I was on the Nolan radio programme this morning, talking about Linfield-Glasgow Celtic match this evening. I’ll try to put up the audio clip from it but here’s a summary of my thoughts on the matter.
- There are no tickets for Celtic supporters to attend Windsor Park. If that’s because they fear for their safety, then Linfield would need to have a serious look at its past record in these matters and change its reputation. If it’s because a cock-up or stupid judgement has been made by Celtic, that is unfortunate. But I still don’t want to dip into my pocket so the Celtic supporters can watch the game on a big screen at the Devenish Hotel, which is what will happen if Belfast City Council funds the Devenish viewing with £15,000.
- Damian Quinn is to be part of the pre-match entertainment. I gather he sings songs about the killing of eighteen British soldiers at Narrow Water.If he is going to sing that or similar songs, I don’t want a penny of mine supporting it. We’ve enough clowns marching year after year, decade after decade, celebrating another battle 300 + years ago. And my money (and yours) is used to support their marches, not least by expense on policing.
- If Damian Quinn is NOT going to be singing partisan songs, there’s no reason why he shouldn’ t appear and sing other songs. If we’re going to ban him for past actions, an awful lot of Orange bands will not be allowed to play another note.
- If people really want to exult over their neighbour, swagger and insult, fine, do it behind closed doors and stop taking my money (and yours) for doing so. I mean, are we mad?
- I watch a lot of soccer and Gaelic football on TV. It costs me – the TV itself and then Sky Sports. That’s my choice – I’m paying to see these games, just as someone attending a game in person pays for his/her ticket. If we’d be furious if someone insisted we buy their ticket, why in God’s name aren’t we furious that we’re being forced to fund people who want to watch the game on a big screen at the Devenish hotel? It really is time that people took responsibility for their actions and paid for what they do. That applies to watching football and to the never-ending procession of Orange and other bands. We’re paying to be insulted? I mean, are we mad or what?
Here’s the Nolan show link:
Although Celtic are reported to have turned their allocation down on the grounds of safety, we should consider that the PSNI have been stretched this week with overtime and probably could not afford to cover the game if several thousand Celtic supporters were to attend. The excuse is that they don’t another fine or their ground closed.
There should be no need for a council subventions to the Devenish. A fiend who lives in the area says that Devenish will not be doing extra to what they normally provide on other match days, therefore, they should be able to make provision from their normal budget.
Last I thought you were being reasonable in your statement to Fattest show etc. George (from the Shankill ) was wrong, there is a connection money donated to PULC events even if he denies it.
Post birthday grumps?
You lost me early on in this , Jude.It was a Celtic decision, I understand, not to take up their ticket allocation and to advise their fans to stay away from the ground. . The real dilemma here will be Celtic supporting Linfield fans and there must be surely be some.
I wanted to ring in with regard to the song aired by Nolan but knew there was no point as per usual my point would have been ignored..I wanted Stevie to play “the boys of Kilmichael” which I have heard on RTE dozens of times over the years without a whimper.This “celebrates” a particularly gory wipe out of an entire 2 lorry patrol of Black and Tans and most definitely does not hold back in terms of gloating.”Our banners in triumph were waving” is one of the final lines.The Paras here in the 70s would have been comparable to the tans in Cork in the 20s and so the two songs are highly similar in tone and context.If the presence of anyone who ever sang a rebel song is to render an event beyond the pale,a list of non permissable performers would include- half of Leinster house, the freestate soccer team and dozens of top rate singers like Christy Moore,Damian Dempsey,Shane McGowan or deceased icons like Paul Robeson,Luke Kelly or even John Lennon.Personally I did,nt like Damian Quinns effort and would much prefer “the boys of Kilmichael” or “Sean South of Garryowen”.The latter I have even seen performed at weddings when even the mildest people there are roaring out about “lorry loads of volounteer approaching border towns”!
Funny you should mention “paying for the pleasure of others” Jude.It’s perfectly reasonable to want to bail out of that duty I should think.although plenty of folks such as yourselfenjoy watching football, i’m not one of those who picked up the habit.It becomes all a bit too tribal for my tastes anyway.i often wonder how someone living hundreds of miles away can get attached to a football team from another town or city across the globe, but different strokes for different folks. Paying for their pleasure is another thing entirely. i womder could i get a local grant to go and see a concert I might fancy. On another tack 2paying for the pleasure ” has also popped up in reference to damage done by nearby mighty bonfires in Belfast. now that really is paying for the pleasure .In this case the residents whose properties have been damaged want to know who ponies up for the damage caused.Apparently the NI Office has no magical fund like Theresa May’s Magic Money Tree to pay for the damage and so the folks in the street want to know who the bill should be sent to for lighting the bonfire in the first place . That might be an interesting one for their insurance companies …if it is possible to get insurance to live in this crazy place. The fire services apparently did sterling work on their behalf and I suppose we all paid for that part of it …. but who bears responsiblity for the damage done ?…..Now there’s a question alright.
‘The fire services apparently did sterling work on their behalf.’
Or they may have prevented any damage from occurring by hosing down the bonfire – but then maybe that is a sacrilegious suggestion in this benighted sick counties!
Well….Sherdy , given that they hosed down the houses to possibly keep them cool and stop them from going on fire , it is possible that they might be blamed for causing the windows to break ….cold water hitting hot glass and so on, if you see what i mean.Then the fire services will have to accrue the money from whoever lit the bonfireto cover their own bill to the poor householder whose windows they might have accidentally cracked while trying to save the houses…I wonder what the insurance rates are like living in a street like that, eh?
Q: Whence the flames with which the fire service had to struggle this year? And last year? And the year before? And…Wouldn’t it be interesting to draw up a total spent on fire service, cop time etc for the OO and related bonfire /marching events for, say, the past 10 years? And yet anyone who utters a peep is denounced as an enemy of Orange culture…
It remains to be seen if insurance companies will cover the costs of damaged buildings. As it is, I believe the abdication of their responsibilities in regulating bonfires should mean our public bodies pay up.
When Mr and Mrs Malone Road face a an increase in their rates to cover the costs of bonfires then they may be inclined to raise the subject with their local representative. I’ve a feeling then we may see regulation.
Maybe the insurance companies will deem bonfires “an act of god” …like a lightning strike
or storm damage …and simply wash their hands of any involvement……we’re back in Sungod worshipping territory then …..now there’s a thought….”It’s our religion, innit?”
I’m not particularly fond of classical music or theatre but my taxes help fund these events – from the lyric theatre to Ulster orchestra concerts in botanic gardens, all funded by Belfast City Council.
I see no reason why football fans shouldn’t be catered for if the event warrants. Fanzones are the norm in most cities for European soccer games.