the Poppy

poppyvalley

I'll probably raise some tentacles..to put it mildly. I was listening to Dara O'Brian today and how he felt about wearing the poppy. It's coming up to poppy season soon. My grandfather fought in the somme for the freedom of all small nations. Some of you will say he was "misguided" but you cannot project yourselves back to the times that were in it. I live in the west of Ireland & intend to wear the poppy for november in due respects to my grandfather.

DOC09UNAM

Why do you care what others think, wear it out of respect for your Grandfather, and fúck the haters.

bazmaiden

That's a pretty cool story, bro

orourkeda

Fair Enough. I have no great problems with it and it makes no sense to me why it would cause any great offence

TanG411

I never even notice a poppy, and if some fools want to degrade you for wearing one, well they can go F themselves.

Dyr

I'm going to wear SS insignia in commemoration of me grand da who was in the 'RA back in the 40s. I am outraged that anyone would have a problem with me merely wanting to honour his memory,

Edit Maybe I'll pin some edelweiss over the rune's just to keep the flower theme going :pac:

SadieSue

I thought this was another thread about potatoes.

My husband's dad was in the navy during WWII. He said he joined the navy because they were fed better :pac: He wears the poppy every year and so do his sons.

Cookie33

I don't understand how the Poppy would cause offence. It's worn to remember the soliders who fought for their country and for freedom. I don't think it should matter or not. If someone wants to wear the Poppy, it's their right to.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

Wear it, you're grandfather had the courage of his convictions and the great war was a noble one in a lot of respects

storm2811

Cookie33 wrote: »

I don't understand how the Poppy would cause offence. It's worn to remember the soliders who fought for their country and for freedom. I don't think it should matter or not. If someone wants to wear the Poppy, it's their right to.

Yeah, why would it offend people? I think I'm missing something here..

aDeener

you should start wearing it now op, don't you know there is an annual competition to see who has it on first...

epgc3fyqirnbsx

storm2811 wrote: »

Yeah, why would it offend people? I think I'm missing something here..

The only people it would offend is some tosser in a celtic jersey who'd complain about foreign games

BluesBerry

We traced our family back and a good few of the men in our family fought in WW1 my grandmother has said this every year that she would love to wear the poppy in honour of her uncle but she could never find them for sale in Ireland

Can you buy them in the republic or would you have to travel north to get them there ?

galwayrush

I don't have any problem with someone wearing the poppy, well done for wanting to honour the memory of your grandfather and the principles he believed in.:cool:

My name is URL

I wouldn't buy or wear one, even if it was solely an Irish thing

I refuse to perpetuate violence, or romanticize war for the sake of posterity

Cookie33

storm2811 wrote: »

Yeah, why would it offend people? I think I'm missing something here..

Maybe offends is the wrong word. But some people are against wearing the poppy

epgc3fyqirnbsx

My name is URL wrote: »

I wouldn't buy or wear one, even if it was solely an Irish thing

I refuse to perpetuate violence, or romanticize war for the sake of posterity

I dunno Url, do you not think that some wars were noble? What would have happened if no one stood up to facism in WW2?

Of course it should be avoided at all costs but in some situations it can be necessary and a mark of respect to those who died may not be out of order, although the high commands decisions can often be questionable.

But you're right about not romanticising war, that poem Duce et Decorum est comes to mind

death wish

poppyvalley wrote: »

I'll probably raise some tentacles..to put it mildly. I was listening to Dara O'Brian today and how he felt about wearing the poppy. It's coming up to poppy season soon. My grandfather fought in the somme for the freedom of all small nations. Some of you will say he was "misguided" but you cannot project yourselves back to the times that were in it. I live in the west of Ireland & intend to wear the poppy for november in due respects to my grandfather.

omg the last thread lasted almost 6 months.

Dyr

death wish wrote: »

omg the last thread lasted almost 6 months.

These threads are the equivalent of trench warafare, last forever with many casualites and little gained. There should be some sort of memorial to posters in AH who've been banned in poppy threads.

storm2811

Cookie33 wrote: »

Maybe offends is the wrong word. But some people are against wearing the poppy

storm2811 wrote: »

Yeah, why would it offend people? I think I'm missing something here..

Ahh I see.
I don't see the problem, there's probably hundreds, if not more, people living here who've had relatives or friends in the war who just want to remember them/show respect.

My name is URL

Jenny Melodic Hurdler wrote: »

I dunno Url, do you not think that some wars were noble? What would have happened if no one stood up to facism in WW2?

Of course it should be avoided at all costs but in some situations it can be necessary and a mark of respect to those who died may not be out of order, although the high commands decisions can often be questionable.

But you're right about not romanticising war, that poem Duce et Decorum est comes to mind

I do appreciate the soldiers who fought for us and our ideals. It's a difficult subject here though.. I mean one can have remembrance and respect for those who sacrificed their lives without continuously symbolizing it.

Callan57

BluesBerry wrote: »

We traced our family back and a good few of the men in our family fought in WW1 my grandmother has said this every year that she would love to wear the poppy in honour of her uncle but she could never find them for sale in Ireland

Can you buy them in the republic or would you have to travel north to get them there ?

Certainly seen them for sale in Limerick City in the last few years

bleg

I'm fairly sure not many people care whether you wear it or not.

KeithAFC

RIP to all. The peoples army.

oppenheimer1

Jenny Melodic Hurdler wrote: »

Wear it, you're grandfather had the courage of his convictions and the great war was a noble one in a lot of respects

The great war was far from noble. Morally it was unjustified and its consequences led to world war II.

death wish

i do have much respect for the british army. the wee british isles that managed to conquer the world. much respect. but im irish. my allegiance is to ireland

i wont wear a poppy

KeithAFC

The ulstermen fought like warriors during the Somme. Lest we forget.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

The great war was far from noble. Morally it was unjustified and its consequences led to world war II.

Yes but hindsight is a great thing. I said it was noble in a lot of respects, certainly not all. It's consequences did lead to world war 2, but it also led to more equitable societies.

This is all as I understand it, I will admit my knowledge of the great war is far from comprehensive...

arybvtcw0eolkf

My name is URL wrote: »

I wouldn't buy or wear one, even if it was solely an Irish thing

I refuse to perpetuate violence, or romanticize war for the sake of posterity

Few, if any, of the guys who fought & died believed in violence either.

Slasher, don't know why I pick you. But something you might be interested in, a coincidence of sorts.

I was on duty one night in Lebanon and got chatting with a guy I was on with. We got chatting about the first world world, and it turned out that both our great-grandfathers had joined the Royal Dubliner Fusilllers at the same time, served in the same unit on the same battle fields.

He great-grandfather later died in the war, mine survived... But here we were, generations apart, the great-grandson's of these men - serving together in another foreign land!.

OP, wear the damned poppy and fvck the begrudgers.

fontanalis

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

The great war was far from noble. Morally it was unjustified and its consequences led to world war II.

Wasn't the Ottoman Empire carved up afterwards, surely that led to a lot the current issues.
The irish men who fought should be remembered but they weren't fighting for small nations.

strobe

Both my grandfathers fought in WWI, both fought in the battle of the Somme, both were shot in the head, both survived. Nothing to do with poppies. Just any excuse to tell that cool story, bro.

super_furry

The same people who have a problem with people wearing poppies in memory of their relatives, were throwing shoes and eggs at Gardai today.

mooman

KeithAFC wrote: »

The ulstermen fought like warriors during the Somme. Lest we forget.

People fighting wars tend to fight like warriors alright:pac:

epgc3fyqirnbsx

Maxton Gifted Codfish wrote: »

Few, if any, of the guys who fought & died believed in violence either.

Slasher, don't know why I pick you. But something you might be interested in, a coincidence of sorts.

I was on duty one night in Lebanon and got chatting with a guy I was on with. We got chatting about the first world world, and it turned out that both our great-grandfathers had joined the Royal Dubliner Fusilllers at the same time, served in the same unit on the same battle fields.

He great-grandfather later died in the war, mine survived... But here we were, generations apart, the great-grandson's of these men - serving together in another foreign land!.

OP, wear the damned poppy and fvck the begrudgers.

I really don't believe in fate but I would imagine that if I was in your shoes right then you would have to wonder if your path was chosen!

arybvtcw0eolkf

Jenny Melodic Hurdler wrote: »

I really don't believe in fate but I would imagine that if I was in your shoes right then you would have to wonder if your path was chosen!

Well I do think it was a coincidence, but a nice one too. And a story I like to tell on occasion, if the moment is right.

KeithAFC

I grew up being told of the stories about the volunteers. A special generation indeed.

My name is URL

Maxton Gifted Codfish wrote: »

Few, if any, of the guys who fought & died believed in violence either.

Regardless, I have nothing against them anyway. They did what they had to do, for everyone else's benefit, I just don't care for the respect shown towards that when contrasted with the contempt shown towards Irish freedom fighters. Where one is a hero and the other a malcontent. It's a sentiment shown by many on here and I've no qualms about feeling differently.

aDeener

super_furry wrote: »

The same people who have a problem with people wearing poppies in memory of their relatives, were throwing shoes and eggs at Gardai today.

why do people need a poppy to remember their relatives?

Jumpy

If you dont want to wear the poppy, wear a sprig of rosemary. Its also a symbol of war rememberance. But people dont seem to have the same reaction to it as the poppy.

Biggins

aDeener wrote: »

why do people need a poppy to remember their relatives?

Not to remember their relatives but to take time-out to honour them in public as well as in private.

Cookie33

storm2811 wrote: »

Ahh I see.
I don't see the problem, there's probably hundreds, if not more, people living here who've had relatives or friends in the war who just want to remember them/show respect.

Me either. Personally I wear one not only to remember the WW1 & WW2 but also the troubles in N. Ireland and the current war in Iraq

Callan57

oppenheimer1 wrote: »

The great war was far from noble. Morally it was unjustified and its consequences led to world war II.

'The Great War' WW1 was a family spat that got out of hand. And as with most wars the majority of those who went to fight were poor, unemployed and had little or no education and misguidedly fought to uphold a system that thought of & treated them as second class citizens.
That does not mean that their deeds of heroism should not be respected & honoured.

KeithAFC

Callan57 wrote: »

'The Great War' WW1 was a family spat that got out of hand. And as with most wars the majority of those who went to fight were poor, unemployed and had little or no education and misguidedly fought to uphold a system that thought of & treated them as second class citizens.
That does not mean that their deeds of heroism should not be respected & honoured.

Your forgetting the people who WANTED to fight. Like the UVF.

Dionysus

death wish wrote: »

i do have much respect for the british army. the wee british isles that managed to conquer the world.

:rolleyes:

Dionysus

Jenny Melodic Hurdler wrote: »

Yes but hindsight is a great thing. I said it was noble in a lot of respects, certainly not all.

What respects? The British propaganda claim that their Empire was going to war to "fight for the freedom of small nations" while refusing to allow the freedom of this small nation from the British Empire?

What was "noble" about WW I? There's far too much romanticism, myth-making and glorification of idiocy and naiveté going on in this thread at the moment.

arybvtcw0eolkf

Its near chucking out time in shinner bar's up and down the country...

/don's helmet & flakker, and heads for the bunker.

Dionysus

My name is URL wrote: »

I do appreciate the soldiers who fought for us and our ideals.

In what respect did any of these people "fight for us and our ideals"? Those who fought on the British side fought in reality to preserve the (very favourable) British balance of power in Europe, which for the first time since 1815 (Waterloo) was threatened by another European power. No more and no less. There was nothing noble about this (as other posters appear to suggest). This is why many thousands of Irishmen in 1914 refused to partake in what was, in reality, a nationalistic war between imperial powers: "We serve neither King nor Kaiser but Ireland'

Wolfe Tone

I think I will stick with the Lily.

Tell me, is this just to commemorate those who died in WW1?

Dionysus

Maxton Gifted Codfish wrote: »

Few, if any, of the guys who fought & died believed in violence either.

No, they just went to war because they believed nothing would change from using violence? It makes perfect sense. They went to war to lovebomb the other side, having a strong belief that love, not bullets, would win the war. They were really throwing flowers at each other, not engaging in violence against each other.

Really.:rolleyes:

stovelid

Maxton Gifted Codfish wrote: »

Its near chucking out time in shinner bar's up and down the country...

/don's helmet & flakker, and heads for the bunker.

All-Ireland tomorrow as well. Will be chasers with every pint.

Wolfe Tone

Nice to see we are starting the republican bashing quite early in the thread.