Time for Ireland to stand up and be counted

MUCH and all as it might pain some of us to accept it (and yes, I’m one of the disappointed), Amhrán na bhFiann is not the national anthem of everyone on this island.

Those of us in the 26-county republic, yes, the nationalists (of all creeds and none) in six of the constitutionally-conceded counties of Ulster, yes, “sinne Fianna Fáil, atá faoi gheall ag Éirinn.” But our Orange brethren in those same six counties, well, they have their own loyalties, different loyalties, and for as long as they constitute the majority in that statelet, well they’re entitled to them.

So, when rugby’s powers-that-be decided that the Irish team needed an anthem that would reflect this reality, that would be inclusive, could be sung with passion, with sincerity, with feeling, by everyone on the island, I thought, fine.