49 Comments

• pilib04 | Oct 07, 2012, 01:35 PM EDT

  I like Seamus60's idea, at least as a form of compromise. More importantly, did anyone notice that the sign appears to have been changed? The space between Welcome to and NORTHERN IRELAND. Also, why the Upper Case for Northern Ireland? The lettering on the sign just looks out of proportion.

• DanOLoingsigh | Aug 17, 2012, 07:44 AM EDT

  The official name in English is simply IRELAND, but I thought I read somewhere about 'The Provisional Government of the Irish Republic'...

• Dommo | Aug 16, 2012, 07:33 PM EDT

  There is no such places as "The Irish Republic". I think the DUPer means the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland is a shameful joke. i was born there but no one needs to draw attention to the fact that a minority was carved out by the british and turned into a majority with a shameful history. We got by without annoying signs for 80 years. They will keep being removed and eventually it will come to violence. No signs, no point, no use, no value.

• seamus60 | Aug 13, 2012, 02:31 PM EDT

  Just make the signs bi-lingual

• bobby | Aug 13, 2012, 10:03 AM EDT

  The signs should read, Beware your are entering N.I

• johnymac60 | Aug 12, 2012, 10:33 AM EDT

  This piece is totally inaccurate. Sinn Fein are not the primary ones who disapprove the signs. The locals who live in the area are upset with these signs, which appear to have been installed for divisive reasons. You may be familiar with the 'Flags and Emblems Act NI'? Symbology is very significant in the North. Given the history this is a petty and unnecessary poke in the eye to the Nationalist community - whatever the minor advantage claimed. Another 'Home-Goal' by over-zealous Unionists.

• seanomelb | Aug 12, 2012, 01:11 AM EDT

  Ya gonna answer the question coward!!!

• DanOLoingsigh | Aug 11, 2012, 03:20 AM EDT

  Stick to your donkey, Seano, at least he still loves you...

• seanomelb | Aug 10, 2012, 07:49 PM EDT

  Another pearl of stupidity from Dano,you're a sad little spiteful man Dano. Crawl back into your little flat and curl up with whatever your drinking!! It's sure fried your "brain" or what's left of it.

• Newrone | Aug 10, 2012, 01:52 PM EDT

  Is it the Brits who have put them up? Maybe the Irish could also put some up in front of them then, saying "Welcome to the REST of Ireland!" ;-).

• ancavker | Aug 10, 2012, 11:00 AM EDT

  ciara: Says you.

• ciaradexy | Aug 10, 2012, 10:48 AM EDT

  It is Northern Ireland so there really shouldnt be an issue.

• DanOLoingsigh | Aug 10, 2012, 09:29 AM EDT

  Looks like Seanos been out in that hot Aussie sun too long...again...supporting a group of zealots that FAILED miserably in their 'war aims'...defending the indefensible...so what sign for his house? How about a nice blue plaque 'Pity poor Seano, who PROBABLY lived here 1972 onwards - He was bitter, he was twisted, he was left in the sun - his heart was in Dublin, but his brain was undone'

• lastshovel | Aug 09, 2012, 07:13 PM EDT

  Oh Jeebus Crisp! Ya'll bicker more'n any two ughly sisters I almost ever met. Jus put up a dern sign on t'other side o'th road thet sez, "Welcome to Southern Ireland Ya'll" an have done with it.

• seanomelb | Aug 09, 2012, 07:08 PM EDT

  Ignorant Clowngate is incapable of making an honest opinion or argument on Irish history/politics. Probably due to his limited education. Maybe we should have a sign outside Clowngate's abode reading "FAILED HUMAN BEING INSIDE"

• Towngate | Aug 09, 2012, 03:57 PM EDT

  stephendoyle; A nice thought, and it will surely become a museum piece some day; but not for the reasons you imagine. It will be because there will be no such border after those who broke the 26 counties away, have offered them back to the 6 Counties and they will all live happily ever after in IrelandNorth's inventive and amusing 32 Battalion Curragh-land Utopia!

• Curitiba | Aug 09, 2012, 01:13 PM EDT

  There's a lot in a name. For instance, Greece will not allow the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to call itself simply Macedonia, because that implies a claim on the Greek province of the Macedonia, or indeed vice versa. Virtually no Greeks live in FYROM and no Slavs live in Greek Macedonia. The point here is, looking at it from a Unionist point of view, why did the Protestants not take the opportunity to call their new country by some other name, say "Orangeland" or something along those lines. If they had done that, it would have strengthened their argument that the 6 counties would never be returned to Ireland. Look at it another way. If England was renamed Southern Britain, Wales West Britain and Scotland named North Britain, this would imply a sense of longed-for unity in the way North and South Korea seeks to reunite, and would make independence for North Britain (Scotland) seem absurd. But because Scotland has its own name for its nation, this makes independence seem reasonable, even though many Scots are in fact Anglo Saxon. The rest are mainly Celts from Ireland in antiquity.

• ancavker | Aug 09, 2012, 11:10 AM EDT

  Irelandnorth: The original plan was for all nine counties to be included in Northern Ireland, but Carson/Craig knew it would not work, as the Protestants/Unionists would only have a tiny overall majority, and most of that concentrated in Antrim, Down, and north Armagh. Tyrone and Fermangh never should have been included in the north, along with south Armagh and west Derry. Going from Blacklion to Belcoo same country same people, one Ireland. And of course my beloved Slieve Russell and Cuilcagh mountains!!

• stephendoyle | Aug 09, 2012, 10:59 AM EDT

  Great! A sign to steal! And maybe in the not too distant future it might be worth some money to a museum when there is only ONE IRELAND !

• bogsidebunny | Aug 09, 2012, 10:10 AM EDT

  Another idiot, mindless protest like the "Shell to Sea" moronic ruckus. Making a stupid protest just to get publicity and stir up the peasants. Gerry adams and Martin mcGuinness are great for that. They're the Irish answer to Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton.

• Kilsally | Aug 09, 2012, 08:39 AM EDT

  Sign already removed and photographed on twitter - rather juvenille. The signs are helpful on several counts. Fisrtly for tourists to let them know they are entering or leaving Northern Ireland / UK so money changes from euros to pounds sterling, secondly that road signs and speeds are now in miles / mph rather than the republics kilometres/kph and also the fact you are in a different legal jurisdiction albeit a free common travel area of UK/Ireland

• Towngate | Aug 09, 2012, 07:30 AM EDT

  No matter what signs are put up, the Shinners will always be lost and will never get there! >> I have always felt that internationally;'welcome to ...' border road signs should always be in the language of the country you are leaving. In this case,though, if they were in Irish...hardly body leaving the South (Non-British Sector) would understand them!

• IrelandNorth | Aug 09, 2012, 06:25 AM EDT

  During six years of active service with the Irish Army in northern Ireland (nI) in the late 70s/early 80s with the Curragh Commands' 6th, 26th & 32nd Infantry Battalions, we regularly strayed across the commissioned boundary between north eastern Ulster (ie NI), and south western Ulster (ie nI) along the Cavan/Fermanagh county borders. Since the then partitioned perimeter was signalled by little more than a white non-reflective hollow white box painted in the centre of the road a short distance from the estimated boundary, it was easily missed during night time recces, sorties and/or manoeuvres. Only way of knowing for sure was on driving past red post boxes/telephone kiosks rather than green ones. How simpler would it have been had Senoré Edwardo Carsoni & Co settled for all 9 counties of Ulster, (or the then 4 predominently Protestant ones), rather than forcibly including 2 predominantly Catholic ones. In an era of European/global convergence, how politically pragmatic is it for the NI Assembly/Executive to deny that boundaries were intended to be temporary. Not least against the backdrop of rapidly changing demographics in NI. And that they could have exercised some foresight by printing their roadsign as Gaeilge for Catholic counties like Fermanagh/Tyrone. "Failte go dti an TUAIRSCEART ÉIREANN".

• pilib04 | Aug 08, 2012, 10:27 PM EDT

  ePHraimAg, what Northern Ireland are you referring to that includes Donegal. Northern Ireland is six counties (Armagh, Down, Antrim, Derry, Tyrone and Fermanagh). Perhaps you meant Ulster which includes Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan. Gaelic is an officially recognized minority language in Northern Ireland. There are Irish language schools in Belfast, Armagh and Derry. Something in the neighborhood of 20-25 percent of the population has a working knowledge of the language. A variety of Gaelic directional signs are in use, although they are primarily in Armagh, Derry and Belfast.

• pilib04 | Aug 08, 2012, 10:13 PM EDT

  Seano, i think you mean Norn Iron.

• timtrainor | Aug 08, 2012, 08:19 PM EDT

  Nothing a little white paint can't help. WELCOME TO IRELAND!

• aloistmartin | Aug 08, 2012, 07:51 PM EDT

  LOL ! Which Sinn Fein` !

• seanomelb | Aug 08, 2012, 07:30 PM EDT

  I'd rather see the sign in that new ulster language (or whatever it's called) Then the sign would read 'NORN AYRLAND" LOL

• seamus60 | Aug 08, 2012, 07:27 PM EDT

  Phil will want his next MLA pay cheque in euros`s then. lol

• Rebelforce | Aug 08, 2012, 07:04 PM EDT

  I can't think of a bigger WASTE OF MONEY for no other reason that these border areas are heavily Nationalist and the offensive signs are practically asking to be spray painted over in Gaelic, blown up, used for target process or simply removed by local residents.

• DanOLoingsigh | Aug 08, 2012, 06:27 PM EDT

  Good to see "Parity of esteem" on display...

• seamus60 | Aug 08, 2012, 06:20 PM EDT

  Storm in a teacup when compared to issues SF are keeping under wraps. But the wrangle over sign posts are certainly a great blow for a United Ireland and worthy of the MLA`s statement more than his or any of his party leaders opinion on the report below. FIVE CHARGED WITH IRA MEMBERSHIP By Ciaran Barnes Sunday life 05 August 2012 Five people including sinn fein activists in Belfast have been charged with belonging to the Provisional IRA more than a decade ago.For legal reasons none of the five can be named at this stage. The accused - three men and two women,were scheduled to appear at the city's magistrates court last Thursay.But they were excused from standing in the dock after their case was adjourned. During a short hearing the court ordered that "no details pertaining to their identification be published". The five are charged with "belonging to or professing to belong to a proscribed organisation,namely the Provisional IRA". The Provo membership charges relate to various dates between 1997 and 2000.Two men are further charged with organising,managing and addressing meetings of the IRA. One of the men faces an additional claim of forcing a woman to co-operate with a Provisional IRA investigation

• canadianirish | Aug 08, 2012, 05:15 PM EDT

  @randyo573 - LOL!!!!

• Jacob | Aug 08, 2012, 03:25 PM EDT

  How about 'You are entering Northern Ireland. We are not killing people now but we want you to know that we still hate you. Regards, Sinn Fein'

• hjolley | Aug 08, 2012, 02:31 PM EDT

  Let them waste their money on signs if they want to. They'll just have to take them down when the 26 and 6 reunite!

• randyo573 | Aug 08, 2012, 12:24 PM EDT

  To ePHraimAg, even the term "ULSTER" would not be entirely correct in describing the 6 counties of so called "Northern Ireland," since Donegal, Monaghan and Cavan are in Ulster but are also in the Republic. Maybe a sign reading "WELCOME TO BRTISH OCCUPIED IRELAND" would be more appropriate!

• cillowen | Aug 08, 2012, 12:08 PM EDT

  Sinn Fein should encourage a sign reading "YOUR'RE ABOUT TO ENTER OUR BRIT PLANTED FIELD. EIRE ABU. This type of attention is good - when bolstered by John Mitchel's brave accounting of the evil that was and still is.

• johhnyb | Aug 08, 2012, 11:53 AM EDT

  You are so right pilib04. Most of the people can't speak English so a few quid more spent on making the signs bi-lingual before the locals trash them would be money well spent.

• ePHraimAg | Aug 08, 2012, 11:53 AM EDT

  The signs are wrong, as Donegal is in Northern Ireland. better off changing it to WELCOME TO ULSTER....same goes for Connacht, Leinster, Munster, and Northern Ireland ( The 5 Houses Of Ireland), give them the same signs. I have not a problem with them being bilingual either. In Ulster bilingual is not so necessary as most speak and read english, even they who are Of nationalist community are not so bilingual as You may think.

• pilib04 | Aug 08, 2012, 11:47 AM EDT

  Jimmie is right that the road quality deteriorates when you enter the ROI.

• citizen69 | Aug 08, 2012, 11:46 AM EDT

  Haven't these idiots got anything better to worrying about instead of arguing about signposts welcoming people into the country?

• pilib04 | Aug 08, 2012, 11:40 AM EDT

  First off, the signs should be bilingual as the local signs in and around Crossmaglen. I do see the point that the NEW signs are deflecting from real issues that all parties should be dealing with.

• WoundedKnee | Aug 08, 2012, 11:33 AM EDT

  You don't have to be clairvoyant to see that these signs won't last long. I remember during the Troubles often crossing south of Newry. Invariably, whatever efforts had been made to indicate the border had been long destroyed. 20 years ago, you knew you had crossed the border going north because the road surface improved. Nowadays the roads on the southern side are better, though keep an eye on miles versus kilometers. On the winding country roads around Crossmaglen it's nearly impossible to know which side you're on, indeed that was an excuse often used by British forces when they "accidentally" strayed south of the line.

• Sparklet | Aug 08, 2012, 11:18 AM EDT

  How about, "This is Northern Ireland and you're welcome to it." (I don't mean it!)

• carrickcourt | Aug 08, 2012, 10:22 AM EDT

  The border between the Republic and Northern Ireland is not marked in many places. I realized once I was in the North by noting signs indicating miles not kilometers. Frankly road signs are much better in the North then in the Republic.

• Padraig8 | Aug 08, 2012, 10:09 AM EDT

  Sign should read (Entering Stolen Property) so travlers could be on the Alert for the BRIT THIEVES

• TayandCake | Aug 08, 2012, 10:05 AM EDT

  That's the DUP mentality alright, more divides us then unites.

• johhnyb | Aug 08, 2012, 09:24 AM EDT

  Aw JimmieM, what a cruel thing to say. The Republic isn't that bad.

• JimmieM | Aug 08, 2012, 09:11 AM EDT

  Well I made the crossing once and didn't need a sign....the road quality went down the people changed, not in a good way and it seemed the colors of trees flowers dulled a bit