SUFTUM

[screenexile]

Not that it hugely bothers me at all but the red and white flag is not a '6 County Ulster Flag' it is a Northern Ireland flag. The reason it gets on some peoples wick is that Northern Ireland are not the team playing which would suggest that the people flying the flag are trying to make some kind of political statement.

How anyone could get annoyed at people flying an Ireland flag at an Ireland game is well completely beyond me!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Ulster

[Maiden1]

Ulster could have won that game, would have been a huge advantage to have a home quarter final.  They had a kickable penalty with 5 minutes to go when 5 behind then someone gave out to the ref and he swapped the penalty. They got another penalty with time up and had to then go for the try. Silly mistake.

[Maguire01]

Not that it hugely bothers me at all but the red and white flag is not a '6 County Ulster Flag' it is a Northern Ireland flag. The reason it gets on some peoples wick is that Northern Ireland are not the team playing which would suggest that the people flying the flag are trying to make some kind of political statement.

How anyone could get annoyed at people flying an Ireland flag at an Ireland game is well completely beyond me!

You're clearly only seeing this from your own viewpoint. Looking at it objectively:

Ulster = 9 counties, but 'Ulster Banner' = 6 counties
Ireland = 32 counties, but tricolour = 26 counties

So some Ulster nationalists get annoyed that some Ulster supporters wave a flag that doesn't represent them, and some unionists get annoyed that some Ireland supporters wave a flag that doesn't represent them. But most people have better things to get annoyed at and won't give a crap.

[Myles Na G.]

Not that it hugely bothers me at all but the red and white flag is not a '6 County Ulster Flag' it is a Northern Ireland flag. The reason it gets on some peoples wick is that Northern Ireland are not the team playing which would suggest that the people flying the flag are trying to make some kind of political statement.

How anyone could get annoyed at people flying an Ireland flag at an Ireland game is well completely beyond me!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Ulster

You're nearly there - just a wee bit more and you'll have it: Northern Ireland are not playing at Ravenhill on rugby nights, therefore the NI flag maybe isn't the most appropriate thing to wave. The Republic of Ireland isn't playing when Paul O'Connell leads the rugby lads out on to the pitch, therefore the flag of the republic should maybe be left at home. See? Easy peasy. 

[andoireabu]

Sport and politics shouldn't be mixed. It seems on this thread some people are trying to.

If it has to be so then would it not be good if a few waving the ulster banner and a few waving the provincial flag were grouped in amounst each other? the common denominator being the team that they ALL follow.  Then over time the flags wouldn't be noticed. 

I grew up with GAA so rugby wasn't a big thing for me.  Perhaps because I didn't see much of it in school I thought of it as something the Protestant schools played so I hadn't much interest in Ulster rugby.  Though as I grew up and started following Ireland at the 6 nations, I started to follow rugby at a distance.  (I don't understand all the rules/laws but I mostly know when the ref has made a c**k up or a player has fouled)  The success of Munster caught my attention as well as the names associated with the Ireland team but for Ulster I wouldn't have known a thing.  Then the likes of the Best brothers, Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble as well as David Humphries from the years before got into my head and I took a slight interest in Ulster.  I wouldn't call myself a supporter as I haven't been to one of their games but I intend to go to one in the near future and would have no bother wishing them the best for the rest of the Heineken Cup (I know they will be thrilled). For the generation coming after me, I would have no problem letting my cub play rugby over Gaelic or Hurling if he wanted to, even if in my heart I would want him to line out for Derry (though he probably won't have the genes for that)  I hope its a good thing for the next generation to look at the ones before them and see most people getting along.  No Catholic sport against Protestant sport or one flag against another because all I have seen is that.  Not in a violent way like the past but it still lingers, the evidence is even on this thread.  It shouldn't be "us" and "them", it should be "our".

[Hoof Hearted]

When Ulster won the Heineken in 1999 at Lansdowne Road, a lot of Derry GAA men were in attendance supporting Ulster, mainly those who attended the Rainey in their schooldays. I have been talking about going to Ravenhill myself as 10 years, but some of these days i definately wil.....

[Myles Na G.]

Sport and politics shouldn't be mixed. It seems on this thread some people are trying to.

If it has to be so then would it not be good if a few waving the ulster banner and a few waving the provincial flag were grouped in amounst each other? the common denominator being the team that they ALL follow.  Then over time the flags wouldn't be noticed. 

I grew up with GAA so rugby wasn't a big thing for me.  Perhaps because I didn't see much of it in school I thought of it as something the Protestant schools played so I hadn't much interest in Ulster rugby.  Though as I grew up and started following Ireland at the 6 nations, I started to follow rugby at a distance.  (I don't understand all the rules/laws but I mostly know when the ref has made a c**k up or a player has fouled)  The success of Munster caught my attention as well as the names associated with the Ireland team but for Ulster I wouldn't have known a thing.  Then the likes of the Best brothers, Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble as well as David Humphries from the years before got into my head and I took a slight interest in Ulster.  I wouldn't call myself a supporter as I haven't been to one of their games but I intend to go to one in the near future and would have no bother wishing them the best for the rest of the Heineken Cup (I know they will be thrilled). For the generation coming after me, I would have no problem letting my cub play rugby over Gaelic or Hurling if he wanted to, even if in my heart I would want him to line out for Derry (though he probably won't have the genes for that)  I hope its a good thing for the next generation to look at the ones before them and see most people getting along.  No Catholic sport against Protestant sport or one flag against another because all I have seen is that.  Not in a violent way like the past but it still lingers, the evidence is even on this thread.  It shouldn't be "us" and "them", it should be "our".

That happens already.
http://www.irishrugby.ie/news/13119.php

[lawnseed]

Not that it hugely bothers me at all but the red and white flag is not a '6 County Ulster Flag' it is a Northern Ireland flag. The reason it gets on some peoples wick is that Northern Ireland are not the team playing which would suggest that the people flying the flag are trying to make some kind of political statement.

How anyone could get annoyed at people flying an Ireland flag at an Ireland game is well completely beyond me!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Ulster

the official flag is red and yellow, surely the team shoud adopt those colours and seek to cut out the red and white in doing so

[Gold]

On another note see that NI Flag or Ulster Banner or whatever it's called--has it not been unofficial since 1970 or something and was it not only in use for 10 years??

Yet it still appears at the Commonwealth games etc?

It's basically an England Flag if there was to be an Official one would the NI heads not rather a different looking one?

[lawnseed]

On another note see that NI Flag or Ulster Banner or whatever it's called--has it not been unofficial since 1970 or something and was it not only in use for 10 years??

Yet it still appears at the Commonwealth games etc?

It's basically an England Flag if there was to be an Official one would the NI heads not rather a different looking one?

i can only see the 'ulster banner' in one light hanging beside uvf/lvf/norn iron soccer flags. to me it represents dominance and discrimination. maybe its time rugby came out and unmuddied the waters like celtic and rangers say they are trying to do

[Maguire01]

Not that it hugely bothers me at all but the red and white flag is not a '6 County Ulster Flag' it is a Northern Ireland flag. The reason it gets on some peoples wick is that Northern Ireland are not the team playing which would suggest that the people flying the flag are trying to make some kind of political statement.

How anyone could get annoyed at people flying an Ireland flag at an Ireland game is well completely beyond me!

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Ulster

the official flag is red and yellow, surely the team shoud adopt those colours and seek to cut out the red and white in doing so

So, here's the flag of the four provinces:


Leinster's flag is mainly green, but they play in blue.
Connacht's flag is mainly blue, but they play in green.
Munster's flag is mainly blue, but they play in red.
Do you only have an issue with Ulster's colours?

[lawnseed]

and again.. the official flag IS red and yellow. why bring a sectarian/political flag to a rugby game where  as has been stated here the crowd is non sectarian/non political. for the record i have no problem in rugby adopting the composite four province flag as its official flag thus side stepping all the crap about tricolours. to my way of thinking taking the politics out of the situation is the way forward and all the better for rugby in ulster if it is to grow in the future. the presence of these ulster banners at matches is a negative image

[Milltown Row2]

and again.. the official flag IS red and yellow. why bring a sectarian/political flag to a rugby game where  as has been stated here the crowd is non sectarian/non political. for the record i have no problem in rugby adopting the composite four province flag as its official flag thus side stepping all the crap about tricolours. to my way of thinking taking the politics out of the situation is the way forward and all the better for rugby in ulster if it is to grow in the future. the presence of these ulster banners at matches is a negative image

Don't go or watch Lawneed, that way you'll not be bothered. How anyone can be bothered about a flag is beyond me. If we continue to be annoyed at other peoples traditions then we will always have hate. It really is sad

[oisinog]

and again.. the official flag IS red and yellow. why bring a sectarian/political flag to a rugby game where  as has been stated here the crowd is non sectarian/non political. for the record i have no problem in rugby adopting the composite four province flag as its official flag thus side stepping all the crap about tricolours. to my way of thinking taking the politics out of the situation is the way forward and all the better for rugby in ulster if it is to grow in the future. the presence of these ulster banners at matches is a negative image

Don't go or watch Lawneed, that way you'll not be bothered. How anyone can be bothered about a flag is beyond me. If we continue to be annoyed at other peoples traditions then we will always have hate. It really is sad

Well said MR2. Hopefully our boys can go and beat Munster and we have a good shot at the final

[AZOffaly]

Any of ye bucks planning on a trip to Limerick in April?