Internationals tomorrow. Even though Son No 2 tells me it’s partitionist of me, I’ll be cheering on the Republic of Ireland. God knows they need all the support they can get. That Martin O’Neill-Roy Keane management duo looks great on paper. Unfortunately, O’Neill shows every sign of a man being past his managerial peak and Keane shows every sign of yet another great footballer being a hopeless manager.
But though there’ll doubtless be many painful moments for Ireland supporters, there’s one thing they won’t have to endure: Ireland’s Call. They don’t use it in international soccer. But in international rugby, where you have a more sensitive set of souls than the gurriers who play soccer, they feel the need to apply balm to the souls of those northern players who might be upset by Amhrán na bhFiann. And so everyone is instead afflicted with Ireland’s Call. It’s sort of Monty-Pythonesque: here is this little clutch of players who’ve been honoured by being selected to play for Ireland, now deciding what ‘anthem’ will be played. I’m not saying Amhrán na bhFiann is the most stirring piece of music ever written, but compared to Ireland’s Call, it’s The Ride of the Valkyries.
One last little thought, before we hoke out our jerseys and scarves: more than twenty-five years ago I had cause to visit an integrated school. You know, where all the children are taught to be non-sectarian, like in the other divided schools. It may have been the famous day before the Night in November when Northern Ireland played the Republic of Ireland at Windsor Park. As I was leaving the school, I heard two groups of youngsters baiting each other in a fairly good-natured way. “Come on Northern Ireland!” one lot were shouting. “You mean come on the Republic of Ireland – yeeehoooo!” came the response. It was still happening when I drove away, getting sharper with each exchange. Kind of shocking, really. In an integrated school. But then again, they didn’t have the benefit of Ireland’s Call to bind them together.
Do you think would Ireland’s Call get us an all-Ireland soccer team? And if it did, would it be worth it?
I am sure you will be supporting Northern Ireland when they play Hungary on Sunday
Don’t worry you wont have to listen to Irelands call at the game either….
I strongly suspect I was supporting the NI team before you were more than a gleam in your da’s eye, Neill….
Steady Jude ; )
Hope all teams from here do well it will cause good cheer for eveybody
Hear, hear…Oh God, I’m doing it again. Agreeing with Neill…Nurse, nurse!
Well that’s a relief…
THIS IS NOT ME (JC) BUT SHERDY WHO FOR SOME REASON CAN’T POST A COMMENT HIMSELF. ANY IDEAS, ANYONE?
With regard to ‘Ireland’s Call’, memory tells me (though I might be wrong) that it was introduced as a result of agitation by one David Tweed, late of the TUV and recently charged with sex offences.
I remember being asked by a rugby man (who happened to be PUL) to get him the words of The Soldier’s Song so he could take a more active part during Ireland matches.
So was it wise to drop our national anthem for someone of Tweed’s ilk?
Sherdy
Sherdy
Well, were you dropping the anthem of the Republic FOR Tweed per se or did he perhaps have a point that those who don’t live in the Irish Republic part of Ireland might not appreciate the anthem of the republic for a team which is NOT the Republic of Ireland?
OK, he’s an unsavoury character but I’m glad he did something about it, otherwise I (and probably quite a few others) would not now support the Irish rugby team (prior to Ireland’s call I supported Scotland).
One National team in soccer is obviously the way to go, just like rugby and indeed most mainstream sports – having 2 teams is nonsense.
In fairness to the IRFU, “Ireland’s Call” was/is an honest effort in trying to reach out to players and fans from the Northern part of the country who were/are not comfortable with
“Amhrán na bhFiann” – and credit for that even if the song itself is no great shakes.
(I honestly believe the Northern rugby fraternity appreciate this – even if they may not publicly make a fuss about it…).
Anyway, no doubt there’s a better song/Anthem waiting to be penned…..incidentally, what has happened to the idea of an All-Ireland team playing England every second year in Lansdowne Road for Charity…….? Good idea – disappointed not to have heard more about it.
I suppose that if you’re looking for a charismatic successful manager,Jim Mc Guinness after last Sunday would fit the bill!!Mind you Donegal have still to win Sam!
This is getting out of hand – I’m agreeing with Neill AND Argenta on the SAME DAY… Donegal’s win on Sunday was truly stunning. McGuinness is verging on greatness. On Saturday, however, the referee verged on daylight robbery with decisions against Mayo…
We were robbed 🙁
We already have an all Ireland soccer team.
EH? Who’s the goalie?
er no you have a team that split from the IFA…..
Great to see you have finally got around to discussing politics, Esteemed Blogmeister, for indeed there is nothing more political in Ireland than, erm sport.
As WP goes back a long-suffering way to the days when Dalymount was the Maracana of the FAI and where the League of Ireland used to play the Irish League every St. Patrick’s Day (before Paddy’s Day was still blessedly unheard of and long before the even more egregious Pattie’s Day) and the Aviva was still not even a glint in the eye of the lootocrat Lord Lansdowne, one feels on firmer ground. Sort of.
One has even memories of such as Wilbur Cush negotiating his way through no, not the pampas of lush grass, but rather through the puddles of a somewhat drenched Dalymount. Indeed, Wilbur was so engrossed in this aquatic task that he seemed to forget for the nonce precisely which team it was he was actually paying for. If the manner in which he next kicked the sodden leather orb was any indication. In the direction of the School end end rather than the tramway one.
Cois na Canalach Rioga/ On the banks of the Royal Canal, or what.
Not inappropriately, Dalymount always did a superb impression of a Paddy Field on the National Saint’s Holiday..
For the life of me now, I cannot remember if it was for the League of Ireland or the Irish League itself that Wilbur Cush was playing. To compound matters the capo di tutti capi of one or other of the Associations was a cloth-capped chap called Harry Cavan.
No more than I can ever remember if St. Patrick was the Primate of All Ireland or merely of Ireland itself.. Incidentally, why was/is St. Patrick’s Day always more like St. Swithin’s Day?. Does it indicate a certain dryness of wit on the old Welsh imposter’s part? Was he ,perchance, drawing the long Bowe in advance for the infliction of same upon the boyos and bayous of the Valleys?
Perhaps the most startling aspect of today’s blog is the unrestrained use of the s-word. It is so long since Perkie has actually seen this scheduled word in print that he had to look it up in his Hiberno-Irish dictionary. Where it was explained with the help of the following terse verse:
‘Now why is the s-word no longer in use
Its users subject to abuse or the noose?
Only an Aussie ocker
Will still prefer ‘soccer’
‘Football’s’ the only footie fit to set loose’.
Indeed, on this very morning’s Morning Ireland a whimpering Cathal Mac Coille, RTE resident Rotweiller, was heard to use the F-word no less than Forty times during a Four minute fawning interview with a newly named Freeman of Dublin City, Johnny ‘John’ Giles.
Which is rather odd, not least considering the actual factual fact that both C Mac C and J ‘J’ G were both reared in a backward society over which Our Lady of Perpetual Soccer once presided.
Regarding your downbeat assessment, Esteemed Blogmeister, of the Wee MON’s managerial prospects he possibly might do a lot worse that check out the video of another manager, this time of the – the holding of one’s nose time ! – Bogball stripe.
It may have been the All-Ireland/Ireland semi final between the Ardvaarks of Armagh and the Common or garden Rossies. With only moments to go, the Connaught champions who were only a point behind, were awarded a free kick from the 50 yard line under the Hogan Stand in towards what is now the Edwin Drood End.
And as the Rossies’ captain and freetaker, Dermot Early, (future Commander in Chief of Oglaigh na hEireann ) was about to line up the dry leather orb, fully confident it was only a matter of tapping it over the bar for the equalizer, what happened next was straight from the unofficial manual of Ambush Country.
For between the teeing up of the ball and the walking of the regulation six steps backwards and one step sideways, what flashes across his line of vision only a vision in Bui marked Bainisteoir. Result immediate: momentary loss of concentration. Result medium: a near miss. Result long term: the Rossies have never got the whiff or a sniff of Sam since.
And the name of that Bainisteoir.?
Perkie pleads the Fifth Amendment even as he eyes the stain on the far wall, top left..
(Housekeeping: Johnnie ‘John’ Giles, whose hole hovering hagiographer, of course, is the delightfully decadent Declan Lynch of the Sunday Independent Cult and who has a particular, erm, hang up with the use of the s-word. (Hence the ‘noose’ at the end of line 2)
I think it was 1998, I was in Ibiza, Roy Keane had been out in Japan with the Ireland squad, and then the Cork man did something nasty and flew home!
In the pubs everyone was behind Ireland the English, Welsh, and the Scots.
My husband and I both were running around Cala Longe looking for Irish tricolour flags, to cheer them on.
Had Northern Ireland been playing, that would have been my first choice, but I always will Ireland on, I love rugby first, that sorts the men out from the boys.
I think we should have one good football team. It would make us stronger and more formidable. The problem is the Anthem, they could share this too, one verse of each, and if we win some goals and games that would be great.
I myself support the capital of Ireland Liverpool.
Norma,
Given the English, Scottish and Welsh nations have their own national/country flags and anthems what national identity flag and anthem represents NI Unionists?
We Irish in the North have our Tricolour and Soldier Song, and moreover is it not the case that the Saint Patrick’s Saltire in the Union flag is supposed to represent that part of the Irish nation which still form part of the 4 nations of the UK – what therefore is said to represent Unionists in the North in a national/country context?
Rory.
Please do not think me disrespectful by giving you the above version of your name!
I HAVE a FLAG and a NATIONAL ANTHEM. Of which I am extremely proud of, are you stupid, or just brute ignorant.
You could never feel what I feel in my breast, the pride, the proudness and the glory, to be part of it.
To listen to Rule Britannia or Jerusalem, I love with all my heart being British, and the part of Britain I am from is Northern Ireland.
I have no ambiguity on who I am, and what I am, and if you wish to label me Orange or Hun, I am comfortable with both these.
So please…….. I do not know what age you are, but I am sixty, I think I know who I am. What I am. And my Anthem and flag.
And just in case you did not know, Wales is not represented in the flag.
Norma
Regardless of the musical credentials of Ireland’s Call, it represents a sincere attempt by the Irish Rugby Union to acknowledge that it is an all Ireland team covering the two jurisdictions. The Soldiers’ Song is the anthem of the 26 counties. If ever we are to have reconciliation and unity we have to accept that it will be something different from a simple takeover of the 6 counties by the 26. So for me Ireland’s Call is a far greater symbol of Ireland and Irish unity than the Soldiers’ Song could ever be.
Now wouldn’t it be great if the two administrations could get together and agree a song and a flag to be used at sporting events when the teams are representing the whold island. Simply pretending that the tricolour and Soldiers’ Song does the job is like when the BBC and UTV pretend we all love the sound and colour of the Twelfth.
You have a point, Catholicus – in fact several. I think my views on this are shifting. My first choice would be no national anthems for any country at any sporting event. Why have them? Let the athletes run/jump/kick/whatever for the love of the event. Failing that, I’d be in favour of an agreed anthem that both north and south could accept. But not Ireland’s Call – oh sweet mother of my Saviour, not Ireland’s Call. And let’s have one Irish football/soccer team. It’s not as if we were bursting with talent on either side of the border.
Hi Jude ..As someone pointed out last week…BaldyBap, I think…I’m an atheist and have no truck at all with a cult and religion so earth- encompassing as football….or is that soccer, Perkin?
Theres great amounts of talent on both sides of the border Jude, in all sports/activities. Problem is its not properly harvested and encouraged enough. Rory McIlroy is a great example of someone who was encouraged and properly trained, he wasn’t born playing golf that way, same goes for the likes of Lionel Messi when it comes to soccer.
Well perhaps better not to call it an “anthem” – just a song. Ireland’s Call has grown on me over the years – will do till something better comes along.
Best decouple it from the football issue – if we could agree song and flag for other sports, football would gradually stand out as an oddity.
But really it’s the FAI’s fault for breaking away from IFA. Football was always headquartered in Belfast and the Dubs don’t like that.
Irelands Call, I always thought, was a terrible anthem, I think it should be replaced with a better anthem, again which reflects all identities on this island. But I would say that holding onto Irelands Call would be a price worth paying for an All Ireland football/soccer team, then we’d be able to put all our resources and talent behind one team and have a greater chance of winning something!
I have never supported the north`s football team, not even during the halcyon days of Espana 82, I just can`t bring myself to do it. Mind you, I did like them back when George Best was in the team (when he wasn`t scheming…) but I was only a child then. Incidentally George himself always favoured an all Ireland team.
There are two wonderful songs with no political baggage which could serve as a national anthem for all of Ireland. (No, I don’t mean the ISLAND OF IRELAND, a term which I hate! Does anyone talk about the Island of Iceland or Australia?) The first is “There is an Isle”. The other is “Ireland Mother Ireland”, the best ever version of which is by James Johnson (RIP) from the Shankhill Rd. Please not Danny Boy!
Does anybody know why the FAI broke away from IFA ? was it just a case of
‘the head-quarters should be Dublin’
‘No they should be in Belfast’
‘Right well we are off then!!!
Or was there more to it than that ?!?
The split would not have happened if the IFA behaved themselves and didnt show such favouritism to the clubs around Belfast. To this day the suits running Irish football are incompetent. The only problem now is there are double the idiots
Antonio, the FAI did not break away from the IFA because the FAI did not exist at that time. The Leinster Football Association was unhappy with the IFA for a number of reasons but the proverberial straw was the ruling by the IFA that the 1921 Irish Cup semi-final replay between Shelbourne and Glenavon should be played in Belfast even though the drawn game had been played in Belfast.
The LFA, like most people outside of Belfast expected the replay to be played in Dublin. Shelbourne refused to travel and were kicked out of the competition. The FAI was formed shortly after that.
The Boys from the County Armagh would fit the bill as everyone knows the words!
I’m glad they did bring in Ireland’s Call otherwise I’d probably still be supporting Scotland.
It was a good move and I wish the IFA would learn from it and ditch GSTQ and that Ulster Fleg…
Both those songs, Brian, are songs of exile – they’re really for the Irish American market. As for “Island of Ireland”, well last time I looked there weren’t different jurisdictions in Iceland and Australia. Until the 26 counties changes its constitution and stops calling the state “Ireland” we need some handy way to reference the 32 counties. Hardly a big deal and not worth hating.
We already have am All Ireland with supporters and players from all 32 counties.
The ref was equally as bad for Mayo and Kerry on Saturday.
You could train the American footballers that were in Croke Park to do what Donegal do. Kerry will not leave the space that Dublin did to be caught on the counter attack.
Nah, Endgame ( so THAT’s what your name refers to – GAA…) Ref dissed (is that the word) Mayo twice, v obviously. No Kerry parallel. As for McGuinness and monkeys…oops, I mean American footballers – I was amazed at the way Donegal came back. I take off my hat to him after that. I hope the final is a cracker.
That’s a low dig on the footballers of Donegal. There are plenty of good Gaelic footballers in donegal to compare with what Kerry have. By all accounts Kerry know how to mix it when the need arises alas the officials never seem to notice their dark arts……how would they when they are busy watching out for the Nordies transgressions? The melee at Saturdays semi final has been airbrushed from history…..fans being dragged off the field by a dozen stewards would be a disgrace if it were in casement park, nach raibh se? ; )
Great result for both teams tonight!