"You would deny the people of the North the right to choose their government?"
Yes, just as I would deny the people of Birmingham to choose "their" government - councils maybe, or parliamentary representatives, but the British system is that governments are elected nationally - unless I have been getting it wrong for most of my life.
The "North" - as you put it, (wonder what happened to Donegal, which is the most northerly point of Ireland) is, or should be part of Ireland, and as such, should be entitled to elect representatives on an IRISH government. Until it does there will continue to be unrest, just as there would be if, say the US discovered there was oil in Rutland (as was) and decided to annex it.
Dave, sorry to hear of your mate's experience in Cork - he must have gone into the local 'Langers' pub. I have to say that in all the time we have been visiting Ireland we have never been met with hostility or unfriendliness; that is why we chose to spend the rest of our lives here.
The only time we ever thought we might not be welcome was when the hunger strikers were dying and the street of Miltown Malbay was bedecked with black flags, but even then we were greeted with the usual friendliness.
One experience we did have was in Baltimore, in West Cork when we were invited to a party after a local point-to-point.
One of the singers launched into a set of rebel songs wheich got more and more vehement as the evening wore on. At one point we were drinking at the bar when the singer came over to buy a drink. He overheard us talking and leaned over (somewhat agressivly, I thought) and said, "are ye English", to which she, somewhat nervously replied "yes".
"You don't live anywhere near Manchester, do you", he asked, "my brother's a postman there" - and bought us drinks for the rest of the night.
Jim Lad, yes, our posts did cross and I missed yours. A brilliant summing up.
Jim Carroll
PS You will hear Orange Lodge songs wherever there are branches of the Orange Lodge.