Londonderry to make its first appearance on Irish passports…
For years growing up and on our several times a year journey to stay with family in Donegal it used to bemuse me somewhat (Okay, I was a kid, and it was the 60s) that the buses on the way up to Derry all said Londonderry and the Lough Swilly Buses said Derry. Now it seems the Republic is offering one small step towards recognising the city in the north west as its official name on the passports of those who choose to call it Londonderry… Not much you might say… But it shows the degree to which the feelings of Derry protestants have largely been ignored within wider Irish nationalism. It’s unlikely to have many of them breaking for the south, but it is one more emotional barrier consigned to the past…
“with republicans then biting the bait, closing their eyes, covering their eyes and shouting about how bad the British government has been to Irish Catholics over the past 800 years.”
padraic, that is usually your role I thought?
I’m with Catholic Observer on that one, especially, re: the RSF statement. There IS no “Derry” antecedent to County Londonderry, but as a North Coast resident, should the burghers of the much-beleaguered Maiden City wish so, I am more than happy to have things revert to County Coleraine.
[i]padraic, that is usually your role I thought?[/i]
I’m loathe to change the focus of this thread to my previous contributions to Slugger but feel compelled to respond to the above: can you please
provide evidence to back up your thought? Or are you taking the piss?
– “how any ecent person, let alone a loyalist or a prodestant could use an irish passport is beyond me.
you may as well be sporting a nazi armband.
ireland has a history of lies, cowardice, discrimination against non catholics and of course thier reintroduction of slavery through the magdelene laundries.
id rather climb inside the wheelwell of a plane in future if the alternative was to use that toiletpaper.”
– Posted by ngg on Apr 09, 2009 @ 03:53 PM
As a proud Irish passport holder, I sincerely hope the situation never arises that you will find yourself “forced” to take possession of an Irish passport.
If that nightmare scenario should arise (and it would be a nightmare for both of us, trust me), I strongly encourage you to stick to your “principles” and take the wheelwell. Please. I’ll even book the flight… And pay for it.
Hae dere dey. Wad wull we whinge aboot nae?
to george.. mg 3. this is the old story with gc. he only has a problem with injustice when his own side are on the receiving end. no problem with rigging electoral wards in derry so long as unionists are benefitting from it. as for the 50/50 rule for police recruits, you can bet your last dollar that if his side were the 20% of the force, gc would be demanding 50/50.
“to george.. mg 3. this is the old story with gc. he only has a problem with injustice when his own side are on the receiving end”
FFS!! How many NI people/politicians/slugger posters would you imagine he shares that particular bias with Daniel – behave yourself…..
They won’t have an interest in an British passport issued in Dublin. Irish passports, though, are also British passports – representing as they do Northern Ireland.
As the person who began the efforts to have Londonderry entered in an Irish passport FOUR years ago, I am delighted that the Irish Government has shown that it can rise above the petty, narrowminded bigotry of some nationalists and republicans.
I now possess both an Irish and a British passport, as is my right under the Good Friday Agreement, and my place of birth is correctly recorded in both as Londonderry.
I am not forcing anyone else in any way to call the city by a name (and in this instance it is actually the county that is being referred to) they do not wish to use. Equally, I must not be forced to call my home city and county something that I do not agree with, was not brought up with and do not want.
To the Lilliputian idiots who post on this site, please have some respect for others’ views.
Ullans, what does the passport have as the Irish version of Londonderry: Doire or Londaindoire?
It states “DOIRE/LONDONDERRY”.
I think it’s a fair compromise!
As I have mentioned on other posts, we could learn a thing or two from other cities in Europe (for example, Biel/Bienne: which is called both names simultaneously (www.biel-bienne.ch and en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biel)) which allow two (or more, sometimes) names. So maybe Derry/Londonderry? Doire/Londonderry? Doire/LondonDerry?
We’ll see!