Ireland does have native reptiles!
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The 'viviparous' name tag suggests that it gives birth to living young rather than laying eggs, like most lizards and snakes do - so it couldn't even be an 'ordinary' lizard that the Irish have !
As I understand it only Ireland and New Zealand have no native snakes... although New Zealand has venomous sea-snakes off its coast... so Ireland wins !
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First the cricket then the rugby and now snakes!
No wonder the Queen is so eager to visit
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Looking forward to QE II's visit. I heard that the current Government plan a dinner whereby they intend to offer the country back to her with a groveling letter of apology for the huge mess the last Government have made of it
I hope she accepts and overlooks the fact that we have managed to accumulate ten times more national debt (per capita) than the UK.
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I think Liz will pass on the offer, Mike. That's exactly what happened after the Scots bankrupted themselves in the Darien Fiasco in the 1690s...and they've never stopped bitching about it since. Alex Salmond like to pretend that the Act of Union was all about English Imperialism. It was no such thing. England baled them out. I wouldn't mind so much, but the Scots just did it again, courtesy of RBS.
I will now be disowned by my Jacobite relatives in Inverness. -
Republicans bang on about how the UK "stole the '6 counties'".
I always point out that this is not factually correct.
We did steal the whole of Ireland a looong while ago.
Although 'you' willingly joined as a full member of the UK at the start of the 19th century - but are not even in the commonwealth since the late 1940s...
Irish nationalism initially knew not religious bounds [the great Irish patriot/martyr Wolf Tone was a protestant!].
Things kicked of big time with 'the Easter Rising' of 1916...
When things got too rough in 1922 the UK 'gave you back' most of the counties, but 'kept' the 6 !
This was the 'Treaty and in the Constitution of the Irish Free State Act' 1922 [which left the 26 counties in the Empire>Commonwealth, nominally under the Crown, and that survive for 15 years].
Oddly ALL of the Irish counties became part of this 'Free State', for just two days, from December 6 to 8 1922, when Northern Ireland used it 'opt out', during the first month, and chose to leave the Free State - thereby returning to the United Kingdom [as was expected all along].
Between 1922 and 1923 the 26 counties then had a de facto civil war, as factions fought and killed their fellow Irishmen over the Treaty and its 'Oath of Allegiance' - which was a watered down thing only halfheartedly recognizing 'the Crown' [when compared to that of other 'dominions' like Canada]. The pro-Treaty Provisional Government defeated the anti-Treaty Republican forces - and the general election following this showed overwhelming support for them having done so.
In 1936 the Irish Free State passed the Executive Authority (External Relations) Act, resurrecting the office of king and recognizing George VI as Edward VIII's successor [one day after the rest of the Commonwealth had done so].
In 1937 the original Treaty was replaced by the modern 'Constitution of Ireland' - when 'Ireland' proper, with a president etc, came into being.
When the UK declared war on Nazi Germany in 1939, Ireland decided to remain neutral; although many Irishmen did join the British forces or came to work in the UK, supporting the war-effort.
Ironically at the darkest hour in WWII, when the UK stood alone in Europe against the Nazis, Churchill offered de Valera the 6 counties back into a united Ireland, if Ireland would join in the war [on the UK side of course ]... Then the UK would be free of the worry about Nazi naval-bases off their western coast as well as to the south and east, AND the Unionists in Ulster would have been forced to accept the deal as the alternative could well be the disappearance of the whole of the UK and Nazi domination otherwise! Somewhat unexpectedly de Valera declined the offer saying that joining in this war against fascism would not be received well by the people in Eire! So the chance of unifying Ireland [even with two parliaments under own common title] was lost, probably 'forever'.
In April 1949 Ireland/Eire left the Commonwealth when it became a fully fledged republic, after the Republic of Ireland Act 1948 came into effect.So... it's not so long ago that you 'left' us completely...
but I suspect we mightn't want you back now ![PS: My wife is of full Irish descent, and I have Irish/Scottish/English ancestry in a right old mess!]
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Jeeze, I come to read about reptiles and get a detailed briefing on my Irish ancestry.
Where else could you do this?
Thanks Tig -
@unknownuser said:
Republicans bang on about how the UK "stole the '6 counties'"
I know very little Republicans who 'bang' on about the 6 counties thievery. As you mention, the 6 counties were part of the treaty signed by Collins (considered a traitor and assassinated for this act). But I'll choose not to take that comment in the context it is written in.
But Ireland's warring tendencies is notoriously confusing and not wholly acknowledged by the 'Plastic Republicans' (of which there are many).@unknownuser said:
We did steal the whole of Ireland a looong while ago.
"Cambro- Norman", "Anglo- Norman", "Anglo- French" or simply "Norman" stole Ireland looonnnnggg ago.
@unknownuser said:
Although 'you' willingly joined as a full member of the UK at the start of the 19th century
Collins' act led to Ireland's UK membership which forced the Dail to vote on it's support. It was narrowly passed and this led to tension between the former IRA (now the Free State Irish Army) and the Anti-Treaty IRA. And 'you' know where that 'tension' led....
@unknownuser said:
Irish nationalism initially knew not religious bounds [the great Irish patriot/martyr Wolf Tone was a protestant!].
Irish Nationalism that Wolfe Tone looked to revive was based on Ireland's oppression by tryannical English rulers. But that's 18th century history which is completely different from 20th century history. He laid the foundations for hatred of the English...
"That the influence of England was the radical vice of our Government, and that Ireland would never be either free, prosperous, or happy, until she was independent, and that independence was unattainable whilst the connection with England existed." - Wolfe Tone.@unknownuser said:
Things kicked of big time with 'the Easter Rising' of 1916...
Things kicked off big time in 1798. Whilst the 1916 rising is associated with Sinn Fein (which led to their support) it's the IRB and IVF that were the true rebels on the day. In fact people in Dublin are referred to as 'Jackeens' to this day because they didn't support the rebel cause. But most 'Plastic Republicans' don't realise that this is an extremely insulting remark that refers to the Union 'Jack' and that those around Dublin were 'Queen' lovers or Jackeens.
@unknownuser said:
as factions fought and killed their fellow Irishmen over the Treaty and its 'Oath of Allegiance' - which was a watered down thing only halfheartedly recognizing 'the Crown'
In all wars you must choose sides and this 'halfhearted' allegiance to the Crown was too much to bear for some. Thus 'Republicans' kill 'Plastic Republicans' and vice versa.
@unknownuser said:
In 1936 the Irish Free State passed the Executive Authority (External Relations) Act, resurrecting the office of king and recognizing George VI as Edward VIII's successor [one day after the rest of the Commonwealth had done so].
Dail Eireann did not proclaim the succession of George VI, but merely provided for the use of the UK Crown for purposes of foreign representation while in transition to the new Constitutional arrangements.
@unknownuser said:
de Valera declined the offer saying that joining in this war against fascism would not be received well by the people in Eire
de Valera didn't believe a Unionist north would appreciate being 'pushed' into Eire nor did he believe that Stormont would 'go' for this offer.
@unknownuser said:
when the UK stood alone in Europe against the Nazis
While Ireland is 'Neutral' at the time it allowed both US and UK flights to pass over Donegal and when British airmen did crash on Republican soil they were 'ferried' mysteriously across the border to safety. While German pilots were interned. Although de Valera did express his condolences to the German Ambassador when Hitler died/killed?
@unknownuser said:
So... it's not so long ago that you 'left' us completely...
but I suspect we mightn't want you back now !It's not that long ago that the 'Anglo-French' visited. They've left a terrible stain on us that feeds so called 'Republicans' to act on behalf of muddled ideologies.
While I'm not bothered by the Queen's visit I do appreciate that certain elements of the population will be extremely upset at the monarchy returning on Irish soil. I also remember the atmosphere in Croke Park when England's Rugby team played in the Six Nations especially when your national anthem played. I'm sorry for the long diatribe but felt that some of your info (whilst correct) left to many blanks.
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I cannot disagree with any of your repostes... as they are simply differing views of the same events.
Actually you suggest that the English didn't even steal all of the counties [it was the Normans originally!] - but we did give most of them back!
One exception is that I referred to the whole of Ireland joining the UK at the start of the 19th century [not the 20th]... when Ireland became a full member of the UK of Britain & Ireland then - the Union flag was changed to include the St Patrick's diagonal red cross etc. This was to put all of the past behind us but of course things like the potato-famine a generation or so later didn't endear the rest of the UK to the Irish when they were cut adrift and left starving, and greatly unassisted in their hour of need...The whole process was not one that any of us can be proud of.
Still - we probably won't want you back even if you asked pretty please!
I think it's sad that Mozambique - who were never in the Empire - joined the Commonwealth after Eire, who were in the United Kingdom, then left it !
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@unknownuser said:
Still - we probably won't want you back even if you asked pretty please!
You never had US in the first place...
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I wonder when you start kissing each other.
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Doesn't look like we've become bland and Googleized at any rate.
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@unknownuser said:
I wonder when you start kissing each other.
I thought it was a Hungarian custom for men to kiss?
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Did he tell you it was 'on the lips' ?
You fell for that old Magyar trick
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As someone who grew up through the "troubles" - I would have a slightly different view of things than TIG and even Rich - this visit is a thank you for the billions of aid we are getting from the UK - and again Ireland will be sucking off the hind tit of England for another few years thanks to to ineptitude of the last Irish govt.
All I'll say is that we have a bloody short memory!
P.S. Those bastards who planted the bomb under that young policemans car last saturday a few miles from me did not kill him in my name!
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