GAA Geansaí “Threatening” To Unionists

[Antrim Coaster]

I just got round to listening to Lowry on Talkback and I think there needs to be a distinction between a GAA top and an O'Neill's top.

Those proclamation tops that O'Neill's make have nothing to do with the GAA, just like the tractor ones, ploughing championship ones and all that other písh.

Do you have a link for this Johnny ?

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000fw88

about 1 hour and 10 in.

Lowry was really clutching at straws..

He wasnt half.

Was starting to lose it near the end of the interview, especially when he started going on about the Holylands on Patrick's Day.

He dosent half come up with some dung.

[johnnycool]

In the interests of balance.

If a person from a nationalist background was in a part of Belfast and finds themselves surrounded by Rangers tops, Linfield tops, and NI tops, I'd expect they'd feel somewhat outnumbered, isolated, unwelcome and perhaps intimidated if alcohol or buoyant behaviour was involved.

How many of these tops have to be on display for someone to feel surrounded is a different matter. But it's still a very natural feeling in such circumstances.

I worked in those surroundings in a factory in Monkstown for years along with a sizeable amount of nationalist colleagues and not one shit was given for my feelings and with the name I have it was only too obvious what my background was.

Wear your GAA tops if you want but don't be a c**k and antagonise those wearing poppies or whatever else..

The good ship Nortel - underworked and overpaid. No wonder it went to the wall, unfortunately.

It was indeed.. but alas the reasons outlined whilst not untrue was not the reason it went under. The reasons for that would make the executives of Enron look like saints.

The lads and lassies from the "cooler" initially struggled to take instruction from lads who talked about gaelic football and hurling at lunchtimes and funny names with funny spelling but they soon got used to it.

Would have been a lot more Gah chat in NITEC which would have been referred to as The Vatican by the locals. 

Plenty of Rangers (IL), and Linfield tops as well as the paramilitary tattoos on display.

I take it you went on one or two of the GAA trips to Galway??

The test jig screen savers and all were rangers screen savers, I kid you not.

I went on the one where there was a hurling team as well and an eejit from Dessertmartin (who never hurled worth a f**k in his life) had the kitbag on the shop floor with the end of a hurl hanging out of it. My boss at the time was an old lad from Larne and he came into the office disgusted by it, looks at me and says "you're probably going as well, aren't you?, f**k I remember the time when we used to close up for the 12th and everyone in a band would have brought their instruments in and we marched up and down the shop floor pissed as farts."
I nodded to him and told him to "get used to it big man".

Rare place.

The boul PK I believe who dragged the brother along with him.

The minibus was driven by a former Dunloy stalwart if memory serves me right.

Not PK, a fellow clubman, Damian something or other with a bit of an english accent IIRC.

[Milltown Row2]

I wonder what Lowry thinks of 'taigs' working in the the Shipyard in the 70's 80's!

Rangers tops Linfield tops
Building size Union Jacks
Building size UVF/UFF/UDA flegs in all the canteens, draped across the whole place
Flute bands every year on the day we knocked off for the July holidays!
A murder inside the boat, still no one convicted of that one

Now in saying all of that, I didn't ever feel too uncomfortable, it was expected (just like prods going to Queens, there will be GAA tops and 'taigs') and I just got on with it, I'd have left if I felt unsafe

[lurganblue]

Will and Kate no bother with the old GAA yesterday.

[Main Street]

The evidence offered on the radio program was that the wearing of the GAA shirt in Queens is not perceived as offensive, same with the IFA shirt.
That Lowry was talking through his hole when he claimed that there was a "widespread" perception that Unionists were offended by the GAA shirt.
It appears to be the case that young nordies like wearing sports shirts, nobody is offended and it is not worn to offend others.

[seafoid]

Will and Kate no bother with the old GAA yesterday.

That is the thing about unionism. GB has moved on from the past. The Duchess playing hurling. And Unionism is stuck in the past. So what if people speak Irish?  QE2 spoke Irish.  Curry my yogurt is where unionism is at.

[screenexile]

Salthill Knocknacarra another 'cold house' for Unionists . . .

[Rossfan]

Will and Kate no bother with the old GAA yesterday.

That is the thing about unionism. GB has moved on from the past. The Duchess playing hurling. And Unionism is stuck in the past. So what if people speak Irish?  QE2 spoke Irish.  Curry my yogurt is where unionism is at.

When you live in the 17th Century everything is a perceived "threat"

[WT4E]

When I started in QUB back in the early noughties one of my first lectures was with 300 people and I didn't know anyone. So my tactic was to wear a GAA top to lure a possible friend. Sitting there and a lad sits down beside me and starts talking to me cause he saw the GAA top. Turned out to become a good friend throughout university and he went on to be a great county footballer too.

I wasn't trying to intimidate anyone - My only shame was that it was a Dublin top!

Lowry is talking shit to try and prevent the inevitable!

[weareros]

Lowry seems a fairly reasonable fella when he is on RTE; on Twitter he gives Bryson a run for his money.

[lurganblue]

When I started in QUB back in the early noughties one of my first lectures was with 300 people and I didn't know anyone. So my tactic was to wear a GAA top to lure a possible friend. Sitting there and a lad sits down beside me and starts talking to me cause he saw the GAA top. Turned out to become a good friend throughout university and he went on to be a great county footballer too.

I wasn't trying to intimidate anyone - My only shame was that it was a Dublin top!

Lowry is talking shit to try and prevent the inevitable!

If it was the wee early 2000's one with the fade then i'll accept that. Otherwise... 

[tonto1888]

When I started in QUB back in the early noughties one of my first lectures was with 300 people and I didn't know anyone. So my tactic was to wear a GAA top to lure a possible friend. Sitting there and a lad sits down beside me and starts talking to me cause he saw the GAA top. Turned out to become a good friend throughout university and he went on to be a great county footballer too.

I wasn't trying to intimidate anyone - My only shame was that it was a Dublin top!

Lowry is talking shit to try and prevent the inevitable!

I done the same but with an armagh top. Made a lifelong friend. Also happened to make a good friend from the unionist community

[BennyCake]

When I started in QUB back in the early noughties one of my first lectures was with 300 people and I didn't know anyone. So my tactic was to wear a GAA top to lure a possible friend. Sitting there and a lad sits down beside me and starts talking to me cause he saw the GAA top. Turned out to become a good friend throughout university and he went on to be a great county footballer too.

I wasn't trying to intimidate anyone - My only shame was that it was a Dublin top!

Lowry is talking shit to try and prevent the inevitable!

I done the same but with an armagh top. Made a lifelong friend. Also happened to make a good friend from the unionist community

Did you bond over the colour orange? 

[Main Street]

Lowry is more than just a bullshítter.
He has the smell of a demagogue dressed up as an academic.

[tonto1888]

When I started in QUB back in the early noughties one of my first lectures was with 300 people and I didn't know anyone. So my tactic was to wear a GAA top to lure a possible friend. Sitting there and a lad sits down beside me and starts talking to me cause he saw the GAA top. Turned out to become a good friend throughout university and he went on to be a great county footballer too.

I wasn't trying to intimidate anyone - My only shame was that it was a Dublin top!

Lowry is talking shit to try and prevent the inevitable!

I done the same but with an armagh top. Made a lifelong friend. Also happened to make a good friend from the unionist community

Did you bond over the colour orange? 

Hahaha. Possibly. One friend was a fellow Armagh man. The other guy played for ballyclare comrades at the time