Punching For Peace

Boxing champs of the future from north and south of Ireland will deliver a knockout blow for sectarianism when they meet in the ring for an inaugural cross community boxing tournament.

The Punching for Peace Youth Boxing Tournament on June 4 features young fighters from five of Belfast’s top clubs going head to head against their counterparts in clubs from counties Louth, Cavan and Meath.

The event at the Spectrum Centre on the Shankill Road has been organised by Belfast Community Sports Development Network (BCSDN) in association with Belfast City Council and funded by the EU PEACE 111 Programme. In preparation for the tournament young boxers from both sides of the divide met on Saturday (May 21) with their southern counterparts at the Holy Family Club for a joint training session followed by a cultural diversity workshop. A similar event has been organised at the ClannNaofa Boxing Academy Dundalk on May 28.

The Belfast clubs involved are Holy Family, Dockers, Midland, Cairnlodge and Saints. The bouts will be three rounds each involving 12-16 age groups. The clubs from south of the border taking part are ClannNaofa from Co Louth, Navan, Ashbourne, and Dunschaugalain from Co Meath and King’s Court from Co Cavan.

Event organiser Billy Boyd, BCSDN’s Sports Development Officer, said the purpose was to show young people from working class areas that they have much in common.

“Boxing has always been a sport that cuts across the religious divide and this event will help bring young people from different backgrounds together to train and socialise together.

“Many young people living in working class areas have never met anyone from a different religion so this is an ideal opportunity for them to enjoy their sport and sit down and engage with each other.”

Jim O’Neill from the ClannNaofa club said he was delighted to accept the invitation to bring young boys up to Belfast to compete in the tournament.

“Boxing in this small island is a unifying experience that brings out the best in people. We have produced many great boxing ambassadors from north and south over the years and will continue to do so,” he said.

Some of Northern Ireland’s top boxing names will hand out awards at the end of the tournament. They include former Commonwealth Champions, Darren Corbett and Neil Sinclair, Shankill legend Davy Larmour, up and coming young professional Carl Frampton and Olympic Bronze medallist Paddy Barnes.

The tournament, which is open to the public, begins at 2pm and the last bout will end around 6pm.
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We have cross community football matches and tournaments over here all the time, and they are a great success, lets just hope boxing can have the same results.

One of the very few working class sports were we have managed to remove nearly all of the sectarianism. One of the reasons I love the sport so much.

Sheng.

Brilliant stuff, sheng. I hope it garners the support it deserves.

I have nothing to add other than at the minute I hate all things Irish due to the havoc my faithful friend Guinness wreaked on my already delicate physical state last night.

rowley wrote:I have nothing to add other than at the minute I hate all things Irish due to the havoc my faithful friend Guinness wreaked on my already delicate physical state last night.

Dropping off black labs in the toilet are we?

coxy0001 wrote:

rowley wrote:I have nothing to add other than at the minute I hate all things Irish due to the havoc my faithful friend Guinness wreaked on my already delicate physical state last night.

Dropping off black labs in the toilet are we?

There has been some unpleasantness. Am stuck at work as well which makes things ten times worse.

rowley wrote:

coxy0001 wrote:

rowley wrote:I have nothing to add other than at the minute I hate all things Irish due to the havoc my faithful friend Guinness wreaked on my already delicate physical state last night.

Dropping off black labs in the toilet are we?

There has been some unpleasantness. Am stuck at work as well which makes things ten times worse.

I can never poo at work, just can't bring myself to do it.

Am fairly confident when Sheng wrote this he never envisaged it ending up in a discussion of our toilet habits. I personally have no problem with going at work, or indeed anywhere. Must be a Yorkshire thing, we're that used to the outside toilet not having to walk across the back yard to go to the loo is a rare luxury

I knew a thread like this would end up a chat about Guinness poos.

Union Cane:

Do they have toilets in your Jobs & Benefits Office?

shenglong1983 wrote:Do they have toilets in your Jobs & Benefits Office?

Enjoying your bailout?

shenglong1983 wrote:Do they have toilets in your Jobs & Benefits Office?

Don't know mate, never been.

I see your cousins across the border treated your Queen very well the other week, you must be so proud.

Union Cane wrote:

rowley wrote:

coxy0001 wrote:

rowley wrote:I have nothing to add other than at the minute I hate all things Irish due to the havoc my faithful friend Guinness wreaked on my already delicate physical state last night.

Dropping off black labs in the toilet are we?

There has been some unpleasantness. Am stuck at work as well which makes things ten times worse.

I can never poo at work, just can't bring myself to do it.

I like to get the business done first thing in the morning. If like today I can't drop the cosbys off at the pool before work, I get the lift to the bottom floor and do the business there.

Michaels, Sean wrote:I like to get the business done first thing in the morning. If like today I can't drop the cosbys off at the pool before work, I get the lift to the bottom floor and do the business there.

Keep us updated.

Yes about time we got her wearing Emerald Green.

I enjoyed when she layed a wreath for the Irish volunteers during the playing of The Soldiers Song.

Nice touch.

Patrick O'Bama also enjoyed the trip, even drank a pint of the black stuff and claimed to be Irish.

Spoke a bit of the native tounge, and when it was pointed out he pronounced some of it incorrectly, the charismatic (real leader) quipped "I'd rather speak broken Irish, than Oxford English"

To which the crowd roared.

Nice chap.


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Sean Michaels:

YOU DO IT ON THE ACTUAL FLOOR?

Very appropriate that it should be the ' bottom ' floor, Sean.

shenglong1983 wrote:Patrick O'Bama also enjoyed the trip, even drank a pint of the black stuff and claimed to be Irish.

Spoke a bit of the native tounge, and when it was pointed out he pronounced some of it incorrectly, the charismatic (real leader) quipped "I'd rather speak broken Irish, than Oxford English"

To which the crowd roared.

Easy to please nationalists isn't it. To an educated man that would be obvious brownnosing.

Good to see people coming together....There is/was quite a large pro-Ira/ faction where I come from who saw terrorists as freedom fighters and romantic figures...

Must admit my thoughts on the situation were tainted being of Irish American stock and I thought these people were heroes once..fighting for a united Ireland and a great cause..

Only after meeting my Wife and coming here did I realise that there is nothing clever or heroic about terrorism and that my initial views on the situation were not appropriate....

Although the gun tends to win by getting you to the table it's nice to see people going about their daily lives in peace and living normal lives...

Certainly gun money in America took a real nosedive when 9/11 happened and we got a real taste of what terrorism was all about.....

IRA, UFF...Let's hope neither start doing there stuff on a grand scale again...

Great people the Irish and let's hope sport as it does in other Countries can pull them together..

Nice article shengy........

Cheers Truss.

Whats your stance on guinness and going to the toilet in work?

TRUSSMAN66 wrote:Good to see people coming together....There is/was quite a large pro-Ira/ faction where I come from who saw terrorists as freedom fighters and romantic figures...

Must admit my thoughts on the situation were tainted being of Irish American stock and I thought these people were heroes once..fighting for a united Ireland and a great cause..

Only after meeting my Wife and coming here did I realise that there is nothing clever or heroic about terrorism and that my initial views on the situation were not appropriate....

Although the gun tends to win by getting you to the table it's nice to see people going about their daily lives in peace and living normal lives...

Certainly gun money in America took a real nosedive when 9/11 happened and we got a real taste of what terrorism was all about.....

IRA, UFF...Let's hope neither start doing there stuff on a grand scale again...

Great people the Irish and let's hope sport as it does in other Countries can pull them together..

Nice article shengy........

Someone once said 'One man's freedom fighter, is another's terrorist'.

Tried guinness once when I was in Cork....I was clean shaven when he started to pour it and had designer stubble by the time he finished...Never again!!

Ask me about babycham and work and i'll tell ya

Union Cane wrote:

rowley wrote:

coxy0001 wrote:

rowley wrote:I have nothing to add other than at the minute I hate all things Irish due to the havoc my faithful friend Guinness wreaked on my already delicate physical state last night.

Dropping off black labs in the toilet are we?

There has been some unpleasantness. Am stuck at work as well which makes things ten times worse.

I can never poo at work, just can't bring myself to do it.

Really? Best place to do it, I find. That way it's time that you're being paid for...

Scottrf wrote:

Michaels, Sean wrote:I like to get the business done first thing in the morning. If like today I can't drop the cosbys off at the pool before work, I get the lift to the bottom floor and do the business there.

Keep us updated.

The Eagle has Landed.

Spladoosh.

Why has this thread turned into this "type" conversation.

Odd.

You never know wht to expect on V2.....

Truss's logs must be like concrete with his high protein diet. I reckon he can't lay cable at work for fear of cracking the pan so must wait until he gets home (to his father in laws house) where they have installed a titanium lined sh1tter.

shenglong1983 wrote:Why has this thread turned into this "type" conversation.

Odd.

You never know wht to expect on V2.....

whenever i log on there's usually someone talking sh1t.

You said log.

Union Cane wrote:You said log.

Priceless.