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10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 1 reply · 0 points

If you were away or brought inside over the Twelfth, then I guess your friends would stop playing with you. For me, as a child, the first few weeks of the summer holiday was all about collecting wood for the bonfire.

I have heard stories from Catholic friends about my age (late 40s) about enjoying the Twelfth as children. Other stories, from my parents and grandparents about about Catholics have stalls along the route selling refreshments to participants and other spectators.

So, how did we get from there to resident associations and bandsman pissing on churches?

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 0 replies · +1 points

As I said, I´m not a member of the OO, nor indeed any band, but my understanding was that each lodge paid the band for accompanying them on the twelfth.
I will however, bow to your superior knowledge and promptness of supplying extremely detailed statistics.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 1 reply · -1 points

I don´t think that the widespread sexual abuse of children knowingly taking place within a church by those entrusted with giving moral guidance is comparable with anything.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 7 replies · -4 points

I would have thought that after the recent coming to light of events in the Catholic church a lot of people would or should be anti-Catholic. If any other organisation was responsible for so much child abuse and the subsequent cover.ups, it would be banned.

Could some be accused of being more anti-OO than pro-Catholic?

Also, in their defence,without the old-men and not so old-men in bowler hats and their money, there wouldn´t be any bands.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 4 replies · -3 points

I think the amount on time, effort and money put into the bands is too much for a one day event. The whole purpose of the hard work during the winter months is to enjoy parading in the summer months.
Why was the Twelfth not only accommodated, but enjoyed by a lot of Catholics up until a few years ago? What happened? What changed?

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 18 replies · +3 points

As an atheist, I´m not a member nor a big fan of the OO, I but since a child, I have always loved watching the bands. I must admit to preferring the blood and thunder type and the atmosphere they can create. one such band used to play in my local on the Twelfth night. An accordion band with flutes and drums playing indoors is an unforgeable experience.
Most festivals celebrate or commemorate something that happened hundreds or even thousands years ago. So I don´t see the problem with that, but I have noticed that it has changed, becoming sectarian and triumphalist. I think this is because it is being attacked, and because of a lack of brains and PR awareness within the organisation, it hasn´t dealt with the assault very well. Paisley and Trimble´s wee dance after Drumcree 1 is a good example of this.
As an atheist, I´m not particularly interested in the religious side of things, but I don´t think either side of the argument has behaved in a very ´christian´ way.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 29 replies · -18 points

Some traditions are region specific. In NI, one of those is parading. The Scotch, Welsh and various regions of England have there own.
It´s the same here in Spain too. Valencia has its Falas, in Navarra they like to be chased down the street by bulls, in Andalusia they have Flamenco music. We have massive street parades here too, at Easter (Semana Santa), which actually looks like the Klu Klux Klan, and the Magic Kings etc. Probably nothing as grand as Belfast´s Twelfth but they do try.
Whenever a certain person and his army tried to bomb the English into submission they took on a an even greater sense of nationality and perhaps that´s what has happened in Northern Ireland.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 3 replies · +8 points

I can´t understand why that whole thread was deleted. I don´t recall anything offensive or libellous, just a normal debate.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 0 replies · -8 points

I said, the 'appetite' for culture was flourishing.

10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 2 replies · -8 points

Isn't it great to see the appetite for culture flourishing? Sure according to the BT, they're going mad in east Belfast to learn Irish, which is great, but a lot of them can't speak English.

I suppose it's a case of, when to try to stop someone doing something, they want to do it more.

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