prods in the 26

[ardal]

Political or not, it's incorrect. In the same way it's incorrect when Unionists refer to the North as 'Ulster'.

Or like when Nationalists refer to Northern Ireland as the North perhaps. What about poor old Senegal?

Sorry Cake, but you're basing your statement "el papa" like on what? Yea I read your previous proclamations of superior knowledge

[BennyCake]

Political or not, it's incorrect. In the same way it's incorrect when Unionists refer to the North as 'Ulster'.

Or like when Nationalists refer to Northern Ireland as the North perhaps. What about poor old Senegal?

Sorry Cake, but you're basing your statement "el papa" like on what? Yea I read your previous proclamations of superior knowledge

What exactly are you asking me, Ardal? If indeed you are asking anything at all.

[deiseach]

I may be wrong but when studying, a geographical term used was "The British isles" which referred to the totality of both islands.
It was a geography term, not political in sense originally. Thus I believe the term is correct, even though I dislike it.

I don't buy that argument. Does anyone call Sardinia and Corsica 'the Sardinian Isles'? No geographical term is devoid of political meaning.

[lawnseed]

So because we live in a British jurisdiction we should rank being British (or UKish) ahead of being Irish?

As Lord Craigavon said "We are Irishmen ... I always hold that Ulstermen are Irishmen and the best of Irishmen."
If you believe that this part of Ireland should be in a political link with Britain then fair enough, it should not diminish the Irishness of Belfast. You can make a case for the UK thing, but that has rarely been made, the fleg issue is only portrayed by those who want a fleg as something they own being imposed on themmuns (because we won the battle of the Boyne).

Indeed everyone native to this Island is Irish whether they acknowledge it or not but Ireland is one of the British Isles so you could argue everyone native to these islands is British whether they like it or not.

Anyway to get back on track  the discussion was on Protestants in the 26. 90 years of living in a British state has not diminished most of our Irishness so it may not have diminished the sense of Britishness of some of those who may consider they were abandoned by Carson. 90 years of a UI may not diminish the sense of Britishness of some of the current generation of unionism so they should be accommohttp://gaaboard.com/board/index.php?action=post;quote=1307196;topic=24102.105#dated better than we were.

great post.. the best on this thread so far

[lawnseed]

Leo, you ARE wrong. Ireland is not part of the British isles, regardless of how you wanna mince it.

no your wrong Ireland is part of the british isles

look at any world map. its a geographical term not political

[Hardy]

It'd be amusing if it wasn't an illustration of almost frightening stupidity to see someone start a thread to ask for insight into a phenomenon and then reject informed insight on the basis that it contradicts their prejudices.

Coincidentally, this very subject came up spontaneously yesterday in a Christmas morning gathering in a neighbour's house. It turned out when the subject came up (when the host slagged a friend of his as a "protestant gentleman") that the company included about six or seven protestants in a group of about twenty.

I think it's relevant to the thread, even a small insight into how "protestants"  down here see themselves (so lawnseed, you won't be interested) that:

-   One of these "protestants" spontaneously referred to his distaste for a certain type of his Northern co-religionists, that he referred to as "thumpers" and gave us an anecdote about how one of them disapproved of his "mixed" marriage.
-   Another volunteered a story about being snubbed by the mayor of Larne (? not sure – somewhere starting with "L") at a civic reception for a sailing event when the mayor heard his Cork accent. He told the story as a citizen of the Irish republic feeling insulted.

As I've mentioned here before, my experience of protestants in my local community (in Cork, where Graham Norton, flamboyantly gay, probably not noticeably "protestant" to the community at large, felt "isolated") is that they are indistinguishable from the rest of the community in their conduct of their citizenship and in practically all other aspects of social life. But that's only a fact, lawnseed, relevant to your initial inquiry, so feel free to ignore it.

(I've put the term "protestant" in inverted commas to illustrate the fact that the "protestants" I know never refer to themselves as such and seem to dislike the term. They use "Church Of Ireland". I assume it must feel similar to them as it does to people of my tradition being referred to as "papists". It seems to be intended in a pejorative sense by people who have scant respect for them.)

[ONeill]

An awful lot of words there.

[lawnseed]

So hardy nothing to with being prod more to do with being flamboyantly gay. Poor graham hadnt much going for him..

[Milltown Row2]

So hardy nothing to with being prod more to do with being flamboyantly gay. Poor graham hadnt much going for him..

A gay Prod living in Cork feeling isolated hmmmmm, Now if he had have hurled for Cork.......

[ardal]

Political or not, it's incorrect. In the same way it's incorrect when Unionists refer to the North as 'Ulster'.

Or like when Nationalists refer to Northern Ireland as the North perhaps. What about poor old Senegal?

Sorry Cake, but you're basing your statement "el papa" like on what? Yea I read your previous proclamations of superior knowledge

What exactly are you asking me, Ardal? If indeed you are asking anything at all.

There are no "British and Irish isles" in any sense of the phrase. The British isles is a geographical reference to the totality of both; inclusive of islands, of both,relatively, new nations.

[BennyCake]

Political or not, it's incorrect. In the same way it's incorrect when Unionists refer to the North as 'Ulster'.

Or like when Nationalists refer to Northern Ireland as the North perhaps. What about poor old Senegal?

Sorry Cake, but you're basing your statement "el papa" like on what? Yea I read your previous proclamations of superior knowledge

What exactly are you asking me, Ardal? If indeed you are asking anything at all.

There are no "British and Irish isles" in any sense of the phrase. The British isles is a geographical reference to the totality of both; inclusive of islands, of both,relatively, new nations.

Well, to borrow a quote from Roy Keane, "just because Alex Ferguson says something, doesn't mean he's right". And just because Ireland and Britain are referred to as the "British Isles" doesn't mean it's correct.

The British gave Derry a different name, but it's doesn't mean we all have to use the L word, does it?

[Lar Naparka]

Just been reading gramham nortons bit about growing up a prod in cork. Not great it seems he felt lonely. This is very difficult to understand for me since I always found the cork people the friendliest people on the island. I think if I had to move I'd head to cork especially the west of the county where nortons from.
This makes me think what is it like for prods in the 26? Is there ill feeling? Are they isolated? Maybe not quite as irish as their catholic countrymen? Are we on this island so fukd up that this really matters almost 100years after independance?

You have to remember that Norton is about 50 now so he was talking about life in West Cork around 35/ 40 years ago.
There wasn't an area, north or south, where gays got an easy time of it in those days. He should consider himself lucky that he wasn't born in Tiger Bay or the Sandy Row.
He'd find out the hard way that his fellow-religionists were far more intolerant of gays than the rural communities of West Cork or indeed any other part of rural Ireland.

[ardal]

Political or not, it's incorrect. In the same way it's incorrect when Unionists refer to the North as 'Ulster'.

Or like when Nationalists refer to Northern Ireland as the North perhaps. What about poor old Senegal?

Sorry Cake, but you're basing your statement "el papa" like on what? Yea I read your previous proclamations of superior knowledge

What exactly are you asking me, Ardal? If indeed you are asking anything at all.

There are no "British and Irish isles" in any sense of the phrase. The British isles is a geographical reference to the totality of both; inclusive of islands, of both,relatively, new nations.

Well, to borrow a quote from Roy Keane, "just because Alex Ferguson says something, doesn't mean he's right". And just because Ireland and Britain are referred to as the "British Isles" doesn't mean it's correct.

The British gave Derry a different name, but it's doesn't mean we all have to use the L word, does it?

"The British"?
The city of London bought Derry, not the British, although it should be called "London´s Derry"

[lawnseed]

So hardy nothing to with being prod more to do with being flamboyantly gay. Poor graham hadnt much going for him..

A gay Prod living in Cork feeling isolated hmmmmm, Now if he had have hurled for Cork.......

The man should be grateful he wasnt a black gay prod..

[Rossfan]

So hardy nothing to with being prod more to do with being flamboyantly gay. Poor graham hadnt much going for him..

A gay Prod living in Cork feeling isolated hmmmmm, Now if he had have hurled for Cork.......

The man should be grateful he wasnt a black gay prod..

Or an eejit like some I could mention........