The Irish womens team singing 'Up the Ra'

She’s the captain and being the spokeswoman for the team is part of her duties. She was calm and composed. Putting the reserve goalkeeper in front of the cameras may have been a very bad idea.

The manager told us that some of the team had been crying about it. I’m a woman and we are an emotional species. It’s not worth pretending we’re not. But that’s not the image the women’s team should be portraying. They’re strong and fearless on the pitch and that’s how we should think of them off pitch too.

Has to go down as one the most odd/random things to do. Female soccer players, all very young, qualify for a WC, and are jumping around a dressing room singing up the RA? Wtf..where did this come from..

what was wrong with Ooh ah, Paul McGrath!

“——— we would all have been pro IRA ————“ !!!!!!!!!!????????

Im at the stage of my life that when I hear anyone chanting "up the ra" I just roll my eyes and silently pass judgement on those singing it that they are a bit dim. The team made a huge error in judgement and have given the English and Irish media an excuse to overshadow what was a massive achievement for our little country.

It was a great result for women's sport. Roll on the world cup.

Well in that case we will have to stop singing the Fields of Athenry which is a protest song regarding against the occupation of Ireland by Britain, how Britain felt that Ireland deserved its mass genocide of people and transporting them to Australia in prison ships for stealing bread to feed their families.

The lyrics say Michael’s crime is that he "stole Trevelyan's corn" – a reference to Sir Charles Edward Trevelyan, a senior British civil servant at Dublin Castle who infamously said: "The judgement of God sent the calamity to teach the Irish a lesson”.

Scratch it off the list.

How about Tommy Makems song 4 green fields depicting the 4 provinces and how one of them in bondage but would be returned through violence.

is Nation Once Again Banned.

How about the Galtee mountain boy. Gone.

Viva La Quinta Brigada - throw that in the bin.

how about joe McDonnell. Young man interned without any crime committed or any trial. Went on Hunger Strike.

Sure why not whitewash our history so not one mention of a volunteer from 1916, 1921/ 22 exists. But the poppy is still allowed.

Lots on here would love that.

How about the Mahdi army, or Badr organization...? Or any of a few dozen other anti ISIS militias?

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Private_militias_in_Iraq

Irony, mourning the victims of the Creeslough gas explosion one week, then singing Up the RA the next. The football girls really need to be reminded and educated as to what an IRA semtex explosion can do, vis a vis a gas explosion!

They both result in massive loss of life with bits of people ejected far and wide. Singing up the RA is stupid, ignorant and really silly, (specially in the aftermath of Creeslough).

Great result on the pitch, amazing result with my wife in tears as the whistle blew, the celebrations began and the reality sank in "Were in the World Cup), then the dressing room news leaks out :-(

Oh dear.

It really doesn't do anything of the sort.

Well my girls are in Oz and will be going. The draw is in 8 days, I think. They’ll need the jerseys now so that’s xmas presents sorted.

What annoys me more than the women singing up the RA are the West Brit types on here with their faux outrage for the atrocities commited by the IRA. They never once use the context of the war in the North and the civil and murderous actions of the British Government. The RA werent just fighting for the craic like.

The girls let themselves down without a doubt. They have tarnished their achievement. But the hand wringing and paint the IRA as the bogeyman while letting the british government and loyalists away scott free is West Brit Leinster Rugby territory.

Rebel songs are part of irish history and culture. If you're repulsed or shocked by them then don't read an Irish history book.

Seriously no wonder it took 800 years to get rid of the Brits from 26 counties. The quality of Irish men and women is shocking if this thread is any sort of representation.

Same twats condemning this are probably Slava Ukraine on every platform without a hint of irony.

People support their own, I find it deeply distasteful to see players in England wearing the poppy.

Their Fans singing their military songs, of course I do.

That's life though, people instinctively celebrate their side.

Singing songs like that is really no difference to fleggers in the north burning Irish flags on their bonfires

So if the girls danced around a burning Union Jack that would be the same thing?

You sure? 😕

The only good thing to come from it. The North is a shambles.

The team are an international embarrassment though.

They were silly to be singing it. They were stupid to be singing it while being recorded.

Have your 15 minutes of public celebration, but when you're in the dressing room, as Joseywhales says above, "We have no business knowing what happens in a dressing room, it's supposed to be a private safe area for a team."

The youngest and the oldest and everyone inbetween should know when to put the phones away!

If this is what sets a United Ireland back many years we are all doomed.

Anyway, they did something stupid (on many levels) then came out and apologiesed. I am not sure what else people want them to do.

If you go on Twitter the people defending it are the same ones who’d lose their fcuking minds if the lionesses sang No surrender after they won the euros.

I couldn’t care who sings what, If an UKer called me a Fenian I would just laugh, it’s the hypocrisy that I find wearying.