Kilted in Ireland? Any Irish X-Markers?

[thanmuwa]

I'm not surprised. My guess is that a green kilt would label you as republican and a saffron one (incorrectly) as unionist, just because it's not far off the colour orange, and that almost any tartan would be taken as unionist unless they recognise it as being republican (they might recognise Irish National, at a pinch), and then you're no better off. As you say, if you're prepared to declare an allegiance that's one thing, but best not to, I reckon.

Don't get too worried by the way. Northern Ireland is not the scary place people often think it is. I personally feel safer walking down the street in Belfast than in any other capital or big city in the UK, even in a kilt. And I have one of the few accents that can guarantee a hostile reaction in certain quarters (Southern Irish accent) so if there was trouble to be had, I am sure I would have seen it. The vast, vast majority of Northern Irish people are very friendly and glad to receive tourists...

There again, I'd only have to open my mouth and I could be in trouble, when they hear my English accent, at least with the republicans. Ahh, but I'm a Callaghan from the South on my mother's side, but better not tell that to the unionists. Better for me to stay entirely out of Northern Ireland altogether. In fact I'm scared to ever set foot there, to be brutally frank. I have the misfortune to have been born on both sides of their conflict.

As am I, my dad is English, I was born in Southern England, I grew up in the Republic of Ireland and hence have a Southern Irish accent, but in my 4 years living in Belfast I never had a single iota of trouble (I didn't wear a kilt then though ) nor did any of my English friends.
An English accent is not that big a deal and no indicator of political affiliation, and Northern Ireland is a lovely place to visit, even if it is just for the King and Queen of all breakfasts, the Ulster Fry . Belfast is increasingly cosmopolitan, and compact enough to do it all on foot (unless you want to do the Mural tours - get the bus for that), Derry is a beautiful city with a fantastic buzz to it and the only complete city walls in Europe (as far as I am aware) - and they are wide enough at the top to drive a car on! It is also the gateway to the wild and rugged Donegal, the northernmost part of Ireland (but in Southern Ireland ) Armagh is tiny, but feels like a capsule in time and has many links with St Patrick and a planetarium! (I am a physicist so I was obliged to mention the planetarium ). The Marble Arch caves in Fermanagh have an underground boat ride which I keep meaning to go on any time I am home but I have heard it is good...

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