Community Relations - Your View

[Frosty1]

Personally I think the area (north west) i live in is the best place to live in for that. I goto a non-denominational school and it's great religion is barely ever mentioned and there's never any fighting. I think it's suffice to say that because were rural we have more respect. I know of Catholics living in loyalist estates who get on fine. People here are not like Belfast. And I have to say I am thankful to be born here and not in Belfast I couldn't stick that divided bitter attitude. I have seen a fair few bitter people from belfasr and I have to say they annoy me as they are ignorant of the other half and are being bitter for the sake of it, personally I don't get it and I find alot of those people are insecure and believe stereotypes that their parents have told them,

[Northtipp]

Personally I think the area (north west) i live in is the best place to live in for that. I goto a non-denominational school and it's great religion is barely ever mentioned and there's never any fighting. I think it's suffice to say that because were rural we have more respect. I know of Catholics living in loyalist estates who get on fine. People here are not like Belfast. And I have to say I am thankful to be born here and not in Belfast I couldn't stick that divided bitter attitude. I have seen a fair few bitter people from belfasr and I have to say they annoy me as they are ignorant of the other half and are being bitter for the sake of it, personally I don't get it and I find alot of those people are insecure and believe stereotypes that their parents have told them,

Must be some school given all your posts during school hours. On that thought, shouldn't you be in bed?

[Frosty1]

No I have mocks (incase you didn't notice most schools this week do) and im off when I don't have them.

[Northtipp]

No I have mocks (incase you didn't notice most schools this week do) and im off when I don't have them.

Right!

[factual]

It is generally an encouraging picture.

I see that boring SDLP man who posts all day on slugger is now posting here.

[Northtipp]

It is generally an encouraging picture.

I see that boring SDLP man who posts all day on slugger is now posting here.

Who?

[longmarch]

This thread is really to satisfy my own curiosity. Therefore it probably lacks a 'point' as such.

Still , I would like some cross-spectrum perspectives on the reality of community relations in NI , specifically where it is best (in your view) and where relations are particularly lowly.

Say , Lurgan can look pretty entrenched to me from what I've read whereas Antrim town has always seemed off the radar , and (I then presume) more cohesive as a result. I could be wrong.

Ballymena has become a much more sinister place since the ceasefires. The town is predominantly Unionist but many Catholics live in Loyalist areas like Harryville and Ballykeel. The daft thing is I know Catholics that have lived in Harryville all their lives, they drink in the pubs and they are involved in the local Harryville Homers footy team. Whenever there have been sectarian incidents none of their homes have ever been touched. Sorry to use such language but some of the less desirables in the area call them 'dead on taigs or alright Fenians'. I never quite got my head around this. I've seen folk go down to the chapel protest and 2 hours later be sat socialising with a Catholic who uses the chapel!!

You couldn't make it up.

Relations turned more sour when the Harryville chapel protest began. I'd say this protest set back community relations in the borough a long long way. Even during all the protests Catholics used the chapel 6 other days a week with no problems and today they go about their worship with virtually no bother. A loyalist housing estate is packed full of Catholics many days a week and they have even altered the road so they can park better!! These kind of things often go unreported. In reality why should it be reported as it should be normal but hey if your an outsider it might not of dawned on you that life goes on as normal. We aren't always trying to kill each other.

Community relations are improving but the youngsters appear so full of hate. The tragic death of mickeybo was the ultimate wake up call as to how serious Ballymena had become. Many Catholic homes and property have been attacked over the years and more than 10 Protestant families have been forced out of the Dunclug estate in recent times. It was reported a year or so back that only Belfast and Londonderry had more Sectarian incidents than Ballymena over the course of a year.

It's almost like the kids feel they missed out on the troubles. As a Protestant I feel a lot less safe now walking around Ballymena at night and I bet it's even worse for my Catholic counterparts. Ballymena has taken a step backwards since the peace process but with time it will get better.

[William T Riker]

Ballymena has become a much more sinister place since the ceasefires. The town is predominantly Unionist but many Catholics live in Loyalist areas like Harryville and Ballykeel. The daft thing is I know Catholics that have lived in Harryville all their lives, they drink in the pubs and they are involved in the local Harryville Homers footy team. Whenever there have been sectarian incidents none of their homes have ever been touched. Sorry to use such language but some of the less desirables in the area call them 'dead on taigs or alright Fenians'. I never quite got my head around this. I've seen folk go down to the chapel protest and 2 hours later be sat socialising with a Catholic who uses the chapel!!

Apologies for the outside ignorance, but why are people protesting outside a Catholic church? Is it a doctrine-based beef or something?

[vaudeville]

It is generally an encouraging picture.

I see that boring SDLP man who posts all day on slugger is now posting here.

What will Sinn Fein's outstanding contribution to society be tomorrow?

Today it is an inability to maintain and safeguard residents they represent, an issue that has more prominance when it presents itself dispersed to the 'respectable populace'.

You've a cheek Factual.

[vinoboy]

In my home town ,prods mainly live on one side of town ,RC's in the other .Folk mix at work and get on well but live separately .Pubs that start in Prod end have 10% RC's drinking in them increasing incrementally to 50/50 in town centre.Interestingly ,when you start on most RC side of town ,no prods drink in the pub until you get to the town centre.Overall relations are good ,but beliefs held. Bizarrely to some . a lot of RC's who own bars are active supporters of ex Ruc George Cross Association .Many RC's do not support republican violence so loyalist extremism is tempered and not regarded as "good form" to be an offensive sectarian prod .Extremism is at the margins of each ethnic grouping with the majority on both sides somewhere in the middle.Of course , whenever the other side starts shooting and killing more move to the extreme point of view.