Flag protesters cause postponement of top Of the table Irish League game.

[ranch]

Didn't Glens fans take particular delight at Windsor reminding their Linfield counterparts lyrically that Gerry Adams was their MP?

Did they?
I know Linfield have large support in the Shankill Road area, but they also have large support in south Belfast which is where they're based.

[michaelg]

Didn't Glens fans take particular delight at Windsor reminding their Linfield counterparts lyrically that Gerry Adams was their MP?

Did they?
I know Linfield have large support in the Shankill Road area, but they also have large support in south Belfast which is where they're based.

I'd say most of Linfield's support traditionally comes from the Greater Shankill area - Back in the day there were something like 70,000 living there.  Literally only a handful of Glen men from West Belfast. 

[Myles Na G.]

When Belfast Celtic folded,two of their most prominent players,jimmy Jones and Jackie Denver,joined their home town club,Glenavon and hence attracted a lot of former Celtic supporters to the Lurgan club,including my father and uncle,who were both Glenavon season ticket holders.

In the early 70s however that generation concluded that Irih league football was shite,and that with the troubles,meant that a lot of people on both sides avoided areas perceived to be either loyalist or republican,hence the cross community element of most Irish League clubs (with the obvious exception of Linfield who never had cross community support) became almost extinct.

Luckily Newry were always cross community in terms of support. I doubt anyone could say Glentoran were ever cross community, even before the troubles.

I was actually told that Glentoran had a Catholic following once upon a time.

My dad's catholic mate from Willowfield used to follow the Glens, as did a colleague from Ballymurphy at work.
The delightful Linfield fans certainly think the Glens have catholic fans though, given their charming little ditty that they sing about the chapel on the Newtownards Road.

I grew up off the Antrim Road in north Belfast in the 1960s. I was one of a group of Catholic kids who used to travel over to East Belfast to support the Glens. Those were the days when Distillery were still just Distillery and played on the Grosvenor Road, and when Cliftonville used to be watched by two men and a dog and Solitude had a union flag flying over the ground.

[Apparently so]

f**k the lot of them. Wouldn`t go to my back garden to watch that pish

[AQMP]

When Belfast Celtic folded,two of their most prominent players,jimmy Jones and Jackie Denver,joined their home town club,Glenavon and hence attracted a lot of former Celtic supporters to the Lurgan club,including my father and uncle,who were both Glenavon season ticket holders.

In the early 70s however that generation concluded that Irih league football was shite,and that with the troubles,meant that a lot of people on both sides avoided areas perceived to be either loyalist or republican,hence the cross community element of most Irish League clubs (with the obvious exception of Linfield who never had cross community support) became almost extinct.

Luckily Newry were always cross community in terms of support. I doubt anyone could say Glentoran were ever cross community, even before the troubles.

I was actually told that Glentoran had a Catholic following once upon a time.

My dad's catholic mate from Willowfield used to follow the Glens, as did a colleague from Ballymurphy at work.
The delightful Linfield fans certainly think the Glens have catholic fans though, given their charming little ditty that they sing about the chapel on the Newtownards Road.

I knew a couple of guys from Ballyhackamore who were Glensmen.

[T Fearon]

I think prior to the outbreak of the troubles in the late 60s, every Irish League club (apart from Linfield) had a degree of cross community support. In those days you didn't fear any harrassment in any area (I know that's hard to believe) and indeed there would have been a much greater degree of integrated social housing (ie people from the two communities living side by side), no peace walls etc (stuff that the Alliance Party dreams about today!). I know this is hard to imagine today but believe it or not that's the way life was here, pre 1968, and really the sectarian harrassment and people being forced out of their homes etc and community segregation, didn't really start until the early 70s.

In the late 1960s and early 70s, Glentoran were managed by ex Glasgow Celtic player, John Colrain, who was replaced by Limerick man Ambrose Fogarty, and Dubliner Terry Conroy (later to find fame with Stoke and Republic of Ireland) was their main striker.

[imtommygunn]

I was actually having that exact discussion last night with an older guy who lived in Ardoyne growing up. He was saying they went to 11th night bonfires and all. Said no bother at all with catholics / protestants living together up there and then boom - all went wrong.

[glens abu]

Ah yeah no bother at all could go to bonfires watch bands as long as you let them insult you,sing their sectarian songs,deny you the vote,job and housing.It was a great wee place

[Milltown Row2]

Ah yeah no bother at all could go to bonfires watch bands as long as you let them insult you,sing their sectarian songs,deny you the vote,job and housing.It was a great wee place

Well, it's getting better, Cliftonville winning the league Martin in power, Catholics in all the major jobs, police force loads of taigs and unification around the corner

[glens abu]

Ah yeah no bother at all could go to bonfires watch bands as long as you let them insult you,sing their sectarian songs,deny you the vote,job and housing.It was a great wee place

Well, it's getting better, Cliftonville winning the league Martin in power, Catholics in all the major jobs, police force loads of taigs and unification around the corner

No doubt about that Milltown,much much better,now all we need is Antrim to win Sam.

[Milltown Row2]

Ah yeah no bother at all could go to bonfires watch bands as long as you let them insult you,sing their sectarian songs,deny you the vote,job and housing.It was a great wee place

Well, it's getting better, Cliftonville winning the league Martin in power, Catholics in all the major jobs, police force loads of taigs and unification around the corner

No doubt about that Milltown,much much better,now all we need is Antrim to win Sam.

Yeah I think you have pushed the boat out on that, I actually think though that Antrim are actually nearer to winning Sam than Liam. Yes we are streets away from Sam but a great bunch of players could come along and maybe win Ulster and push for Sam. Hurling is further away ffs

[glens abu]

Ah yeah no bother at all could go to bonfires watch bands as long as you let them insult you,sing their sectarian songs,deny you the vote,job and housing.It was a great wee place

Well, it's getting better, Cliftonville winning the league Martin in power, Catholics in all the major jobs, police force loads of taigs and unification around the corner

No doubt about that Milltown,much much better,now all we need is Antrim to win Sam.

Yeah I think you have pushed the boat out on that, I actually think though that Antrim are actually nearer to winning Sam than Liam. Yes we are streets away from Sam but a great bunch of players could come along and maybe win Ulster and push for Sam. Hurling is further away ffs

Yeah it is very depressing in both codes at present,but sure if James Loughrey can lift it with Cork we can claim it as ours.

[T Fearon]

Seriously, growing up, the 11th of July Bonfires were one of the highlights of the year. Free lemonade,crisps, sweets (believe me, when I was growing up those were treats you didn;t have every day of the week!), and there was actually a competition to see which street could build the biggest bonfire!

I guess we were too young to understand the significance or be offended, but even to this day, it remains a surprisingly happy  and indeed harmless childhood memory.

[ranch]

Treble is still on for Cliftonville.

Crusaders must be sick of the sight of them this season; stuffed by them in a cup final, beat by them in another semi final and despite having a great league campaign themselves Cliftonville have still outdone them!

[T Fearon]

Sensational achievement that Linfield and Glentoran have rarely if indeed ever accomplished.