This is the News!

[JayzusB.Christ]

A couple of IPAs ...

Had a good squint at the middle letter there

Here, as Mr Pops says, it suggests someone who has leanings towards a united Ireland and may possibly have had IRA sympathies in the past, or at least Sinn Féin ones.

"Here" is the North for me, where a republican has a more complex definition, but generally means you completely support the RA. There's even sub-genres such as the
, the stickies and the dissies. They're all usually involved in trading unlicensed pharmaceuticals.

Nationalists are people that want a united Ireland, but don't necessarily agree with the RA's methods of achieving it.

And I was about to start trying to explain Northern Ireland's whole political spectrum, but I caught myself on.

Aye, fair enough, I wouldn't even try to suggest I understand the complexities of the situation north of the border. My 'here' is not your 'here' by any means.

 I have a neighbour from a protestant area of Belfast- I think he was surprised to discover most of our little houseboat community didn't give much of a shite where he was from or what his religion was.

[The Legendary Shark]

So it turns out that Republicans are being arrested in London before they've actually done owt. 

Arrests of peaceful protesters. Republic's response.

[sheridan]

Anyway, God save King Tiocfaidh.

    

I feel duty-bound to all you non-Oirish to point out that Tiocfaidh is pronounced Chucky.

I remember blissfully cruising across the border years ago with my father in his boat, and commenting on how many of the other passing boats had Union flags on them.

It was then that we suddenly remembered what day of the year it was. Our tricolour, which was hung more for decoration than patriotism, was taken down fairly sharpish and hidden well out of sight.

This must be much more obvious to people living near the border than me, but what day of the year was it?

[sheridan]

A couple of IPAs has got me thinking of how the word 'republican' has very different connotations depending on what country you're from.

Here, as Mr Pops says, it suggests someone who has leanings towards a united Ireland and may possibly have had IRA sympathies in the past, or at least Sinn Féin ones.

 In England it's just someone who doesn't see why they should be classed as 'subjects' of some weird rich family that nobody elected.

  In the USA, however, the word hints at someone who will do all in their power to fuel even more mass shootings, take away women's bodily autonomy, stamp out even the slightest suggestion that not everyone is 100% heterosexual, and noisily delude themselves that a massive man-child won an election that he clearly lost.

Funnily enough I was listening to a radio show / podcast the other day and the word republican came up.  I assumed the piece was about the far-right in the USA, but it turned out to be on people who don't get over-excited when somebody wears a new hat in the UK.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Anyway, God save King Tiocfaidh.

    

I feel duty-bound to all you non-Oirish to point out that Tiocfaidh is pronounced Chucky.

I remember blissfully cruising across the border years ago with my father in his boat, and commenting on how many of the other passing boats had Union flags on them.

It was then that we suddenly remembered what day of the year it was. Our tricolour, which was hung more for decoration than patriotism, was taken down fairly sharpish and hidden well out of sight.

This must be much more obvious to people living near the border than me, but what day of the year was it?

I would guess the twelth of July, when the PUL community celebrates their Britishness by commemorating a Dutch man beating up a French man in Ireland, while the CNR community all bugger off to Donegal

[JayzusB.Christ]

My northern friend is correct, of course. The multicultural, all-inclusive and forward- thinking 12th.

[sheridan]

Interesting, in that celebrating the 12th of July puts them apart from England and Wales* - in that that date has no significance over here.

* just looked it up - apparently it's also celebrated / commemorated in Scotland and Newfoundland and Labrador.

[JayzusB.Christ]

I hadn't realised it was so little- known outside this island.  It's all over the news ever year here, and between one act of belligerence and another, it's never the feel-good story at the end.

[sheridan]

The only time it would get in to the news over here is if there was violence or that time a bunch of grown adults shouted and threatened primary school children for something or other (to be honest, I don't think the latter had anything to do with what date it was - any day is a good day for strangers to scream at five-year-olds, apparently).

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Sounds like you're talking about the Holy Cross Stand off. They didn't just threaten, they threw bricks, water balloons filled with piss and even a pipe bomb. About a mile away from where I live now. Thank fuck The Troubles are still over. Or at least downgraded to The Squabbles.

[JohnW]

That was in September of 2001.
I remember because:
a) It was the beginning of the school year, and;
b) Something happened on the eleventh of that month that stuck in the memory.

I doubt that the bigotry in the Ardoyne was miraculously done away with by events in New York, but all reporting about the Holy Cross situation stopped dead on the afternoon of the 11th.
It was such a notable example of big news driving out little news.

There are only so many pages in a newspaper. There are only so many hours in the news cycle. If an event doesn't make the news it might as well not have happened.
On 12th September 2001 there was only room for one thing in the news. I got the feeling those primary school kids might have been beaten to death in the street and we wouldn't have heard about it.

[sheridan]

Thinking further - the only date related event that gets highlighted over here (and is pointed out it's to do with the time of year) is Marching Season.

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

Thinking further - the only date related event that gets highlighted over here (and is pointed out it's to do with the time of year) is Marching Season.

Yes, well, the Orange Order's calendar goes:

January
February
March
March
March
March
March...

[sheridan]

It strikes me that the parts of Northern Irish society which seem most alien and strange to those on the mainland are theoretically on the same 'side' as the Brits...

[Definitely Not Mister Pops]

They're not just on the side of the Brits, as far as they're concerned they are British. MORE British than any of you living off the east coast. Diluting your British identity with English, Scottish or Welsh. Not these boys, nothing but pure Brit. The gammonist of the gammons.