The emergence of "Zombie" by The Cranberries as an Irish sporting anthem

Two examples below of horrendously stupid takes from supposed academics, qualifications must be handed out free with a packet of crisps in some educational establishments if this is the intellect of their graduates

Although it would seem that there was no issue with it when being sung at a festival in SFs West Belfast heartland, that renowned bastion of West Brit rugby supporters 🙄🙄

I think it is great this whole thread created by the OP shows that the majority of right thinking Irish people are moving away from the old tropes.

The majority of SF have to move away from the old 'up the ra' thousand yard stare tropes as well in order to get elected. I view it as a maturing of the Irish people. And the Irish people are slowly dragging Sinn Fein into normalisation - by democracy.

But the bit that annoys me is that the twitter/X comments in the OP's post view Zombie as a partitionist song. It is not. It is anti violence full stop.

In my view if anyone is partitionist it is SF - with two distinct parties North and South in two different jurisdictions who say very different things to each electorate. That is why SF have two leaders.

In SF NI - the rhetoric is more on symbolism and ending partition celebrating fallen heroes, and comrades who fought in 'the struggle' and so on

IN SF ROI - the rhetoric is focused on housing rent etc, the republican line is completely tone down to suit the electorate.

SF - a tale of two parties with two different rhetorics - that is partition in all but name IMO.

I take your point as a valid one. I don't think it was meant as criticism of nationalists per se, rather a reaction to that event.

But I could see that singing it at all Ireland sports event could be offensive to the broader nationalist community. In that case it is saying let's sing about a terrible event done in the name of nationalism, while ignoring what was done in the name of loyalism.

Especially if some, as it seems, are pushing it with an anti SF agenda.

shoot to kil was aimed at civilians and not at any PIRA individuals.

the SAS were themselves involved in killing of civilians in northern ireland.

shoot to kill had no effect on the PIRA agreeing to the good friday agreement and this mythical surrender.

it was actually the british who surrendered if there was any surrender, as they realised they could not defeat the PIRA and they could not bring an end to the conflict without sidelining beligerent unionism and ending the supremicist state.

Suppose if we had to come up with a good stadium chant, (and I feel it almost needs it's own thread at this stage purely for suggestions here) but I'd venture with a "Free from Desire" spin going with the lyrics "Keith Earls on fire...your defence is petrified!...Na-na-na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na!"

It's probably been done. Suggestions anyone.

The Shinners don't even hate it. I know many a Shinners who sings it at Limerick hurling matches.

Or at least they didn't hate it until this week when they got told to hate by their social media team.

You see it all the time here with Trump/Russia/NI/immigration. People just clearly rabbiting what ever they have been told to.

they acted in the name of the nationalist community and many of the irish people who supported the rebellion.

they would not have been able to do what they did without the support they had.

no they won't have acted in the name of everyone the same as the BA and british government didn't act in the name of everyone.

nationalists and catholics were oppressed under the apartheid regime that operated in northern ireland, so yes you were talking about victims families as well, all of who's subjecation you support based on your posts.

To be honest with you Snooker Loopy, I grew up in the North and people who come out with views as fervently entrenched as yours tended to be part of the problem — not part of the solution. There is plenty of blame to go around for what happened in the north, but there were plenty of people who crowed about murder and violence but did nothing constructive to actually promote or achieve it — and oft times fell into the same simplistic traps of "murderers this" and "bastards that" which actually probably compounded the problems. You seem to fall right into it.

There are many in the South who gladly milk the moral high ground afforded to them by the fact that the conflict was up North and they could preach peace from their armchairs. Things get a bit more complicated when it's a centuries old division woven into the very fabric of the world around you as soon as you opened the front door.

My advice to you would be to calm down and maybe turn to some other activity for the evening, other than being the arbiter of good and evil.