Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Edwin stumbles
Culture Minister, Edwin Poots, has admitted to refusing to attend every Irish language event he has been invited to since taking office on the grounds that he was “not a speaker of Irish.”
However, his lack of knowledge of the “wee dafty wean” lingo has not prevented him from attending five Ulster Scots events in his time as Minister. Before the Chinese, Polish and other ethnic minority groups rip up their glossy invites to the Culture Minister, his spokesperson did inform the Irish News that he decides “on each event as it comes in.”
In which case, I think we can safely conclude, it’s a case of “No Irish Need Apply.”
Chris Donnelly @ 11:35 PM
only in this country would a christian fundamentalist idiot be given a position of responsibility....
and to think we came from Monkeys!!!
Posted by on Mar 05, 2008 @ 07:50 PMcut the bull and Sammy Morse
Just getting to read the thread for the first time since early morn. Enjoying the Slugger poetry!
FD
Surely a case of chilling out? One would think you were Lord Laird’s taxi driver the way you chose to seek offence there....I’ve already made clear I support the promotion of Ulster Scots culture, though remain more than sceptical about the language campaign.
On the actual point of the thread, glad to see you’ve conceded that it’s strange (unacceptable?) for a Culture Minister to put forward lame excuses for avoiding a significant cultural grouping like the Irish language community.
Posted by on Mar 05, 2008 @ 08:28 PMEdwin Putz
Posted by on Mar 05, 2008 @ 08:59 PMNa Ceithearna Coille are calling the Poots the Anti-Culture Minister, quite apt.
http://www.ceithearnacoille.com/page1/page1.html
Posted by on Mar 05, 2008 @ 09:12 PMSorry Sammy you got one fact wrong, Gae Lairn is a UDA front, sorry I mean community organisation, Frankie Gallaghers employers IIRC. I think the Black Necks are keep themselves restricted to Alternatives and EPIC these days.
Posted by on Mar 05, 2008 @ 09:12 PMFrankie Gallagher, Gae Lairn resettlement project: “Most of the prisoners I know actively work within the community”
Posted by on Mar 05, 2008 @ 09:35 PMThe biggest irony of this thread is that by falsey aligning Ulster Scots with the term “Wee dafties,” Chris Donnely has revealed who the real manipulator and discriminator is.
Posted by on Mar 05, 2008 @ 09:47 PMThe biggest irony of this thread is that by falsey aligning Ulster Scots with the term “Wee dafties,” Chris Donnely has revealed who the real manipulator and discriminator is.
Ouch! Who’s that caped crusader in ‘Outsider’ disguise? Is it a bird? Is it a plane???
DRAT! And to think I’d a gotten away with it, if it wasn’t for you pesky kids.....
Posted by on Mar 05, 2008 @ 09:56 PMSo Edwin avoids Irish language events because he doesn’t understand the language? But I am sure I have seen him attend some English language events, and lets face it, his English isn’t so hot either.
Posted by on Mar 05, 2008 @ 10:37 PMChris
Its not the first time we crossed swords, it seems that you are still a sock puppet pushing a warped and distorted Republican agenda.
Posted by on Mar 05, 2008 @ 10:43 PMOUTSIDER
You might want to look at your facts.
The term ‘dafty’ can be found in the Hamely Tongue, which, by the way, is spoken by all sides of the community here and in Scotland.
And there’s no hidden agenda in highlighting that Pootsie doesn’t like attending Irish Gaelic events, it’s just the sad truth.
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 01:30 AMI don’t even speak a couple of fuck alls, but that won’t keep me from an event in Irish… that’s why they have the wee headsets, for those like myself that don’t predicate attendance on complete understanding. If I did that, how could I ever go to Stormont???
Slan, BenPosted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 02:19 AMPoots won’t show up at an Irish language event because he is afraid they will call him “big ears” and he wont know what the fuck is going on.
Exactly what is the Unionist community afraid of here? I drive to the south now and again, I have no fuckin idea what the words on the bottom of the road signs mean, I cant even pronounce them.
It doesnt bother me, because I know the inclusion of the Irish language wont change my life one bit. Maybe Unionists believe their heads will explode if they try to pronounce an Irish word. Wouldn’t surprise me, considering they voted for some half wit who thinks the earth was formed 6000 years ago in exactly 7 days.
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 06:11 AMSorry if I man-played Mr Poots in the last post, but he does have big ears.
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 06:20 AMFunny story, my dad is quite the wee loyalist. He always called me mucker. After watching the great Irish made movie Man About Dog I was able to tell him about the origins of mucker. He calls me son now.
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 08:50 AMWho would’ve thought we had we had such a wealth of comedic talent amongst our Nationalists/Irish language enthusiasts (the two strains seem to be very much hand in glove here)- really I’m sure various sides have been splitting up & down the country with their hilarious takes on Ulster Scots, it’s relationship with Loyalist paramilitaries and the size of Edwin Poots ears.....remind me again of why Unionists are expected to show respect to your needs again in the face of such tirades.....oh yeah because you represent such a large and non-politcal cross-section of the community!
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 09:16 AMOk Democratic - point taken. But on a serious point does Edwin’s stance meet with your approval?
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 09:38 AMHi Dewi,
IMHO No - Edwin Poots stance on non-attendance to Irish Language events is petty and out of line with his station of office - I can’t honestly picture any Unionist being offended by his presence in a ministerial role. I don’t know what gallery he is playing to with this....be different perhaps if such events contained a strong Republican slant or suchlike - I would guess (and hope) that they don’t!Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 10:09 AM)- really I’m sure various sides have been splitting up & down the country with their hilarious takes on Ulster Scots...remind me again of why Unionists are expected to show respect to your needs again in the face of such tirades.
Democratic
Personally, my anger would be directed at those who are pushing this dialect as a central tenet of my cultural identity. I am not a Irish language zealot by any means but it is a rich cultural heritage (prose/poetry/verse etc) which all traditions on the island have contributed to at some stage. If, however, Irish was no more than the transcription of a Jackie Healy-Rae monologue and somebody was trying to foist it upon me as my cultural legacy I would be embarrassed. Hence derisive attitudes to the Ulster Scots ‘language’ (as opposed to Ulster -Scots culture) are not limited to nationalism.
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 10:19 AMOk Dec - you have told me how you would feel - if you were in someone elses shoes - but isn’t that just the problem - you aren’t - and if you want respect for your baggage then you must give it in return - regardless of whether you like it or see the value in it....this really should be self-apparent by now - especially from those pushing Irish Gaelic....
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 10:25 AMDemocratic,
Just to point out that a number of Irish speakers here have expressed a keen interest and concern with ulster-scots speech.
Indeed, in real life, it has been my experience that those who take a real interest in Ulster-Scots speech are as likely to be nationalists as unionists.
Indeed a large proportion of those whose speech could be described as Ulster-Scots are Catholics.
With regards to Poots, he is the culture minister but has indicated publically that he lists ‘keeping the Irish language out of Northern Ireland’ as an achievement.
I think that most of us, English and Irish speakers, nationalists and unionists could agree that this level of partisan behaviour is a bit much from a government minister.
“I don’t know what gallery he is playing to with this....”
I dont know either, but I believe it is quite small and strongly considering voting for Jim Allister.
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 10:31 AMDemocratic
We’ll have to disagree. Apples and Oranges…
I’ll afford equal respects to French/Polish/Inuit/Canton etc. I’ll afford Scottish Dancing the same respect I give to Irish Dancing. I’ll afford Rabbie Burns the same respect I give to Art McCumhaidh (hope I’ve spelt that correctly, Mick -it’s been a while).
I’ll afford the Ulster Scots dialect the same respect I’d afford the South Armagh vernacular.
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 10:35 AM“I’ll afford the Ulster Scots dialect the same respect I’d afford the South Armagh vernacular.”
Posted by Dec on Mar
Absolutely fine Dec - but please don’t like some others throw a wobbly when you feel the other side aren’t treating Irish Gaelic with the respect you feel it deserves in return.....
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 10:48 AMDemocratic
I’ll say it one last time...Apples and Oranges.
Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 10:57 AMI have religiously (sorry, studiously) read every one of these comments and it is fascinating to be appraised of a current selection of thinking among literate people across the ? divide in Norn Iron (I don’t live there). It can’t be a racial division as you can hardly call yourself some flavour of Scottish if your ancestors have lived in Ireland for the last 300 Years (during 220 of which it was an unpartitioned country); is it really a religious one when few of either side attend any church any more, and lets face it, if you did it would be the same mythical god you would all be toadying up to. I think there’s more commonality among you than might be immediately obvious and you will develop more mature and intelligent politicians to help as time passes.
My tuppence worth would be that the infantile Ulster Scots should be as much an embarrassment to the Unionist community as a 50 year obsession with the most sickeningly twee of American country music should be to the rest of Ireland. There are better cultural interests than these for anyone who wishes to pursue them in both Scotland and Ireland.
If Poots had the wit or the social grace to make some token gestures to the 40% of the population he is supposed to represent then he would find he was listening to a language very similar to Scots Gaelic.Posted by on Mar 06, 2008 @ 11:03 AM
