As someone who grew up near the border, I certainly remember the custom officers standing at their little tin hut in Pettigo just after you crossed the bridge into the republic. The hut is still there and it won’t be long till the customs men and maybe women are back checking goods going into the EU –that is if something isn’t done to make it a customs free zone. In the old days the Customs officials had a distinct uniform and a great air of authority. Most of the time if you had nothing to declare, they waved you on but, on occasions, they would do a random search of your car and that could take half an hour. Those carrying goods and livestock had to declare what they were carrying on their vehicle. There was paperwork to be done and often tariffs to be paid. The customs closed up at about 10.00pm and if you were crossing after that, you needed a permit. So is that what it’s going to be like in the future?
Smuggling was a regular practice and the customs men were always on the look out for illicit goods that were being smuggled. There is the story about a man in Belleek, county Fermanagh, a quiet man, who went on a bicycle to Ballyshannon once a week to do his shopping. He went to get his groceries and he also had to buy some firewood. So on his way home the bicycle was laden down with bags. This practice went on for years. Some days the customs officers searched his bags and other days they let him go and over the years the man had smuggled many bicycles which were then sold on to a customer in Enniskillen. Some people along the border had to be smart to make a living.
The border in Ireland has always been a source of contention, frustration and annoyance for local people. That is until recent years when we almost forgot that it existed. When Ireland and Britainjoined the EEC in 1973 all those customs posts were vacated. Many of them, that were not demolished, are still in place. I wonder did they envisage that they might come in useful in the future? The so-called Troubles began in 1969/70 and London government sent over their British army to guard the border. British army checkpoints were built to monitor traffic crossing the border. They remained there for 30 years until the Belfast Agreement.
The 1998 Agreement opened up the border and the checkpoints were dismantled. There has been freedom to travel across the border for the last 20 years. Brexit will put an end to all that. Customs will mean delays at the border which will affect travel and trade. Border posts will increase frustration especially in border communities. It’s back to the future all along the border. The ‘carnival of reaction’ that James Connolly predicted would result from partition is still going on.
Brexit has put the border back on the agenda. It has also put the whole matter of partition and the reunification of our country back on the table. Maybe, in a roundabout sort of way it is the catalyst that will move us closer to the end of partition and the reunification of Ireland.
I was, earlier, writing in response to Jessica that we are a dreadfully corrupt nation, however Joe, I meant our politicial class, our people I doubt.
Forgive the sarcasm Father. I recall, c. Feb.1974, on instruction from the Grannie in Monaghan, stopping at Fane Valley in Armagh to obtain a carton of Butter, then cheaper in the six than the twenty six.
There was usually a customs civil servant standing at the Monaghan building and he searched the boot, removed the offending butter and agreed it would be placed in their fridge ’til we were coming down the road.
On heading back we stopped and, somehow, the customs officials on duty could not find this commodity, then more expensive in Castleblaney or Ballybay.
I was at this time less than ten years and had yet to read Law’s, I am afraid my mother did not have receipt for her purchase from na Custaim.
Corruption in Irish government. It will return and so, if you have goods siezed, even though, as with my Grannies butter, legal in 1974, get receipt, picture the civil servant and demand repayment, or go by smugglers path.
‘The hut is still there and it won’t be long till the customs men and maybe women are back checking goods going into the EU –that is if something isn’t done to make it a customs free zone.’
We have had much talk from Theresa May about a ‘frictionless border’, but as the negotiations become more complex, she may consider us to be expendable, should it means she gets a better deal for England, and as usual, we’ll be left sucking hind tit!
The options appear to be to either side with the UK or stick with the EU
I don’t believe that we can or should even try to ride two horses
still no explanation as to why labours open border policy caused the need for checkpoints.or maybe you approve of illegal immigrants,people traffickers,criminal gangs ect coming and going as they please unchecked.as your a supporter of the police it seems a strange position to take.
Billy, forgive me if I am wrong but, you do appear to have an irrational obsession with immigrants.
I admit, I do have some concern with the high level of immigration into Ireland post 1996, in particular the impact this is having upon our health, social and educational services but, while this should be controlled it is unnecessary to have it impact virtually each aspect of debate, again, if I am incorrect I apologise.
Is this the only reason for upsets in Irish society?
I can recall 1992, there was a gang patrolling Belfast south whose sole aim, at night, was to gain fun beating up individuals because they were walking around alone, successful if they were untrained by the military, thankfully I was a member of the Irish Army so defence was easy but, many immigrants do what 1960/70 West Indians in Britain called ‘shit work’, essentially the work indigenous persons did or would not do.
Yes, the excuse is made that without immigration we would not be able to run the health service, equally, without immigrants the strains upon the health service would not be so severe but this would be easily overcome with control similar to that in Canada or Australia, would this suit yourself and remove what, to a reasonable me, appears obsessional?
no its not obsessional,its countering the lies being spread by the lefties that their coming to enrich our and our childrens lives.their not.yes some sort of points system will have to be put in place,i would imagine that would be work in progress at the minute along with new laws for the ones already here.in between times its not time to sit back and think brexit has sorted the problem.
It will be very interesting,Billy, to see if Brexit stops all this criminality.
well fio it all depends how you would view criminality,its criminal for the remain camp now they have been defeated not to tell the people the truth how open borders are destroying towns and cities across europe.so yes it will stop this coming to the north,the south wont be as lucky as we are seeing already.ordinary decent criminals will carry on as usual brexit or no brexit as many see it as their duty.nothing will change much,maybe a ten minute delay crossing over i think the remoaners were making a mountain out of a mole hill.