Mainland Brits, how many of you have been to N Ireland?
Discussion
silobass said:
Spent a long weekend golfing in Portrush about 15 years ago and have also been on a stag do in Belfast. Cracking times and a lovely place to visit. I do think about going again as I'd like to go to the NW200 one year.
I worked at the Ulster GP last year, by the finish line. The fastest lads are hitting 199.5 mph on that bit, on a road I would be reluctant to get much over 70 on!Also been once for a holiday.
irish boy said:
Interesting thread. I live about 15 miles out of Belfast, I've traveled extensively but always love coming home and can't imagine settling anywhere else.
Anytime I visit the mainland I spend the first day or 2 saying hello and nodding to random people before I learn when they scowl back. I generally limit my visits now to work or lifting a car.
Overall it is a great place to live. A proper community feel and as a previous poster said if trouble strikes people are self sacrificing in their desire to help. Our 6 month old had a 4 week spell in hospital in January and we had food/shopping brought to our door every day by friends and neighbours, we had endless lifts, visits, meals prepared etc etc. Now that we're out of the woods my wife is always fussing about someone or other who is in need of something.
Loads to see and do for visitors too, the north coast is lovely for both tourists and keen drivers, as is the county down coast/ards peninsula. Across the border in Donegal is fascinating too, postcard Ireland with thatch/turf fires and superb food. Belfast is very cosmopolitan now with everything that comes with that.
Yet one more benefit of being British.Anytime I visit the mainland I spend the first day or 2 saying hello and nodding to random people before I learn when they scowl back. I generally limit my visits now to work or lifting a car.
Overall it is a great place to live. A proper community feel and as a previous poster said if trouble strikes people are self sacrificing in their desire to help. Our 6 month old had a 4 week spell in hospital in January and we had food/shopping brought to our door every day by friends and neighbours, we had endless lifts, visits, meals prepared etc etc. Now that we're out of the woods my wife is always fussing about someone or other who is in need of something.
Loads to see and do for visitors too, the north coast is lovely for both tourists and keen drivers, as is the county down coast/ards peninsula. Across the border in Donegal is fascinating too, postcard Ireland with thatch/turf fires and superb food. Belfast is very cosmopolitan now with everything that comes with that.
Echo66 said:
This ^. Its only the arsewipes on the republican side who call it derry. Always have done the chippy morons. They've been vandalising the signage for ever. I did multiple tours in that s
thole of a province & they won't change. The signage since the GFA has begun to use Derry to appease the retards whenthey go all snowflake about anything 'Brit' especially in the border areas.
Yeah, I suppose having your type around would make the natives a bit "chippy". That doesn't make them morons or arsewipes though. thole of a province & they won't change. The signage since the GFA has begun to use Derry to appease the retards whenthey go all snowflake about anything 'Brit' especially in the border areas. 
Cotty said:
nonsequitur said:
Cotty said:
nonsequitur said:
Cotty said:
Never been to Ireland (North or South) or Scotland. Been to Wales a couple of times. Just never really interested me.
?
minimalist said:
Echo66 said:
This ^. Its only the arsewipes on the republican side who call it derry. Always have done the chippy morons. They've been vandalising the signage for ever. I did multiple tours in that sthole of a province & they won't change. The signage since the GFA has begun to use Derry to appease the retards whenthey go all snowflake about anything 'Brit' especially in the border areas.
Yeah, I suppose having your type around would make the natives a bit "chippy". That doesn't make them morons or arsewipes though. thole of a province & they won't change. The signage since the GFA has begun to use Derry to appease the retards whenthey go all snowflake about anything 'Brit' especially in the border areas. i suspect echo66's perception of NI is coloured by his experience of NI just as mine is, I would never travel back there by choice ever again.
splodge s4 said:
I did actually go back around 99ish, I left the Army in 92, I remember very well when we sat in a cafe up North with my girlfriend at the time & after we had a cup of tea & paid the waitress looked me up & down & said 'so what regiment are you then?' Doh, is it that obvious!
squeaky bum time?Eric Mc said:
It was changed - and then it was changed back.
"The district of Derry and Strabane was created in 2015, subsuming a district created in 1973 with the name "Londonderry", which changed to "Derry" in 1984."
That only applies to the council. The official name is Londonderry, but for obvious demographic reasons, Derry is more prevalent (there are attempts every so often to remove the Royal prerogative that gives the official name - none successful so far). The London was added (by the locals!) during the Plantation years as a sign of gratitude for the various Livery companies that provided trade and industry - and set up my old school."The district of Derry and Strabane was created in 2015, subsuming a district created in 1973 with the name "Londonderry", which changed to "Derry" in 1984."
kicks said:
Londonderry is not recognised in the Republic of Ireland. Every map and road sign says Derry. So if nationalists want to call it Derry let them. Better than sending in soldiers to police them.
Thats also changing now - if you apply for an Irish passport and put Londonderry as place of birth, they'll send you passport saying Londonderry. The joys of the GFA. Although I doubt you'll ever see Londonderry on a roadside in the Republic. Edited by Ian Lancs on Wednesday 17th May 20:26
splodge s4 said:
It really made me think what the hell am I doing here if just standing up makes it so obvious. I just laughed & said i left a long time ago, then we got out a dodge snell macken
have to admit its not something i want to put to the test, to many very lonely places to get lost in over therebloomen said:
I am a mainland British person. I am also literally the only person I know who has ever been to Northern Ireland. I find this rather strange. Everyone I mentioned it to seemed to find it weirdly exotic.
Masses had been to Dublin but it never seemed to occur to them to head across the border.
What of yourselves?
I've got friends and colleagues who are from NI originally although they all live in southern England now so I've only been once for a wedding. Would gladly go back, I really enjoyed it apart from the weather.Masses had been to Dublin but it never seemed to occur to them to head across the border.
What of yourselves?
Edited by bloomen on Monday 15th May 19:51
North as a student in the 70s during the troubles. For love! F-king scary it was. Several times was told to stop talking as my accent was dangerous! Going into the guarded shopping centre turnstile with my hands in my pockets. Soldier: "Get your hands out of your pockets and in the air". Me:"Its ok I'm English" (Oh how naive I was...). Soldier:"I don't care if you're the f-king Queen, get your hands out of your pockets". Some thing told me compliance was the only sensible thing to do. Twenty odd years later one of those soldiers who did 7 tours became one of my best friends. Going into bars could be scary as well. Great countryside and people though once you leave the problems out of it.
South many times on business.
South many times on business.
I go over quite a bit, got family on the north coast in Ballygally, also in Donegal and Mayo so the drive up through Scotland, the ferry over to Larne and out the coast and over to Mayo is pretty special. Larne is a bit grim though.
I visit Belfast quite a bit but only the centre really for nights out, its certainly making vast strides towards being a fantastic city. I remember being like 8 or 9 and in a big shopping centre with my uncle when there was a bomb scare, st my pants hearing the sirens going off and seeing everyone ecacuated. Turned out to be a viable car bomb if I recall.
I visit Belfast quite a bit but only the centre really for nights out, its certainly making vast strides towards being a fantastic city. I remember being like 8 or 9 and in a big shopping centre with my uncle when there was a bomb scare, s
t my pants hearing the sirens going off and seeing everyone ecacuated. Turned out to be a viable car bomb if I recall.Echo66 said:
My facts are right & i've been to the sthole enough times to know its history. Its called Londonderry, we changed it years ago, just like we changed the names of pretty much every other place we've taken possession of. Irrelevant.
Londonderry it became because of the Derry names' significance to the the republic crowd. It was part of wholesale snub, just like the BFO hillside taunt in Cyprus. Ppl can call it timbuktu if they want, it doest matter, but its official name in the UK is londonderry despite the whining of the sinn fein/IRA lot.
Did you ever serve in Derry by chance?thole enough times to know its history. Its called Londonderry, we changed it years ago, just like we changed the names of pretty much every other place we've taken possession of. Irrelevant.Londonderry it became because of the Derry names' significance to the the republic crowd. It was part of wholesale snub, just like the BFO hillside taunt in Cyprus. Ppl can call it timbuktu if they want, it doest matter, but its official name in the UK is londonderry despite the whining of the sinn fein/IRA lot.
Odhran said:
Echo66 said:
My facts are right & i've been to the sthole enough times to know its history. Its called Londonderry, we changed it years ago, just like we changed the names of pretty much every other place we've taken possession of. Irrelevant.
Londonderry it became because of the Derry names' significance to the the republic crowd. It was part of wholesale snub, just like the BFO hillside taunt in Cyprus. Ppl can call it timbuktu if they want, it doest matter, but its official name in the UK is londonderry despite the whining of the sinn fein/IRA lot.
Did you ever serve in Derry by chance?thole enough times to know its history. Its called Londonderry, we changed it years ago, just like we changed the names of pretty much every other place we've taken possession of. Irrelevant.Londonderry it became because of the Derry names' significance to the the republic crowd. It was part of wholesale snub, just like the BFO hillside taunt in Cyprus. Ppl can call it timbuktu if they want, it doest matter, but its official name in the UK is londonderry despite the whining of the sinn fein/IRA lot.
Just to illustrate how ridiculous things still are in some areas......
http://www.donegaldaily.com/2017/05/14/controversy...
It won't change for at least another generation, until those who lived through the 80s as teens, got involved in the criminal organisations of either side, have pegged it or grown up. I despise the bigots & scumbags on both sides of the divide & hope they die off in many painful & prolonged ways.
Echo66 said:
Odhran said:
Echo66 said:
My facts are right & i've been to the sthole enough times to know its history. Its called Londonderry, we changed it years ago, just like we changed the names of pretty much every other place we've taken possession of. Irrelevant.
Londonderry it became because of the Derry names' significance to the the republic crowd. It was part of wholesale snub, just like the BFO hillside taunt in Cyprus. Ppl can call it timbuktu if they want, it doest matter, but its official name in the UK is londonderry despite the whining of the sinn fein/IRA lot.
Did you ever serve in Derry by chance?thole enough times to know its history. Its called Londonderry, we changed it years ago, just like we changed the names of pretty much every other place we've taken possession of. Irrelevant.Londonderry it became because of the Derry names' significance to the the republic crowd. It was part of wholesale snub, just like the BFO hillside taunt in Cyprus. Ppl can call it timbuktu if they want, it doest matter, but its official name in the UK is londonderry despite the whining of the sinn fein/IRA lot.
Just to illustrate how ridiculous things still are in some areas......
http://www.donegaldaily.com/2017/05/14/controversy...
It won't change for at least another generation, until those who lived through the 80s as teens, got involved in the criminal organisations of either side, have pegged it or grown up. I despise the bigots & scumbags on both sides of the divide & hope they die off in many painful & prolonged ways.
Don't take me for a Republican sympathiser, I'm an Englishman who's lived in NI for 30+ years, and detests the place. However, I don't think gung-ho sh*t-stirring really helps the peace process. In your defence, I've noticed that the majority of posts on here which condemn NI are from people who served Her Majesty back in the bad days. It can't have been much fun.
Those were the days. Even when I came here in 1982 it was still all "high-alert" although it was the beginning of the end. I recall someone had his Lancia Beta blown-up by controlled explosion because he left it unattended whilst he popped back to his office to get some paperwork (serves him right for buying a Beta). Just a visit to Marks & Spencer resulted in bag searches, my home town had barriers put down at 9pm to stop traffic entering the town centre at night. You never knew who to talk to, and what you could say. Weird. I was talking to a solicitor in a bar in Belfast who was from South Down, and he said to me (after several pints) "you're English, what are you doing here?" and I naively mentioned this to an associate who worked in Kilkeel. A couple of days later I got a phone call saying he'd had it dealt with! God knows what happened - I just kept schtum. Hopefilly the guy got a verbal warning to be nice to guests in their country.
Went by motorbike with OH in the mid 90s for the NW 200. We stayed in Larne. Friends warned us not to leave our bike unseen. So feeling brave after the racing we parked, walked into a crowded pub which then fell silent and everyone stared at us. Took a deep breath and ordered our drinks and hearing our English accents the locals welcomed us like old friends, phew!!
Apart from the lovely memories of the racing and the kindness of everyone we met, I have an awful memory of Joey Dunlop's pub. It was filthy dirty, as for the ladies loo, it was vile.
Apart from the lovely memories of the racing and the kindness of everyone we met, I have an awful memory of Joey Dunlop's pub. It was filthy dirty, as for the ladies loo, it was vile.
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