ARmy Rumour SErvice

Originally Posted by CaptainPlume

As I served in an Irish Regiment I served alongside Catholics and Protestants. I may have a slightly rose-tinted view of things, but beyond a bit of banter I'm pretty certain the two sides did not car bomb, and torture each other or drive each others families out of their quarters.

I may be a stab, but I am also in one of the so called 'Irish' regiments neither have I ever car bombed any body nor forced them out of thier homes. I also know most orange men have never been involved in such activitys, unfortunatly there will be people who were members of the orange order and loyalist paramiltarys however they were not the majorty. Chances are if you served in northern Ireland during the troubles you served along side quite a few orange men and women in the form of the RUC, UDR, RIR. Unfortunatly they did get to leave the country after a tour but had to live with the threat to them and thier family's everyday. Some of us still live with the threat today

I'm now hugely confused by how you are a Territorial in an Irish Regiment and a member of an English Orange Lodge.

Sorry, but I see little to celebrate in the Orange Order. It is to me merely a vaguely respectable face of a rather nasty and bigoted viewpoint.

My family may be Irish Catholic, but they could only have been more pround of me if I had joined the Irish Guards rather than the Cavalry so I don't think they can be seen as the usual BRITS OUT! agitator types. Those in the Six Counties still got an awful lot of grief from the Orangemen and made themselves scarce on Boyne day.

I'm afraid the Orange marching tradition has gone from a colourful display of pride to an intimidatory and confrontational show of hate.

Edit to add:

I'm really not trying to have a go at you personally & I'm sure you have the best of motives for being in the Order.

I didn't actully mention being a member of the English orange lodge or the orange order in general. As it happens I am a member of a flute band which as it happens is one of the oldest bands in northern Ireland since we have been around for 130+ years. The orange order has done quite alot these days to reach an accomdation but it's hard to reach accommodation with people that just want rid of you (I am talking about republicans here, not the general roman catholic population). As I have said many of the members of the lodge or many bands are ex-service men or indeed still serving.those if you that served in northern Ireland during the troubled proberly served beside many orange men in the RUC, UDR, RIR both rangers and regiment.

Originally Posted by Junder

Interesting that you should use that picture considering alot if orange men would be ex-service men themselves, some even still serving.

I've no idea who the 'orange men' are, and have no inclination to find out, but the mental image it creates is pure class. A bit like a Tango advert.

Originally Posted by Junder

As it happens I am a member of a flute band

Gay.

Originally Posted by Junder

those if you that served in northern Ireland during the troubled proberly served beside many orange men in the RUC, UDR, RIR both rangers and regiment.

They probably had a few bricks and petrol bombs chucked at them by Orangemen, too.

It always raised a wry smile that they'd choose to demonstrate their loyalty to Queen and Country by breaching the Queen's peace and assaulting the Queen's forces.

Oh well, hope the weather stays nice. We don't like cold because cold is God's way of telling us to burn more Catholics

Y Ddraig Goch (Red Dragon) flies from a window in my flat from 0800 to sunset on St David's Day, and from an hour before kick-off when Wales are playing. If Wales lose, I attach two long black ribbons to the flag and bring it in when I have stopped crying!

I live in Sarf London and see many St. George's flags and good luck to those proud enough to display them.

Only thing I have against St. George is that he was not always pleasant to dragons.