back to article El Reg insults 'millions of Irish Catholics'

It won't have escaped the attention of our US readers that El Reg Stateside today features an orange masthead - part of a temporary sponsored makeover. Well, it's fair to say that the Strategy Boutique could have brainstormed that one bit more thoroughly. One reader was moved to protest: "Why are you insulting millions of …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    The future's bright...

    Well, just use a green one on July 12th, to even things up...

  2. Benedict

    no title here!

    Insulted by a colour? softies.

    1. Pete 2 Silver badge

      it's not a colour!

      it's an entire mobile phone network

    2. LinkOfHyrule

      Exactly!

      If you get offended by colours, please seek help.

  3. sventamagotchi
    Troll

    get over it!

    simple mistake, no need to eject from pram

    all done

    1. apr400

      There's none as Irish...

      ...as an American

  4. Brian Miller

    So change Soretel to Green

    Shoretel will understand, won't they?

  5. Arclight
    Grenade

    Well its only fair

    You are,after all, insulting millions of non-catholics by putting a shamrock at the top o'the page.

  6. Eugene Goodrich
    Paris Hilton

    Didn't know...

    ... that St. Patrick's day, to the Irish Catholics at least, required websites to run green decor.

    Are the colorblind Irish Catholics upset, too?

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I think it's more...

      ...about the masthead being orange specifically, on a day associated with Ireland. You may have heard of some political issues with Northern Ireland? Orangemen? Yeah, there you go...

      A bit of an overreaction regardless, given that it's obviously a sponsorship thing, but it's not quite as bad as if they were merely complaining about the lack of green.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      Now you do

      Not so much should be green, more shouldn't be orange.

      Orange is the other lot up north, and would make you about as popular as a hooded Klans man on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange_Institution

      1. Gordon Guthrie 1

        Read the Irish Constitution

        http://www.constitution.org/cons/ireland/constitution_ireland-en.pdf

        Try article 7:

        The national flag is the tricolour of green, white and orange.

        That's green for catholics, orange for protestants and white for peace between them.

      2. FuzzyTheBear
        Happy

        Contrary to popular beleif ..

        They happen to be EXTREMELY POPULAR with the crowds in the South Eastern USA

        Everyone wants to have a peice of them and bash them .. so do like the rest of us ..

        take your place in the waiting line ; )

        Ric

  7. blackworx
    FAIL

    Why

    I do believe this says more about the people complaining than it does about you El Reg.

    Nice. Especially considering St Patrick's day in America is about as Irish as popcorn.

    1. peyton?
      Coat

      Irish as popcorn?

      Americans, on St. Patrick's day, drink till we fall over. What more do you want??

    2. h 6
      Joke

      St. Pats in USA

      St. Pats in America -- wasn't that last Saturday?

    3. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      yep

      There are few things as irritating as Americans banging on about how "Irish" they are when they have never been there, and couldn't find the place on a feckin' map.

  8. Oninoshiko
    Joke

    hmm

    wait... there's a US site?

    1. Bill Neal
      WTF?

      yeah

      There was a .com mirror. Whenever I try it now, I'm redirected to .co.uk

      what happened to the US mirror?

      1. Crazy Operations Guy
        Boffin

        Mirrors

        Same TLD, different Data center. From what I can tell El Reg has two DCs, one in San Fransisco and one in the UK, a simple trick with DNS.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Grenade

      Aaaargh

      As an Catholic Oirish person , can I say that If the banner had had a couple of Union Flags on, it flanked by a pair of hooded gits with AK47's and a big message saying 'Prods rule, feck the Taigs' on it then yes, definitely grounds for complaining.

      Otherwise no, stop whining and neck some green stuff.

      1. Throatwobbler Mangrove
        Pint

        well, that's just great...

        "If the banner had had a couple of Union Flags on, it flanked by a pair of hooded gits with AK47's and a big message saying 'Prods rule, feck the Taigs' on it then yes, definitely grounds for complaining."

        ...now everyone else in this presentation is staring at me wondering why I am giggling like a fool.

    3. elawyn
      Joke

      onishiko

      "wait, there's a US Site?"

      Yes, it's a dumbed down version of the UK one!

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Looking for the worst in people

    "Why are you insulting millions of Irish Catholics on St. Patrick's Day?"

    And it's depsite that attitude that the peace process in Northern Ireland rolls on.

    Though surely Irish readers of El Reg get the UK version? How many millions of Irish are working in the US these days. Or do they mean catholics of Irish descent?

  10. Tom_

    Some people

    "Thanks for going 'Orange' on St. Patrick's Day. If you thought this was funny, you are wrong. Now I know you aren't the kind of people I want to do business with."

    What a dick.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      WTF?

      His imaginary friend...

      ...is clearly not orange.

      The dickage quotient is awesome.

      But why is El Reg taking any notice of such dickage? Why would anyone?

      1. Marvin the Martian
        Dead Vulture

        "Why would anyone take notice of such dickage?"

        Feck, I'm even wondering why I'm reading these comments.

  11. JP19
    FAIL

    religious zealots,

    ... trying to hold back the rest of the world since 6000 B.C.

    Seriously, don't these morons have anything better to do, like setting aside their issues with the other party over there about how to interpret one book, before they start being all moralistic against El Reg?

  12. Ian Ferguson
    Thumb Down

    Er

    I'd reserve judgement until you get complaints from actual Irish.

    Or perhaps we should complain that the normal El Reg masthead is red, the colour of the Republican party in the USA, and therefore an insult to the democratic movement worldwide?

  13. Neil 23
    Thumb Down

    If you're born in America

    that makes you American, not Irish.

  14. Stuart Henderson
    Grenade

    bloody outrage

    i'm an Everton fan and i'm absolutely sickened by the Register's use of the colour red (the colour of our rivals Liverpool) on Everton match days. I can't believe you are so brazenly insulting thousands and thousands of Everton fans like this. You foul, disgusting, heartless scum are clearly not the kind of people I want to do business with.

  15. Sir Sham Cad

    BBC

    That's OK, the BBC are doing it right now, too.

    The copycats.

  16. Tom 35

    Guinness

    Opps? Take away his Guinness and make him drink Miller Lite... That should teach him.

    1. Sorry that handle is already taken. Silver badge

      Tough choice

      At least the Miller has a bit of flavour though.

      1. Rod MacLean

        RE: Tough choice

        "At least the Miller has a bit of flavour though."

        Yeah, tastes like horse piss

    2. Bill Neal
      WTF?

      Miller?

      What does south african beer have to do with this?

  17. SlabMan
    Paris Hilton

    Conspiracy or cock-up?

    As Paris would say, 'What's a conspiracy?'.

  18. MinionZero
    WTF?

    Hey Reg, your red theme is the same primary colour as the Roman Empire flag!

    I think its an insult to all us Britons after the defeat of Boudica's army by the Roman Empire!

    Not only that, but here in the land of hope and glory, the Reg colours of Red, White and Black are the flag colours of the Nazis!

    Shame on you all at The Reg. How dare you insult all us Britons!. You should all be made to sing land of hope and glory every morning for your crimes against so many of us!

    ... or maybe ... just maybe ... its simply a colour and people should get over the past rivalries. (I don't mean forget the past as there are very important lessons to be learned from the past, but learning which colours to label as the enemy is focusing totally on the wrong lessons of history!).

    ;)

    1. Nivensis

      Roman colours

      Actually I'm not sure there's any firm evidence for the Romans having a 'state' colour. They used red a lot in the military, I seem to think; although I'm not sure what the source for that is. And I know that purple was quite important - being such an expensive colour it tended to get used a lot by those seeking to 'keep up appearances'; senators, consuls and the like. And rich merchants to show they were doing well. In the badly named imperial period, it was the colour of the 'emperor', and since he represented the state I suppose we could say purple is the 'Roman colour'...

      (It's interesting you mention the Nazis in the same post, though: it's a point of annoyance for me - note 'annoyance' rather than 'deep melodramatic offence' - that we continue to allow the Nazis a small victory in that they still retain claim over certain imagery that rightly belongs to others, such as the swastika and all the symbolism they stole from Rome. I'd like to see them deprived even of that little win, and all these symbols reclaimed for proper, legitimate use.)

      But getting to the actual point: you're absolutely right in saying people should get over it. If people wouldn't get so ridiculously hung up over such trivia, then the various 'peace processes' of the world might have a slim chance of success. But if you've got a bunch of remote Americans getting hot under the collar because of something as nonsensically nothingy as this, then the ill-feeling is going to be kept alive far beyond its time - even if those keeping it alive don't really understand what it's all about, but just know that "it's what we've always done" (and gods, how many times have we seen that as the sole driver of continuing conflict?).

      Perhaps one day we - the so-called 'developed world' - will learn to cope with the *extreme stress* of there being other people in the world with opinions and preferences that might differ from our own. Maybe then we'll all calm down a little and actually become civilised.

      1. sig

        What about the Soviet Bloc?

        Cos, like, we won the Cold War yet still the commie banner of flug flutters proudly from your past.

        You are disrespecting all the millions of people who didn't die fighting.

        1. sig

          "flug"?

          I meant "blood", obviously.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I'm Irish, born and bred in Dublin.

    And I'm not insulted. Guess I'm just the bigger person then those whining maggots.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      I suspect that the difference is..

      ..that you're actually Irish, and not some insecure, bullying American.

  20. Stu
    Pint

    Missed a trick...

    ...you could have made out its a Dutch public day of celebration for the Dutch Royal Family!

    .

    So how come no St.Paddys day UK re-bannering? I suppose you don't get any emerald isle people in the UK do you? I am, in fact, one!

    1. Marvin the Martian
      Pint

      Nope that's April 30

      Queen's day is the height of oranginess in Holland --- the last queen's birthday.

  21. tobyr
    Thumb Down

    apologies all round

    whatever. we also apologise to the black population for the usage of black type and we apologise to the white supremacists for the use of the white background, anyone else?

    grow a pair, El Reg.

  22. Mark McC
    Paris Hilton

    If they're mad now...

    Just wait until they see the last third of the Irish national flag.

    Icon toss-up between the troll (or is it a leprechaun?) and Paris over which was more orange.

  23. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Plastics

    I bet all the complaints came from the US. As a *real* Irish Catholic may I tell the Reg that I don't care at all.

  24. Gordon861

    They are Catholics

    So forgive the reg, don't wine about it.

  25. lardheppus
    Pint

    Better send a Wahmbulance

    I plan on crying in my green beer over it.

  26. Parsifal
    WTF?

    What about St. George

    Whilst i have to say i enjoy some of the activities on St. Patricks day i can't see why people expected everyone to adopt green themes, much less why non-catholics celebrate what really is an Irish Catholic Religious festival.

    Being English I'd be much happier to Celebrate St. Georges day, but since I guess there is a large Catholic population in the US we have to put up with a yet another commercialized festival (Anything to drink i guess).

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @Parsifal

      "i can't see why people expected everyone to adopt green themes, much less why non-catholics celebrate what really is an Irish Catholic Religious festival."

      St Paddy comes from a time before there was a Catholic/Protestant divide, so technically, he belongs to both. (Except obviously, the proddys stopped beliving in saints etc)

      Newsflash: the sky-fairy doesn't exist - regardless of which denomination you are!

  27. The Other Steve
    Flame

    Is it St Patricks day already ?

    That explains the large number of wankers puking in gutters and wearing stupid hats at four in the afternoon then. Retards.

    As for the complainers I have only this to say : Grow The Fuck Up, seriously, Grow The Fuck Up.

  28. ian 22
    Boffin

    Offer an Israeli apology

    Simply apologize for bad timing.

    O'course I'm colorblind (red-green don't you know), and wouldn't know the diff.

  29. Anonymous Coward
    Happy

    English?

    I wish there was a day when us English could feel offended by El Reg not using Red White & Blue on a certain day. What about the Scots, the Irish, the French, the Germans, the Italians, the Spanish, etc. etc. etc.

    Kudos to owning up to a Opps moment.

    1. Havin_it
      Grenade

      Just red and white, aktch.

      The blue's oors, ye insensitive clod ye! You can get as upset as you like about red, and we'll share the white (though the white bit in the English flag isn't where it is in the union jack), but we reserve the right to get outraged about the blue bit. So there.

  30. Paul 135
    Megaphone

    Ignorant Yankee Plastic Paddies

    I find the Americans very ignorant about St. Patrick and Ireland in general.

    Firstly, they're always waving a flag that only covers the southern part of the island (a true all-Ireland flag would be a St. Patrick's Saltire). Secondly, St. Paddy (not Patty) was a Brit who spent most of his time in Ireland in Ulster (mainly in Slemish just outside Ballymena), so I think orange may be perhaps a much more apt colour!!!

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      General Ignorance

      The odds are good that is was a Yank in green clothing (there are 70 million in the US versus six million native-born) but there is more than enough ignorant and thin skinned people to spread the blame around the world.

      Supposedly Irish-ness wasn't much of a consideration for people from Ireland until the 1800s as the general attitude was parochial/county-centric as opposed to country-centric. Even now you're never Irish in Ireland so it's only fitting I guess if complaints come from distance cousins. Hopefully the helpful comments will have convinced the complainers to stop "looking for an Irish solution to an Irish problem" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Irish_solution_to_an_Irish_problem) and get back to finding a way to manufacture some great craic (http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/4142/).

  31. James Condron

    Didn't Know...

    So many Irishmen lived in the States. Surely we're not talking about those irritating Yanks who claim to be this/that/other bloodline/ nationality? All those Irishmen who have never been to any Ireland, and whatever?

    Tossers.

  32. Stevie

    Bah!

    One can "do business" with The Register?

    1. davcefai
      Coat

      Doing Business

      "One can "do business" with The Register?"

      Well, yes, sort of. They have in the past published their rates for posting good reviews of a product .

      Or I suppose one could buy advertising (which could then be filtered out by adblock).

      Have I got time to get my coat? Please note: green icon)

  33. Anonymous Coward
    Grenade

    St. Patrick was a celtic christian, not a roman catholic

    *Roman* catholicism first became dominant in Ireland in the 1100s, after the Norman invasions over half a millenium after St. Pat's death.

    So... orange is as suitable (or as unsuitable) as green. Orange is also a christian colour (albeit a protestant variant) and comprises one third of the Irish flag. So if the celebration is about Ireland, orange or white is as appropriate as green. If the celebration is about a Christian saint, then any colour would do.

    Yeah I know, the troubles etc. (See the offensively chosen icon and AC). But 'getting offended' by a colour choice is hardly going to heal wounds.

  34. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Insults to Catholics

    Catholicism, being the International Paedophile and Cover-up club that it is, insults all of us.

    UK taxpayers paying for their leader to visit us, when their 'club' has done so much evil and so little to put it right, adds further salt to the wounds.

    If they want to get a bit huffy because of the colour of your banner, f*ck'em!

    Anonymous...Sky-Fairy's Child-f*cking devotees work in mysterious, and presumably violent, ways.

  35. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    I just puked on my desk

    It was green, so that's OK

  36. Eddy Ito
    Pint

    Insulting?

    My grandmother is a strict Irish Catholic and frankly the most insulting thing to her on St. Paddy's is the whole green beer thing. As she nears 100, she barely recognizes anyone but she knows her ale and it isn't supposed to be green, bless her.

    1. The Boffin
      Pint

      Green Beer/Red Beer

      I tried some Irish red beer in Wetherspoons (other drinking outlets are available) last weekend. It tasted like wellington boots. I shudder to think what green beer tastes like. I'm with your grandmother on this one. Respect to the wisdom of the elderly.

  37. J 3
    Joke

    Why?

    Why should a British site bother with Ireland's quaint customs? After all, I've been once reminded by Irish friends that they are not British (in spite of the whole British Isles thing, mind).

    Who (who matters) the feck cares about St. Patrick anyway? Here in the US it's just an excuse to drink yourself silly. And in the rest of the world I know people don't even know it exists (they find other excuses to drink).

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Dead Vulture

      British???

      You mean English surely.....

      Whenever they file a story with a Scottish connection that allows them to reiterate their stereotypical institutionalised racist views, they never fail to point out the Scottish connection.

  38. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    Only the Irish Catholics

    could think the whole world has to acknowledge their existence on St. Patricks Day. Perhaps you should have a Liberation Day banner for the Afghans or a Qing Ming banner for the Chinese in case you upset them too?

    And you don't see me getting upset by the millions of sites that use a USA flag to represent English language pages!... Wait..... right, that does upset me. I'll get my coat.

  39. Anonymous Coward
    Grenade

    So as a Northern Irish Protestant

    I'm a nobody? I really really hate this American BS of being Irish. Oh no, ElReg didn't go green to appease millions of people who think because they eat lucky charms they are Irish. Green may be a national colour here, but to some of us, so is Orange.

  40. Niall 1

    Disgaceful

    It's not just El Reg, I also noticed that my flag* has orange on it as well and on Paddies day too! For Shame.

    *by "my flag " I mean the Irish one as opposed to the Oirish, whose flag probably has stars and stripes on it and ne'er a hint of green.

  41. My Alter Ego
    FAIL

    So you've joined the BBC in doing snivelling apologies.

    "... so it was never our intention to cause offence", I hope that was tongue in cheek.

    Speaking as an Irishman (who's Protestant, but still thinks the Orange Order are a bunch of twats), I beginning to think that my countrymen have bugger all sense of humour.

    But then, I know a lot of Irish people refuse to admit that our flag contains the colour orange, but call it gold instead, completely ignoring the symbolism of the design.

    1. Beanzy
      Black Helicopters

      Why does a .co.uk site need to pin colours to their masthead? - slippery slope folks.

      Gawd I detest St Pratwicks day........ I blame years of being dragged along to St Stephen's Green in the freezin' cold to watch a sorry excuse for a parade, most of which which seemed to consist of Roadstone cement mixers and tractors, followed by imported marching bands from the US.

      'My Alter Ego' your spot on "completely ignoring the symbolism of the design."

      Wasn't the symbolisim "we own yer asses, so we'll put yis on our flag whether you want to be part of it or not" ? ....... always struck me as a bit rude that one.

      This colour nonsense argument would be hilarious if people didn't take it seriously.

  42. bexley

    if anyone from...

    Northern Ireland complained then ok but what has this got to do with america?

    Your american's not irish.

  43. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What next, a Paisley tie?

    Guess I'll have to stop into the garage & get my indignation levels checked. I didn't even notice this one....

  44. Jim 59
    Thumb Up

    Nice one but no comments, please.

    It's predicatable that this story will attract the lowest quality of comments and the most ignorant of commentards. Reg did the right thing by apologising for the orangification, but the wrong thing by allowing comments. Switch them off! before it starts looking like a YouTube page, and we are all reduced to saying things like "i rOcK!!!!!!!!" and throwing potatos at each other.

    1. John Angelico
      Joke

      My, my...

      ...did El Reg do a 'ranga'?

  45. Frumious Bandersnatch
    Thumb Down

    Irish flag

    Well, the colours of the Irish flag are green white and orange. Supposed to be symbolic of peace between the two opposing constituents, innit?

    My guess is that if you asked those who were complaining what colours made up the Irish flag, they'd probably answer "green, white and gold".

    1. elderlybloke
      Happy

      Irish flag →

      Frumious Bandersnatch

      You are naughty bringing facts into this, it only confuses the rabble.

  46. jake Silver badge

    That's El Reg ...

    Always takin' t'mick ...

    Besides, I thought St. Paddy's Day was invented by Hallmark?

    And wasn't Saint Patrick a Brit, kidnapped by the Irish?

  47. Dave The Cardboard Box
    Grenade

    How about...

    a picture of Cardinal Sean Brady to defuse the situation.

  48. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    The question is:

    Who hasn't the reg insulted?

  49. Anonymous Coward
    Unhappy

    Humph, well.

    I am personally insulted by the fact that there is NO MENTION WHATSOEVER of the fact that the rubber band was patented today, 165 years ago.

    I shall no longer be reading your site, as your blatant ignorance and prejudice against British inventors in general is personally insulting.

    That is all.

  50. Stanislav

    Change your masthead's colour...

    ... not that big of a deal.

  51. Peter D'Hoye
    Dead Vulture

    See? Even El Reg is Evil!

    How does that feel, El Reg?

  52. Steen Hive
    Thumb Up

    Shock, horror.

    21st Century website forgets to celebrate 5th Century god-botherer.

  53. Alan Bourke
    Thumb Up

    Maith go leor

    Did any actual Irish Catholics like me give a sh!te though? I doubt it.

  54. Stratman

    title

    As a Catholic of Irish heritage and descent I can assure you that I am not in the least offended.

    Far too many people these days claim offence at the merest perceived slight, especially when m'learned friends can screw a few quid out of it. As far as I'm concerned nobody has the right not to be offended. If words, or even a colour for heaven's sake, cause you offence then perhaps a good long look in the mirror is called for.

    1. Steve Evans

      Thank you...

      And low a voice of reason did look upon the situation and did see it in the correct proportions.

  55. blackworx
    Badgers

    Heh heh!

    PS: Nice move El Reg - post a polite and tasteful "mea culpa" then stand back and let us foamy-mouth'd commentards do the rest.

  56. Tim Wesson
    Troll

    The Future's Bright...

    Didn't a certain mobile phone company get into trouble for advertising in Northern Ireland?

    1. Paul 4

      Yep

      Much to the amusement of allot of younger Irish catholics.

  57. JohnG

    Offended by a colour?

    I can understand people being offended by symbols (the Nazi Swastika springs to mind) but anyone who is offended solely by the presence of one colour and/or the absence of another probably needs some kind of treatment/medication.

  58. Tim Roberts 1

    I am deeply offended!

    My birthday is on St Fatpricks day and I wish to register my disgust at the crass use of orange! I went to the trouble to wear an green shirt, tie, hat and undies to work, and my good catholic wife made green cupcakes for my colleagues ...... and this is what I get in return? El Reg, you have sunk to a new low!

    Yours in the spirit of green beer.

    Tim

  59. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    as a Scottish-American Protestant...

    I salute you

  60. Anonymous Coward
    Grenade

    Arse biscuits..

    As a proud, unrepentant, fenian bastard, can I just say, well done the Reg, even if unintended!!!

    Irish catholics, my hairy, irish arse.

    Paddy's day is for all, hun, taig, muzzy, traveller, the godless, all of us, no matter where, who or with whatever connections (or none) to the emerald isle.

    Calm down and have a pint you gobshites!!

    Go to wikapedia and read what the irish flag represents.

    You can stick your sectarian shite "up your bollocks", in the immortal words of one R. Keane.

    Please note this post has been sponsored by drink...

    Happy paddy's day from a very hot Hyderabad ;)

  61. irish donkey
    Coat

    Well if Google can do it

    So can el Reg.

    I didn't wear green into work today and got so much stick...........

    green icon for me please.... oh wait I'll get my coat.....

  62. David Barrett

    Orange

    Im offended that My Phone company has not rebranded for the day.

  63. Dale Morgan
    WTF?

    seriously wtf?

    God insults irish catholics every day by making the sun orange, seriously, god hates irish catholics, he can't stand them, he hates them so much that on a good evening he'll turn a huge part of the sky orange just to mock them

    I know i sound rediculous but no more rediculous than the stuff some irish people come out with

  64. Wanda Lust
    Pint

    Suits me

    Yours,

    King William

    (A nice Dutch lager: Amstel, Heineken or Grolsch. None of that fart inducing black stuff)

  65. Hadrian

    Anti-green

    That says a lot about El Reg's green credentials.

    You just couldn't bring yourselves to do it, could you?

  66. James O'Brien

    <-------Look at last name

    Im Irish and im nto offended......twats. Good thing they are gone.

  67. Big-nosed Pengie

    I object!

    The red banner is clearly promoting COMMUNISM!

  68. Jim Wilson

    erin go where?

    The orange would have gone unnoticed if you had included:

    AN POBLACHT ABU!

  69. David 34

    Didn't offend me!

    Eh, some people clearly need to chill out!

    I would suggest that they try one of our wonderful Irish alcoholic beverages & preferably in a pub... maybe they might even get out and meet people ...

    It didn't offend me in the least. You would have to be one of those super-sensitive types who get offended by everything.

    I can assure you that you didn't offend millions of Irish people, just a few wound-up types.

    We're a bit more self-assured about our national identity than to be offended by a masthead colour lol

  70. Jeremy 2
    Joke

    <title/>

    "It won't have escaped the attention of our US readers that El Reg Stateside today features an orange masthead - part of a temporary sponsored makeover."

    It escaped me! Plain old red so I guess either my town has seceded temporarily from the union or I've gone colour blind.

  71. Stephen Byrne
    FAIL

    So sad

    That's really sad. I'm native Irish and was allegedly baptised a Catholic, but I could care less what colour the Reg is on Paddy's day- after all, it;s not a bloody Irish publication, now is it?

    Just more fucking morons who should never have been let near a computer let alone out onto the internet, giving my country an even worse name than it already has.

  72. Sean Timarco Baggaley
    Grenade

    I've never understood the green shite.

    Surely the correct colour for St. Patrick's Day should be black, with some cream at the top?

  73. jimbolauski

    You guys do remember the IRA

    The IRA (northern Ireland/Catholics) identifies them selves with the color green, and the protestants orange, does any of this ring a bell. Could you be that ignorant not to realize why a British website choosing the color orange for St Patties day would be a bad idea. The last people I would want to piss off is the IRA.

    1. Andrew Moore

      @jimbolauski

      Using the term "St Patties" instead of "St Paddy's" is also ignorant. And I'm not even going near your lack of knowledge regarding the IRA.

    2. Steve Sutton
      Thumb Down

      @jimbolauski

      The IRA/protestants don't own the colours green and orange. There are literally *MILLIONS* of other uses.

      What makes you think that your use of those colours is the only one that any other person could possibly ever use?

      http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=arrogant

    3. The Indomitable Gall

      Green? You sure?

      Last time I saw an IRA man on the telly, he was identifiable by his black trousers, black jumper, black gloves and black balaclava. The British soldier pointing a gun at him was wearing green, though....

    4. Anonymous Coward
      FAIL

      another o'irish yank i suspect

      i'm going to guess that your a troll / idiot or have never actually bee to Ireland and have some Darby O'Gill and the little people perception of Ireland

  74. Andy Bright

    *shrug*

    Send them a few potatoes, I'm sure that'll cover it.

  75. Stefan 2
    Megaphone

    Really?

    I have some simple messages to impart to *any* Irish Catholic who may find the colour orange offensive:

    Get the fuck over yourselves and please be careful not to trip over the massive chip that just fell off your shoulder.

    Not everyone in the English-speaking world gives a flying hoot about your most pointless of disputes.

    This is not to say I have no sympathy with the families of murdered Irish which have to deal forever with the fallout of some jumped-up terrorist's idea of 'giving a message'.

  76. Mark Stronge

    Get a life and what about the irish flag?

    Quote..

    "If they're mad now... Just wait until they see the last third of the Irish national flag."

    Really... what is this all about? haven't they looked at their own flag recently?

  77. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    So are these 'Irish'.....

    Ah yes... 'Irish' by association. The old my grandparents came from Ireland so that makes me Irish... no it fucking doesn't... it makes you (insert country of birth here) and wishing you were from another country is never gonna make it true... It does however make you a whining tosser who's obviously ashamed of their own country and desperately wants to be liked/accepted and no longer ashamed of who you really are. :)

    1. Nivensis

      Ashamed?

      Pfft. Being ashamed of your country's nothing: I live in Britain. That said, I don't really have any interest in arbitrary notions of 'nationality' or any of that rubbish. I do as I'm told here because it's where I happen to be, and the laws and conventions are therefore relevant (and also I have a horribly unfashionable tendency to behave as though I live in a community - I know, it's a quaint idea). But I certainly couldn't imagine getting all worked up about this sort of thing. It's just not that important, and I'd have doubts about anyone who thought it was.

  78. Greg J Preece

    As an Irish ex-Catholic...

    ...feck 'em. Thin-skinned whiners.

  79. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    Americans and nationality

    They are a messed up lot. Half the time they are obsessed with being something they are not (My great grand pappy once went out with a girl who drank Guiness so I'm Irish!*) The other half they are trying to claim non american's as american because they have lived in America for a long time. Just check out all the Brits on wikipedia working in America who are listed as British-American (or hey, just American)

    America can bite my shiny orange ARSE**

    * - Pawel Bogdanovich

    ** - Not ASS

  80. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Means nothing to me

    Get over yourselves, insular types.

  81. Dodgy Geezer Silver badge
    FAIL

    Fallen right into it....

    "..Another thundered: "Thanks for going 'Orange' on St. Patrick's Day. If you thought this was funny, you are wrong. Now I know you aren't the kind of people I want to do business with."..."

    Brilliant! 'Doing business' with El Reg presumably means 'reading your news items for free'?

    So our irate American has just authorised you to block his IPaddress......

  82. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    What's all of the fuss about?

    I got given out to in my Swiss company for not wearing all green yesterday. Gobshites. I'm not American, I replied. I only don all-green for football and rugby matches. No, no green beer either. I did miss a decent Guinness yesterday though.

    Thanks to el Reg for pointing out to me that the masthead was orange. I hadn't noticed. Now that I think about it, orange is one of the colours of Ireland. So why all of the fuss?

  83. Skipraider
    Go

    national emblems

    I got around the whole contentious issue by replacing the normal masthead thumbnail picture with one of a pile of potatos on a local boozer site I manage. No complaints so far.

  84. Paul Hates Handles

    @jimbolauski

    Yeah, but the IRA are chilled out at the moment - as we learned from Star Trek TNG they win in 2024.

  85. The Indomitable Gall

    Begorrah!

    I love how the "Irish" Americans are defining themselves by the same hateful bigotry and mistrust that everyone in Ireland (save a minority) is desperately trying to put behind them.

    The deluded lunatics will probably start using car bombs next as a way to express their "ancient Irish culture and heritage". And for full authenticity, their cars will be green and have the ancient blessing "Kiss Me I'm Irish" on a bumper sticker on the back.

    And as others have said -- there's orange on the flag. It's a call for unity, not discrimination.

  86. Phil 54
    Pint

    No orange in France

    Not much green either. Loads of stupid hats, and loads of stupid questions:

    "What? A day celebrating the patron saint of Ireland? What does he have to do with beer?"

    At least the lager here is the right colour i.e. NOT GREEN

  87. Simon B
    WTF?

    No issue to me, and they had a clover to mark it

    You put a clover on the masthead to mark it, some people need to grow up!

  88. Jeff Minter
    Stop

    The Red Machine

    I have noticed that since The Register started, you have used the same Communist Red as the PRC uses in its flag. Are you a branch of the government of the People's Republic of China?

  89. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Here's yer answer.

    Why? #

    Posted Thursday 18th March 2010 00:03 GMT

    Joke

    Why should a British site bother with Ireland's quaint customs? After all, I've been once reminded by Irish friends that they are not British (in spite of the whole British Isles thing, mind).

    Who (who matters) the feck cares about St. Patrick anyway? Here in the US it's just an excuse to drink yourself silly. And in the rest of the world I know people don't even know it exists (they find other excuses to drink).

    Cos Northern Ireland is British, cos Ireland ain't quaint, it's a normal 21st century European country, and cos you my friend ain't Irish in any way shape or form.

  90. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Irish through and through, Irish born and bred....

    ...in New York.

  91. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    Still

    It doesn't beat the time Celtic released an orange away kit...

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