...At Rugby Internationals In The North?
Because that's what many Unionists are calling for, including Lord Ken Maginnis. They are claiming the current policy of playing Amrán Na bhFiann for games in the South and 'Ireland's Call' for games in the North is not in line with the sentiment of the good Friday agreement. They believe God Save The Queen should be played and the Union Jack should be raised for 'home' Internationals in the six counties.
One big question I have is why Northern Irish Unionists have such a love for the ENGLISH national anthem. Scotland have 'Oh Flower Of Scotland', Wales have 'Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau' ...why do Northern Irish Unionists feel the need to stand and salute England's anthem? Have they no sense of identity of their own? I know they don't view themselves as Republican Irish but do they really see themselves as English?
Personally I would rather have nails driven into my ears than see an Irish team line out for the English national anthem and if it were up to me I'd rather revert to a separate Republic Of Ireland team than endure such a fate. Northern Irish players who view themselves as Irish can play for the South under the terms of the Good Friday agreement anyway, so it would be no loss to us. I wonder how successful an exclusively Northern Irish rugby team would be!?
The fact of the matter is that Northern Ireland has an undeniable link with the the island of Ireland. We are all Irish, in the geographic sense ...there's no getting away from that. Furthermore, despite the complicated situation and status of the North, we are not all British ...though some people in the North may choose to identify themselves as British, and that's their choice but they can't deny their 'Irishness'; we in the south on the other hand have no connection with Britain (geographically or otherwise) and therefore the concessions in terms of all Ireland anthems and flags must be made on the side of Unionists, otherwise the only alternative is a Northern Irish or British team.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news … 34699.html
Because that's what many Unionists are calling for, including Lord Ken Maginnis. They are claiming the current policy of playing Amrán Na bhFiann for games in the South and 'Ireland's Call' for games in the North is not in line with the sentiment of the good Friday agreement. They believe God Save The Queen should be played and the Union Jack should be raised for 'home' Internationals in the six counties.
One big question I have is why Northern Irish Unionists have such a love for the ENGLISH national anthem. Scotland have 'Oh Flower Of Scotland', Wales have 'Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau' ...why do Northern Irish Unionists feel the need to stand and salute England's anthem? Have they no sense of identity of their own? I know they don't view themselves as Republican Irish but do they really see themselves as English?
Personally I would rather have nails driven into my ears than see an Irish team line out for the English national anthem and if it were up to me I'd rather revert to a separate Republic Of Ireland team than endure such a fate. Northern Irish players who view themselves as Irish can play for the South under the terms of the Good Friday agreement anyway, so it would be no loss to us. I wonder how successful an exclusively Northern Irish rugby team would be!?
The fact of the matter is that Northern Ireland has an undeniable link with the the island of Ireland. We are all Irish, in the geographic sense ...there's no getting away from that. Furthermore, despite the complicated situation and status of the North, we are not all British ...though some people in the North may choose to identify themselves as British, and that's their choice but they can't deny their 'Irishness'; we in the south on the other hand have no connection with Britain (geographically or otherwise) and therefore the concessions in terms of all Ireland anthems and flags must be made on the side of Unionists, otherwise the only alternative is a Northern Irish or British team.
http://www.independent.ie/national-news … 34699.html
