Scariest experience of my life!!! (Nothern Ireland is still a bit mad)

Preusse wrote: »

Well, if they want any tourists to spend their money there they really have to have a change of attitude. Really sad behaviour. :rolleyes:

Living in Ireland for years now, seen most of the republic and i am sure there is nice stuff to see and do up north too.
But the reason i have never been up north, apart from a shopping trip to Newry, is because i really dont want to fear for my life when making a wrong turn here or there.

Of course i could inform myself where it is safe to go and where not but do i really need to study for weeks in order to be capable of seeing a nice coastline? And even then i will manage to get myself into problems, it is just not worth it.

fippy wrote: »

do you think i wanted to stop there????

it was fill up there or spend the night there!!!

Live and learn, there's at least 1 if not 2 24hr stations around the M1/A1 junction (saintsfield) in Lisburn, that's my usual "check if I have enough petrol/diesel to cross the border" spot.

Handing over euro's, expecting petrol, was a bit silly in any town north of the border, unless there's a big "we accept euros" sign. Doing it in a loyal orange town, was just asking for trouble, imho. You were just giving them an excuse.

Most towns, even the most orange of the orange towns, are safe enough for southern reg's during day light hours, apart from around the 6th to the 20th of this month. After dark, most urban area's are not great, regardless of major religion of the town, or reg of car. Petrol stations, both north and south, seem to be gathering area's for muppets.

Hey OP you got very unlucky, its just the time of night, the area and the time of year that caught you out.

Its difficult to comment on the way people and groups of communities react in Northern Ireland, considering their situation and what they have gone through in the last 40 years.

Some of the stories my dad and grandfather have told me about their experiences in the North are quite frightening but I have certainly not expereinced anything like that in the last 10 years. Places like Derry are well used to Southern Regged cars. Maybe my northern accent helps too (Donegal)...

Its a shame that events like these are still happening because it will discourage people from travelling to the North and thats the last thing it needs. There are many places to go where you won't find any trouble if you do a bit of research beforehand so please don't be put off. It doesn't take weeks, just a quick phonecall to the tourist board....

getz wrote: »

yes there are a lot of idiots still around ,on both sides od the border.i aways go to the republic on my holidays and stay in cottages in wicklow [ive a big love for the irish and ireland,]this year i intended to travel up to donegal ,just to see whare my irish ancestors came from,untill my wife said she met a english family who went there last year and had their english reg car burnt out,maybe in a couple of years i will give it a try.

There are a lot of cars with English and NI format registrations in Donegal - there are tons of Donegal natives living and working in Northern Ireland, and I'd say this of any border other county. If you could see the volume of unmolested UK cars in border counties and tourist spots of the republic, including Donegal, I think it'd put your mind at rest.

Fink Goddie wrote: »

Personally i think they should ban the marches, what do they achieve now, they only cause trouble. Like the one the orange men or somebody had in O'Connell street a few years ago.
they knew there would be trouble, but they had to do it, why, when they knew it would cause sh1t!

Nah - let them have their marches - stifling political opinion is no way forward. Is it any skin off your nose if they have a march?

Is there a st. patricks day parade in the north?

topper75 wrote: »

NI is still a good tourist destination. Belfast and Derry are cool towns and the north coast is beautiful. But you need to be aware where you are going - find out beforehand. Certain towns are not welcoming to southerners, and if this comes as a surprise to you then the outcome could well be Darwinian.

and this is from what experience you've had?

All of my family are from up north and I have never seen any problem what so ever even in small mixed town areas some of my cousins live in. My Fiance is Australian and she's done some tours up north in my Dublin reg car and it was only ever in loyalist union jack flag red white and blue areas that she ever got a frosty reception.

So im afraid you're making up stories to try to prove some kinda warped point.

Loyalists are facist/racists end of story we all know it and they continue to prove that point every summer with their marches.

Bogger77 wrote: »

and republicians are facists, they prove this every March with their marches.

bahahahahahah do you know how much of a contradiction that comment is?

partyatmygaff wrote: »

Can't they all just f*ck off and kill themselves? This animalistic way of thinking should of died years ago, Instead of fighting for their bullsh1t political beliefs that will make no big difference to their life and only causes misery for everyone else they could actually make something of their lives beside being scum.

there is nothing political about hating someone based on what their religion is or in this case where your car is bought.

NOGMaxpower wrote: »

there is nothing political about hating someone based on what their religion is or in this case where your car is bought.

I actually doubt its about religion anymore, If these 'tards even knew the very basics of their religion they would not know what they're doing is not on at all.
I think its just an "Us vs Them" issue now that affects all the working class who finding nothing better to do with their lives decide to try and fight just to be dominant.

thelordofcheese wrote: »

by not making excuses for the thugs in question and claiming that flippy was "asking for it"

who made excuses for them in the thread so far?

i suppose if someone arrived on a forecourt late at night in some of the more colourfull areas of Dublin in a northern reg car wearing a Rangers or Linfield jersey they would probably get the same reaction

both sides are as bad as each other

SEPT 23 1989 wrote: »

i suppose if someone arrived on a forecourt late at night in some of the more colourfull areas of Dublin in a northern reg car wearing a Rangers or Linfield jersey they would probably get the same reaction

both sides are as bad as each other

Which is true, almost got a hiding one night in Dublin for wearing an Ulster rugby jersey, because on it, there is a red hand of ulster.

NOGMaxpower wrote: »

So im afraid you're making up stories to try to prove some kinda warped point.

What stories did I make up? My point is that you need to watch where you go in the north if you value you personal safety. Please explain to everybody how you think that point is warped?