know if I could go and feel like I'm "fitting in", and for that reason I understand why most Catholics don't like to watch the parades (but as I said, there are plenty that do).
Please, excuse the waffle.
Nordies are noisy, thin skinned and waffle on about how right they are until the cows come home, I don't know why we bother.
Well some of my distant relatives came from there, so I'd have to say not, er, all. In fact quite a lot.
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I think you should go to a GAA match before pronouncing that the gaa is anything like the OO. And now that you mention Drumcree, are there any instances of GAA supporters getting all riled up after a gaa match and firebombing a house and killing 3 kids?
You should get yourself to Croke Park this weekend for Down v Kildare in the All-Ireland semi final. The Kildare manager is from your own neck of the woods, so a bit of local interest for you.
Awec can even support Kildare v.Armagh's local rivals!
Though one thing I can never understand though is how all those Ulaidh fans can support each others counties in GAA. Now that is odd!
Possibly, but if I opened my mouth and my dirty northern accent was heard then I reckon it would be like I'd just farted in a lift.
It wasn't OO supporters that firebombed that house, it was a particular scumbag (who is thankfully now dead) and his mates who took it upon themselves to try and act for the OO when they were not wanted by anyone. The OO's problem was that their response to said attack was pathetic.
Are Down Armagh's rivals then? All I know is that nobody likes Tyrone.
No it wouldn't!. There will be about 30-40K 'dirty northern accents' (as you put it) in Croke Park on Sunday - including that of the manager of the Kildare team. Northerners are not regarded as foreigners down here.
So, who was responsible for this 'hate' action. Their response just showed up the OO for the sectarian organisation that it is.It wasn't OO supporters that firebombed that house, it was a particular scumbag (who is thankfully now dead) and his mates who took it upon themselves to try and act for the OO when they were not wanted by anyone. The OO's problem was that their response to said attack was pathetic.
Of course they are rivals - they compete against each other for Ulster and Ireland championships. The rivalry is more intense when you are neighbours. Down here, no one likes any of the northern teams because of their style of play (famously described by a former Kerry footballer as 'puke football'!)Are Down Armagh's rivals then? All I know is that nobody likes Tyrone.
Define their style of play?
To use a football analgy - The Northern teams (Tyrone & Armagh really) would be a Leeds back in the day (very physical & aggressive, lots of digs), where as Kerry, Cork, Dublin would be like Arsenal - very skillful. Meath would also be in the Leeds territory.
It's hard to imagine a GAA team not being overly physical!
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