Messages

Im going in a few months, expensive and uncompromising. Would need to be good!

Football played like that is just boring, in my opinion.

I have the Amazon free trial at the minute. I am loving the sports documentaries.

Have watched all or nothing for the Carolina Panthers and am half way through the man city one. I actually enjoyed the NFL one better so far which surprises me. I also watched the Andy Murray one.

Has anyone any recommendations for what next?

I think integrated housing needs added to that list and we can see how well that's going in certain areas of Belfast.

No point integrating education and the kids go back to their ghetto's at the end of the day!

I genuinely think they should go in some night and tear down the "peace walls" in Belfast. The only thing they are good for is division.

Are they encouraged to wear County or GAA Club jerseys though?

The point was made regarding the soccer jerseys but it was more a general point, so yes, there would be no issues.

[Can't believe you could get so irked about a spot of badmington and table tennis!]

A border poll is far down the list of things that need to happen between now an Irish reunification. Higher on the list is the desegregation of society in the north along religious lines, but I don't see a whole lot of progress being made on that front. SF have had the education portfolio for years and were able to scrap the grammar school system over the objections of recalcitrant people who wanted to retain selection, but don't seem to have the same eagerness for scrapping the unacceptable practice of keeping school kids segregated by religion until they go to the tech or go to Uni.

In fact SF's business model seems to be "complain about how unfairly treated we are by the evil Brits and that should keep the votes coming in." They'll probably spend the next decade banging on about why we need a border poll now and how unreasonable the Brits are for not providing one.

Ahh the magic bullet of integrated education.
Will these schools teach Irish history, Gaelige, do gaelic games?

Yes

No.
Integrated education is a fantastic idea, however, it is not universally implemented in the same way.
In my experience of it, there was no irish history, Irish language or gaelic games. However, there were Ulster Scotts classes, Badminton, soccer and table tennis.
In a school primarily staffed by Catholic Staff, with Protestant management. A primarily catholic intake at that time - and kids not getting places as there were too many catholics. Quite a few Protestant families complaining about the lack of Gaelic/Irish as they wanted there kids to experience something they felt they couldn't get elsewhere and also quite a few protestant families complaining when a teacher wore a gaelic top to a sponsored walk fund raiser.
The quality of education was also not what either the state or catholic schools (primary schools) as hardly anyone sat or had the ability to sit the transfer test.
No-one was happy with the level of integration, or lack thereof, in the integrated school I have experience of.

From what I have seen of it, Integrated education will only work if the management, staff and families who send their kids to these schools live and breath and integrated ethos. Staff, IMO, integrated schools are only there as they couldn't get a job in a school from their respective tradition. In many cases, kids in the schools are the same, though, there is a sizeable number of mixed marriages with kids in integrated schools.

I know I've gone on a bit of a rant there on Integrated Education, but it galls me to hear so much spouted about the virtues of Integrated Education when the realities don't really live up to the expectations.

Can't believe you could get so irked about a  spot of badmington and table tennis!  Surely the main virtue of integrated is that young people are being educated together from an early age, building life long friendships and realising that the folk from the other "community" don't have two heads.

The point that I was trying to make with the sport, was that it seemed to be any sport but Gaelic games.
I had once asked the question about why they hadn't entered the Cumann na mBunscol, to be told by the principal they didn't know anything about it. So I contacted the offices of Comann na mBunscol for info, only to be told the school was registered by never attended. On further investigation, they had actually go funding for Gaelic Games coaching, but used it for "other" activities.

My two go to integrated and my experience to date has not been this. In fact their U6 coach at the club teaches at the school and runs the school GAA activities.

The biggest surprise I had is that football tops such as Republic or Northern Ireland are actually encouraged. The ethos is about accepting differences and not hiding or being ashamed of them. They are learning more about Diversity than they would at a Catholic school.

Nationalism has a problem and even though demographics are trending towards a nationalist majority neither SF nor the SDLP are making ground. Alliance seem to be mopping ups that younger vote, so a UI is fading. Michelle O'Neill is a vote loser, talks too fast and is incoherent at best. O'Dowd would have been a better bet. The SDLP on the other hand despite the obvious ability of Eastwood can't stop coming across as Uncle Tom's.

tbf conor murphy is the natural leader of the shinners but for whatever reason he has been sidelined.
they need him leading as he is articulate and can easily defend his position without resorting the rancour.
sdlp might do better than we think in this election purely as a wake up call to the shinners not to take their electorate or granted

Got it from a good source that Conor Murphy turned the leadership down. John O'Dowd or John Finucanne are probably the future. O'Neill puts me off SF, though I voted for them but that was more to do with not wanting to vote for Dolores Kelly who is worse than O'Neill. Colum Eastwood impresses me but he is alone in the SDLP.

Colum is yet to win me over, he is a good speaker, but he needs to sort SDLP out policy wise and prove he can deliver. I didn't vote for him this time but will keep a close eye on him and would never rule out voting for anybody.

 Not a bad night locally in end up. Some win for Eastwood, he got the message across well obviously. Have seen Dodds face yet, should be good to see 

SF sources say they will lose Foyle to the SDLP.

In fairness eastwood is light years better than mccallion. Really hope finucane sneaks it in NB. Would love to see dodds' face if he loses

Wonder  how he'll get on stopping Boris and Brrxit 

I see the Alliance and Lucid Talk had a public spat last night!

I'm in Foyle and am still undecided. The only way I would want Eastwood in is if it is a hung parliament that SDLP may play some small influence in, but it would pain me to lend him my vote, especially if the conservatives win a majority!

What bad thing would he do with your vote?

He might not deliver on what he has promised. It could all be over at 10 o'clock tonight if the tories get a majority, yet he will be sitting on a comfy salary plus expenses for 5 years not delivering what he has promised. A strong Sinn Fein vote working outside Westminister could be more effective than SDLP and irrelevant votes in Westminister.

a sinn fein vote, is a wasted vote for Westminster

Not sure I agree. And for all the SDLP years in Westminister, Derry is still an economic backwater!

What a false equivalence if there was ever on! I'm pretty sure the SDLP are well down the list of people to blame for Derry's woes. There are many major reasons that had SFA to do with the SDLP and everyone knows it. It could be argued things would be worse but for them.

Honestly, if you're against Brexit, voting SF in a Westminster election is pointless if there's another nationalist remain option with a better chance of taking the seat. Unionists rarely make tactical voting errors like nationalist do.

I don't doubt it, but it is not the way it is painted listening to Colum who wants me to vote for him so he can "stop Boris and stop brexit". SDLP are all over the place and have been for a long time, they don't know where they stand on a number of issues and are running this campaign aimed at voters like me based on the single promise they can make a big difference by taking their seat. I know there is a slim possibility this may be the case but other than that I wouldn't be considering them.

I see the Alliance and Lucid Talk had a public spat last night!

I'm in Foyle and am still undecided. The only way I would want Eastwood in is if it is a hung parliament that SDLP may play some small influence in, but it would pain me to lend him my vote, especially if the conservatives win a majority!

What bad thing would he do with your vote?

He might not deliver on what he has promised. It could all be over at 10 o'clock tonight if the tories get a majority, yet he will be sitting on a comfy salary plus expenses for 5 years not delivering what he has promised. A strong Sinn Fein vote working outside Westminister could be more effective than SDLP and irrelevant votes in Westminister.

a sinn fein vote, is a wasted vote for Westminster

Not sure I agree. And for all the SDLP years in Westminister, Derry is still an economic backwater!

I see the Alliance and Lucid Talk had a public spat last night!

I'm in Foyle and am still undecided. The only way I would want Eastwood in is if it is a hung parliament that SDLP may play some small influence in, but it would pain me to lend him my vote, especially if the conservatives win a majority!

What bad thing would he do with your vote?

He might not deliver on what he has promised. It could all be over at 10 o'clock tonight if the tories get a majority, yet he will be sitting on a comfy salary plus expenses for 5 years not delivering what he has promised. A strong Sinn Fein vote working outside Westminister could be more effective than SDLP and irrelevant votes in Westminister.

I see the Alliance and Lucid Talk had a public spat last night!

I'm in Foyle and am still undecided. The only way I would want Eastwood in is if it is a hung parliament that SDLP may play some small influence in, but it would pain me to lend him my vote, especially if the conservatives win a majority!

[The management to blame for losing us that one and probably an All Ireland]

Looking back I think Dermot Dougan's display against Galway in the AI semifinal was his best performance ever in a Derry shirt .... but because we got beaten it just wasn't recognised

I would agree,( think Dougie got 4 points from play that day), the Ulster final against Armagh when he got two goals off McGeeney gets talked about more but he was exceptional in that Galway semi-final.

The management to blame for losing us that one and probably an All Ireland

AI Semi Final 2001....still haven't got over that one. Such a sickner leaving croker that day

I actually agree with this.
That, and Joyce being allowed to steal 10 yards on every free kick.
And, to be fair, Donnellan was unreal.

Ciaran McNally (from memory ) going off injured in the second half was a huge loss for Derry that day too

Class operator!! Was disappointing he wasn't able to play for Derry more he would have been up there one of the best half backs about at the time!!

I remember that day I think when we were 5 up we had an attacking free in front if the Hogan. We took it too short and Galway were awarded the free. Always stands in my mind as a big moment in the game.

My 15 would be

Gillis
Lockhart
McCloy
Mckeever
Okane
Downey
McFlynn
Tohill
Doherty
Lynn
Lynch
SL McGoldrick
E Bradley
Muldoon
P Bradley

01 and 07 were our best teams in that period. In 07 M McGoldrick and Paul Murphy has very good years but didn't feature in too many of the other years. C Devlin had a very good year that year also.

Who would your best player of the period be? Would have to be between Lockhart, F Doherty, tohill and P Bradley. With honourable mention to Lynch and Muldoon?

Right so obviously Duffy isn't suspended. What changed there?