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East Belfast GAC

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A new club has been formed called East Belfast GAC. The east of the city is a very staunch Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist area and this is a groundbreaking move. The new President is Linda Ervine who comes from a Unionist background and the club hopes to attract cross community members. I think they will be up against it in this area of the city but good luck to them. The only criticism I would have is that their new club badge contains images of the Harland and Wolff shipyard Cranes which tower over East Belfast. H & W was a notorious hotbed of Loyalist sedition and violence against the few Catholic workers that were employed there and It may draw a few murmurs and looks. Having said all this I do hope they prosper and succeed.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9294 - 19/07/2020 00:54:40    2284459

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You see here we are again with banners , flags & symbols. Anywhere there are contentious issues, and God knows Northern Ireland isn't without them , any reference, display or wearing of what is seen as being more associated with one party than the other is going to rise the blood. I suppose if you were to look at it from the other side of the fence , Loyalists / Protestants could have a few issues that they might not be to happy about within the GAA . The H & W shipyard was just one of the many places where there were brutal displays of bigotry I'm sure but it is of the past and part of that place and that time. If the club flourishes ,and it would seem unlikely , then surely this is a small price.

catch22 (USA) - Posts: 1647 - 19/07/2020 09:06:39    2284470

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Replying To Ulsterman:  "A new club has been formed called East Belfast GAC. The east of the city is a very staunch Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist area and this is a groundbreaking move. The new President is Linda Ervine who comes from a Unionist background and the club hopes to attract cross community members. I think they will be up against it in this area of the city but good luck to them. The only criticism I would have is that their new club badge contains images of the Harland and Wolff shipyard Cranes which tower over East Belfast. H & W was a notorious hotbed of Loyalist sedition and violence against the few Catholic workers that were employed there and It may draw a few murmurs and looks. Having said all this I do hope they prosper and succeed."
Great idea. And best wishes to them. On the crest thing I am sure they will see crest of some other clubs who they (Some) may feel uneasy about , so I wouldn't worry about the h and wolf thing too much. They can call themselves the titanics lol

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 17035 - 19/07/2020 09:09:55    2284471

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Replying To royaldunne:  "Great idea. And best wishes to them. On the crest thing I am sure they will see crest of some other clubs who they (Some) may feel uneasy about , so I wouldn't worry about the h and wolf thing too much. They can call themselves the titanics lol"
Should last about a week so !

catch22 (USA) - Posts: 1647 - 19/07/2020 10:14:35    2284475

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Replying To Ulsterman:  "A new club has been formed called East Belfast GAC. The east of the city is a very staunch Protestant/Unionist/Loyalist area and this is a groundbreaking move. The new President is Linda Ervine who comes from a Unionist background and the club hopes to attract cross community members. I think they will be up against it in this area of the city but good luck to them. The only criticism I would have is that their new club badge contains images of the Harland and Wolff shipyard Cranes which tower over East Belfast. H & W was a notorious hotbed of Loyalist sedition and violence against the few Catholic workers that were employed there and It may draw a few murmurs and looks. Having said all this I do hope they prosper and succeed."
The was a thread on this a couple of months ago when the plan to set up the club was first announced.

You will find more things to criticise so if the Harland and Wolff logo doesn't sit right with you. They also wont be playing Amhrann na bhFiann at games and intend to campaign for it to be dropped by the GAA nationwide in the long term.

Personally, I wish them every good luck. If it leads to a widening of appeal of the GAA and to people from the other tradition embracing our national games and identifying with them I am all for it and I would have no issue with any changes that come about to the non essentials such as possibly eventually dropping the anthem.

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1448 - 19/07/2020 10:18:28    2284478

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Class ive been hoping to see this for sometime, wish them every success and welcome, hopefully this is Gaelfest being effective also. I couldn't give a fiddlers about the H&W thing. Its very hard to stand at the top of cave hill and not look down on Belfast and see it as iconic, despite its partisan history, without minimizing that history.

Well done to those behind this and indeed those participating, far more challenging i would wager then any other club player just rocking up at training.

TheUsername (Dublin) - Posts: 3671 - 19/07/2020 10:22:22    2284481

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Replying To PoolSturgeon:  "The was a thread on this a couple of months ago when the plan to set up the club was first announced.

You will find more things to criticise so if the Harland and Wolff logo doesn't sit right with you. They also wont be playing Amhrann na bhFiann at games and intend to campaign for it to be dropped by the GAA nationwide in the long term.

Personally, I wish them every good luck. If it leads to a widening of appeal of the GAA and to people from the other tradition embracing our national games and identifying with them I am all for it and I would have no issue with any changes that come about to the non essentials such as possibly eventually dropping the anthem."
I think the flag would be the easiest to replace. There are a lot of flag options that would be acceptable to all sections of the community.
Anthems are a lot trickier and no obvious candidates.

zinny (Wexford) - Posts: 982 - 19/07/2020 13:02:39    2284489

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Replying To PoolSturgeon:  "The was a thread on this a couple of months ago when the plan to set up the club was first announced.

You will find more things to criticise so if the Harland and Wolff logo doesn't sit right with you. They also wont be playing Amhrann na bhFiann at games and intend to campaign for it to be dropped by the GAA nationwide in the long term.

Personally, I wish them every good luck. If it leads to a widening of appeal of the GAA and to people from the other tradition embracing our national games and identifying with them I am all for it and I would have no issue with any changes that come about to the non essentials such as possibly eventually dropping the anthem."
"They also wont be playing Amhrann na bhFiann at games and intend to campaign for it to be dropped by the GAA nationwide in the long term."

Nationwide? So a club in the UK is going to campaign to get the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland stopped being played in the Republic?

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 1115 - 19/07/2020 14:29:38    2284499

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Replying To catch22:  "You see here we are again with banners , flags & symbols. Anywhere there are contentious issues, and God knows Northern Ireland isn't without them , any reference, display or wearing of what is seen as being more associated with one party than the other is going to rise the blood. I suppose if you were to look at it from the other side of the fence , Loyalists / Protestants could have a few issues that they might not be to happy about within the GAA . The H & W shipyard was just one of the many places where there were brutal displays of bigotry I'm sure but it is of the past and part of that place and that time. If the club flourishes ,and it would seem unlikely , then surely this is a small price."
"You see here we are again with banners , flags & symbols...The H & W shipyard was just one of the many places where there were brutal displays of bigotry I'm sure but it is of the past and part of that place and that time."

The same as the Confederate flag?

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 1115 - 19/07/2020 14:33:30    2284500

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Replying To TheUsername:  "Class ive been hoping to see this for sometime, wish them every success and welcome, hopefully this is Gaelfest being effective also. I couldn't give a fiddlers about the H&W thing. Its very hard to stand at the top of cave hill and not look down on Belfast and see it as iconic, despite its partisan history, without minimizing that history.

Well done to those behind this and indeed those participating, far more challenging i would wager then any other club player just rocking up at training."
The cranes are iconic I agree and they dominate the city skyline so I can see why they chose them. We could all pick holes over flags, emblems, anthems no doubt but many people don't realise how sensitive and real these things are. That may sound ridiculous if you don't know the place but it's a fact of life. I hope the relevant authorities support the club and take swift action against those who will try to stifle and hinder them. As I say East Belfast would be a hotbed of militant Loyalism, a lot of whom are outside the mainstream groupings. Hopefully the cops will be on top of this......hopefully.

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9294 - 19/07/2020 14:41:24    2284501

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Replying To Ulsterman:  "The cranes are iconic I agree and they dominate the city skyline so I can see why they chose them. We could all pick holes over flags, emblems, anthems no doubt but many people don't realise how sensitive and real these things are. That may sound ridiculous if you don't know the place but it's a fact of life. I hope the relevant authorities support the club and take swift action against those who will try to stifle and hinder them. As I say East Belfast would be a hotbed of militant Loyalism, a lot of whom are outside the mainstream groupings. Hopefully the cops will be on top of this......hopefully."
Where is there matches being played? I'm just trying to think of a location in the east of the city that I would feel halfway comfortable walking to with GAA clothing on.

SaffronDon (Antrim) - Posts: 2020 - 19/07/2020 15:24:33    2284506

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Replying To Cockney_Cat:  ""You see here we are again with banners , flags & symbols...The H & W shipyard was just one of the many places where there were brutal displays of bigotry I'm sure but it is of the past and part of that place and that time."

The same as the Confederate flag?"
Anywhere there are contentious issues.

catch22 (USA) - Posts: 1647 - 19/07/2020 16:49:46    2284513

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Replying To catch22:  "Anywhere there are contentious issues."
So it's OK to have the highly contentious Harland and Wolff shipyard Cranes displayed on a badge, shirt or flag; but not the Confederate flag?

Cockney_Cat (UK) - Posts: 1115 - 19/07/2020 19:07:28    2284528

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Replying To Cockney_Cat:  ""They also wont be playing Amhrann na bhFiann at games and intend to campaign for it to be dropped by the GAA nationwide in the long term."

Nationwide? So a club in the UK is going to campaign to get the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland stopped being played in the Republic?"
Nothing wrong with that. The GAA is an all island organisation and is a democratic organisation. I dont see dropping the anthem being supported by the majority of GAA members anytime in the near or medium future , no more than I see a United Ireland happening in the near or medium future. I like the pageantry of the anthem being played before games myself but it is a non essential extra in my view and there is an argument to be made that it is played too often. Sometimes less is more. The GAA claims to be non political nowadays but when you frame the issue as being about a club in the UK campaigning to get the national anthem of the Republic stopped from being played in the Republic you are bringing politics with a big "P" into it as well as being partitionist. The GAA members of the whole island and globally will decide the policy on anthems if it ever comes up for review in the future and it doesn't matter if those members are in the UK or anywhere else on the planet.

PoolSturgeon (Galway) - Posts: 1448 - 19/07/2020 19:07:59    2284529

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Replying To catch22:  "Should last about a week so !"
Haha

royaldunne (Meath) - Posts: 17035 - 19/07/2020 19:10:25    2284531

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Replying To Cockney_Cat:  ""They also wont be playing Amhrann na bhFiann at games and intend to campaign for it to be dropped by the GAA nationwide in the long term."

Nationwide? So a club in the UK is going to campaign to get the national anthem of the Republic of Ireland stopped being played in the Republic?"
You'll find the club is in Ireland, our country's 2nd city. Are you one of the loyalists from east Belfast?

Tom1916 (Armagh) - Posts: 1931 - 19/07/2020 19:57:25    2284536

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Replying To Cockney_Cat:  "So it's OK to have the highly contentious Harland and Wolff shipyard Cranes displayed on a badge, shirt or flag; but not the Confederate flag?"
Is it ?

catch22 (USA) - Posts: 1647 - 19/07/2020 21:10:22    2284545

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Best of luck to them. Hopefully it will be a success.

Ollie2 (Louth) - Posts: 221 - 19/07/2020 21:19:03    2284549

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Replying To Cockney_Cat:  "So it's OK to have the highly contentious Harland and Wolff shipyard Cranes displayed on a badge, shirt or flag; but not the Confederate flag?"
Let's put it in the simplest terms possible for you. Seeing as these Loyalist / Protestants are taking a leap and becoming part of an organisation which is steeped in everything associated with Irishness and republicanism then yes , I think it is probably worth the effort to try and accommodate them in some small way. The GAA is a modern and inclusive sporting organisation. If a symbol of where you are from can exclude you then we may as well forget about inclusion.

catch22 (USA) - Posts: 1647 - 19/07/2020 21:27:30    2284552

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It is a bit strange to me that we have guys posting that still do not get the fact that there are 32 counties in Ireland. I do wish the new club well and hope it is a success, the more people play our games the better and everyone should be equal and welcomed.

browncows (Meath) - Posts: 2189 - 19/07/2020 21:36:49    2284554

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