UDA boss Mc Donald to speak at Belfast GAA club

[Minder]

Maybe this should be in the " What the f*ck thread.........."




Loyalist leaders including alleged UDA boss Jackie McDonald are to attend an event at a west Belfast GAA club this evening.

It is the first time that members of

a loyalist paramilitary group have been invited to speak at a Gaelic sports club.

The cross-community event, to be held in Sarsfields Gaelic Athletic Club in Andersonstown, has been organised by the Standing Northern Ireland Peace Process (Snipp).

While the group, set up to explore new ways to build links between divided communities, has already held two public meetings this will be the first to take place in west Belfast.

Nationalist community worker Jim McCorry and Ulster Political Research Group representative Colin Halliday will chair the event.

Mr McCorry said the fact that the meeting was able to take place in an Andersonstown venue was a optimistic sign for the future.

"The initiative for this event has come from within the ranks of loyalism," he said.

"It would not have been possible otherwise.

"During early dialogue loyalist representatives expressed a keenness to speak to people from a nationalist, republican background and to create conditions for further public discussions.

"The hope would be that we can come together and find common ground on ordinary issues such as the economic difficulties and hardship that face working-class communities across the divide.

"The fact that this meeting is able to take place at this time with the consensus of all those involved shows that we have moved on to

a degree.

"However, there is still a very long way to go and this is early days."

The group comprises community epresentatives from both sides of the political divide.

Both of its previous public meetings took place in Taughmonagh Social Club in the loyalist heartland of south Belfast and were well

attended.

Representatives of the Irish government, including senior Department of Foreign Affairs diplomat Aine de Baroid, attended previous Snipp events.

Senior civil servants from the NIO have also attended.

This evening Mr McDonald and loyalist political representative Frankie Gallagher will take part in a panel discussion along with members of the republican community.

Gerry Ruddy of the IRSP will take part in the panel discussion.

Other republican representatives including Jim Auld, head of Community Restorative Justice Ireland, are also to attend.

An international delegation from the Moldova region of eastern Europe who are touring Northern Ireland will give a short presentation on how cultural conflict has impacted on their community.

[T Fearon]

Once again the tolerance of we nationalist people is to be marvelled at. When Sinn Fein ministers visiting schools are heckled and abused by schoolchildren (egged on by adults of course) we welcome the head of a mass murder gang (how many GAA members did Mc Donald's men kill?) into one of our clubs.

Did Gregory Campbell not appeal at the weekend for GAA clubs not to associate with paramilitarism, oh sorry, that was republican paramilitarism

[AZOffaly]

Why is this being held in a GAA club? It seems to stem from a request to speak to the Nationalist (political) community. Would a local hall or something not be better? Sort of reinforces the idea that a GAA club is an 'away' venue for Unionists/Loyalists.

[nifan]

Some of these guys seem to think they are some sort of humanitarians as they dont kill each other anymore

[AZOffaly]

Some of these guys seem to think they are some sort of humanitarians as they dont kill each other anymore

Hey, it's better than the alternative. Small mercies and all that.

[Minder]

I think Mc Donald is masquerading as some sort of "community worker" now (we have them on both sides of the house) and i suppose they are chasing all the funding they can get their hands on.........Just hope he does not take it all to the bookies like Shoukri.

[theskull1]

Can't disagree with tonys comments. Unionist/Loyalists need to evolve to and be more comfortable in their own skin. Once you're asking the question of "what about their perspective in all of this?"...you're on the road to resolution

Shouldn't be held in a GAA club though....we're non political

[nifan]

Agreed AZ, its certainly better, but its also sad that we have to appease these guys sense of self importance.
Any muppet can pick up a gun, and unfortunatley did.

[mylestheslasher]

The GAA is non-political. Yeah right. There is a FG TD managing Mayo for christ sake. Everything in this country is political. Back to the case at hand, I have no problem in a group that is trying to build cross community functions having a meeting in a GAA ground. This is an effort towards peacful co-existance and I  think it is petty for people to be playing the "Non Political GAA" card. Now, there is a valid point about loyalists not reciprocating the gesture when a SF member visits a school, but then loyalists have always been the slower learners. The best way to counter this is to continue to show generosity to the unionist community until such a time as they realise that nationalists and the GAA are not the devils they believe them to be.

[Gnevin]

Can't disagree with tonys comments. Unionist/Loyalists need to evolve to and be more comfortable in their own skin. Once you're asking the question of "what about their perspective in all of this?"...you're on the road to resolution

Shouldn't be held in a GAA club though....we're non political

Good one , owe your serious 

[AZOffaly]

The GAA is non-political. Yeah right. There is a FG TD managing Mayo for christ sake. Everything in this country is political. Back to the case at hand, I have no problem in a group that is trying to build cross community functions having a meeting in a GAA ground. This is an effort towards peacful co-existance and I  think it is petty for people to be playing the "Non Political GAA" card. Now, there is a valid point about loyalists not reciprocating the gesture when a SF member visits a school, but then loyalists have always been the slower learners. The best way to counter this is to continue to show generosity to the unionist community until such a time as they realise that nationalists and the GAA are not the devils they believe them to be.

Myles, obviously politics is everywhere, but a person's political leanings shouldn't have any bearing on the GAA. The GAA as an 'organisation' is supposed to be non-political.

This event seems to suggest that the GAA club is the 'home' for the political aspect of Nationalism. Unless there's no other venue possible, I think it's a bit dodgy, perspective wise.

If, as is the case in many places, the GAA grounds doubles up as a de-facto village hall, then fair enough. It just reads funny.

UDA man: 'We're going to speak to the Nationalists at their place, the local GAA club'.

[Lar Naparka]

Agreed AZ, its certainly better, but its also sad that we have to appease these guys sense of self importance.
Any muppet can pick up a gun, and unfortunatley did.

All very true.
I just hope the meeting goes ahead without incident and that all concerned will feel it was a successful initiative when it is over.
I think that Sarsfields GAA Club are to be commended for hosting this meeting- there has to be many members who have little reason to welcome either McDonald or those he represents onto its premises but as he seems to be attending at his own request he should be given a chance to meet members of the local community on their own terms.
I can only see good coming from this meeting. It certainly won't leading to overnight bonding between all sections of the community but if it's a small step in the right direction it should be welcomed.
I accept Tony's point about the tolerance of those who've seen Sinn Fein Ministers being assaulted by school kids, egged on by their parents, while welcoming McDonald into their midst. But those people were always going to be the last sector to let their bigotry and intolerance go and they will still be around for many years to come.
If even a small number of both communities find their fears of the other side eased somewhat then some good will have come of this meeting.
Finally, I think its best to have this event held in the local GAA club and not in a local hall of some sort; in any part of Nationalist Ireland it would be hard to meet a genuine cross section of the local community anywhere else.
The hand of tolerance, if not of outright friendship, is being held out here and it is up to others to shake it or not.

[Main Street]

I had to laugh at AZ´s away ground  comment.
I suppose that's the perception, the Green Hall.

I'd look upon it as a non political location within the nationalist area.
A sanctuary of sorts, hallowed ground 

[dec]

The GAA is "non party political", not "non political."

[Minder]

The GAA certainly wasnt "non political" a couple of years ago when we had a march in memory of the hunger strikers in Casement Park.........