“Hate monger”, “sectarian”, “delusional” “snowflake” calls to my number, emails sent to personal & old generic work email. That’s what happened when I shared 1, just 1 instance of what happened family under pre troubles unionist dominated NI. Since we are all about listening

“Sinner” “IRA defender” “terrorist apologist” from southern rabid anti SF people when I shared mine and my families experiences and other ‘catholics’ who didn’t back IRA violence’s relationship with the state, police & armed forces here during troubles & after.

Fenian litters, dirty, uncontrollable ‘breeding’, untidy, squalid, not possessing “a good Protestant work ethic”, wouldn’t have a catholic about the place. The retoric my family grew up with.
No apologies, no acknowledgement that it was wrong & dehumanising just get on with it

Now if we are taking about people who need acknowledgement and recognition but never got or get it - it’s the people who put their feet forward over and over again, did the right thing and faced the people who were raised to believe they were born better and succeeded anyway

There is a slow but definite anger burning in me. A government minister was fired this week because he wanted people who murdered people here to be above the law. That government is the one that governs me. That was in their manifesto.

I saw people in the south talk about how they couldn’t afford & didn’t want us even if we did vote for unity, and I’ll say this, I make no apologies nor will I be meek in saying I’m Irish and my family were wronged and it was facilitated by successive British & Irish Governments

But I was raised with a subconscious deference to the state here - “you know what they think of us, be better, don’t give them a word to say about you and us” that’s a disgraceful way to grow up and it’s never ever accepted never mind acknowledged.

Wearing GAA tops on University campus was enough to warrant a talkback discussion

Just being seen and confident in shared spaces is enough to cause vocalised discomfort

Im muting this because I know it’s going to attract malice - but I’ll say this. I make no apology for confidence hard earned, having been hoisted up by people who were looked at with contempt by the ones ruling them

Ans I hope those who feel that their community is looked down on so the same