Get ready to wave them flegs - Lily Windsor's coming

[Evil Genius]

* - Instead of "No Blacks, Dogs or Irish", is it "No Black Prods or British"?

It'd be a bit difficult since children in Britain are busily playing Gaelic football in their hundreds as part of their school PE programs.

That's all right, then.

P.S. Do you think that if their Representatives were invited to meet the Queen, they would decline out of solidarity with their oppressed fellow-Gaels in Ulster, or would accept, in line with their free and independent fellow-Gaels in Munster, Leinster and Connacht? Or does that question not really deserve an answer, on the basis that it is vaguely Partitionist?

[fitzroyalty]

The Queen is visiting a foreign country, why on earth would counties from the United Kingdom send representatives?

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

Very witty, although the statistic on unity is quoted a bit out of context. Most Northern Nationalist want to see reunification. Disagreement is on the timing, type of structures and economic considerations. As I have said previously unity will come but through a process of evolution and will take many years. The points about our hero's protesting against British political imperialism whilst wearing the uniform of British cultural imperialism would be lost on the average protester.

When was the first United Ireland declared?

Serious question.

Not sure, but the first Republican United Ireland declared was declared in Mayo with Castlebar as its Provisional Capital.

[Hardy]

See - what chance had it got?

[muppet]

Very witty, although the statistic on unity is quoted a bit out of context. Most Northern Nationalist want to see reunification. Disagreement is on the timing, type of structures and economic considerations. As I have said previously unity will come but through a process of evolution and will take many years. The points about our hero's protesting against British political imperialism whilst wearing the uniform of British cultural imperialism would be lost on the average protester.

When was the first United Ireland declared?

Serious question.

Not sure, but the first Republican United Ireland declared was declared in Mayo with Castlebar as its Provisional Capital.

In the Cobweb?

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

in the same way as their fellow Gaels in the rest of Ireland.

 

Plenty of Normans, Bretons, Britons, Cumbrics, Flemish, Norse, Norse-Gaels, Cornish, Angles, Saxons, Jutes, Picts, Manx, Franks, Gallo-Gauls, Frisians, Palatines and a few Spaniards playing down here too 

The G.A.A. is quite inclusive really, don't forget the Fijians 

[Evil Genius]

some of the events this week have been a step too far. partition seems to have been copper fastened. the queen has been paraded around like some sort of celebrity with the usual suspects lining up to kiss ass. any dissenting voices are quickly ridiculed as only speaking for a minority. have to say im really disappointed with the down co.board decision to partake in todays sham at croke park. a united ulster non show would have sent the gaa a strong message

Not just the GAA; the non-GAA people of NI will have got the message, too...

* - Instead of "No Blacks, Dogs or Irish", is it "No Black Prods or British"?

You do know who Samuel Maguire was EG 

Yes. He was a Prod. As we get reminded ad nauseum every time someone points out just how few Prods actually play Gaelic Sports in NI.

Mind you, his prominence eg in the IRB doesn't tend to receive the same emphasis during such conversations...

The G.A.A. is all its membership not just a tiny minority.

No doubt.

But what you seem unable to get your head round is that the GAA's appeal to all to all the people who live eg in Mayo hardly cancels out the converse lack of appeal to all the people who eg live in Antrim.

The bottom line is that the organisation professes to be open to all Irish people, yet it has no little or no appeal to 20% of the population of Ireland who live in one of its four Provinces.

The refusal yesterday by five (eight?) of the County Representatives from that Province to display the common courtesy of shaking the Queen's hand  etc is hardly coincidental (imo).

Nor do I expect the presence of 26 (23?) other county representatives from outside of NI to go far towards remedying that situation.

[Evil Genius]

The other half is, of course, that the Queen went to Croke, to meet the GAA.

...at the GAA's invitation.

And in the spirit in which it was made, the Queen had the courtesy to accept the invitation.

Meanwhile, 5 (8?) of the Ulster Reps did not have the same courtesy to accept their  Invitation...

[Applesisapples]

EG as you ignored my post I can only assume that like a well organised residents group you are going out of your way to take offence.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

But I can see EG's point. This was clearly a snub, and will be interpreted as such by Unionists in the north. And will give them more reasons to refute claims of 'outreach'.

The Nelson McCauslands of this world will always find ways to pick holes in the GAA and gaelic culture in general.  Out of 32 counties, only five were not represented. People like EG would rather focus on the 5 who were absent rather than the 27 who were present.

In his speech, Christy Cooney specifically mentioned the GAA's aim of reaching out to Irish Unionists. Yet the Representatives from the five Counties where 80%+ of Irish Unionists actually live, were not there.

Still, I'm sure all those Unionists in Cork, Tipperary, Galway and Leitrim etc were pleased to see themselves being represented at the Queen's reception...

Rugby Union!

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

The other half is, of course, that the Queen went to Croke, to meet the GAA.

...at the GAA's invitation.

And in the spirit in which it was made, the Queen had the courtesy to accept the invitation.

Meanwhile, 5 (8?) of the Ulster Reps did not have the same courtesy to accept their  Invitation...

To be honest I am not going to defend the Ulster counties. I can only speak as a Connachtman, who has been actively involved in GAA in Connacht and Leinster.

[Evil Genius]

Yes, the constitutional position is clear - it's the same in the GFA. The will of the people will dictate the constitional position. And Cameron hasn't contradicted this. He has just said he wasn't neutral - he's a Unionist. And he's the current PM.

Exactly. The motives of the British haven't changed, they still want to keep as much of Ireland as possible. They just have to be more circumspect in their methods in this day and age.

Will you Nationalists make up your mind?

According to Lynchbhoy and Eammonc1 etc, the Brits can't wait to get rid of NI... 

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

* - Instead of "No Blacks, Dogs or Irish", is it "No Black Prods or British"?

It'd be a bit difficult since children in Britain are busily playing Gaelic football in their hundreds as part of their school PE programs.

That's all right, then.

P.S. Do you think that if their Representatives were invited to meet the Queen, they would decline out of solidarity with their oppressed fellow-Gaels in Ulster, or would accept, in line with their free and independent fellow-Gaels in Munster, Leinster and Connacht? Or does that question not really deserve an answer, on the basis that it is vaguely Partitionist?

Pretty sure the British Council would have accepted, tbf.

[Stall the Bailer]

Page 14 of the Irish News today says that Tyrone and Derry didn't get an invite, while the Antrim representative couldn't go due to work commitments.

[muppet]

* - Instead of "No Blacks, Dogs or Irish", is it "No Black Prods or British"?

It'd be a bit difficult since children in Britain are busily playing Gaelic football in their hundreds as part of their school PE programs.

That's all right, then.

P.S. Do you think that if their Representatives were invited to meet the Queen, they would decline out of solidarity with their oppressed fellow-Gaels in Ulster, or would accept, in line with their free and independent fellow-Gaels in Munster, Leinster and Connacht? Or does that question not really deserve an answer, on the basis that it is vaguely Partitionist?

Pretty sure the British Council would have accepted, tbf.

The Official British Council would have met her while The 32 County British Council would have protested.