"Plastic Paddies" and the National Anthem

Was in McDonald's near the Harp Bar in Paris where some Cork gombeen started having a go at two lads from Antrim wondering why they weren't watching their team play Poland instead of 'hanging around with us'. Absolute moron of the highest order. The lads from Antrim took it well and questioned his partitionist leanings (he appeared obilivious) so didn't get involved but to be fair I think that anyone who follows the team regularly would never make a statement like that to a lad from the north or a 2/3G.

However a lot of the younger generation have no understanding of our history and are ignorant in the extreme. They ape the Brits in their actions and think that ireland is 100% limited to those born in the 26 counties. Can't stand that attitude. Had great craic with lads born in London, Birmingham, Antrim, Derry, Mayo, Limerick, Offaly, Dublin, Cork, Galway, Leitrim and Cavan throughout the trip. Irishmen one and all.

Edited by eire77 - 28 Jun 2016 at 11:25am

Care to elaborate?

SeanG4393 wrote: This is so refreshing to read.  I am the first 'English born' in my family. My dad born in Dublin and my Mom born in Donegal met in Birmingham after both sets of families had moved over to Birmingham during the 50's and 60's as just children. I had the typical Irish upbringing where you spent the 6 weeks holiday in Ireland and it was more like home than anything, Birmingham just being where you went to school and had a house.  Mainly in secondary school I was referred to as a 'Palstic' and this continues up to this day. Bumping into a few old school friends in the local last week I was asked why are you going to the euros with Ireland it should be England, when not one of them have set foot inside Wembley..  I've only ever known Ireland as a nation and they are the only nation I have supported my memories of International football are a shade of Green with the 2002 penalty tears (the first tournament I fully understood at the age of 8)  Yes I have a Birmingham accent, this is something i'm very proud of football is a huge passion of mine and Birmingham city are my team I enjoy having this accent and follow my club across England. Whilst in Poland in October I simply tried to advise a man in a bar where he could watch the Ireland vs France Rugby match when he whispered into his friends ear not very quietly I asked for Ireland vs France not England, In fairness his friend nearly died of embarrassment and apologized for his mate. Of course there have been people along the way that have embraced it and looked far past the accent that have became good friends that i'm travelling to France with.  I could type a novel about this matter to try and educate people but sometimes the shortest replies are the best and a simple F**k Off to the great uneducated can do the trick.  I'm a regular home and away traveler and France will be my first major tournament with Ireland (A £2.52 an hour apprenticeship at the time didn't quiet take me to Poland) It's a dream come true for me to be travelling and attending games at the Euros it something I've looked forward to for years and something I will carry with me my whole life.  Ireland might not be where I live but it is where I am from.

That's a belter of a post. 

Peter Stöger wrote: My first Ireland away was Vienna in 95 (hence the username for any that remember that horrid night) and the day before we travelled to the U21 game with a few others from the hotel to a place a few hours drive away called Amstetten, the town where Fritzl lived actually.  Always remember my old man talking to the lad in his 30s or 40s beside us who had a broad cockney accent and wearing a green polo shirt who had traveled on his tod to the game, sticks with me to this day. Serious respect where it's due

Don't mind him walls he's just a glory hunter

Great to hear the links that our emigrants keep with the country.

The replay cost me quite a bit to get back in time from the Gibraltar game. Didn't end well for me though :(

Edited by the_walls - 07 Jun 2016 at 2:31pm

SeanG4393 wrote: I started playing Gaelic in year 5 at school (age 7) in Birmingham when the head teacher 2G Irish introduced it into the P.E curriculum and trainers came in from John Mitchell's GAA Birmingham the aim was to potentially take a school team to a schools competition in Birmingham at Pairc Na hEireann they did this and it is one of my best memories of primary school. I then got asked to play for John Mitchell's and did so until I was 17 going from Under 8 to Under 18. There were plenty of GAA teams across the Midland in fact on team James Connolly's only had 3 white players one year the rest of the players from Afro-Caribbean heritage they were incredible and won the league. I follow Dublin and fly over to games unfortunately I've never been interviewed but its a good bot of fun letting a roar out on the hill with a brummie accent. My friends in Dublin were shocked last year on All Ireland final day as to how many people I bumped into in different pubs around Dublin and Croker that I knew from Birmingham. None of us interviewed sadly :(

I started playing Gaelic in year 5 at school (age 7) in Birmingham when the head teacher 2G Irish introduced it into the P.E curriculum and trainers came in from John Mitchell's GAA Birmingham the aim was to potentially take a school team to a schools competition in Birmingham at Pairc Na hEireann they did this and it is one of my best memories of primary school. I then got asked to play for John Mitchell's and did so until I was 17 going from Under 8 to Under 18. There were plenty of GAA teams across the Midland in fact on team James Connolly's only had 3 white players one year the rest of the players from Afro-Caribbean heritage they were incredible and won the league. I follow Dublin and fly over to games unfortunately I've never been interviewed but its a good bot of fun letting a roar out on the hill with a brummie accent. My friends in Dublin were shocked last year on All Ireland final day as to how many people I bumped into in different pubs around Dublin and Croker that I knew from Birmingham. None of us interviewed sadly :(   

OscarDelta wrote: In WC02 on the train to Niigata I chatted with 3 Derry guys who had been in 88/90 and 94, really summed it up that "Its not jut about winning, we want team to get out there and gives us a few opportunities to roar and scream our heads off, make like they care as much about it as we who have spent thousands getting here". He was reporting back to Foyle radio on what WC02. Must admit never saw them as anything but IRISH, in Basle year or so later met up with couple of Belfast guys who I had also met in Japan. Never realised I had to call them Nordies and ask what they were doing there.....................Then again I guess I just saw Fellow Irishmen, doing what I was doing in supporting our National Team...... SIMPLES.