Some of you should really read my posts. In 1992 I got to the 9th count in the council election, and narrowly missed the last seat. I received 78 first preference votes. The Council are a joke so mosjt people do not vote. However by not voting they are endorsing the idiots in it. The PUP were educated in gaol by republicans who pointed out that the protestant working class suffered more than anyone else in the history of N.Ireland. The protesstant working class never had a voice. So they formed the PUP. Alas talent was thin on the ground. Davy Ervine was great, as was wee Hughie Smith, Billy Hutch not bad, and Dawn Purvis is excelent. Alas that's it. Ken Wilkinson in Antrim is a poor reflection for a party which professes on its web site; The Progressive Unionist Party emerged from decades of under and mis-representation of the Unionist working class by traditional Unionist parties... The Progressive Unionist Party is a labour orientated party, committed to achieving a new Northern Ireland, free from the mismanaged and stale politics of the past. The PUP are committed to developing an anti-sectarian and pluralist Northern Ireland, offering a progressive, alternative approach for the future. And we DID COLLECT £1,100 before the row, so please do not label the population of Antrim Town as being completely bigoted.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 30/04/2009 17:57:01    272638

Bring back Quinsworth

Southern Dandy (Wicklow) - Posts: 789 - 30/04/2009 18:18:53    272664

although the 26 county media have enough to cover at this time, i think this issue deserved mention. its typical anytime the nationalist community are under attack, the pro-eastablishment media in the south side step it, if this was Republicans intimidating a local scout group, no doubt the scout group would have been paraded before President Obama by this stage. It was the same with opening Croker and Guinness sponsership, the GAA got the rap from the media yet not a word about Heineken and Carlsbergs involvement with Irish soccer and rugby!
Also thumbs up to Justin McCarthy who had a bit in todays Indo/Star, cant remember, about the hospitality he received when visiting the Glens in the past thirty years, he says such areas are the spirit of the GAA. He is taking his team there this weekend and says its important for players to go up and appreciate the work being done in them areas. A worthwhile read for some of the people who be on this who ya would think slept under their bed with their computer!

whoareya (Donegal) - Posts: 78 - 30/04/2009 18:28:10    272675

I don't normally agree with patrique, but he is the man closest to the action and on this issue when he says something it must be listened to. The local club should make the call what way they want this handled, if they want GAA fans around the country to complain centrally or at local Tesco stores they only have to ask, if they want to handle it quietly themselves their wishes should be respected. They should know they have our support either way.

corkcelt (Cork) - Posts: 4388 - 30/04/2009 19:14:18    272714

the actions by both the store in question and the outside parties are a disgrace

JohnGrace1989 (Donegal) - Posts: 472 - 30/04/2009 19:27:13    272731

Donegal- You are spot on about Justin McCarthy. He "walks the walk". I was over playing golf and staying in the same hotel the year he brought the Waterford County hurling team to the Glens. Great bunch of guys and their presence was greeted with big respect by the gaels of Antrim. I had several late drinks with the lads and in particular an old foe I had played against across the water. In fact he gave me 2 new hurling sticks. I also knew one of the grils who worked in the hotel and she told me her son had broken his stick during the week at training. You can guess where the 2 sticks went. I can imagine the look on the young fellas face when his mother handed him 2 new 'County' sticks. Waterford supporter for life. In terms of this Tesco debacle. Progress is obviously slow but sustaining what appears to be a healthy GAA club in Antrim would be unheard of in the dark past. Big respect to the Gaels of antrim town and take Patriques advice on this one.

TheGlensman (Antrim) - Posts: 123 - 30/04/2009 21:00:47    272785

This is what so called "unionists" do best. BIGOTRY The sad thing is that Antrim is not the only town in the North where a GAA club would have got this response. Even in the current political climate.

No.15 (Down) - Posts: 193 - 30/04/2009 22:12:39    272857

I agree with whoareyea 100%. Things like this tend to be bypassed by the Southern media NOT Southern Gaels who are just as disgusted. This is why I get so angry about the media in the 6 counties. They have largely buried their heads for 80 years with respect to Unionist bigotry in the North preferring to blame Northern Nationalists for their own predicament.Surely Croke Park must show some leadership on this or will they too look the other way?

Ulsterman (Antrim) - Posts: 9785 - 30/04/2009 22:27:43    272868

30/04/2009 15:50:25 Dubinmeath County: Dublin Posts: 591 272496 Additionally it was 2 elected representatives who made the most serious complaints and backed this up on radio. In case you don't know "elected" means a large number of people voting for you. Real Louth fan , 30/04/2009 at 15:23 Oh thanks for that RLF, our resident expert on democracy. Yeah now that you mention it I can remember their election posters and literature now - there was a big clear statement on it that read - 'Vote for Me Because When St Comghall's do the Bag Pack in Tesco's I will Make Sure They Are Made to Remove their GAA Jerseys' - and sure enough they skated home .......... You really do know nothing! Sometimes the role of a devil's advocate does help but now you are just taking a foolish stance for no reason at all. Of course there are people on both sides of the comunity who support these and any other kid who would like to fundraise. However, it is hard enough to get any elected representative to do anything unless they see votes in it. Nobody (at least not me) has suggested that 90%+ of Antrim town is bigoted. The point is that 22 people or 22,000 people, these kids were bullied out of a harmelss fundraising activity on the basis of their background. The bigots got their way and that is a sad day for democracy and for as the PUP would say "moving forward"

Real Louth fan (Louth) - Posts: 3157 - 30/04/2009 22:39:35    272878

30/04/2009 15:34:37
tomaoo7
County: Dublin
Posts: 2620

272471 Dubinmeath
County: Dublin
Posts: 588
About the 2 politicians when they speak they speak for therselves not for 20,000 people.

Are you saying that elected representatives don't or shouldn't speak for those who elect them?!

Real Louth fan (Louth) - Posts: 3157 - 30/04/2009 22:43:20    272880

Right, it appears that the trouble began with a PUP representative who was in the shop and threw a wobbler. Word has been sent out then to get a few people to complain to the shop and it went from there. Then the UUP councillor joined in but now denies all, he was only passing on complaints he says. Now much as it grieves me to say this, especially with the recession,. the manager who capitulated should be dismissed. His action was reminiscent of the 1950s, basically one person complaining, get the "croppies" out of the shop.. Doubtless he thought he had economic reasons for doing so. However he failed to realise who he was dealing with. Tesco may be massive but so is the GAA. A one week boycott by GAA supporters world wide of Tesco would have a real economic effect. If necessary I would be prepared to advocate such action, but want to give the company a chance to respond. They have helped the association in the past. Antrim Town was one of the new towns created in N.Ireland. One main street but housing estates surrounding the town. The "council" estates have got a bit smaller, but they are building private estates all over the town. After the ceasefire the "have nots" in the council estates began to seize "territory, to try to turn all estates into ghettoes. The town has a fair number of bigots but also has a greater number of fair minded people. This incident was started by one eejit, albeit an elected eejit, and then a few jumped on the band wagon. The store manager made a grave error of judgement. The bigotry alas can be found among mostly young people on both sides. Even in small things. Mark Allen is playing in the world snooker championship. I was a member of the snooker club when Mark was 14-16, an awesome talent, and most of the town helped to raise money to help him along. His lovely mother sacrificed much to help him, and she actually works in Tesco. Sadly some in the town would be supporting John Higgins against Mark. John Higgins is a Celtic fan. This is not a "dig" at Celtic, but may help to explain attitudes in the North to people on this board who would find it hard to understand people in the North. Let's face it, someone quoted James Connolly earlier. Poor James fled the North in exasperation, baffled as to how working class people on both sides supported the landed gentry and business men in elections. So the incident was very wrong, and will not go uncontested. I welcome the support shown here, and certainly would encourage people to write to Tesco to complain. However as is obvious, I do not think Gaels should advocate that we reciprocate with bigotry of our own. That would simply make us as bad. Thanks.

patrique (Antrim) - Posts: 13709 - 01/05/2009 02:37:14    272982

patrique i can only admire the stance of you and your club.your dignified response shows just how great and mature the GAA are.i hope you succeed in getting your deserved apology.i have already complained to tesco and urge all gaels to do the same.we are 125 years a going and wont be stopped a growing!!

hillroyal (Meath) - Posts: 28 - 01/05/2009 10:29:57    273056

Patrique, I appreciate your last post and support it practically all of it. I don't believe that we should be "bigoted back" but we should not take it lying down either. This is an insult to the entire GAA community wherever that may be. It is also an insult to the guys and girls in the PSNI who line out for their GAA teams. I also think it disgusting that the southern media have effectively ignored it. Could you imagine if a rugby team had been sent (pardon the pun) packing in a Dublin, Belfast or Cork store!! The southern media would be up in arms. We need a full, unconditional and public apology from Tesco, the UUP and the PUP. However, we should not get down into the micro such as "...people who don't support Mark Allen are bigots..." It's people's own right who they support and don't support. However, I imagine should he become successful his background will be forgotten as it was with The first Higgins (Alex), Dennis Taylor, Georgie Best and Wee Barry (eventhough he was from Monaghan). If we try to get everybody to be "hands across the community" at every single venture then we are pushing too hard and are in trouble as there will be a poor response to that attitude. We have to accept that some people will never support Celtic and some people will never support Rangers - and that's ok. If that is the worst that people get up to then that's not too bad. Likewise we have to accept that some people will not support Mark Allen and that is their right. However, should he win or get a welcome home party people who attempt to disrupt that event, degrade it or bring politics into it in any shape or form ARE WRONG! I think that is how we should be looking at this matter.

Real Louth fan (Louth) - Posts: 3157 - 01/05/2009 10:42:02    273066

I support John Higgins largely because he is a fellow Celtic fan, I didnt know I was a bigot!!!

Goodfella, Tir (None) - Posts: 1652 - 01/05/2009 11:04:26    273085

Lads calm it we are all on the same side. The word bigot whould not be bandied about (I think we spent a whole thread on this some weeks ago)

It should be reserved for the actions of the UUP and PUP and subsequently Tesco!

Real Louth fan (Louth) - Posts: 3157 - 01/05/2009 11:20:53    273094

Real Louth fan
County: Louth
Posts: 1473

272880 NO

tomaoo7 (Dublin) - Posts: 5896 - 01/05/2009 11:26:44    273098

I will be up that way next week and i will make it my business to travel to that particular branch of Tesco to let them know how i feel. I did'nt know about this until today as i was in Donegal playing golf or i would have made a detour on the way home to tell them.
Patrique, while i agree with some of what you say i believe that some attitudes are not changing at all and it is a two way process. Some people are still steeped in the tradition that the minority should be downtrodden !!

Cavan_Slasher (Cavan) - Posts: 10253 - 01/05/2009 12:04:53    273140

Patrique, what are your timescales for Tesco to respond?

I applaud your stance on this, it is entirely what is needed in this situation and you and your club are to be commended. I really hope Tesco respond in kind - I have to admit that twice I have avoided going to the store in my town over the last few days and have instead gone elsewhere as a result. If Tesco come back with a satisfactory response (and appropriate action against the store manager) then I will reverse this decision.

As for how this reflects on NI as a whole, we can go too far in our analysis. On the one hand there is no doubt that the GAA and it's followers still face obstacles the like of which our fellow GAA followers in the South will not comprehend and this needs to be clearly understood when people are bandying about "Nordie" comments on this message board at times. However, we also need to remember that things have improved greatly in recent years and, through a combination of the type of excellent work Patrique's club and others are doing and through time itself dulling many people's prejudices, the GAA is becoming more accepted across communities. There will always be a miniority of tubes who will typically shout loudest, but things are much more positive and change is here. To someone who commented earlier that actually nothing has changed in the North except people aren't being murdered, it it a breathtaking lack of understanding of what is happening up here and the changes that HAVE taken place and are continuing to do so.

However, for some people this is going to be a long, slow process and there's nothing for it but time......

bert (Tyrone) - Posts: 105 - 01/05/2009 12:10:53    273143

I don't know why this comes a surprise to anyone to be brutally honest. Antrim town is located in the so-called bible belt in County Antrim and throughout the short history of Northern Ireland it has been made clear by Unionists/Loyalists that Catholics and Nationalists in this area are seen as second class.
People may say that the GAA is only a sports organisation but the perception that it is a catholic pro-nationalist organisation is very real, . As long as this is the case the GAA will cause disgust amongst a large number of the people here.

CheFinny (UK) - Posts: 1358 - 01/05/2009 13:01:38    273183

patrique, I haven't been to Tesco's since this story broke, partly in protest but partly cos I'm on crutches after a fall so I have a good excuse either way. On a more serious note I am following the story closely, as a response to your last post I have just written to Tesco's complaining. Please keep us informed and if you wish the campaign to be intensified just say the word, I certainly can directly influence the actions of 15 or 20 of my close friends and relatives. P.S. I am backing John Higgins as he is a fellow Celt but I guess that won't surprise you in the least.

corkcelt (Cork) - Posts: 4388 - 01/05/2009 13:03:38    273184