Mike Vickers' Blog

If you are keen on Ireland then you will enjoy Lesley Riddoch and Chris Smith’s pod:

http://www.lesleyriddoch.com/2013/04/mostly.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LesleyRiddoch+%28Lesley+Riddoch%29

I took lots of notes taken while listening to this Belfast pod. Much the same material as Lesley’s Scotsman Article but so much better as a pod.
I admit, as I’m sure I have done before, I am an Irish fan, though I also admit not much knowing about Belfast other than driving round it to get south of the border.

And that takes me to Unionism in the UK and in Ireland – it’s the geography again. The UK could reasonably split between Carlisle and Newcastle. Ireland can’t be so split geographically but it has been split largely by an influx of Scots in the time of King Billy.
It is well to note that at a professional level – the professional classes have been working together for a long time and then there is the Irish Rugby team.

However listening to the programme it comes over to me that perhaps despite the Peace Walls there is now some sort of enduring spilt between the five counties and the rest of Ireland – perhaps as Lesley says a realism of real life in Northern Ireland rather than the somewhat phony blarney of Eire – and perhaps the south will move to the realism of the north following their financial troubles.

Yes Belfast picking itself up – I can’t forget the Paisley McGuiness chuckles. And a couple of quotes from the pod: Point of departure to where you arrive well, and the Titanic: it left here fine!