63 Comments

• STEVENSTAR | Mar 20, 2012, 07:42 PM EDT

  AS AN IRISH PERSON LIVING IN DUBLIN IRELAND THIS WAS MOST CERTAINLY THE HIGHLIGHT OF MOST IRISH PEOPLES 2011 AND WE WERE JUST SAD THAT MY GRAN DIDNT LIVE TO SEE HER COME OVER ON HERE VISIT ... HERE TO OUR STRONGER BOND WITH THE UK ...

• IrelandNorth | Jan 09, 2012, 08:36 AM EST

  Interesting how she referred to relationship between her UK, and Ireland at the ooutset, and concluding with reference to the Commonwealth and the "importanbce of family." To anyone with theier ear to the ground, it's fairly clear what she may have on her mind.

• seanomelbourne | Jan 01, 2012, 11:48 PM EST

  Well said eiriamach I have not seen the poll that you mention,but if that is the case I suppopse the devil will be in the detail.I agree there would have to be some way of recognising all symbols maybe the four province cartouche on a plain background.A form of autonomy for the north of Ireland defeats the purpose of unification.

• DanOLoingsigh | Dec 30, 2011, 09:44 PM EST

  Gearoid4 - some well-argued points. If the two parts come together as equals, then all the old symbols - on each side - will be up for review. This includes the flag, National Anthem, role of the languages, etc etc. The question really is - how high a price are we prepared to pay for unity? Discuss...

• Gearoid4 | Dec 30, 2011, 09:27 PM EST

  I believe that Ireland will be united but the complexion of that unity may not be along the same lines as advocated by Irish nationalists in the past i.e national parliament in Dublin administering over the whole Island. A devolved parliament in the north with considerable autonomy may be the way forward. I admit that the current economic facts, north and south, act as a sobering argument against contemplating such a political set-up but the illogicality of two government systems with their duplicated bodies/agencies in the Educational,Health,Tourist and Employment sectors etc across the Island, mitigates against the people of Ireland reaching their full potential as a people. A comprehensive program of socio-economic reform and re-alignment and amalgamation of competing government bodies north and south, could greatly help this process.

• eiriamach | Dec 30, 2011, 02:30 PM EST

  ciaradexy, of course the Republic cannot afford to take on NI problems now, and people in the 6 counties don't trust the Republic to regain control of its own economy, so the flow of money through the UK umbilical cord will continue for now. But so will investment and sales for NI from the Republic. A majority of Protestants and near-half of Catholics were content with the progress of devolution, if I recall the stats from recent polling. A sense of fair treatment can defuse anger from memories of the Troubles, and that era may take its place in the centuries' old volatile history. On June 17, 2011, the Belfast Telegraph reported that 82% of Protestants would accept re-unification if a referendum yielded that result. But I wonder: is the Catholic-Protestant split the best way to read the polls going forward? How long will this split continue to determine how people imagine their future? I now leave this topic with these questions raised because, as an American, I don't get any vote in the matter. Best New Year wishes!

• citizen69 | Dec 30, 2011, 01:59 PM EST

  There is no god given right for the island of Ireland to become a single state under one Irish administration. Regardless of the unjust or undemocratic processes that were suffered in history surely the most important question now is what is the right thing to do today? Isn't the fairest thing to let the people affected by this choose for themselves and not be told by Britain or the Republic where their future will lie? The future of the people of Northern Ireland is now in their own hands, and rightly so. it's population is split equally between Catholics & Protestants, there is no clear majority of one over the other. Most of the people who describe themselves as Irish in the North do not want to be part of a United Ireland, not at the present at least. They do not need a United Ireland to be Irish, Gaelic or free.

• BrendanDunphy | Dec 30, 2011, 01:50 PM EST

  Ciaradexy is obviously one of those free-staters that has turned her backs on her FELLOW COUNTRYMEN from the North. The leaders of '16 would not be impressed. Up Armagh.

• ciaradexy | Dec 30, 2011, 12:44 PM EST

  That poll is in the journal.ie of anyone is interested in reading it. ''A NEW POLL has shown that a clear majority of people in Northern Ireland want the province to remain part of the United Kingdom - with 73 per cent of respondents favouring remaining part of a single state with Britain. Perhaps surprisingly, however, the majority of the Catholic community in the North – which has traditionally been perceived as being in favour of unification with the Republic of Ireland to form an all-Ireland sovereign state – now also seems to prefer remaining in the UK. Just a third of Catholic respondents to the Northern Ireland Life and Times survey said they wanted to join the Republic – down from 56 per cent five years ago – while 52 per cent of Catholics wanted either to be directly ruled by London or to retain the status quo of devolved power within the UK.''

• ciaradexy | Dec 30, 2011, 12:40 PM EST

  Why would you feel that people in the Republic want to take on the problems in the North of Ireland?

• eiriamach | Dec 30, 2011, 12:24 PM EST

  ciaradexy, the 2011 poll showed such a huge shift that no one knows what to make of it except that it reflects economic woes and uncertainty (and probably a breakdown in Catholicism as a political bonding agent). Until there is a referendum, can anyone really know people's preferences? The polls conducted by newspapers, for instance, are keyed to and reflect then-current political and economic troubles. But to put it in simple terms, there's no future for the six counties as part of the UK. The UK will be wrestling with post-colonial multi-cultural- assimilation problems in major cities for generations, and that situation, I'm sure, was known to the people who, as you say, are "living in NI who made the decision to move to the UK." If they thought they were getting any guarantee of national identity, they did not know what they were doing! The question that a referendum would pose is whether an international border could better promote long-term stability and economic viability for the entire island than re-unification could. As economic indicators strengthen, opinion will shift again. I'd bet on unification sentiment solidifying by the centenary of partition, and it makes sense to prepare for it.

• ciaradexy | Dec 30, 2011, 12:01 PM EST

  Why wont IC allow me to post the link on here?

• ciaradexy | Dec 30, 2011, 10:59 AM EST

  Eiriamach-The most recent poll that I heard of which was taken a few months ago showed that the majority in NI wanted to stay as they were. They didnt want a united Ireland, they wanted to stay in the UK. There are people in Ireland who dont want a united Ireland and others who dont care! You may find that hard to believe. There are people from all over the world living in NI who made the decision to move to the UK. Do you think that theyd vote to unite the country?

• eiriamach | Dec 30, 2011, 09:04 AM EST

  FallsRNat, you may be right that the Brit visitors are savvy about the history of NI conflict, but they see it as past. "The brits live for the future," as you say. What strikes me about your way of viewing the situation is that you ignore the fact that any poll on reunification is a polarized split vote, with two completely opposed sides. So when you write of "their undying commitment to the principle of democratic right of the people of NI to settle their own future whether it be in a UI or as part of the UK," you are giving only one side, one way of perceiving the choice, viewed through only the most recent history (the past century). A vote for unification would not "hand over part of their country to a marginalised PIRA who can't command the majority support." A vote for unification would put a tremendous economic burden on both the 6 counties and the 26, but the long-range economic and political benefits are undeniable. I too had ancestors from NI. They were Irish speakers who spelled their names in Irish on every US Census taken during their lifetimes as immigrants in the US. Their people had been Irish speakers during plantation times, when, historians tell us, most newcomers also spoke some Gaelic language and could communicate with Irish-speaking natives. I agree with you that the future should be subject to a democratic vote, but that vote needs the help of education about history, as well as cultural sharing and institutions in common. That process must reach much deeper into the past than 1922. Now that Catholicism has lost its political grip on the Republic and the UK is functioning as the employment agency for another generation of Irish both north and south, there'll be no better time to work on the deeper roots in the hope of facilitating a united island.

• kinvara7 | Dec 30, 2011, 07:17 AM EST

  Sure when are you going to STOP taking them! I think you missed the point of my message FallsRNAt. I never said we 'have the ascendancy in terms of trade', I just stated facts: The UK does more trade with the Republic than it does with China, India, Russia and Brazil -combined. We are the UK's 5th most important market (a country with 4.5 million people). So we are very important to them trade wise. However, my main point was that the UK have provided a loan of about 7billion to ensure that the current policy of the state covering the bad debts of private banks continues. Considering that RBS (one British bank) has an exposure of £40 billion it is easy to see why. Later the loan will have to be repaid plus interest. Must I draw you a picture?

• sirpeter | Dec 29, 2011, 10:04 PM EST

  FallsRNat Quote"This conflict will never be solved by outsiders".Unquote.How can you make a statement like that?The real facts are the conflict in NI would never have have been solved by the insiders.Can you remember Seamus who was involved in the peace process?For you to equate NI with Australia is unbelievable.It's all a mystery to you Seamus.I'm actually beginning to believe that.You don't even see that the conflict was caused by one group imposing it's will over another group.You talk about democracy in action.Did the Irish people agree to partition in 1920?Did the Irish people get a vote?No and No.Even a vote now would have the Unionist's grabbing their guns because they don't want to obey the will of the majority.But they will sooner or later because Stormont and NI are a drain on the Brit taxpayer.

• FallsRNat | Dec 29, 2011, 08:52 PM EST

  kinvara7 - keep taking the tablets, the UK is the 7th largest economy in the world, they trade with us like they do with the rest of the world, any suggestion that we somehow have the ascendancy in terms of trade etc is just a fantasy.

• seanomelbourne | Dec 29, 2011, 07:16 PM EST

  And your point being!!barneyjo.Fallsrnat 2 COUNTRIES IN NORTH AMERICA!!!better update your atlas.

• FallsRNat | Dec 29, 2011, 07:12 PM EST

  and a few years ago as a democratic state in their own right, they held a referendum to decide whether they wanted to be a republic or not, the australian people voted no, i didn't hear bombs going off & shootings as royalists & republicans fought in the streets to impose their own will on the rest of the country, that's democracy in action, they obeyed the will of the majority & stayed will a constitutional monarchy, they can have another vote anytime they like, QE II maybe a figurehead H/State, but the laws, economics quite rightly sit with the Australian parliament as they do in the UK. Thailand has a similar system, so do Sweden, Spain.

• barneyjo | Dec 29, 2011, 06:55 PM EST

  @SeanOMelbourne - Last time I checked, Elizabeth was still Head of State in Australia as well!!

• FallsRNat | Dec 29, 2011, 05:18 PM EST

  People cannot be given what doesn't exist, geographically Ireland is an island that 2 countries occupy just like North America, are we serious saying that if the US wanted to occupy Canada, they should just take a vote in the US & when the people vote for it, the Canadians would have their country acceded to it, of course not, the Irish Republic came into existence less than 100 years ago, what right do they have to dictate that a part of the island belongs to them, i'm afraid my friends you don't understand international law & politics. The Irish Americans are always quick to criticise the brits, but i don't see them supporting the rights of the Indians to have the US returned to them, why well is it that they don't want to surrender something they have worked & lived for all of their lives, a nice house, education for the sins of their fathers, it is an appropiate analogy here as they are asking for the very thing from the Ulstermen that they deny the Red Indians, this comes from a few that has been inbred into them as part of the glorious republican myth. I can take seano & sirpeter's cheap snide remarks about being pro-british etc, because unlike them, I lived here during the Troubles, I have had family members murdered by both sides, that isn't being a traitor that is realism, this conflict will never be solved by outsiders.

• ancavker | Dec 29, 2011, 01:28 PM EST

  Tom S: As far as inheriting the British institutions you are right, But that is not the vision that Collins and many of the other founding fathers had for Ireland. They did not just want to copy what the English had left behind, but rather build a new Ireland, taking what worked of the British institutions,a nd combining them with aspects of institutions in Switzerland, the U.S., and yes even the ancient Brehon Laws (those laws in many respects are quite progressive) he wanted to create a new way for Ireland to move forward, and create her own institutions, just like the U.S. did upon independence. Sadly however, that was not to be, and Cosgrave and O'Higgins wanted nothing to do with any of that, hence the abolishment of the Sinn Fein courts and all the rest. De Valera was content to carry on in the same way as well.

• ancavker | Dec 29, 2011, 01:20 PM EST

  Falls: I would like to think that most nationalists thought Collins was right, the freedom to achieve freedom. However, he did not as you say sign away the 6 counties, as he was lead to believe that the boundary commission would address that issue. Had he known how it was to turn out, and had he lived, I believe he never would have agreed to the permanent partition of the country, or at the least he would have accepted a much smaller northern state than the six counties. You may be right about how soldiers in the British army feel, however, some I knew did not really care, it was a job and a pay check, and nothing more. Also most people in En glad today would love to be rid of the north, and if a referendum were held they would vote by a substantial majority to be rid of it. However, it is England's creation, and now they are stuck with it. I think most people in England are more concerned with what England will look like if Scotland chooses to leave the U.K. That is something the people in the north should be concerned with as well. It will be interesting to see how that all turns out, and if England will let the Scots sort out their own future in a democratic fashion, or will they resort to some of their less than honorable shall we say tactics of the past.

• FallsRNat | Dec 29, 2011, 08:59 AM EST

  interesting post eiriamach, but you do the brits a great diservice by proclaiming their ignorance on the Ulster question, yes they maybe disinterested, but they are very musch aware of the NI situation. I spent a lot of time & have many friends from my time in the BA, what motivates the ordinary brits & why the PIRA campaign was doomed to failure was their undying commitment to the principle of democratic right of the people of NI to settle their own future whether it be in a UI or as part of the UK, the inability of our own political elite in Nationalist Ireland in misreading this ideal has destroyed any hope in the present of producing a UI in the present & near future & has prolonged the pain & suffering of 1000s of innocent people, they're not about to hand over part of their country to a marginalised PIRA who can't command the majority support. The brits live for the future & that is the only way ahead, you can't justify murder for political aims based on the past & anyway which is the correct republican myth, my family fought on both sides of the Irish Civil War, the majority supported Collins (who would have signed the 6 counties away) & a minority for a 32 county state, which side is right, i don't know & to be honest I don't care.

• seanomelbourne | Dec 28, 2011, 09:28 PM EST

  What a maudling bunch of royalist serfs we have on this site.

• Gearoid4 | Dec 28, 2011, 05:27 PM EST

  There is a misleading sentence in this piece which gives the impression that the land area known as the 'Republic of Ireland' is the totality of Ireland, which is in itself very erroneous- "..Her words were accompanied by images from her visit to Ireland, the first time a British monarch had visited the country in a hundred years..". The British monarch has visited the territory which Britain still holds called 'Northern Ireland' a number of times before her state visit to the Republic of Ireland. As far as I know 'Northern Ireland' is still located within the confines of the Island of Ireland, which was a country in it's totality, although within the confines of the UK before partition in 1922.

• barneyjo | Dec 28, 2011, 03:22 PM EST

  I know its always theoretically possible to have so many "Blow-holes" posting at one time on IC, but to actually see it happening is a wonder to behold. Y'know what, the Royal State Visit to Ireland was in May; its almost December now, and the world hasnt ended. I watched Tommy Gorman's reflection of the visit "The Queens Speech" over christmas, and it made me proud to be an Irishman over again. I recall at the time having some banter with SirPeter (and others) about the degree of interaction that the Queen had with Irish Citizens. It did not sit well on his shoulders I recall that it was his home city of Cork which welcomed the Queen in such great numbers. At the time there was a lot of talk about camera trickery, captive audiences etc. But the efficacy of the brief contact with Corkonians in effect put the icing on the cake for the visit. And that is no shame on Cork. As it was pointed out, many people who welcomed the Queen to their city would have had ancestors who fought in the War of Independence, but yet were able to extend a cead mile failte to the "old enemy" in the personage of the queen. It was referred to in the programme as the "Dialectic" - the ability to hold two polar opposite points of view but giving respect to both. Corkonians showed that is no bad thing!!A point of clarification; I do not consider SirPeter to be one of the "blowholes" to which I referred - because he isnt :)

• barneyjo | Dec 28, 2011, 03:09 PM EST

  I know its always theoretically possible to have so many "Blow-holes" posting at one time on IC, but to actually see it happening is a wonder to behold. Y'know what, the Royal State Visit to Ireland was in May; its almost December now, and the world hasnt ended. I watched Tommy Gorman's reflection of the visit "The Queens Speech" over christmas, and it made me proud to be an Irishman over again. I recall at the time having some banter with SirPeter (and others) about the degree of interaction that the Queen had with Irish Citizens. It did not sit well on his shoulders I recall that it was his home city of Cork which welcomed the Queen in such great numbers. At the time there was a lot of talk about camera trickery, captive audiences etc. But the efficacy of the brief contact with Corkonians in effect put the icing on the cake for the visit. And that is no shame on Cork. As it was pointed out, many people who welcomed the Queen to their city would have had ancestors who fought in the War of Independence, but yet were able to extend a cead mile failte to the "old enemy" in the personage of the queen. It was referred to in the programme as the "Dialectic" - the ability to hold two polar opposite points of view but giving respect to both. Corkonians showed that is no bad thing!!

• kinvara7 | Dec 28, 2011, 02:30 PM EST

  @FallsRNat: British Bank exposure to, what were then, private Irish banks is far greater than the bilateral loan provided by the UK. Just over 12 months ago RBS (just one British Bank) had an exposure to the Irish banking system of £40 billion. So I wonder what motivated the UK to lend £7 billion to the Irish Republic with an interest rate, after the Irish government stepped in to underwrite private bank debt? Hmm, tis a head scratcher. So in reality the thank you should come from the other side of the Irish sea. The great institution of Ireland is the Irish people -they are the ones who will 'save' Ireland, as you put it. Although it is clear that you are not much of an authority when it comes to Ireland's 'great institutions'.

• kinvara7 | Dec 28, 2011, 02:00 PM EST

  @Tom: While I respect your post, I think it ignores certain matters. To suggest that political corruption seeped into Ireland due to Irish independence is silly: Look at the political manouvering around the Act of Union in 1800; look at the Marconi scandal in 1912 etc. I could list more recent matters if you wished. The idea that Ireland is a great deal more corrupt than the UK is nonsense (the 2011 Corruption Perception index 2011 ranks the UK 16th with a score of 7.8 and Ireland 19th with a score of 7.5 -the US is ranked 24th with a score of 7.1). As regards the institutions Ireland inherited -well why throw out the the baby with the bathwater. Ireland had produced the earliest written laws in Europe north of the Alps, and if left to its own devices centralised institutions would have evolved over the centuries -let's not shower the coloniser with too much praise, for putting in place the necessary institutions to control its new colony. Since independence, Ireland enacted a progressive written constitution where the people rather than the crown are sovereign; elected a protestant as their first head of State (a catholic can still not be head of state in the UK); and began to fashion distinctive institutions. Indeed we import many things from the UK; they do more trade with us than the BRIC economies combined. Anyway, I'm glad that the Queen's visit was such a success; it was certainly long overdue. I agree that those who constantly beat the anti-British drum are wrong and that carrying bitterness forward is pointless. However carrying understanding forward is not, and that has always been one of the key problems with the relationship between the Republic and the UK.

• LaoiseRyan | Dec 28, 2011, 01:18 PM EST

  Very good point FallsRNat and very well made.

• FallsRNat | Dec 28, 2011, 01:06 PM EST

  i still haven't seen gerry laying a wreath to all of the innocent protestants & catholics murdered by PIRA, at least the brits have made a start.

• LaoiseRyan | Dec 28, 2011, 10:31 AM EST

  Ive read a few of ciaradexys posts and I agree with her and Tom Swinford in regards to Portia777s posts. What utter bullshit Portia!''What colour is the sky in this woman's world?"Scenes from the wreath laying service at the Garden of Remembrance – when the Queen bowed her head to Ireland’s patriot dead in a moment of healing between Britain and Ireland – dominated the Irish section of the speech." Ah yes, celebrate the dead- feed off their misery as always. She came to Ireland to renew the timeline and use her sceptre to try and enslave us Gaels again, but she failed.'' Seriously? You need to stop smoking whatever it is your smoking or at least remove the tin foil hat!

• BrendanDunphy | Dec 28, 2011, 10:00 AM EST

  But that said, Ireland has experienced far worse from England than this little old lady figurehead ... Oliver Cromwell and Maggie Thatcher, for starters.

• BrendanDunphy | Dec 28, 2011, 09:57 AM EST

  ciaradexy ... it is a shame, and surprising, that a country that was on the receiving-end of bigotry for 800 years has produced a bigot of their own (you). Don't ever leave Eire, please stay there.

• ciaradexy | Dec 27, 2011, 08:10 PM EST

  Portia777, dont ever leave the US,please stay there.

• johnshiel | Dec 27, 2011, 06:27 PM EST

  lots of substance in these comments... as sometimes occurs in irich central... what's really great is the debate centers on how to feel about PAST wrongs. a few years ago the stories and rage coming from NI was still partly about awful things happening right then. it seems like that has changed. halleluja for all, eh?

• FallsRNat | Dec 27, 2011, 04:34 PM EST

  full of blind hatred & bigotry - sounds like sirpeter & seanomelbourne have a lot in common with the people they readily snipe at, the problem that they have is that post QE II trip to the old country, 99% of the irish pop of both religions north & south want to get on with their lives & build a better future, a UI, no, not for a another 2 generations at least, ireland's economic situation has put paid for that. For all of the critics of the monarchy, SI had to rely on her to give themselves a tourist boost, so not only do we give them vast loans, but we even have to give them free publicity too, next thing their be wanting to rejoin the commonwealth & the UK - god save ireland, somebody will have to as their great institutions have failed - Catholic church, FF, FG, SF, LP, WP.

• eiriamach | Dec 27, 2011, 12:28 PM EST

  I agree with JamieLM, and as just another American I have nothing much to add except that I have no respect for monarchies. They are almost all symbols of a past best laid to rest. But I've met several British tourists in Ireland, mostly English workers, mostly visiting Dublin, and occasionally in the West of Ireland also. They pop over on weekends for the music, the craic, the food, the nightlife, the change of scenery, and even the serenity of the countryside-- many of the same reasons that Americans visit Ireland. In my experience, the British visitors are politically uninterested and ignorant of Irish-British history. They notice Irish hospitality, however, and Irish talent. It cannot hurt the Irish economy to welcome them! And with more friendships across the water, political exploitation becomes less likely. The Queen is bright enough to figure out the obvious: that British exploitation of the Irish has too blatant a past and no future. She has sent a signal that it's time for cooperation. As long as the Irish keep one eye on the MPs, cooperation can work to the benefit of both sides of the Irish Sea, why not?

• eiriamach | Dec 27, 2011, 12:02 PM EST

  Portia777, on reading your post I was humbled to my very knees. I could only ask in wonderment What brain produced this searing intelligence, what mind housed this great wisdom. This 85 and 90 year old pair of serpents came to Ireland with a sinister plan to enslave us and they succeeded in beguiling an entire nation - but not you, thank God. You saw through the deception. Portia, I can only weep and say where were you when Ireland needed you. Personally, I believe that this pair was also responsible for the 911 attack.

• jamieLM | Dec 27, 2011, 10:23 AM EST

  As an American, I'm not going to tell the Irish how to feel on this sensitive issue. We all have history that can't and shouldn't be forgotten. Life is short for all of us. We do have the choice to hang on to the bitterness of our past, or to focus on the present and the future and try to improve life in the times in which we live. Hanging onto the anger and hatreds of the past doesn't change what happened or help the people who died long ago, but it does influence how we move or don't move forward. Every country needs forward-looking, engaged, productive citizens, not ones who are always judging the present and future against the people and times of past generations. As Christians, Jesus calls us to forgive our enemies, past and present. This doesn't mean we condone their actions, only that we let go of the bitterness and hatred. Easier said than done, but something to always strive for. Wishing all of you a Happy New Year!

• Portia777 | Dec 27, 2011, 10:22 AM EST

  What colour is the sky in this woman's world?"Scenes from the wreath laying service at the Garden of Remembrance – when the Queen bowed her head to Ireland’s patriot dead in a moment of healing between Britain and Ireland – dominated the Irish section of the speech." Ah yes, celebrate the dead- feed off their misery as always. She came to Ireland to renew the timeline and use her sceptre to try and enslave us Gaels again, but she failed.

• Sparklet | Dec 27, 2011, 10:14 AM EST

  Unfortunately, democracy means that a handful of people make decisions for the majority. A lot of people I know don't agree with what David Cameron did. Whether he was right or wrong remains to be seen, but I don't judge a whole nation of people on the few who have been elected into power, and unfortunately, that's what some do - especially on here. Your average wo(man) in the street in the UK and Ireland are fine with each other.

• gobdawpaddy | Dec 27, 2011, 08:48 AM EST

  I wonder if the poster making reference to 'West Brits' wears a Man. U. or Liverpool shirt? Does he spend his time down the pub roaring on some English soccer team? Agree with Tom Swinford.

• ciaradexy | Dec 27, 2011, 07:18 AM EST

  Sirpete-the Brits just gave us a massive very low interest low because we are so closely linked to them socially and economically! They are not negative towards us at all! You can call me a West Brit all you like! Im a Ni Mhurchu and spent most of my summers in the arsehole of Donegal learning about our language, history and culture. I am so very comfortable and confident with being Irish that I do not carry any ill will towards the British. I have never ever had any negative experiences in the UK. I love Shane meadows films, Paddy Considine is my favourite actor and the Madchester music scene was all mine! If this makes me a 'West Brit' than so be it! Cameron is the British PM NOT the English PM. He speaks for the UK. Every British person I know, Welsh, Scottish, English and some in the North are anti EU and want more control over their own affairs hence why they havent changed to the euro.

• RedBranch | Dec 27, 2011, 07:18 AM EST

  Tom Swinford for President of the Plain People of Ireland!

• RedBranch | Dec 27, 2011, 06:41 AM EST

  It is indeed comical to see the term "West Brit" being used as a slur or insult by chest-thumping young boys asserting their patriotic Irishness and anti-Brit credentials. Time for a little enlightenment and a growing-up opportunity. We are all West Brits!! How so? Here's how: While we may have received our inspiration for independence from the American and French Revolutions, we happily accepted our democracy and our institutions of government from the ancient enemy, England. We inherited a fully functioning and remarkably efficient government structure intact - so much so that we hardly needed to change anything, just department heads and sometimes not even that - and in 1922 most of the Civil Service was already Irish anyway. Sadly, with the change-over in governance and political leadership, graft, corruption and inefficiency quickly seeped in - and remains with us. Moving on: Much of what we love and cannot do without comes from across the pond, TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, comics,fashion, styles,foods, tobacco, alcohol, birth control, cars, lorries, buses, trains, opinion, well, hell, just about everything, even the weather. And, of course, the language we speak - yes, we have improved upon it and made it our own - as the literary world knows. The reason that many thousands of Brits retire to Ireland is because it's a smaller, more laid-back England where they can easily get everything they enjoyed at home and a better quality of life to boot. They love Ireland! If it weren't so bloody pathetic it would be laughable that some of our brave lads continue to carry the dead weight of bitterness and hatred for an old enemy that is now probably our best friend and certainly our largest trading partner by far - and to what purpose all this negative energy? It is like carrying on your back a dead child that you refuse to bury because you love it so. Problem is - as it rots, so do you. Lesson over. No charge.

• DanOLoingsigh | Dec 27, 2011, 06:09 AM EST

  Sirpete – You also missed something important – The Cameron government is an all-UK administration, ‘England’ does not have a devolved government. So when he speaks and acts in Europe, he does it as political head of the UK. I don’t pretend to know if he did the right thing for the UK or not, but to say he should have consulted the devolved administrations is to misunderstand his position, and the current state of the UK constitution (What if NI and Wales agreed, and the Scots said no???). It’s like saying our government should have done so before we signed up for the Euro. Also, London is full of Scots, Welsh and Irish, as well as many, many other nationalities…btw, just hearing that the ‘neighbours from hell’ mostly live in your fine city…again?

• sirpeter | Dec 27, 2011, 01:26 AM EST

  @ciaradexy.Yes. You did miss something.Something very important.The UK is made up of England,Scotland,Wales and Northern Ireland.Also the Republic of Ireland has some serious economic connections with England.England told the European Union to go get stuffed lately.England did not consult any other part of the UK.England made that choice not the UK.Are you having less respect yet?Southern England is rich the rest of the UK is struggling.England is gambling and it could very well lose.If they lose,less for the rest of the UK.Respect for England???Are you jokin' me.If England has no respect for the UK.Why would England respect Ireland?They never have.Did you not follow the peace process?England put obstacle upon obstacle in front of the peace process.Until the yanks put their oar in to move it along.No matter what happens in Europe.Because we have strong economic ties with England they are messing us up again because like the Germans they think they are something superior.Considering the English are Anglo-Saxons who came from Germany they are both the closest thing to Germans you can get.God damned neighbours from hell.Ciaradexy When it comes to STEVENSTAR or anyone I can smell a Unionist or a West Brit or an Irish gombeen through any internet connection.It doesn't take these people long to start their anti-Irish crap.I'm as sensitive about the British as Americans are about Muslim pilots.Well worth keeping an eye on.

• seanomelbourne | Dec 26, 2011, 10:35 PM EST

  Steven You are a star you may have 100% respect for betsy but you can only speak for yourself. Personally I would not give her the time of day. You feel sorry for her amwilson tell that to the children she murdered (as C.I.C of brit forces in Ireland).

• ciaradexy | Dec 26, 2011, 09:23 PM EST

  Sirpeter, I dont see anything racist or bigoted in what Steven said. He has respect for our closest neighbour pretty much like me fein, my family and friends so how is that racist or bigoted? Its late, did I miss something?

• AMWilson | Dec 26, 2011, 09:04 PM EST

  I'm certainly no fan of English royalty, but the Queen has certainly had personal losses during the conflict and, in that context, I give some credit for magnanimity.

• sirpeter | Dec 26, 2011, 08:57 PM EST

  STEVENSTAR.I'm 100% Irish as well Stevo.You had better tell everybody here where you live because not everybody wants to go visit the Shankill Rd or Dublin 4.What exactly will Irish Americans see Stevo?Give them a tour of some Orange lodges or what? Sure Irish Americans can visit racist bigots in their own country anytime.Anyway don't go into the tourist business.They don't come here for the English and they have plenty queens in San Francisco or the West Village.

• STEVENSTAR | Dec 26, 2011, 07:10 PM EST

  HI Not sure if this is an Irish newspaper or an American Irish one! Im Irish 100% and i also live in ireland. In Ireland in 2011 going into 2012 in Ireland where i live we have a load of respect for teh English and the Queen and its grown 100% since her visit this year. I say to all the Irish AMERICANS come on over on your 3 month Visa ( as thats all you can get) and see for yourself ;)

• STEVENSTAR | Dec 26, 2011, 07:07 PM EST

  HI Not sure if this is an Irish newspaper or an American Irish one! F

• ciaradexy | Dec 26, 2011, 06:15 PM EST

  There you are Sparklet! We really need to stop meeting like this!

• Sparklet | Dec 26, 2011, 05:02 PM EST

  I second what Ciara said. There is a lot of warmth and camarderie between ordinary Irish people and Brits and as Ciara says, we have more in common than with other nations.

• barneyjo | Dec 26, 2011, 04:55 PM EST

  WAKE UP TIME - Outside of a small Republican Political elite, most Irish people really dont care about who said what on tape to be put on deposit in Boston College. In point of fact, it was pretty short sighted of anyone who volunteered information that could be prejudical against them to have done so without cast iron certainty of anonimity.

• ciaradexy | Dec 26, 2011, 04:45 PM EST

  Murph46- The Queen has nothing to do with the IRA tapes. Shes a figurehead not political. SeamusMor-As an Irish person, there is a great friendship between the Paddys and Brits. When I lived in Australia, we gravitated towards each other. When I visit mates in the UK or happen to meet Brits when Im anywhere else in the world, I am made feel very comfortable and we always seem to click and get on really well. The Irish and the Brits have lots in common, more so than any other nation and I dont know anybody who has ever had anything negative happen to them or said to them by british people. Quite a lot of my British mates have an Irish parent and even those who dont are just as welcoming.

• Murph46 | Dec 26, 2011, 01:31 PM EST

  carricwhatever-While she is making these statements her officials are pursuing the past.What part of a wolf in sheep's clothing don't you understand.Oh! I get it -you must be British.

• carrickcourt | Dec 26, 2011, 12:45 PM EST

  Ah yes the old Irish comments about the Brits and Queen. Let us not forget history but at the same time get over the past.

• SeamusMor | Dec 26, 2011, 11:02 AM EST

  The "long term friendship" between Ireland and England is news to me, and it seems about as credible as the long term friendships of the Palestinians and the Israelis, the Jews and the Nazis, or the Hatfields and the McCoys. Who does that old German lady from the House Saxe-Colberg and Gotha think she is kidding?

• Murph46 | Dec 26, 2011, 10:16 AM EST

  Talk is wonderful,it is also cheap.While she goes spilling her platitudes officials have brought suit against Boston College for the release of then promised "private" tapes of IRA leaders.You can't have it both ways Queenie!