There are those who shed a tear for yesteryear, when Orange Order bands could parade wherever they wanted to, housing was allocated on the basis of religious affiliation, and the RUC was 95% Protestant and 100% unionist. Dry your eyes, friends. Think Casement Park. We’ve still got our foot on the fenian neck.
Ravenhill got a nice refurbishment, starting in 2012. This involved building three new stands, with the Memorial End stand providing seating for 2,500 and terracting for 1, 350. At the Aquinas End Stand, seating was provided for 3,200, and a new grandstand was built for 3200.
Windsor Park has been refurbished since 2015. It got a nice new surface to the pitch itself. The South and East stands were refurbished for modern spectator and media facilities. The North stand had refurbished seat, floodlight mast and floodlights brought up to spec. The IFA developed the West Stand.
And Casement? Well, it was seen as such a good stadium, it’d be one of those on which tgames in he 2028 Euros would be played. The British Secretary of State of the day, Chris Heaton-Harris, told us not to worry, they’d find the money, relax, no sweat. He could guarantee that the stadium would be built to accommodate Euros spectators.
What happened? Well, lots of finger-pointing but not so much as a blade of grass attended to. We’re told that now there’s about £130 million still needed. Westminster, Stormont, Dublin and the GAA have all contributed, but there’s still that short-fall.
Bad luck for the fenians, eh lads? Dublin wasn’t involved in the funding of either Ravenhill or Windsor, but they still got done. In the case of Casement, London, Dublin, the GAA have all forked out, and yet Casement is short by £130 million, approx.
All that could change on Wednesday next, of course, when we’re told that there’s going to be an important announcement. It’s a bit like civil rights. If those holding the levers of power are confronted by those seeking equal treatment, it’ll take a decade or two and probably some bloodshed before equality is squeezed painfully out of those at the top of the power pyramid.
And those who tell us that a great majority of people, including nationalists and republicans, are really quite happy with the spanking-new NEI may have to do a bit of revisionism.
There’s only one word for the lies about and neglect of Casement: discrimination. Charlie Haughey, it seems, was right decades ago: NEI is “a failed political entity”. And if you listen, you’ll hear a neglected Casement Park shouting that fact aloud every day.
Interesting reflections! What comes to mind is the old adage :The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Appears the mind set of those who control theStae have not changed one iota. Casement has been the litmus test. A bit of spin doctoring but bigotory seems to be alive and kicking.Sinn Fein leadership too keen to demonstrate what lovely people they are!
I agree with Hannah. Republicans/Nationalists have obviously bought into the new dispensation, hence lobbying in London, once regarded as the heart of the beast. Obviously nobody, apart from fanatics wants to go back to the bad old days. However that means we have to rely on unionist/British fair play. Not a great template for equality if past results are any indication.
Thank you ,Another Jude, for your comment. I am daring to think that NI PLC is a failed political entity . Despite all the spin around te GFA no real evidence those we elect can run the country or,indeed, that the system can work.Part of the problem is extremely weak leadership.