Once again.....Ireland's Call....

[Tankie]

The reason the national anthem is played at home games is due to the fact that the president or the government may be at the game (well thats the excuse anyway). can people not just get over the Irelands call thing ff!

It might help some to get over it if you wrote something sensible.
The anthem is played and the flag is flown because the game is played in the jurisdiction of the Republic.

When the president is there in an official capacity, a short version of the anthem is also played. That is the presidential salute, played in her honour.

No your are incorrect, if that was the case they should have played GSTQ in Ravenhill last year as they were in NI. there is no obligation to play the national anthem in Ireland ahead of Irelands Call but it is seem as a compromise to play it in Ireland as it would upset too many people if it was not played!


Compromise Main Street, if the two traditions are ever to get on we will need more of it!!!!

What are you blabbering about now?
I corrected your nonsense about why the Irish anthem is played in Lansdowne.
That is the IRFU policy at Lansdowne. They can change that policy if they so decide according to the IRFU procedures.

Whatever happens at Ravenhill is another matter altogether and has nothing to do with why the ANbF is played at Lansdowne.

stop being so rude

Maybe i've missed this somewhere - but at the last Ireland game in Ravenhill, what anthems were played??

Irelands Call was played

No AnBF - i suppose the question is - when is a home game not a home game, but i suppose the IRFU have to try and please everyone. I don't really care what they play at their games as i have only passing interest in the Rugby as i don't see it as anywhere near a good a game to watch as Gaelic football never mind Hurling.

It was a case of the IRFU make a call on it and went with Irelands call only. this is what my point is, theIRFU have no real policy on the matter and just work it out with the ulster boys and do the best they can. there are some serious hard core unionists that play rugby so I would say it is a tricky thing to work out. Its in no way ideal but i think its better than have two teams!

[Roger]

Tankie, Unionist players never refused to play or ever threatened it.

Ireland's Call was composed as the Ireland team needed something to play when the World Cup was introduced.  The Soldier Song is only ever played in the Republic of Ireland, not in Northern Ireland and not before outside of the Republic of Ireland. The IRFU policy is that it is not an Anthem that represents the Ireland team but is only played before games that are played in the Republic of Ireland and Anthem that represents the team is Ireland's Call.

[Jim_Murphy_74]

There are 3 ways to be consistent:

1) Play the anthem of the home state and nothing else.  Amhrán na bhFiann in the Republic and God Save The Queen in Northern Ireland.
2) Play Ireland's Call only
3) Play Ireland's Call and the anthem of the home state.

In my opinion, 1 is not a runner.  In a rugby context GSTQ is the English anthem...end of.  3 is cumbersome and the fact that IRFU did not follow the policy in Ravenhill last year makes a mockery of it anyway.

That leaves option 2 as the best possible solution.

/Jim.

[Gnevin]

Main Street understands the situation.

The current situation is not the correct thing for the IRFU to do in my opinion and the IRFU's policy is inconsistent.  Playing of two songs before a game also takes the piss and is rude to opponents. But it is fairly typical of the IRFU to not want to upset the commonly misguided view that SS represents the island of Ireland in defiance of reality.

It takes no longer than the Haka. Do you consider that rude?

[Roger]

Jim_Murphy, I agree totally.

GNevin, the Haka has become something that unfortunately has evolved from a traditional thing that was more of a bit of fun etc. If you see footage of it in the 1970s it is completely different to the way it is delivered now. Now I think it has developed into something quite aggressive and acts as a psyche-up for the All Blacks, Samoans etc and anyone who have one.  It is pretty daft in my opinion seeing Richie McCaw sticking his tongue out with his eyes popping out and dancing around like that since he is not Maori and it is no more cultural to me than it is to him.  But it clearly acts as a psyche-up for the whole team and if I was playing against them I don't believe teams should stand in front of it or respect it in any fashion. Players and teams playing these haka teams should making their final personal and team preparations before kick-off and let the All Black's do the same.  If this means the haka then fair enough.

[iluvni]

I must say, Irelands Call is truly woeful...not to mention the bit about 'answering our country's call'. What country?  

Since, at Ravenhill, the IRFU went back on the long standing convention of playing the host nation anthem, Ireland rugby team no longer represents us all, from all traditions. It represents only one political outlook on the island. The Unionist opinion isnt deemed worthy of respect by the iRFU and it was clearly felt that the Nationalist community, north and south, wouldnt have been magnanimous enough to repsect that. True or not, I dont know?
As such,  the IRFU may as well revert to the Republic's anthem only, home and away. The team isnt one I identify with any longer. Continuing with Ireland's Call serves no purpose. The damage has been done.

[ziggysego]

Boo hoo

[bredaghgael86]

I dont mind them playing Irelands call, the only problem i have is that they play it after the national anthem.  IMO the anthem should be played 2nd, as it is afterall, the IRISH anthem.  I no its only a small point, but i think it would be better that way

[SidelineKick]

Good contribution ZIggy!

[ziggysego]

In a pissy mood today Sideline 

[SidelineKick]

An experienced poster like you should know not to take it out on the rest of the board 

[J70]

I must say, Irelands Call is truly woeful...not to mention the bit about 'answering our country's call'. What country?  

Since, at Ravenhill, the IRFU went back on the long standing convention of playing the host nation anthem, Ireland rugby team no longer represents us all, from all traditions. It represents only one political outlook on the island. The Unionist opinion isnt deemed worthy of respect by the iRFU and it was clearly felt that the Nationalist community, north and south, wouldnt have been magnanimous enough to repsect that. True or not, I dont know?
As such,  the IRFU may as well revert to the Republic's anthem only, home and away. The team isnt one I identify with any longer. Continuing with Ireland's Call serves no purpose. The damage has been done.

You have to laugh. On the one hand you have the idiots who cannot see past the end of their own nose and accept that the IRFU's use of Ireland's Call, which in itself may not be a great anthem, is a noble effort to include the significant proportion of the island who are unionist and on the other, you have the likes of this gentleman, who completely ignores the spirit of the IRFU's clumsy efforts and throws the baby out with the bathwater because GSTQ wasn't played.

[Jim_Murphy_74]

I must say, Irelands Call is truly woeful...not to mention the bit about 'answering our country's call'. What country?  

Ireland's Call may not be to everyone tastes musically.  That said not many anthem's are (Apart from France) but people are just used to them.  As for countries vs. country I'd think you are crediting Mr. Coulter with too much if you think that is some kind of deliberate slight.

Since, at Ravenhill, the IRFU went back on the long standing convention of playing the host nation anthem, Ireland rugby team no longer represents us all, from all traditions. It represents only one political outlook on the island. The Unionist opinion isnt deemed worthy of respect by the iRFU and it was clearly felt that the Nationalist community, north and south, wouldnt have been magnanimous enough to repsect that. True or not, I dont know?
As such,  the IRFU may as well revert to the Republic's anthem only, home and away. The team isnt one I identify with any longer. Continuing with Ireland's Call serves no purpose. The damage has been done.

While I have made my opinion clear about the correct form of action, the seems to be a certain element in Northern Ireland that see fit to be offended by motivations that are not necessarily there.  As for damage being done over one incident I think you are being a tad prickly if you say the situation is irredeemable.   Anyhow the flow from Connolly Station at the All-Black game suggests not everyone in Da'North shares your outlook.

/Jim.

[GalwayBayBoy]

I must say, Irelands Call is truly woeful...not to mention the bit about 'answering our country's call'. What country?  

Since, at Ravenhill, the IRFU went back on the long standing convention of playing the host nation anthem, Ireland rugby team no longer represents us all, from all traditions. It represents only one political outlook on the island. The Unionist opinion isnt deemed worthy of respect by the iRFU and it was clearly felt that the Nationalist community, north and south, wouldnt have been magnanimous enough to repsect that. True or not, I dont know?
As such,  the IRFU may as well revert to the Republic's anthem only, home and away. The team isnt one I identify with any longer. Continuing with Ireland's Call serves no purpose. The damage has been done.

You have to laugh. On the one hand you have the idiots who cannot see past the end of their own nose and accept that the IRFU's use of Ireland's Call, which in itself may not be a great anthem, is a noble effort to include the significant proportion of the island who are unionist and on the other, you have the likes of this gentleman, who completely ignores the spirit of the IRFU's clumsy efforts and throws the baby out with the bathwater because GSTQ wasn't played.

I have no problem with Ireland's Call because I can see the spirit in which it is intended. However I think it would have been ridiculous to have an Irish rugby team stand for GSTQ which is already the anthem for the England rugby team. Ireland's Call isn't perfect but it's just about the best compromise we have unless someone can come up with something better.

The IRFU are in an awkward position being in charge of rugby on the whole island when you have one group of staunch unionists who don't think we should be playing Amhrán na bhFiann at all even in Dublin and one group who think we should be playing nothing but Amhrán na bhFiann both home and away.

[thewobbler]

Me, I still can't believe that Croke Park was opened up to foreign games.