This is more curio thanhard news. On the 26th September, BBC NI carried this piece of ahem, news regarding the new design of Irish passports:
…it is not yet known if landscapes from Northern Ireland, such as the Giant’s Causeway, will appear.
The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs would not say if any images from the north will be on the new document. The department commissioned the landscape pictures and images that reflected aspects of culture and heritage.
Irish Foreign Affairs Minister Eamon Gilmore will unveil the new passports on Monday and they will come into official use in October.
Some images under consideration included native trees, cultural monuments such as round towers and images representing the four provinces of Ireland: Ulster, Munster, Leinster and Connacht.
It is understood there was some discussion within the Department of Foreign Affairs about including images from Northern Ireland, since citizens from the north can opt for an Irish passport.
The department would not make any comment ahead of the official launch.
Okay, so it launched today. And guess what? Nothing, nada, zip. Just a quote from United Irishman James Orr, “one of the weaver poets from County Antrim, who wrote in Ulster Scots”.
Ah, it’s them ould kite flying ‘sources’. They get us all burnt from time to time… 😉
Mick is founding editor of Slugger. He has written papers on the impacts of the Internet on politics and the wider media and is a regular guest and speaking events across Ireland, the UK and Europe. Twitter: @MickFealty
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