Sunday, November 11, 2007
Ballymoney - ‘Town of bigots’…
WHEN Ballymoney Council was asked to provide Irish street names in three villages last week, the vote didn’t pass - perhaps unsurprising in a unionist-dominated council. However, the vote was (I believe) four for and four against, with the mayor - hardline Paisleyite John Finlay and casting vote holder - abstaining. Like Finlay, most of the DUP councillors actually abstained, with only two DUP and two independent unionists voting against the signs. The Council seems to have gone against the spirit, if not the letter, of its own rules. It’s something you’d expect Irish language newspaper La Nua to get annoyed about, and it does, in its balanced front page story last week. However, the headline on the splash - Baile na mbiogóidí (Town of bigots) - goes beyond ‘whataboutery’. Fighting perceived sectarianism is fair enough - but labelling the entire population of Ballymoney as bigots is counterproductive and just plain stupid. Just imagine a whole town suing a paper for defamation...!
Belfast Gonzo @ 05:52 AM
2.7.1 Exotic names
Ballymoney Borough Council is unlikely to accept exotic sounding names such as “Ye Olde Oak Tree”.
I dunno - does anyone else find that hilarious ?
What on earth does Ballymoney mean anyway ? Seriously, reclaiming identity is cool and “Baile Monaidh” at least means something in one language.
Good that some progress is being made I suppose as the vote was tight.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 06:44 AM“Ballymoney” at least means something in Cockney, Dewi.
It means “Stoney broke”; “Borassic”; “Wiv aht the readies, mate”.
A tribute, no doubt, to the Antrim town’s desire to signal to the metropolis how impoverished it is.
Of their cultural impoverishment we are entirely convinced.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 09:49 AMSecond line missing above:
As in “I ain’t got no bally money, mate”.
Apologies.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 09:51 AMThe fact is that Ballymoney Council is dominated by DUP anti Irish bigots and if their behaviour reflects badly on the town, and Lá Nua reports it as it sees it, then the message is: Don’t shoot the messenger.
The message is no less valid and I’m sure Lá Nua will ably defend its corner should it come to a court hearing. As Gaeilge of course....
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 10:39 AMOC,
The message is “Don’t use the bigots methods against them.”
That headline sinks right twixt the tarsals. It’s fine to be self-righteous, but a crime to be plain stupid.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 11:10 AMAfter reading the above story I guess we can all agree that La Nua needs to get over that whole right to exist thing.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 11:19 AMIt’s Lá Nua - not La Nua. I find the spin being put on this story by Gonzo strange - but not unexpected given the source. What has happened here is that DUP and independent unionists have voted against the implementation of the Council’s official policy, to provide BILINGUAL signage where it is requested by 66 per cent of the residents of any given area. The independent unionist members and the DUP members who voted against this reasonable proposal have been aided and abetted in their nay sayers agenda by the ‘moderates’ within their own party and the UUP who ‘abstained’, in the full knowledge of thow the vote would work out and the implications.
Lá Nua merely calls the situation as it sees it - anti Irish bigots have derailed the democratically expressed wish of the population of three villages within their council area, going against official policy and, in the process, rather eloquently making the point regarding the necessity of an Irish Language Act in NI.
I don’t know: Is it stupid to observe when the Emperor has no clothes that the Emperor has no clothes when everybody else just doesn’t say it aloud? The townspeople of Ballymoney, if they feel offended by this headline, should take the matter up with the unionist councillors who have shamed their town in this way. If they want to vent their anger at the newspaper, then they should write a letter to the editor.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 11:36 AMBelfast Gonzo,
I see little wrong in a paper using the headline “Town of Bigots”. It seems fairly accurate in the circumstances. The headline simply tells us that Ballymoney contains, uh, several such peeps.
An analogy would be calling Nashville “City of Country Music”. Obviously not every citizen plays it—or even likes it. Nonetheless there’s enough of a Country presence to merit the monniker.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 12:28 PMTour reference to Nashville, Dawkins, prompts me to alert readers to the astounding news that yet another young Paisley has achieved fame by spinning out fancy stories - this time in song.
Brad Paisley was voted Best Male Singer at Nashville’s 2007 Country Music Awards. Perhaps the people of Ballymoney could also honour him by naming a street after him - preferably as Gaelige.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 12:39 PMWhat’s the need for Irish street names? sure English is our first language?
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 12:40 PMRead “Your” not “tour” above, please.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 12:41 PM...sure English is our first language?
An English tourist visiting the town would need a little bit of convincing before accepting that too readily, Ulster’s my Homeland.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 12:44 PMHave Council’s the right to display signs in Irish only ?
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 12:46 PMCouncils sorry.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 12:52 PMThere are many towns in the borough so perhaps the title should have been Na baileĂ na mbiogĂłidĂ. Why isn’t Lá Nua playing the equality card? Or then again why not change Ballymoney to Ballyguile - Baile gCaol - the town of the narrows (cf Loughguile). I see #13 isn’t favoured in the Ballymoney rules!!
Lá Nua - new day - same old.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 01:09 PM..sure English is our first language?
“An English tourist visiting the town would need a little bit of convincing before accepting that too readily, Ulster’s my Homeland.”
LOL @ Rory. Obviously as a Ninglishman I’m not allowed to say that openly :0)
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 01:15 PMNefyn - a very strange bunch of rules.....serious point - it is a little bizarre that different policies should apply to towns even within a council area. It would be wonderful to see some outreach from Unionists in thsi matter.
OC - how do you do those accent thingies ?
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 01:19 PMDewi, there could be a number of ‘reciprocal’ gestures in the borough. It would be difficult for Finlay to be magnanimous, even if he wanted to be, while SF supports ‘apartheid’ in places like Dunloy.
Ctrl+Alt+vowel for fadas.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 01:35 PMAnd I missed that one - incredible.
9.6 When allocating postal numbers, number 13 to be omitted.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 01:36 PMIt depends which part of England the tourist belongs to, Rory. Wouldn’t the bards of Avon feel at home in Armagh - if not in Craig-upon-avon?
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 01:41 PMgótchá Néfyn - thánk yóú. Apartheid in Dunloy ? Missed that - what do you mean ?
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 01:42 PMDewi, here’s a link to Gaelic etc on keyboards
http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/~oduibhin/mearchlar/windows.htm
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 01:52 PMHere’s a little bit about Dunloy, Dewi:
No charges after July 12 sit-down in Dunloy
Accordion band set to join mayor’s parade in London
The non-Catholic population of the village is down to about 2%.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 02:22 PMThanks - non - catholic population down to 2% - strange they want to march through it to be honest. YOu are saying let the accordian band march and we’ll put up Irish signs ? - realpolitik in the 6 counties sense....
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 02:29 PMI still don’t see the justification for erecting signs in a language that nobody speaks fluently. Are the non-unionist citizens of Ballymoney having difficulty navigating the area without signage in their tribal tongue ?
If we were talking about Ulster-Scots I’d say exactly the same thing. If the chuckies value this language, they should stop using it as a political football. They’ve shot themselves in the foot with this one.
Posted by on Nov 11, 2007 @ 02:29 PM
