How will the anti-Irish knuckle-draggers cope now that Niall Ó Donnghaile has been installed as Belfast’s new Lord Mayor, I wonder? Given that a single word of Irish can be seen as a subversive signal (see the brilliant blog http://ansionnachfionn.wordpress.com/2011/05/28/irish-ireland-meets-english-ireland-in-the-eurospar/ for a southern version of the same problem), every time they use Ó Donnghaile’s name they’ll have committed the treacherous act of which they complain. Added is the confusing fact that QE2 AND President Obama both used Irish briefly during their visit here, and the knuckle-draggers must knitting their sloping brows.
It’s not just knuckle-draggers, of course – the otherwise-intelligent people who run our Protestant/Controlled schools have such a low opinion of Irish, not one of them offers Irish as a subject. I once did a small piece of research into why no Protestant/Controlled schools here play Gaelic games. All of the PE Heads said yes, they’d be happy to offer it, but the thing was, the parents would never agree. Presumably the same applies to the teaching of Irish. At present it’s an exclusively Catholic-and-Integrated-schools thing. The excuse given is that “republicans have hi-jacked the language”, so to use or teach it would be to align oneself with those who shouted orders for a volley of shots at IRA gravesides It wasn’t clear how they felt about Angela Merkel who speaks, of course, the same language as Hitler, or Carla Bruni, who is fluent in Mussolini’s tongue. As well, of course, as Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Francis of Assisi respectively.
A final thought, beyond Gaelic games and Irish-speaking: what saintly lives do Robin Newton and Ruth Patterson lead, that they can occupy the high moral ground from which to look down on the new Mayor? Some found deputy Mayor Patterson’s noli me tangere act (see film clip) sad. Personally, I thought it hilarious.
I really cannot imagine what it is like for a Catholic/Nationalist living in Northern Ireland...It must be living bloody hell...
ReplyDeleteIt exhausts me just reading about it...I often wondered where Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness found the stamina/perseverance to carry on...
Politics in the RoI must feel like a holiday by comparison for the President of Sinn Fein...
despite the snide digs from the Venerable Organ...which seems to me to be rapidly morphing into tabloid...
There's only been one comment here so far Jude, so perhaps you might get a chance to respond to the 51st contribution to the Mary Travers thread below.
ReplyDeleteKevin
Kevin - you'll have to understand that I don't have to do what my correspondents tell me. I've explained myself as much as I plan to - really too much, in fact - on that one. Good that you're interested, though - and my commendation on your openness in giving your name - a rare occurrence.
ReplyDeleteIt's worse than shooting a woman dead, so it is!
ReplyDelete(In Jude-world, at any rate).
Tell us, Jude - when you're at they keyboard, do you ever feel your own knuckles drag?
With respect Jude I think there's probably more than one Kevin in N/Ireland..!
ReplyDeleteRuth Patterson shows the maturity level of a two-year-old spoiled brat.
ReplyDeleteMany unionists have a misplaced sense of entitlement and if they don't get what they want, they act like this woman.
Of course unionists by sharing power negate the very reason they insisted on the state being created in the first place.
And then we have the 'trolls' on here who attack the messenger because they won't or can't debate the issue in this blog.
'Briseann an duchas tri shuile an chait'
ReplyDelete..No rearing no manners...!
Ruth Patterson has a bit of a history when it comes to these sort of issues.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.nuzhound.com/articles/irish_news/arts2004/jul3_move_to_Republic.php
We can only be thankful that this particular Catholic achieved prominence post rather than pre GFA. Otherwise, he might be regarded by some as 'a traitor deserving a traitor's death', like poor Mr Travers.
ReplyDeletelaughable indeed.
ReplyDelete