58 thoughts on “‘Tis The Season”

    1. Niallo

      Fiver a go for clean europallets, and then they wonder how they end up living on benefit in a council sink estate…

  5. Action Man

    I wonder how many of them will be joining the queues for Irish Passports when May pulls the trigger on Article 50?

  6. Mulder

    And just for a change, not something usually get in North see this year, they have EU, flag as well as the usual tricolour.
    No effigy of the pope.

  7. Mulder

    If ever driven up the north in south reg car around this time, ye will become an expert on the flegs.
    Cause yer life or car might well depend on it.
    Might add, tell northern brethern, it was the EU, they done it, do not blame the south.
    Next year when grants begin to be cut, guess they might be doing more than burning flegs.

    1. some old queen

      Unfortunately, Brexit has added fuel to this nationalistic fire (pun). They were never exactly friendly toward people not like themselves but I expect that this year, any non white British living in certain areas will become a target.

      Lets hope and pray no lives are lost.

  8. Scundered

    Sad they couldn’t do something worthwhile and chop those up for wood burner stoves, for the old folk in the area. What an almighty waste.

      1. Scundered

        As someone who grew up in such a community, this is so sad to see from the outside looking in. By and large these are built by kids thinking they will impress their families, who really don’t have much idea of why they do it, question any of them about politics and you’ll not get any relevant answers. Until they can address the social issues and education in these areas it will just continue. Sadly.

        1. DubLoony

          I loved building bonfires at Holloween. We’d never be able to build anything like that though, our Ma’s would kill us.
          Besides the council goes around picking up material before it brought to site.
          How come it doesn’t happen up north?

        2. some old queen

          There are two hotels in Belfast City Centre which are practically empty tonight and tomorrow night because of bonfires in very close proximity. Some of those rooms will have to be steam cleaned to remove the smell of smoke before they can even be used again.

          The authorities have consistently turned a blind eye to this and the problem is way bigger than just the kids who build them. They are actively encouraged to do and until that changes, no amount of education is going to work.

          By all means celebrate the 11th night but in a controlled and safe environment. Not this free for all which is downright dangerous.

          1. Scundered

            Yeah even from an environmental perspective, the amount of tyres being burned in residential areas is astounding. The authorities just steer clear with the attitude that it would start a war in the estates, so the view is taken that letting it go ahead will cause less damage than the potential fallout of stopping it. The cops can’t win really.

          2. some old queen

            It is not up to the peelers, the lead has to come from within the paramilitaries. The irony is that some of those kids have real engineering potential. Their ship building heritage shines through.

  9. some old queen

    The Northern Calendar:

    January, February, March, March, March, March, March, March, March, October, November, December.

  12. Donger

    A friend recently bought a house in norn iron. His reasoning: it’s so cheap it’ll only go up in value. I visited. It won’t.

  14. Catherine McEntee

    If these bonfires were part of Catholic tradition, they’d have been banned long ago. They’re hateful and dangerous.

    If Catholics were burning Union Jacks there’d be outrage.and riots. One rule for the Orange and another for the Green, what’s new?

    1. Bob

      I don’t know, I like how for a period each year they all look up at the Irish flag. Yes, they’ll soon burn it, but they’ll raise it again next year.

  20. Catherine McEntee

    In Belfast, a holy statue was cracked off of the headstone of suicide victim and put on a local bonfire.

    There are no limits with these knuckle dragging reprobates.

  21. some old queen

    I traveled through a number of town in mid Ulster last week,all of which were decked out in the flags, bunting and some with arches. Now I am pretty sure these people would say it is about heritage and culture but I always wonder why they feel a need to differentiate themselves in such a way.

    There has to be an underlying reason for the this OTT expression of nationalism which is completely alien to most British too. Flying flags does not create jobs but nobody seems to care. I find the whole atmosphere around the 12th July to be most bizarre.

    1. Harry Molloy

      I think it’s because the Unionist culture has become all about what they’re against as opposed to what they’re for.
      You can go to the Falls road and compare what it’s like now compared to the 70s and it’s an different place, clean bed being built up and with all positive air. All of the murals are political, Nelson Mandelas etc. You compare this against the Shankhill which is almost derelict, incredibly threatening, and all the murals are of skin heads with big gold chains famed for killing random Catholics.
      One community is bettering itself, has huge aspirations with its new found freedom, education is key.
      The other is bitter over all it has lost, ie control and jobs, and doesn’t really have any aspirations except to be change, anti the other side and is fiercely nationalistic.
      I did but black cabs mural tour in Belfast earlier this year and that’s what I took from it. excellent tour, would highly recommend

      1. some old queen

        Yes I also did the Black Taxi tour otherwise known as the grim tour by locals and while it is not a particularly feel good experience, it certainly is food for thought. I would thoroughly recommend it too.

        1. Kolmo

          +1, very interesting tour – I’ve been going to Belfast all my life, but was never on the Shankill until I took a tour – when we drove into an estate off the Shankill – I did crap my pants slightly, the guests I was translating for just hopped out and took photos of the murals…they were grim, I would still recommend the tour even if it is a really grim reminder of our history

  22. Catherine McEntee

    The English don’t view them as British, that’s for sure, they are more than a little bewildered at their loyalty to the “crown” etc.

    They’re to be pitied really, they were planted there long ago and generations later still haven’t settled in and made peace with the natives.

    1. some old queen

      Brexit and in particular Scotland leaving the UK is going to have a huge impact on the unionist community in the north. They identify much closer with the Scots than the English and there are parts of Antrim where the accents are near identical. Ian Paisley jnr’s advice about an Irish passport is just the start. Of course a lot of it is class based as professional people will shift relatively easily but, what happens in the council estates when there is no Union Jack to fly?

      1. Scundered

        I don’t think Brexit will happen, for the simple reason that they will prefer to stick together as UK than be split up if they pull the trigger on article 50, Scotland would be pretty certain to get the independence vote. So they’ll find a way to weasel out of going ahead with the formalities.

  23. Kolmo

    All the massive bonfires, genocidal banners, the loud, pseudo-militaristic parades, flegs, the many flegs being waved are not displays of strength – it’s a betrayal of their existential fear – it is a culture based on self-imposed fear of their neighbours, neighbours they’ve had for 400 years. The same level of noise and hassle does not come from the ‘other side’ – they seem more relaxed by the fact that they are on the Island of Ireland and have far less to prove. It’s a warped reality, grim.

  24. Iwerzon

    Why do loyalists and unionists seem to think that their culture stems from anything militaristic, the Somme, the Battle of the Boyne, Irish regiments, marching bands, effigies, sham battles, etc, etc. What about the artists and writers from the planter tradition – Sam Hanna Bell, Louis Mc Neice, – Poets like John Hewitt and the weaver poets, traditional musicians and singers from north Down (yes, the taigs don’t own diddle-dee!) – the pipe players from Antrim & Down who win the World Championships each year. Kids need to take pride in these creative people from within their own communities and even starting with George Best helps (he identified himself as an Irish man but don’t let on to them!);-)

    2. Scundered

      Great point. But the kids will never have heard of the people you mention, whereas having a massive fire and going a bit mad will be infinitely more fun to them.

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