Michael D Higgins insists he is President of Ireland, refuses to commemorate partition

downcow · 20-09-2021 07:43PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117915156#Comment_117915156

If this is the letter then this is astounding. Is this the letter? How do we know it is real?

if it is real then I am glad he is not my president - and I quite liked him

McMurphy · 20-09-2021 07:46PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117916891#Comment_117916891

The black and tans were a subdivision of the RIC. Yeah you'll probably come back and try and argue that, like it isn't recorded in history, but it is. Trying to claim they were seperate to each other would be like trying to claim the dog unit within the Gardai are in no way associated with the drugs unit.

People are free to commemorate, celebrate or whatever other shiny disinfectant name anyone wants to give to remembering past RIC members, but a state commemoration should never have been considered, (why would anyone commemorate their oppressors?) and one would hope flannagan and Varadkar learned their lesson from it, but I doubt it, you can't fix stupidity.

downcow · 20-09-2021 07:48PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117916254#Comment_117916254

Points scoring. Both sides do it

downcow · 20-09-2021 07:50PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117915156#Comment_117915156

I am really keen to know is this letter real?. And if so am I correct in thinking MDH told blatant lies about term ROI being used?

buried · 20-09-2021 07:59PM

I'll start celebrating and remembering the work of the Irish born members of the RIC when the British establishment starts celebrating the work of the British born members of the 7/7 bombings.

Which will be never.

Junkyard Tom · 20-09-2021 08:06PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117916946#Comment_117916946

Oh you can be absolutely certain FG will not go down that dead end again. FG and FF will have paid close attention to the huge level of support the President of Ireland has received for refusing to entertaining similar crap.

20-09-2021 08:10PM

Michael D. Higgins, whatever people think of him, is a man who is open to dialogue, open to sharing ideas and differences of opinion. He is not a bigot - his refusal to attend is for a good reason, not just to be petty. He is a principled and highly learned man.

Partition led to an appalling situation for catholics. Absolutely sickening. A refusal to mark the anniversary of this regressive step is completely justifiable. Intolerance towards all unionists just for being unionist IS petty. If someone born in Northern Ireland is simply protestant and identifies as British, I respect their right to those beliefs. Once they're a decent person, it doesn't matter to me. And I know numerous such folk living down here (they're mad for Kinsale 😁) who are gorgeous people. MDH obviously has the same outlook.

The sectarian, anti Fenian element is still festering away though (which I know is wholeheartedly condemned by moderate unionists - whom I have much more respect for than the forelock-tugging crowd down here) and MDH is steering clear by refusing to honour a development that enabled such hegemony.

downcow · 20-09-2021 08:10PM

I am honestly stunned to see this is genuine that the invite was to “president of Ireland” and no mention of ROI.

Most of us up here are disgusted by the fact that our politicians and ministers can do what they like without repercussions. eg had Arlene been at the wheel in Uk gov when ash for cash happened she would have had to resign. Had Michelle be a minister in Uk gov and had attended the Story fiasco she would have been sacked immediately. I am honestly surprised that you guys operate like us. MHD has lied in a very public way and has damaged reconciliation in the process. He wouldn’t last 5 mins in any mature democracy. But it seems you guys are more like us than I thought. Maybe a UI would be a marriage made in heaven lol.

how do you guys who support MHD honestly feel about these lies??

downcow · 20-09-2021 08:19PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917002#Comment_117917002

It’s a fair point, but you are lucky. Neither you or British mainland have had to swallow hard as those people became your political leaders.

we have not been so lucky in ni. We have had MMcG as DFM and we have Conor Murphy as finance minister, to mention a few. Can you imagine if similar people like the 7/7 bombers were deputy pm in Uk. It is absurd isn’t it? I am glad you did not have to have someone from the Black and Tans who had murdered and tortured your people, as your finance minister.

20-09-2021 08:20PM

Between the islands of Britain & Ireland there is the bones of 70 million people.

Of those 70 million people, what percentage batted an eyelid about Northern Ireland's centenary?

Nobody in Britain cared, nobody in the Republic cared...so we're left with whatever percentage of 1.9 million in the North.

If we're generous and say that everybody in the North cared, that'd leave us with the grand total of 2.7% of people in Britain and Ireland that cared about the centenary.

It's a nothing event. A greater percentage of people in Waterford would turn up to celebrate my birthday.

eire4 · 20-09-2021 08:24PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117916849#Comment_117916849

O yes it is:

That is the official Ireland badge on our jersey front page of the FAI web site etc.

Junkyard Tom · 20-09-2021 08:26PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917056#Comment_117917056

Former UDR man Jeffrey Donaldson persistently referred to him as the 'President of the Republic of Ireland' last week, unionists have long ago perfected the art of trolling, and politicising everything, when it comes to Ireland because division serves their interests.

breezy1985 · 20-09-2021 08:28PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117915142#Comment_117915142

He was right that this event was political because everything the church (all of them) get involved in is political.

They crave power not purity of the soul

downcow · 20-09-2021 08:29PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917096#Comment_117917096

Oh no it’s not

https://lmgtfy.app/?q=what+is+the+official+name+of+the+ireland+football+team

Fionn1952 · 20-09-2021 08:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917083#Comment_117917083

We had several hundred years of those people as our political leaders, Downcow.

breezy1985 · 20-09-2021 08:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917117#Comment_117917117

Lots of things are the bane of Irish soccer these days

buried · 20-09-2021 08:30PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917083#Comment_117917083

Don't be glad for me. We had Charlie Flanagan as a Minister for Justice and even worse yet, had John "let me lick your orange bootheel" Bruton as Taoiseach. That's akin to you having 'Makem & Clancy' being the Queen

Shebean · 20-09-2021 08:31PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917056#Comment_117917056

Yis can't even get his initials right ffs.

He damaged the idea some minority unionists have that their view is the only view. He didn't give it his seal of approval. The antiquated backward elements of the DUP and UUP are on the way out. Little petty efforts like this shouldn't be worn. Treating them with kid gloves won't bring them into modern times.

Do you think N.I. is a mature democracy? How long is it since everyone got a vote?

Cilldara_2000 · 20-09-2021 08:32PM

Jaysus, the discussion on this name thing is beyond tiresome at this stage. Internet message boards and social media never were the first place you'd look for nuance.

downcow · 20-09-2021 08:35PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917137#Comment_117917137

You completely misunderstand or misquote me. My point is that ni is NOT a mature democracy but i actually thought roi might be. I’ve learnt you are just like us

Shebean · 20-09-2021 08:36PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917150#Comment_117917150

Apologies. Yes you are just like us. We share the same president. In fact I'd love youse to be in the same jurisdiction.

FunLover18 · 20-09-2021 08:42PM

When did Michael D Higgins become President of the football team?

eire4 · 20-09-2021 08:44PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917117#Comment_117917117

Comical and puerile.

Once again the official badge of the FAI from the FAI web site worn on all our jersey's and assorted kit.

Very unambiguous what our football team is called.

Cilldara_2000 · 20-09-2021 08:50PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917193#Comment_117917193

Why then does the FAI website refer to the Republic of Ireland vs Qatar as the next fixture for the men's senior team?

https://www.fai.ie/ireland/match/19/2021/999946992/

downcow · 20-09-2021 08:50PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917137#Comment_117917137

I’m not an historian. But I think voting was based on being a taxpayer until late 60s early 70s in ni. After that I think it was one person one vote.

I think it took until the mid 80s for the roi to stop discriminating against brits living there who wanted to vote. So I think yous got to one person one vote in 1985 or maybe it was the 90s

downcow · 20-09-2021 08:52PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917210#Comment_117917210

Excellent question!

20-09-2021 08:54PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917212#Comment_117917212

Its standard practice to require citizenship to be eligible to vote. What are you on about.

downcow · 20-09-2021 08:56PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917223#Comment_117917223

So did the brits all get automatic citizenship in 1985? That’s a serious question as I was not aware that is what changed the situation. Was this related to AIA?

Fian · 20-09-2021 08:56PM

President of "Ireland" is not a claim to be president of the six counties in norther ireland.

The name of this country we live in, which comprises 26 counties, is "Ireland". There is no such country as "the republic of Ireland" - that is not the name of the State. The UK managed to persuade FIFA to call our international team "republic of ireland" rather than "ireland" and that has led to confusion on the issue ever since.

20-09-2021 08:58PM

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117917229#Comment_117917229

I could only vote in national elections once I became a citizen, and that was 6 years ago.

Michael D Higgins insists he is President of Ireland, refuses to commemorate partition

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