@Darren McCormack. Your first sentence in your most recent comment simply confirmed the ignorant tone of your first post.
Yes, I am black – well done for stating the obvious, I wasn’t sure my picture showed me in the best light :)
As for the historical context of your post, perhaps my years of education have failed me but, it’s far from obvious, with a fleeting reference to migrants (in the past decade) being sent here to finish what Henry VIII started. If you had validated that with something substantial, and of course RELEVANT, fair enough.
But you chose to use it as an opportunity to bash and when challenged, come up with an insulting “Is it cause I is black?” CLASSY….:)
I’m happy to investigate Irish history, and have done many a time. I will continue to do so. However, a simple cut and paste on your part, as and where it suits doesn’t take away from the fact that your comments are driven by bigotry, and not history, as you claim.
Excuse me for MY ignorance, but as I’m willing to learn – please outline to me the link, in an historical context, between “foreign nationals” (nationality hasn’t been specified in the article) and the plantation of Ulster in the 1600’s? Was there a conspiracy that I missed?!

Yes, I’ve heard of Ali G, and laughed at the character, because it was funny. You’re NOT, simple as.
“Pity you weren’t as vocal in your own country!” Um…isn’t that a little juvenile? How would you know how vocal I was / wasn’t in my “own” country?
Contrary to your one-dimensional belief, we’re not all from former colonies, under dictator rule, and fresh off the boat.
My “all Irish guy” is educated and intelligent enough to back up his talk with the walk. As he didn’t bring up the subject, and YOU did, I’m asking you, not him.
Please, enlighten me. I’m feeling indescribably thick here, so subtle “connotations” will not suffice. Please, elaborate…tell me how the two are in any way linked? Tell me how such connotations should be obvious? What exactly did I miss?
Oh, and btw…scholarly as you evidently are, you may want to address your spelling mistakes. Just a bit of “adice”… :D

Chanelle is kicking arse and taking names!

Poor old Darren beating the tired old drum. I think you’ll find James VII & I started the plantations, whilst a holistic view of Irish history shows her sometimes tragic past is linked to the wider history of Europe, not the simplistic ‘the English have oppressed us for 800 years’ story. Of course some say, the English never forgive, while the Irish never forget, and while stereotypical anecdotes and myopic attitudes such as displayed here persist, it seems we will never grow up.

Ahh isn’t the old multiculturalism great all the same ….

As if we didn’t have enough troubles of our own! Now we have Eurotrash gangsters to contend with.
We sure are a pack of naive fools. Now we have another 400 years of conflict to look forward to. All thanks to the latest wave of migrants/settlers (during the last decade) that were enticed to come here by the EU empire to finish the job Henry VIII started. Now they’re fighting over our land. Deja vu anyone?

Hi Shirley, I’m English too LOL
I love living in Ireland, the people I’m surrounded by are sound.

Darren, it was low of me to point out an obvious typo over the holes in your argument (I use the term “argument” loosely), and thank you for the pat on the head. My life has been truly enhanced as a result.
Isn’t this all counter-productive? The time you’ve wasted on NOT educating me with your unsubstantiated “connotations” could’ve been better spent on educating me from your well informed font of knowledge.
I appreciate that your post doesn’t require a response. Unfortunately, I’m not as generous as your good self and think it’s only fair you back up and finish what you started.
I completely understand of course, if you feel you’re “better than that”, though I suspect there are few who would share that opinion.
Now, I think I’m going to go research the plantation of Ulster, should the subject ever arise in relation to foreign nationals in Newry again…LIKELY!

@Glen Straiton…Thank you.