What's Wrong With This Picture?

Wednesday 02 May 07

Few can have missed the significance of the Six Nations Rugby match between England and Ireland at Croke Park, Dublin on Saturday 24 March.

A 'foreign game' came to the spiritual home of Gaelic Sports - created (literally) out of the rubble of the struggle between Irish Republicanism and the British State as a form of cultural resistance. It raises many important issues about 'Irishness', 'Britishness', and the distance these islands have moved over the past decade.

I for one was struck by the irony of a protestor opposed to the 'playing of foreign games' at Croke Park, wearing the outfit of a 'British' or 'Scottish' football team (soccer - another 'foreign' game) that has been associated with Irish sectarianism in Scotland on the one hand, and great efforts to end this culture of sectarinism on the other. The day was just rife with symbols, symbolism and emotion.

And as for the game... The numbers 43 and 13 will be used to taunt English people and English supporters for many a season to come. If there is one thing that seems to unite Irish people of whatever poltical hue (including the 'non-Irish' 'British' of the North) it is the satisfaction that comes of beating England. If proof were needed, then the 2-1 victory of Northern Ireland over Enland at Windsor Park, Belfast last year should settle any arguements. The history and significance of the game certainly spurred Ireland to a world-class performance in front of its largest ever and probably most diverse crowd (Croke Park at 80,000 has twice the capacity of Landsdowne Road, the soon to be rebuilt home of Irish Rugby). It is hard to imagine that the England players could have been anything other than intimidated by this symbolism - in spite of the exemplerary reception they received.

To top it all off, the final try must have looked more familiar to the Gaelic supporters as the ball was snatched out of the air at a great height. A remarkable day, but was it more hype than substance? Or were the emotions of Gaelic fans trampled over for financial gain? Or was it just another game of Rugby? What do you think? Let us know in our Forum.

Paul Smyth