Sinn Fein Belfast Mayor resigns to avoid meeting with the Queen of England

@barneyjo why do you worry what other people should think? Why talk rubbish? What other people think is of no concern to you. The last time i looked this was a free country. Your attempts to brain wash everyone who opposes you is wasted energy. Typical SF rubbish. What other people think personally i dont give a flying frog. Like I said its a free country. Your opinions are of interest to me.

@barneyjo your nasty comments dont upset me. It just shows you for what you are. Some stupid idiots done deserve any comment. I will apply this rule to you with honour. How many Gold medals will the Republic get at the Olympics? None same as last time. Team GB will get 30 Gold. Who wants to be part of zero. Only idiots and clowns.

This story is so untruthful it shows thats it been written by a bigot. Firstly the title refers to Queen Elizabeth 11 as the Queen of England. Incorrect. It refers to her as the English monarch. Incorrect. British monarch. It refers to the English throne. Incorrect. British throne. Even today the Queen has visited Wales to the site of a tragedy back in 1966 when 114 souls lost their lifes. The vast majority of them children. Well done the Queen of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Very caring and compassion shown today.

A bit of common sense... and the DUP stepped up to the plate with a few snide remarks about how the functions of both sides should be celebrated by the Lord Mayor... but it is the best option for all. The North of Ireland will move on.

@SirPeter - One day, perhaps years from now, the boul Allan07,still clutching his tattered Union Flag will take a chance and finally stick his head above the sandbags in his mind to have a look at the battlefield to see how things stand. I think when he realises that he is the only one who is still trying to reach the future through the past and that everyone else actually has, he may start to wonder WTF has actually happened. Questions like "where did the All Ireland international Soccer team come from?" or "how come Jeffery Donaldson is the Grand Old Man of Ulster Unionism representing his constituents within a Federal Ireland in both Belfast and Dublin?" may cross his mind. And it will be at that point he will have to make the choice; what does he do next? :)

@TayandCake yes the Free State are in the Euro Championship. But for how long? They are only making up the numbers. St. Patrick was a Frenchman. Well he wasn't born in Ireland. De Valera was an American (born in New York). Of spanish descent. (His mother was Irish but left many years before her son was born). A pair of Plastic Paddys. Unlike myself I was born in Drumquin. (Drum as in hill, quin as in village). The village amongst the hills. If De Valera or St. Patrick were alive today i would tell the pair to piss off out of my country. Bloody foreigners. Planting themselves in Ireland. How dare they!

@seanomelb let me correct you with your inaccurate statements. Protestantism existed before the 15th Century. Before Henry V111 of England was even dreamt of. My Church the Presbyternian Church is about a 1000 years old. The Ancient site of Iona in Scotland is the site of the first church in Western Europe. Most of the ancient kings of Scotland are buried there. The former leader of the labour party in GB (John Smith) is buried there. I know all Roman Catholics believe that protestantism was created by Henry V111 wanting to divorce from his first wife. For some yes thats true but Presbyternians existed 500 years before that. You should learn the facts before quoting inaccurate material.

@STEVENSTAR Thats two words 1. Fat. 2. Twat. Cant you count? Saying that @IrelandNorth is also very confused. He has said on another topic that hes an elder in the Presbyternian Church and thats hes also half a Roman Catholic. Very confused soul. Although I believe hes also a jews rabbi on a Friday, Muslim Cleric on Saturdays, Roman Catholic on Sunday (morning only) he attends the Free Presbyternian Church for evening prayers of course, Baptist, Jehovah Witness, Brethren, Plymouth Brethren the rest of the week. (Thats when hes not practising Buddhism and Hiduism). He a good example of not knowing anything as hes so confused. I also believe he dresses up a woman at the weekends. He used to be decisive but now hes not so sure! Give the poor lad some time to make his mind up!

@Barneyjo.On the other hand I would think Allan07 might not be as loyalist as he portrays.The very fact some Unionists comment on this site is promising.Of course my comments towards them don't help at times ;))But some of their comments are a downright figment of their imagination.They don't even bother to Google the facts.As Allan says St Patrick was a french protestant,a protestant like himself ;));))How does one respond to that?

@@@IrelandNorth | A pr 27, 2012, 07:56 AM EDT .... ONE WORD FOR YOU AND THATS =FAT TWAT !!!!

STEVENSTAR! Thanks, mate! Appreciate your empathy. May go up North for the Glorious 12th o' July? Do ya suppose they'd have a spare sash for a 'southern' fluffy-Fenian (ex-Papist-idolator) like myself? I'm all for cultural diversity - ya know! DanOLoingsigh! No offence intended apropos the BB epithet. Realised it was a largely working class loyalist term, since they sing it at their soccer matches regularly. Being self-conferred, I assumed it to be complimentary? Mea maxima culpa! PS. Have never been a patient man. Always envied orthodox Christians their Jobian patience in awaiting the return of their Messiah. But waiting for my fellow countrymen to co-create a Wolfe-Tonian republic is taking it toll. Still, having spiritually evolved to the synthesis of the Theolbaldian religious dialectic, I await in joyful hope for the coming of a heterodox republic, even if post-dating a post-Gorian inconvenient truth of hell freezing over.

There seems to be a jealous streak running through stevenstar and allan07.They hate any gains made by Irish sportsmen/politician or business people on the international stage. Allan07 claims old Pat was a protestant.Protestantism is a product of the 15th.century and the French bit who cares we really do not know where he was born. I firmly believe tat stevenstar has a mental problem and needs our love to carry him through life, the poor man.

IN IRELAND EVERYONE WATCHES BBC AND BRITISH TV WE READ BRITISH NEWSPAPERS SHOP IN BRITISH SHOPS AND FOLLOW BRITISH SPORT THE IRISH AND BRITISH ARE VERY INTERTWINED MORE SO THEN AMERICANS LIKE TO THINK AS AN IRISHMAN I FEEL MUCH MORE OF AN AFFILIATION WITH BRITISH PEOPLE MORE SO THEN ANY OTHER COUNTRY IN EUROPE .. AND FEEL MOST IRISH ONLY LIKE AMERICAN TOURISTS WHEN THEN COME AND SPEND THEIR $$$$4 OUTSIDE OF THAT IRISH PEOPLE HAVE NO TIME FOR AMERICANS AND FIDN THEM QUIET BORING AND SPOILED AND LAZY ALWAYS COMPLAINING ABOUT THE WEATHER AND TALKING ABOT THEIR GREAT AUNTY MARY WAS IRISH = HOW BORING IS THAT !!!

Wee Allan07, you're about as logical as a glass hammer, at least the Rep are in the Euro cup. Look in the phone book, Oh FFS, thats how you put your point across, there really is no hope for you now lad, you're lost in a cesspit of unintelligent babbling. St Patrick is French now? who gave you your education, the teletubbies? Saddo

ancavker.Irish and English ways are both intertwined.Also both countries are influenced by American culture.What English ways are you talking about?And why would it be better?I have teenagers and if anything they have been influenced by American culture not English.Alot more American TV than English TV.So U2 the biggest band in the world over the last 30 years is nothing to admire musically?So the English don't admire Irish literature?William Butler Yeats, George Bernard Shaw, Samuel Beckett and Seamus Heaney to name a few.Guinness is world famous.English Ale is better too? I think not.Riverdance??I didn't see any English Country Dance doing much.Irish technology,pharmaceuticals,software are all cutting edge and sophisticated.Is St Georges day better that St Patricks Day which again is worldwide.What about our Celtic holiday Halloween?We didn't influence the Saxon at all? I'll be honest.Besides looking at English soccer teams on TV where most players are foreigners.I don't think the Irish give much thought to English ways.You are going to have to explain that one to me.So English ways/Culture is better? Maybe you could explain this fab modern English culture.I must be missing something.I bet the yanks here are all ears too.