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

Sing whatever you like.

Some people trying to turn a few old criticisms on Twitter into a national outrage.

His meaning is clear.

He's doing a rambling Trump style, switching between arguing that no-one can criticize the song, to talking about bombs in the street and terrorists not giving warnings.

Either that's his point, or he needs to be medically assessed urgently, take your pick?

What's the bun fight in the Med???

Anyone can sing the song as far as I'm concerned, just keep the Trump, culture-war politics out of Irish sports.

Oh do tell us what he meant so?

So you're lying and exaggerating. Glad you cleared that up. That's what Trump does. That's what SF does.

This thread is a fecking zombie.

Are we saying 'but.. but... Sinn Fein' for the housing crises now too?

And we can thank SF for that. They started all this because they don't like Irish people being reminded of their history. And they don't like the fact that most Irish people think the RA were a bunch of murderous, terrorist ****.

And what's your issue with what Leo said? Was he wrong?

Don’t worry. We’re ashamed you’re Irish too.

You think it's the few SF supporters on Twitter pushing this? Or the leaders of FFG out briefing the press?

I know the Cranberries were criticized in some quarters at the time for cashing in on terrorism with the song. I don't think that was the case for the band, but it's certainly what FFG are up to now.

Disgusting carry on.

Hello everyone.

I registered as I felt the need to clarify a few things on this issue. I skimmed through a few pages so apologies if I'm repeating what someone has already said.

There has been a lot of misunderstanding about the gripe that many people here in the north have towards this song. That she (Dolores O'Riordan) sang against violence is not the issue; 99.9% of people would endorse that message.

Criticising the song has got nothing to do with supporting terrorism.

The issue (and it's not just Dolores, she is just one of many that hold such a view in the south) is the one sided view of what took place up here, with an emphasis on what nationalists did combined with little regard for what nationalists went through (Joe Brolly has spoken much more on this prevailing attitude in the south). Ultimately (and this is the main gripe) she is a foreigner, writing a song about a subject she hadn't lived through nor had much knowledge of. The troubles had been going on 25 years, she had plenty of subject matter to go on if she really wanted to sing "an anti-war song".

What happend to those two young boys in Warrington was obviously an abomination, and the dignity shown by the parents has been very moving (the one we're most accustomed to is Tim Parry who has appeared on Ulster television over the years. An incredible human being who somehow is able to forgive). I'd witnessed ten years of violence at that point. The year previous to Warrington a 17 year old from my school (and a friend of my brother with both them musicians) was killed and we went to his funeral. While I never lost anyone in my family you were in the constant presence of death, including in my own housing estate when we heard a car bomb that took the life of an innocent young man (visiting his girlfriend), and then witnessing doors frantically being knocked in search of a nurse to try and save him.

The problem is this song should have skewered all violence, rather than just references to one side (again, a southern trait). At the very least she could have done some research, especially if you are going to be the public face of a song on the subject. The Newsletter (unionist newspaper) fully endorses the song, of course they would.

She could have gone to her local library in Limerick and read a bit.

Here's an Irish Times article (I cant post the link as a new user, so just Google the headline to read more)

Children of the Troubles: They took a child off the road, put a hood over his head and killed him

"Patrick Rooney loved horror movies and Halloween, and wanted to be a priest when he grew up. In August 1969, the nine-year-old was killed when the RUC fired into his home during rioting in Belfast, the first of at least 186 children to die in what would become known as the Troubles in Northern Ireland."

"When 14-year-old Philip Rafferty left his home in west Belfast to go to band practice, his mother, Maureen, made sure he was wearing his new winter coat. The next time she saw it was in a plastic bag at his inquest, saturated with blood. On January 30th, 1973, Philip was on his way home when he was abducted from the street by loyalist paramilitaries. He was taken to the Giant’s Ring, outside Belfast, where they hooded him with his coat, beat him, and then shot him several times. The night before, the same UDA gang had shot and killed another teenager, Peter Watterson, who was standing outside his mother’s newsagents on the nearby Falls Road. Philip and Peter were among a number of victims of sectarian murders of Catholic children carried out by loyalists at that time."

"Of the children killed during the course of the Troubles, 80 per cent were Catholic. Twenty-nine per cent of deaths took place in west Belfast, and 24 per cent in north Belfast. Together they represent 95 fatalities, more than half of the children killed as a result of the Troubles. Two-thirds of children’s deaths took place in Belfast and Derry."

That's just that's some cases, there are of course plenty of young protestant kids who were killed.

All deaths of innocent civilians (and in this case children) were abhorrent, which the song doesn't represent. It's a song of phenomenal ignorance given her lack of knowledge on the subject, and arrogance to think she had the stature to produce it.

Attacking irish people in the north is a form of southern snobbery. A holier than thou attitude. "Look at those troublemaking Irish northerners" is what the song encompasses. Perhaps those who do it do so because they feel being of the same faith/identity they can. The "West Brit" label somewhat covers this type of attitude, certainly in terms of constantly looking at it from one side. Just to be clear on the West Brit mention, I brought it up as it's a known phrase. While I'm Irish I hold both an Ireland and a UK passport and have no issue regarding Brits (nor should we given the immense amount of British culture we consume). No truck with violence, bigotry etc.

Ultimately, the song is from a foreign source and does not represent what it could have had the writer of it properly done research on what she was singing about.

Just reading through the comments and thought I'd quote this, as I think you're getting the gist of this issue.

This place has developed an echo.

FFS get over yourself. We don't need essays explaining every incident and aspect of the Troubles. Most Irish people are probably well aware of what happened and many would have their own stories from th es or lived experience. No need for lectures.

This thread is about the song Zombie. Not the troubles as a whole. A song written by a young artist who was so disgusted by the actions of few who were killing children and said they were doing it in her name. She said they were not. And she was saying **** you to both sides who believed the killings were justified.

If the song upset nationalists in the north, it's because it held a mirror up to them and they didn't like what they saw.

So northern nationalists problem was Dolores was a foreigner ehh? Sounds a bit partitionist to me.....