law74
Well-Known Member
I would be totally opposed to an all island football team, and for that matter a British isles side, though i can often be found at Clontarf or Stormont watching an all island cricket side.
One reason for this is that the ICU have never let politics interfere with their game, while in football, after partition the south split away from the senior association to form the FAI.
With regards to flags, the Irish Cricket team do not play under any flag other that that of the union, a blue field with the green shamrock, and do not have any anthems played before games.
Rugby has had its political moments as well, with it having came under pressure from De'valera (I think it was) to play the soldiers song and fly the tricolour, it came up with a compromise where they would fly the tricolour in Dublin and the Union in Belfast and play the soldiers song in Dublin and God Save the Queen in Belfast, but courted more controversy when after a spell of many years when all internationals were held in Dublin, a few years ago they played at Ravenhill and reneged on the previous compromise agreement.
Netball also still have North and South teams FWIW :-)
One reason for this is that the ICU have never let politics interfere with their game, while in football, after partition the south split away from the senior association to form the FAI.
With regards to flags, the Irish Cricket team do not play under any flag other that that of the union, a blue field with the green shamrock, and do not have any anthems played before games.
Rugby has had its political moments as well, with it having came under pressure from De'valera (I think it was) to play the soldiers song and fly the tricolour, it came up with a compromise where they would fly the tricolour in Dublin and the Union in Belfast and play the soldiers song in Dublin and God Save the Queen in Belfast, but courted more controversy when after a spell of many years when all internationals were held in Dublin, a few years ago they played at Ravenhill and reneged on the previous compromise agreement.
Netball also still have North and South teams FWIW :-)