EU Culture Week (Day 4) - Each Dollar a Bullet
From one extreme to the other today. Following yesterday's Danny Boy is something (a little) more modern from the Stiff Little fingers. I mentioned their "Alternative Ulster" in my introduction to this series of posts on Sunday but didn't include it because I thought this song was even more relevant. It's called "Each Dollar A Bullet" and attempts to dispel the romantic notion so many "Irish-Americans" (among others) have of the "armed campaign". Those familiar with Alternative Ulster or Incendiary Device may find the introduction quite musically restrained in comparison, but after a moving 35 seconds or so the pace picks up.
The introduction is especially poignant, with a dig at the plastic-paddy, tear for Ireland, dollar for the struggle mentality some clearly have. Once the point has been made (I feel) the guitars kick into overdrive and take over. That said, aside from the fact that I only first heard about this song a week or two back, there's not much else I can say about it. the song speaks for itself, and it really does speak. Can you tell I really like this? Put it this way, the album's in the post!
(I'd actually got this far down the post before I realised the song fits in nicely with today's EU Quote of the Day.)
We're Not Brazil, We're Northern Ireland!
Result, Weds 3rd August, Coleraine Showgrounds:
| Northern Ireland | 2 | Brazil | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| McVey | (31) | ||
| McCrink | (90ish) | ||
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| USA | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Brazil | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Serb. & Mont. | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
Tonight's Milk Cup match between Northern Ireland U19 and Brazil U19 was beamed out live via a BBC webcast.
EU Quote of the Day 3/8/2005
"We fight the terrorists and we fight all of those who give them aid. America has a message for the nations of the world: If you harbor terrorists, you are terrorists. If you train or arm a terrorist, you are a terrorist. If you feed a terrorist or fund a terrorist, you're a terrorist, and you will be held accountable by the United States and our friends." (my emphasis)
President George W. Bush, during a Thanksgiving speech at Fort Campbell, Kentucky to troops and families on 21/11/01
Really Mr Bush? I'm not particularly anti-war, especially not in the case of Afghanistan (the war going on at the time this speech was made), but by Dubya's logic, the British government should have invaded the US decades ago! Perhaps beginning with strategic air raids on their St. Patrick's day parades where Americans had no problems funding terrorist murders would have been a start?
EU Culture Week (Day 3) - Danny Boy
You can't write about songs of Northern Ireland and not include Danny Boy. The song (or at least the tune, the Londonderry Air, now almost synonomous with Danny Boy) is used as Northern Ireland's anthem in the Commonwealth Games and one or two other sporting events. I think I also remember reading the Londonderry Air was also used by the Northern Ireland government (when it was in existence), but this could be wrong and I can't find reference to it now.
Danny Boy is apparently one of 100+ songs composed to the same tune, the Londonderry Air. It was written by Frederic Edward Weatherly, an English lawyer, originally in 1910 to a tune of his own writing. It wasn't very successful. In 1912 he received, from his sister-in-law who was in America, a copy of the tune The Londonderry Air which fitted his song nearly perfectly. He made one or two small changes and republished Danny Boy to the tune of the Londonderry Air in 1913. More on the history of Danny Boy / the Londonderry Air can be read cortesy of Limavady Town Partnership.
Weatherly isn't ever recorded as actually having visited Ireland, but nevertheless Danny Boy has gone on to be sung throughout the world by ex-pats of Eire and Ulster; in fact this was Weatherly's intention as he had expressed a hope that "Sinn Feiners and Ulstermen alike would sing his song". In fact it's so cross community I'll go so far as to say that the best version I've heard is by the Pogues, as it's got a slightly faster rhythm than any other versions I've heard and just generally sounds more lively.
IRA Statement Draft Uncovered
The ever-aware Northern Irish Magyar (known as Paul here at Everything Ulster) has discovered, tucked away in a dark corner of the internet, the first draft of last week's IRA statement.
You can see a little work was done to transform it from draft form into the finished article we heard that nice old man read out on that newfangled video disc thing.
Find out what they really meant.
Northern Ireland Lead Milk Cup Elite Group
| P | W | D | L | F | A | Pts. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Brazil | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| USA | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Serb. & Mont. | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
Result, Mon 1st August, Coleraine Showgrounds:
| Northern Ireland | 3 | Serbia & Montenegro | 1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lafferty | (29) | Kaluderovic | (89ish) |
| Stewart | (53) | ||
| Bell | (54) |
The "Elite" group of the Milk Cup is a group of 4 teams: Northern Ireland, Serbia & Montenegro, Brazil and the USA. Last night Northern Ireland defeated Serbia & Montenegro 3-1! No that's not a mistake, a Northern Ireland team not only scored but did it 3 times in one match AND won! These are many of the same lads who lost to Serbia and Montenegro just a fortnight ago in the Under 19 European Championships.
Down Time
Everything Ulster was down for a short time overnight until around 11:00 this morning. This was an issue with the hosting company which now seems to have been resolved. Apologies to anyone who was missing me!
EU Culture Week (Day 2) - The Soldier
Harvey Andrews - The Soldier
I hadn't planned to do the songs in this order but with today's announcement of the disbandment of the RIR's home battalions it seems appropriate. This song depicts the futility and carnage of violence, viewed from a very personal level and set in the context of Northern Ireland's "Troubles." The song is apparently popular among servicemen in Ulster and Germany to this day although the MoD advise soldiers not to sing it in situations where it might start trouble.
The song is reported to have been inspired by a true story of a soldier, Sergeant Michael G. Willets (apparently a Catholic), who sacrificed himself to save a young girl and a 4 year old boy from an IRA bomb and was killed when the bomb exploded. It really makes you think about how much all of us in Northern Ireland owe to all the soldiers who served in Ulster during the worst periods of conflict here and the sacrifices they all made. Of course the BBC, being the BBC, saw fit to show it's appreciation to these men by banning Andrews's song from the airwaves for a long time in case it provoked ill-felling among nationalists.
Congratulations, Capitulation
On the back of the removal of watchtowers from south Armagh, the Home Batallions of the Royal Irish Regiment (the amalgamation of the Ulster Defence Regiment and the Royal Irish Rangers) are to be disbanded from 1st August 2007, a date which will also see the army finish it's support role for the police in Northern Ireland.
"The Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) ... have played a crucial role in creating the enabling environment for normalisation to begin.
Once the Police Service of Northern Ireland no longer needs routine military support, the three Home Service battalions will have successfully completed the task for which they were raised."
GOC, Lieutenant General Sir Reddy Watt
The move comes as part of a planned reduction in troop numbers over 2 years that should (pending the IRA being good little terrorists and not drawing too much attention to any murders) see troop numbers in Northern Ireland fall from 10,500 to 5,000.
As well as the reduction in troop levels towards something more akin to the rest of the UK, Ulster-specific anti-terrorist legislation will be repealed during the same timescale and on-the-run prisoners (including the monster who carried out the Eniskillen Massacre) will be allowed to return to British soil without fear of public prosecution.
EU Culture Week (Day 1) - Ulster Girl
The Platoon - Ulster Girl
I thought I'd kick off with a song I found recently called Ulster Girl by some crowd called The Platoon. Its a bit of a country/ballad type song (I'm obviously no music expert) about a girl's desire to keep Ulster free. Its not what you'd call apolitical exactly but it certainly impressed me. You can feel the emotion that's gone into writing and performing it and it would definitely be the first song I'd want on any CD with Ulster music on it.
Lyrics and link below...
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