Messages

Right who's gona put the two side by side😘😁, compare and contrast.

Someone will do a thesis on this in the years to come

Stronger top 10 imo in that Rte list.

Would agree
Some difference in the treatment of Mary/4 of us in the two lists for starters

Totally agree,  look the 4 of Us and Mary is t even their best song!

Also The Waterboys are a Scottish band,  no matter what anyone says,  Mike Scott is the only constant and he's a proud Scot

Absolutely Scottish. Plenty of British rockstars have lived in Ireland, recorded here, but you wouldn't include them in Irish songs list including Donovan (Irish heritage), Ronnie Wood (Stones), Joe Elliott of Def Leopard, Francis Rossi (Quo of Irish heritage), John Lennon (Irish heritage - well he owned an island off Mayo and planned to live there), Sting (wrote songs while living in Connemara). I'm sure there's plenty more.

None of them made the cultural impact the Waterboys did. They are honourary Irish people.

Def Leppard never wrote a song like the stolen child

https://youtu.be/Jg-oJKYIinQ

Lyrics by William Butler Yeats, a haunting poem even before music put to it. Brilliant band but still don't think we can claim them. They saw Brigadoon, we saw The Quiet Man.

Right who's gona put the two side by side😘😁, compare and contrast.

Someone will do a thesis on this in the years to come

Stronger top 10 imo in that Rte list.

Would agree
Some difference in the treatment of Mary/4 of us in the two lists for starters

Totally agree,  look the 4 of Us and Mary is t even their best song!

Also The Waterboys are a Scottish band,  no matter what anyone says,  Mike Scott is the only constant and he's a proud Scot

Absolutely Scottish. Plenty of British rockstars have lived in Ireland, recorded here, but you wouldn't include them in Irish songs list including Donovan (Irish heritage), Ronnie Wood (Stones), Joe Elliott of Def Leopard, Francis Rossi (Quo of Irish heritage), John Lennon (Irish heritage - well he owned an island off Mayo and planned to live there), Sting (wrote songs while living in Connemara). I'm sure there's plenty more.

Was Rory Gallagher completely ghosted?

I was thinking this, but he had no 'hits' - what is his signature song in the way Lizzy had TBABIT or Jaillbeak?

Definitely Follow Me which is 24 on the RTE gold one. Anyone who watched MTV USA in the 1980s would have heard the thunderous guitar riff every Sunday. Good to see Rat Trap recognised in that poll too. Bob, not everyone's cup of tea now, then gave everyone a good laugh when the Rats knocked Travolta/Olivia Newton John off the top spot in UK and then proceeded to tear the Grease pair's photo in two on TOTP. Rebellious stuff at the time.

Big statement by Joe Kent.

Blaming the Israel lobby.
Some Jewish guy calls him antisemitic

What's left of Maga is going to turn on Israel to deflect from Trump
Levin and Shapiro will be targets.

Meanwhile Miller and Hegseth are incompetent.
Hegseth sacked the leadership of the military and replaced them with ideologues

Definitely not your grandfathers war. Hegseth the secretary of war sporting highlights that even Barbi's Ken would find a bit too beach bum while talking tough. Ah yeah. US giving the war a marketing brand name called Operation Epic Fury rapidly disintegrating into Operation Epic Failure. Trump blasting the Brits and Irish Taoiseach using the ancient weaponry of Plámás to defend the British PM. The Israel prime minister's dept using generative AI of a video from the Covid pandemic to show him drinking coffee in the same clothes to prove he is still alive and has 5 fingers. And Western media buying it. Meanwhile innocents in the thousands lose their lives. Some things don't change.

All BS.

Netanyahu one of best protected guys on the planet. He is in Berlin or Mar a Lago, or maybe the ridiculous bunker in Fermanagh built for Obama

He is. But to be taken out, should it be, two weeks into the war is a disaster for the Orange Man. Expect a narrative that he was ill, etc, etc. No way the Iron Dome could he breached.

His press conference the other day looked AI. I think they took him out alright and US/Israel won't want that news released. Not the regime change they were expecting.

Make no mistake, such is aerial destruction US can unleash, there will be huge civilian deaths in Iran and not much of Tehran left if this reckless war goes on too long. That said, against all odds Iran have identified 3 ways they can still dish out a humiliating loss to US/Israel. 1) Close Strait of Hormuz 2) Destroy US radars and bases in Gulf 3) Take out Bibi.
However, the death and destruction of Iranians could reach shocking heights and the sooner Trump starts to see huge unpopularity across the US with rising oil prices, the sooner he leaves with tail between legs while spoofing about victory.

I'd say pigs will fly before this could happen, but good historical perspective as always by Cormac Moore.

Cormac Moore: Is it time for Ireland's football teams to join together?

irishnews.com Feb 27, 2026

NEXT month both Irish soccer teams will bid to make the FIFA World Cup later this year in North America.

If the talks that took place between the Irish Football Association (IFA) and the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) during the height of the Troubles in the 1970s had succeeded, there would be one united international team from the island bidding to do so.

Those talks took place in earnest from 1973 to 1980.

The attempts to bring about an all-Ireland team in many ways were a player-led initiative, with prominent names such as George Best, Derek Dougan and John Giles all calling for one team on the island.

An all-Ireland team, organised by Dougan and Giles, took to the field in the guise of a Shamrock Rovers XI who played against the world champions Brazil in a thrilling encounter at Lansdowne Road in July 1973, with the Brazilians winning by four goals to three.

Although not supported by the IFA or FAI, the match did prompt the FAI to contact its northern counterpart to discuss the possibility of re-unifying.

Soccer in Ireland had been governed by the IFA in Belfast on an all-Ireland basis from 1880 to 1921.

In 1921 the Leinster Football Association seceded from the IFA, with the FAI established later that year.

The IFA unanimously agreed to meet the FAI and talks that had not taken place since 1932 between both associations begun again.

The intervening period had seen the relationship wane considerably, with both associations claiming the right to call on players from the whole island to play for their different "Ireland" teams.

It led to bizarre scenarios. In one instance, Johnny Carey played for an IFA-selected "Ireland" team against England at Windsor Park in Belfast on February 28 1946.

Two days later he played for an FAI-selected "Ireland" team, also against England, in Dalymount Park in Dublin.

FIFA put a stop to this practice in 1950 by prohibiting associations from selecting players not born in their jurisdiction.

By the early 1970s, and despite the escalation of violence in Northern Ireland that led to Derry City abandoning the (northern) Irish Football League in 1972, there was a desire within the FAI and IFA to co-operate more closely.

As well as discussing the prospect of reunion, both associations embraced all-Ireland competitions such as the Blaxnit and Texaco tournaments and supported joint efforts in education and coaching for schools and referees.

Although the talks ultimately failed, there was a genuine desire for an all-Ireland solution by both associations, particularly the FAI.

There would not have been as many conferences between the IFA and the FAI if there was no desire. At least nine were held between 1973 and 1980, seven from 1978 to 1980.

George Best
George Best was among players who favoured an all-island football team

Factors that brought an end to the talks included money – the financial dilemma the halving of revenue from international fixtures would cause – and the ongoing violence in Northern Ireland.

A vicious riot at a European Cup tie between Linfield and Dundalk at the latter's ground, Oriel Park, in 1979, highlighted the closeness of football to the northern conflict.

It was conceded that a football solution could not be found until such time as a political solution to Northern Ireland was achieved.

Others believed the administrators from both associations were fearful that union would see a halving of administration roles.

Success also proved an obstacle to an all-Ireland team.

The Northern Ireland soccer team won the British Home Championship in 1980 and 1984, the last year the oldest international football competition was held. The IFA still retains the trophy.

Under Billy Bingham, the international side also qualified for the World Cups of 1982 and 1986, causing one of the biggest upsets in the 1982 competition by defeating the host nation, Spain.

The results Northern Ireland was experiencing led Harry Cavan, IFA president and FIFA vice-president, to comment that "with results like we have had over the last two years, who needs a united Irish soccer side?"

Many saw Cavan as an obstacle to football unity, although he claimed in 1979 that "two teams in a small country like this is nonsensical".

In 1988, the Republic of Ireland made its introduction at international tournaments at the European Championship in West Germany.

In qualifying for the World Cups in 1990 and 1994, the southern team had overtaken its northern rival on the field. It also lessened the appetite from the FAI for unity.

The Irish fans have developed a reputation for enjoying themselves at major tournaments since Jack Charlton's men reached those first Euro finals in 1988.
Irish fans at the European Championships in 1988
Louis Kilcoyne, the FAI president, commenting in 1995 on the prospect of re-union, stated: "If it ain't broken, don't fix it."

Fortunes for both teams have dwindled since. Despite both Irish teams qualifying for the European Championships in 2016 – Northern Ireland's first appearance at an international tournament in 30 years – the current sides are a pale reflection on teams past.

Both will have to win two difficult ties by the end of March to qualify for the World Cup this year.

Even if one or both Irish teams do qualify, realistically it will become more challenging to do so in in the future.

The lack of success might see a renewal of talks to consider an all-Ireland team.

A 2015 University of Ulster study, Social Exclusion and Sport in Northern Ireland, contended that a majority of people in Northern Ireland (54%) supported an all-Ireland football team, including 39% from the Protestant community.

This may prompt the IFA and FAI to re-engage and bring about one football team on this small island yet again.

[Should I Stay or Should I Go]

Should I Stay or Should I Go
I Fought the Law (cover but a great one, Bobby Fuller Four original great song too)
London Calling

I was wrecking my head as to  why  that was released again in the 90's. Had to be  a Levi's advert . This was my first  awareness of the song

Yes a few older classic songs became hits again because of those Levi ads. The other big one was The Joker by Steve Miller Band and Stand by Me by Ben E King hit number 1 in late 80s.

Should I Stay or Should I Go
I Fought the Law (cover but a great one, Bobby Fuller Four original great song too)
London Calling

Not over yet. That try gives England something to play for.

Trump now says he's going to slap an extra 10% on top of his existing illegal tariffs in response to the ruling of his own conservative dominated Supreme Court.

Sultans of Swing
Brothers in Arms
Twisting by the Pool (they were always good for a fun song too)

Yerra😁.
Armagh 11 wides last Sunday, we had 2 or 3.
Totally wiped on kick outs 2nd half, damn glad to hear the hooter.
The luck/ref that denied us in Killarney balanced out last Sunday.

We'll be doing very well to get anything out of this game.

I'd have little to no interest in yerra'ing, and would be quite happy to point out to Roscommon ones their recent record v Galway in championship

But he's right in the 23/10 is very big. There will be that big prevailing westerly wind in Salthill tomorrow night, blowing right down to the rockbarton end. The type of wind the Walsh and Conroy were a cheat code using for two pointers in the league last year. This year Galway have nobody bar Tierney and maybe McGrath to kick them. Roscommon have an abundance.

When you add in Brigids lads returning (i assume?) and no potential additions to the Galway panel i'd have this one very close to 50/50

No Brigids players named in 26 apart from Conor Carroll as sub-goalie and his cousin has made the 1 spot his own. Definitely being eased back very slowly. I did think we could have done with Cunnane and indeed Fallon for this game but we've essentially 10 debutants for this league and a few old soldiers and they have surprised us all, and places now hard fought for. Galway however killed us in the championship in the air and that's the main worry. A draw a good bet for this one.

Looking at that Armagh team and bench, how are they entering the game as favourites? They need men back. Maybe Grugan will be added Sunday.

Monaghan match was the only likely game Roscommon was to be favourites to win in this division and Armagh beat Monaghan by double the margin Roscommon did and would have beaten Galway though let down by poor goalkeeper and decision making.

Rossies down on a number of players also including a few Brigids lads not due back until the end of the league campaign.

While no doubt we are still down Brigids players, Monaghan did have most of the Scotstown boys back against us. We are playing nice, pacy football and some definite Brigids starters will now have a fight for their place although Fallon, Hand, and Cunnane should start soon, Hand injecting even more pace up front. This will be a good test of where we stand in Div 1. Lose and we go back to hot favourites for the drop, a win makes things very interesting. I'll give us the nod here.