Ronan O'Gara stock rising on OWC!

[Franko]

Or possibly, just possibly, the reason for playing Amhran na bhFiann is because it is the national anthem of Ireland - and Ireland's Call is the PC anthem played 'for some strange protocol reasons'....? 

The former is inaccurate and the latter is the reason according to the IRFU. 

In what way is is the former inaccurate??

An could you please show me some IRFU literature where it shows that they play Amhran na bhFiann at home internationals 'for some strange protocol reasons'.

[Roger]

Or possibly, just possibly, the reason for playing Amhran na bhFiann is because it is the national anthem of Ireland - and Ireland's Call is the PC anthem played 'for some strange protocol reasons'....? 

The former is inaccurate and the latter is the reason according to the IRFU. 

In what way is is the former inaccurate??

It is not the national anthem of the whole of Ireland but only the Republic of Ireland state. 

An could you please show me some IRFU literature where it shows that they play Amhran na bhFiann at home internationals 'for some strange protocol reasons'.

If it wasn't protocol then why not play it when outside the Republic of Ireland? Simply because that anthem doesn't represent the team.  The IRFU is dancing around the Political sensitivities in the Republic on this but they came out with a statement on this 2 years ago when a match was played in Belfast (ie the state where the SS is not the national anthem) and the anthem issue needed clarified.  Have a quick google on it and I'm sure it'll turn up.  Bizarrely the statement botched the whole the thing and inferred that Belfast wasn't in Ireland. 

[Rossfan]

.  The IRFU is dancing around the Political sensitivities in the Republic on this . 

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha...FFS there arent any political sensitivities about A na bhF in the 26 Cos.( Other than Laochra Fáil vs Fianna Fáil )
The IRFU have been playing it at L  R since 1931.
The "political sensitivities" are up your way Roger where 55% of the population dont accept A na bhF as their National Anthem.

[Roger]

.  The IRFU is dancing around the Political sensitivities in the Republic on this . 

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha...FFS there arent any political sensitivities about A na bhF in the 26 Cos.( Other than Laochra Fáil vs Fianna Fáil )
The IRFU have been playing it at L  R since 1931.
The "political sensitivities" are up your way Roger where 55% of the population dont accept A na bhF as their National Anthem.

Yet again more moronic nonsense from you.  You clearly don't understand the topics you rant about.  The sensitivities within the IRFU are within the Republic, where dropping the SS in the Republic is a problem and playing of GSTQ in Northern Ireland is a problem. Hence the IRFU danced all around this and made a balls up of it even stating that the protocol is to play the SS 'in Ireland' and therefore inferring that Belfast isn't in Ireland.  The correct thing at an Ireland game is not to play either or both state anthems at all or else just play the team anthem. Personally I'd go for playing nothing.

[Rossfan]

Amazing ...if you disagree with Roger its "moronic nonsense" and "ranting"
The only place where there are "sensitivities" about anthems is in the 6 North Eastern counties.
Some Rugbyites  from there didnt like standing for A na bhF at away games so Ireland's Call was invented to placate them. Then to avoid upsetting 95% of the team by playing the Lizzie Windsor dirge at an International in Ravenhill the IRFU skipped around  that sensitivity by saying Belfast was a foreign place.

Roger -- on a personal note ...a little less arrogance when disagreeing with someone wouldnt go astray . You wouldnt want the denizens of this Board having their beliefs in Unionist arrogance strengthened now would you 

[Roger]

Amazing ...if you disagree with Roger its "moronic nonsense" and "ranting"
The only place where there are "sensitivities" about anthems is in the 6 North Eastern counties.
Some Rugbyites  from there didnt like standing for A na bhF at away games so Ireland's Call was invented to placate them. Then to avoid upsetting 95% of the team by playing the Lizzie Windsor dirge at an International in Ravenhill the IRFU skipped around  that sensitivity by saying Belfast was a foreign place.

Roger -- on a personal note ...a little less arrogance when disagreeing with someone wouldnt go astray . You wouldnt want the denizens of this Board having their beliefs in Unionist arrogance strengthened now would you 

There is no arrogance involved here. We are not discussing about what we think should be the Political anthem of Ireland, the Republic of Ireland or Northern Ireland and I am also not talking about disagreeing with you.  The policy is there to be seen from the IRFU and it was all to do with the sensitivities of those from the Republic when having to consider playing the host-state anthem in Northern Ireland. You are talking about a policy that you clearly don't know about and using your own Political opinion and applying it to the IRFU. The sensitivities within the IRFU about anthems have largely if not exclusively been within those from the Republic. 

[Rossfan]

[The policy is there to be seen from the IRFU and it was all to do with the sensitivities of those from the Republic when having to consider playing the host-state anthem in Northern Ireland.

Ireland's call was on the go for many years before there was a rugby international played in Belfast.
It was introduced to take into account the sensivities of some people from NEIreland who didnt like standing to attention for A na bhF when outside the 26 Cos.
The Belfast "foreign international" sensivities only arose some years later.

[Myles Na G.]

The Ireland rugby team doesn't represent a political state, it represents the 4 provincial branches that make up the IRFU. The only correct representational symbols are the IRFU flag and Ireland's Call. TSS shouldn't be played in Dublin because the team is not a 26 county representative side. If the President is on hand - is she ever not? - it would be perfectly correct to play the President's Salute, then get on with it. Playing the TSS is not only disrespectful towards people from the unionist tradition, it also irritates those of us from the nationalist community who regard TSS and the tricolour as free state emblems.

[ludermor]

. Playing the TSS is not only disrespectful towards people from the unionist tradition, it also irritates those of us from the nationalist community who regard TSS and the tricolour as free state emblems.

[Hound]

The Ireland rugby team doesn't represent a political state, it represents the 4 provincial branches that make up the IRFU. The only correct representational symbols are the IRFU flag and Ireland's Call. TSS shouldn't be played in Dublin because the team is not a 26 county representative side. If the President is on hand - is she ever not? - it would be perfectly correct to play the President's Salute, then get on with it. Playing the TSS is not only disrespectful towards people from the unionist tradition, it also irritates those of us from the nationalist community who regard TSS and the tricolour as free state emblems.

But what about the people in the south who regard the flag and anthem as the flag and anthem of their country, Ireland. The rugby team represents Ireland, and people from the six counties are entitled to play if they wish and if they are picked. Legends like Trevor Ringland, a noted unionist, was proud to play for the country and didnt mind the anthem and flag. Many many others didnt complain. The first to complain and make a fuss was the nut job Tweed. Why we pandered to him is a mystery. If it upset him that much, he didnt have to play - but he did. No going back now though, as to do it now would be an insult to unionists

[muppet]

The Ireland rugby team doesn't represent a political state, it represents the 4 provincial branches that make up the IRFU. The only correct representational symbols are the IRFU flag and Ireland's Call. TSS shouldn't be played in Dublin because the team is not a 26 county representative side. If the President is on hand - is she ever not? - it would be perfectly correct to play the President's Salute, then get on with it. Playing the TSS is not only disrespectful towards people from the unionist tradition, it also irritates those of us from the nationalist community who regard TSS and the tricolour as free state emblems.

I think there might be something in this. Could we ask those from the Nationalist community (as it seems to exclude southerners) to decide what would be their 32 county flag and their 32 county Anthem? We could then play it, offend Unionists and agree to withdraw it while reinstating 'Shoving Connie' and the tricolour as a compromise.

[Donagh]

The Ireland rugby team doesn't represent a political state, it represents the 4 provincial branches that make up the IRFU. The only correct representational symbols are the IRFU flag and Ireland's Call. TSS shouldn't be played in Dublin because the team is not a 26 county representative side. If the President is on hand - is she ever not? - it would be perfectly correct to play the President's Salute, then get on with it. Playing the TSS is not only disrespectful towards people from the unionist tradition, it also irritates those of us from the nationalist community who regard TSS and the tricolour as free state emblems.

What "community" is that - the Ulster nationalists of the DUP? I've never met an Irish nationalist would is irritated by the flag of the Irish Republic. What is "TSS" btw?

[ardmhachaabu]

The Ireland rugby team doesn't represent a political state, it represents the 4 provincial branches that make up the IRFU. The only correct representational symbols are the IRFU flag and Ireland's Call. TSS shouldn't be played in Dublin because the team is not a 26 county representative side. If the President is on hand - is she ever not? - it would be perfectly correct to play the President's Salute, then get on with it. Playing the TSS is not only disrespectful towards people from the unionist tradition, it also irritates those of us from the nationalist community who regard TSS and the tricolour as free state emblems.

What "community" is that - the Ulster nationalists of the DUP? I've never met an Irish nationalist would is irritated by the flag of the Irish Republic. What is "TSS" btw?

[muppet]

The Ireland rugby team doesn't represent a political state, it represents the 4 provincial branches that make up the IRFU. The only correct representational symbols are the IRFU flag and Ireland's Call. TSS shouldn't be played in Dublin because the team is not a 26 county representative side. If the President is on hand - is she ever not? - it would be perfectly correct to play the President's Salute, then get on with it. Playing the TSS is not only disrespectful towards people from the unionist tradition, it also irritates those of us from the nationalist community who regard TSS and the tricolour as free state emblems.

What "community" is that - the Ulster nationalists of the DUP? I've never met an Irish nationalist would is irritated by the flag of the Irish Republic. What is "TSS" btw?

Democratic Unionist Nationalist Party or DUNP. I like it.

[Myles Na G.]

The Ireland rugby team doesn't represent a political state, it represents the 4 provincial branches that make up the IRFU. The only correct representational symbols are the IRFU flag and Ireland's Call. TSS shouldn't be played in Dublin because the team is not a 26 county representative side. If the President is on hand - is she ever not? - it would be perfectly correct to play the President's Salute, then get on with it. Playing the TSS is not only disrespectful towards people from the unionist tradition, it also irritates those of us from the nationalist community who regard TSS and the tricolour as free state emblems.

What "community" is that - the Ulster nationalists of the DUP? I've never met an Irish nationalist would is irritated by the flag of the Irish Republic. What is "TSS" btw?

You should get out more. There's a whole big world outside. TSS - as in the 'Soldier's Song'. Yeah, yeah, I know it's A Soldier's Song, strictly speaking, but I'm trying not to refer to it as ASS. I refuse to refer to it in its Irish form as firstly, the song was written in English to be sung in English. Secondly, like 99% of the country I don't speak Irish, so why pretend? Personally, I'm secure enough in my own identity not to need the Paddy Irishman stuff, but you carry on if it floats your boat. Slan.