Queen Elizabeth to visit Croke Park

[Stall the Bailer]

This is the first time I have seen such a fast growing thread on the board about a British royal visit to Ireland. She and members of her family have been to Ireland many a time.

Why the uproar now and not the previous times?
Is it because she is visiting your part of Ireland?
Are you a partition protester?
For me republicans usually don't pay heed to the border. 
It seems to me, a lot of ye do.

When is the last time she was in the 26 counties?

26 or 6 what is the difference, it is still Ireland (in the eyes of most Irish people).

[muppet]

I think it is extremely difficult for people who have not experienced it at first hand to understand what exactly was done against members of the GAA in the north by the security forces(and by extension through collusion, the loyalist paramilitaries) over a sustained period of time.  Of course we all have to move on but that doesn't mean we simply bury our feelings and accept it without speaking out.  I don't know how much Eamonnca(who if I recall rightly has been in the states for 30 odd years) or maygodhelpus etc know what actually did happen, but what they know is based on News reports and anecdotal stories.  Many people sat at Congress over the years and rightly condemned what happened at my own club, but did they really understand what we had to deal with.  They heard about club rooms being burnt up the Ards peninsula and places like that but did they appreciate they total sense of  destruction that these clubs felt after their years of hard work had been destroyed.  The families of Aidan McAnespie, Sean Browne etc?  Are their murders still not fresh in their minds? 

I could go on, I could really make people aware of why there is an expected level of anger at this happening.  I personally believe that it would be easier to swallow if there was some form of pre released statement about the intentions of the Royal family when they are there, with a clear indication that an apology would be made.  We are in a very seminal decade in the history of our island and also the history of the world as a whole.  The Decade of Anniversaries it is being called and perhaps this is part of the way to paving other events that will coincide with some of these anniversaries.  I wait to be convinced.

This best articulates any argument against her visit and raises some very good points.

IMHO most of the rest of the arguments on these thread are just more of the whataboutery that we do better than anyone, Palestinians or Israelis, Islamic Fundamentalists or the West, Chechens or Russians, cats or dogs.

Another thing we do better than all of the above is show signs of moving on from the endless wars and casualties on both side, all of whom are convinced they have absolute right on their side. Since the ceasefires a hell of a lot of ground has been made, I think we should give the organisers at least the benefit of the doubt to see exactly what they have in mind. I will be disappointed if she doesn't attempt some reconciliation though.

[Orior]

I think it is extremely difficult for people who have not experienced it at first hand to understand what exactly was done against members of the GAA in the north by the security forces(and by extension through collusion, the loyalist paramilitaries) over a sustained period of time.  Of course we all have to move on but that doesn't mean we simply bury our feelings and accept it without speaking out.  I don't know how much Eamonnca(who if I recall rightly has been in the states for 30 odd years) or maygodhelpus etc know what actually did happen, but what they know is based on News reports and anecdotal stories.  Many people sat at Congress over the years and rightly condemned what happened at my own club, but did they really understand what we had to deal with.  They heard about club rooms being burnt up the Ards peninsula and places like that but did they appreciate they total sense of  destruction that these clubs felt after their years of hard work had been destroyed.  The families of Aidan McAnespie, Sean Browne etc?  Are their murders still not fresh in their minds? 

I could go on, I could really make people aware of why there is an expected level of anger at this happening.  I personally believe that it would be easier to swallow if there was some form of pre released statement about the intentions of the Royal family when they are there, with a clear indication that an apology would be made.  We are in a very seminal decade in the history of our island and also the history of the world as a whole.  The Decade of Anniversaries it is being called and perhaps this is part of the way to paving other events that will coincide with some of these anniversaries.  I wait to be convinced.

This best articulates any argument against her visit and raises some very good points.

IMHO most of the rest of the arguments on these thread are just more of the whataboutery that we do better than anyone, Palestinians or Israelis, Islamic Fundamentalists or the West, Chechens or Russians, cats or dogs.

Another thing we do better than all of the above is show signs of moving on from the endless wars and casualties on both side, all of whom are convinced they have absolute right on their side. Since the ceasefires a hell of a lot of ground has been made, I think we should give the organisers at least the benefit of the doubt to see exactly what they have in mind. I will be disappointed if she doesn't attempt some reconciliation though.

I'm deeply disappointed that Muppet has made a serious post. Free the Real Muppet One now!

[EC Unique]

This is the first time I have seen such a fast growing thread on the board about a British royal visit to Ireland. She and members of her family have been to Ireland many a time.

Why the uproar now and not the previous times?
Is it because she is visiting your part of Ireland?
Are you a partition protester?
For me republicans usually don't pay heed to the border. 
It seems to me, a lot of ye do.

When is the last time she was in the 26 counties?

26 or 6 what is the difference, it is still Ireland (in the eyes of most Irish people).

Mmm. nice bit of back tracking there.

[muppet]

I'm deeply disappointed that Muppet has made a serious post. Free the Real Muppet One now!

I apologise.

If an 80 year old with an obvious fetish for 83,000 seater stadia, wants me to show her mine what is wrong with that?

[Stall the Bailer]

This is the first time I have seen such a fast growing thread on the board about a British royal visit to Ireland. She and members of her family have been to Ireland many a time.

Why the uproar now and not the previous times?
Is it because she is visiting your part of Ireland?
Are you a partition protester?
For me republicans usually don't pay heed to the border. 
It seems to me, a lot of ye do.

When is the last time she was in the 26 counties?

26 or 6 what is the difference, it is still Ireland (in the eyes of most Irish people).

Mmm. nice bit of back tracking there.

No back tracking at all. I said Ireland in my first post.
I also asked were posters "partition protester" meaning were they only doing it because she is going to the 26 and why not when she came to the north in the past.

[Eamonnca1]

What I do have to laugh at here are certain posters harping on about moving on etc and yet when there's a discussion about SF they're the first to jump all over it referring to SF's history. Maybe if your going to push the whole moving on scenario then it should be over everything. Not just the things that you deem necessary to move on from.

I've never jumped all over it referring to Sinn Fein's history in my life.

[Applesisapples]

I am quite impressed with the GAA administrations ability to wind up the Nordies. They take it to a whole new level 

Not all "Nordies" are wound up just as not all "Freestaters" will welcome Liz. I for one think it is a sign of maturity if GAA people North and South can welcome the Queen to Croker. It also offers the hand of friendship to those Irishmen North and South who hold her in high esteem.

[Nally Stand]

I for one think it is a sign of maturity if GAA people North and South can welcome the Queen to Croker.

Jaysus I am sick of hearing that line. It would also be a sign of maturity to stand up for the dignity of the families of the victims of the British Army who will be hurting most when this visit happens and who would like to hear the british army come clean before it's head comes to Ireland to lecture about moving forward.

[mayogodhelpus@gmail.com]

I for one think it is a sign of maturity if GAA people North and South can welcome the Queen to Croker.

Jaysus I am sick of hearing that line. It would also be a sign of maturity to stand up for the dignity of the families of the victims of the British Army who will be hurting most when this visit happens and who would like to hear the british army come clean before it's head comes to Ireland to lecture about moving forward.

She is a figure head ffs, the British Primeminister and Parliament have called the shots for hundreds of years.

[trueblue1234]

What I do have to laugh at here are certain posters harping on about moving on etc and yet when there's a discussion about SF they're the first to jump all over it referring to SF's history. Maybe if your going to push the whole moving on scenario then it should be over everything. Not just the things that you deem necessary to move on from.

I've never jumped all over it referring to Sinn Fein's history in my life.

Ok. Just as well I wasn't referring to you.

[Applesisapples]

Just in case people are a little confused its not the UAA (Ulster Athletic Association).

Get over your self, no one said it was.

[Eamonnca1]

I don't know how much Eamonnca(who if I recall rightly has been in the states for 30 odd years) or maygodhelpus etc know what actually did happen, but what they know is based on News reports and anecdotal stories.

I've been in the states for 10 years. I lived in North Armagh throughout the troubles, away out in the country where the cops never venture out after dark and seldom in the daytime. Me and my Dad were early risers because of the jobs we had. He'd check under the lorry with a torch in the morning before leaving the house and take a different road to work (which was in Potadown, Billy Wright country) every morning in case we were going to be targetted like a neighbour of ours called Brendan McKenna who was shot dead in his lorry early in the morning by the UFF.

There was this wee loyalist dick that worked at our company who was kicked out of Belfast after getting kneecapped.  He had a loose tongue on him and made throwaway remarks about my Dad being in Sinn Fein, which wasn't true.  All my Dad did in his spare time was organise ceilis, but as far as people like that are concerned it's probably all the same. We reported him to our employer and he was made to apologise for the remark, it's the kind of dangerous talk that can get a man shot.  My Dad was literally afraid for his life as long as that little shit worked there. We were all afraid.

Going back further, my Dad did his deliveries in Belfast from the 60s to the 90s.  You know what that means. The early days of the troubles, the hunger strikes, all the way up to the ceasefires he was delivering to shops on the Falls, in Andytown, up the Whiterock, etc. He had his van hijacked a couple of times. Was held at gunpoint by the provos and tied up, told to be quiet or be shot while they planned to load his van with explosives.  There was one time when he had his van hijacked by rioters who were going to burn it and he was stranded in Belfast with no way of getting home safely. He went up to one of the 'head boys' and asked for his van back. They let him have it back.

In later years I'd go and help him at the weekends and I got a summer job working for the same company. I used to do runs that would take me across the Falls and the Shankill. If I had anyone with me he'd have to call me my own name on the Falls and a made-up name on the Shankill. You'd be like Daniel in the lion's den working in some of them places with a fenian name.

We'd watch the news every night about how another innocent catholic was shot by loyalists bursting into their home with sledgehammers and shooting them dead in their beds. There were nights when I'd hear noises outside in the yard and you'd try to reassure yourself that it's just the wind, but it was always at the back of your mind that you might be next. We had some robust doors on our house, the heaviest mahogany we could get and four steel bars on each door.  We even seriously talked about getting a shotgun for self defence once.

During the time of the World Cup my brothers and I would go to bars to watch the games and we always sat as far away from the door as we could just in case someone was about to pull another Loughinisland.  Yup, that thought was always at the back of your mind.

I'm well aware of what went on, thank you very much. More so that a lot of the free staters posting on this thread, if you don't mind me saying so.

Some people might prefer to keep the hatred and bitterness going, but personally I think there are better ways to live. And I won't be told that I'm not qualified to comment on it just because of my current location.

[Nally Stand]

I for one think it is a sign of maturity if GAA people North and South can welcome the Queen to Croker.

Jaysus I am sick of hearing that line. It would also be a sign of maturity to stand up for the dignity of the families of the victims of the British Army who will be hurting most when this visit happens and who would like to hear the british army come clean before it's head comes to Ireland to lecture about moving forward.

She is a figure head ffs, the British Primeminister and Parliament have called the shots for hundreds of years.

Tel than to her army's victims Mayo. I think they would tell you that she would then be the ideal person to speak on her army's behalf to admit that they were not "peace makers" or "referees" and that they would be coming clean on collusion.

[Applesisapples]

I won't be waving it in case you try to cast aspersions. The flag is the St.George's Cross representing England/Wales/Cornwall/Berwick, The St.Andrew's Cross representing Scotland and the St.Patrick's Cross representing Ireland/Northern Ireland.

A wee tip for you, the short-hand for that is: Ireland!

There was no such thing as partition when the imperial geniuses as were dreamed up the 'union jack' (your blueshirtedness is showing again  ).

I put in its original meaning and what it represents now. My what!!!  I think you are only slagging so I'll let it fly.

A lot of you guys complained when some of us inadvertently referred to you as Freestaters yet you continue to deny our right to be Irish with your partionist attitudes.