Roy Hodgson tells fans to cut out anti-IRA songs at Ireland friendly

Seriously!? They're Irish folk songs Fawlty!

Of course they're sang at Ireland games.

 

Why are pro-IRA chants more prevalent at Celtic matches than they are at Ireland matches?

 

There is a difference between a song that mentions the IRA in a historical context, The Boys of the Old Brigade, for example, and a simple pro-IRA chant along the lines of 'ooh ah up the ra'.

I presume that the former is, quite rightly, far more prevalent at Ireland internationals than the latter.

 

Songs which specifically mention the IRA have been on the wane at Ireland games for well over a decade now.

Tbh, the only reference to the IRA at Ireland games now is probably the add ons to the Fields of Athenry. And even then, it’s not widespread.

Should England fans start singing anti‑IRA songs during this match, then it’d be more likely for the Free Staters among the Ireland support to join in with the songs celebrating the colonisation of their country rather than to retaliate with anti‑imperialist pro‑IRA anthems.

 

The chanting shouldn't really bother you, aye, but the riotous behaviour at Lansdowne should have.

I can't foresee England fans tearing up Wembley, though, and it's not as if there is a sizeable Combat 18 element at England matches these days anyway.

Just the tabloids sniffing for a story, methinks.

How should I know, I'm no anthropologist! :smiley-laughing002:

I was always under the impression that a few Irish fans at Lansdowne before the riot merely heckled * save the Queen, and that there wasn't any pro-IRA chanting at all.

 

What Pro-Ira songs are these?

 

Well there will be Rangers fans ,*cough*, I mean Chelsea going to support them so can't see why that won't happen,

 

£75 for a * about friendly to watch Ireland get thumped!?
Good luck to you.
Few lads I know are going, some in the England end, some in the Irish end.
The thought of sitting in the middle of a load of EDL lads at one end or being thrown around in an IRA wankfest at the other is value for money either way.

 

To be fair mate, the southerners aren't interested much in Northern politics these days. You'll not hear 'Roll of Honour' or BOTOB at a standard Ireland game. Against England though, things might be different.

 

They've got to pay off that debt somehow!

 

Well said.

 

Not so much Roll of Honour but Boys of the Old Brigade I've heard plenty times at Ireland games.

*, even Amhrán na bhFiann is about the struggles faced in Ireland. Most of Ireland's folk songs are similar, I suppose it's the way you look at it, Fields of Athenry is similar to me, about Irish struggles.

When people lamp the term 'pro-IRA' about I just assume they're talking about Irelands historical - to present day struggles.

 

I'm a semantics pedant so I see a big difference between songs and chants, the three you mention falling very much into the former category.

 

Aye I've heard BOTOB too but never really songs about the Provos.

 

What about when fans chant songs? :icon_mrgreen:

 

Now who's being a pedant? :smiley-laughing002:

You know what I'm getting at, though, a chant is something that is generally repetitive with no application outwith football, a song is something that has a historical and cultural application outwith football.

 

Hmmm... Not sure I agree with that mate, a lot of 'chanting' is down to and has been in us since before civilasation had put it's socks on. It's a tribalism thing.

 

In a football context there is a clear and obvious distinction between songs and chants.

You'll Never Walk Alone and Boys of the Old Brigade are clearly songs, whilst 'two Andy Goram's' and 'who's the mason(/*/*/insert applicable epithet) in the black' are both clearly chants.

 

It's a game of Football...who gives a *?

 

I do