Where's Belfast?

dylanfernley

Ah, Grasshopper stylee, martial arts adherent.......surely a shorter more catchy nom de plume could be invented ?

Ginjafro

The point I was making, without getting political about "Ireland", was this. Some people seem totally clueless about many things such as where on earth is Belfast and as another poster contributed a tale about someone who did not know who Hitler was. A fantastic recent example was to me, totally unbelievable. A young guy at work honestly did not know what we were talking about when we mentioned "911". He got quite confused when we explained that we were not discussing whether or not a Ferrari was more desirable then a Porsche. He confessed he was totally unaware of the massacre of 911, he is 26 years old. So not too young to remember.

pinno

I know where Belfast is but I can't quite figure out 'what' Belfast is.

Living just accross the water and having visited the place quite often, I have had some very contrasting experiences.
On one occassion, on the way to Dave Kane's cycles (Kaners) in 1993, Marks and Sparks had armed security guards with body armour at the doors. I took friends over to have a Guiness at the Crown, took a taxi to Upper Newton Ards Road and the driver refused to go all the way "I gat a wafe an kids u know". Left stranded in a shitty part of Belfast feeling very uncomfortable.
Contrast that with a wedding between a catholic girl and a proddy (Protestant) bloke in Dromara, out in the sticks that was seemless and the most amiable, congenial wedding I have attended.
Whilst at this wedding, I had a talk with a bloke from Larne who commented that there was a hard core element in NI who were intent on violence regardless of political association - its often a banner to which they claim some twisted relation to.
2 friends of mine went to the Northwest 200. After, in a local pub, the patrons of this pub was convinced that one of my friends was formerly in the army and later on baseball bats came out and he was asked "we are going out to have a little fun, would you like to come with us?" amongst the roar of patriotic unionist songs. They escaped out of the toilet window.
I do not understand the contrast between the deep hatreds, evil intentions and the seemingly benign . On the other hand, I have met N Irish who have been the salt of the earth.
I knew of an 11 year old girl who's parents moved to SW Scotland after she was tied to a telegraph pole and kneecapped, just 'cos she was Catholic.
So you'll have to forgive me but that element that exists in NI intent on bigotry, marching, clear delination of areas of 'go' and 'no go' is as far as I am concerned people who should be taken around the back and shot. Until that element is removed/eradicated/executed call it what you will, to me the place is always tainted. Such a pity as there are so many down to earth good people there caught up in the malaise and the setarianism kicks off so regularly but the press over here give it nil time and I don't know why.
Isn't it time the good people by weight of numbers got rid of the not so good people or is it that a lot of the bigotry is ingrained often into the insitutions of politics and church ?

madden2011

Things have got better but some things will never change. Always raises its ugly head around marching season from both sides. Though just one of those things you get used to, which is why alot of Belfast & NI is like a ghost town as people go on their holidays to get away from all the sh**

socrates

Let me help you out Benjboy, the proper spelling is BIGOTED. Now don't enter any arguments until you are well educated enough to spell properly. Belfast is in Northern Ireland as opposed to Eire (Southern Ireland) - 2 seperate countries. Nothing to do with bigotry, simple geographical situation. End of.

Ginjafro

Jeez, has Belfast taken on the mantle of "helmets"? :roll:

Nowhere in the OP (me) was I suggesting political discussion about Belfast. I was merely pointing out what I witnessed on BBC news when some thicko was too dim-witted to realise Belfast was not located somewhere in North Wales. At some point a troll emerges and the whole thread has descended into how good, bad or indifferent Belfast is. I preferred it when some responses took the p iss out of my crap spelling!

However, perhaps the descent into a totally irrelevant rants about Belfast proves my point about ignorance?

Any chance of anyone discussing their despair about some people not knowing stuff like where places are or murderous tyrants?

Gizmo_

Can I just say: I don't care what colour anyone's hands are or whether they regard walking up and down council estates as a ceremonial right.

But Apple's new maps are fuggin' terrible.

disgruntledgoat

Northern Ireland use that flag in the Commonwealth Games. Just saying like

t.m.h.n.e.t

TommyEss wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Which was dissolved in the '70's but still used by the national football team and the national commonwealth games team.

There is no current legally flown flag of Northern Ireland. Stormont flies the Union Jack(with discussions on the tricolor) making the defunct Ulster Banner like my avatar, the closest thing we have.

...wanders in
That's the Union Flag, the Union Jack is flown from ships.
...wanders out

Oh? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Jack


Gets comfortable.

I'm not sure Wikipedia is 100% reliable - when anything says "commonly referred to as" you can pretty much always substitute in "general population who couldn't be arsed to look up the correct term" - in the history of flags, jacks are flown from ships, flags from land. However, much like VED versus Road Tax, I think we all know what each other's talking about, even if one term is technically incorrect in both cases!

Walk down any road/street in Northern Ireland,ask total strangers what that flag is. They will almost certainly say "Union Jack"

Ask the same people what road tax is for. They will almost certainly say "it fixes roads" or something.

slowsider

hutchy_belfast wrote:

benjboy wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Just up the road lawd. Three days trek in me da's aul D-turbo

He was wrong on two counts though.Belfast isn't in Ireland :roll:

Belfast NOT in Ireland got that one wrong it is in Ireland .But then you can tell which side you bat for with your nice little flag of Ulster which people in Norn iron use to be bigitit :roll: Nuff said....

You got the flag wrong, it's the Northern Irish flag rather than the Ulster flag.

Not the Union flag then?
That NI flag was a Stormont one.

Ginjafro

Ginjafro wrote:

Jeez, has Belfast taken on the mantle of "helmets"? :roll:

Nowhere in the OP (me) was I suggesting political discussion about Belfast. I was merely pointing out what I witnessed on BBC news when some thicko was too dim-witted to realise Belfast was not located somewhere in North Wales. At some point a troll emerges and the whole thread has descended into how good, bad or indifferent Belfast is. I preferred it when some responses took the p iss out of my crap spelling!

However, perhaps the descent into a totally irrelevant rants about Belfast proves my point about ignorance?

Any chance of anyone discussing their despair about some people not knowing stuff like where places are or murderous tyrants?

Is there any chance, anyone will look at the OP and stop droning on about stuff I never raised!?

BelgianBeerGeek

Right chaps, we should all be above this slanging.
The BBC are useless, but I doubt if they are are trying to start a fight. As a BBC South viewer, Gosport seems to move around the South Coast willy-nilly.

Vino2007

pinarello001 wrote:

I know where Belfast is but I can't quite figure out 'what' Belfast is.

Living just accross the water and having visited the place quite often, I have had some very contrasting experiences.
On one occassion, on the way to Dave Kane's cycles (Kaners) in 1993, Marks and Sparks had armed security guards with body armour at the doors. I took friends over to have a Guiness at the Crown, took a taxi to Upper Newton Ards Road and the driver refused to go all the way "I gat a wafe an kids u know". Left stranded in a sh!tty part of Belfast feeling very uncomfortable.
Contrast that with a wedding between a catholic girl and a proddy (Protestant) bloke in Dromara, out in the sticks that was seemless and the most amiable, congenial wedding I have attended.
Whilst at this wedding, I had a talk with a bloke from Larne who commented that there was a hard core element in NI who were intent on violence regardless of political association - its often a banner to which they claim some twisted relation to.
2 friends of mine went to the Northwest 200. After, in a local pub, the patrons of this pub was convinced that one of my friends was formerly in the army and later on baseball bats came out and he was asked "we are going out to have a little fun, would you like to come with us?" amongst the roar of patriotic unionist songs. They escaped out of the toilet window.
I do not understand the contrast between the deep hatreds, evil intentions and the seemingly benign . On the other hand, I have met N Irish who have been the salt of the earth.
I knew of an 11 year old girl who's parents moved to SW Scotland after she was tied to a telegraph pole and kneecapped, just 'cos she was Catholic.
So you'll have to forgive me but that element that exists in NI intent on bigotry, marching, clear delination of areas of 'go' and 'no go' is as far as I am concerned people who should be taken around the back and shot. Until that element is removed/eradicated/executed call it what you will, to me the place is always tainted. Such a pity as there are so many down to earth good people there caught up in the malaise and the setarianism kicks off so regularly but the press over here give it nil time and I don't know why.
Isn't it time the good people by weight of numbers got rid of the not so good people or is it that a lot of the bigotry is ingrained often into the insitutions of politics and church ?

I'd feel safe walking around all parts of Belfast but couldn't say the same thing about the majority of major cities in England. You're always going to get the sectarian scum in N.ireland who will never change their attitudes. The segregation of two communities does little but increase the "them and us" attitude. The view of that taxi driver epitomises both the republican and loyalist views of each other. The Newtownards Rd is a very safe area.
The majority of us don't give a damn about all that rubbish. It's a shame though that local government is influenced by extreme ideologies.

Ginjafro

Ginjafro wrote:

Ginjafro wrote:

Jeez, has Belfast taken on the mantle of "helmets"? :roll:

Nowhere in the OP (me) was I suggesting political discussion about Belfast. I was merely pointing out what I witnessed on BBC news when some thicko was too dim-witted to realise Belfast was not located somewhere in North Wales. At some point a troll emerges and the whole thread has descended into how good, bad or indifferent Belfast is. I preferred it when some responses took the p iss out of my crap spelling!

However, perhaps the descent into a totally irrelevant rants about Belfast proves my point about ignorance?

Any chance of anyone discussing their despair about some people not knowing stuff like where places are or murderous tyrants?

Is there any chance, anyone will look at the OP and stop droning on about stuff I never raised!?

No, I didn't think so, Goodnight...... :roll:

penugent

Ginjafro wrote:

Ginjafro wrote:

Ginjafro wrote:

Jeez, has Belfast taken on the mantle of "helmets"? :roll:

Nowhere in the OP (me) was I suggesting political discussion about Belfast. I was merely pointing out what I witnessed on BBC news when some thicko was too dim-witted to realise Belfast was not located somewhere in North Wales. At some point a troll emerges and the whole thread has descended into how good, bad or indifferent Belfast is. I preferred it when some responses took the p iss out of my crap spelling!

However, perhaps the descent into a totally irrelevant rants about Belfast proves my point about ignorance?

Any chance of anyone discussing their despair about some people not knowing stuff like where places are or murderous tyrants?

Is there any chance, anyone will look at the OP and stop droning on about stuff I never raised!?

No, I didn't think so, Goodnight...... :roll:

Typical of the English - Stir up a lot of trouble in Ireland/NI and then try to just walk away.

LiamW

Ginjafro wrote:

Bear with me on this one, I know exactly where Belfast is.....

The BBC news this morning did a segment on Maps (All to do with Apple's failure to provide accurate cartography). The roving reporter questioned a few people in Leeds city center. She approached a young fellah, probably aged about 19 years old and asked him to point out Belfast on a map of the British Isles. Simple? He said something like, "Belfast, its in Ireland, isn't it?" then confidently pointed to a spot in the region of Anglesey!

For quite some time I have been aware of some people's quite astonishing levels of ignorance with regards to there surroundings and environment but never quite believed it, such as where they actually are and where others live. I live in Cornwall but spoke to someone up north last year who thought I must live somewhere near Spain!

My observation may not be that important but I do wonder how some people learned to breath. :shock:

I don't think stupidity is confined to just the UK mate, they did the same thing in America recently and around 40% of people questioned couldn't point out some of their own States on the map.

To be honest when it comes to geography my sisters is shocking. Ask her to point out a few European countries outside of Ireland/Scotland/Wales/England and she'd struggle, sad thing about it is i'm not joking either.

LiamW

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

TommyEss wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Kieran_Burns wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Which was dissolved in the '70's but still used by the national football team and the national commonwealth games team.

There is no current legally flown flag of Northern Ireland. Stormont flies the Union Jack(with discussions on the tricolor) making the defunct Ulster Banner like my avatar, the closest thing we have.

...wanders in
That's the Union Flag, the Union Jack is flown from ships.
...wanders out

Oh? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Jack


Gets comfortable.

I'm not sure Wikipedia is 100% reliable - when anything says "commonly referred to as" you can pretty much always substitute in "general population who couldn't be arsed to look up the correct term" - in the history of flags, jacks are flown from ships, flags from land. However, much like VED versus Road Tax, I think we all know what each other's talking about, even if one term is technically incorrect in both cases!

Walk down any road/street in Northern Ireland,ask total strangers what that flag is. They will almost certainly say "Union Jack"

Ask the same people what road tax is for. They will almost certainly say "it fixes roads" or something.

The thing i find funny about the Union Jack/Flag whatever the hell it is, the majority of them over here are always flown upside down. Always laugh at that when i travel down the upper part of Blacks Road.

LiamW

Ginjafro wrote:

Ginjafro wrote:

Jeez, has Belfast taken on the mantle of "helmets"? :roll:

Nowhere in the OP (me) was I suggesting political discussion about Belfast. I was merely pointing out what I witnessed on BBC news when some thicko was too dim-witted to realise Belfast was not located somewhere in North Wales. At some point a troll emerges and the whole thread has descended into how good, bad or indifferent Belfast is. I preferred it when some responses took the p iss out of my crap spelling!

However, perhaps the descent into a totally irrelevant rants about Belfast proves my point about ignorance?

Any chance of anyone discussing their despair about some people not knowing stuff like where places are or murderous tyrants?

Is there any chance, anyone will look at the OP and stop droning on about stuff I never raised!?

They'll get round to it eventually, just have to get the other shite out of the way 1st. Just the way it is over here mate.

slowsider

LiamW wrote:

Ginjafro wrote:

Bear with me on this one, I know exactly where Belfast is.....

The BBC news this morning did a segment on Maps (All to do with Apple's failure to provide accurate cartography). The roving reporter questioned a few people in Leeds city center. She approached a young fellah, probably aged about 19 years old and asked him to point out Belfast on a map of the British Isles. Simple? He said something like, "Belfast, its in Ireland, isn't it?" then confidently pointed to a spot in the region of Anglesey!

For quite some time I have been aware of some people's quite astonishing levels of ignorance with regards to there surroundings and environment but never quite believed it, such as where they actually are and where others live. I live in Cornwall but spoke to someone up north last year who thought I must live somewhere near Spain!

My observation may not be that important but I do wonder how some people learned to breath. :shock:

I don't think stupidity is confined to just the UK mate, they did the same thing in America recently and around 40% of people questioned couldn't point out some of their own States on the map.

To be honest when it comes to geography my sisters is shocking. Ask her to point out a few European countries outside of Ireland/Scotland/Wales/England and she'd struggle, sad thing about it is i'm not joking either.

Yeah but, they have 50 states to remember

bompington

I'm just wondering, where can I buy a helmet with a Union Jack design (not upside down) in Belfast, Ireland? :evil:

t.m.h.n.e.t

bompington wrote:

I'm just wondering, where can I buy a helmet with a Union Jack design (not upside down) in Belfast, Ireland? :evil:

Not a hope of that in Ireland. Although Chain Reaction Cycles near Belfast,Northern Ireland might be able to help.

:roll:

LiamW

bompington wrote:

I'm just wondering, where can I buy a helmet with a Union Jack design (not upside down) in Belfast, Ireland? :evil:

Chain Reaction can help you there. But i see our local geography expert has already pointed that out.... :roll:

LiamW

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

bompington wrote:

I'm just wondering, where can I buy a helmet with a Union Jack design (not upside down) in Belfast, Ireland? :evil:

Not a hope of that in Ireland. Although Chain Reaction Cycles near Belfast,Northern Ireland might be able to help.

:roll:

Seriously mate give it a rest.

We all get your political background ffs. There are other sites on the internet for that if it really really really bothers you.

LiamW

slowsider wrote:

LiamW wrote:

Ginjafro wrote:

Bear with me on this one, I know exactly where Belfast is.....

The BBC news this morning did a segment on Maps (All to do with Apple's failure to provide accurate cartography). The roving reporter questioned a few people in Leeds city center. She approached a young fellah, probably aged about 19 years old and asked him to point out Belfast on a map of the British Isles. Simple? He said something like, "Belfast, its in Ireland, isn't it?" then confidently pointed to a spot in the region of Anglesey!

For quite some time I have been aware of some people's quite astonishing levels of ignorance with regards to there surroundings and environment but never quite believed it, such as where they actually are and where others live. I live in Cornwall but spoke to someone up north last year who thought I must live somewhere near Spain!

My observation may not be that important but I do wonder how some people learned to breath. :shock:

I don't think stupidity is confined to just the UK mate, they did the same thing in America recently and around 40% of people questioned couldn't point out some of their own States on the map.

To be honest when it comes to geography my sisters is shocking. Ask her to point out a few European countries outside of Ireland/Scotland/Wales/England and she'd struggle, sad thing about it is i'm not joking either.

Yeah but, they have 50 states to remember

True, but i could tell you where most of them are.

t.m.h.n.e.t

LiamW wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

bompington wrote:

I'm just wondering, where can I buy a helmet with a Union Jack design (not upside down) in Belfast, Ireland? :evil:

Not a hope of that in Ireland. Although Chain Reaction Cycles near Belfast,Northern Ireland might be able to help.

:roll:

Seriously mate give it a rest.

We all get your political background ffs. There are other sites on the internet for that if it really really really bothers you.

My political background is irrelevant(youre doing no more than making assumptions) Im sorry people can"t handle the FACT that Belfast is in Northern Ireland

LiamW

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

LiamW wrote:

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

bompington wrote:

I'm just wondering, where can I buy a helmet with a Union Jack design (not upside down) in Belfast, Ireland? :evil:

Not a hope of that in Ireland. Although Chain Reaction Cycles near Belfast,Northern Ireland might be able to help.

:roll:

Seriously mate give it a rest.

We all get your political background ffs. There are other sites on the internet for that if it really really really bothers you.

My political background is irrelevant. Im sorry people can"t handle the FACT that Belfast is in Northern Ireland

I can handle it alright, i've lived in this place long enough to turn a deaf ear tothe shite that comes from both sides regarding it.

The thing that baffles me is that something as stupid as that has you commenting on a regular basis to correct people.

The majority of people here and outside of the wee 6, Ulster, Norn Ireland, The North, occupied 6 blah blah blah don't give a shite. This place, nor indeed any of us are that important to anyone else, no matter you seem to think.


It's hilarious how this thread has decended into whereabouts you believe Belfast to be. The OP was basically about how someone couldn't actually place this god forsaken place on a map.

Get a life and move on ffs.

t.m.h.n.e.t

LiamW wrote:

I can handle it alright, i've lived in this place long enough to turn a deaf ear tothe shite that comes from both sides regarding it.

Great

The thing that baffles me is that something as stupid as that has you commenting on a regular basis to correct people.

Correct me if I'm wrong but you have a few posts here too. So if it's soo stupid, why did you join in? Were you feeling left out? Because it's evident that you're more than capable of coping with this level of stupidity.

The majority of people here and outside of the wee 6, Ulster, Norn Ireland, The North, occupied 6 blah blah blah don't give a shite. This place, nor indeed any of us are that important to anyone else, no matter you seem to think.

I'm not quite sure where you got that from.

It's hilarious how this thread has decended into whereabouts you believe Belfast to be. The OP was basically about how someone couldn't actually place this god forsaken place on a map.

Where precisely is the harm in stating that Belfast isn't in Ireland? Did the OP go right over your head? Did you even read the OP? Belfast isn't a myth, people have been there. There is no belief in where it might be.

Get a life and move on ffs.

If you're going to give advice,it's best to heed it yourself first.

bompington

bompington wrote:

I'm just wondering, where can I buy a helmet with a Union Jack design (not upside down) in Belfast, Ireland? :evil:

I'm sorry people can't handle the FACT that I posted a mischievous comment designed to be as contentious as possible and put a little smiley at the end to make it obvious!

t.m.h.n.e.t

bompington wrote:

bompington wrote:

I'm just wondering, where can I buy a helmet with a Union Jack design (not upside down) in Belfast, Ireland? :evil:

I'm sorry people can't handle the FACT that I posted a mischievous comment designed to be as contentious as possible and put a little smiley at the end to make it obvious!

You'll notice I had a smilie also 8)

LiamW is a srs cat

penugent

91 years later!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!