I think it was a good idea and would be a good show of unity and support for the whole island but at the same time if it doesn't happen ill lose no sleep about it or actually care either way - but yet again those unionist bigots remind us once again (as if we need reminding) why we support the 'republic' of Ireland - the one true football team in Ireland.

Hope they qualify for the later rounds so we can face them!

 

As for the idea, while I support it, the SDLP are throwing it out there knowing it won't fly, which is basically using the Irish national side as a political punchbag.

Would probably work if there was a reception for both teams also in the Free State as well as Belfast.

Quite historic the whole island of Ireland is going to a major football tournament.

 

Indeed. Unionist politicians up North are just one big gigantic cringefest. The worst part is they are not even entertainingly so - instead they are incredibly boring cringe artists who quite simply never have any input of value into a discussion.

 

As for the idea, it would be a nice gesture but of course is never even going to get close to getting off the ground in that political backwater that is NI.

Rodgers said if they are to have one for ROI they should invite Wales & England as well

He also had a dig at most of Irelands team being born in England and said only a few were born in Ireland

'British Isles' is the correct geographical term for the two big islands and the smaller islands. If Scotland had left the UK last year and become independent, it wouldn't make the slightest bit of difference, they'd still be part of the geographical entity called the British Isles.

My thoughts exactly.

Could you imagine if Sinn Fein  proposed it? 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles_naming_dispute" rel="nofollow - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Isles_naming_dispute

 

I prefer the term 'Atlantic Archipelago' myself.

Yeah its hyopcritical anyone mentioning that as all countries have players representing them who weren't born in the country 

Scotland fans were obsessed with McCarthy and McGeady in the two games against us and yet the player who scored in both games was born in Malaysia

Im sure the north have a few English born players in their squad at the minute as well. 

 

As opposed to N.I. Unionists like him who call themselves British and none of them born in Britain

 

What a risible bunch they are. Wtf has Ireland's players got to do with anything?

Caller Sean from Belfast asked the DUP man where he was born when he phoned in to make that very point

The term is strictly a geographical one. If the UK broke up into four independent republics tomorrow morning, the term British Isles would still be the correct geographical one. The naming dispute mainly boils down to Irish nationalists and republicans disliking the word 'British' being associated with them in any way, not even geographically : funny how we never hear people in Wales, Cumbria and the Isle of Man demanding that the 'Irish Sea' be renamed as they find the term objectionable.

it isn't, it implies ownership. It is a geographical term if referring to lands ruled by westminster etc. If it is purely geographical, why is Jersey considered to be the 'sunniest place in the British Isles', when it is not part of the geographical grouping? It is an inability from certain sections of the British establishment to let go of the past. See the Commonwealth for more. 

It may be semantics but, Greek people come form the Greek islands, British people come from the British islands, I am not British.

Strictly speaking, the Channel Islands should not be included in the term British Isles as they are not part of the archipelago of islands. I disagree though that it's used solely by British people to somehow claim ownership of the Republic : I use the term myself to describe the two big islands (but that might be because I wouldn't describe myself as a nationalist or republican, merely a proud Irishman).

Precisely. It's only the 'correct term' until you think about what it means. Is Ireland a British isle? 

Regarding the reception, it'd be nice if our support from the six counties could see their team come up for a reception but the fleg numbskulls will never go for it

The British Virgin Islands or the Virgin Islands of the United States? 

Homecoming reception for the team on the 12th of July?

So do many British people. The Irish state and it's people do not.

The Alanis Morrissette award for irony goes to......................GonetoShowgies

 

Whats that town called where the Boyne river flows thr...............well on reflection, maybe not....we saw what happened the last time we met there about 300 years ago....

 

Im from the north, i was at the game and my mate was at the game. He lives in Belfast- why shouldnt he and the majority nationalist population in Belfast be allowed to see their team given a reception. Especially with Northern Irelands team there to- great stuff. But as usual the neanderthals only want it one way. One politician even said we are Northern Ireland and the majority of people support Northern Ireland- if he thinks that hes in fantasy land, maybe he should go to a bar in Derry next June and see who everyone is supporting.

I would say the majority of people in the 6 counties do support NI 

I don't know anybody from a nationalist background who supports Are We A Country or who attends Windsor Park for their matches. As the nationalist population of the six counties is about 47%, it might be a majority, but it is a very small one, and almost exclusively from one section of the community

 

Yes to be fair they probably do, however the exact quote was 'we encourage people to support Northern Ireland and most do', i can only speak about the area im from and the people i know and that is patently untrue.

 

Ive been to the Ireland vs Poland game the Ireland vs Scotland game and the play off game and that cost me about £400 altogether- is that ok for you? I just mentioned the game above because we qualified. To be fair i should have made that clear. Politics has no place in football, totally agree but you are missing the point.

 

There are hundreds of thousands of Republic supporters in the north, last month there was a reception for the Northern Ireland team. And so there should be because they have hundreds of thousands of fans to and they have done really well to qualify. Was there an outcry from Nationalists saying we should wait until we know the Republics fate? No they waited until we qualified then expected the same respect be shown to the supporters of the Republic who would like to see their team congratulated. Added to the fact that the 2 teams would be present at the reception and that the 2 men are managing the teams are from the North it should be an occassion to celebrate.

 

Who is hijacking either team. Just because they drew an imaginary line over 6 counties in 1921 didnt mean my great grandfather and grandmother felt any less Irish and didnt pass that down through the generations. Hi-jacking implies that we are taking something that isnt ours, well im Irish and the Irish team represents me.

 

Oh shut up you tart.

I'm Irish and I'm from the British Isles !!!!!

 

In a similar vein, although political, in recent times the term EU has come to mean Europe and vice versa.

 

I'm sure the Swiss and Norwegians object to that !!!!

 

 

Not sure I agree with you there Gary. When I hear EU I think exactly that...EU. When I hear Europe I think of Europe. I don't consider Switzerland in EU but I do consider it in Europe.

 

Also I'm Irish and I'm from....Ireland

i assumed (hoped) he was on a wind up. no one can be that stupid. 

 

Good question. There are a number of reasons why i support the ROI. The main reason is because i feel Irish and feel that the ROI team best represents me, other reasons include god save the queen being played at Northern ireland games making it somewhat uncomfortable, surrounding bars and area in Belfast around Windsor Park would feel intimidating to me whereas in Dublin i feel at ease, growing up seeing the vitriol spouted at Neil Lennon and being from Derry and with Derry playing League of Ireland it just feels far more natural as your always in the south at football games or cup finals.

Would you be okay with the British government and it's people starting a campaign to rename the Irish Sea as it implies ownership of British territorial waters by Ireland?

would expect 10k easily plus of course their friends in glasgow and england.

would hate to share a city/ town with them for a week.  

 

Well its not actually a loyalist dominated setup, there is a nationalist majority on the council in Belfast. I personally would like to see it because i think the team should be congratulated and it would give the people a chance to come out and show their support. Also it has the potential to be good for community relations- the 2 teams in Ireland going to euro 2016 and celebrating in the home of Irish football(which is actually Belfast as that is where the 1st all island football body was set up).

 

No problem man i wouldnt call it an argument more a heated debate .

 

Most English politicians don't even use the term "British Isles" anymore. To claim it is the correct geographical term is also incorrect. 

 

As already has been stated, it isn't a loyalist-dominated regime. If it was they wouldn't have lost the butcher's apron from the top of the City Hall and we wouldn't have seen all the fleg protests. I could be wrong, but even if all the unionists on the council vote against it, the proposal could still pass. I can see another row coming down the tracks too. Some councils want to show the failed statelet's games on big screens during the Euros, but ratepayers from a nationalist background are asking why Ireland's games aren't being shown, as that is who they support. Watch this space...

I was actually happy for the North qualified and not only because Michael O'Neill was their gaffer, maybe my tolerance levels are increasing as I speed towards 50. 

 

The North isn't a loyalist-dominated regime either. Four of the six counties have a nationalist majority and the two biggest cities have a nationalist majority (Derry massively so), so I don't know where you're coming from. I do agree with you about keeping politics out of football, witness all the poppy sh*te over the last month. All I will say is that there is an unwillingness among unionists to recognise the Irish identity in any form among a very large section of the indigenous population in what is supposed to be a shared society. Part of that identity for me and many others is supporting our country, not some artificially created statelet undemocratically foisted upon my grandparents

I don't know anybody from a nationalist background who supports Are We A Country or who attends Windsor Park for their matches. As the nationalist population of the six counties is about 47%, it might be a majority, but it is a very small one, and almost exclusively from one section of the community

I fear it's a fantasy island that you live on

the most recent poll is here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-34725746

What geographical term would you use to describe all the islands? "Britain and Ireland" cannot be correct as it refers only to the two big islands, and excludes the like of the Shetlands, Orkneys and the Isle of Man.

 

The British Isles is purely a Geographical Term NOT a Political One.

You're using that term in the political sense though. Scotland could have left the UK last year and become an independent state but they would still be located within the British Isles. The UK could break up into four independent republics in the way that Yugoslavia did in the 1990s and the nationality of 'British' would cease to exist, but the geographical term British Isles would still apply.

What's wrong with lumping them together though? Everyone knows that there are two political entities located within the islands who are completely independent of each other. It seems strange that after one hundred years of independence that Irish people can feel threatened by the word 'British' being used even geographically to refer to the landmass of the islands.....it makes them sound very insecure rather than at ease with their sense of nationality.

I fear it's a fantasy island that you live on

the most recent poll is here http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-34725746

That poll is a load of sh*t as most polls are...

The poll about the marrying someone from a different religion is not close to true! Anyone in the orange order is not allowed to have a relationship with a catholic and that is a fact! It can happen of course but highly frowned upon and you wouldnt know that from the polls on the Nolan show (nolan show-says it all ha)

And a poll like this is pointless showing unless everyone is actually asked! 

Anyway, the polls dont discuss who goes to northern ireland games at all!

 

The NI team had a civic reception last month, why do we want/need another one?

 

If the SDLP weren't trolling this one, they'd simply invite the ROI team (to even things up).

 

But they would then be exposed as trying to "out Sinn Fein" Sinn Fein (as well as embarrassed if/when ROI turned them down).

 

As for the Unionist politicians' response, it was the usual old load of nonsense.

 

But that doesn't change the fact that it was just that, a response (to the initial provocation).

 

Anyway, it won't go ahead (imo), it is hardly necessary and if ROI fans in NI are so desperate to celebrate their team's achievement, then their capital city is the obvious location.

 

I mean, they're happy enough to travel to Dublin to see the team play....

 

How would you take it if you were born in NI i.e. in the UK, and I told you you weren't Irish?

 

Or haven't you heard of the Good Friday Agreement, overwhelmingly endorsed by all the people in Ireland:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/136652/agreement.pdf" rel="nofollow - https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/136652/agreement.pdf

 

I was born in NI, which means I am both British AND Irish - and all the more privileged for it!

 

It's discriminashun, so it is.

 

(I blame those bloody partitionists in the FAI...)

 

Or would it satisfy you if I called myself "United Kingdomish"?

 

And what would you call eg Kevin Kilbane?

 

I mean, by your reasoning he couldn't be "Irish" if he is from another island....

 

 

and

 

 

(From that pesky GFA again)