Bonfires Blaze Fueled by Hate
Bonfires blaze, fueled by hate, but the bonfires are an Irish tradition (1)
Political maze, each site prate, the other view with suspicion
Ulster burns…
Bands march, beating drums sound, a culture they celebrate
Shirt starch, a beat they pound, Catholicism they berate –
Ulster churns…
Rebels before, of Cromwellian ranks, fought against Orangemen and King
Today no more, offering thanks, from Papism for delivering…
Ulster turns…
Silent today, they worship well, but seeking the freedom to do so…
In their own way, their story tell, of how long ago
Ulster spurns…
Kings diktat, division and regulation, for kings gain
To hell with all that, Ireland a nation, Catholic Protestant and Dissenter
Ulster turns…
In the face of the “festival” of the Twalfth, in the tradition of 1798 and the Alternative Ulster Covenant (2), a large number of Ulster Scots are open to the idea of a united Ireland, as long as their tradition as British in Ireland and their rights to profess their Protestant faith are respected. We are often our own worst enemies in that we dont ensure that this can be done, and play into the hands of the bigoted Orangist element, whose policies are more in common with Queen Anne and her bigots than King William.In a secular Ireland of the modern day, that should not be a problem. Suggestions such as making whatever department of the Gaeltacht finds itself in, also have Ulster Scots included, as there is a tradition on our side of the border without reunification, and will be ten times stronger with unification of Scots culture, language and identity. The rights of southern people who espouse a British identity by having the right to have a British or / and Irish passport by right of birth on the island should be granted too, one of the more reasonable requests from the Dublin and Wicklow Lodge 1313, and that should not be seen as disloyalty to the Republic in the modern context.A united Ireland is far away at the moment, we wont have it before 2022 never mind 2016, but if we dont play into the hands of bigots who wish to drive division between our peoples – and they are on our side as well – it well could happen before 2050.
So, this July, lets toast a future where truly Orange and Green can share our island. We can toast the king (while silently passing our drink (3) over a glass of water sneakily for the sake of tradition!!!) and the future united Ireland that embraces all traditions, all politics, all faiths, because of our past we are where we are, and all sides have been wrong, and all are a little bit right.
Its up to us where we will be in the next hundred years.
GLOSSARY
(1) Bonfires are an old Celtic pagan tradition to drive spirits and evil from a community, and to warn of danger. As practiced in Tara and Uisneach.
(2) Founded by Protestants who believed in Ireland being united, and freedom for Catholics AND Protestants in Ireland. More >>>
(3) Jacobite tradition, toasting the king in public, while the drink over the water glass was to the “king over the water”, the Jacobite refugee king.
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