Ireland v England - Victory for sport, sanity and unity

WHEN the joint Garda and Army No 1 Bands played God Save the Queen on Saturday, several thousand supporters joined in, without a boo, a catcall, or a derisory whistle from a crowd of more than 80,000 people.

Following the hospitable respect that was shown for the British national anthem, one sensed that the Irish people in the crowd were never more proud of being Irish.

They demonstrated this with a passionate rendition of Amhrán na bhFiann that brought tears to the eyes of a number of the players, and will never be forgotten by those who witnessed the occasion.