World Borders: Northern Ireland🔴✋️☘️ To Republic Of Ireland 🇮🇪 At Middletown Armagh To Monaghan

“Why do anything, when you can’t forget everything?” – Manic Street Preachers.

There are obviously loads of roads and border crossings between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland and I’ve crossed that border about 100 times I’d say, given my list of visits to each country. It was commonplace as a kid on holidays in the 1980s – cars were always checked, trains had bombscares as Northern Ireland prepared for the 1990s of peace, agreements and a hopeful end of holy warfare. Remember, it is NOT a religious war in Northern Ireland. 😉

People who are religious and believe in God and the Bible, they don’t start wars, they don’t kill people, they are peaceful. So none of your bullshit of a “religious war”, the war is between extremists who want Ireland to be one country separate from any influence from Westminster and those who don’t. None of those people who are involved in the “war” or the “troubles” are properly religious and even if they go to church, they bullshat you with their lies.

“Until you’ve repaid the dreams you bought with your lies; you’ll be cast away – alone under stormy skies” – Noel Gallagher.

One day, I dream of Northern Ireland separating ourselves from both the “UK” and the “ROI”; a brace of entities that tried to screw up my life. I’m more Northern Irish than you’ll ever be. We’re still the smallest country to have 4 golf major winners, score the winner in 2 FA Cup finals and reach the quarter finals of the World Cup. There’s a beautiful togetherness in the people from the six counties of Northern Ireland that shits on the “war”. I shit on it too.

“Before you take my heart; reconsider” – Sharleen Spiteri.

So, just as COVID was coming onto planet earth in December 2019, I drove down to this border to check it out. The reason we went here was because we were visiting nearby Milford, which is the home of the penalty (pelanty/McCrum) kick, which has become famous around the world in the sport of football. Milford is only an 11 minute drive to the border. It’s 8.3 miles along gorgeous country roads.

I was with my two Polish friends Rafal and Kamil and this was my first ever time to cross this exact border, theirs too. It was obvious where the border is. You can tell easily. Here are a few ways to tell for those unsure…

• In Northern Ireland, they use the Northern Irish Pound (Ulster Bank, George Best fivers, Northern Ireland)
• In Republic of Ireland, they succumbed to the dreaded “Euro” too many moons ago (“God save the Irish Punt”)
• In Northern Ireland, the road signs are darker green and written only in English
• In Republic of Ireland, the road sign green is lighter and the language is firstly in Irish Gaelic, secondly in English
• The accents of people change. Yes even close to the border.
• In Northern Ireland the road signs are in miles.
• In Republic of Ireland the road signs are in kilometres.
• The Tayto is different. The Northern Irish Tayto is nicer! I shoudd know, I’m biased and I toured the Tayto Factory!
• It feels and looks different to me. I know my homeland.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So, after passing through the village of Middletown in County Armagh, we are at the border. We get out of the car and walk across the bridge oveer the river from Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland. There are no police checkpoints or border patrols anymore. But there used to be, back in the bad days.

We visit to the old border post and bridge crossing between Middletown, Armagh in Northern Ireland and Monaghan in Republic of Ireland. The border is an obvious one, across a bridge at a river. On this trip, I visited the old checkpoint building.

There’s a petrol station nearby and my mood becomes all rather grey, drab and dreary. It felt like a timewarp to the 1980s, partially. No time to dwell though, I still buzz off these journeys and was happy to see what’s left of that checkpoint. Here are a few more photos and videos.

Here is a video from the border: