Official Irish Football Association Thread (Northern Ireland)

[johnnycool]

Just replace cathliks with praddystants and yis all would love it

Your probably not far off the mark as look at how we regaled at Steve Coogan's character Martin Brennan singing the men behind the wire on TV. It was certainly a WTF moment.
But say that was a character like Wilson from Larne singing the billy boys.
I'd bet the nationalist sensitivities would be every much as annoyed as the other way round.

Bunch of drunks singing a load of shite in a pub, not much the IFA can do about that other than what they have done.

[lurganblue]

Nah I'm not offended by it.  It hasn't shown up anything that we didn't already know still exists.

Cant understand how any Catholic supports them (or plays for them) but hey, i'll not lose any sleep over it.

[general_lee]

Fcuk me lads are yis really outraged at that??

I'm not outraged, nor am I shocked. It's just f**king annoying at this stage.

Windsor Park itself might be sanitised and there has been a lot of work done by the IFA to eradicate sectarianism but the reality is the NI team is supported by Loyalists who are inherently sectarian by their nature. So there will always be that sizeable minority of bigots who when the cameras aren't rolling (or at least when they think they aren't) that just can't help themselves. You don't even have to scratch beneath the surface to find them.  I read about someone on the 212 bus to Derry and they were singing the usual repertoire of Rangers party songs, the bus driver had to tell them to f**k up. Likewise during the Euros I was working late getting the train home and I had to endure the same shite from Portadown's loyal sons

[trailer]

I feel sorry for them. They are to be pitied. Much like those who are outraged by it, I feel sorry for them as well, even the "how can any Catholic support them" brigade. It's a mentality of its time.

[Applesisapples]

Fcuk me lads are yis really outraged at that??

I'm not outraged, nor am I shocked. It's just f**king annoying at this stage.

Windsor Park itself might be sanitised and there has been a lot of work done by the IFA to eradicate sectarianism but the reality is the NI team is supported by Loyalists who are inherently sectarian by their nature. So there will always be that sizeable minority of bigots who when the cameras aren't rolling (or at least when they think they aren't) that just can't help themselves. You don't even have to scratch beneath the surface to find them.  I read about someone on the 212 bus to Derry and they were singing the usual repertoire of Rangers party songs, the bus driver had to tell them to f**k up. Likewise during the Euros I was working late getting the train home and I had to endure the same shite from Portadown's loyal sons

Windsor is not sanitised, the Queen is still the anthem, then there's all the flegs. But somewhere along the way it has become acceptable to show the loyalist Ulster banner as the NI flag. Inclusivity is the only way Unionists and Loyalists can resist a UI but that appears lost on them. Meanwhile for those offended by this tune just support the ROI.

[Over the Bar]

Just replace cathliks with praddystants and yis all would love it

You would not hear that in any bar in Belfast or Ireland.  If you did every Unionist politician would be in tweet meltdown, but we have silence from them which is typical.  Unless a reporter shoves a microphone in their  face and asks the direct question they say nothing, which is silent complicity.  They were exactly the same during the loyalist pipe bomb campaign.

As Cardinal O'Fiaich said 99% of the sectarianism in Ulster comes from one section of the community only.

[6th sam]

Fcuk me lads are yis really outraged at that??

That's not really the point. The IFA would officially tell people this kind of behaviour doesn't exist. Maybe I'm misrepresenting them but that's my and others perception. Instead of genuinely tackling the inherent problem within their support they've their heads in the sand. I think that's the point.

Much as I have no affinity to NI soccer, I think There is strong evidence to suggest that the IFA have been working hard to tackle sectarianism. They deserve praise for this as they are going against strong elements of their support , in favour of promotion of NI in areas where they are unlikely to get any meaningful support.
The reaction of NI soccer fraternity was swift and unambiguous, even though Tbf they really can't take responsibility for the actions of Individuals with alcohol on board.

[magpie seanie]

Just replace cathliks with praddystants and yis all would love it

Your probably not far off the mark as look at how we regaled at Steve Coogan's character Martin Brennan singing the men behind the wire on TV. It was certainly a WTF moment.
But say that was a character like Wilson from Larne singing the billy boys.
I'd bet the nationalist sensitivities would be every much as annoyed as the other way round.

Bunch of drunks singing a load of shite in a pub, not much the IFA can do about that other than what they have done.

Are you seriously comparing these two things?

[6th sam]

Just replace cathliks with praddystants and yis all would love it

You would not hear that in any bar in Belfast or Ireland.  If you did every Unionist politician would be in tweet meltdown, but we have silence from them which is typical.  Unless a reporter shoves a microphone in their  face and asks the direct question they say nothing, which is silent complicity.  They were exactly the same during the loyalist pipe bomb campaign.

As Cardinal O'Fiaich said 99% of the sectarianism in Ulster comes from one section of the community only.

This is a wider debate, that requires mature reflection .
I have lived most of my life in County Down, I can say categorically that in the extremely unlikely event of a crowd singing a song about hating protestants, they would be completely ostracised by their own community, as a result it just never happens as it's viewed as unacceptable.
Rebel songs are common however , is this the same?
There is no doubt that songs about the IRA cause offence to members of both "communities" in the North who have suffered at the hands of republican paramilitaries, and as a result Celtic FC , for example, strongly discourage singing these songs, but can they stop individuals singing them in pubs?

Controversial as it is , many feel that you are comparing  apples and oranges in comparing many rebel songs to anti-catholic songs. "Hating Catholic's " and "up to our necks in fenian blood " is clear in its sectarian message. However some analysts would argue that the "boys of the old brigade " is an historical song about underdog " freedom fighters " that secured a UN recognised and respected independent state . Don't forget that many of these freedom fighters probably had direct family members effected by the famine, when the population of this tiny  country was decimated with the loss of millions of people to death and emigration. They made a conscious decision to wage war on the British state, their victims were across the religious divide ( eg catholic RIC men) .
Most commentators would agree that comparing downtrodden "freedom fighters" of the Anglo Irish war, who took on the British empire, with an indiscriminate gang of bloodthirsty billyboys, is not comparing like with like, even though both can cause offence.

[Sheugh Water]

This is not new. It will never change. Most Catholics know this and have made a decision to accept that Windsor nor supporting NI will ever fit with their identity.

Best to just ignore

[Baile Brigín 2]

Hope the hoors are identified and fired from whatever McDonald's they work in.

Also is Windsor Park not the, eh, National Stadium now?

To be fair, it was in a pub. Not sure what the IFA can do about it..

If they are block bookers, and are clearly not adhering to anti-sectarianism, racism policies of Football For All, could they not ban them on that basis?

No.

You can only ban people from games if they misbehave in or near games. The IFA arent the police

[Jim_Murphy_74]

It's a bunch of low-lifes in a pub.  They are pricks who deserve all that comes to them.  They are a poor reflection on society and where they come from.

They are too small a sample size to tar Northern Irish support but it's a fact of life that they will be used as such. 

There are those that will see them as confirming their views of Northern Ireland supporters
There are those who will use it to play the "Who condemned them and did they condemn themmums?" game
There are the Shinnerbots who will want to exploit it
Etc.. Etc..

I know that the IFA and many supporters want Northern Ireland to be a team for all but the likes of those in this video don't.  In fact it's important for them to use (abuse) the Northern Ireland team as "theirs" and outlet for their brand of identity.  There isn't  a whole lot the IFA or others can do about it apart from keep the overt stuff out of grounds and remind people.

At the end of the day though this gang of kunts see their trip to Belfast as an opportunity to indulge their identity and are using soccer as an outlet.   You have to wonder how they are raised/dragged up to think this is funny or even remotely acceptable in a public place. (I think it as writ that they think it's acceptable in private)   The video is too short to know if this was a few minutes of madness or did the owners of the premises indulge or even encourage this shit.

/Jim.

[haranguerer]

The song wasn't played accidentally. Its a common refrain at loyalist events, and I'm surprised more hadn't heard it.

This is a very good podcast, and this episode shouldn't leave you in any doubt about how common it is.

https://theirishpassport.com/podcast/s2-episode-9-the-glorious-twelfth/

[brokencrossbar1]

They're from Tyrone....what would you expect!

In seriousness though I reckon that blaming the IFA or having a go at them is wrong. These are societal issues. Has anyone listened to John Barnes and how he looks at the concept of racism?  Sectarianism is just the same. By the time Sammy or Billy or Paddy or Seamus are forming cogent, coherent thoughts(or at least as coherent as they can) their inbred bias and sectarian beliefs are formed. That is not going to change soon nor maybe ever I believe to an extent. The human race really should be reset and started all over again as prejudice is an inherent problem for each and every one of us, just some are more open about it.

[GetOverTheBar]

I like the way they made it clear they hated Roman Catholics. Suppose if your just a plain old Catholic it's ok.

It's at times like these I'm glad I'm just not a mass goer at all, only God hates me presumably.