The Race for the ARAS.....

[armaghniac]

Michael D. is still wearing the flowery ties, reminds me of a lecturer I used to have.
Mary Mc is now officially unemployed, albeit with a decent pension.

[Rossfan]

Hopefully she'll spend plenty of it in Ros when she moves home.

[Shamrock Shore]

Serious clash for Queen Mary I and Queen Mary II in colours.

All this prayer nonsense at the beginning was madness. It's the Head of State of a secular country, not a feckin papal coronation.

If I was in charge the crowd would be off for the big feed after 5 minutes of (i) National Anthem, (ii) Oath and (iii) Speech lasting no more than 3 minutes.

[Billys Boots]

When did we become a secular country?  If only!

[Denn Forever]

President Higgins.

[Applesisapples]

Good to see Tom Idiot oops Elliott standing for The National Anthem.

[deiseach]

Ah, EG. It's obvious you never had a gun waved in your face or your car ransacked by the forces of law and order. The idea that there were two kinds of people in NI - the law-abiding people and the criminals - is a tissue of nonsense. I never met a northern Nationalist in my time in college who didn't have some tale of a soldier or peeler making their life miserable (MOPES all, I suppose), all safe in the knowledge that they'd never have to face the law that they swore to uphold. It may have been a minority who committed murder, but I'd hazard that it was a majority of the security forces who engaged in the kind of low-level intimidation I'm talking about. You seem to think that the agents of the state were neutral between the two tribes. They were not. They took sides, and to say otherwise is to engage in a whitewashing of history as insidious as anything the Shinners get up to

[armaghniac]

Ah, EG. It's obvious you never had a gun waved in your face or your car ransacked by the forces of law and order. The idea that there were two kinds of people in NI - the law-abiding people and the criminals - is a tissue of nonsense. I never met a northern Nationalist in my time in college who didn't have some tale of a soldier or peeler making their life miserable (MOPES all, I suppose), all safe in the knowledge that they'd never have to face the law that they swore to uphold. It may have been a minority who committed murder, but I'd hazard that it was a majority of the security forces who engaged in the kind of low-level intimidation I'm talking about. You seem to think that the agents of the state were neutral between the two tribes. They were not. They took sides, and to say otherwise is to engage in a whitewashing of history as insidious as anything the Shinners get up to

Great post.
+100

[Gaoth Dobhair Abu]

Ah, EG. It's obvious you never had a gun waved in your face or your car ransacked by the forces of law and order. The idea that there were two kinds of people in NI - the law-abiding people and the criminals - is a tissue of nonsense. I never met a northern Nationalist in my time in college who didn't have some tale of a soldier or peeler making their life miserable (MOPES all, I suppose), all safe in the knowledge that they'd never have to face the law that they swore to uphold. It may have been a minority who committed murder, but I'd hazard that it was a majority of the security forces who engaged in the kind of low-level intimidation I'm talking about. You seem to think that the agents of the state were neutral between the two tribes. They were not. They took sides, and to say otherwise is to engage in a whitewashing of history as insidious as anything the Shinners get up to

Good post, but do you honestly think that he will accept any of that!!?!!
The bitter wee man will firstly tell you that he sort of see's where you're coming from, then try and dissect your post by telling you that the "Taigs" were responsible and the makers of their own fate.

[Rossfan]

http://www.independent.ie/breaking-news/national-news/irish-president-makes-ulster-trip-2933548.html

"Irish" Independent eh? - bit of mask slipping
"Ulster"  and "Londonderry"

[Hardy]

Just copied from the Press Association wires. No excuse, though.

[Nally Stand]

Delegates at the Constitutional Convention have "overwhelmingly" backed the proposal that Irish people in the six counties and overseas should be permitted to vote in Irish Presidential elections. it's now up to the government to decide if there will be a referendum on it. Progress!

[Myles Na G.]

Delegates at the Constitutional Convention have "overwhelmingly" backed the proposal that Irish people in the six counties and overseas should be permitted to vote in Irish Presidential elections. it's now up to the government to decide if there will be a referendum on it. Progress!

Would've been nice to have seen a northern location featured on the new passport. Opportunity missed, imo.

[T Fearon]

Relax,there's some Ulster Scots verse in it!

[Myles Na G.]

Relax,there's some Ulster Scots verse in it!

'Customs heid yin tak a luk,
At ma bricht shiny Irish buk,
Wi scenes an places dear to ma heart,
But nae fra the wee six, they's tha English part'.