You Couldn't Make It Up

Desert Orchid

Desert Orchid

Senior Jockey
Joined
Aug 2, 2005
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The other day the present Mrs O was obliged to hire a taxi to get to work. Curiously enough, the local taxi firm couldn't help as "the drivers don't start until 9.30am".

That's not the funny bit.

Mrs O eventually got hold of a taxi firm from that well known staunch Orange enclave, Larkhall, to take her the substantial distance to her destination, a Catholic school.

She says the journey was very pleasant, if inconveniently long due to traffic hold-ups. The driver was good company and she got pretty much his life story. When they got there, he turned to her and said, "You're not going to believe this missus, but the fare comes to 16.90!"
 
I'm going to have to get this right once and for all. Orange is Proddie and the football club is Rangers. Green is Catholic and the football club is Celtic. Is this correct?

And what were the Black and Tans? Catholic? And why were they black and tan? The Orangemen (I know it's to do with William of Orange, somewhere) are the chaps who march, and the B&Ts presumably the ones who countermarch? And why is there a 'marching season', like a Flat season? Does the going have any effect on them?

Is all this still taken very seriously by the majority of Scottish and Irish people, or just small, hateful, enclaves?
 
Thanks very much, Brian. I felt that if I Googled I'd just get a million sites of varying flavours, so a quick factual survey's ideal. They sound as if they were a spiteful redneck rabble rather than any sort of useful auxiliary.

And now on to 'green' - Orangemen/William of, etc. I get, by why 'green' for the Catholics? And why do these historical alliances garner so much loyalty even now?
 
Originally posted by krizon@Feb 9 2007, 12:37 PM
And now on to 'green' - Orangemen/William of, etc. I get, by why 'green' for the Catholics? And why do these historical alliances garner so much loyalty even now?
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I've always assumed that it was an Irish green. Might be more to it though.

In answer to your second question: who cares? Probably for the same reason that people cling to groups/names/nationalities of any type, shape or form, with a bit of social conditioning thrown in for good measure.
 
Well, simmo, even my tiny brain could've managed a facile response like that, and I'd stay fat and happy all day. The point is, that enough people DO care. I'd just like to know why. One can dismiss everything as down to conditioning and never inquire.
 
A friend recounts a story of arriving in Glasgow for a Celtic game and jumping into a taxi at the Airport.

"Can you take me to Paradise?," he asked the Taxi driver.

To which he recieved the customer caring reply..

"To which end of the piggery would you like to be dropped to, Sir"
 
So we shouldn't get so aerated when Muslim fundies refer to Christian as pigs, should we? :angry: It adds so little to the harmony of life to have these attitudes still prevail WITHIN a religion, let alone outside it. Okay, nasty people aside, why the green?
 
A lot of Protestants can't stand Orangeism. It is a form of anti-Catholic extremism and I know many Protestants who abhor the Orange Order.

I suspect Orangeism has been hijacked a long time back by extremists but it basically supposed to be a Christian movement opposed to the Papacy or at least the perceived power of the Papacy.

I've always assumed the adoption of green stems from the Irish roots of the majority of the Catholic population, in particular, of the Central lowlands.

Catholics tend to support Celtic because Rangers had a policy of refusing to sign them. A (Marist, I think) brother founded Celtic to give young boys in Glasgow's East End somewhere to go and something to do. It was never restricted to Catholics and Celtic has never been a Catholic-only team in its history. A lot of people assume Celtic's emblem is the shamrock but it is in fact the four-leaf clover, a simple symbol of luck.
 
Re the Black & Tans, my mother's side of the family ended up in Scotland because the Black & Tans burned their house down.
 
Originally posted by BrianH@Feb 9 2007, 01:21 PM
The orange football team wears blue
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Rangers FC does not consider itself an Orange team and has done a lot of work in distancing itself from Orangeism.
 
When my father was two my grandmother looked on in horror as a truck carrying Black and Tan soldiers drove straight over him. He was unscathed and remembers nothing of the incident.
 
Originally posted by Desert Orchid@Feb 9 2007, 01:39 PM
Rangers FC does not consider itself an Orange team and has done a lot of work in distancing itself from Orangeism.
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Has no one told its supporters then?
 
Dessie.. I reckon you live just about next door to me :o :o

That is if its the Larkhall I know.

Being English (albeit a long time ago) and non religious, when we first moved to Scotland the divide really threw me, to be honest its never raised its head either in my working life or social life. Oh and I've never had the English bashing either, mind you could be because I could take it in the spirit its meant to be in.....


Or could be we have a better Rugy team. :D :P :P


Try living up here during the world cup... :o
 
Originally posted by BrianH+Feb 9 2007, 03:55 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (BrianH @ Feb 9 2007, 03:55 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Desert Orchid@Feb 9 2007, 01:39 PM
Rangers FC does not consider itself an Orange team and has done a lot of work in distancing itself from Orangeism.
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Has no one told its supporters then? [/b][/quote]
To be fair, Brian, the support at Ibrox has improved a lot and the decent Huns are fingering, so to speak, the morons to the stewards and many have been ejected, banned and had their season books confiscated. Unfortunately there's not much to stop the morons from going to the away games and venting their bile there. (The Celtic away support is almost as bad.)

Still a long way to go...
 
Thanks, folks, for shedding a little light on it all, however strange it all is. The Black & Tans stuff makes for appalling reading - God knows what it was like with them going around firing randomly, although it certainly has its echoes in the scuzzy militias in Africa, like the Janjaweed.

It's an astounding and depressing thought that since recorded time, there hasn't been one, single, year of global peace! What a bizarre species we are. Come, friendly Martians, invade us now...
 
:P I've come to the conclusion, put one person in a room and they will drive themselves mad trying to find the meaning of life.


I could have told em...... its 42 :P :P (I know old joke)
 
When up at the Ebor meeting last year we got back to our hotel and went to a local pub before we went out to eat. We were in there for about half an hour and could hardly hear ourselves speak for the men in rangers shirts at the bar singing "The Sash" and other ditties.
 
Originally posted by BrianH@Feb 9 2007, 07:40 PM
When up at the Ebor meeting last year we got back to our hotel and went to a local pub before we went out to eat. We were in there for about half an hour and could hardly hear ourselves speak for the men in rangers shirts at the bar singing "The Sash" and other ditties.
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Here's a question then. Why have UEFA taken the ridiculous decision to ban We Are The People whilst allowing songs such as No Surrender and No Pope Of Rome to remain.

For those unaware, We Are The People does not contain anything that I would regard as sectarian, whilst the other two mentioned do, quite vigorously and frequently? Both are also considerably worse than The Sash. :confused:
 
Dessie makes the point that sectarianism is being distanced from Rangers ground. There is also a lot of work under way to decontaminate their military wing in Belfast, the Linfield supporters, too.

So unless it's lost to posterity, just lets remind ourselves of their most popular song to support their football teams.

Hurrah! Hurrah! We are the Billy Boys;
Hurrah! Hurrah! We make a lot of noise;
We're up to here, we never fear - we all are Billy's sons,
We are the Glasgow Billy Boys.
We belong to Glasgow we're Orange and we're true
Scotland is our countr-ee our colours white and blue
We're Protestants and proud of it we're known near and far
Glasgow Billy Boys they call us.

On the 12th day of July you'll find us in the walk
With our brother Orangemen, Sandy, Bill and Jock
Billy is our hero, he beat them at the Boyne
Glasgow Billy boys they call us.
Chorus:

We believe in Freedom, we won our right that day
At the Battle of the Boyne - we're very proud to say.
James he was defeated - Justice had been done
Raise now a glass to King William.
Chorus:

Hoorah, Hoorah, we are the Billy Boys,
Hoorah, Hoorah, we are the Billy Boys,
Up tae yer knees in Fenian blood - surrender or ye'll die.
We are the Brigtoon* Billie Boys.
 
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