Letters

‘The chant that won’t seem to go away’

Controversy follows victory

Fri Oct 14 2022 - 00:11

Sir, – The fallout from footage showing members of our women’s soccer team singing “Up the Ra” after qualifying for the World Cup is a warning to us all that, in the era of call-out culture, anything we do may be used in evidence against us on social media.

Thankfully, in this case, the only thing that will be cancelled is the bandwagon jumping of the call-out culture vultures. The squad themselves will learn from their mistake and go on to represent us with distinction at the ultimate of soccer tournaments. – Yours, etc,

BRIAN QUIGLEY,

Drumcondra,

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Dublin 9.

Sir, – My heart goes out to them. To be honest, like many, I was annoyed when I heard the news, mainly because it messed up such a wonderful moment in their lives. But the important thing now is to move forward and learn from their mistake and relish their brilliant achievement. I sincerely believe they will be even better human beings after this particular lesson. I congratulate them all. – Yours, etc,

BRIAN McDEVITT,

Glenties,

Co Donegal.

Sir, – Like every Irish soccer fan (and every Irish person) I was deeply proud of our wonderful Irish women’s team as they beat Scotland to reach the World Cup finals for the first time.

What a pity then that they were filmed afterwards chanting “Ooh, ah, Up the Ra” (“The chant that won’t seem to go away”, News, October 13th).

I know that, as the memory of the IRA’s campaign of violence recedes into the past, young people are now chanting that in pubs, clubs and changing rooms throughout Ireland.

But do those young soccer players not realise the deep contradiction between dedicating their victory to the victims of the Creeslough explosion and then raising a chant celebrating a secret army that killed nearly 1,800 people, most of them Irish, between 1971 and 1998? – Yours, etc,

ANDY POLLAK,

Rathmines,

Dublin 6.

Sir, – The only “ra” the Irish women’s soccer team should be singing about is Vera. – Yours, etc,

DAVID CURRAN,

Knocknacarra,

Galway.

Sir, – What an achievement. Off to the World Cup finals, and 20 years since the men managed that. A superb goal in the second half by a player wearing a black armband to commemorate the victims of the explosion in Creeslough. A poignant and triumphant moment.

They are young. They sang many songs in the dressing room. One song was shocking and depressing. The younger generation need to understand who the IRA actually were and what their explosions did to people as young as themselves on numerous occasions. Because their apologists “haven’t gone away, you know”. – Yours, etc,

MICHAEL DEASY,

Bandon,

Co Cork.

Sir, – Sporting bodies need to tackle the chanting of sectarian propaganda by players and fans and make it clear that it is not normal and is not acceptable. This should be a requirement for the receipt of support from Sport Ireland and other sources such as the National Lottery. – Yours, etc,

DAVID GEARY,

Limerick.

Sir, – Brian Warfield of the Wolfe Tones tells us that the use of the word “Ra” is not necessarily about the Provisional IRA (News, October 12th). That will disappoint a lot of fans. Has it anything to do with rheumatoid arthritis, I wonder.

Incidentally, both sides could have sung it at the 1990 Ireland v Egypt soccer match. – Yours, etc,

EUGENE TANNAM,

Firhouse,

Dublin 24.