What is our/ Irish peoples obsession with The Fields Of Athenry song? It's a nice song to sing yes.

You can inset IRA and SF in to any song you want, but people are much more likely to insert them in to songs which stir up anti-British hatred, as is the case.

You would be the very one who would be complaining if, for example, the Scottish ladies football team was chanting "Up the UVF". Or if there were loyalist songs being sung by the crowd at a Scottish football match, saying for example"the famine is ov-ver, why dooon't youu go homee". With a UVF or UDA chant included in the version in the pub afterwards.

If you talk to a lot of people in N.I., I think you will find they were "very offended" by the pIRA campaign, which some look on there as ethnic cleansing, and clearly - if you ever listened to a loyalist - they do not love the Uh Ah Up the Ra as much as you do.

You thought there was nothing wrong with teams in dressing rooms chanting up the ra.

What do you think of Ferris doing fist pumps when 'RA is inserted in to the Fields of Athenry?

As I said, you would be the very one who would be complaining if, for example, the Scottish ladies football team was chanting "Up the UVF". Or if there were loyalist songs being sung by the crowd at a Scottish football match, saying for example"the famine is ov-ver, why dooon't youu go homee". With a UVF or UDA chant included in the version in the pub afterwards.

You said you have no problem with a team chanting "Up the RA", as long as a video is not shared.

What if there are people on that team or in the changing rooms next door or people in the corridor who had family victims of the pIRA, for example, or who simply do not agree with singing support for paramilitaries?

Of course you would want evidence of people being offended.

When you see nothing wrong with the Irish ladies soccer team chanting uh Ah Up the RA - except they were caught / filmed - it is quite obvious if there is a UI that people who do not agree with the pIRA would not be welcome on the team.... to put it lightly.

Do you think everyone in the pub that Martin Ferris walked in to agreed with him doing fist pumps to the chants of IRA inserted in to "Fields of Athenry"? Of course there is no "evidence" people are ever offended by inserts of IRA in to Fields of Athenry, says you.

You would be the very one complaining if there were chants of UVF or whatever in to loyalist songs in public places.

It is depressing song ( what could be more depressing than famine, death, forced emigration, bitterness against our neighbours etc ) and since it became popular, the Irish soccer team has done worse than ever. It is a pity - but no surprise - it is sometimes hijacked by extremist Republicans who insert the IRA and SF in to it. Not at rugby matches, but sometimes in pubs etc. One good thing, it drives the day of a U.I. further away.

As regards the IRA chants among sprts teams, it is a pity you still think poor innocent girls ( who possibly have family or friends who were victims of the IRA) should have to endure IRA chants from their team mates, if they are on a sports team. As noted previously, if is the kind of Ireland you hope to entice Northerners in to, to play on the national soccer team, good luck with that. Will not happen.

Simple solution, stop singing your songs glorfying paramilitaries, and stop tarnishing songs by inserting IRA and SF in to them.

As I said, you would be the very one who would be complaining if, for example, the Scottish ladies football team was chanting "Up the UVF". Or if there were loyalist songs being sung by the crowd at a Scottish football match, saying for example"the famine is ov-ver, why dooon't youu go homee". With a UVF or UDA chant included in the version in the pub afterwards.

Why do you still think poor innocent girls ( who possibly have family or friends who were victims of the IRA) should have to endure IRA chants from their team mates, if they are on a sports team?

It would be a solution if people stop singing your songs glorfying paramilitaries - it does not matter if it is IRA or UVF. In this country / on the island it is mostly songs glorifying the IRA we hear about, be it from the national soccer team or Feile etc. Or even the pub, as someone said when they witnessed Ferris fist thumping when IRA and SF was unsurprisingly inserted in Fields of Athenry.

As I said, and you ignored , you would be the very one who would be complaining if, for example, the Scottish ladies football team was chanting "Up the UVF". Or if there were loyalist songs being sung by the crowd at a Scottish football match, saying for example"the famine is ov-ver, why dooon't youu go homee". With a UVF or UDA chant included in the version in the pub afterwards.

You still have not explained why do you still think poor innocent girls ( who possibly have family or friends who were victims of the IRA) should have to endure IRA chants from their team mates, if they are on a sports team?

It is time IRA chants stopped being inserted in to the Fields or at the end of ladies national football matches.

It is not the singing of songs, it is the vocal glorification of paramilitaries. To be condemned on both sides.

When IRA is inserted in to it, it turns more sinister. We were also talking about the "Uh ah, Up the Ra" chants by sports teams.

If the N. Irish or Scottish team was chanting UVF or UDA, or inserting that in to loyalist songs, would you think that was right?

No it is not, it is a song with a reference to the IRA which does not fit in. IRA words / chants are much more likely to be inserted in to songs stirring anti-British feeling / dragging up old memories of the famine etc. As is the case.

How come I answer your questions but you do not answer mine. For example:

If the N. Irish or Scottish team was chanting UVF or UDA, or inserting that in to loyalist songs, would you think that was right?

But you think singing loyalist sings are designed to taunt, so you condemn them of course.

Obviously when you condone sports teams chanting Uh Ah Up the RA, you refuse to condemn that because you say it is not designed to taunt. Tough luck if one of the girls on the team had a family friend or whatever killed or mained by the IRA, or just did not agree with the 'RA.

You are tallking in circles Francie, it is tedious your hypocracy.

Of course the pIRA did not exist at the time the fields of Athenry refers to, but why do you think Martin Ferris and others react with fist pumps to the insertion of IRA and SF in to the song, "Fields of Athenry"?

I suppose it is not surprising when you condone one set of paramilitaries but condemn those on the other side. Most decent people condemn both.