What can anyone tell me about the current culture and situation in Ireland as a whole?

[C. Ford]

Dia duit! What can anyone tell me about Ireland in general?

[Gregory]

You are right Bill, Alex is learning more everyday about Irish history. Me too.

There is more down below

[Gregory]

Your shillelagh looks just like my Grampa's walking stick. Yes you are right about the description of a cudgel. I was trying to steer Alex away from a staff...your photo should clear it up.
The Battle of the Boyne is the time period that I meant. I had Cromwell on my mind so my dating was a little wonky. As not all the Irish are independent, 1921 is still unfinished business... more of that Irish developing...one island one people stuff.

[Alexandre Boulet]

Northen Ireland is still under english government. I like to believe that Irish people who really want to live in the republic of Ireland and not in the U.K. have moves to the republic but it not that easy. You cannot just move to another country, you got to have money, work and who want to live their friend to go to their country when they are suppose to be in it since the dawn of man ?

I know that the flag of Ireland represent the peace between protestant and catholic... but the conflict in Northen Ireland have been resolved only this years, by the removing of soldier from Ulster. The major part of the goverment is composed of protestant... i don't know what the catholic think of that deep inside them... Those protestant come from England...if im right (hope im not wrong...)

[Gregory]

Yes the north is still under British rule. The issue has not been resolved,,,because the north is still under British rule. Over time the Irish will rule their own Island. Remember that the north is populated by the Irish. Some have ancestry going back a few 100 years and others even longer. Those protestant as you say may have a history with Britain but so do the catholic. The people living there are Irish as much as an anglophone born in Quebec is as much a Quebecor as a francaphone born in Quebec. As well someone born in Quebec is a Canadian.
Should an anglaphone living in Quebec move to an english province just because the ruling government rules in french? Should the white people move out of Canada because the Native nations were here first?
Remember that the Irish protestants living in the north are still Irish..Who cares if they are protestant, catholic or believers in the Old Ways. Should not anyone wanting to live there be able to live in peace?
Living together in peace, regardless of the political or religious beliefs is a high goal to attain, but is it not worth reaching for?
Yes it is so easy for us who live so far away (physically, emotionally, etc.) from what is happening over there, to say what should be. I'm sure that it is nothing new for the people right in the middle of it. What it is like to live in a country where the people with the most guns rule the rest?...hmm like what happened here. First the Natives were shot, then the French were shot, then the British took control. Does that mean that they are still in charge here? No Canadians run our own country. Do the Natives and the french still get mistreated? Sure do! Do the english in Quebec get mistreated. Sure do! Is it right? Not at all.
The Irish flag represents the coming together of people from from different places (physically & religiously) to live together. That is part of the Irish heritage...welcoming and sharing.
O.k., I can sure go on...as one who lived in Quebec and left because of language harassment, I am the first to admit, my views are jaded. As a Canadian with Irish roots , both catholic & protestant, I find I can get a little wrapped up (OK more than a little) in the whole thing. My native roots are Celtic and predate the Canadian, catholic and protestant ones. Arrgggh, I did say I could go on a bit...but be the Irish in me. hahahahaha

[Alexandre Boulet]

I think your right ! I don't know how religious the Irish are but i have read in a book called (L'irlandais sans peine) it a book for learning Gaelic that the republic is strongly catholic not like here... In Quebec, i don't know about the rest of the province, but here we are born catholic but it very easy not to practice... There no religion course in the school and our church lack funding....

In Canada, you can be Christian, Boudhist or have other view and you can still work and live as you please.

But before the end of the conflict Catholic Irish was been chase by the police just because they were catholic. That why i tought that maybe... if these people had enough that would move to a place were the catholic live free and happy and where they are in majority...to avoid all those problem.

Actually my heritage are from Ulster and from ''the last to fall'' city Derry.

I have learn from this city that frontier is just ligns on a map... And from Erin point of view ( a friend at L.I that come from Kilkenny and here since 3 years) All Ireland is the republic and not just just the south...

Greg, i would definitly want to learn more about the Old ways? to you know something about it ? i don't know if you heard the song from Loreena McKennit who is called The old ways and she says that they are lost, i don't know if it the same old way... hey !

[Gregory]

Hmmm how religious the Irish are...there is this little known Irish religious leader who's birthday is celebrated in March... I don't what kind of party that is held in Montreal but here in Ottawa we have a parade. hahahaha. The Celtic Catholic Church was centered out of Ireland and quite different from the Roman Catholic. Thats a whole other direction to go....
I know of many people living in Quebec who cannot work/live as they please because they are anglaphone. There are quite a few francaphones in the rest of Canada with similar problems. In Ottawa, you just need to look at the construction industry. If you live in Ontario, you cannot work in Quebec. If you live in Quebec, you can work over here, but not for an Ontario company.
There is still a North and South, if even in the minds of the people living there. It is good to here that the border is just a line on the map. When I was there in 2000, I was warned not to drive my car from the south to the north.
When the political, military, legal control for all of Ireland is held in one Parliment (Irish) then will it be united?? Will there still be problems?
My Old Ways are a little unusual due to the Native influences in my life. Depending on what your background is the old ways, can mean different things. There are a couple groups that I am sure have members in Montreal. Google for the "Order of Obates, Bards and Druids" and the "ADF". They can put you in touch with other ones as well.

[Alexandre Boulet]

So you say that the old way are the way of the druid and the more celtic way of living hey ? that what i taught. I did not know about the difficulty of work between Ontario and Quebec but that do not sound good.

The problem with the border seem less dangerous then before because i saw an add in the magazine Ireland of the welcomes ( published in Dublin) that do publicity to go visit Derry that is actually in Northen ireland ( in fact just on the line of the border) So maybe now there less problem with border in 2007... because they would not advertize it if we could get in trouble...

I will definitly check google for the Old way (Order of Obates, Bards and Druids, ADF) could be interesting.

Here in Montreal we have a lot of festivities for St Patric !!! a parade and a lot of clubs have St Patrick party and beer with green colour mix to it !! Even on TV a lot of station present Irish music and shows it a big fun :)
That how i discovered about Leahy a irish family living in Ontario...

[Vadakin]

Just to correct something that someone said earlier...the national sport of Ireland isn't rugby, it's a game called hurling (wiki it) which is considered to be the most skillful and quickest team sport in the world.

The game itself dates back to at least 100 BC, the time of Cuchulainn, and probably long before that. If you've never seen it, you can probably find clips on Youtube.

[Vadakin]

It's a little known fact among Irish people today, that for all our talk of Catholicism, the Pope is actually the one responsible for British Rule in Ireland.

When England was first going to invade, the Pope at the time gave his permission. England was Catholic at the time, but Ireland wasn't. We were Christian, but not under the authority of the Catholic Church and the Pope wanted to bring Ireland into line with Catholicism so he gave the OK for the invasion.

It was only when Henry VIII left the Catholic Church that Rome's permission to have control over Ireland was revoked, by which time it was too late.

People talk about a united Ireland, but Ireland hasn't actually been united since Brian Boru conquered his enemies and united the old clans under his rule. That was a thousand years ago.

[Alexandre Boulet]

Hi Vadakin, what you said just shock me. I live in Canada , inQuébec. In Québec now we have almost abolish the religion that was too strong. They did terrible thing like sexual assault on children. These children could not say a word about it. You know what ? the more i learn about that religion the more i hate it and that the truth ... ( sorry for those who love that religion ) Here in Québec, the church are empty and they lack money, well too bad that there fault you know.

Slan agat :)

[Vadakin]

The religion itself had nothing to do with it. It was those within the religion that committed those unspeakable act. Catholicism itself is, I believe, a noble and worthy faith, but like any large organisation, there are those who will seek to corrupt for their own gain.

[Alexandre Boulet]

I totally agree with you, in fact thank you for clarifying that matter. In Fact i like the saint that have bring the message of the Christ to the world. I definitly believe in Jesus and God, i like the pope too. But it all the other person in the religion that i dislike. In Quebec in the years 1940 and before, all of those who was not roman Catholic were push into being protestant. It was not a choice of faith but a choice from the church that decided who's gonna be catholic or protestant to divide us... The church was so manipulating the people that they knew everything about them. That why we reject this religion. Like in france, we don't have a religion that bind all of the country. We are belivers but everybody have the right to believe what they want. I think that is a good way to live our faith.