TheSpelegraph
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10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 1 reply · 0 points
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
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
10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 7 replies · -4 points
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
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
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
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
10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 0 replies · -8 points
10 years ago @ http://www.belfasttele... - Haass talks: Parties h... · 2 replies · -8 points
I suppose it's a case of, when to try to stop someone doing something, they want to do it more.