Hunger strike commemoration at a GAA ground

[talktothehand]

I'm not sure which are worse - The Unionists who look for any excuse to be offended or the Pro-Unionist-West-Brit-Huggers in the Free State supporting them who take their freedom and freedom of expression for granted and.

Easy to know none of them have been harassed or abused going to training or mass down through the years, have had innocent colleagues shot through the back of the head going for cigarettes, been stopped and cars stripped to bits for no reason, denied basic human rights or have not been able to get work because their 'face doesn't fit'.

These are the same people are all too happy to condemn Sinn Fein, the IRA and the like but sing Provo songs on holidays in the Canaries and clap when a few drug dealers get summary justice when the Gardai do nothing about it.   

Get over it, sure the GAA shouldn't be used nor should it be politicized and we'd all love to keep politics and sport apart, but we don't all have the benefit of 70 years of democracy to be able to do it. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have screwed around more with the GAA and used it more than anyone so get over it and move on.

You see, it's gobshites like you who give northerners a bad name.

I'd wager rightly that i've suffered at least as much as the next man at the hands of the brits and had football interfered with by them far too many times to mention. that is irrelevent.
making the GAA some sort of totem poll for militancy, particularly at a time when we're inching closer to a more entwined community makes no sense in either a sporting or political sense.

don't talk shite!! i live in the heights in coleraine! not much entwined round here i'll tell ya!

[Son_of_Sam]

OK I might be out here on my own about this one, but where these people not convicted terrorists? Alot of people consider terrorism a form of criminality. So you could say that criminals should not have special status!

This is purely a question?  It is a question, but I am unaware of why each of these men where in prison. Where any of these men convicted of murder, accessory to murder or any other form of terrorism or other crime?

Irish Free State 1922-1937, the correct name for the current 26 county Republic is Ireland (it is not called the Republic of Ireland for that matter either). Maybe those people who regularly bash the Independent State/Country and are neither tax-payers or residents won't want to be an Irish Passport Holder either. Bashing Ireland (Independent State) and claiming it does not exist, then applying for a passport of that country is hypocrisy. I am also proud to be part of the Irish nation (32 counties) land from the Island of Ireland. Sorry rant over, but we are allowed to disagree too.

[talktothehand]

OK I might be out here on my own about this one, but where these people not convicted terrorists? Alot of people consider terrorism a form of criminality. So you could say that criminals should not have special status!
one man's freedom fighter is another's terrorist. maggie thatcher did indeed say crime is crime is crime. pleased to see you are aligning yourself with that war criminal.

This is purely a question?  It is a question, but I am unaware of why each of these men where in prison. Where any of these men convicted of murder, accessory to murder or any other form of terrorism or other crime?

Irish Free State 1922-1937, the correct name for the current 26 county Republic is Ireland (it is not called the Republic of Ireland for that matter either). Maybe those people who regularly bash the Independent State/Country and are neither tax-payers or residents won't be wanting an Irish Passport Holders either. Bashing Ireland (Independent State) and claiming it does not exist, then applying for a passport of that country is hypocracy. I am also proud to be part of the Irish nation (32 counties) land from the Island of Ireland. Sorry rant over, but we are allowed to disagree too.

in your opinion should IRELAND, the country you talk of, have 26 or 32 counties??

[Son_of_Sam]

OK I might be out here on my own about this one, but where these people not convicted terrorists? Alot of people consider terrorism a form of criminality. So you could say that criminals should not have special status!
one man's freedom fighter is another's terrorist. maggie thatcher did indeed say crime is crime is crime. pleased to see you are aligning yourself with that war criminal.[/i]

So because I am against terrorism I agree with that evil bitch, ok I get it, because I believe in having good roads I must like Hitler & because I'm Catholic I must agree with the Crusades, because I read books I think we should cut down all the rainforests. The U.N. should do something about me, eh!

This is purely a question?  It is a question, but I am unaware of why each of these men where in prison. Where any of these men convicted of murder, accessory to murder or any other form of terrorism or other crime?

Irish Free State 1922-1937, the correct name for the current 26 county Republic is Ireland (it is not called the Republic of Ireland for that matter either). Maybe those people who regularly bash the Independent State/Country and are neither tax-payers or residents won't be wanting an Irish Passport Holders either. Bashing Ireland (Independent State) and claiming it does not exist, then applying for a passport of that country is hypocracy. I am also proud to be part of the Irish nation (32 counties) land from the Island of Ireland. Sorry rant over, but we are allowed to disagree too.

in your opinion should IRELAND, the country you talk of, have 26 or 32 counties??

The Island/Nation has 32
The Country/State had 26
The Reality is 26
The Dream would be 32

[talktothehand]

fair enough. for me, growing up in a town that is 79% protestant and 100% intimidating to catholics the gaa was a way of maintaining our identity. we had no pitch, were openly attacked on many occasions, had threats made to our families and this all when i was an under 16. you can realize that this debate is different for us in the north. with the best will in the world there is nothing sickens us more than moralizing southerners telling us to get over it. you might like to look at the fact it was michael bloody collins dropped us in this shite in the first place!

[JMohan]

I'm not sure which are worse - The Unionists who look for any excuse to be offended or the Pro-Unionist-West-Brit-Huggers in the Free State supporting them who take their freedom and freedom of expression for granted and.

Easy to know none of them have been harassed or abused going to training or mass down through the years, have had innocent colleagues shot through the back of the head going for cigarettes, been stopped and cars stripped to bits for no reason, denied basic human rights or have not been able to get work because their 'face doesn't fit'.

These are the same people are all too happy to condemn Sinn Fein, the IRA and the like but sing Provo songs on holidays in the Canaries and clap when a few drug dealers get summary justice when the Gardai do nothing about it.   

Get over it, sure the GAA shouldn't be used nor should it be politicized and we'd all love to keep politics and sport apart, but we don't all have the benefit of 70 years of democracy to be able to do it. Fianna Fail and Fine Gael have screwed around more with the GAA and used it more than anyone so get over it and move on.

You see, it's gobshites like you who give northerners a bad name.

I'd wager rightly that i've suffered at least as much as the next man at the hands of the brits and had football interfered with by them far too many times to mention. that is irrelevent.
making the GAA some sort of totem poll for militancy, particularly at a time when we're inching closer to a more entwined community makes no sense in either a sporting or political sense.

Hug a DUP day then is it?


Blind and an idiot. Read the last line of what I said. The GAA should be apolitical, but if some minor thing like this happens - Get to fcuk over it.

[glens abu]

Rightly or wrongly there would be those who would see the playing of the  English Anthem at Croke Park as more offensive than a hungerstrike commemoration at Pearse Park, and Im sure the opposite applies.  Each to their own is probably the best way forward.   

100% agree but you will never stop these people who have a problem with the hunger strikes crying,maybe with some it is a guilty conscience that they or their family sat back at the time and didn't try in any way to support the prisoners.

[talktothehand]

OK I might be out here on my own about this one, but where these people not convicted terrorists? Alot of people consider terrorism a form of criminality. So you could say that criminals should not have special status!
one man's freedom fighter is another's terrorist. maggie thatcher did indeed say crime is crime is crime. pleased to see you are aligning yourself with that war criminal.[/i]

So because I am against terrorism I agree with that evil bitch, ok I get it, because I believe in having good roads I must like Hitler & because I'm Catholic I must agree with the Crusades, because I read books I think we should cut down all the rainforests. The U.N. should do something about me, eh![/u]

This is purely a question?  It is a question, but I am unaware of why each of these men where in prison. Where any of these men convicted of murder, accessory to murder or any other form of terrorism or other crime?

Irish Free State 1922-1937, the correct name for the current 26 county Republic is Ireland (it is not called the Republic of Ireland for that matter either). Maybe those people who regularly bash the Independent State/Country and are neither tax-payers or residents won't be wanting an Irish Passport Holders either. Bashing Ireland (Independent State) and claiming it does not exist, then applying for a passport of that country is hypocracy. I am also proud to be part of the Irish nation (32 counties) land from the Island of Ireland. Sorry rant over, but we are allowed to disagree too.

in your opinion should IRELAND, the country you talk of, have 26 or 32 counties??

The Island/Nation has 32
The Country/State had 26
The Reality is 26
The Dream would be 32


of course not. but you were using one of her famous quotes at the time of the hunger strikes. so the corollary is you are either being deliberately offensive or ignorant of the historical and political sensitivity of the issue.

[Son_of_Sam]

fair enough. for me, growing up in a town that is 79% protestant and 100% intimidating to catholics the gaa was a way of maintaining our identity. we had no pitch, were openly attacked on many occasions, had threats made to our families and this all when i was an under 16. you can realize that this debate is different for us in the north. with the best will in the world there is nothing sickens us more than moralizing southerners telling us to get over it. you might like to look at the fact it was michael bloody collins dropped us in this shite in the first place!

Micheal Collins did not drop us in this shit, Eamon DeValera dropped Collins in it. We had no choice, absolutly no choice, the Brits would have erased the Irish people green & orange alike. They had no problem gassing the Kurds. The fact that there is an Irish State, has kept the dream of a free Ireland alive. Had the Irish Free State and the bravery of Collins to take the tough choice happened, we would be a 32 county Kingdom of Ireland within the United Kingdom of Great Britain & Ireland, Irish nationalism would be no more than it is in Scotland or Wales, in fact Irish nationalists would probably be members of Irish wings of the British parties, with a few Irish nationalist ones offering themselves up to prop up on British administration or another, we would be like many a Scot I meet, proud Scot, always giving it large about the English, shouting on about Braveheart, then joining the British army and flying off to Iraq or Afganistan. Only for the bravery of the few to take the right choice, we are not like the loveable but delusional Scottish semi-nationalist cousins.

[020304 Tir Eoghain]

OK I might be out here on my own about this one, but where these people not convicted terrorists? Alot of people consider terrorism a form of criminality. So you could say that criminals should not have special status!

This is purely a question?  It is a question, but I am unaware of why each of these men where in prison. Where any of these men convicted of murder, accessory to murder or any other form of terrorism or other crime?

Irish Free State 1922-1937, the correct name for the current 26 county Republic is Ireland (it is not called the Republic of Ireland for that matter either). Maybe those people who regularly bash the Independent State/Country and are neither tax-payers or residents won't want to be an Irish Passport Holder either. Bashing Ireland (Independent State) and claiming it does not exist, then applying for a passport of that country is hypocrisy. I am also proud to be part of the Irish nation (32 counties) land from the Island of Ireland. Sorry rant over, but we are allowed to disagree too.

One mans terrorist is another mans freedom fighter, not just in Ireland but wherever conflicts are taking place.

[talktothehand]

thanks for all the help you and your men gave us during the persecution of CATHOLICS from 1921 on.

we were

GHETTOISED

DISENFRACHISED

KEPT FROM EMPLOYMENT

RELIGOUSLY PERSECUTED

the only thing missing was a swastika

[Son_of_Sam]

OK I might be out here on my own about this one, but where these people not convicted terrorists? Alot of people consider terrorism a form of criminality. So you could say that criminals should not have special status!
one man's freedom fighter is another's terrorist. maggie thatcher did indeed say crime is crime is crime. pleased to see you are aligning yourself with that war criminal.[/i]

So because I am against terrorism I agree with that evil bitch, ok I get it, because I believe in having good roads I must like Hitler & because I'm Catholic I must agree with the Crusades, because I read books I think we should cut down all the rainforests. The U.N. should do something about me, eh![/u]

This is purely a question?  It is a question, but I am unaware of why each of these men where in prison. Where any of these men convicted of murder, accessory to murder or any other form of terrorism or other crime?

Irish Free State 1922-1937, the correct name for the current 26 county Republic is Ireland (it is not called the Republic of Ireland for that matter either). Maybe those people who regularly bash the Independent State/Country and are neither tax-payers or residents won't be wanting an Irish Passport Holders either. Bashing Ireland (Independent State) and claiming it does not exist, then applying for a passport of that country is hypocracy. I am also proud to be part of the Irish nation (32 counties) land from the Island of Ireland. Sorry rant over, but we are allowed to disagree too.

in your opinion should IRELAND, the country you talk of, have 26 or 32 counties??

The Island/Nation has 32
The Country/State had 26
The Reality is 26
The Dream would be 32


of course not. but you were using one of her famous quotes at the time of the hunger strikes. so the corollary is you are either being deliberately offensive or ignorant of the historical and political sensitivity of the issue.

Neither its just my view on terrorism.

Like you said above I did not experience growing up in Northern Ireland. Often people in the North don't like us expressing any views on the 6 counties, which is a bit like saying your view of an ideal Irish State is where we can't have an opinion about 6 Ulster counties but you can have an opinion on 26 Connacht, Munster, Leinster & Ulster counties, that most of you did not grow up in and many have never lived in. You might notice many people in 25 of those 26 counties have a hostility towards 1 (Dublin) you don't understand the Culchies!!! (or maybe the Jackeens either) why do they slag our great! capital, sure some of it is historic fun, some of it is football, but alot of it (especially from people from the West of the Shannon) or the extreme West of Munster is down to paying taxes to a government in a Capital city that takes those taxes, then removes our services, doesn't improve infrastructure (in fact takes up railways) A Capital City(County) & surrounding counties that soak up all the development & tax money. About 3 years ago (about the time I stopped reading the FF mouthpiece) the Irish Independent printed a report that showed that the top two counties for producing graduates where 1. Galway & 2. Mayo, Clare, Kerry & Cork came next, with Sligo, Roscommon, Limerick, Tipp & Leitrim next. Out of the West = Taxes, Services, Graduates & skilled Labourers. Into the East = Taxes, Services, Graduates & skilled Labourers. You see we have things to moan about too, but nearly to a man any Nordie (excuse the term, I have used Culchie & Jackeen already) I meet thinks we have no right to these things and we should love the capital of the romantic 32 future super Ireland.

[Donnellys Hollow]

fair enough. for me, growing up in a town that is 79% protestant and 100% intimidating to catholics the gaa was a way of maintaining our identity. we had no pitch, were openly attacked on many occasions, had threats made to our families and this all when i was an under 16. you can realize that this debate is different for us in the north. with the best will in the world there is nothing sickens us more than moralizing southerners telling us to get over it. you might like to look at the fact it was michael bloody collins dropped us in this shite in the first place!

Not strictly true. Had Collins been alive when the Boundary Commission was convened in 1925, he would have not been bullied like Eoin MacNeill was. MacNeill simply wasn't cut out for the job and Collins would have hammered out a better deal and the map of Ireland would look very different.

The North wasn't really a big issue in the Treaty debates because people believed that the inclusion of the Boundary Commission in the clauses of the Treaty would address this issue.

[bingobus]

fair enough. for me, growing up in a town that is 79% protestant and 100% intimidating to catholics the gaa was a way of maintaining our identity. we had no pitch, were openly attacked on many occasions, had threats made to our families and this all when i was an under 16. you can realize that this debate is different for us in the north. with the best will in the world there is nothing sickens us more than moralizing southerners telling us to get over it. you might like to look at the fact it was michael bloody collins dropped us in this shite in the first place!

I wonder sometimes why "yous" even want to be part of the same country as us "sountherners" at times.

[Mongander]

Surprised this hasn't been posted already...

why were you surprised this had not already been posted?
surely the blighted views of Nelson McCausland merit no mention on a GAA forum?

It's a shame yet again that some people have felt it appropriate to use a GAA ground for such activities. And all it does is give the DUP another stick to beat the Association with.

why is it a shame?
and for who?
surely this is a decision for the people of Galbally, and the GAA community in County Tyrone to decide upon.
how does it affect you what the club facilities in Galbally are used for?
The 1981 Hunger Strike was a pivotal and emotional time for all Gaels on the island of Ireland, and the lives of the ten brave men who lost their lives deserve to be celebrated.
County Tyrone lost Vol. Martin Hurson during the Hunger Strike and the people of his local community (and the wider republican family) are completely within their rights to celebrate this young man's life within the locality.

Obviously this is another act of political point scoring by the DUP who are only concerned in the seeming rise in popularity by the TUV following the recent European Elections.

Shame on the SDLP for lowering themselves (once again) into siding with hardline unionism, and commenting on yet another 'non-issue'.

Tír Eoghain Abú!!
TÁL!!