Northern Ireland fans carrying Union flags.....

Johnny Utah · 10-02-2011 09:27PM #1

Northern Ireland played Scotland in a soccer match last night at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. A significant number of Northern Ireland fans displayed the Union Jack flag where they were seated. Having watched the match, I did not notice any Scottish supporters using the Union Jack. Instead, they displayed the Scottish national flag.

Why can't the Northern Ireland supporters just use their own national flag when supporting their national team? They weren't there to support Britain or the UK, so why did they bring their Union Jacks?

Do they use the Union Jack in an attempt to provoke Nationalists (who may also support the Northern Ireland team) and incite trouble?

What do you think?

Wolfe Tone · 10-02-2011 09:29PM

Ask yourself why so few catholics play for the norths team, and look at the reception those who did got and you will see what type of folks they are.

tallaghtmick · 10-02-2011 09:31PM

because its what they believe in get over it

Donal Og O Baelach · 10-02-2011 09:31PM

Not wishing to generalise or anything - but Nordies in general are a bit odd...

3hn2givr7mx1sc · 10-02-2011 09:32PM

No pride in their own flag?

ShamoBuc · 10-02-2011 09:32PM

I've stopped trying to make sense of what they do. No point.

Agricola · 10-02-2011 09:32PM

Its laughable really. They always like to bang on about "our wee country" yet they seem to have no discernible nationality of their own and just like to cling to Queen Lizzy as tightly as possible.

Rented Mule · 10-02-2011 09:35PM

They are more British than anyone in England. Just as the Nationalists/Republicans in the north are more Irish than anyone in the Republic.

KeithAFC · 10-02-2011 09:35PM

Why can't the Northern Ireland supporters just use their own national flag

They did. Seen plenty of Ulster banners.

gurramok · 10-02-2011 09:35PM

GSTQ was played as the National anthem of Northern Ireland and Flower of Scotland was played as the National Anthem of Scotland.

I believe that the Northern fans booed the Scottish anthem first and then the Scots roundly booed GSTQ in return. Crazy situation alright, the actual country in Britain booing the UK anthem while the 'nation' outside Britain was not booing. And to top it all off, a huge chunk of our Northern Unionist friends have proud Scottish heritage!

Yeh, its all fecked up alright Jack :P

Hazys · 10-02-2011 09:37PM

Who cares?

mikom · 10-02-2011 09:38PM

Johnny Utah wrote: »

A significant number of Northern Ireland fans displayed the Union Jack flag where they were seated. Having watched the match, I did not notice any Scottish supporters using the Union Jack.

Scotland won 3-0.
There's a lesson there for all of us.

Redlion · 10-02-2011 09:40PM

Northern Ireland doesn't have a national flag, as neither side can come to an agreement on it. This leads to many Nationalists using the Republic of Ireland flag and many Unionists using the Union Jack. Seems reasonable to me, considering their backgrounds and beliefs.

galwayrush · 10-02-2011 09:41PM

Some of them always did, move along now, nothing to see here ...:rolleyes:

Notorious97 · 10-02-2011 09:42PM

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Ask yourself why so few catholics play for the norths team, and look at the reception those who did got and you will see what type of folks they are.

True, Neil Lennon got an awful time, and still is if recent reports of bullets being posted to Celtic staff is to be believed, scumbags

Im sure genuine Northern Irish football fans travelled down for it, and i hope they had a cracking night out on the rip afterwards! but i did hear reports from the Ringsend area of Dublin of some trouble with union flags and loyalist songs.

Suppose get arseholes on both sides of it though! May fixture might have some trouble when Rep of Ireland play NI unfortunately.

mickydoomsux · 10-02-2011 09:45PM

Look at the crowd when Cork are playing in Croker. Lots of Japanese and Canadian flags waving about. How dare they!!!

It's a piece of material with colour on it. It's 2011, grow up.

ejmaztec · 10-02-2011 09:45PM

If all of the Union Jacks in the North were taken down, there would be an extra four hours of daylight, and they wouldn't have to light fires to see where they're going.

Babyblessed · 10-02-2011 09:48PM

northern Ireland does have a flag of its own...

http://www.greenwichmeantime.com/time-zone/europe/uk/flag.htm

The union flag is all the flags superimposed on each other. So they were carrying a flag partly supporting Scotland!

Wolfe Tone · 10-02-2011 09:48PM

I wonder what will it be like when they play the Irish team?

RichieC · 10-02-2011 09:49PM

I wish sectarians from both sides would get the f*ck out of my country.

KeithAFC · 10-02-2011 09:50PM

You would think it is a crime going by the OP. Loyalists with the Union flag shocker.

Bottle_of_Smoke · 10-02-2011 09:51PM

Apparently a few windows got put in and there was some minor rioting. Have a feeling the final game (ni vs roi) may be cancelled as its on around the same time as the queen's visit and the 30yr anniversary of bobby sands death.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKtRwr_0qp0

supposedly this was outside a bar

though I did hear there were some decent fans on the radio apologising for the scumbag element

gurramok · 10-02-2011 09:52PM

Notorious97 wrote: »

True, Neil Lennon got an awful time, and still is if recent reports of bullets being posted to Celtic staff is to be believed, scumbags

Im sure genuine Northern Irish football fans travelled down for it, and i hope they had a cracking night out on the rip afterwards! but i did hear reports from the Ringsend area of Dublin of some trouble with union flags and loyalist songs.

Suppose get arseholes on both sides of it though! May fixture might have some trouble when Rep of Ireland play NI unfortunately.

Lots of NI fans did drink in 2 Irishtown pubs, most had their national flag wrapped around them rather than the Union Jack.

Outside O'Neills pub, there was a giant union flag draped over one of their cars while the fans were drinking around it. From what I heard some fans were abusive to locals while others were not, why can they not leave the sectarian baggage at home?

I did hear the beautiful song of 'sticking the tricolour up your arse' from a group of lads in the next street.

Somehow they pronounce the word tricolour different from us, not using the emphasis on 'try' in their pronunciation.:) That's what I learnt from the night!

mickydoomsux · 10-02-2011 09:55PM

gurramok wrote: »

...why can they not leave the sectarian baggage at home?

Because these people are utterly worthless and this is all they have in their lives.

Notorious97 · 10-02-2011 09:56PM

gurramok wrote: »

Lots of NI fans did drink in 2 Irishtown pubs, most had their national flag wrapped around them rather than the Union Jack.

Outside O'Neills pub, there was a giant union flag draped over one of their cars while the fans were drinking around it. From what I heard some fans were abusive to locals while others were not, why can they not leave the sectarian baggage at home?

I did hear the beautiful song of 'sticking the tricolour up your arse' from a group of lads in the next street.

Somehow they pronounce the word tricolour different from us, not using the emphasis on 'try' in their pronunciation.:) That's what I learnt from the night!

lol! yea i heard similar accounts. I wish they would leave the ****e at home, same goes for Irish people during the game against NI. Football should be football.

I used to go to the ROI V NI games years ago when i was a kid with my da and the atmosphere was always good at the games

Duckworth_Luas · 10-02-2011 09:57PM

Bottle_of_Smoke wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKtRwr_0qp0

I'm sure that, like us, the French and Italians are fuming! Not to mention the Ivory Coast. Those boys must be deeply hurt.

gsxr1 · 10-02-2011 09:59PM

Donal Og O Baelach wrote: »

Not wishing to generalise or anything - but Nordies in general are a bit odd...

thats sweet coming from Mayo alright .

Eddie Ervine always flew the green shamrock of Ireland to avoid upsetting people from NI. Good move as he had the whole Island behind him.

Terrontress · 10-02-2011 09:59PM

Wolfe Tone wrote: »

Ask yourself why so few catholics play for the norths team, and look at the reception those who did got and you will see what type of folks they are.

Well last night there were at least 4 Catholics playing. Baird, McCourt, McGinn and Boyce. I wouldn't be surprised if there were more but I don't know.

I think it is not as bad as you make out.

R P McMurphy · 10-02-2011 09:59PM

What years were those in Notorious?, I was at a few in years gone by and the atmosphere was anything but receptive in windsor park

pragmatic1 · 10-02-2011 09:59PM

Rented Mule wrote: »

They are more British than anyone in England. Just as the Nationalists/Republicans in the north are more Irish than anyone in the Republic.

They have an idea of what it is to be "British", but that concept of Britishness has long since died. They remind me of white S.Africans.

steddyeddy · 10-02-2011 10:02PM

Their an insecure lot and the notion that the majority of their british friends want nothing to do with them doesnt help their securities.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2001/aug/21/northernireland.northernireland1

Northern Ireland fans carrying Union flags.....

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