Northern catholics and the South

[Orior]

I started reading In search of a state. Catholics in NI by Fionnuala O Connor. Published 1994. Loads of stuff in it about betrayal, RTE bias, being excluded. Also about NI education meaning people didn't know much about the South.

Have things changed since? There are more people from the North working in the South now for example.

I have always felt betrayal, bias and exclusion by certain elements of the south. The most disgusting, insulting and sickening aspect is that the North is managed under foreign policy. Thankful for the GAA - at least they didn't turn their back on us.

[seafoid]

The advent of RTE in the North over 30 years ago opened our eyes to life in the South...

I don't get this.


Radio Éireann has been pretty much available throughout the north since the Athlone station started in 1933. Telefís Éireann was available in parts of the North from launch night in 1961 with coverage expanded the following year. The Clermont Carn TV station in Louth opening in 1981 brought new & improved coverage to many east of the Bann, but RTÉ telly was available in many parts of the north already.


Besides, culturally and socially the Republic is quite different from back in 1981 to what it is now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lb2bz39fXSQ

[T Fearon]

RTE television was only widely available in the North in the early 80s.Visual has much more influence than audio.It brought home that the North went largely ignored on the Southern media and if it was alluded to it certainly wasnt favourable to Northern Catholics.

[smelmoth]

The methods of hiding the bias have got better but it's still there.

I think so too. RTE is a key part of the status quo.
One thing that is different is that there doesn't seem to be any affable unionist on telly these days like Ken Maginnis 20 years ago.
The Indo group also ensure nobody steps out of line.

Maginnis was not and is not an affable unionist. He appeared affable only because those that you might compare him with. And he was a solid supported of the Ireland Rugby team.

There are loads of affable unionists on TV. Some are politicians (Danny Kinahan, Doug Beattie and the Alliance party)

[smelmoth]

The advent of RTE in the North over 30 years ago opened our eyes to life in the South.Both parts of the island sadly move further apart in terms of culture and outlook.For example Catholicism is still very strong in the North but almost extinct in the south.We are practically different peoples now sadly

I would contend that it is impossible o argue that Catholicism is strong on NI.

What is happening attendences?  Of those that do attend how many follow catholic dogma on attending confessions, not using contraception, no riding before marriage??

[smelmoth]

I started reading In search of a state. Catholics in NI by Fionnuala O Connor. Published 1994. Loads of stuff in it about betrayal, RTE bias, being excluded. Also about NI education meaning people didn't know much about the South.

Have things changed since? There are more people from the North working in the South now for example.

I have always felt betrayal, bias and exclusion by certain elements of the south. The most disgusting, insulting and sickening aspect is that the North is managed under foreign policy. Thankful for the GAA - at least they didn't turn their back on us.

Where else would it be managed?

Does anybody in the south seriously want to pay for a whole government department dedicated solely to RoI's limited role in the affairs of NI??

[T Fearon]

Smelmoth your questions are impossible to answer.But Catholicism in the North is far stronger than it is in the South.

[seafoid]

Smelmoth your questions are impossible to answer.But Catholicism in the North is far stronger than it is in the South.

How would you measure it?

[T Fearon]

Mass attendance,relative importance of catholic schools,significant level of dissatisfaction with Northern Nationalist political parties in failing to defend Catholic teaching,vibrant St Vincent De Paul,Kinights of Columbanus societies?

[Hardy]

Mass attendance,relative importance of catholic schools,significant level of dissatisfaction with Northern Nationalist political parties in failing to defend Catholic teaching,vibrant St Vincent De Paul,Kinights of Columbanus societies?

You think this is the job of politicians? And at the same time you think the future is in a "shared identity" in a "new Northern Ireland"?

[seafoid]

Mass attendance,relative importance of catholic schools,significant level of dissatisfaction with Northern Nationalist political parties in failing to defend Catholic teaching,vibrant St Vincent De Paul,Kinights of Columbanus societies?

Sectarian schools in a dysfunctional education system prove nothing. SVP is strong in Mexico too.

[LCohen]

Mass attendance

Is this strong? Are attendance levels holding up?
Are attendance levels a measure of strength? i.e. are the attendees actually practicing catholic doctrine or do they show up on a sunday?

relative importance of catholic schools

? Catholic schools seem pretty important in the south. In the north they seem more ethnic or cultural (i.e. what sports they play in PE and competitively) rather than anything to do with faith. Most of my friends are atheist or agnostic yet most of their kids went to or go to catholic maintained schools.

significant level of dissatisfaction with Northern Nationalist political parties in failing to defend Catholic teaching

Has this contention been recently bestowed upon you from the anus of a sexually mature male bovine or are you going to actually back it up with some evidence?? I have a funny feeling its the former

vibrant St Vincent De Paul

More vibrant in the north than anywhere else? Anyway why can't SVP and Barnados get their shit together and merge. They could achieve so much more and that is surely their purpose??

Kinights of Columbanus?

Presumably rhetorical as well as mis-spelt?

[T Fearon]

I was asked to provide evidence of how vibrant Catholicism is in the North as opposed to the South,which I believe I've genuinely done.

[T Fearon]

Er 1981 is the early 80s

[red hander]

Ken Maginnis "affable". That's a new one!

He wasn't too affable when he was getting his pan knocked in the Chinese in Dungannon by a man half his size