The Republic is not yet ready to embrace the North!

It’s often said that the measure of a country is determined by how it treats its minorities. I also see it as one where a country can look inward and reflect upon its own behaviour – something akin to what the Germans had to do after the second world war, albeit they didn’t have much choice, but from my own countless visits to Germany, and numerous interactions with my many German friends and colleagues over the years, they most certainly have endeavoured to confront their history at every level, learn from it and determined not to repeat it.

I had occasion to be south of the border (as we often say in the North) when controversy of the Irish Womens Football Team kicked off last week (no pun intended) and my days on the move brought me to a wide variety of destinations where I had opportunity to hear reactions of quite a wide variety of audience, from those on the street to the ‘horse’s mouth’ let’s say – that I will come too further on.

I have always been a regular visitor to the south, none more so when I was dating a 'Galway Girl' for a number of years, and as a Northerner, or a ‘Nordie’ (as some might say) or even a ‘Derry Wan,’ the one thing I loved about heading south, was leaving behind the flags and emblems, the territorialism, the colours, the open sectarianism, the ‘be careful what you say’ scenarios and the not having to consider my identity for once, other than being a Northerner among a seemingly indifferent to 'the North' southern population.

On one evening last week I got speaking to a couple who like me were visiting Clifden. The lady was from Belfast and on finding out, I reverted to type (in a manner of speaking) by asking what part of Belfast she was from? This was more so because I lived in North Belfast for two years (whilst studying at Jordanstown) and technically lived in East Belfast for a week when I worked there. She threw me that look and said, ‘oh yeah, get straight to the point won't you.’

For those that don’t know, what’s your name and where you from is that opening gambit in game of ‘Identity Chess.’ We both laughed because outside of the North, it doesn’t mean so much, but as two Northerners in ‘the South,’ it is common ground and our connection to a desire among many to work out who the other person is. This of course is in part to know what you can and cannot say in company you don’t know. I did explain how I had lived in Belfast and as she was also from East Belfast, we had some common ground of sorts.

These questions, or rather their tenor, are of course distinct to ‘the North’ (and of course other countries of conflict) but the one thing I noticed over the years, especially in recent times travelling to and from Galway (in particular), that these kinds of questions didn’t have the same meaning or political overtones for those in the Republic of Ireland. My conversation with the couple in Clifden took place before the Irish Women’s football team had qualified for the World Cup, and the now ‘infamous’ video footage of them singing the Wolfe Tone's Celtic Symphony.

As I was effectively on my summer holidays (it still counts as the clocks haven’t gone forward yet), I was travelling around towns and villages in Ireland and whilst engaged in various bouts of people watching from Clifden, to Thurles, from Waterford to Dublin, along with scrolling social media during quieter moments, the reaction in the South was notable, notable because it was somewhat different from what I was used to.

Reaction ranged from ‘it’s just a song to ’it’s just a chant’ to ‘the only mistake they made was being caught’ or ‘it should never have been uploaded.’ Other reactions included ‘it took place in the privacy of their changing room,’ ‘ok they made a mistake but get over it,’ ‘stop criticising, the girls have had a major achievement’ and similar. Any question of appropriateness was also interpreted as an attack on the achievement of the football team and therefore everyone should just chill.

Anyone that might question, critique, or so much as raise an eyebrow at the singing of said song were ‘naysayers,’ ‘woke’ ‘politically correct’ ‘apologists’ and much more, and the apology that was issued by the head coach and FAI, was a sign of weakness, a lack of bravery and merely trying to placate a biased British media.

What was notable for me, apart from a few people I know in the North that were merely commenting on social media rather than in the cauldron of public opinion, was (at least in my humble estimation), the lack of reaction from those the North, apart of course from the expected response across the Unionist community, although even that seemed a little subdued. Ironically, it felt a little like, we have been here all too often and we know how to manage this, and we tend to see these things in context, even if they are unpleasant, and it just comes with ‘the territory.’

It didn’t help that an interview with a Sky journalist the morning after, posed the question about the need for better education to the captain of the Irish Women’s Football Team. Such a question coming as it did from across the water always seems a little less acceptable bearing in mind Britain’s approach to dealing with its own history, but that shouldn’t disqualify such a question, because it is indeed relevant. We can’t fall into the trap of criticising the person posing the question just because we believe their ancestors haven’t bothered asking themselves the very same question.

The question of education or being educated is a relevant one. My experience, particularly in recent years, is that the generality of people south of the border, more so I might add when you travel beyond Ulster, is that most don’t care and don’t seem that interested in our wee conflict in the North.

The situation in the North was something that happened a long time ago and it happened ‘up there’ and apart from some questions or interpretations that do come up in conversation, by and large, my experience of people in the South, is that they don’t really know, they don’t really get it, they don’t really understand, and they’re not really bothered that much. Hence, and in part, the variety of responses I describe above, i.e., where most didn’t perceive an issue, or ‘it’s just a song’ (like many other rebel songs) and sure ‘they have their songs as well,’ right?

The issue I witnessed mainly was the criticism of the Irish Women’s football team from the British media and ‘the failure’ of the Irish Government to back them; that their magnificent achievement was being undermined, and for what, a chant in a song, that is sung by many, and is almost seen as a badge of honour to sing. Even if it is literally just a song, or just a chant, without really needing to know its connotations, and sure it’s all over up there now, and it’s in the past, right?

Well, you see it’s not quite as simple as that. ‘The Troubles’ didn’t end in 1998 with the signing of the Good Friday Agreement. For many they still live with the trauma of the past, and this is often handed down through generations, and whilst many have chosen to live their lives and move on, many of the unresolved issues still persist, and the political progress, hope and optimism that seem to follow 1998 and was carried on the back of Hume and Trimble, and Paisley and Mc Guinness among others, has effectively passed, and the lack of political leadership in recent times, has dimmed our sense of a new place and space where we can all fit.

Most recently, and in Northern footballing circles, Northern Ireland international footballer Kyle Lafferty, alongside Larne and Glentoran footballers John Herron and Conor Mc Menamin, were subject of suspensions (and eventual sacking for Herron) by the IFA and their respective clubs for videos and images that appeared on-line. Most of us in the North would really have expected no less and the FAI on this occasion were quick to respond to the video of Irish Women’s football team emerging. For some south of the border, even issuing an apology was completely unacceptable, in part it seems because Britain hasn’t properly atoned for its own sins, and until it does, no apology should be forthcoming.

If a video of the Northern Ireland Women’s football team, or even the men’s team emerged where they were singing ‘Ooh ah Up the Ra’ or ‘Ooh ah Up the UVF,’ you can rest assured there would be uproar. But the chances of it are remote, if ever likely to even appear for lots of reasons, not least of all because of the sensitivities around it. The players themselves would know better, not everyone would be comfortable with any version of any song celebrating any of the protagonists in the conflict in the North, and also because the IFA has worked hard to try and eradicate sectarianism from across ‘the game’ in the North.

The question of why the Irish Womens Football team would celebrate by singing a republican song (they sung more songs of course but this was the one that appeared on-line) is certainly one that needs to be explored.

Yes, Celtic Symphony is just a song of course, just as the Irish National Anthem is just a song, but of course the reality is that they’re not just any song. They are laced with clear political messages and to try to minimise them is or would be a bit disingenuous. But of course, Free Nelson Mandela is also political song, and we could probably list 50 political songs in a matter of minutes, all of which has clear significance in their own context.

But political songs in Ireland matter, at least to us, for lots of reasons, just as ‘We are the Billy Boys’ matter if it were being sung by an Orange Order band passing a Catholic area on 12th July, or any time of year for that matter. Just as ‘Only Our Rivers Run Free’ is a well-known ballad and lament, song by Wolfe Tones among others, it doesn’t have ‘Ooh Up the RA’ stuck in the middle of it, but the implication is clear, that until Ireland is free, only our rivers run free.

Now, unless the Irish Women’s football team, are all die-in-the-wool Republicans, who advocate violence and supported the actions of the IRA in the North during the height of ‘the Troubles,’ (and also in their actions since), I doubt very much that they are fans of any of the RA’s - be that 'The...', 'The Real..., 'Continuity...' or any of the other RA’s – not least of all because of their age and (I assume) not having been directly affected by said violence in any way, and therefore I suspect their singing was for the most part just a song, and the chant just happens to form part of the song.

And so, their knowledge of the song or at least its connotations are limited. Yes, I am making an assumption, rightly or wrongly, but I just can’t imagine they sit around after training talking about border polls, referenda, avenging the actions of the Loyalist paramilitaries or state forces, so I have got to give them the benefit of the doubt.

The reaction I observed and listened to in ‘the South’ has not been an attempt to understand why people might find the lyrics offensive, but rather to choose to defend the singing of it, to excuse the actions of the Irish Women’s Football team, to put two fingers up to the political elite in Ireland and the media across the water by downloading Celtic Symphony countless times and sending it to the top of the Irish charts. This of course is the prerogative of people to do exactly that – we live in a democracy either side of the border, and it can also be viewed in some ways as people power – an exhibition of people exercising their right to make choices and put two fingers up to whoever is your political elite.

And of course, people will say we shouldn’t take lectures from those across the water as their record isn’t exactly brilliant when it comes to critical reflection of their own history. But, ultimately the concerns of those across the water doesn’t really matter - it’s merely headline material for a couple of days - but rather the concerns of those in the North, primarily Protestants with whom Sinn Fein and Republicans have been endeavouring to court over the years that their interests, identity and concerns will be addressed and protected in a United, New, or Agreed Ireland, or as some have most recently labelled it, a Union of Ireland.

Just as the IFA acted against Kyle Lafferty, representatives of FAI, took responsibility right away and have endeavoured to address the fall-out as quickly and as effectively as possible but there is more work to be done, and let me tell you why.

Earlier I referred to the ‘horses’ mouth’ and what I meant by that was that during my stay ‘down South,’ I had occasion to be having lunch outside an eatery in one particular town. I was minding my own business, just people-watching, when a senior member of the Irish Women’s Football Coaching Team met up with a friend, and they were chatting about the fall-out from the night before.

The conversation was not one where it was being broadcast to the passing public, but as I was in close proximity, and overheard much of the conversation, it was clear to me that the sentiments and comments echoed those I referred to earlier – essentially much ado about nothing!

And therefore, if one of the coaching staff who is directly involved in the coaching of the Irish Women’s Football Team holds this view, even if he or she might appear in public to do so differently, I’m far from assured that the issue, never mind the impact of the Irish Women’s Football Team rendition of Celtic Symphony will receive much in the way of meaningful critical reflection in order to really understand why people ‘up North’ might be offended.

On Saturday evening I was in Cork, and again I was wandering around, from place to place, catching the vibe, people-watching and sitting outside one of Cork’s most famous pubs. The lack of space or available table outside 'forced' me to sit close to a group of people, both young and old, and again the conversation turned to the Irish Women’s Football Team, and again, all the reasons I offered earlier were repeated once more – essentially, it’s just a song, just a chant, get over it.

The older gentleman leading the conversation I thought might have understood things a little better due to his age, but even those in their late teens and early twenties, shared the same sentiments – basically no big deal. They probably had no idea there was a Northerner sitting inches away – a ‘child of the Troubles’ as it were – and therefore, they didn’t have to consider what we as Northerners are used to, i.e., considering and being conscious of what you say in public.

Having listened to them for most of my pint, I was curious what their reaction might be if a Northerner might ask them why they think that way, and so I decided to test the water. I focused on the older gentleman – ‘are you ok with Up the RA?’ I asked. He didn’t really answer. I asked him had he ever lived in the North? ‘No’ was his reply. I asked him if he had ever been surrounded by violence. Again, ‘No’ was his reply? I asked him, would he be ok if it were ‘Up the UVF?’ He didn’t answer. I asked him, ‘have you ever been abducted by the IRA as I had been when I was younger?’ He answered ‘No.’

I could tell his level of discomfort was growing, and the situation was proving a little uncomfortable for those in his company also. They were all having fun, and as he pointed out it was a ‘private conversation,’ (albeit in a public place) and I can imagine that this uninvited 'bolshie' Northerner was by no means a welcome addition to the party.

He then said to me, ‘ok, you’ve made your point and I get’ and something like ‘you can go now.’ I asked him, ‘do you get it?’ He said, ‘yes’ and I replied, ‘I don’t really think you do; you see we’ve all been brutalised in North…’ at which point he interrupted me and asserted once more 'you made your point and I get it.’

At that point, I left. It wasn’t my intention to cause a scene, but more so to understand why they thought it was ok that people were singing ‘Ooh up the RA’ but at worse, to at least cause them to pause for a moment and think about why. Of course, they might not care, and might just think I was bolshie and rude.

That’s ok, but if they did think that, and not stop to think why I might pose the question in the first place, it only serves to highlight to me, that there is a lack of understanding, a lack of empathy, a lack of education, and that the notion of being ok with ‘Ooh Up the RA’ conveys some kind of romantic historical notion in the minds of many of some of those in the South of what the IRA was or perhaps still is – at war with the British Imperialists, and defenders of the Catholic Community and so on.

For many however, just as it is for those whose experience at the hands of the British Army, the RUC, the UDR and of all of the Loyalist paramilitaries, 'the RA' was not some kind of mystic romantic defenders of the Irish Republic but for many a rather unsympathetic and brutal collective that visited a level of destruction, violence, pain, injury, suffering, trauma and death upon individuals, their family and friends and communities, not only Unionist and Loyalist but also Nationalist and Republican.

If we are to build some kind of Ireland where everyone, not just those from the two main traditions, but minorities from whatever background are welcome and accepted, then we have to find a way to create space for all, and that means not only reconciling and accepting our differences, but facing up to our past, and the impact of the actions of those that we perceive as representing our interests or our respective communities. This also means not being afraid to recongise where this has caused pain and suffering, even if it means looking inwards and accepting that those on our side are not entirely wholesome.

I despair at times, how it is in the North. Our politics at times seems to be stuck in a revolving door, but in the week and more just past, in a land where I always say that it’s not perfect but at least it's bread and butter politics that dominates public discourse I was somewhat surprised by what appeared to me to be a regressive step.

I had spent time observing, chatting, listening, reading and interacting with a wide range variety of the demographic in the south over the years but quite intensely over the last week or so, but it was clear to me, at least from this visit, the Republic is not yet ready to embrace the North, or even those from the North, because to do so will mean having to look inwards and reflect upon some uncomfortable values and beliefs.