In the year 2001

[gray_marian]

It was Sammy McNally that done it,
He was never done swinging the lead.
And one bloody day as he swung it,
He hit me a blow on the head.
"Get up!" sez he, trying to lift me.
I never heard one word he said.
"Are y' deaf?" sez he, trying to shift me.
But I wasn't deaf... I was dead!
Of course, I went straight up to heaven,
It's three million miles past the sun.
I arrived at a quarter past seven,
In the year of 2001.
I seen a big lad in the hallway,
Sez I, "I'm just in from Belfast."
"Is that so?" sez he, "I am from Galway.
Sure, we've let an old Prod. in at last!"
I said I was happy to meet him,
And asked him what I should do.
"Come with me," sez he, "and I'll show you
We have a special department for you."
I followed him down a long passage
Where it led to, your man wouldn't tell,
But my God, I soon got the message
When I saw a sign pointing to Hell!
"Aah" sez I, "for God's sake have pity!"
"It's all for your sins in the past.
And he led me right into the city...
A place, the dead spit of Belfast.
"Is thon Hell?" sez I quite astounded:
"It is so, indeed." sez your lad.
"If that's Hell," sez I, looking round now,
If that's Hell, it can't be too bad!"
But the whole thing was very provoking,
Here was a place I knew well.
Surely to God, they were joking,
Surely Belfast... wasn't Hell!
But there, God love it, before me
The big City Hall stood in state.
With a tri-colour flying above it
And two Civic Guards at the gate.
That was only the start of the torment
I soon was to learn all the facts.
The Pope was living in Stormont
And Paisley was cleaning the jacks.
The head of the great Orange Order
Had long ago given himself up
Lemass had abolished the border
And Linfield was out of the cup!
All the Micks had lovely fat faces
And the Prods. were all queueing for soup.
There was Fenians in all the high places
And MacLiamoor was playing The Group.
The shipyard arrived like lightening,
I knew I'd find Orangeman there
But, what I did find was frightening
Speaking in Gaelic, they were.
The whole bloody city was stinking
There was nowhere a Proddy could go.
It was desperate thoughts I was thinking
Then it come in a flash, Sandy Row "
I knew they'd be loyal to Lizzie
And I wouldn't be left in the lurch
But when I got there, they were busy,
Building a Catholic church!
I went back to the fella that brought me,
He was having a snooze at the gate.
I tried to get by but he caught me.
"You can't get away from your fate!"
Sez I, "I don't like what you've brought me
If I'd known, I'd never have came."
Sez he and him standing fornenst * me
"Sure in here we all are the same.
In here perfect freedom is given,
To wander about, it's as well.
It's just that some think it's Heaven
And then, again, some think it's Hell!"
I'm a ghost now, but I'm just a beginner,
But if I was a mortal again,
I'd be nice to the Micks and the Shimmers
And I'd write to the Pope now and then.
Every man on this Earth is your brother
So don't write those things on the wall,
For, if we love one another...
We'll find out there's no Hell, at all.

by James Young

Lemass ( Sean Lemass, former Prime Minister in Dublin )
Fenians ( Republicans )
MacLiamoor (Famous actor in The Gate Theatre Dublin)
The Group (Small theatre in Belfast)
Sandy Row (Loyalist area in Belfast)
Fornenst (In front of me)

[Lewis McColl]

Thanks Marian , I did enjoy reading that, don't agree with all of it but a certain ring of truth to it. But Marian the Catholic church had a lot to do with the poverty that went on in N Ireland and the Republic, thankfully the Parish Priests do not have the power over their flock the way they used to.
Not an inch , no surrender. Would you ever have thought though that Martin McGuinness & Ian Paisley would have become close. I am sure there are those who will say Martin McGuinness had blood on his hands, yes he did , Paisley was another, an agitator he may not have fired the gun but he did make the bullets.
At the end of the day I believe they both became men who genuinely worked to heal the rift and bring about peace.
Sorry but Theresa May needs to really put the safety of the whole of the UK at the front of her mind. Getting into bed with the DUP is a big mistake. Again thanks for the poem.

[Red Lead Ted]

Everyone should read this,


DUP manifesto 2017: What the Democratic Unionist Party stands for and will bring to parliament | The Independent

[Fouro]

Of the DUP's ten MP's, seven are members of the Orange or independent marching orders.
A TORY-DUP deal therefore would be both painful for MAY and painful for political stability and peace in Northern Ireland.
Trouble looms as 12th of July approaches.

FOURO.

[Keith at Tregenna]

If nothing else the DUP is staunchly pro-Leave, being the only mainstream party in Northern Ireland to have backed Brexit, despite the region voting to remain. May did not want to stay: Seems a no deal May be on the cards regardless.