Stringer against France a few years ago
Before the game, there was a lot of focus on political issues surrounding Ireland's colonial history. In 1920, the British army killed 14 civilians in the very stadium where the game would be played (as al-Jazeera also reported). For decades, the Irish GAA (Gaelic Athletic Association) have forbidden English sports (known as 'garrison games') from being played at Croke Park. This afternoon, as my friend Kealan noted on his blog, England's team and supporters sang God Save the Queen in Croker before the game, before going on to suffer a decisive defeat.
Croke Park
An interesting mix of sports, culture, and politics this afternoon at Croke Park, which I can actually see from the window of my house...
8 comments:
I know it's just taken from news agencies, but Al-Jazeera seem really quick off the mark on the Ireland-England rugby match. At half ten on the night of the match, they already have a headline on their home page stating:
"Ireland whip England in Six Nations".
The full story is here.
What a game! Great performance by Ireland. Apart from that short spell in the second half when they managed to score their only try of the game, England never really had a little look in. Ireland piled on the pressure and were magnificent.
I was pleased that the Ireland fans applauded God Save The Queen and made the England team feel welcome until kick-off, at least! A few morons from Republican Sinn Féin protested outside Croker. Thankfully, most people seemed to ignore them.
While the Grand Slam will have to wait another year, the Championship is still on. Let's hope England do us a favour and beat France at Twickenham in two weeks time.
...please where can I buy a unicorn?
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