Anthem anathema

Sir, – The Irish national rugby team is perennially put at a disadvantage during "away" fixtures as a result of the Irish Rugby Football Union failing to continue the tradition of having our national anthem, Amhrán na bhFiann , performed alongside the national anthem of the opposing "home" team. This was demonstrated most painfully last Saturday when the national anthem of England, God Save the Queen , was performed with gusto and admirable pride by the English rugby supporters at Twickenham. Irish rugby supporters had to endure the unflattering contrast of a glorified pub song, Ireland's Call , being played in lieu of Ireland's national anthem.

The "cringe-factor" that this unnecessary situation elicits will be further accentuated when the Ireland rugby team travels to Paris next month, and has to endure Ireland's Call being matched-up to La Marseillaise . The comparison from an Irish point of view can be summed-up in two words: national embarrassment.

In addition, if our President or our Taoiseach were to be in attendance for an away match, they would have to (as I’m sure they have done so previously) suffer the ignominy of our national anthem not being played despite our head of state or head of government’s presence in the stadium.

There is a reasonable solution to this increasingly unacceptable situation at "away" fixtures. If, for the sake of a small number of rugby players from the unionist tradition in Northern Ireland, Ireland's Call is to be retained by the IRFU, then the IRFU should allow Amhrán na bhFiann to be performed before Ireland's Call at "away" matches, just as both of these songs are officially performed for the Ireland rugby team at "home" fixtures in Dublin (a practice which has never been objected to by opposing national teams).

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Having two songs performed at away matches would not be unreasonable (and would be excusable on the basis that there exists a border which divides our nation), as this is what is essentially practised by several other rugby nations such as New Zealand, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji; each of whom perform effectively a second anthem, in the form of a war dance, after their sung anthem. It is time for the IRFU to restore our national anthem at “away” matches and end the disgrace of its absence. – Yours, etc,

JOHN B REID,

Knapton Road,

Monkstown,

Co Dublin.