Derry Day

I woke this morning to the sound of drums. Over in Tullycarnet, the Apprentice Boys and their band were marching in the local area before boarding a bus to travel to the City of Londonderry to celebrate the lifting of the Siege of Derry in 1689. Two hours on a bus for a wee walk, and then two hours home!

Today is also the anniversary of Internment, which was announced by the bonfires last night. As we drove through the Westlink, the smell of smoke was evident from the west of the city, reminders of past days.

For both communities, it seems, the past dictates how things should be conducted now. For the Protestant community, the siege mentality may never have lifted, with leaders being branded a Lundy if there is a hint of a sell-out or surrender. Indeed, in recent times we have seen the DUP, the party most likely to call others a Lundy now being branded Lundies themselves by Jim Allister's Traditional Unionist Voice.

For Northern Ireland, it appears that neither side can 'break faith' with their forefathers, as they contantly recall the struggles of their ancestors. Will this condemn us to further conflict in the future?

Anti-Social Networking

Recently, some bloggers have questioned the value and worth of social networking sites like Bebo and more especially Facebook. That is, Abraham Piper, Brian Heasley, Josh Harris, and Phil Whittall. While they can help us keep in touch with friends, they can also be addictive, distracting, and turn into a 'the person with the most friends wins' kind of school playground activity.

This morning on Radio Ulster, (no link available) there was a report claiming that gangs of youths in Dungannon, County Tyrone, were using Bebo and Facebook to organise sectarian confrontations in the town centre. It all started one weekend, when a gang of about 10 'jumped' two Protestant guys. The following weekend, two gangs began a fight, with around 20 young men in each gang. On the third weekend, it had been stepped up again, with tension being raised on Bebo and Facebook, with the sectarian gangs organising themselves on the social networking sites. Thankfully the PSNI intelligence was on the case, and sufficient numbers of police were in the town centre to prevent any further escalation of trouble.

Not so much social networking, as anti-social networking.

The Famine Is Over - Contextual Mission?

While Northern Ireland might be seen as a sectarian place, it appears that Glasgow is up there too. The media have been full of reports on sectarian songs at both Parkhead and Ibrox, the home grounds of Celtic and Rangers Football Clubs. One such has been the Famine Song, which reminds Celtic fans that 'The Famine is over, why don't you go home?' In fact, it has risen to such an extent that Sir David Healy received death threats from dissident republicans for his entirely innocent comments after having scored his first goal in several games against San Marino, when he said, “I am pleased to score, the famine, the drought, whatever people would call it is over, and am so pleased to be on the scoreboard.”

Into this context, the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Youth have launched an event called SPUD. It's a new Youth Assembly for the Church, and looks to be very good. Sadly, though, it appears their marketing might be in slightly poor taste. Yes, you've guessed it: 'The famine is over' is their tagline...



Oops.