PROOF THAT IRISH REPUBLICANISM IS BAA-D!
Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 10:38PM 
I see that some rural Irish Republicans have struck a blow for Irish unity by.... painting sheep belonging to a Protestant farmer in Tyrone in the colours of the Irish tricolour as part of an ongoing campaign of intimidation.
"In an overnight attack last week, six pregnant sheep were rounded up and sprayed green, white and gold. The farmer whose animals were targeted in this bizarre attack now fears many of his livestock have lost their unborn lambs because of the ordeal. "We'll have to get the sheep scanned to see if the lambs are okay, but they have been through a terrible ordeal and there's a real chance a few lambs will be lost," said the farmer, who wished to remain anonymous. Gateposts were also painted and a tricolour flag placed in the field on the farm, which is outside the village of Coagh."
Northern Ireland 
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Reader Comments (37)
Will loyalists retaliate by grabbing 'free state' sheep and painting Union Jacks on them - a bit more of a tricky task than the simple lines of the Irish tricolour
The Irish tricolour is green white and orange, not green, white and gold.
The real victims are all the poor loyalists who now have to explain to their wives and girlfriends why their chests and groin areas have the tricolor paint on them.
Not from NI, but couldn't this just be some teen's having a laugh?
@Mahons - LOL, brilliant!
"Gateposts were also painted and a tricolour flag placed in the field on the farm..."
The naked bigotry of republicanism exposed yet again.
Mahons, hilarious.
If true (and I'm cynical) then it's an embarrassment of a non-story.
All that effort for what? However, only in the north of Ireland could this be possible.
Perhaps the same fate will one day come to these Republican scumbags as happened to three of their kind over 18 years ago, when the SAS took them out in that same village of Coagh......what goes around comes around. Those Republicans who terrorise their Protestant neighbours would do well to remember the fate of Tony Doris from Coalisland, Pete Ryan from Ardboe, and Lawrence McNally from Ballinderry who entered inactive service on the 3rd June 1991.
How do we know it was even Irish Republicans? It could be a large influx of Ivorian Immigrants, judging by that picture.
It probably is just a laugh to those responsible, singling out the person of different ethnic origins and harassing them for it is, I understand, for a certain kind of person, quite funny. As indeed we can see above from a certain kind of people. The implications of the incident, of being singled out in this way, given the area's history, is of course, much more significant than if it were just random high jinks.
But then this is the height of it boys, for all the hate, all the murder all the shame - this is what the cause is worth. this is the extent of their actual culture. petty antagonism and empty headed ethnic hostility perpetrated under the cover of darkness, like the cowards they are and their fathers were.
Mr. M, the tricolour in republican areas is usually flown in green white and gold. the official state flag is green white and orange, but Irish republicans don't recognise the Irish republic. the (official) design in itself is offensive, as to represent such a sentiment superficially, while those you make this abstract gesture towards are mourning their innocent dead, as a consequence of your actual actions, can only be seen as a callous insult to bereavement and a total lack of respect for the humanity of those you oppose, which is generally understood as a symptom of evil.
Mahons,
some of those sheep look a bit like yourself in that photo - maybe you should ask paps the Real reason your lot high tailed it to New York, eh ?
This story seems all a bit too wooly for me. Next thing you'll be claiming they're forcing the sheep to play hurling in the fields just to ..er .. ram the point home.
Tommy Gunn, take a chill pill.
This is tongue in cheek, I would expect only The Newletter and it's devoted readers to take anything other than the humour that was intended in all of this. You opportunistically use this to politicise, get a grip!
Who would really be intimidated, are there really going to be mass sheepish miscarriages?
Sometimes we here are guilty of taking ourselves too seriously, this is a moment to lighten up in my very humble opinion.
Tommy Gunn, take a chill pill.
This is tongue in cheek, I would expect only The Newletter and it's devoted readers to take anything other than the humour that was intended in all of this. You opportunistically use this to politicise, get a grip!
Who would really be intimidated, are there really going to be mass sheepish miscarriages?
Sometimes we here are guilty of taking ourselves too seriously, this is a moment to lighten up in my very humble opinion.
"Mr. M, the tricolour in republican areas is usually flown in green white and gold. the official state flag is green white and orange Irish republicans don't recognise the Irish republic"
Absolute rubbish! You're either misinformed or you've made that up Sham. I'm from West Belfast and the colour of the national flag is green white and orange. As for not recognising the Republic, that would explain the abundance of ROI jerseys in W. Belfast
"This is the extent of their actual culture"
Who and what culture do you speak of?
Having said that, this display of blatant sectarianism is obscene, more akin to painting kerbstones and lamposts red, white and blue in an attempt tp sectarianise geography.
The perpetrators of this were probably little sheep just following the flock. Imagine that this kind of thing was done to ewerselves you'd feel fairly fleeced.
We haven't Gone away U No
This graffiti was posted. So they're complete illiterates as well as being sectarian bigots
Any idea on why this farmer was targeted? Was he politically active? Or was this just naked tribal intimidation?
Paul,
There's no pulling the wool over your eyes. Good post.
( First mention I saw of this story, I thought the Carmen lads were up the mountain painting RS' sheep, as revenge for the County league final debacle).
But this is a disgraceful act ( much like the match!)
I can see this topic has separated the sheep from the goats, only kidding!
For some it's their first dip into political debate, perhaps the first time they've put pen to paper.
Well Daithio, sometimes the arguments and political comments are just like "Mutton dressed up as Lamb."
Never mind though, the experts on ATW can usually chop the silliness short.
Was a fairly expensive operation to undertake Pinky, those sectarians must be minted!
Why was this individual targeted?
Maybe it was a joint operation but after 6 they had to leg it!
I just hate when these bastards try to ram their wooly ideas down everyone's throat. Their ideas of ewetopia serve noone.
Phantom, maybe he plays the Lambeg drum for the local Orange Lodge.
Hopefully the police will round up the herd of eejits that did it. Its just a terrible pity the tax payer has to be fleeced to catch these hooligans. Why must we always get shagged like this?
'I'm from West Belfast and the colour of the national flag is green white and orange.'
The flag of the country to which Belfast - west, east, south, north - belongs is red, white and blue.
Just re-stating fact lest it become inconvenient for republicans to acknowledge facts now and again.
I'd say Volunteer Shaun is behind this latest incident. Here seen with his Active Service Unit at their safe house in South Armagh (note colours for the campaign at bottom left).
"Phantom, maybe he plays the Lambeg drum for the local Orange Lodge." - almost certain that if it was not this, then some sort of recognisable factor of ethnicity or culture would have provoked the republicans. To stop this sort of crime and end the cycle of ignorance and hate that creates it, we can't just limited our investigations and concerns to the culprits themselves. Hate legislation in the UK is designed to recognise that these sort of incidents grow out of communities, they are not crimes of opportunity, but crimes of indoctrination - and zero tolerance from government and society is the only answer. A spotlight needs to be shined on these villages where race hate for the 'outsider' remains a serious problem, right into the schools, the churches, the homes and the sports halls of the GAA (the only sporting association in Europe that feels the need for sectarian branding) - and get the canker of bigotry cut right out.
Also, with the sort of generous, light hearted sprit we see in the comments from republicans here, you'd wonder how they get anyone to join these offended residents groups at all. Or is it that these Irish are all full of fun when they see their own bullying Protestants by violating their property, but are then totally outraged when it comes to even sharing public space with their protestant neighbours expressing their their nationality and heritage, even though it doesn't involve plastering a flag of murderers and scum over someone's property ?
................................
Paul, sing it with me baby:
"Give me the Irish Republican Army,
Give me the Green, White, and Gold every time.
Give me the three-leaved shamrock of Ireland,
A land I love that is so divine."
It also goes to show you mate, it being a fact that the republicans don't recognise the 26 county republic, and indeed if we want to get really picky, would consider football a foreign sport, (which was to well known and popular to get the same treatment as hockey), that identity and politics in west Belfast largely boils down to a vulgar tribalism, where any illiterate representation of the 'gang colours' will do, that is only mitigated to outsiders, and cynically provoked for the insiders by the heady rhetoric of 'the movement', that Irish republican politics essentially boils down to a cover story for a tribal war they sought to contrive and prolong for baseless reasons of race and propriety. The essentially superficial nature of the politics covering the tribalism is further indicated by your presentation of west Belfast and republicanism as synonymous. Its all a bit 'ein Reich' mate, is it not ?
And I was referring to Irish republican culture, quite clearly there Paul. It is interesting that your comparison sought to highlight loyalist street art; these semi permanent displays take place in areas where they are endorsed and enjoyed, which is the difference here. this incident was not a fun attempt to express a community identity, but to imply propriety and insinuate the threat of coercion on others peoples private property, who are considered an unwelcome racial element.
your quite right that these thugs in cough are scum and that this was an expression of race and territory.
Finally, it would seem those darlings at the BBC are so amused by this it's on the "News Front Page". So there you have it - want your intimidation of ethnic minorities to be accept by the mainstream media ? involve a comedic prop. listen up nasty nick......
Sham - What do you call a loyalist with 300 lovers? A shepherd.
Thank you kindly for your comparison of my looks to the sheep. Frankly, I suspect the sheep would be insulted. And I certainly don't look good in wool. But if I was wise, witty AND good looking, wouldn't it all be too much to take!
" pregnant sheep were rounded up and sprayed green, white and gold "
Question is were the sheep pregnant before the evenings festivities began?
APL,
Despite the rest of us trying to be clever, you win "Brilliant line of the day." Bula Bus.
Sham,
Seriously, get a grip.
AMcC
When you walk into a room do people stop smiling?
Sham,
Perhaps you should tell that well known non-Republican establishment, The Felons, that they're flying the wrong flag?
http://www.anphoblacht.com/news/images/2004/04/08/Easter-Lilys-p20.jpg
Or indeed SF's Falls Rd offices:
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/106/304945568_0f5d0bd593.jpg?v=0
I really could'nt be bothered trawling the images of countless Republican murals etc to prove your silly point wrong.
"It is interesting that your comparison sought to highlight loyalist street art; these semi permanent displays take place in areas where they are endorsed and enjoyed,"
I think most people call it vandalism and if you think that they are only 'in areas where they are endorsed and enjoyed' You've obviously never been to Finaghy crossroads.
"It being a fact that the republicans don't recognise the 26 county Republic"
That 'fact' probably explaining why they take seats in Leinster House - a 26 Co Parliament.
It's much too late for me to indulge you and deal with the other trite, over elaborate maunderings inherent in your comment.
'When you walk into a room do people stop smiling?'
When you walk into a room do people start flinging themselves out of windows?
Felons club ? Sinn Fein ? I said Republicans Paul, not British MPs !
The people of Taughmonagh seem to enjoy it, again it comes down to shared space, loyalists paint kerbs and hang flags as part of their festivities. Vandalism usually occurs when your have isolated protestant-use buildings, such as Orange Halls, where again a racist sense of propriety regarding the land moves a certain sort to do the same sort of intimidation graffiti and property destruction that we see above. One is a celebration, the other is an act of racist / sectarian hostility.
lol - that was quite good actually mahons,
what do you call a sheep strapped to a lamppost in Roscommon ?
the leisure centre.
I'm only kidding you know, I think your quite handsome really. And I'm sure you'd look swell in an authentic Irish wool jumper (or at least look authentic in a swell Irish wool jumper.....).
As we can see here, petty sectarianism hasn't gone away ewe know !
“Mr. M, the tricolour in republican areas is usually flown in green white and gold”
“But Irish republicans don't recognise the Irish republic”
I find it interesting Sham that you, as an obvious unionist, consider yourself qualified to speak so authoritatively on Irish Republicanism. And also that you speak about “Republican areas” yet castigate my example of West Belfast as:
“The essentially superficial nature of the politics covering the tribalism is further indicated by your presentation of west Belfast and republicanism as synonymous”
Please demonstrate what a “Republican area” is?
To follow on you Republican authority:
“Felons club ? Sinn Fein ? I said Republicans Paul, not British MPs !”,
[As they take seats in Dail Eireann does’nt that also mean that they’re Irish?].
Well, perhaps these guys are sufficiently Republican for you:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8298175.stm
Perhaps you’d like to tell them that they’ve got the wrong flag on their dead mate’s coffin?
As to your loyalist “street art”, [most sane people still call it vandalism], maybe the painting of sheep was just “living art”?,
[if you’re unfamiliar with the concept just as loyalist folk hero Michael Stone].
And to the red, white & blue painted kerbs here’s a few images of them:
http://s0.geograph.org.uk/geophotos/01/47/80/1478024_457f6960.jpg
http://www.r-l-p.co.uk/images%5Cshankill.gif
But still, probably just expressing their culture eh? Can’t understand why the nationalist residents on the Western side of the “shared space’ of Finaghy Crossroads would object to that!
Speaking of “shared space” those crazy loyalist cats in North Belfast really dig it don’t they?
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3108226.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3108814.stm
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/community-telegraph/north-belfast/news/principal-lsquosaddenedrsquo-by-attack-14241848.html
I’m going to assume Sham, based on your linguistic athletics, that you’re familiar with the old Belfast adage “When you’re in a hole stop digging”?
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The Ewe From Arboe has been the source of many a chuckie-chuckle over the last few days though the jury is still out on whether it is a Provo, Real or Conti Sheep!! However, it never seeks to amaze the speed at which Willie Frazer jumped on the cattle trailer with his regular EWE tube update was quite remarkable. In striking contrast, when Mr McDaid was set upon by a pack of sectarian loyalists, unionists quarters including Willie weren’t flocking to put similar efforts into their condemnation.
Therefore, can we conclude that a sheep has more respect than Catholics in some unionist quarters??????