The sectarian shame of Ireland’s women’s football team

How bad is Irish nationalism’s sectarian problem? In the somewhat Panglossian world occupied by nationalist and republican activists and politicians – boosted by recent census and election results – it doesn’t really feature in the discussion. 

At the recent ‘Ireland’s Future’ conference in Dublin, attended by thousands of people, the grubby stuff – the legacy of the Troubles and all – barely featured amidst the hopeful mood music and good vibes. The sight of the Republic of Ireland’s women’s football team celebrating their World Cup qualification in Glasgow earlier this week with the pro-IRA chant of ‘Oh, Ah, Up the ‘RA” – a line taken from a Wolfe Tones song – struck a discordant tone.

A group of young women, born largely in the supposed golden era of the peace process, deciding the best way to celebrate their sporting triumph was to sing this song was strange. Have they not got better songs to sing given the Irish musical lexicon? Uefa, the inimitably useless regulator of European football, have begun an investigation and the Football Association of Ireland have apologised.