Northern Ireland is in more danger since Brexit

Adrian Dunbar's journey was excellent. I have bookmarked several places to visit when next there.

Greyduster, when the 1921 arrangement was coming to pass the North of Ireland authorities wanted an integrated eduction system as it was believed it would help unite the population of the North and help it move forward. The Roman Catholic Church was not prepared to give up its schools. As a result the state school system became largely populated by children from Protestant homes and the Roman Catholic children by and large went through their own system. There have been attempts during the Troubles to introduce integrated schooling and a few have been set up. How successful they are I do not know. I don't think people on the mainland understand the tight grip the different branches of the Christian faith present in NI had, and have, both politically and historically on the individual congregations/areas. The various branches of Christianity are no longer as contentious a part of British mainland culture. England had its Reformation, the two main branches tussled with one another for some decades but it gradually all settled down to the situation you have today in England where the majority of people don't really get that involved, although you do still have an established Church and it is only in my lifetime that the restriction of a Roman Catholic ascending the throne was removed. As several posters who still live in NI have said most people today mix freely with both sides and hopefully it is changing.

Leaving the thread now Alioop and yes I did not know the programme was on with Adrian Dunbar travelling around
N . Ireland but as I flicked through channels it came on and I
watched it. I only watched two of them so will go into the other ones and watch soon.

Line of Duty is on tonight so I will be viewing that.

Here’s a question perhaps those of you who live in Northern Ireland can shed some light on for me. Have any attempts been made to desegregate educational establishments, and do you think if young people were educated together they might come to see each other differently?

Before I leave this thread, I hope you watched it or maybe could catch up on a great programme and it's our wonderful Adrian Dunbar( of Line of Duty) travelling all around N.Ireland showing the beautiful scenery, hospitality, etc that we have here. That's the real N.Ireland that we love, please ignore the negativities of the place brought on by a small minority. Truthfully, I wouldn't want be living anywhere else.

Nadatetube You are correct too much history behind it all.

I am a British citizen although through heritage (fathers side)
I still struggle to sometimes understand my love and passion for the N. Irish blood that runs through my veins and the family I still have left over there whether they call themselves Irish or British I too need to sign out.

You could discuss who is to blame until the cows come home. Have had this for years. Stressful. No point. Signing out.

Jaxjacky Sorry but I disagree with you as well, the mainland bombs were tiny by no means I will not name the ones on the mainland as there were so many and the death and injury to human beings was atrocious. One awful one was the bombing along Hyde Park (I think it was there) with soldiers and horses blown to pieces those bombs containing shrapnel and everything it was horrendous.
You are talking about 1999 when the worst of the troubles was coming to an end, I was talking about when the troubles were happening starting from 1970s up until 2000.
There was coverage of N. Ireland nearly everyday in U.K.
tabloids and there would be because the British troops were in N. Ireland to do there part although I have little respect for them after the Bloody Sunday massacre.
I better not get started even on all this mainly because I am not N. Irish I was born in U.K. My father was from Belfast but lived here in U.K and himself and his brother came to U.K after WW2 and worked and travelled to Belfast often to see the rest of his family. I feel appalled sometimes about the whole Belfast and N. Ireland mix of troubles my father was the most humblest, quietest, nicest man you would ever find and all my friends loved his accent although growing up with hearing him I never even noticed it one of my friends said even sometimes I sounded a bit like my dad perhaps I picked the accent up from him.
Great post from you Alioop.

Good post Alioop with a lot of truth.

Most of us just want to live in peace with our friends and neighbours and don't care what religion they are.

I think totally integrated education would be a good step forward for our children's sake.

3nanny6 I disagree with you, you do have to live there to experience it, the mainland bombs were a tiny, tiny fraction of what happened. When I visited my DH’s family in Belfast for the first time in 1999 my eyes were opened very wide. Part of that was that nothing in the English press ever touched on the day to day life. I had no idea what to expect and was scared.

Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom that why some call themselves British. Some others say they are Irish as they are from the island of Ireland. We have a border as you know vegansrock, that's were the trouble over the Brexit deal came in, we are one island split up just like is England, Scotland and Wales.
There are many old battles celebrated all around the world, including Northern Ireland in July. We celebrate St.Patricks Day, the Easter Rising, etc and they are nothing to to with so called "Orange" culture Katie 59, we celebrate different things like everyone else, St.Georges Day, St.Davids Day, etc.
Most of us do "share" N.Ireland happily, but there is a small minority that don't and it's sad, these kids fighting are from both sides of the divide now, but probably don't have a clue about any of the past and what it was like actually grow up in the troubles. Most of their parents and grandparents do though and to encourage these children to riot is unforgivable. The Unionists have all the power Katie 59, I really don't think so. We have Unionist and Sinn Fein as our minister and deputy minister at the top of politics here one "Orange" and one "Green" and the only thing they have ever agreed a little on was our fight with Covid, well until the IRA funeral with hundreds at it which went against all Covid guidelines and our Deputy Minister actually attended. Anyone else who had a funeral for a loved one on the same day or any other day couldn't even have some close family members attending theirs. The outcome of that huge funeral was one of the powder kegs that helped to start these riots. As in a previous post I hate to think that funeral and Brexit will be the downfall of The GFA.
We have had enough grief with Covid for over a year now like everyone else and now for this to happen it's just not right on the people here wanting just to enjoy their lives and live in peace.

vegansrock

Why do some who live in Northern Ireland hate anything Irish? Can’t get my head around that one.

Purely power, the Unionists hold the power and influence and they don’t want to share it. The so called Orange culture celebrating a battle hundreds of years ago is just so ridiculous

The mistrust between Irish and English has simmered away for hundreds of years so I suppose it will always be there below the surface and with some justification. The skill for the politicians is to keep it where it always has been. Underground and unobtrusive so most people can just get on with their lives untouched.

Yes it may be horrible memories and saying if you didn't live here and experience it you have no idea.
The thing is we did not have to live in N. Ireland to experience it I was just a teenager when the troubles started and we had to have all the bombs that were planted over in the U.K. supposedly by the IRA and it was terrible and many people died and it was by a sheer miracle that the GFA
happened so nobody wants to go back to that time.

3nanny6 that thought occurred to me today - about children getting back to school. I'm sure it's a contributing factor.

Horrible memories Coolgran and Shandy.
I too have those.
If you didn't live here and experience it you have no idea.

My family on my fathers side were from N. Ireland I know some residents in N. Ireland say they are British but I call my cousins over there Irish. Northern Ireland is part of Ireland
so the people must be Irish.

Does anyone know when the schools go back after Easter?
perhaps that might keep some of the 13/14 year olds off the streets at night if they have school to get up for.

vegansrock

Why do some who live in Northern Ireland hate anything Irish? Can’t get my head around that one.

Can you explain - anything Irish?

Why do some who live in Northern Ireland hate anything Irish? Can’t get my head around that one.

My last paragraph.....
**think they are British. But in NI we are all British.

Please excuse my typos.

I live in NI and love it and just about everyone who lives here. I was a young woman during the troubles of 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. In the 70s as I headed home from work a Bomb exploded in a shop as I waited at the bus stop. Somehow I was unhurt but badly shocked. The buses went off, it’s was dark. Pre mobile phones. I walked home 5 miles in the rain, crying. Two family members were blown up in separate incidents over the following Yeats. Limbs were lost.

After the peace that we have become used to I feel such sorrow. My heart is breaking at what is happening.

I voted against Brexit as did most of NI. We were afraid that NI would not have been treated well. And indeed we have not been treated well.
A pp said that some elements seem to think we are British. But we are British.

My work friend in the 80's was from Finaghy, she said she'd love for me to go with her when she visited her parents - but I'd have to be prepared to have my handbag searched, and I wouldn't be able to speak if we went to the pub. Scared me off, especially when she told me a bullet went through their living room window and lodged in the wall above the sofa. Her late Dad was an Orange Man.

We've got used to peace, but it's a very fragile peace.

nadateturbe me too, very dark days. I can't believe we have gone backwards, very upsetting. As kids, a day out in Belfast was getting searched as you went into every shop, maybe queuing at a till only to be told "everybody out there's a bomb on the premises". Sad to say we got used to it, but now I've got used to peace and want it to continue.