'Are We a Country?'

It wasn't a famine either. It was a crop failure. A crop that the impoverished native people were reduced to depending on growing on poor land as their overlords grazed fat cattle on the better land. Exports continued throughout the "famine years" to other lands in the empire.

Terrible, terrible deeds perpetrated on the people. It's only an idiot who would think the Irish people owed the British people of the early twentieth century anything other than utter contempt.

Drumcondra 69er wrote: Re the flag, I don't see the problem with it, each to their own. It does show how difficult it is for NI to ever be a true cross community team though. The comparison to the Walters flag is crazy though, as someone said, the Walters one is more akin to Rooney's face being superimposed onto a Churchill picture or the like

I'll just leave this here. http://www.irishnews.com/news/2016/03/02/news/belfast-ifa-league-sees-children-play-soccer-beside-uvf-mural-435808/?param=ds12rif76F

Edited by Sham157 - 02 Mar 2016 at 12:34pm

Remove it? NEVER. it's our wee kulture! 

Why is it ok for England to wear a poppy to celebrate their freedom and not ok for the Republic to celebrate an uprising that was ultimately the catalyst for our freedom?

He should look more closely at flags with Northern Ireland crests being flown beside UVF flags in Belfast Sandy Row before he mouths off.

Trap junior wrote: Why is it ok for England to wear a poppy to celebrate their freedom and not ok for the Republic to celebrate an uprising that was ultimately the catalyst for our freedom?

He should look more closely at flags with Northern Ireland crests being flown beside UVF flags in Belfast Sandy Row before he mouths off

Dublin County team jersey, isn't it?

Floreat Ultonia wrote: Trap junior wrote: Why is it ok for England to wear a poppy to celebrate their freedom and not ok for the Republic to celebrate an uprising that was ultimately the catalyst for our freedom? It isn't, both are inappropriate because they politicise sporting events unnecessarily. He should look more closely at flags with Northern Ireland crests being flown beside UVF flags in Belfast Sandy Row before he mouths off   Whataboutery alert, and in any case inaccurate. The Irish FA doesn't condone paramilitarism.   As you probably know, Nelson Mancausla isn't really interested in football. It's crude electioneering.   I understand the dilemma for Government and other institutions in the Republic. They can hardly not commemorate the Rising, given that as you say it helped SF's electoral success in 1918 that then led to the War of Independence. Trouble is that many/ most will see the commemoration as a celebration of eventual independence, and it'll kick off a five-year long party. Inevitably Unionist and British commentators will see that as inappropriate.   To be fair to the FAI, at least the new shirt doesn't have a photo of a bomb site like the GAA's :(

You know your history.  Personally speaking poppies shouldn't be allowed nor should any political symbol. If that means a 1916 rising embroidery being not allowed so be it but have it fair across the board.

Secondly commemorating the 1916 rising is not going to kick off a 5 year party or host of celebrations. We became the Irish Free State in late 1922. That will probably be the next marked date.  Then becoming a Republic in 1949.

I hardly think that's over the top do you?  When you consider that the British celebrate/commemorate the ''Great War'' every year - not only on a single day but the whole month leading up to it every year with poppies and ceremonies etc...

The British were at least 50% to blame for ''The Great War'' as they got caught up in an arms race with the kaiser. They were as much to blame as the Germans in escalating tensions.

The Irish merely wanted independence for just causes. Years of discrimination, oppression, famine...

Trap junior wrote: You know your history.  Personally speaking poppies shouldn't be allowed nor should any political symbol. If that means a 1916 rising embroidery being not allowed so be it but have it fair across the board