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Updated 12.23pm
A NEW FERRY between Counties Louth and Down was unable to take its planned maiden cross-border voyage today.
Due to “severe gale force weather conditions” the inaugural journey of the Scenic Carlingford Ferry has been delayed.
In a statement, management and crew apologised for any inconvenience caused by the disruption.
They said: “The safety of passengers is our priority and the severe weather conditions we are experiencing today are not suitable for sailing at this time.
Unfortunately, these circumstances are beyond our control.
With the weather forecast looking slightly more promising for the weekend, the maiden voyage of the ferry has been rescheduled for 10am tomorrow morning.
Locals are hoping that the Scenic Carlingford Ferry will boost tourism and the economy north and south of the border.
The €10 million project is entirely privately financed and operated by Shannon-based company Frazer Ferries Group.
The investment included the construction of terminals at Greenore in Louth and Greencastle.
The ferry has the capacity to carry 44 cars, with the crossing taking 15 to 20 minutes on the scenic Carlingford Lough.
Organisers say that the one mile journey by ferry will save passengers driving 35 miles by road.
Paul O’Sullivan, founder and managing director of Scenic Carlingford Ferry said he hoped that the service would “act as a catalyst for economic development in the south Down north Louth region”.
At the moment, prices are starting at €2.25 for a single foot passenger journey when booked online (€3 normally). A single car journey (including passengers) currently costs €11.25 one way when booked online (€15 normally).
With reporting from Sean Murray
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Great idea. It should be backed by all parties, but unfortunately, it won’t be. Only by removing emblems of superiority and integrating all schools will the sickness of sectarianism be eradicated.
Only unionist parties. SF would agree after all it is a party of equality not inequality.
Well done alliance party. Equality and self determination is the way forward for in the north of Ireland.
I hung my Manchester United flag out my window once and my neighbour went mental called the guards aswell, bloody Liverpool fans they would moan about winning the lotto!
Well done Alliance for standing up to the bully boys………
A great idea but the DUP and UUP will never agree to it for a number of reasons. Loyalists are much more likely to festoon neutral areas such as major road junctions with their flags so new rules would affect them more than the other side. Also, unionists don’t see how anyone could object to their flags and symbols.
So it’s just unionist that do it ? Lol. Open youR mind a bit ,Republican murals ,republicans naming a park after a terrorist, The Irish Tricolour being hijacked by Republicans , and used disrespectfully. It sickens me how we seem to have no respect for the tricolour. Even our nationialist songs were hijacked by RA heads eg. Fields of Athenry with the Sinn Fein/IRA bits
I know this wont be popular here as most of the commentators here seem to be total Shinner heads but , if you ask me, Sinn Fein might use flowery language but deep down they are as bigoted as any unionist.Just they have two brain cells more to dress it up.
Both sides up North behave like bigots and are as bad as each other.
Eh Jay you claim they were hijacked?If anybody ‘hijacked’ them it was the Free State.The Tricolor and ‘nationalist’ songs predate the state.
Hi Jaymil, honestly, reading you’re post, with ask that venom and hatred …. Seriously man, take a chill pill. It can’t be good for you. Hey the majority of the Irish living in the North, vote for the party you hate so much. So give ohm to reason, building hatred isn’t going to help your cause. Accept the will of the majority of Irish, and relax… Que sera sera.
The majority of Unionists vote DUP…We accept it, but it doesn’t change the fact that their extremists. Of course many Unionists will find this label “outrageous” just as extremist Republicans find calling Sinn Fein “extremists” the same. To infer that there are bad/extreme/intolerant elements within Irish Republicanism is “not possible” to some.
Kevin, as per my comment elsewhere on this thread, the DUP are pussy cats compared to the TUV and UUP. I would take the DUP any day over the real extremist partys that are in the North today on the Unionist side. Please read a little about the North, before making uninformed comments again.
There still extremists, Cal; obviously not as bad as the TUV but still extremely bigoted/intolerant non the less. The TUV broke away from the DUP. The DUP’s support is based off of the UUP not being loyalist enough for a number of Unionists/Loyalists and being so-called “traitors”.
Kevin, have you read the UUPs policy documents of late? They have moved to the very far right, in an effort to draw extremists to their ranks. Read up on it. Again, i say that the DUP are pussy cats compared to the UUP and TUV. You may not like DUPs policies etc, but they are holding the majority Unionist population together as one entity right now, and they have worked well with SF, Alliance and the SDLP in the last couple of years. And they can bring the Unionist population with them.
Colm, I agree/know the UUP have become more extreme under Nesbitt and Eliott. They historically are an extremist party to begin with, they miserably attempted to be “moderate” after the GFA. The DUP’s hateful/overly aggressive nature is why they get so much support; the UUP realize this. No Catholic would ever vote DUP/UUP, at least one that is sane.
Hard yo believe so much segregation still goes on. The Alliance Party seem pretty reasonable – probably a bad thing for their electoral chances sadly…
I read a piece by an American academic, just after the GFA was agreed. At the time, he claimed that in all areas that have gone through a conflict and there is a resolution, both sides vote for the extremists on their side. For fear that the other side will vote in their extremists.
He predicted at the time, that both the Alliance/UUP and SDLP would be left behind.
I remember thinking at the time that it wouldn’t happen, but he wasn’t far wrong.
Danny, the alliance party has steadily grown since the GFA. Yes, after many conflicts, really extreme partys emerge.. we are lucky in the north, that the extremist partys you refer to, did not emerge.
The proposal the Alliance at making, is very similar to a post I made back in December, and many extremist FF supporters rubbished it. I really hope this common sense approach works, but I fear that common sense, is not that common. Look at the Irish people repeatedly letting corrupt partys back into power. Every time the corrupt party is found out, they always say the same thing, we have changed, we won’t do it again. That always claim the new leader is less corrupt than the last… But… Nothing changes.. And there has been no major conflict in the south for some time..
Politics in NI comes down to one thing now, it’s tribal.
Who will shout loudest for my tribe.
If a party is seen to be believe in compromise, they aren’t shouting loudest for their tribe.
Are all nationalists on the extreme left of the political compass, yet diametrically opposite, all unionists on the extreme right?
Yet SF have the largest vote on the nationalist side and the DUP have the unionist side.
It doesn’t involve actual political policies, simply, who will shout loudest for my tribe.
I would say that things will begin to change eventually. Perhaps change is coming. This could be why the DUP are orchestrating all these protests against the Alliance.
Danny, the GFA was signed 14 years ago. Move on man. SF worked closely with the Alliance party on the flags issue. Its obvious, that the DUP are now less to the right than the UUP or the TUV. I really don’t see the relevance of your point. The electorate in the north are not voting for the most extreme partys. The north is on a journey, the alliance proposal today will help it on its way..
Like it or not Cal Sinn Fein are the extreme on the nationalist side – SDLP are moderate
Sinn Fein and the DUP are the most sectarian/extremist political parties in NI.
John, What policies do SF put forward, that you consider extremist? Genuine question? Can i ask that you answer the question with current policies, rather than let this thread descend into 20th century he said/she said.
The North has moved on very dramatically in the last 15 years.. While i dont agree with all of DUP policies etc, i dont think they are an extremist party today, compared to the likes of the UUP and TUV. SF and the SDLP have very similar policies, but like it or not, the main difference between the SDLP and SF today, is that the SDLP continue to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen. The fact is, most Irish in the North dont agree with this, and they see that that oath as a symbol of continued subjugation. If the SDLP were to be seen as a party that championed the rights of the Irish, they would not have the dwindling voter base they have.
Is this refusal to swear an oath to a monarchy that you do not recognise as representing you, an act of extremism?
The British Parliament has written into law that no Catholic can ever be a monarch. They have refused to change that law. You can be a Hindu, Muslim, atheist and in theory, become a monarch, but not Catholic. No Irish person wants to be a Monarch, but the act of swearing allegiance to that Monarchy is definitely an act of subjugation, that , given the Irish populations history in the North, is the primary difference in policy between SDLP and SF. And the people are voting with their feet.
Kevin, genuinely if you thin the DUP are the most sectarian party in the North, you obviously know little or nothing about the North and should refrain from making comments about it, until you read a little more.
Here, i will help you …. Read the TUV and UUP party web-sites. There you will see the most extreme party manifestos.
“no Catholic can ever be a monarch”
Well it’s that whole defender of the faith thing. The monarch has to be C of E. It’s actually quite understandable.
Damocles, in theory, the King/Queen can be ANY religion except Catholic. That is not understandable. If its a defender of the faith thing, then why doesnt the British parliament change the laws to say that no-one of a religion other than the Church of England can become a Monarch?
No it isn’t, Damocles. What utter bullshit! They’ve been Catholic up to the 1500s and the rule was implemented after King James (Catholic) rightful throne was stolen by William of Orange. Queen Elizabeth has many Catholic cousins, an example Queen Sofia of Spain. The future King of England, his grandmother is a convert to Catholicism.
“They’ve been Catholic up to the 1500s”
Up to the reformation then, when the Church in England broke from Rome to form it’s own church with the monarch as its head. Since before then the Church in England was Catholic the monarch would have been Catholic. Think it through.
“in theory, the King/Queen can be ANY religion except Catholic”
But not in practice. The idea that the monarch might be potentially some other religion wasn’t catered for because it wasn’t contemplated. 300 Odd years ago people of religions other than Anglo and Roman Catholics were negligible in England.
“why doesn’t the UK parliament change the laws to say that no-one of a religion other than the Church of England can become a Monarch?”
Seems a rather pointless bit of legislation.
“Queen Elizabeth has many Catholic cousins”, So? What does that have to do with it? I’ve got cousins of various religions, my own sister seems to be some sort of Buddhist. Have you got cousins? What religions are they?
Damocles, you are arguing against yourself. You say the sectarian legislation is relevant, to ensure defense of the status of the Church of England ?? If its not, then repeal the legislation. If the legislation is not repealed, then accept that many Irish, living in the North, will always consider it a sectarian law aimed at their suppression. It really is that simple.
The the Queen is supposed to be a unifying symbol for all her ‘subjects’ ..(damn i hate that word), then why have a legal law in place to discriminate against such a large segment of your peoples…. It doesn’t make any sense, and is a source of division.
“you are arguing against yourself”
Seems unlikely.
“If its not, then repeal the legislation. If the legislation is not repealed, then accept that many Irish, living in the North, will always consider it a sectarian law aimed at their suppression. It really is that simple.”
It’s aimed at people likely to be the monarch. How many Irish people living in the North are likely to be the monarch? None?
And why do you dwell on Catholics in NI as being particularly affected by this? What about Catholics in or from the rest of the UK? Do you see a lot of them getting het up about this? I don’t.
“a source of division”, If you want it to be. But then anything is … if you want it to be.
It’s a 300 year old bit of legislation that will be dealt with, in the modern age, when it needs to be, in the meantime why waste parliament’s time?
I don’t need a COE/reformation 101 history lesson, I know. You for some odd reason see no problem with the specific ban on Catholics. This isn’t about the monarch having to be a member of the Church of England in order to ascend to the throne. European Royalty is exclusively Catholic or Protestant and most are related to each other/cousins, was my point. You don’t actually think that present-day European royalty actually believes in all those fairy tales?
“You for some odd reason see no problem with the specific ban on Catholics.”
No, I see no problem with it because it doesn’t matter (unless you want it to)
“This isn’t about the monarch having to be a member of the Church of England in order to ascend to the throne.”
Cal wrote “no Catholic can ever be a monarch”, that’s what I’m responding to. What are you responding to?
“fairy tales” … ah, one of those.
You’re clearly not understanding what he is saying…..
Damocles, you have obviously forgotten about the forced abdication during the 20th century of a British King …. He broke 2 rules …. Divorced Catholic … he was forced to resign … so, is it still too early, or what else needs to happen, before the law is changed …
I’m waiting for Patrick Lyons the Brit to make a comment first :)
He has band practice first thing every morning.
:)
Followed by Tom the farmer…..
If it was up to me nobody would be allowed to fly flags until it was proved without a doubt that some people didn’t have the mental age of children. It’s how to be a good parent. If you can’t get along and agree on a flag policies that suit everybody. Then nobody gets any flags at all. If anyone is caught flying flags from lampposts then a suitable punishment would be hang them from the lamppost by their ankles. If you like flags so much you can pretend to be one
Isn’t that a bit like banning marmite? Half the population would quite welcome it, only people who like the stuff would be penalised. Hardly an equal ban.
But if the people who like Marmite are smearing Marmite all over the walls in public areas, Writing crude pro Marmite everywhere and organising pro Marmite marches in areas that are anti Marmite, whilst generally not respecting the rights or opinions of people who aren’t fans of yeast extract. Then it’s clear that something should be done about the Marmite problem.
But you get the analogy? Stopping someone from doing something they don’t want to do at the same time as stopping a load of other people from doing what they do want to do is not an equal punishment.
They shouldn’t be allowed to shove spoonfuls of marmite down other people’s throats.
I’ll take that as a no.
Haha, ridiculous country
Country ?
I actually think this may be going one step too far, peoples identity does not have to removed for them to respect each other and live together in peace. This to me feels awfully like some sort of ethnic cleansing and I am not comfortable with it, I’m actually surprised at myself to be honest.
I agree, to me it actually is repressive to be so restrictive on people.
Of course those hear cheering on the Alliance are only doing so because they are at the Loyalists, but in time the Alliance will turn towards Republicans and criticise their many faults and they won’t be so happy.
To be honest I find all those cheering them on a little childish, can you imagine if they were saying images of Bobby Sands should be painted over, the tri colour should be put away etc. which is actually what they are saying , but those who are short sighted can’t see beyond their own personal hatred and prejudices.
Exactly, to me it is irrespective what the flag or background is. This is symbolic to the pc ethnic cleansing going on just too much these days. In the UK you can’t put out a Union Jack or have anything related to pigs visible in certain areas because you may offend other religions. It’s crazy. I am all for being equal and respecting each other, but not where someones tradition and culture is sterilised to accomodate such change!
Jay, with all due respect, you don’t know what you are talking about. I didn’t say its all one side but if you were to drive from Derry to Belfast and counted each and every fleg along the way, Union Jacks, Scottish flags etc. would hugely outnumber Tricolours.
Compare, for example Dungiven and Drumahoe.
This ‘both sides as bad as each other’ stuff is childish nonsense that disregards the facts.
It does sound like a great idea but would it be safe to integrate schools, could be a recipe for disaster although I do agree as long as the two communities are segregated the bitterness is going to remain strong! it’s probably a risk worth taking!
All this over a fleg…
I know the Alliance party is just trying to take everyone’s side and be like the Lib Dems of NI, but isn’t this just going to cause a load of contention?
No Damocles, the alliance party are putting forward common sense proposals, and I bet they will be supported by SF and the SDLP. Its time to move forward, not remain in the hate filled 20th century. The fact that a Unionist party proposed this should be applauded.
You can see how hate filled some of the commenters are on here, in their attacks on both the Alliance and SF. We need moderation in the North, so these hate filled commenters, end up as foot notes in history.
No Protestants vote for Sinn Fein the so-called party of “equality”. If you make out that Northern Protestants have the “problem” then your just a one-sided bigot. Extremism thrives on both sides unless you support tribalism.
Kevin, are you nuts? There are Protestant SF members, what is wrong with you man… you really do comment for the sake of it. Maybe you meant to say that no Unionists vote for SF… Is that what you meant?
Am I nuts? Lol. You really think Northern Protestants vote Sinn Fein? That’s like a Catholic preaching how tolerant the Orange Order is….
Kevin, it has nothing to do with religeon, thats my point. That is why there are actually Protestant SF members. The religeon thing was a stupid labelling system put out by the British at the outset of the war in 1969. They did not want the war to be associated as a war around allegiances, they wanted the war to be on sectarian grounds (and yes, in know there was a lot of anti-Catholic legislation around at the time). The fact is, the population is separated on allegiances ie Nationalists (which is predominantly Catholics agreed) who do not want to be British subjects, and Unionists who want to maintain the status Quo (and yes, the majority of them are Protestant). But there are Catholics who want to be British and consider themselves Unionist, as much as there are Protestants who couldn’t care less about Political allegiances.
That is why I always talked about the British or the Irish… and there is also a very distinct group now of Northern Irish (ie people who do not consider themselves British or Irish.
So, lets try and leave the sectarian arguments out, when discussing the North
“sectarian arguments”. What? The fact is Northern Protestants don’t vote Sinn Fein. Who ever your talking about is a very small minority. “the war”…What war? The “British” (I assume you mean people from the island of Britain) promoted the Catholic/Protestant division 200/300 years ago. Unless your referring to Ulster Loyalism which is based off of ethnic/religious supremacy (and still promotes this hatred/division presently)?
Kevin, the reality is that we have 3 distinct groups in the North … splitting them out by religeon, no longer makes any logical sense. James Nesbitt (A protestant actor) is a Nationalist. Graeme McDowell admits he leans more towards being Irish than ‘Unionist’, Rory McIroy changes his mind every day, but he sits somewhere between British and Northern Irish. I can go on… but my point is this …. Labelling people on sectarian lines serves no purpose. The war (1967 through to 1994) was not fought on religeous grounds, but on ideological grounds…. Yes, many civilian murders by both the IRA and the British were carried out purely on sectarian grounds… That makes me sick. No civilians should have been murdered at all.
Religeon as a source of tension, should not be the reasoning behind any violence. Treating someone badly because they happened to be baptised a Catholic, Protestant, Hindu or whatever, is just stupid, and for the most part, was not the cause of the War.
Unionist doesn’t = the “not Irish” mentality.
I understand it’s not actually about religion, for some though it is; particularly Loyalists. The fundamental cause of the conflict is anti-Catholicism/anti-Irish. A number of people have been
murdered just because of their religion or religious background/upbringing.
I’m not labeling anyone. But I mean it’s obvious/known most Catholics don’t vote DUP/UUP and most Protestants don’t vote Sinn Fein. Even though a large minority of Catholics want to retain the Union link (financial reasons obviously) they still continue to vote Sinn Fein, SDLP, and Alliance.
One question for all who like this idea, Will you be ok, with murals of Bobby Sands being painted over ? Tri colour also taken down etc?
As it won’t be just unionist this affects but both sides. Or are ye all too short sided to see that ?
Jay, if that happens, in the interests of moving forward to a better shared future, then so be it. There are things called history books, and all that symbolism belongs there, as an example to future generations, of what not to do.
I like this.
have your say