“The way of life of a people, including their attitudes, values, beliefs, arts, sciences, modes of perception, and habits of thought and activity. Cultural features of forms of life are learned but are often too pervasive to be readily noticed from within” – the Oxford dictionary definition of ‘culture’. Unionists constantly claim, and I do mean constantly, that their culture is under threat, that it is being eroded sometimes by the smallest of requests and actions from any other section of society but more often than not it is requests of rights from Nationalism and Republicanism which get that reaction. When those of a different political or cultural hue, request or at times demand Loyalist parades by-pass a Catholic, Nationalist or Republican community or ‘area’ to quiet the threat of violence, those requests are met with the same chimes of cultural defamation or its even been described as cultural genocide.
The campaign called ‘Reroute the Flute’ was an example of this in so much as contentious Loyalist parades were asked to reroute around or away from communities of a Catholic or Nationalist persuasion to stem violence at flash point areas and create calm between communities. More often than not, the requests to reroute a parade were denied because of a little-known thing called “Traditional routes.” See Garvaghy Road as an example of how seriously these ‘traditional-routes are taken. Loyalist paramilitaries even fired on the British army at one stage during the initial Garvaghy Road blockade. The problem with many Loyalist parades is that they march straight through or skirt very close to Nationalist areas more often than not hurling abuse at the Nationalist residents within and those residents have every right not to be subjected to either the sectarian music or indeed the abuse that comes with it at times.
Even during the Covid pandemic Loyalists exercised their right to march throughout their own estates and communities advising onlookers to stay within their own gardens as per Covid regulations. My point being, even a global pandemic failed to stop Unionists enjoying their culture and for a change, it didn’t affect anyone else. Before the pandemic hit, Loyalists planned and marched over 3000 parades every year with few being rerouted.
Queens Bridge, Belfast, not to be confused of course with the adjacent Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, was opened in 1849. The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge was opened in 1966 and was initially to be named the Carson Bridge. The Albert Bridge, Belfast was completed in 1890 and was named after Queen Victoria’s grandson, Prince Albert Victor. Kings Bridge, Belfast was opened in 1912 and is named after King George V. Shaw’s Bridge is the name given to two adjacent bridges across the River Lagan. One of the bridges was first built in 1655 by Captain John Shaw of Cromwell’s army. This bridge was made out of oak and was replaced with a stone bridge in 1698…and that’s just Belfast.
Victoria Street, once named Cow Lane.
Albert Street and Road.
Royal Avenue, one of Belfast’s main commercial centres, was once called John Street (top end) and Hercules Street (lower end) and was named after Irish politician and landowner Sir Hercules Langford Rowley.
Carlisle Circus named after the Earl of Carlisle, Viceroy of Ireland.
Queens Island.
Carrickfergus Castle.
Buildings, bridges and more, named after British royals. Statues dedicated to the British military. Streets named after genocidal British adventurers, the biggest day in the Orange calendar is a public holiday, celebrations of which are shown live on TV on numerous channels and paid for by those the very day is biased against. Someone please show me British ‘culture’ under attack? It’s time for the media to start challenging Loyalists and Unionists on their own misconception or downright lies that their culture is being eroded.
The real problem is the last statement in the definition of ‘culture’ – “Cultural features of forms of life are learned but are often too pervasive to be readily noticed from within.” Unionism doesn’t see how well it has been looked after in regard to culture. While Nationalism and others have complained about how intrusive Unionist culture actually is and how downright sectarian it is at times, Unionism and Loyalism just don’t see it, or more accurately, refuse to see it. The culture has almost evolved from one of suppression and oppression of ‘Irishness’ and Catholicism, to one which is now geared toward simply surviving and halting Irish and Nationalist culture, and we arrived at this point because Unionism overplayed its cultural hand.
Loyalists refused to acknowledge Irish culture, they refused to acknowledge that the Irish on this island have a right to a culture and more importantly that Irish citizens in the 6 Counties have a right to an Irish culture rather than a British one. An Irish Language Act does not diminish British or Loyalist culture but more accepts the fact that Irish and British are equal. To deny that fact harks back to the days when Irish were subservient to British landlords and those days are gone.
I’ll say it again for those at the back, those accustomed to see equality as oppression. Nothing Irish Nationalists do is eroding Loyalist culture…they are simply demanding what they rightfully deserve, that being equality.
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