Two interesting soccer-related pieces in today’s Irish Times. Davy Adams (a good man, in my experience, and a good writer) has a go at James
McClean, not, mark you, because McClean has chosen to play for the Republic of Ireland, but because of his reasons for so doing. Davy goes into some detail
about McClean saying that Derry is “a nationalist city, where everybody supports the Republic of Ireland. You’re
brought up that way”. Davy says
that’s a wrong thing to say – a “hurtful barb” according to the piece’s
headline – when around 18% of the city probably wouldn’t support the Republic.
And as for McClean saying “as a Catholic, you don’t really feel at home in the
Northern Ireland squad” – well, Davy figures that the IFA “bends over backwards
to ensure that Catholic players in particular are made feel welcome”.
Come on, Davy. Give us
a break. You know exactly what McClean meant – he meant “All my mates and
neighbours and all the people I hung around with and played with – we all supported
the Republic”. And you know the IFA is bending over backwards to welcome
Catholic players because so many of them, for a range of reasons, are heading
south. If McClean didn’t feel at
home in the NI squad – and he did play for them at youth level – there must
have been some justification for
it. Maybe check with Neil Lennon?
The second soccer
story is about the fact that the Republic of Ireland team, when they play Italy in the Euros next month, will wear black
armbands to commemorate those who died in the Loughinisland massacre. Remember that? Several UVF gunmen entered the Loughinisland
bar, where patrons were watching the Ireland vs Italy game eighteen years ago to the day, locked the doors and then went round the bar killing Catholics – six of them, the oldest being
87-year-old Barney Green. The gang knew they'd be Catholics, because they were watching a game involving the Republic. Nobody
was ever charged with the crime, and many of the families of the victims are
convinced the RUC investigation destroyed evidence and that there was a strong smell of collusion.
As I say, Davy is a good man and I like him; but
when it comes to soccer and hurtful, he just doesn’t get it.
Jude
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion Loughinisland was a brutal horrifying act of murder.
You, however, would no doubt point out:-
"Killing is what happens in violent conflict – people on one side plan ways of and engage in the killing of people on the other side. It’s ghastly. It’s primitive. But that’s what combatants do."
"combatants", was oul barney Green in the first world war,? i diden't know that.
ReplyDeleteSurprised me there Jude, when ye mentioned Mc Clean thought ye were going to comepare coleraine poppy bashing with friendly death threat banter.
ReplyDeleteI really need to stop reading articles online because they just get me angry. The Davy Adams article on McLean truly was awful and got slated by everyone including me who replied to it. Davy seems to be looking for reasons as to why McLean made his choice and as you noted came out with comedy gold statements like the IFA are bending over backwards to welcome catholic players, bending over backwards just as long as we dont have to do anything with flags, anthem or stadium location you know the actual things that matter. His article then bacame even more ridiculous as he started to talk about young catholics being bullied for having protestant names and questioned McLeans heritage due to his non gaelic name. First of all we are all a bit of planter and gael, no name is exclusively catholic or protestant, Mclean is derived from a gaelic name and finally who cares you only have to look at many in SF with their English and Scots names including Davys namesake so whats his point?
ReplyDeleteOn to the black armbands. I was quite honestly sickened by some of the whataboutery and tribal point scoring regarding this subject on P.ie (most have now been deleted by the mods) I honestly thought this was an idea that noone could have argued with but I was wrong. Many couldnt see why only this tragedy was being remembered and not others, the fact the people were murdered because they were watching the Republic of Ireland football team and that the match in June is on the anniversary against the same team just didnt seem to register with some - I really give up I always thought people in Northern Ireland were smart but no many are as thick as pig $hit
giordanobruno: Wrong, combatants do not kill noncombatants. It happens of course but it's still outside the rules of war. It's called collateral damage, not like Loughinisland which was cold blooded murder.
ReplyDeleteGi o can correct me if I'm wrong,but I assume he was quoting one of Jude's previous responses back at him.
ReplyDeleteJim Lynch
ReplyDeleteI agree.
I was quoting Jude from a previous article he posted relating to IRA actions.
giordanobruno: Apologies to you.
ReplyDeleteJude shame on you, LOL.
giordanobruno: Accept my apology.
ReplyDeleteJude you should ashamed of yourself.
LOL!