Slugger out and about for ‘Orangefest’
I have no idea how this one will work out but I’m intending to head to an 11th night bonfire and 12th parade this year (held on the 13th I understand). I’ll be bringing my baggage along with as open a mind as I can muster and intend blogging on the days, with maybe some twittering, as things progress. I’ve already had two offers of escort and help explaining any confusing aspects from a tweet.
What I’d now like to know is do other Slugger folks fancy joining up for the day? Republicans looking to challenge themselves? People that just haven’t been before? People willing to guide others through events and hold their hands if they get nervous?
Ideas of what to do, joining up and offers of assistance all welcome.
btw: this isn’t intended as a ‘One Small Step’ type thing, I’m as happy to come away with prejudices reinforced as reconsidered.
UPDATE: after speaking to Mick we will be running a live blog via Cover-it-Live – participants, supporters, demonstrators, the just pure apathetic and Slugger readers that get along to where ever for however long for whatever reason will be able to add their views.
Mark, go to Kilkeel on the 11th. that’s if your serious.
“Greg, what If I’m a Catholic how could I be part of your set-up? ”
….and what do you mean exactly UMH?
“as the Irish state once represented that exact same tyranny William fought against, it may be incorrect to say the Irish state represents that today.”
Yes, such tyranny. The Free State basically had a 20th century version of the Penal Laws. Protestant ministers had to live on the run to avoid hanging. Also, Protestants couldn’t vote, get elected to office, or have access to education.
I find it hard to believe you actually believe some of the stuff you right. William, fighting for freedom and liberty??? Ha
don’t be stupid Brian
Everyone knows that the only Prods who were discriminated against were the openly dangerous ones like librarians, or shopkeepers in Fethard on Sea. Apart from people like that- and who could defend them- of course we accept that the Free State was a wonderful place. So tell us again just when discrimination crosses that invisible line and becomes unacceptable
Discrimination isn’t acceptable, but that really has nothing to do with William fighting for “liberty”. It’s simply not true.
On the sectarianism stakes, if you configured N.I. (1921-1972) at 10, the R.O.I. over the same period might barely, with a stretch of the imagination, scrape 1.
I can name two elected Protestant deputy prime ministers in the Southern state – one a Lisburn Presbyterian. Can you name even one *elected* Catholic minister in the 1921- 1972 period?
Brian MacAodh
William didn’t make the penal laws, the English Parliament did. William gave the Catholics of Ireland the right to freedom of their religion and liberty by encouraging them to set up their own parliament and practice their own religion as is evident in the treaty of Limerick, 1691. Instead of supporting William and his claim to the throne they rebelled in support of the Papacy and the Jacobites.
Its the same old story with the Irish, they don’t know a good thing until its gone. The Vatican would eventually relinquish their claim to the English throne and so began the long slow drawn out affair of Catholic emancipation.
If only the Irish could think for themselves instead of being guided by an organisation like the Vatican, which, at the end of the day, only think of itself and couldn’t give too hoots about dead Irish.
Ha Ha ..UMH’s take on Irish history is hilarious as usual.
More anti-Catholic jibberish. You miss the point that the Irish had a right to be Catholic and support their ‘British’ King James as they saw it and not a foreigner.
At least they stayed loyal to the rightful ‘British’ king too, I suppose, unlike those who supported the foreign usurper of the British throne, William the Dutchman, and who could be classed as TRAITORS.
BTW, The Pope supported William of Orange at the Battle of the Boyne too, UMH. This has been stated umpteen times here before.
Why does this information not register with you?
The Catholic Irish were faced with the lesser of two evils. By definition the Williamites were the ‘rebels’ in this instance.
”Treason never prospers because if it does few dare call it treason”
-Dryden.