SUFTUM

[Maguire01]

lads we need to get over this apparent subliminal i love the ra and all things to do with being 'catholic', against, i don't go to mass and appreciate all religions there for i'm an acceptable member of society...balls! some people don't actually care. deal with it!

What the hell are you talking about? What has going to mass got to do with standing up for the Ulster men?

[michaelg]

Don't Connacht play in green?

imo the red and white ulster flags are off putting. but i accept not having been to a match i could be getting the wrong impression

Ravenhill has a great atmosphere and I'd have no hesitations in attending there. The fact that the red and white flag is flown in the crowd alongside the yellow and red says a lot.

Was up at the Ulster Munster Rabbo direct a few weeks ago and thought it was a great atmosphere, apart for the lad who insisted on whistling SUFTUM into my ear throughtout the match...
4 lads decked out in Munster gear beside me from Crossmaglen, got chatting and they said the can't abide Ulster rugby and travel to most games in Thomand park.
Think it just reinforces the "club" nature of rugby, don't necessarily have to be from the province to support a team...

Or that they are bitter as f**k
Who really gives a shite if there is the odd NI flag?  Surely the fact there there are yellow Ulster flags and red and white NI flags is a good thing / in the spirit of the GFA

[Maguire01]

Don't Connacht play in green?

imo the red and white ulster flags are off putting. but i accept not having been to a match i could be getting the wrong impression

Ravenhill has a great atmosphere and I'd have no hesitations in attending there. The fact that the red and white flag is flown in the crowd alongside the yellow and red says a lot.

Was up at the Ulster Munster Rabbo direct a few weeks ago and thought it was a great atmosphere, apart for the lad who insisted on whistling SUFTUM into my ear throughtout the match...
4 lads decked out in Munster gear beside me from Crossmaglen, got chatting and they said the can't abide Ulster rugby and travel to most games in Thomand park.
Think it just reinforces the "club" nature of rugby, don't necessarily have to be from the province to support a team...

The word 'bandwagon' springs to mind.

[Tony Baloney]

There has always been the perception that Ulster rugby was the preserve of the Unionist middle-class. Nowadays it looks like you're more likely to find a Catholic attending than a working class Prod.

[ballinaman]

Don't Connacht play in green?

imo the red and white ulster flags are off putting. but i accept not having been to a match i could be getting the wrong impression

Ravenhill has a great atmosphere and I'd have no hesitations in attending there. The fact that the red and white flag is flown in the crowd alongside the yellow and red says a lot.

Was up at the Ulster Munster Rabbo direct a few weeks ago and thought it was a great atmosphere, apart for the lad who insisted on whistling SUFTUM into my ear throughtout the match...
4 lads decked out in Munster gear beside me from Crossmaglen, got chatting and they said the can't abide Ulster rugby and travel to most games in Thomand park.
Think it just reinforces the "club" nature of rugby, don't necessarily have to be from the province to support a team...

The word 'bandwagon' springs to mind.

Not sure about that now,met them for a pint before the Castres match last week and they have been season ticket holders for the last 4 years in Thomand, making the 7 hour round trip for every home game.
They said they had no affiliation to Ulster Rugby as it's a professional club, much the same as if you support an English premiership side when you are from Ireland. When it comes it GAA and the railway cup for example, I'd say they have a different story.

[screenexile]

Don't Connacht play in green?

imo the red and white ulster flags are off putting. but i accept not having been to a match i could be getting the wrong impression

Ravenhill has a great atmosphere and I'd have no hesitations in attending there. The fact that the red and white flag is flown in the crowd alongside the yellow and red says a lot.

Was up at the Ulster Munster Rabbo direct a few weeks ago and thought it was a great atmosphere, apart for the lad who insisted on whistling SUFTUM into my ear throughtout the match...
4 lads decked out in Munster gear beside me from Crossmaglen, got chatting and they said the can't abide Ulster rugby and travel to most games in Thomand park.
Think it just reinforces the "club" nature of rugby, don't necessarily have to be from the province to support a team...

The word 'bandwagon' springs to mind.

Not sure about that now,met them for a pint before the Castres match last week and they have been season ticket holders for the last 4 years in Thomand, making the 7 hour round trip for every home game.
They said they had no affiliation to Ulster Rugby as it's a professional club, much the same as if you support an English premiership side when you are from Ireland. When it comes it GAA and the railway cup for example, I'd say they have a different story.

Eh?? Are POC and ROG just doing it for the love of the game?

[ballinaman]

Don't Connacht play in green?

imo the red and white ulster flags are off putting. but i accept not having been to a match i could be getting the wrong impression

Ravenhill has a great atmosphere and I'd have no hesitations in attending there. The fact that the red and white flag is flown in the crowd alongside the yellow and red says a lot.

Was up at the Ulster Munster Rabbo direct a few weeks ago and thought it was a great atmosphere, apart for the lad who insisted on whistling SUFTUM into my ear throughtout the match...
4 lads decked out in Munster gear beside me from Crossmaglen, got chatting and they said the can't abide Ulster rugby and travel to most games in Thomand park.
Think it just reinforces the "club" nature of rugby, don't necessarily have to be from the province to support a team...

The word 'bandwagon' springs to mind.

Not sure about that now,met them for a pint before the Castres match last week and they have been season ticket holders for the last 4 years in Thomand, making the 7 hour round trip for every home game.
They said they had no affiliation to Ulster Rugby as it's a professional club, much the same as if you support an English premiership side when you are from Ireland. When it comes it GAA and the railway cup for example, I'd say they have a different story.

Eh?? Are POC and ROG just doing it for the love of the game?

Nah, think they are getting a few bob alright, more than Young Munster and Cork Con can pay them anyways.

[NAG1]

There has always been the perception that Ulster rugby was the preserve of the Unionist middle-class. Nowadays it looks like you're more likely to find a Catholic attending than a working class Prod.

Says more about the upward mobility of the Catholic population or maybe the disintegration of the Protestant working communities, than it does about the sport itself. Its the cool place to be seen on a Friday night when its live on Sky and you can go into your mixed work place and say oh did the Ulster men do so well on Friday night! 

Bit like the Giants with a bit more history.

[Hardy]

Surely a good thing that there's at least one element of popular culture that's bridging the sectarian/community divide? Isn't it in small steps like this, where people find interests and loyalties in common, that normalisation proceeds and the "shared future" of fond vision eventually materialises.

I'm surprised we haven't yet had the "Castle Catholics", "Stoops at play" jibes from those who cherish the divided past and dread the shared future.

Maybe there's hope.

[brokencrossbar1]

Lads, before you all go apoplectic on the Cross players supporting Munster I want to point something out.  The club has had very strong links with Cork for over 30 years now and we travel up and down to Ballincollig every year at different levels.  The mentality of people generally in the area is to look south rather than north for associations and it is not a political thing more an association to a similar cultural mentality.  I would have a fair idea about lads from the area who follow Munster religiously and there would be personal connections between a number of players from both squads.  There may be a bit of bandwagoning about it but no more so than say someone from Offaly  following Munster rugby over Leinster. 

[oisinog]

There has always been the perception that Ulster rugby was the preserve of the Unionist middle-class. Nowadays it looks like you're more likely to find a Catholic attending than a working class Prod.

Says more about the upward mobility of the Catholic population or maybe the disintegration of the Protestant working communities, than it does about the sport itself. Its the cool place to be seen on a Friday night when its live on Sky and you can go into your mixed work place and say oh did the Ulster men do so well on Friday night! 

Bit like the Giants with a bit more history.

I dont get this at all. Rugby has become more popular because the IRB found better ways to promote it. Also with the success Irish teams have had in Europe has also increase the popularty of the sport.

Personaly I have followed Ulster since the won the ERC many moon ago now.

[lawnseed]

what colour is the ulster flag? when did the six county statlet come into existence? was rugby in ulster before the six counties came into existence as a political entity? the flying of the red and white flag of the northern ireland  'IS' a political statement IMO especially when it is known in rugby that the term ulster refers to 9 counties not 6. people who bring the wrong flag to the match are not supporting ulster they are supporting 'northern ireland' that team doesn't exist in rabbo or Heineken or in rugby. just like people who bring Palestinian flags to gaa matches are making political statements. i find the practice uncomfortable as a person from a republican background who may be interested in supporting my own province.

[trileacman]

what colour is the ulster flag? when did the six county statlet come into existence? was rugby in ulster before the six counties came into existence as a political entity? the flying of the red and white flag of the northern ireland  'IS' a political statement IMO especially when it is known in rugby that the term ulster refers to 9 counties not 6. people who bring the wrong flag to the match are not supporting ulster they are supporting 'northern ireland' that team doesn't exist in rabbo or Heineken or in rugby. just like people who bring Palestinian flags to gaa matches are making political statements. i find the practice uncomfortable as a person from a republican background who may be interested in supporting my own province.

What about the flying the tricolour at GAA matches? Does that not make a "political statement" that may make people from a unionist background uncomfortable in supporting their county team?

I couldn't give a f**k either way but you can't go around the whole time looking for something to annoy you.

[Maguire01]

I couldn't give a f**k either way but you can't go around the whole time looking for something to annoy you.

But he can, and will.

[Feckitt]

Ulster Protestants live in a wee world all of their own, I would say that most of them would be saying to themselves. " What are them yellow Northern Ireland flags for?'.  Flying the NI flag doesnt make them sectarian or political.  As far as they are concerned they are from Ulster and that is the Ulster flag.  No harm done, and no offence meant.  Of course if you want to be offended.............