Sheena Feena Fall A Tallish Girl From Sauron

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How well do you know your anthem

Delzer, from the People’s Republic of Cork website, asks:

Many people, possibly even most, Irish people, do not know all the words to the national anthem. People want to move on as soon as possible from the silent awkwardness of not knowing it so you’ll hear roars of “C’mon [insert county]!” well before the end of the song.
The GAA do almost nothing to promote the Irish language or the national anthem. Almost all the interior signage in Pairc Úi Chaoimh and Croke Park is exclusively in English for example. 

A small campaign to encourage supporters to sing it could be easily implemented at little or no cost. Instructing teams not to break away before the band finishes playing would help generate more respect for the anthem too.

In fairness, the lads at  [GAA] HQ are busy though. There are pay walls to erect and big country music concerts to sort out.

Anyone?

Also: FIGHT!

What is it with the Irish and their national anthem (People’s Republic of Cork)

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70 thoughts on “Sheena Feena Fall A Tallish Girl From Sauron

    1. John E. Bravo

      Agreed; I know all the bits that are sung at matches… poor tune, even if it’s got a good dramatic drop in pitch at the fourth-last phrase.

    2. Moan

      Christy Moore shoud be axed along with that sorry anthem.

      And can the GAA not ban Irish as well?

      How about Danny Boy for a new anthem?

  1. Rob_G

    Loads of signage in Irish in Croke Park, he’s talking through his hoop.

    Also – slow news day? What next, what someone thinks in the journal.ie comment section?

    1. Snoouchthebigoouch

      I’d prefer if the GAA dropped the Irish language angle and the playing of National Anthem as well – as a sporting organisation I think it’s misguided of them to still have this historical relics knocking around.

  2. Michelle

    In fairness though, the anthem should be respected and people should know it especially when attending an event that was set up to actively promote Irish and Irish culture through sport.

    Now, everyone together: “She’s a female fawn…”

    1. rmc

      “the anthem should be respected” Should really be though? I posit that nationalism is for knuckle-draggers.

      1. Odis

        Spot on. This “Our Tune” thing, seems to be more and more an American thing nowadays.

  3. YourNan

    The People’s Republic of Cork forum is possibly an even lower aggregation of knuckledraggers than this website, I really fail to see the need to repost the absolute drivel posted there.

  4. Am i still On this Island

    It amazes me how few people actually wait till the anthem
    Is finished before shouting some random comment.

    Anyone who attended the Navy v Notre same game last year will probably have witnessed the Irish anthem played and sung in full without a cheer before the last bar finished! Very few countries act like we do towards their anthem, just look at the recent WC in Brazil were teams and fans even sang an extra verse when the music stopped

    1. rotide

      There was a reason for that. In the confederations cup, FIFA decided that brazils anthem was too long so insisted that it be cut short. The crowd just sang the extra bit anyway. It was pretty amazing in the confed cup. It became a bit contrived in the world cup.

      1. Am i still On this Island

        & Chile? They did the same, but the relevance of the due respect being shown To all anthems remains

  5. jeremy kyle

    National anthems feel kind of redundant to me.

    The only one I like is Italy’s, can we just rip their one off?

    1. Buglebum

      I vote that it be replaced with an instrumental tune. Maybe something nice by Moving Hearts or Kila

      1. Medium Sized C

        If we did that, people would sing “lo lo lo” to the music like they do in Spain and Argentina.

    2. Odis

      Re-write it so its like “Gloria” by Them. That’s easy to remember and would sound enthusiastic at sports contests.

  6. mike

    I’d say very very few know ALL the words to the national anthem. However, a good few, including me, probably know the words to the chorus, that what is sung at GAA matches, the subject of this post etc.

    1. mike

      Oops, ignore that. Should’a read wikipedia first. Only the chorus of The Soldiers Song is the anthem.

  7. Wayne Carr

    Nationalism is for knuckledraggers, man. I’m a citizen of the world, dude.

    F**kin’ pinkos.

      1. scottser

        to paraphrase principal skinner – ‘why these election buttons are all partisan. can’t we have ones with ‘may the best man win’ or ‘let’s have a good clean race?’

    1. Clampers Outside!

      pinkos? …because nationalists are gay. I guess the man was right when he said, twas the only way the IRA could infiltrate the MI5… was with the gay lads under covers.

    2. Odis

      Oh Yeah. Most people have paid good money to watch a match. They probably don’t see why they should have to join in some grim old karaoke contest. FFS.

  8. Jock

    People that are it anthems are best avoided. It’s a rubbish, archaic song that celebrates nationalism.

      1. The Old Boy

        I liked Billy Connolly’s suggestion that it be replaced with the theme from BBC Radio soap “The Archers”, which has the advanntage of not having words so the crowd can just sing Dum-di-dum-di-dum-di-dum.

  9. Welshie

    The lack of love for the anthem in Ireland is so sad. I learnt it and I never had an Irish class in my life.

    1. jeremy kyle

      I don’t see why it’s so sad to be honest. It doesn’t mean I hate Ireland or my heritage. I just don’t really like the song. I feel like it’s a bit sombre whereas I’d prefer if we had something a bit more jaunty.

      1. Mulch

        What do you mean by jaunty?
        The real inspiration is in the lyrics of the song. Although its harder to grasp if you don’t know the translation of it. I think this is where the real disconnect is for people.

      2. scottser

        jaunty? where are ya going with a jaunty anthem? an irish anthem should be proudly pessimistic, slightly delusional with a emphasis on our persecution complex. and it should be in Dm, ‘the saddest of all keys’.

  10. ReproBertie

    The GAA display the words to the national anthem on the big screen in Croke Park before every game. I can’t remember if they still do but they used to print them in the match programme too.

    How about taking some personal responsibility and learning the words and singing the whole thing yourself, if that’s what you want to do, rather than taking a dig at the GAA.

    As as aside, supporters of teams from Northern Ireland tend to wait until the end to start roaring.

    1. Import

      Agreed. I don’t have a word of formal Irish education, but I became Irish recently and it is high on my ‘list’ to learn the whole anthem. Because it’s my country, and I should be able to show support in this small way. I’m most of the way through it, learning it phonetically.

    2. niafall

      Also used to be in the programme? As recently as 2012, last time I was in country for a game. How much do they want? Christian brothers handing out beatings to people who get the words wrong? Worked back in the day I suppose…

  11. Mulch

    The poster is right that it should be respected to the end. They used to post the anthem in the match programmes, but that may have gone by the wayside. It still comes up on the screens.
    If you’re not arsed to learn the national anthem of your own country, then that says more about you than anything else.

          1. Mulch

            Good to know. Neither am I. You know that you don’t have to take to the words of a song literally right?!
            The song was written over a hundred years ago in an Ireland that bears faint resemblance to today. You could describe the lyrics as nationalist to a point, but i would put it more in the camp of patriotic that nationalist.
            And if a country cannot be patriotic in its own national anthem ,where can it be?

  12. K

    I was taught our national anthem by a South African gentleman of Indian descent who was substituting for my Junior Cert Irish teacher that day.
    I remember reading once that it had originally been written in english and then translated but I might be wrong there.
    Chune though!

  13. Drogg

    I like our national anthem and I’m not a fan of the Irish language or the GAA but i know every single word of the national anthem. I suppose that makes me a knuckle dragging nationalist, not someone who enjoys celebrating our shared past and shared identity by identifying myself as being from this rock in the north Atlantic.

  14. CousinJack

    I don’t think the GAA should play the national anthem of the republic in northern irelan, its meant to be an all island sport. Perhaps they should use ‘Irelands Call’ or a suitably non-mationalistic alternative – ‘A Pair of Brown Eyes’

  15. SunshineB

    I love the anthem. I too wish more effort were made to encourage others to know and appreciate it.

  16. illuminati 16

    I love our anthem, the liberals whining about it are pathetic, typical irish inferiority complex. Singing your national anthem is nationalist and something to be ashamed of now? Grow up and stop buying your trinity college education so blindly

  17. Murtles

    I’m afraid I learned it phonetically as a child and it is hard to get rid of wrong learning. God forbid the GAA would put the words up on the big screen as the anthem is being played instead of seeing a camera up the snotty nose of a player. Once everyone singing (be it the legit words or the phonetic version) sure wouldn’t it sound grand. Everyone for the last line now….

    ….Shoving Connie Around The Field.

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