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A certain irony in people on the GAA board complaining about an anthem being played before a sporting occasion.

Anyway, glad they were stuffed. Here's to another 39 years.

Can you elaborate on that first bit?

You know well what I mean so no I won't. Read the second paragraph of Owen Brannigan's post. Respect is a two way street.

A certain irony in people on the GAA board complaining about an anthem being played before a sporting occasion.

Anyway, glad they were stuffed. Here's to another 39 years.

If you are a protestant and are in the orange order and you fall in love with and marry a Catholic you are expelled, is that correct? If so it is a sectarian and intolerant organisation.

To my knowledge that is incorrect. If you become a Catholic you obviously no longer subscribe to the core beliefs of a pro-Reformation organisation and so would be barred, but afaik if you remain part of the "reformed" faiths there would be nothing to bar you from remaining a member.

Well my understanding is that is correct. Not allowed to attend a Catholic service either. Remember they threatened to expel Trimble for attending the funeral of them poor kids who were burned to death years ago. It's a nasty sectarian intolerant organisation. I would stop short of calling every member a bigot but I would say that if you belong to a sectarian organisation and you yourself are not sectarian, well them you are a fool instead.

Why ask a question if you think you know the answer or are willingly going to discard the answer you don't like anyway?

If you are a protestant and are in the orange order and you fall in love with and marry a Catholic you are expelled, is that correct? If so it is a sectarian and intolerant organisation.

To my knowledge that is incorrect. If you become a Catholic you obviously no longer subscribe to the core beliefs of a pro-Reformation organisation and so would be barred, but afaik if you remain part of the "reformed" faiths there would be nothing to bar you from remaining a member.

What catholic ascendancy? Catholics were barred from taking the British throne last time I checked. In Ireland we're a long way from any catholic equivalent of the old protestant ascendancy. Sure the catholic church still has a little too much influence in provision of public services in the free state (and the north for that matter), but to say that there's a catholic "ascendency" is a bit of a stretch.

Definition of ascendancy: influence, power.  Tell me the Catholic Church don't want that. Or anyone for that matter.

The protestant ascendency is not the same as protestantism.

Also, let me word my question differently now based on your point.

Is the Catholic Church sectarian for wanting to promote Catholic ascendancy?

Of course not but in the absence of seeing anything recently in the news which would lead me to believe that the Orange Order wanted a return of the Penal Laws, I assumed the problem with the Orange was simply their exclusion of Catholics, which is hardly surprising seeing as they ARE a pro-Reformation group.

Also the previous poster said their aim was "Protestant ascendancy" not "the Protestant ascendancy". Call me pedantic but I think the missing "the" indicates I may be right to assume that Orior didn't mean that he believes the OO are looking for a return to "the" Protestant ascendancy.

When the OO issues statements
condemning the placing of their neighbours' National flag on illegal bonfires,
Condemning burning photos of their neighbours' political representatives on illegal bonfires
Condemning bands who take part in their parades playing offensive
music outside Catholic Churches 
Condemning the louts who attach themselves to Orange parades
And requesting that all of the above disgraceful activities cease.
Telling us they've terminated the membership of the terrorist who drove a car into a crowd of people

I might well start to view them somewhat more favourably.
Until then I will hold the view that the OO is a bigoted anti Catholic organisation and reasonably prejudicially believe that obviously the males who belong to it must share those views.

Fixed that there for you.

A further revision.

How can the OO be anything except sectarian when their aim is protestant ascendancy?

Is the Catholic Church sectarian for wanting to promote Catholicism?

The thing that is striking up North is what Protestant political culture is made up of. King Billy is really important. There is no equivalent for catholic Irish. There can't be. Because there is no period of history that is definitive. Ní uasal agus íseal ach thuas seal agus thíos seal . An icon who represents Protestant domination is out of touch now.

Then the symbols. The Queen . The poppy. The Somme.
War.

Nobody in England cares about the Somme. Society has moved on and become more inclusive. Nobody cares about hating Fenians either.

People in the London elite think the DUP are fruitcakes.

You refer to symbols of unionism and suggest nationalists have no equivalent as they are not needed?

Surely all national groups have their founding myths?

For nationalists, the blood sacrifice is the Easter Rising. Unionists, the Somme.

Nationalists have founding fathers like Pearse and Connolly. Unionists have Carson and Craig.

Nationalists have founding documents like the Proclamation. Unionists have the Covenant.

Nationalists have historic figures like Tone and Emmett. Unionists have King William.

I personally don't see anything particularly desperate or anachronistic about it. I'm sure if I had sufficient knowledge of other nations I'd be able to point to the same sorts of things.

As a casual cyclist (i.e. Out by myself, not in a club, not racing) opinions like the ones on this thread scare the absolute crap out of me.

I'm a driver too and it frustrates me to see cyclists flouting the rules of the road knowing that other drivers are observing this and treating all cyclists as a menace. In fact I would argue that with every road law a cyclist breaks they put another cyclist in danger of a road rage incident.

There is definitely an arrogance and misunderstanding on both sides. I just hope that when people see me out on the road (in Lycra!) they don't see the "cyclist" that for example  jumped onto the pavement to avoid a red light but they might actually consider that I'm a dad, husband, son and brother.

Bit ironic a former recent N I player becoming a priest

Do you and Alanis Morissette go to the same school?

1. Everything
2. Modesty
3. Irony
4. Lists

RoI have been impressive. A few bad balls into the box from set pieces when chances could have been created might be the telling thing by the end of this.

f**k sake lads do you never get fed up going over this stuff? It was always a sectarian thread from the outset, but at least there was some sort of focus on 2016 in it.

Who do Wales play if we don't win?

Turkey

Edit : A Sweden win will also mean Wales play us in next round.