Cancellation of WRN NI event at Féile festival.

Brilliant. Is venue TBC?

It says that the venue is in Belfast city centre but details will be sent to participants who have tickets closer to the time.

Nice to know that certain sections of the NI press are so reasonable and open-minded when it comes to women's rights:

https://x.com/Toby_1979/status/2084013305555747155?s=20

https://nitter.net/Toby_1979/status/2084013305555747155?s=20

The WRN event is going ahead at a new Belfast venue. I found some live tweeting from the event by Róisín Michaux for anyone who's interested:

https://x.com/RoisinMichaux/status/2084557451328700903?s=20

For those not on TwiX
https://nitter.net/RoisinMichaux/status/2084557451328700903?s=20

It's Toilet Karen bingo! 😄

Thank you, sounds great! Any protests outside?

Thats me in then 😂

Helen Joyce wrote an article in response to Allison Morris’ factually incorrect column (about WRN being cancelled by Féile An Phobail). The article was rejected by Morris’ paper, The Belfast Telegraph.

www.thehelenjoyce.com/p/the-article-beltel-rejected

So much for a free press, I guess they didn't want to publish an article that would reflect badly on the competence of someone they employ. 😤

Morris is a bit of a star columnist for them, and she has made tackling VAWG in NI a big part of her writing. This fact is why Morris traducing WRN is so disappointing and frustrating.

Fiona McAnena interview on BBC Radio Ulster yesterday. Needless to say, Fiona didn't get the 'sympathetic voice' easy ride from the presenter that previous trans interviewees received recently:

https://x.com/JournalismSEEN/status/2084761493342445617?s=20

https://nitter.net/JournalismSEEN/status/2084761493342445617?s=20

Mary Lou McDonald (leader of Sinn Féin and member of parliament in ROI) asked for comment on the cancellation of WRN by Féile. Mary Lou was reticent to give her thoughts (most likely, in addition to political reasons for this reticence, there are family reasons also):

https://x.com/RoisinMichaux/status/2084804940401139797?s=20

https://nitter.net/RoisinMichaux/status/2084804940401139797?s=20

What an infuriating interview. "Tristan this, Tristan that". "Isn't it remarkable that Tristan was an orangeman last week and is a transwoman this week?".

No, it's not remarkable. Tristan was a man last week and is a man this week, and he should continue to be treated as one when it comes to the law, despite now wanting to be called Isabelle. Why do people, such as this presenter, completely lose their minds when a man announces he is a woman? It's baffling.

I could tell Fiona was losing patience by the end, what with constantly being talked over and then the presenter demanding to know how it impacts her to use female pronouns for Tristan. And then he wouldn't let her finish her sentence when she tried to explain exactly how it would impact her and other women.

I reckon the day a man pretending to be a woman gets the hard edged nasty voice in an interview instead of the softly softly dontyoulookjustlovely voice, he will know he has passed.

It seems she does some good work.

But the viciousness with which she attacks WRNI etc is clear defensiveness. They are, at worst, women with a different opinion. Why would that inspire such rage? A journo would normally want to look into a pertinent matter, not reject it furiously. Surely.

Oh she legitimately does do some good work, and has status accordingly. I think that's potentially why she felt comfortable dealing with the issue in the dismissive way she did.

I saw a good tweet, can't find it now, where someone raised the point that whoever came up with the idea that the story was best covered through an opinion piece rather than something more meaty could usefully reflect on that decision.

While I agree with everything Helen wrote, I wish she had stuck to countering the initial article written by Morris rather than the debate she had on the radio (if it could be called that) She could have still made all the salient points but might have had more chance of it being published. Then again, maybe not. It's such a shame that the public won't get to read a balanced viewpoint on this issue.

What cowards, they haven't even got the courage of their own convictions. They always react the same, eh? Face down and ignore.

Not the point at all but did anyone else think Mary Lou looked totally different?? I can't put my finger on it, I know she's had a haircut but her face looks different?

Her and that Mayor and the "feminist" sitting down are all traitors to their sex. It's appalling.

Sex Matters have posted a blog entry on the rearranged WRN panel in Belfast:

https://sex-matters.org/posts/updates/speaking-up-for-respect-rights-and-reality-in-northern-ireland/

Looks like a face-lift or botox.

I was surprised at the tone of this comment on the inclusion of Loyalist bands in Fleadh Cheoil na hEireann in Belfast.
I want to be careful here, because I’ve seen people praising this as a great act of generosity from Irish nationalism, letting the prods play too. Stop it. Traditional Irish music isn’t the exclusive property of one community that gets to decide who’s allowed a seat at it. Loyalist bands don’t need to earn their place at a festival in their own city.

Actually, it is an act of generosity - the Loyalist marching bands are hardly 'traditional Irish music, they don't do reels and hornpipes and lullabies and laments. They are vehemently and militaristically British and anti-nationalist.. That's their schtick. Their whole raison d'être is being British, and celebrating keeping that part of Ireland under British control.

Even the deservedly-maligned Féile an Phobail included the Loyalist tradition and the Protestant heritage in its schedule.

I don't see the Orange Order being 'generous' enough to invite a similar nationalist group to perform on 12th July.

In the context of history - centuries of it, not just recent decades - these were acts of generosity from one community to another, and deserve to be noted as such, not dismissed.

Hard to disagree with that, Marie, but I liked the tone of the piece in general.

I agree. She doesnt seem to know what she's talking about.

Two summers running now, the Wolfe Tones have played the Falls Park to ten thousand people chanting “up the Ra.”

Two summers? The Wolfe Tones have been closing the Feile with that song for well over ten years now. Tomorrow, the Nolan Show will have the traditional Wolfe Tones closing the Feile discussion. It's as traditional as orange marches at this point.😆