50 Comments

• sirpeter | Oct 03, 2011, 09:54 PM EDT

  Fallsers: Quote"Only by accommodating all tribes within Ireland can we ever achieve a truly democratic state for the freedom of all peoples of this land"Unquote.You make me laugh at times when you make statements like that.Don't you remember how you said many times on IC that if the people of NI voted for a UI YOU would get up and LEAVE? Leaving in a sulk when you don't get your way is not how democracy works.There is more holes in your sense of reasoning and your arguments that I feel embarrassed for ya."Paisley ensured another 1000 years of Ulster within the UK" Haha.Just like the 1000 year Nazi Reich.It will be a very short 1000 years Seamus.

• seanomelbourne | Oct 02, 2011, 06:21 PM EDT

  Fallsnat keeps re-iventing his 99.9% talking point.The polls have Martin between 34% and 38% I suppose in the surreal world of fallsnat Martin has 34% of 134% your sounding more like George Dillon than an honest broker on this site.Remember what mamaginnty said the brits through their hate of anything Irish invented the IRA.

• mamaginnty | Oct 01, 2011, 09:00 PM EDT

  Martin Mc Guinness was 18 and fighting for his life, and now one of the main reasons there is peace. He is the man for President.

• mamaginnty | Oct 01, 2011, 08:55 PM EDT

  Merefalow, so right, the British were the first to call our men Terrorists when they were fighting in thier own country, and America followed on with the name. Yet in Libya a handful of hooligans were praised and hysteria followed because of the word used ..Rebels, but the main method for this was OIL. Ireland did not have oil, so no one wanted to help the catholics who were stepped on, the words "no catholic need apply" spat at you. beatings going on for decades because you were a papish B.....d as far as they were concerned. The IRA just did not sprout from the ground overnight, the british army were the ones that finally broke the irish backs, then our rebels were born again, and not for a united Ireland at that time.

• mamaginnty | Oct 01, 2011, 08:27 PM EDT

  FallsRNAT well seen you were not at the good luck celebrations in the north of our country for Martin, it was amazing with both protestant and catholic together. They are now fighting for the right to vote in the south as Irish. Many true..irish Americans want this right too.

• FallsRNat | Sep 30, 2011, 08:07 PM EDT

  i love the b*llshite on this board, r any of u for real? You are voting for a man who is betraying his own cultural brotherhood, the press are having a field day, he is under pressure & has started to sell out PIRA by condemning their bombing campaign as he knows that only by persuading the irish voter that he is a true man of peace can he hope to get elected, therefore you will have another plastic president who will like McAleese has started their political & his case terrorist career comparing the ulster prods to the nazi party, but will end up genuflecting to them in their presence. For all of the talk of a UI, the fact is that Dr Paisley ensured another 1000 years of Ulster within the UK by getting the shinners to sign up to recognising the PSNI & truly committing to a democratic path, eventually PSF will become another middle of the road party competing with FF for the republican vote. Most Catholics in the North has watched from the sidelines as the shinners have feathered their own nest at their expense, most are so disillusioned with nationalist/republican politics that it is quite possible that major shift in voting patterns to the benefit of the Alliance party will take place here in the North, so youse lot run on with your fantasy politics, formulating your blame games, you are an irrelevance to 99.9% people of ireland who may play lip service to a UI, but are not as insular as youse guys, the blame game hasn't achieved a UI & never will, only by accomodating all tribes within Ireland can we ever achieve a truly democratic state for the freedom of all peoples of this land. Maireadinmelb, australia, the peace process was about a UI by the democratic will of the people of NI, not by McGuiness & his small band of followers.

• seanomelbourne | Sep 30, 2011, 08:06 PM EDT

  The press in Ireland is run by west brits who slavishly follow a pro british line.

• maireadinmelb | Sep 30, 2011, 06:22 PM EDT

  From a distance reading irish papers and this site, I find it staggering how the media in the Free state try to separate themselves from the so called north! IT is a free kick to the loyalists and the brits that they have been able to divide and conquer! Hopefully Martin can win and remind the Free state of the 32 counties not just the 26! Maybe the peace process can move a bit quicker!!

• merefalow | Sep 30, 2011, 11:21 AM EDT

  who,s kille3d more innocent people,the bush blair,nato gang or men who had the right to fight injustice in their own country?i never saw any one question the rights of kissinger and all the polititions who rained bombs on cambodia,vetnamn, and all the other inumerable countries they have caused millions of deaths in,the hypocracy is in a super leuge all its own.

• seanomelbourne | Sep 29, 2011, 07:30 PM EDT

  You fought alongside Martin and then joined the RUC!!!!!!are you for real or just telling fairytales???

• DerryBoy54 | Sep 29, 2011, 03:18 PM EDT

  I fought alongside Martin McGuinness in the early seventies when the British army raided our homes and interned my relatives and friends who opposed them. I became a policeman in the RUC in the mid seventies but because Catholics were not accepted as trustworthy officers in the RUC, I left two years later and went to America where I became a US Deputy Sheriff. If everything I did in fighting the British occupation back then were to be held against me today I would never have achieved the position I now hold as an English Teacher in Northern California.

• GeorgeDillon | Sep 29, 2011, 02:54 PM EDT

  trealach: How would you know how much Irish I speak, since the only Irish you can generate comes from an internet translation site? And even if I knew no Irish, wouldn't that just put me in the same position as 95% of Irish people? Why would you impose a criterion on an American that 95% of Irish people--including yourself--could not satisfy? Because you're a bigot and an imbecile, that's why.

• Trealach | Sep 29, 2011, 09:00 AM EDT

  BraindeadDillon - let's see now ... last week you were American, this week you're Irish. A perfect diagnosis for Schizophrenia. Having said that, no doubt next week you will be Irish American, which, like O'Dowd having taken the Oath of Allegiance, now makes you a Schizophrenic Traitor, since within that Oath, is the obligation to take up arms against Ireland. You can't speak a word of Irish, which makes you a hypocrite. You HATE the Irish, which makes you an IGNORANT BIGOTED RACIST. Congratulations, you have scored an AAA for MORON of the Year.

• KevinCarroll | Sep 29, 2011, 03:53 AM EDT

  To Alun Palmer, I am not going to jump all over you for getting a few facts wrong, because there are many in Ireland who have been sold an alternative version of Ireland history for decades. Revisionist Historians version of history have been preferred and the Establishment’s (government/media) versions of events was distributed, this was done to pacify the southern population and make us a little bit less anti-british, some would even say pro-british. This happened particularly during the troubles. As I was born in 1958 I remember my history been a little bit more painful, you might call it a bit more anti-british, I would call it accurate. Anyway since you were born in England I’m sure what little Irish history you were taught I sure it was a lot more pro-british. Anyway getting back to where you went wrong. Even though you might see Northern Ireland as another country, most people in Ireland would probable at most see it as another jurisdiction but none the less all part of the Island of Ireland, and that all the people north and south are equally Irish. On the second point Mary Robinson was born in county Mayo.

• GeorgeDillon | Sep 29, 2011, 02:56 AM EDT

  sirpeter pulls the usual Fianna Fail/Mass Immigrationist trick of "refuting" a point that was not raised. It's called the Straw Man, sir peter (you're called the Dumb Man). In this case the liar sirpeter seems to claim that I accused the Bosnians of claiming welfare illegally. I didn't, you illiterate oaf, I pointed out that the Irish are utter fools to borrow money abroad in order to pay Bosnian migrants for living in Ireland. The Bosnians in question (like tens of thousands others, eiriamach aka racist fool) do no work that we know of. They don't paint derelict buildings, cut grass in public places, pick up trash on streets etc. They do nothing except exist. They get paid by Ireland for being in Ireland. At the same time, of course, young Irish men and women are forced by the corrupt Irish capitalist class so beloved of eiriamach aka stupid racist to abandon the country of their forefathers and get in line for emigration. A country that treats its people like that is composed of utter fools and idiots--we see examples of such idiots on this site in the form of people like sirpeter.

• GeorgeDillon | Sep 29, 2011, 02:47 AM EDT

  I don't need lectures from stupid racists like you, eiramach. I hold Irish citizenship--knock off your dumb bigotry about "Americans" and Kreep back to your Klavern. You Know Knothing about Ireland, you Wacist Kreep.

• AlunPalmer | Sep 29, 2011, 12:33 AM EDT

  He has a right to run according to the constitution, but really he is from another country. That in itself is not the problem, Mary Robinson was from the North. The problem is that he is deeply tied into the politics and history of the North, whereas she was not. I am English and live in the US, although I am descended from Catholics from Cork, so it isn't for me to say. People will either vote for him or they won't. I question his motives, though.

• sirpeter | Sep 28, 2011, 08:47 PM EDT

  Georgy Boy.I know all about this Bosnian family and they are getting everything that they are entitled too.I'm not even going to go into details because it makes no difference with you.But the fact they are Bosnian has nothing got to do with it.An Irish family is entitled to the same.Your post is bulls*it and is a lie.Even where you read this bullsh*t made a mistake.Social welfare payments are suppose to be confidential and not for public knowledge.This family is doing nothing wrong.It's not that sweet for them as you think.Bet you are claiming tax back for your KKK costume.

• greensod | Sep 28, 2011, 08:12 PM EDT

  The old dog for the hard road, McGuinness is the only choice.Forget the other free-staters,they have done nothing for Ireland,other than to live off the tax payers.

• seanomelbourne | Sep 28, 2011, 06:47 PM EDT

  George dillon is steeped in bullsh-t and ignorance. His almost daily tirade of mis-information is boring.He's as Irish as Margaret Thatcher.Your a miserable piece of work with no integrity George.I believe you have lost the plot.

• eiriamach | Sep 28, 2011, 06:42 PM EDT

  Another of the informal fallacies of logic is the hasty generalization: it offers a single example or very few examples and then applies this behavior to the entire population. For example, the hasty generalization concludes that all refugees or immigrants are welfare cheaters on the basis of one case of a refugee family of welfare cheaters. Then, there often follows the "smear campaign": since McGuinness supports the rights of immigrants (along with human rights for all populations), he would load Ireland up with immigrants on the dole, "welfare leeches," who would be stealing the money that 'rightfully' belongs to the 'real' Irish. And the American who offers this fallacious argument thinks the Irish are stupid? Groaaannnnning again...

• oaklongan | Sep 28, 2011, 06:36 PM EDT

  GeorgeDillon: Thank you for your post. My Grandparents must be turning in their graves. Reading last week or before here..appalling is others from east europe and elsewhere who immediately get on the dole, bleeding Ireland dry.

• MacGiobuinR | Sep 28, 2011, 06:22 PM EDT

  Mr. McGuinness would make a fine president. Nobody should panic as it is a purely symbolic position with no real power. Ireland needs to find and support strong leadership when strong leadership is in short supply. His recent work speaks volumes and the past is just that the past. Symbolically speaking Martin is the smart choice to jump start the rest of the government! Slainte

• canadianirish | Sep 28, 2011, 04:51 PM EDT

  @GeorgeDillon - a mighty interesting post, as usual.

• GeorgeDillon | Sep 28, 2011, 03:58 PM EDT

  The main reason I wouldn't vote for McGuinness is that he and his party support Mass Immigration and welfare leeches. Just this week in Ireland it has emerged that a Donegal-based family of two parents, a few children, a live-in grandma, maybe a dog and a cat, are getting about 90.000 euros a year in welfare. Nobody in the house works, but the household has income of more than $120.000 per year. That's net, it's the equivalent of someone making about $200k pre-tax. These people are Bosnians, citizens of a country which is not in the EU. Why have they been given residency in Ireland? I shouldn't say they don't work, because they do; their "work" is to exist. Ireland pays them because they exist, and because they're in Ireland. They are non-productive, so there is no other reason. And of course Ireland is broke, so Ireland borrows money abroad in order to pay these Bosnians. There are many tens of thousands like them who essentially are paid to live in Ireland. This even while the Irish government facilitates the emigration of young Irish men and women from their ancient homeland. I have been criticized here for offering the opinion that the Irish are stupid, but no other judgment appears valid when you read this sort of stuff. And I've also pointed out, as I do again, that McGuinness and his useless Sinn Fein the Mass Immigration party are cheerleaders for the "rights" of immigrants to an ever-growing slice of the pie in Ireland. Worthless McGuinness and his slimy pals have never done anything to curb the abuses occasioned by the import of massive numbers of foreign migrants into Ireland. McGuinness might make a good president of the Irish-Bosnian Friendship League, but he sure doesn't merit the presidency of Ireland.

• kilkenny999 | Sep 28, 2011, 03:07 PM EDT

  one more comment,it is my opinion that most of the irish media south of the border,are west brits and plastic paddies.

• kilkenny999 | Sep 28, 2011, 03:03 PM EDT

  i think the irish people should vote enmasse for martin mc,guinness,he is running for president to help all ireland. he is not in it for power or profit,unlike many others.

• tocon1941 | Sep 28, 2011, 01:47 PM EDT

  "McGuinness is coming. Oh Jasus Paddy what will the neighbors think? I'll hide the good silverware, you drive the sheep into the woods. Sure the priest will read us out from the alter."

• Sparklet | Sep 28, 2011, 01:42 PM EDT

  GeorgeDillon, I daresay there are ignorant people in the south, the north, and everywhere in the world. But it's the people who live on the island who are more in touch with the feelings and wishes of the general population. Sorry if you think that's garbage, but there are a lot of people who live thousands of miles away who have a completely different idea about what the Irish people want, o the Irish themselves, .

• GeorgeDillon | Sep 28, 2011, 12:50 PM EDT

  Towngate--McG is a "last-minute nakedly political entrant". Where do you get this garbage, Towngate? McG is last-minute? So what about the three or four candidates who have been nominated SINCE McG declared? And he's "political" So what is that hack from Fine Gael, or the old guy from Labor? I wouldn't vote for McG if I was in Ireland but I hate ignorance and stupidity (Towngate style) more than I hate Sinn Fein.

• FallsRNat | Sep 28, 2011, 12:46 PM EDT

  who is running from president that will make the most acceptable nationalist candidate in relations with the British Prods, most voters will not be voting for el provo.

• GeorgeDillon | Sep 28, 2011, 12:44 PM EDT

  Sparklet: What you say is utter nonsense. People who live in the South of Ireland do not ipso facto know more about the North than anyone else. I have been astounded by the level of ignorance in the South about affairs in the North. This even extends to geography--I've heard people saying that Donegal or Dubdalk are in the North. There was some excuse 20 years ago when the Southern radio and TV were censored so that southerners would only hear one view (the pro-British one) about the North. But there's no excuse today. Yet I have heard countless Southerners say they have never been "up there". 98% of Southerners know London better than they know Belfast. So what you say is garbage. You can live 50 miles from the Irish border and still be far more ignorant than the guy who lives 5000 miles away. Come to think about it, the Southern Irish tend to be ignorant about lots of things, but that's another topic...

• ancavker | Sep 28, 2011, 12:42 PM EDT

  Niall What statues? last time I checked I did not see statues of Collins and De Valera outside Leinster house. Heck, they were not even on the old Irish currency. Oh and then again there is the angst every year over commemorating 1916.

• ancavker | Sep 28, 2011, 12:39 PM EDT

  Away from the whole Mc Guninness controversy. Can some one again please tell me why some Irish people feel the need to have to apologize for fighting the war of independence from 1918- to 1921? Should the U.S. apologize for the American Revolution? I could go on, bu this mentality goes a long way in explaining why so many Irish are so warped in their thinking.

• citizen69 | Sep 28, 2011, 11:59 AM EDT

  Dry your eyes Niall. You reported not so long ago about all the attacks on Norris when he announced he was running so it's not like Marty is the only one. Besides, do you think it abnormal that a man who was involved in directing terrorism (according to Irish law) would be scrutinized by the press? Remember, that in the position of President of Ireland he would have to swear to an oath to uphold the law of the Republic of Ireland which outlaws the PIRA of which he was a member. The Republic’s laws make clear that virtually every aspect of the IRA’s activities were, and are, illegal. McGuinness would have to endorse the Republic’s considered legal view that the PIRA was (and is) an organisation without justification whose existence undermined the rule of law in the southern state. So don't you think that the hypocritical position he would be in a bit strange?? Maybe you'd like as the President of Ireland a man who was a leading member of an organisation that deliberately targeted & murdered innocent civilians in Ireland & beyond?

• Sparklet | Sep 28, 2011, 11:16 AM EDT

  I do hope that those who lobby for the return of the six counties and who condemn anything and everything related to the past, are actually living in Ireland. That makes it understandable and excusable, and they're entitled to their views whatever they may be. But not if those people live thousands of miles away, because they are unbelievably out of touch with the Ireland of today.

• sirpeter | Sep 28, 2011, 10:43 AM EDT

  @mcdolan.The laws presume coercion,because a minor is legally incapable of giving consent to the act.Using coercion is as good as using force when it comes to a mind which is not fully developed.Coercion and manipulation is as powerful as force if used on some people.

• cillowen | Sep 28, 2011, 10:38 AM EDT

  They fear NI martin but went gaga over foreign born Dev Valera, England's Greatest Spy . The in cahoots trigger for Ireland's Civil War with blood flowing freely as brother fought brother - the same valera fellow who also in cahoots with FDR and Churchill kept ould Erin in a so called neutral state during WWII. A brilliant move to ensure resource and manpower were readily available for mother England's cause. Who knew? Dev's prize was a homeland for his tribe. Not at all suprized by the hostility of Ireland's media given their ravings over Queenie's visit. Such mavens who yearn to be on mother's BBC, like much loved Eamon Andrews was.

• PhlutiePhan | Sep 28, 2011, 10:26 AM EDT

  Even though president is a ceremonial position, Mc"Ale" is still a radical socialist in a "sheep suit" of the new Sinn Fein. I say this as an Irish-American Navy veteran whose great grandfather killed a Brit cop and then fled to America. I did training with Brits in the Med, one of whom lost two brothers in Ireland, and I heard their side of the story. The claim was that they wanted to give back Northern Ireland but the radical socialists would then take over in Ireland. This is where the links to Iran and China prove interesting. Sinn Fein is no Camelot and McAle is no Lancelot. In fact, it would appear, that there is "statutory" influence at work which would make an abusive priest "blush".

• mcdolan | Sep 28, 2011, 10:01 AM EDT

  Excellent article, Niall, but will you stop sensationalising the David Norris matter -- your choice of words is inflammatory. The man was convicted of having sex with a willing participant who turned out to be under age -- therfore 'statutory rape', a vast difference from rape of a child for God's sake!

• donal1951 | Sep 28, 2011, 09:53 AM EDT

  Even a British former secretary of state for Northern Ireland has defended McGuinness's right to run and lauded his political abilities. The former secretary of state is Labour and is personally hoping Higgins wins, as am I, but that is not a slap at Mr. McGuiness. Good column Niall O'Dowd.

• stephendoyle | Sep 28, 2011, 09:48 AM EDT

  A shinning example of how the brits have taken over the Irish media.......

• deirdrekeohane | Sep 28, 2011, 09:44 AM EDT

  Finally ..an intelligent journalist..sick to the teeth of the b&*tching going on in Ireland. they're terrified of McGuinness because he is such an amazing politician and that he will cut their wages. We need a strong leader!:(

• BrendanDunphy | Sep 28, 2011, 09:37 AM EDT

  The Republic free-staters continue to turn their back on the six counties. Sad, and very disappointing, but nothing new.

• Rebelforce | Sep 28, 2011, 09:35 AM EDT

  Those "powers-that-be" in Ireland are the same dopey crowd who crashed the Irish economy and left their country a dependent ward of EU guardians. Irish people should be fed up. It's time for Change. Voters in Ireland can make it clear that they are disgusted with the old, corrupt, inept Dublin political establishment by voting for Sinn Fein. They can send the message that they want leaders who are proud to be Irish, not ashamed of it. Martin McGuiness for President of Ireland.

• sirpeter | Sep 28, 2011, 09:00 AM EDT

  Creakygate.You are wrong and I'll tell you why.If Martin had no hope the bookmakers wouldn't have him at 3/1.The bookmakers are the boys who are really watching.So you know what Creaky don't be telling anybody what the people of the Irish Republic really want.Maybe you haven't realised yet how many people voted for Sinn Fein in the last election.If he didn't have a big media machine in Dumpland against him it would be a different story.But we'll see what percentage of the vote he will get in comparison to the rest.I always thought Norris was a gentleman but he abused his power for his own ends for a convicted child abuser using the peoples trust in him as leverage.The smell of Brit is dripping from your comment Creaky as per usual.

• antoman | Sep 28, 2011, 08:33 AM EDT

  Martin McGuinness is the best of the lot. It was he among others who was the architect of what is the best thing to happen to Ireland in a very long time, the Good Friday agreement.I have no doubt Martin McGuinness will gain the office. The condescending tone of west Brit pundits and publicists is finally exposing the Anglophile political system in Irish politics and press to the voters of Ireland. The Martin McGuinness's of other country's and throughout history up to the present get elected to high office by the people. But here in this country, in particular by the West Brits this can be unacceptable. To hell with them and their English ideology and rhetoric. Vote Martin McGuinness. Sure they still have the Queen if they want to fly over anyway like.

• sirpeter | Sep 28, 2011, 08:32 AM EDT

  Damned typos in my comment!!It's no wonder with those gombeens in Dublin.

• sirpeter | Sep 28, 2011, 08:25 AM EDT

  That bloody clique in Dublin.As my Grandfather always said!They went out in khaki and came back in suits.I guess no matter happens his grand children can look forward to having their Grandfather on an Irish postage stamp in fifty years time.He'll be know as a great Irishman then.

• Towngate | Sep 28, 2011, 07:58 AM EDT

  Niall a chara: I am surprised you are surprised at the 'Media' opposition to Martin McGuinness. Of all the candidates he is perceived as a last-minute nakedly political entrant, and make no mistake ~ the praise you choose to heap on him will make no difference! Citing a list of ex-gunslingers who became President will not help either,because the Irish like to think they have moved on from that sort of person. ~ By Deserting his legitimate and valuable position in Stormont and dishonestly standing as an 'Independant', when the Sinn Fein Party machine will be exerting its full power in support, will not fool anyone. O'Higgins' last minute conversion to decency by 'allowing' Party members to support Norris indicates his view of his own chances and invites his Transfers to Norris. So don't be surprised, Niall, the People of the Republic of Ireland would rather see almost anybody else in the Aras than bear the shame of someone like Martin McGuinness.