Time to ditch a United Ireland and Build a Northern Irish Identity

[CD]

N.Irish culture could be fostered with a new neutral flag, song (instead of British or Irish national anthem), and emphasis on things that unite rather than divide.

A makey-uppy culture for a makey-uppy, plastic state! I think I'll just stick with my Irish identity.

Well said that man.

+1
I don't often comment on the political threads on here but I often read with interest. It was hard being a Catholic in NI during the 70s, 80s early 90s. I lived in the rural west at the time and had to put up with a mountain of grief. My sense of identity as an Irish man was something I had to cling very hard to during that time and I'll continue to do so in the future. I'll never be N. Irish. Ever!

[Rossfan]

common Northern Irish identity .

Already there - chip on the shoulder, paranoia, hatred of the "others", Godawful accents ( honorouble exceptions of South Down, South Armagh and a lot of Fermanagh), objection to just about everything, screwing the Brits ( 108 MLAs FFS, Olstherscotch FFFFS), partitionism ( Lawnseed especially), always right about everything........

However I still want to see a United Ireland.
After all I can stomach the Kerrys, Corks, Dublins, Laythrums so what's a few more nuisances to share with.

By the way there's one lot I don't want to be united with.

[Nally Stand]

...let both existing "cultures" in the North (neither of which in my opinion chimes with any significant culture in the real UK or the 26 counties, on either side) be mutually exclusive...
As an interim measure it way well be worth exploring a non threatening common Northern Irish identity as a better alternative.

In what way does my culture differ so much from somebody who lives 15 miles down the road in County Monaghan?

[OakleafCounty]

I'm happy to live in and contribute to a shared society. In fact I'd be delighted if we could one day achieve a proper shared society where people can live side by side. But to do that shouldn't require me to disregard what I am. It should be based on mutual respect and not manufacturing a new plastic culture.

[armaghniac]

In what way does my culture differ so much from somebody who lives 15 miles down the road in County Monaghan?

Don't be stirring the pot and disrupting the UK, Nally, you have more in common with Middlesborough than Monaghan.

[T Fearon]

CD if you thought that the 70s and 80s were hard in the rural west, you should have tried the urban east!

I think a lot of people are missing the point, fostering a N.Irish identity doesnt require the abandonment of existing identities but largely fusing the best parts of these identities and emphasising commonalities.

Nobody from Britain or the 26 counties gets this place,not Bob Geldoff (as he told Nolan lately) not my Birmingham cousins, or my late brothers' in laws from Navan, they dont recognise what life's about up here at all, totally baffled by parades and protests, and certainly don't think the people here have anything in common with them.

[Nally Stand]

CD if you thought that the 70s and 80s were hard in the rural west, you should have tried the urban east!

I think a lot of people are missing the point, fostering a N.Irish identity doesnt require the abandonment of existing identities but largely fusing the best parts of these identities and emphasising commonalities.

Nobody from Britain or the 26 counties gets this place,not Bob Geldoff (as he told Nolan lately) not my Birmingham cousins, or my late brothers' in laws from Navan, they dont recognise what life's about up here at all, totally baffled by parades and protests, and certainly don't think the people here have anything in common with them.

I'm not a flag protester. I'll ask again, what is so culturally different about me, compared to somebody 15 miles down the road in Monaghan?

[Nally Stand]

In what way does my culture differ so much from somebody who lives 15 miles down the road in County Monaghan?

Don't be stirring the pot and disrupting the UK, Nally, you have more in common with Middlesborough than Monaghan.

Innit.

[Bingo]

CD if you thought that the 70s and 80s were hard in the rural west, you should have tried the urban east!

I think a lot of people are missing the point, fostering a N.Irish identity doesnt require the abandonment of existing identities but largely fusing the best parts of these identities and emphasising commonalities.

Nobody from Britain or the 26 counties gets this place,not Bob Geldoff (as he told Nolan lately) not my Birmingham cousins, or my late brothers' in laws from Navan, they dont recognise what life's about up here at all, totally baffled by parades and protests, and certainly don't think the people here have anything in common with them.

I'm not a flag protester. I'll ask again, what is so culturally different about me, compared to somebody 15 miles down the road in Monaghan?

Different cultures can exist alongside each other within the one border and the same cultures can exist across borders.

To me your culture is basically what hobbies you follow 

[CD]

CD if you thought that the 70s and 80s were hard in the rural west, you should have tried the urban east!

I think a lot of people are missing the point, fostering a N.Irish identity doesnt require the abandonment of existing identities but largely fusing the best parts of these identities and emphasising commonalities.

Nobody from Britain or the 26 counties gets this place,not Bob Geldoff (as he told Nolan lately) not my Birmingham cousins, or my late brothers' in laws from Navan, they dont recognise what life's about up here at all, totally baffled by parades and protests, and certainly don't think the people here have anything in common with them.

That's how I feel about 51% of my neighbours.

[OakleafCounty]

CD if you thought that the 70s and 80s were hard in the rural west, you should have tried the urban east!

I think a lot of people are missing the point, fostering a N.Irish identity doesnt require the abandonment of existing identities but largely fusing the best parts of these identities and emphasising commonalities.

Nobody from Britain or the 26 counties gets this place,not Bob Geldoff (as he told Nolan lately) not my Birmingham cousins, or my late brothers' in laws from Navan, they dont recognise what life's about up here at all, totally baffled by parades and protests, and certainly don't think the people here have anything in common with them.

Same here! I'm completely baffled by the flag protests and orange parading for months on end. I couldn't even pretend to understand it.

[T Fearon]

Nally Stand asks for differences between him and a Monaghan man:

1) Monaghan man spends euros.

2) Monaghan man's affairs are dealt with by his Government which doesn't regard him as a foreign affair

3) Monaghan man doesn't live in an area of competiting sovereign allegiances.

4) Monaghan man doesn't have to put up with sectarian parades/ commemorations.

5) Monaghan man lives in a neighbourhood happily alongside neighbours of difference creeds/nationalities etc

6) Monaghan man can get RTE.

7) Monaghan man has been hit hard in the pocket (if he's not in Australia) this last few years due to government cutbacks, job losses.

[CD]

Nally Stand asks for differences between him and a Monaghan man:

1) Monaghan man spends euros.

2) Monaghan man's affairs are dealt with by his Government which doesn't regard him as a foreign affair

3) Monaghan man doesn't live in an area of competiting sovereign allegiances.

4) Monaghan man doesn't have to put up with sectarian parades/ commemorations.

5) Monaghan man lives in a neighbourhood happily alongside neighbours of difference creeds/nationalities etc

6) Monaghan man can get RTE.

7) Monaghan man has been hit hard in the pocket (if he's not in Australia) this last few years due to government cutbacks, job losses.

8 ) Monaghan man can run the motor on the red stuff and nobody cares.

[blewuporstuffed]

Nally Stand asks for differences between him and a Monaghan man:

1) Monaghan man spends euros.

2) Monaghan man's affairs are dealt with by his Government which doesn't regard him as a foreign affair

3) Monaghan man doesn't live in an area of competiting sovereign allegiances.

4) Monaghan man doesn't have to put up with sectarian parades/ commemorations.

5) Monaghan man lives in a neighbourhood happily alongside neighbours of difference creeds/nationalities etc

6) Monaghan man can get RTE.

7) Monaghan man has been hit hard in the pocket (if he's not in Australia) this last few years due to government cutbacks, job losses.

for those of us that live on or close to the border tony, alot of them apply as well, for me there are people who live 2 miles over the road in monaghan who i have more in common with than other people who could live 2 miles over the road in tyrone.

[Nally Stand]

Nally Stand asks for differences between him and a Monaghan man:

1) Monaghan man spends euros.

2) Monaghan man's affairs are dealt with by his Government which doesn't regard him as a foreign affair

3) Monaghan man doesn't live in an area of competiting sovereign allegiances.

4) Monaghan man doesn't have to put up with sectarian parades/ commemorations.

5) Monaghan man lives in a neighbourhood happily alongside neighbours of difference creeds/nationalities etc

6) Monaghan man can get RTE.

7) Monaghan man has been hit hard in the pocket (if he's not in Australia) this last few years due to government cutbacks, job losses.

Nally Stand asked (twice) for CULTURAL differences. "We use different currencies"?!! Since the 26 counties and Austria both use Euros does that make them culturally similar nations all of a sudden!? Wise the head. What you described above are physical/legislative manifestations of a political border. Besides, numbers 4, 5, 6 & 7 are the same for myself and my family and neighbours in Tyrone (Did you think nobody in Tyrone gets RTÉ, lives peacefully with neighbours of different creeds/nationalites, or has been affected by cutbacks and job loses ffs?!) Culture is about identity, language, sports, music etc. So please, explain to me what is CULTURALLY different between myself and someone 15 miles down the road in Monaghan.