Religious Fanaticism in Ireland

BuilderPlumber

Now, we hear all about ISIS/ISIL, Taliban, al Shabaab, Boko Haram and al Qaeda and their wellknown intolerant brand of religion. All crazy fanatics from faraway places one can barely find on a map? All completely alien to Ireland? Right? Wrong!

I had the misfortune to be in the border village of Glenfarne on Sunday and some of Monday. Went out of the place into the country to visit a group of people I thought were friends and found I had almost gone to Afghanistan and not to Cavan or wherever this Glenfarne is (it is about 3 miles or so from the Northern Ireland border near Fermanagh: I think it is in Cavan, maybe Donegal). Sitting down, the family said the Rosary and then started talking about the parish priest being 'not one to trust' and 'too liberal'. I didn't take much notice. Then, later that evening, it was all IRA songs being sung along with some religious songs in the pub. A whole hatred of protestants banter seemed to be implied and one felt they were in dissident IRA land through and through. Very different to the Cavan town, Mohill, Killeshandra or Dromod just down a bit. There was talk about the showbands and how the 'f'ing prods all killed them' and the 'only good unionist was a dead one .. revenge for Miami'. Then, the most scary: one of my 'friends' said 'ISIS were the best thing to emerge in years and they will have those Brits running scared out of Iraq and out of London too'. This was not said in the pub but in a house and no one seemed to disagree other than me. They also said that 'Islam is the Arab's religion and they are entitled to kill those who disobey' and that 'In Ireland, we are Catholic and protestants are not welcome in any of the 32 counties of Ireland'. They accused a local priest who they did not name other than by initials of 'spying on people and that he was only interested in going after women and not being a priest'. They said he 'was a unionist spy and a traitor planted to corrupt the church'. All was said in a serious, soft northern style accent akin to the way Neven Maguire, the chef, talks (he is from next door in Blacklion which is nicer btw!).

This is precisely where ISIS can recruit others. The hatred and racism was here and these people are people I know who are educated and who I thought were more liberal. In their work lives, they hide their religious mania and their paranoid hatreds.

I got out of this place as soon as I could I do not want to ever go there again. I apologise to the majority of decent people who live there but Glenfarne is one town I will never visit again. These views are very very worrying and this deceptive village on the border harbours a fanaticism that dovetails with what ISIS, etc. stand for.

Gatling

Going to get some cherry coke

(This will be worth watching)

gandalf

Small minded bigots are not limited to any one religion. They all have them.

Hammar

Go home OP,you're drunk.

I live about 4/5 miles from the border with Fermanagh. Plenty of protestants around and no-one gives a sh1t about religion.
Glenfarne is in Laytrum as far as i know. You could at least get that point correct when you're making your short story up.

fryup

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

: I think it is in Cavan, maybe Donegal). Sitting down, the family said the Rosary and then started talking about the parish priest being 'not one to trust' and 'too liberal'. I didn't take much notice. Then, later that evening, it was all IRA songs being sung along with some religious songs in the pub.

ya gotta love the irish like something out of Father Ted

curioser

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Now, we hear all about ISIS/ISIL, Taliban, al Shabaab, Boko Haram and al Qaeda and their wellknown intolerant brand of religion. All crazy fanatics from faraway places one can barely find on a map? All completely alien to Ireland? Right? Wrong!

I had the misfortune to be in the border village of Glenfarne on Sunday and some of Monday. Went out of the place into the country to visit a group of people I thought were friends and found I had almost gone to Afghanistan and not to Cavan or wherever this Glenfarne is (it is about 3 miles or so from the Northern Ireland border near Fermanagh: I think it is in Cavan, maybe Donegal). Sitting down, the family said the Rosary and then started talking about the parish priest being 'not one to trust' and 'too liberal'. I didn't take much notice. Then, later that evening, it was all IRA songs being sung along with some religious songs in the pub. A whole hatred of protestants banter seemed to be implied and one felt they were in dissident IRA land through and through. Very different to the Cavan town, Mohill, Killeshandra or Dromod just down a bit. There was talk about the showbands and how the 'f'ing prods all killed them' and the 'only good unionist was a dead one .. revenge for Miami'. Then, the most scary: one of my 'friends' said 'ISIS were the best thing to emerge in years and they will have those Brits running scared out of Iraq and out of London too'. This was not said in the pub but in a house and no one seemed to disagree other than me. They also said that 'Islam is the Arab's religion and they are entitled to kill those who disobey' and that 'In Ireland, we are Catholic and protestants are not welcome in any of the 32 counties of Ireland'. They accused a local priest who they did not name other than by initials of 'spying on people and that he was only interested in going after women and not being a priest'. They said he 'was a unionist spy and a traitor planted to corrupt the church'. All was said in a serious, soft northern style accent akin to the way Neven Maguire, the chef, talks (he is from next door in Blacklion which is nicer btw!).

This is precisely where ISIS can recruit others. The hatred and racism was here and these people are people I know who are educated and who I thought were more liberal. In their work lives, they hide their religious mania and their paranoid hatreds.

I got out of this place as soon as I could I do not want to ever go there again. I apologise to the majority of decent people who live there but Glenfarne is one town I will never visit again. These views are very very worrying and this deceptive village on the border harbours a fanaticism that dovetails with what ISIS, etc. stand for.

Try having a good night's sleep. You'll feel the better for it.

BuilderPlumber

Hammar wrote: »

Go home OP,you're drunk.

I live about 4/5 miles from the border with Fermanagh. Plenty of protestants around and no-one gives a sh1t about religion.
Glenfarne is in Laytrum as far as i know. You could at least get that point correct when you're making your short story up.

Of course, the vast majority don't care about religion in that regard. That never stops the tiny minority though wrecking things. I am unsure where Glenfarne is and could be there and am unsure where the house i was in was. Never heard of it until last week when I was invited up. But definitely ROI and not NI. I'm sure Glenfarne is mostly good people and is a nice place but I had a bad experience with these people who seemed very different when I knew them when i was in college in Dublin a few years back.

groucho marx

Youve exceeded the word limit for an ah thread therefore I didnt read op

Nodin

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Of course, the vast majority don't care about religion in that regard. That never stops the tiny minority though wrecking things. I am unsure where Glenfarne is and could be there and am unsure where the house i was in was. Never heard of it until last week when I was invited up. But definitely ROI and not NI. I'm sure Glenfarne is mostly good people and is a nice place but I had a bad experience with these people who seemed very different when I knew them when i was in college in Dublin a few years back.

What religious songs did they sing in the pub?

ArtyM

Sweet Jesus, did you just grab handfuls of letters and throw them at the page?
Ain't nobody got time fo that!

catallus

I hope it was the full rosary they said, and not that new-fangled liberal one with only 10 verses.

Tail Docker

ISIS are in Cavan? I knew they were mad into the ISas, but this is a new development. Happily, they will be too mean to share their views with anyone else.

Donkey Oaty

Glenfarne

Sounds like Lidl own brand turkey slices.

dxhound2005

Glenfarne is not in either Donegal or Cavan. Guess again.

Hammar

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Of course, the vast majority don't care about religion in that regard. That never stops the tiny minority though wrecking things. I am unsure where Glenfarne is and could be there and am unsure where the house i was in was. Never heard of it until last week when I was invited up. But definitely ROI and not NI. I'm sure Glenfarne is mostly good people and is a nice place but I had a bad experience with these people who seemed very different when I knew them when i was in college in Dublin a few years back.

I'm going to regret this,but you know what i'll indulge your ramblings
How are they wrecking things??? You start a thread about "Religious fanaticism in Ireland", and then compare the bigoted views of these individuals(if they do exist) to how ISIS recruit. If this group of people do exist, are they advocating violence against Protestants? Do they wish to wipe all Protestants/Unionists(about 750,000 on this island) out?
Have they attacked any Protestants?
If you believe they do pose such a threat that you try comparing them to the Taleban/ISIS, Contact the Gardai and we will see some action taken.

BuilderPlumber

Tail Docker wrote: »

ISIS are in Cavan? I knew they were mad into the ISas, but this is a new development. Happily, they will be too mean to share their views with anyone else.

LOL, would not count on that. I know these are the socalled armchair fanatics but it takes only one few steps for them to get out of their chairs, buy a gun and shoot someone just because of their race or religion. I don't tolerate any racist or religious fanaticism and felt out of place. Apologies to the vast majority of decent people who comprise Glenfarne and Cavan. In no way, does this minority represent the views of all and that needs to be stated.

kingchess

Nodin wrote: »

What religious songs did they sing in the pub?

a few decades of the rosary really puts the locals in a good mood down our neck of the woods followed by gallons of porter,my feet are tapping away as I write this true story(well,the bit about the porter is true anyway)

Nodin

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

LOL, would not count on that. I know these are the socalled armchair fanatics but it takes only one few steps for them to get out of their chairs, buy a gun and shoot someone just because of their race or religion. I don't tolerate any racist or religious fanaticism and felt out of place. Apologies to the vast majority of decent people who comprise Glenfarne and Cavan. In no way, does this minority represent the views of all and that needs to be stated.

What religious songs did they sing in the pub?

Shakespeare's Sister

If the OP saw it, he saw it. It's nasty stuff. Thankfully a minority, but still nasty stuff. I'm not a Northern Ireland basher (have great time for the place/people) but I'd imagine a conflict/former conflict area like NI/its border is prone to this in pockets, on both sides of the divide.

fryup wrote: »

ya gotta love the irish like something out of Father Ted

The handful of people the OP is referring to = "the Irish"?

fryup

Shakespeare's Sister wrote: »

The handful of people the OP is referring to = "the Irish"?

well, some irish ...redneck irish

BuilderPlumber

Hammar wrote: »

I'm going to regret this,but you know what i'll indulge your ramblings
How are they wrecking things??? You start a thread about "Religious fanaticism in Ireland", and then compare the bigoted views of these individuals(if they do exist) to how ISIS recruit. If this group of people do exist, are they advocating violence against Protestants? Do they wish to wipe all Protestants/Unionists(about 750,000 on this island) out?
Have they attacked any Protestants?
If you believe they do pose such a threat that you try comparing them to the Taleban/ISIS, Contact the Gardai and we will see some action taken.

As said, these are armchair republican/religious bigots. These people unfortunately DO exist very much and I will have nothing to do with them in the future. Do I think they will go out and kill protestants really? No. Do I think they hate protestants? Yes. I know they think Michael McKevitt is a hero and that bin Laden and the 'caliph' (Baghdadi) are too.

Ireland thank god is peaceful now. That's why they don't act on their views. But if a war or revolution broke out, no doubt in my mind these people would turn from armchair to real activists. Wars is what provided fanatics from Hitler to Pol Pot with space to implement their hatreds. ISIS and al Qaeda the same. If Ireland's infrastructure broke down, fanatics would take over in places too. Afterall, it is within our lifetime that violence and hatred based on religion existed in Ireland and this has no entirely gone.

Nodin

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

As said, these are armchair republican/religious bigots. These people unfortunately DO exist very much and I will have nothing to do with them in the future. Do I think they will go out and kill protestants really? No. Do I think they hate protestants? Yes. I know they think Michael McKevitt is a hero and that bin Laden and the 'caliph' (Baghdadi) are too.

Ireland thank god is peaceful now. That's why they don't act on their views. But if a war or revolution broke out, no doubt in my mind these people would turn from armchair to real activists. Wars is what provided fanatics from Hitler to Pol Pot with space to implement their hatreds. ISIS and al Qaeda the same. If Ireland's infrastructure broke down, fanatics would take over in places too. Afterall, it is within our lifetime that violence and hatred based on religion existed in Ireland and this has no entirely gone.

What religious songs did they sing in the pub?

BuilderPlumber

Nodin wrote: »

What religious songs did they sing in the pub?

Be not afraid with reference to 'wicked protestant men' was one. Ag criost an sile, Amazing grace. The others I never heard before and don't want to again.

Nodin

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Be not afraid with reference to 'wicked protestant men' was one. Ag criost an sile, Amazing grace. The others I never heard before and don't want to again.

Yep, they closed out their sectarian night with a hymn by a Protestant.

You're making it up, and rather transparently so. Why you'd want to is beyond me, but you certainly are.

dxhound2005

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Be not afraid with reference to 'wicked protestant men' was one. Ag criost an sile, Amazing grace. The others I never heard before and don't want to again.

History doesn't stop. Never mind talking about the B Specials people in rural border areas still remember the Plantation. Not literally of course but it's effects are very real in their lives.

fryup

^^^^^^^^^^^

"the british never remember the irish never forget"

The Backwards Man

Strange if true.

I've lived on the border all my life and its my experience that there is far less of that sectarian bullcrap here than anywhere else.

Then again, up here we are a very tolerant people.

BuilderPlumber

dxhound2005 wrote: »

Glenfarne is not in either Donegal or Cavan. Guess again.

It is in Leitrim. I looked it up. Don't know if the people i knew lived in Leitrim or Cavan as it was towards Blacklion. But just outside of Glenfarne. This is the Glenfarne official site's map:

http://www.glenfarne.com/about/locationmap/

Weird that they have all the counties right here except for Cavan. Is this deliberate or what!?!?! I have another map and Cavan goes up as far as Glenfarne (I thought it was in Cavan) and had gone via Boyle, Carrick, Leitrim village and Drumshanbo to get to Blacklion and then Glenfarne so know I was not in NI on this journey.

Annasopra

Tail Docker wrote: »

ISIS are in Cavan?

It's their biggest recruiting ground in Ireland.

Tail Docker

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

As said, these are armchair republican/religious bigots. These people unfortunately DO exist very much and I will have nothing to do with them in the future. Do I think they will go out and kill protestants really? No. Do I think they hate protestants? Yes. I know they think Michael McKevitt is a hero and that bin Laden and the 'caliph' (Baghdadi) are too.

Ireland thank god is peaceful now. That's why they don't act on their views. But if a war or revolution broke out, no doubt in my mind these people would turn from armchair to real activists. Wars is what provided fanatics from Hitler to Pol Pot with space to implement their hatreds. ISIS and al Qaeda the same. If Ireland's infrastructure broke down, fanatics would take over in places too. Afterall, it is within our lifetime that violence and hatred based on religion existed in Ireland and this has no entirely gone.

I think you need to dig a bunker, fast, and stock up on tinned goods. Start watching Bear Grylls. They could turn feral at any moment. Hai.

BuilderPlumber

Nodin wrote: »

Yep, they closed out their sectarian night with a hymn by a Protestant.

You're making it up, and rather transparently so. Why you'd want to is beyond me, but you certainly are.

No I am not making it up. I wish i was. Yes, some of these songs are probably protestant in origin, Likewise some of these will support English soccer clubs, etc. They probably haven't got fluent Irish. They sing about Wolfe Tone and Robert Emmett, and forget they were .... protestants!! They prob watch Corrie St and Eastenders! That's the hypocrisy of such people.

Hammar

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

As said, these are armchair republican/religious bigots. These people unfortunately DO exist very much and I will have nothing to do with them in the future. Do I think they will go out and kill protestants really? No. Do I think they hate protestants? Yes. I know they think Michael McKevitt is a hero and that bin Laden and the 'caliph' (Baghdadi) are too.

Ireland thank god is peaceful now. That's why they don't act on their views. But if a war or revolution broke out, no doubt in my mind these people would turn from armchair to real activists. Wars is what provided fanatics from Hitler to Pol Pot with space to implement their hatreds. ISIS and al Qaeda the same. If Ireland's infrastructure broke down, fanatics would take over in places too. Afterall, it is within our lifetime that violence and hatred based on religion existed in Ireland and this has no entirely gone.

Michael McKevitt, a hero???? Not even dissidents would proclaim McKevitt as a hero FFS. Irish people in Leitrim whom are rabid catholics according to you, proclaiming Osama Bin Laden as a "hero".
This is fairytale, fantasy stuff for f**k sake.

dxhound2005

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

It is in Leitrim. I looked it up. Don't know if the people i knew lived in Leitrim or Cavan as it was towards Blacklion. But just outside of Glenfarne. This is the Glenfarne official site's map:

http://www.glenfarne.com/about/locationmap/

Weird that they have all the counties right here except for Cavan. Is this deliberate or what!?!?! I have another map and Cavan goes up as far as Glenfarne (I thought it was in Cavan) and had gone via Boyle, Carrick, Leitrim village and Drumshanbo to get to Blacklion and then Glenfarne so know I was not in NI on this journey.

In order to bring the tolerance which exists in Donegal into Leitrim and Cavan bits of the three counties will form one constituency at the next election. The town of Belturbet will be cut in half for electoral purposes. Or maybe it is to bring a bit of fiscal good sense from Cavan into Donegal where they want everything but want to pay for nothing.

Annasopra

Hammar wrote: »

Michael McKevitt, a hero???? Not even dissidents would proclaim McKevitt as a hero FFS. Irish people in Leitrim whom are rabid catholics according to you, proclaiming Osama Bin Laden as a "hero".
This is fairytale, fantasy stuff for f**k sake.

Exactly - who on earth claims Bin Laden is a hero apart from Al Qaida

Nodin

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

No I am not making it up. I wish i was. Yes, some of these songs are probably protestant in origin, Likewise some of these will support English soccer clubs, etc. They probably haven't got fluent Irish. They sing about Wolfe Tone and Robert Emmett, and forget they were .... protestants!! They prob watch Corrie St and Eastenders! That's the hypocrisy of such people.

Whereas some elements of your story are - on their own - plausible, as a whole it just comes across as a big fib, tbh. You couldn't even say what country you were in, for jaysus sake.

catallus

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

Exactly - who on earth claims Bin Laden is a hero apart from Al Qaida

His companies did some good building work in Sudan........?

The Backwards Man

dxhound2005 wrote: »

In order to bring the tolerance which exists in Donegal into Leitrim and Cavan bits of the three counties will form one constituency at the next election. The town of Belturbet will be cut in half for electoral purposes. Or maybe it is to bring a bit of fiscal good sense from Cavan into Donegal where they want everything but want to pay for nothing.

Get te France!

We're more than happy sucking the teat whilst respecting its ethnicity.

Tail Docker

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

Exactly - who on earth claims Bin Laden is a hero apart from Al Qaida

The Cavan branch of ISIS, apparently. I for one am convinced. That's Drumshambo off my "places to go on holiday to" list. The fanatical b4stards. Paschal Sheehy will be up on Youtube with a big mucker from Drumlish with an Aldi carving knife at his jugular, sawing away for a "free Cavan". Ah hai U lackbar, hai" as they say.

dxhound2005

Tail Docker wrote: »

The Cavan branch of ISIS, apparently. I for one am convinced. That's Drumshambo off my "places to go on holiday to" list. The fanatical b4stards. Paschal Sheehy will be up on Youtube with a big mucker from Drumlish with an Aldi carving knife at his jugular, sawing away for a "free Cavan". Ah hai U lackbar, hai" as they say.

There is no such place as Drumshambo.

BuilderPlumber

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

Exactly - who on earth claims Bin Laden is a hero apart from Al Qaida

Unfortunately, there are people who do. al Qaeda/Qaida/Qa'ida is a fanatic 'Islamic' terrorist group but is also seen as a 'third world standing up to the West' group too and all haters of Western countries admire this. No one in their right mind would want to live under an 'Islamofascist' tyranny but that does not stop them supporting them in distant lands.

BuilderPlumber

dxhound2005 wrote: »

There is no such place as Drumshambo.

Drumshanbo.

Tail Docker

dxhound2005 wrote: »

There is no such place as Drumshambo.

That's what they want you to believe, the sneaky, deranged proselytisers.

dxhound2005

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Drumshanbo.

Not a lot of people know that. I only wrote it for educational purposes.

BuilderPlumber

Tail Docker wrote: »

The Cavan branch of ISIS, apparently. I for one am convinced. That's Drumshambo off my "places to go on holiday to" list. The fanatical b4stards. Paschal Sheehy will be up on Youtube with a big mucker from Drumlish with an Aldi carving knife at his jugular, sawing away for a "free Cavan". Ah hai U lackbar, hai" as they say.

Islamic State of Cavan, Leitrim, Inishowen and Longford = ISCILL. This part i did make up

Hammar

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Unfortunately, there are people who do. al Qaeda/Qaida/Qa'ida is a fanatic 'Islamic' terrorist group but is also seen as a 'third world standing up to the West' group too and all haters of Western countries admire this. No one in their right mind would want to live under an 'Islamofascist' tyranny but that does not stop them supporting them in distant lands.

Leitrim is in Ireland,Ireland is a western country not a third world country. "Rabid" Irish Catholics whom seemingly hate other religions are not going to be Al Qaeda apologists. You should leave the shovel down, You've dug yourself into a deep enough hole.

BuilderPlumber

Nodin wrote: »

Whereas some elements of your story are - on their own - plausible, as a whole it just comes across as a big fib, tbh. You couldn't even say what country you were in, for jaysus sake.

Clearly, that was the Republic of Ireland. I knew where I was: Boyle was Roscommon and then Carrick, etc. was Leitrim and then I went into Cavan. I was unaware where Glenfarne was and was not told/did not look out/take notice in what county it was and assumed Cavan.

All this happened I know and I am sure it is not uncommon. It is not strictly the first time I heard such things in pubs. In Bush's time, I know that there was sympathy for the Iraqi insurgency and heard many say 'America deserved what it gets because of its FP'. But I heard no admiration for 'Islamic fascists' explicitly until last Sunday. It happened, i wish it didn't but it did.

dxhound2005

BuilderPlumber wrote: »

Clearly, that was the Republic of Ireland. I knew where I was: Boyle was Roscommon and then Carrick, etc. was Leitrim and then I went into Cavan. I was unaware where Glenfarne was and was not told/did not look out/take notice in what county it was and assumed Cavan.

You should have went into Neven Maguire's place, all very civilised. And you weren't far away from the Organic Centre in Rossinver. Very Teutonic in it's origins but certainly no chance of any religious fanaticism there either.

The Strawman Argument

Joeytheparrot wrote: »

Exactly - who on earth claims Bin Laden is a hero apart from Al Qaida

My neighbour back home's brother has photos of Fidel Castro and Osama Bin Laden either side of the sacred heart in his home.

BuilderPlumber

Hammar wrote: »

Michael McKevitt, a hero???? Not even dissidents would proclaim McKevitt as a hero FFS. Irish people in Leitrim whom are rabid catholics according to you, proclaiming Osama Bin Laden as a "hero".
This is fairytale, fantasy stuff for f**k sake.

McKevitt is related through marriage to Bobby Sands. Bernadette Sands is his wife and Sean Sands is another relation. McKevitt has currency and has a following. True, most, even the dissidents, don't admire him but he has a following among some diehards.

BuilderPlumber

The Strawman Argument wrote: »

My neighbour back home's brother has photos of Fidel Castro and Osama Bin Laden either side of the sacred heart in his home.

That covers it all: a communist, catholic symbol and a fascist. Certainly, the first two have their merits as well as demerits but bin Laden can go to hell where he belongs.

kingchess

those Leitrim bastards will jump into bed with any ultra fanatic religious group in the world.it is well known around here,I was talking to Bridie between the jigs and the second decade of the Rosary and she told me that her son "worked" in that hellhole called Leitrim and he told her that Osama BIN Laden and two of his wives were drinking in the local one night,( after closing time!),and he was making snide remarks about the local prod drinking at the other end of the bar, it seems the local yokels were lapping all this up with delight,and Brides son was so disgusted that he had to leave the pub,( at 5.30 in the morning and it lashing rain)