Red Hands Red Poppies Red Flags

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

She was just a slip of a girl, perhaps 6 or 7 at most. Her starched white blouse with its razor like creases, complimented the perfectly pleated grey school skirt and black shoes, the latter having been cleaned to a standard which afforded a mirror like reflection. She was almost dwarfed by the large wreath she bore, lilies and poppies interlaced by a florist who was quite clearly at the very top of her game. The little girl would soon be relieved of her floral burden as she laid it in accordance with the instructions her mother had given. Her mind turned to the great great grandfather she had heard of only in story, who fell at a place called Thiepval , and an elder brother she would never know, for he died just a few yards from where she currently stood. Across the street on a plain grey and white sign were the words “Omagh Shopping Centre”.

Sometimes the ordinary, the everyday, that which we take for granted, can in themselves be symbols of bravery when exercised elsewhere. Perhaps we should be grateful we live in communities which make no such demands of us.

The recent confiscation of a Red Hand Flag from a Northern Irish Rangers supporter entering Ibrox, and the subsequent furore it caused, only served to emphasise how raw the subject of Ulster remains within the Rangers support. With a significant number of Ulstermen contributing to the Rangers support such rawness should come as no surprise, notwithstanding the shared heritage, faith and history and language between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Those with longer memories will remember the airbrushing of picture to erase the Red Hand Flag from a Rangers photograph as well as the censure of Zoe Salmon on BBC’s Blue Peter for having the temerity to say “'I'm from Ulster and I'd like to cover a plane with the Red Hand Of Ulster” when explaining a British Airways “Best of British” logo competition.

The enemies of the Protestant/Unionist community in Ulster have sown their seeds of hatred well. And perhaps more significantly, continue to cultivate.

Of course in the broad church, or Rangers family, such sentiment or concern is not shared by all. There are those amongst our support who view the whole subject of Ulster and her trials and tribulations as “nothing to do with us”. Thankfully, a view not shared by the Ulstermen who laid down their lives to protect these shores in 2 world wars; or the generations from Northern Ireland who have supported this club overcoming significant logistical difficulties to follow follow. Nonetheless it does however remain a legitimate position to adopt.

But perhaps not without cost. Having no interest in the political or religious affairs of Ulster may well be proposed and argued as a reasonable viewpoint, particularly amongst an ever increasingly secular support, but does such disconnection and disassociation from the issues affecting a considerable section of our support usurp and weaken the notion of a “Rangers Family” ? Before anyone accuses me of waxing lyrical, many older bears will attest that years ago being part of the Rangers support had a sense of family at its beating heart.

It is a strange anomaly of life that one has to either step outside, or come from outside in order to effectively defend something, whether that be an organisation, an institution or a community of people.

Ruth Dudley Edwards did just that. The Dublin middle-class academic of Catholic background was given warts and all access to the Loyal Institutions in Northern Ireland. Her critically acclaimed book “The Faithful Tribe” not only gives intriguing insight to the loyal institutions themselves, but also wider aspects of community life in Northern Ireland. She completely destroys much of the Sinn Fein propaganda and exposes the true nature of the “residents groups” and their formation. The way she disarms the veiled threats against her for speaking the truth, is well worth the read itself.

I fully accept and understand that there will be those reading this who are genuinely struggling to understand the raw emotion Ulster generates amongst our support. I can only leave you with a signpost however – the words of the late Labour leader John Smith:

“These are my people, and I will never desert them”

[*Manticore* 1,893]

Great stuff D'Art, 'The Faithful Tribe' is a must read imo for anybody trying to make sense of our situation.

[Teamgers 1,214]

Welcome back D'Art, great piece as always.......

[kpbluebear1972 22]

great read gbu

[1st_Jan_1994 4,868]

Three cheers for the Ulstermen

[Phil 1,150]

Fantastic

I recently read "the faithful tribe" and would urge everyone to do the same.

It is about something that I have always been brought up on but reading it from somone who went into our culture with an open mind and questioing why we are demonised was certainly very interesting.

I have recommended it to everyone I know and they have all came back with a softer, more informed view of the family that is the Loyal Institutions.

[Blumhoilann 6,712]

Thank you D'art. ....be wary of the winds of change within Scotland,lest history is allowed to repeat itself.

[sandyinroyalblue 16,478]

as a rangers supporter whose grandmother was a belfast lady and a great grandfather from ballymena who fought in the boar war and served in the first world war i for one cant separate my love for rangers and my loyalty to ulster and indeed the union because for me they have always went hand in hand.

[Courtyard Bear 41,357]

Great read D'art, and I'll continue that "The Faithful Tribe" is a must read.

[binsy08 362]

Excellent piece D'art. WATP.

[mearns loyal 2,711]

Great piece D'Art. I would like to think that the support who have galvanised over the past few years will be more atune with our past our history and traditional values than the new secular support who for some reason appear determined to discard our ties to the past and decry those who don't as being dinosaurs. As someone once said in the movies "I've heard enough from the left wing pinkos" the past is what makes us what we are - like it or leave the building...

[stuart1994 4,302]

I don't really suit the colour red.

[julescotia 11,407]

Great read D'art, and nice to see you back too

[SoldierBlue1 499]

Welcome back D'art great read mate For God and Ulster. WATP

[SoldierBlue1 499]

Great piece D'Art. I would like to think that the support who have galvanised over the past few years will be more atune with our past our history and traditional values than the new secular support who for some reason appear determined to discard our ties to the past and decry those who don't as being dinosaurs. As someone once said in the movies "I've heard enough from the left wing pinkos" the past is what makes us what we are - like it or leave the building...

Without our history and traditions we would have no future. God save Ulster the land of my birth. WATP

[SkiBunny 441]

Too many scumbags in our support use the Ulster Loyalist stuff as some kind of vehicle to be a hardman or to try and intimidate others with. They shout the loudest and embarrass the rest. Quite often these people will look back years later and be embarrassed about their behaviour and will disassociate completely from loyalist culture and possibly even Rangers choosing to support a local team. They leave the rest of us to pick up the pieces and try and defend our culture....or claw back some of the damage they've done to general public opinion/perception.

If you want to be a friend to the Ulster people then have a bit of self awareness when you're out at Orange Walks or when draped in certain flags coming back from the football. Your behaviour and demeanour is what people form their opinions on when it comes to stuff like that.

[REM 1690 169]

Great peace.

[Malvern 11,329]

Welcome back D'Art, good read. Others who do not have direct family connections to Ulster, except for my father serving there, still hold our Northern Irish brethren as part of the UK and one of the people too. The Red Hand does us proud as does most from Northern Ireland.

[burnbank bear 342]

Well done mate good read

[.Williamson. 82,019]

Nice post.

I will say though that some of the "fans" of our club from here are well and truly embarrassing.

I suppose the same can be said for Scotland but I cringe like fuck when I see masses of Rangers shirts at loyalist parades. Yes, there will be some that genuinely support us but a large number from this country "support" us simply as a means to show their political stance and will actually follow an English team, if any at all.

[SkiBunny 441]

I cringe like fuck when I see masses of Rangers shirts at loyalist parades. .

I bet people cringe like fuck when they see you out and about ya smelly mess.

[CoopsLaud 4,184]

A book recommended by both D'Art and Manticore is worth a read.

Look forward to it.

[Bluepeter9 5,167]

She was just a slip of a girl, perhaps 6 or 7 at most. Her starched white blouse with its razor like creases, complimented the perfectly pleated grey school skirt and black shoes, the latter having been cleaned to a standard which afforded a mirror like reflection. She was almost dwarfed by the large wreath she bore, lilies and poppies interlaced by a florist who was quite clearly at the very top of her game. The little girl would soon be relieved of her floral burden as she laid it in accordance with the instructions her mother had given. Her mind turned to the great great grandfather she had heard of only in story, who fell at a place called Thiepval , and an elder brother she would never know, for he died just a few yards from where she currently stood. Across the street on a plain grey and white sign were the words “Omagh Shopping Centre”.

Sometimes the ordinary, the everyday, that which we take for granted, can in themselves be symbols of bravery when exercised elsewhere. Perhaps we should be grateful we live in communities which make no such demands of us.

The recent confiscation of a Red Hand Flag from a Northern Irish Rangers supporter entering Ibrox, and the subsequent furore it caused, only served to emphasise how raw the subject of Ulster remains within the Rangers support. With a significant number of Ulstermen contributing to the Rangers support such rawness should come as no surprise, notwithstanding the shared heritage, faith and history and language between Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Those with longer memories will remember the airbrushing of picture to erase the Red Hand Flag from a Rangers photograph as well as the censure of Zoe Salmon on BBC’s Blue Peter for having the temerity to say “'I'm from Ulster and I'd like to cover a plane with the Red Hand Of Ulster” when explaining a British Airways “Best of British” logo competition.

The enemies of the Protestant/Unionist community in Ulster have sown their seeds of hatred well. And perhaps more significantly, continue to cultivate.

Of course in the broad church, or Rangers family, such sentiment or concern is not shared by all. There are those amongst our support who view the whole subject of Ulster and her trials and tribulations as “nothing to do with us”. Thankfully, a view not shared by the Ulstermen who laid down their lives to protect these shores in 2 world wars; or the generations from Northern Ireland who have supported this club overcoming significant logistical difficulties to follow follow. Nonetheless it does however remain a legitimate position to adopt.

But perhaps not without cost. Having no interest in the political or religious affairs of Ulster may well be proposed and argued as a reasonable viewpoint, particularly amongst an ever increasingly secular support, but does such disconnection and disassociation from the issues affecting a considerable section of our support usurp and weaken the notion of a “Rangers Family” ? Before anyone accuses me of waxing lyrical, many older bears will attest that years ago being part of the Rangers support had a sense of family at its beating heart.

It is a strange anomaly of life that one has to either step outside, or come from outside in order to effectively defend something, whether that be an organisation, an institution or a community of people.

Ruth Dudley Edwards did just that. The Dublin middle-class academic of Catholic background was given warts and all access to the Loyal Institutions in Northern Ireland. Her critically acclaimed book “The Faithful Tribe” not only gives intriguing insight to the loyal institutions themselves, but also wider aspects of community life in Northern Ireland. She completely destroys much of the Sinn Fein propaganda and exposes the true nature of the “residents groups” and their formation. The way she disarms the veiled threats against her for speaking the truth, is well worth the read itself.

I fully accept and understand that there will be those reading this who are genuinely struggling to understand the raw emotion Ulster generates amongst our support. I can only leave you with a signpost however – the words of the late Labour leader John Smith:

“These are my people, and I will never desert them”

Err Welcome back - news of your (internet) death were a bit premature then.

Now..

... this is just the type of sentimental linkage that shows your agenda - trying to attach the sentimentality that goes with the Omagh Bomings to your causes and then to Rangers.

That is not to say your cause is unjust, I have a lot of sympathy for it, it just has fk all to do with Rangers - I know there is nothing you would like better that associate your causes with the greatest club in the lannd but it is my opinion those linkages have no palce moving forward.

Oh and just for the record before I get accused of having no sympathy for the Omagh bomb victims, my wife comes from Omagh (wee farm just outside actually) and her Dad goes to the town most afternoons - he was parked two cars away from the car that exploded but when they started to clear the top of the high street he though, rather than wait for his wife who was at Dunnes (2nd wife and my wife's mum had died a few years earlier), he would leave and get petrol and come back for her, he had just turned the corner when the bomb went off!

[william tor10 23]

as the son of an ulster man and i have a lot of family still over there and being born there i no the way they suffered and what make me sick is the small amount of rangers fans that call for the red hand to removed from ibrox are the same ones that vote for the snp and want to break the union nowing clubs history and that we are very much a unionist football club with a proud history

[D'Artagnan 13,319]

Err Welcome back - news of your (internet) death were a bit premature then.

Now..

... this is just the type of sentimental linkage that shows your agenda - trying to attach the sentimentality that goes with the Omagh Bomings to your causes and then to Rangers.

That is not to say your cause is unjust, I have a lot of sympathy for it, it just has fk all to do with Rangers - I know there is nothing you would like better that associate your causes with the greatest club in the lannd but it is my opinion those linkages have no palce moving forward.

Oh and just for the record before I get accused of having no sympathy for the Omagh bomb victims, my wife comes from Omagh (wee farm just outside actually) and her Dad goes to the town most afternoons - he was parked two cars away from the car that exploded but when they started to clear the top of the high street he though, rather than wait for his wife who was at Dunnes (2nd wife and my wife's mum had died a few years earlier), he would leave and get petrol and come back for her, he had just turned the corner when the bomb went off!

Actually BP9 its called imagery rhetoric - used by Churchill & MLK....