Record numbers of free staters flock to join British Army

[Trout]

Is there not a difference between joining the British Army before the GFA and after it?

Nobody can argue we are now at war with Britain. They are a friend and ally. The northern situation is far from ideal but we've all voted on it and a conclusion has been reached that in theory allows for a United Ireland in the future. Compromise has been reached by the governments which has been accepted in referendum by the people, so we move on.
So why shouldnt an Irish person join the army of an ally, especially the guy who has always loved fighter jets? He can't do that in Ireland. Plenty of Irish also join the US forces, and I'm sure there's some who join armies in Europe - these days is there any difference between that and people joining the British army?

Don't try pretend that the British army are just the same as any other European army. I never seen Dutch/French/German/Polish/Italian (etc) troops smash in my front door and turn my house on its end as they laughed. Nor did soldiers from any other European country carry out state murders locally.

Perhaps you should have kept within the confines of the law and you wouldn't have had your door put in.

[trueblue1234]

Unfortunately staying within the confines of the law didn't stop the British army.

[armagho9]

Is there not a difference between joining the British Army before the GFA and after it?

Nobody can argue we are now at war with Britain. They are a friend and ally. The northern situation is far from ideal but we've all voted on it and a conclusion has been reached that in theory allows for a United Ireland in the future. Compromise has been reached by the governments which has been accepted in referendum by the people, so we move on.
So why shouldnt an Irish person join the army of an ally, especially the guy who has always loved fighter jets? He can't do that in Ireland. Plenty of Irish also join the US forces, and I'm sure there's some who join armies in Europe - these days is there any difference between that and people joining the British army?

Don't try pretend that the British army are just the same as any other European army. I never seen Dutch/French/German/Polish/Italian (etc) troops smash in my front door and turn my house on its end as they laughed. Nor did soldiers from any other European country carry out state murders locally.

Perhaps you should have kept within the confines of the law and you wouldn't have had your door put in.

What a tit.   

[Nally Stand]

Is there not a difference between joining the British Army before the GFA and after it?

Nobody can argue we are now at war with Britain. They are a friend and ally. The northern situation is far from ideal but we've all voted on it and a conclusion has been reached that in theory allows for a United Ireland in the future. Compromise has been reached by the governments which has been accepted in referendum by the people, so we move on.
So why shouldnt an Irish person join the army of an ally, especially the guy who has always loved fighter jets? He can't do that in Ireland. Plenty of Irish also join the US forces, and I'm sure there's some who join armies in Europe - these days is there any difference between that and people joining the British army?

Don't try pretend that the British army are just the same as any other European army. I never seen Dutch/French/German/Polish/Italian (etc) troops smash in my front door and turn my house on its end as they laughed. Nor did soldiers from any other European country carry out state murders locally.

Perhaps you should have kept within the confines of the law and you wouldn't have had your door put in.

Do you want to expand on that? What exactly would you be accusing me of?

[StGallsGAA]

Perhaps you should have kept within the confines of the law and you wouldn't have had your door put in.


Do you want to expand on that? What exactly would you be accusing me of?

this reply should be interesting.....

[thejuice]

Are they looking for monkeys up in the zoo??


Too ra loo ra loo ra loo

[Banana Man]

Is there not a difference between joining the British Army before the GFA and after it?

Nobody can argue we are now at war with Britain. They are a friend and ally. The northern situation is far from ideal but we've all voted on it and a conclusion has been reached that in theory allows for a United Ireland in the future. Compromise has been reached by the governments which has been accepted in referendum by the people, so we move on.
So why shouldnt an Irish person join the army of an ally, especially the guy who has always loved fighter jets? He can't do that in Ireland. Plenty of Irish also join the US forces, and I'm sure there's some who join armies in Europe - these days is there any difference between that and people joining the British army?

Don't try pretend that the British army are just the same as any other European army. I never seen Dutch/French/German/Polish/Italian (etc) troops smash in my front door and turn my house on its end as they laughed. Nor did soldiers from any other European country carry out state murders locally.

Perhaps you should have kept within the confines of the law and you wouldn't have had your door put in.

that is bang out of order

[Poc me]

Can we still call the chocolate free state chocolate?? It is the only way to distinguish between the two dairy milks!

In all serious though, I have heard people referring to people from the 26 as 'free-staters' in a positive and negative way, if they don't like it don't use it. God knows we have many things we don't like being called and people should take the same attitude. To be honest though if someone was giving me a bit of shit about being 'british' and all that sort of craic and they were from the 26 (and it has happened), in order to fcuk them off i'd call them a 'west brit'...and rightly so if they have the cheek to undermine my Irishness.

With the people from the 26 i simply refer to them by whatever county they'd come from. I don't see why anyone would refer to them as a 'free stater' or anything when they can just say he's from Mayo, Cork etc etc.

Really? You can't think of any situation where you couldn't start listing the counties the people you are talking about are from?

No

[Evil Genius]

4000 is a "record" number. I wonder when the record keeping began. 

My nephew was one of the officer cadets who made it to the three day assessment. He was saying most of the boys in the barracks were intending to join up with the Brits if they weren't successful. IMO they should be stripped of their citizenship.

I don't really understand why someone would want to join the british army, but that's just ridiculous.
This isn't a dictatorship, free will exists.

In a dictatorship they'd be shot. I agree 100% with Ulick on this one. Why the hell should any Irishman be permitted to join an army that has shot and murdered Irish citizens for 100's of years right up to the present. They have the free will to do so if they so wish, Ireland should have the free will to tell them to leave their passports at the ferry when they leave.

"Any Irishman"?

You seem to forget that there are one million Irishmen and women on the island for whom joining the British Armed Forces is entirely natural, like these two, for example:
http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=124709
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/rir-soldier-becomes-afghan-hero-after-saving-eightyearold-girl-15065346.html

P.S. On the subject of correct nomenclature which has hijacked this thread, I always find it amusing that those posters who are most insistent on the use of the correct [sic] term "Ireland" etc, are invariably the same ones who are completely incapable of typing "Northern Ireland"! Indeed they will resorting to "the Six Counties" or "the North" etc, even when a simple "NI" is quicker, more accurate and pretty much unmistakeable... 

[Banana Man]

4000 is a "record" number. I wonder when the record keeping began. 

My nephew was one of the officer cadets who made it to the three day assessment. He was saying most of the boys in the barracks were intending to join up with the Brits if they weren't successful. IMO they should be stripped of their citizenship.

I don't really understand why someone would want to join the british army, but that's just ridiculous.
This isn't a dictatorship, free will exists.

In a dictatorship they'd be shot. I agree 100% with Ulick on this one. Why the hell should any Irishman be permitted to join an army that has shot and murdered Irish citizens for 100's of years right up to the present. They have the free will to do so if they so wish, Ireland should have the free will to tell them to leave their passports at the ferry when they leave.

"Any Irishman"?

You seem to forget that there are one million Irishmen and women on the island for whom joining the British Armed Forces is entirely natural, like these two, for example:
http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=124709
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/rir-soldier-becomes-afghan-hero-after-saving-eightyearold-girl-15065346.html

P.S. On the subject of correct nomenclature which has hijacked this thread, I always find it amusing that those posters who are most insistent on the use of the correct [sic] term "Ireland" etc, are invariably the same ones who are completely incapable of typing "Northern Ireland"! Indeed they will resorting to "the Six Counties" or "the North" etc, even when a simple "NI" is quicker, more accurate and pretty much unmistakeable... 

I think you'll find 'Northern Ireland' is not more accurate, Donegal is the most northern part of the main landmass of the island and yet it is in the 'south' / '26 counties', therefore 'Northern' is entirely incorrect

[Myles Na G.]

4000 is a "record" number. I wonder when the record keeping began. 

My nephew was one of the officer cadets who made it to the three day assessment. He was saying most of the boys in the barracks were intending to join up with the Brits if they weren't successful. IMO they should be stripped of their citizenship.

I don't really understand why someone would want to join the british army, but that's just ridiculous.
This isn't a dictatorship, free will exists.

In a dictatorship they'd be shot. I agree 100% with Ulick on this one. Why the hell should any Irishman be permitted to join an army that has shot and murdered Irish citizens for 100's of years right up to the present. They have the free will to do so if they so wish, Ireland should have the free will to tell them to leave their passports at the ferry when they leave.

"Any Irishman"?

You seem to forget that there are one million Irishmen and women on the island for whom joining the British Armed Forces is entirely natural, like these two, for example:
http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=124709
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/rir-soldier-becomes-afghan-hero-after-saving-eightyearold-girl-15065346.html

P.S. On the subject of correct nomenclature which has hijacked this thread, I always find it amusing that those posters who are most insistent on the use of the correct [sic] term "Ireland" etc, are invariably the same ones who are completely incapable of typing "Northern Ireland"! Indeed they will resorting to "the Six Counties" or "the North" etc, even when a simple "NI" is quicker, more accurate and pretty much unmistakeable... 

I think you'll find 'Northern Ireland' is not more accurate, Donegal is the most northern part of the main landmass of the island and yet it is in the 'south' / '26 counties', therefore 'Northern' is entirely incorrect

No, northern Ireland would be geographically incorrect, Northern Ireland is correct, as it's the name of the state. Following your reasoning, 'Ireland' is the incorrect name of the southern (sic) state, as the state only takes in 26 counties of the island.

As for EG's post, the 1m Irishmen and women he refers to are obviously not Irish in any true sense of the word. They don't speak Irish, they don't play Gaelic games, they couldn't  tell you what the joyful mysteries of the rosary are and, worst of all, they hold political views that are at odds with those held by proper Irish people, like those on here. 

[Evil Genius]

4000 is a "record" number. I wonder when the record keeping began. 

My nephew was one of the officer cadets who made it to the three day assessment. He was saying most of the boys in the barracks were intending to join up with the Brits if they weren't successful. IMO they should be stripped of their citizenship.

I don't really understand why someone would want to join the british army, but that's just ridiculous.
This isn't a dictatorship, free will exists.

In a dictatorship they'd be shot. I agree 100% with Ulick on this one. Why the hell should any Irishman be permitted to join an army that has shot and murdered Irish citizens for 100's of years right up to the present. They have the free will to do so if they so wish, Ireland should have the free will to tell them to leave their passports at the ferry when they leave.

"Any Irishman"?

You seem to forget that there are one million Irishmen and women on the island for whom joining the British Armed Forces is entirely natural, like these two, for example:
http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=124709
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/rir-soldier-becomes-afghan-hero-after-saving-eightyearold-girl-15065346.html

P.S. On the subject of correct nomenclature which has hijacked this thread, I always find it amusing that those posters who are most insistent on the use of the correct [sic] term "Ireland" etc, are invariably the same ones who are completely incapable of typing "Northern Ireland"! Indeed they will resorting to "the Six Counties" or "the North" etc, even ]when a simple "NI" is quicker, more accurate and pretty much unmistakeable... 

I think you'll find 'Northern Ireland' is not more accurate, Donegal is the most northern part of the main landmass of the island and yet it is in the 'south' / '26 counties', therefore 'Northern' is entirely incorrect

Further to MnG's reply above, Donegal is not in Northern Ireland (NI), it is in northern Ireland.

Though these days, it probably wishes it was in both...

[Banana Man]

4000 is a "record" number. I wonder when the record keeping began. 

My nephew was one of the officer cadets who made it to the three day assessment. He was saying most of the boys in the barracks were intending to join up with the Brits if they weren't successful. IMO they should be stripped of their citizenship.

I don't really understand why someone would want to join the british army, but that's just ridiculous.
This isn't a dictatorship, free will exists.

In a dictatorship they'd be shot. I agree 100% with Ulick on this one. Why the hell should any Irishman be permitted to join an army that has shot and murdered Irish citizens for 100's of years right up to the present. They have the free will to do so if they so wish, Ireland should have the free will to tell them to leave their passports at the ferry when they leave.

"Any Irishman"?

You seem to forget that there are one million Irishmen and women on the island for whom joining the British Armed Forces is entirely natural, like these two, for example:
http://www.4ni.co.uk/northern_ireland_news.asp?id=124709
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/rir-soldier-becomes-afghan-hero-after-saving-eightyearold-girl-15065346.html

P.S. On the subject of correct nomenclature which has hijacked this thread, I always find it amusing that those posters who are most insistent on the use of the correct [sic] term "Ireland" etc, are invariably the same ones who are completely incapable of typing "Northern Ireland"! Indeed they will resorting to "the Six Counties" or "the North" etc, even ]when a simple "NI" is quicker, more accurate and pretty much unmistakeable... 

I think you'll find 'Northern Ireland' is not more accurate, Donegal is the most northern part of the main landmass of the island and yet it is in the 'south' / '26 counties', therefore 'Northern' is entirely incorrect

Further to MnG's reply above, Donegal is not in Northern Ireland (NI), it is in northern Ireland.

Though these days, it probably wishes it was in both...

but that is my point whether we use a capital letter or not, the statelet is named incorrectly, it doesn't include all of northern ireland

[muppet]

but that is my point whether we use a capital letter or not, the statelet is named incorrectly, it doesn't include all of northern ireland

Lads don't tell him about New York or he'll crack up altogether.

[Evil Genius]

but that is my point whether we use a capital letter or not, the statelet is named incorrectly, it doesn't include all of northern ireland

Lads don't tell him about New York or he'll crack up altogether.

Never mind New York, just don't mention the state(let) which calls itself "Ireland"...

P.S. Is it just me, or have Republicans recently stopped referring to NI as the "failed statelet"?  And if so, how long before we're all referring to the Republic as the "Failed State"? (Or, seeing as we're on the topic of terminological exactitude, "Der Versagte Staat"? )