It’s all actually quite comical, a group of people born in Ireland who can trace their Irish ancestors back at least 400 years but still think they’re British. The people in Britain see them as Irish, most people in Ireland would see them as Irish by birth yet they still insist they are ultra British, has anyone thought of calling a psychiatrist for theses loons with an identity crisis?

Not exactly sure what you mean tom, my wife is from east belfast and quite close to where the riots are on the newtownards road. A lot of people from these areas see themselves as northern irish, not british or irish. Its just the way some people have been brought up is it not? If a person is brought up by british or loyalist parents, grand parents etc, they are hardly going to consider themselves irish are they? My wife was brought up with a more northern irish identity thanks to two rather intelligent prodestant parents, she considers herself northern irish.

Where exactly do you get your facts that ‘most british people see them as irish by birth’? Its just that when i was in college in england a huge amount of people thought ireland (the republic) was still under british rule. A lot thought we still use sterling too ( go figure). My main point is that these people need an identity, if they dont see themselves as irish that doesnt make them ‘loony’ or ‘ultra british’ does it?

There was a poll recently, and people see themselves as either, british, northern irish, irish or english. These people are entitled to their identity, they are however not entitled to de-rail any democratically made decisions such as the union flag issue. Sure whenever unionists have the majority in the city council they will just change it back.

@Keith, there is no such nationality as “Northern Irish” by that logic my nationality must be Eastern Irish. Your wife is Irish by birth.

Ah tom what a delightfully ignorant reply. Ok geographically she is irish by birth. She was born in belfast which is in? Have a guess? Northern ireland.

Northern ireland exists as an area tom, its right there across the border mate. If my wife feels northern irish whats wrong with that? Its her identity, why should her identity be dictated or belittled by someone else?

And why would i be eastern irish? Is that to suggest i’m from dublin? Or even worse, louth? Or wicklow? Oh the horror of it all :)

Look mate, you cant tell someone its wrong to feel northern irish, or british or irish, just because you (might or might not agree) with the partition of ireland into two seperate entities.

Its because of the hatefilled murders assaults and ill feeling by loyalists and nationalists over the course of the troubles and beforehand that a lot of people feel northern irish, why would they want to be associated with any of the groups of murderous thugs who are ‘fighting’ apparently for them?

@tom, my apologies, thought you were suggesting i was eastern irish, ooops : )

Think alan shatter can trace his ancestors back to england the way he reacted to k middleton pictures and now he is leting this protest go ahead i know they have a right to but its not going to make a difference only create trouble

@Keith,
Your severe lack of understanding of the origins or partition and the continued injustice of the creation of an artificial border ensuring an artificial majority who are really a minority on this island is staggering, so much so that it hardly warrants a considered reply.

The fact is your wife can feel however she wants but her feelings dont change the facts, she is either British or she is Irish, by all sane logic having been born in Ireland she is Irish.
She may not be culturally Irish but she is Irish none the less.

Regardless of all this, your original comment is not relevant to the story, the story and all posts on it up until yours were in relation to these thugs waving union flags and claiming to be British, your personal agenda or your wife’s is irrelevant to the issue at hand, please try to stay on topic.

Tsk tsk tom you silly little boy, i salute your ignorance i really do. Its actually both funny and concerning at the same time.

@Keith, spare us your pompous arrogance and childish insults, if you’re not going address the relative issues go away.

Pompous arrogance and childish insults? Please point these out in future so i can address such horrible character traits in future tom.

This story was about protests regarding the lowering of the union flag and quite obviously about peoples identity. I fail to see how any of my previous comments are not inline with this story.

You are quite obviously a well educated and literate person, but obviously have no idea whats going on in northern ireland, bar what you are fed by a very biased media.

Reply and say what you will after this, but i refuse to be dragged further into an arguement with so uneducated in northern culture.

‘your pompous arrogance’

Tom, you’re the one telling people that they can’t be Northern Irish because it’s not real to you. That’s a whole load of chauvinism right there.

@James,
I’m presuming your talking about chauvinism in the Nationalist sense.
In which case you would be wrong, although I would be Nationalist in mindset I wouldn’t consider myself chauvinistically so.

I personally am only stating facts, there is no such nationality as “Northern Irish”
loyalists living in the north east of Ireland are Irish by birth, although they probably cling to a British triumphalist culture that hasn’t existed outside the north east of Ireland in almost 400 years.

The British have generally moved on and no longer hold an imperialistic mindset, what’s wrong this minority of of troglodytes that after 400 years of being born in Ireland they still declare to be uber Brits and will murder anyone who attempts to highlight the stupidity of such a claim.

“Northern Irish” isn’t a nationality. Is there such a thing as a “northern Irish” passport? In the Good Friday Agreement were citizens living in the six counties granted “Northern Irish” citizenship? Don’t think so.

Nobody was ‘granted’ citizenship during or because of the good friday agreement, the good friday agreement was set in place purely to help with peace and stability in northern ireland, which it did.

There is always gonna be an element which tries to de-rail the process however, (for shame).

@Cathal if possible i could red thumb you and toms rudiculously ignorant comments all day : )

Instead i’m going to finish my college work, have a cup of tea. And probably start writing Northern irish history for dummies : )

I’ll send the first two copies to you and tom : )

@Keith

You are the only ignorant person here, inventing nationalities that dont exist, you’re away with the fairies man.

Here’s a heads up for ya,

“it is the birthright of all the people of Northern Ireland to identify themselves and be accepted as Irish or British, or both, as they may so choose, and accordingly [the two governments] confirm that their right to hold both British and Irish citizenship is accepted by both Governments and would not be affected by any future change in the status of Northern Ireland”

Show me where in that statement from the GFA does it say people are entitled to “Northern Irish” nationality?
That’s right, it doesn’t, because no such nationality exists.

All of this aside, from your posts on this thread there is a fair amount of evidence you are a citizen of la la land.

Thats some good copying and pasting there tom, keep spouting your complete b******t and i’m sure members of the green jersey brigade will start inviting you over sonetime : )

Not to protest that is.

they are not animals,they are sub human,animals are above them,animals have a purpose in this world,not like those sub humans destroying peoples incomes and property.

Exactly. The problem is the media are giving these excuse for humans a voice. The riot squad should meet them at the boarder.

Border even

How do they have a right to protest outside the Dail about a flag in Belfast? They are the ones aligning themselves as british so why the hell have they the right to protest in the Republic? its not like our government can do anything about it realisticly. Its an excuse for a bunch of thugs to cause mayhem. and you can bet any money you like if it was republicans planning a protest it would be shut down well before it started.

@nuala, its in the irish constitution that anyone from the island (north and south) has a right to march. I do feel that the march will just end the same way as 2007 though, which is a massive shame.

They’re just recognising the legitimate authority of the 32 counties of Ireland, that being Dail Eireann.
By appealing to the Irish government they are legitimising the 32 county Republic, fair play to them I say.

@david, i have witnessed both educational systems through my six year old son, honestly at this point in time i would suggest that the educational system in northern ireland seems a lot better.

I say ‘seems’ because he’s only six, but only time will tell i guess.

@Keith I look forward to reading your book! Primary education in the north is rated one of the best in the world. While secondary education fails miserably.