The Gooner Forum

I was really surprised by a comment DB10 made on the Brexit thread, that most people in the Republic weren't especially bothered about creating a single island of Ireland.

As someone who was a teenager in the 70s, who heard the Maidstone pub bomb explode, who's seen the 'peace line' in Belfast, I've always thought it was a passionate objective of most southern Irish citizens.

I'd love to hear the views of our Irish posters on the matter.

Also, if you do want a united island, why? Geography, race, religion, history, economics?

back in the 70s /80s when i was growing up most irish people didnt care about the north , crazy religious fuckers is what we all figured they were. im an atheist so never got why anyone would kill in the name of something that doesnt exist, i grew up in a sinn fein supporting family but i could never bring myself to support them or the IRA back then and still dont support them now , but from a political point of view Im a socialist so from my own point of view i do want a united ireland and a 32 county socialist republic .

Must admit is a subject I always tried to avoid when 'discussions' arose - as they usually turned into arguments & slanging matches, threats etc...Also having visited Western Ireland a couple of times in the 90's when I was married with the missus & kids - the people were always incredibly warm & welcoming just as it is in many countries - mind you we didn't have to live there and undergo the daily fears and horrors of the Irish people..

My ex & I were at a ceilidh one night and we were talking to some of the locals (just outside of Cork) and I remember an old-timer saying to me as long as you don't discuss religion, birth control or the pope you're fine.


Having watched the various film's related to the conflicts namely: The Wind That Shakes The Barley - which is an incredibly moving film (for me) and also Michael Collins, which although seeming to give a wider narrative, I didn't get so much understanding of the conflict from. I do recall my son bringing home a friend from his college one weekend he was from Belfast and he said that the IRA and the UDA were not just political, but were the local 'mafia' in that they controlled the drug dealing, robberies and all the crime and that nothing went ahead without their say so and if anyone stepped out of line they were punished.


From an outsiders point of view I always thought it very sad that the country was torn in two by religion - Mind you I have no time for religion/s of any kind.

Both my grandads fought in the 1916 rising and war of independence and then on opposite sides in the civil war. So both sides of my family came from that "old IRA" thing but none of them supported or condoned the modern IRA murdering innocent people in the UK.

I think in most Irish people's minds a united Ireland is a nice concept but very very few would be willing to make the economic sacrifices required to pay for it.

OneBardGooner wrote:Must admit is a subject I always tried to avoid when 'discussions' arose - as they usually turned into arguments & slanging matches, threats etc...Also having visited Western Ireland a couple of times in the 90's when I was married with the missus & kids - the people were always incredibly warm & welcoming just as it is in many countries - mind you we didn't have to live there and undergo the daily fears and horrors of the Irish people..

My ex & I were at a ceilidh one night and we were talking to some of the locals (just outside of Cork) and I remember an old-timer saying to me as long as you don't discuss religion, birth control or the pope you're fine.


Having watched the various film's related to the conflicts namely: The Wind That Shakes The Barley - which is an incredibly moving film (for me) and also Michael Collins, which although seeming to give a wider narrative, I didn't get so much understanding of the conflict from. I do recall my son bringing home a friend from his college one weekend he was from Belfast and he said that the IRA and the UDA were not just political, but were the local 'mafia' in that they controlled the drug dealing, robberies and all the crime and that nothing went ahead without their say so and if anyone stepped out of line they were punished.


From an outsiders point of view I always thought it very sad that the country was torn in two by religion - Mind you I have no time for religion/s of any kind.

Religion is only part of it mate. There are huge cultural diffetences and historical social issues involved too.

You are bang on right about both sides' paramilitaries being drug dealers smugglers and basically criminal scum running protection rackets. Utter vermin all of them.

I don't know if there's any truth in this, but I'm told that an Irishman once asked Winston Churchill if he would give the six counties back to Ireland. Churchill replied that he would be prepared to do a swap for Kilburn and Finchley.

olgitgooner wrote:I don't know if there's any truth in this, but I'm told that an Irishman once asked Winston Churchill if he would give the six counties back to Ireland. Churchill replied that he would be prepared to do a swap for Kilburn and Finchley.

finsbury park was as irish as kilburn at one stage now its only the pubs

olgitgooner wrote:I don't know if there's any truth in this, but I'm told that an Irishman once asked Winston Churchill if he would give the six counties back to Ireland. Churchill replied that he would be prepared to do a swap for Kilburn and Finchley.

We will never give them back! NEVER!

olgitgooner wrote:I don't know if there's any truth in this, but I'm told that an Irishman once asked Winston Churchill if he would give the six counties back to Ireland. Churchill replied that he would be prepared to do a swap for Kilburn and Finchley.

Back when I was a child I lived in finchley road where my parents ran a big pub (3 stories was a massive pub in the 70s)

Re the united Ireland idea, I will say that in theory I would very much support the idea - my only concern is if it becomes another reason to kick off the military battles again. The old school paramilitary agenda has now given way to a money making crime empire largely based around drugs - back in the old days the ira would punish people selling drugs in their area's, but these days they are up to their tits in the criminal world

On a funny note, a couple of years ago I had a customer from northern Ireland in our post office and he was buying a stamp to send a letter back to northern Ireland - when I told him that the price was 68 cent he was amazed and said that it was almost twice as much to send a letter from the north down to the south, so I told him that it was cheaper down here cos we still consider the north as part of our country The guy didn't know how to react to that

Oh alright then, we will take the South back and reunite Ireland, for the Free Irish.....

OneBardGooner wrote: The Wind That Shakes The Barley - which is an incredibly moving film (for me)

It is an incredible film and also, for me, the one that covers the topic the best.

I have relatives on both sides of the border and despite being an American, studied the Troubles/the question of Irish independence quite a lot throughout my time in school.

Would the north benefit economically from unification? How good/bad is the situation there? I haven't kept up with goings on as of late.

Always too worried about offending someone to ask. Hopefully will be over in the summer depends on the miserable person I'm married to.

I'm all for a unified Ireland. Under British rule.

Cat. Pigeons.

I think there should be a referendum about it and then make a thread about that referendum on here