This has been a really difficult video to research. I hope I did the Irish football story justice. I've got lots more teams to cover over the next few weeks within the island of Ireland so please subscribe!!! THANK YOU!!!
That was an interesting video, Sam. Summarising 1000 years of Irish history in a couple of minutes is no mean feat. What didn't come across very clearly is the Troubles being largely confined to Northern Ireland. Some sports are competed on an all-Ireland basis. For example the Ireland rugby team represents all Ireland. The Gaelic sports like hurling and Gaelic football are contested throughout all Ireland. I think the Ireland Olympic team includes Northern Ireland. I'm looking forward to more videos on this theme. One last thing, I think a lot of sports in Ireland are contested on a provincial basis: Munster, Leinster, Connacht and Ulster.
another great video Sam. If you are coming to sligo this week you take a visit to the village of Ballymote County Sligo the birthplace of Brother Walfrid founder of Glasgow Celtic FC also you have to see the Sean Fallon Training center at sligo showgrounds in honor of the sligo town born former celtic Player and asistant manger of Celtic FC or also the sligfo rovers dixe dean connection in the 1930's en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Walfrid
British 🇬🇧 are to blame imperialist colonialist oppression in Ireland 🇮🇪. Remember Derry city FC are in league of Ireland ⚽🏆 because it a Irish nationalist population
I grew up in the North. Its impossible to please everybody when covering this topic but I appreciate the effort you put in to be as sensitive and respectful as possible
As an Irishman from Belfast ( I live right behind the "Peace wall" you visited at the start) and who is a big fan of the channel I was actually thinkin no don't do this it'll only end badly, but you done well mate, this place is so complicated and there's always plenty looking to be offended but honestly you handled it perfectly. Great job and great video as always. You should come visit on a personal holiday, our wee place really is a great wee part of the world.
I agree, I've watched a lot of these football videos and this is my favourite. He has really researched all this well. I'm from Northern Ireland and I have learned a few things from this
Maybe the average British football fan can now understand why Celtic 🇮🇪 v Rangers 🇬🇧 is the biggest derby in the world (international ties,history,politics,religion). In Belfast,the Falls Road is Catholic Celtic,the Shanks Road is Protestant Rangers (see the Walter Smith painting) p.s. Ferry from Northen Ireland to Scotland is great with lovely views of the Mull of Kintyre and Ailsa Craig!
@@byroncroninmcelvogue4 Only from around the late 70's when the demographics changed and Cliftonville became more successful on the field having dropped their longstanding amateur status. Cliftonville were associated more with the Protestant and to a lesser extent Jewish middle class who resided in the nearby area. Prior to that, it was Belfast Celtic who were supported by the Catholic Nationalist community. With Celtic's unfortunate demise which was a huge detriment to the game in the North, I believe in those in between years a sizeable chunk of Celtic's former support went towards Distillery. Distillery did not identify explicitly with either of the political traditions but they were the main challengers to what became the new Big Two dominance of Linfield and Glentoran. I have heard that Glentoran absorbed some of the former Celtic support but given their location in the strongly Unionist East of the City, don't think it would have amounted to that many. Geographically, Distillery's Grosvenor Park ground was the nearest to where Celtic attracted their core following in West Belfast.
@@gallowglass2630 With the Troubles, there was a huge population shift with many Protestants moving away from the City side. Historically, Derry City were a cross community club and their support was probably marginally more Protestant when they were in the Irish League.
A fun fact for you: UEFA recently acknowledged Glentoran (a Northern Irish team from Belfast) as the winners of the first ever European Cup which, at the time, was known as the Vienna Cup!
Wasn’t the European cup though was it, there was only about 4 teams in it and you didn’t need to qualify. It was a friendly tournament between a handful of tiny obscure teams.
Well done Sam from a fellow Englishman . I will enjoy your videos on Irish football as much as all your other ones ..keep up the great work . Like Jack Charlton , I suspect you can achieve far more in harmonising Anglo / Irish relations than any politician has ever done
I'm from The Netherlands (but I live in Scotland) and I went over to Northern Ireland in November 2019 for the Northern Ireland v Netherlands international at Windsor Park. As a keen groundhopper, I also went to Carrick Rangers on the Friday night and Cliftonville on the Saturday afternoon (the international game was Saturday night). I was really happy I added those 2 grounds in as they are both lovely, traditional, football grounds. I decided then I will make more trips to Ireland (as in the island, both sides of the border). As an outsider, nobody expected from me to pick a side in the political debates there, if you're not from there, they won't drag you into those debates. I had lovely chats with people from both sides of the divide and as long as you go into those chats with a "neutral" stance, they'll respect that. And you'll find out soon enough, things are not as black and white as outsiders sometimes think. I met Catholic supporters of the Northern Irish national team for example.
I don't mean to bring politics into things but when I read that you are from the Netherlands I wondered, what do you know about William Of Orange and how he came over to Ireland,fought at the river Boyne and became William III of England? I visited Holland once and went on a bus tour.When I asked the guide about William Of Orange in Ireland she said she didn't know much about it yet his role in Ireland is a MAJOR part of Protestant culture in Northern Ireland. Is that part of Netherlands history and it's links to Northern Ireland taught much in history lessons at schools, is it thought as something minor or,dare I say it, controversial. Also I've always wondered why is your country called Holland AND the Netherlands? I hope these questions don't sound like I'm being rude about Dutch history,that is NOT my reasons for asking these questions, HONEST.
@@adrianbradley8513 First of all, it's worth noting that there have been several "Williams of Orange". If you mention the name "William of Orange" to a Dutchman, they'd generally first think of William I (also called William the Silent), who was actually the great-grandfather of William III, the William of Orange that you mean (I'll refer to him as William III from here, just to prevent confusion). William the Silent is still seen as an important historical figure to us as he liberated The Netherlands from the Spanish back in the 1500's and ended persecution of Protestants by the Spanish in The Netherlands. Because of that, he is in Dutch history seen as the more important William. It's not that William III doesn't get taught at all, I knew about him before I came to the UK, but not many people know how big his role in Northern Ireland really was and how important he still is to many Protestants there today. Only once I moved to the UK I started realising all that myself. In terms of the name of the country, I can be brief. The only official name is The Netherlands & the name Holland is technically only the collective name of 2 Dutch provinces. If you want to know more about that history, I'd suggest watching CGP Grey's video on "The difference between Holland and The Netherlands", he explains it really well.
This is Great . Refreshing to see an Englishman know so much about this topic and the football on this island . You’ve got a new Subscriber! . Ps Loads of league of Ireland on tomorrow night and Shamrock rovers in Champions league next week!
Amazing thanks Conor! I was a bit nervous that I’d have got some of the info wrong but I tried hard to make sure all the relevant points were in there. Cheers for subscribing. Got loads more videos on the island planned 📽😃
@@FootyAdventures Alan Shields Hamilton South Lanarkshire Scotland I understand about you being nervous to make this video it's an extremely sensitive subject I come from a mixed family myself. I have cousins & a brother in law on the other side of the fence from me and I need to be very tactile when talking to them about football , religion & politics. They day growing up in Scotland try to avoid talking about Football , religion & politics when in mixed company all three subjects are like a minefield in Scotland & Nothern Ireland. I feel a lot of the time English & Welsh people dont understand.
@@FootyAdventures there are alot of european matches in the coming weeks for both leagues. You should go to a few of them. (dont exclusively do linfield in the north, its like exclusively doing rangers in scotland. You have to go to Cliftonville aswell. Cliftonville are the biggest Catholic team and also Irelands first team (1879).)
@@ronan3336 My brother in law is a Celtic fan he asked me what are the biggest Catholic football clubs in Nothern Ireland about 2 years ago last Christmas. I sead from what I know I would say Cliftonville is the biggest them there is Donegal Celtic & Newry City & to the best of my knowledge the rest of the big clubs are Prodestent in terms of the area they are situated in. Am I correct in my thinking ? If not feel free to correct me. My impression having visited Nothern Ireland & Belfast in particular many times over the years is that a lot of Catholic youngsters have a fear of going to football games in Nothern Ireland & tend to go to watch Gaelic football & Hurling games for fear of getting caught up in violence if they go to a football game is the correct ?. I have been to watch Glasgow Clan VS Belfast Giants & Glasgow Warriors VS Ulster Rugby & religion never comes in to it at all it's sad it needs to come in to it in football. I do like the idea of going to a Gaelic football for the experience but I dont know how the atmosphere would be in terms of it being a comfortable experience being a Prodestent would you say Gaelic football is very much a Catholic sport ?. I would appreciate your advice Ronan ?. I feel you will have better insight than me as I am Scottish. In this world I wish we could just live & let live. We say in Scotland we are all Jock Tamsons Waynes or Barnes depending on where in Scotland you live Waynes is a West of Scotland word & Barnes is a East of Scotland word both means kids basically the saying is saying we are all the same. Jock Tamson was a minister in Edinburgh Church of Scotland that would take in Children that where left to fend for themselves on the streets of Edinburgh & would make sure they where cared for. Keep Safe.
The football associations split as the IFA was mostly Belfast focused. The tipping point was a cup semi final in the 1920s where Glentoran drew with Shelbourne in Belfast. The IFA insisted that the replay would also be in Belfast, Shels wanted it in Dublin.
Great video I’m from Northern Ireland and this topic is very complex but was explained very well by you. Also shoutout to Scotland moving there in august so can’t wait 🏴❤️
Trying to avoid the politics is difficult when talking about Ireland. There has been many All Ireland Cup tournaments since the island was divided. There has also been a handful of European ties involving teams from both leagues playing each other. Sadly football remains divided unlike boxing, rugby etc where there is one national team. Make sure you visit the other stadiums in Belfast. All classic old school settings.
So good to see somebody try to explain a very complicated situation instead of just glossing over it. Pity your not over during the season to sample some of the bigger games and atmosphere at the grounds, Love the videos man keep up the good work 👍🏼
Never heard of your channel before now. Its nice to see someone from England look at Irish history and the troubles with so much respect and curiosity. Love it.
It's worth mentioning that after the 'split' happened and the FAI was created, both the FAI and the IFA claimed to represent 'Ireland', and were picking some of the same players to play for two ' separate Ireland' teams in international fixtures. . That is when FIFA intervened and said neither was allowed to use Ireland as a name. So it's now "Northern Ireland" and "Republic of Ireland" even though the country is simply named "Ireland".
Go and visit Lurgan and see Glenavon at Mourneview Park. The first team ( not from Belfast) to win the Irish League. Wilbur Cush of Leeds Utd played for Glenavon and scored the winning goal for N. Ireland against the Czechs in Sweden 1958.Nice town, divided also but has a lot of history.
If you get a chance whilst in Belfast, visit the Park Centre where, I believe there is a plaque and small museum about Belfast Celtic. A fascinating tale.
Correct, The park centre is where Celtic Park once stood. My great uncle played for Belfast Celtic as a goalkeeper. Was supposed to sign for Liverpool but decided to stay at home in Larne where he remained the rest of his days. He gave me some stick for be being a Linfield fan mind you lol
Cricket and Rugby is played jointly as All Ireland, it is a shame that football isn't anymore. I think Windsor Park is owned by Linfield who receive a lot of money from the IFA for internationals to be played there which does give Linfield a big advantage over the other teams.
Genial Harry goat Nobody cares about cricket though ,they have established a modicum of visibility since 2007,but you will still find people especially in the south that don't know we have a national cricket team.
Well done Sam, good effort to understand, and one can sympathise with your bemusement and 'deer in headlights' look throughout this! I find it fascinating how the media in England have kept the English public in the dark over the situation in Ireland for generations, to the point where many English Brexit voters apparently wouldn't mind losing Northern Ireland as they see it as irrelevant or confusing - not really what they think of as 'Britain' at all. Meanwhile in Northern Ireland the union jack and link to England is everything - well to half of the population. A bit of a one sided romance. Looking forward to your upcoming videos on football in Ireland, keep it up.
Well done mate you done well walking the tightrope of not offending anyone, I'm a Linfield (and Rangers) fan but believe there should be an all Ireland league, it would raise the standard of all Irish teams, the FAI were forward looking when changing to a summer league similar to the Rugby league, super league in England in the months it's played in, it has improved the standard of the league of Ireland as shown by Shamrock rovers being the first Irish team north or south to reach the group stages of the Europa league (or UEFA cup as it was then) though Linfield are the only Irish team to reach the quarter final of the European cup (now Champions league) in 1966/67 when they lost 3-2 on aggregate to CSKA Sofia, losing 1-0 in Sofia after a 2-2 draw at Windsor park , right up to the outbreak of the troubles in N.I. football crowds were infinitely bigger with 30,000 attendances the norm for Linfield v Glentoran Big two derbies and even in the 1980s there was a 40,000 crowd for legendary Linfield captain peter Rafferty's testimonial match.
Good video... enjoyed it. Yep, a lot to get your head round when it comes to understanding many of the divisions and differences. You did sterling work. Hope you had a great visit and will have many more in the future.
Great video man. This is a subject that, as you mentioned, gets confusing and isn't super easy to research. The Champions Cup is the successor to the Setanta Cup where the winners of both leagues play each other, although it has only been played once in 2019 so far. Unfortunately Linfield lost 7-1 on aggregate to Dundalk which really shows much Northern Irish football needs to improve. I think a cup competition like that is a good idea though, certainly better than the IFA simply being absorbed into the FAI or vice versa to be fair to the Republic. Looking forward to seeing you getting in the stadium.
A lot of clubs in Northern Ireland didn't form until after the creation of Northern Ireland take my team Coleraine (on my profile pic) didn't form till 1927. Great vid 👌
Same in the south, my club Waterford formed in 1930, pats, sligo rovers, galway united, Cork City, finn harps and even Derry City all formed after the split
As an Irishman from the North who has no interest in football whatsoever and have never sen this channel before in my life, i have to congratulate you on this excellent video
Well done Sam - you must have done a lot of research - really impressed - very difficult to give a overview of Irish history from the Normans on and how we got to where we are today - for anyone interested in finding out more about the partition of Ireland there is a very good BBC podcast Year '21 - 50 episodes - most about 15 minutes - episode 12 deals with football - but if you listen from the start you'll get a much clearer understanding of the issues facing Ireland and Northern Ireland today - thanks for this Sam - really looking forward to future vlogs.
as a protestant in ireland it’s hard to even get the point across about the whole story without getting involved in politics but i do think i’d like to see a united ireland someday but i honestly don’t think our irish government is stable enough for it to happen anytime soon but great video man keep it up
As a Catholic from the Republic it kind of annoys to see the misinformed view by outsiders that northern Ireland is split on a religious divide,its more ethnic with loyalist and republican ideals opposite. In the south both religions lived together whilst the North was at war within itself. Some of my best friends come from protestant backgrounds and it matters so little its never discussed but during the troubles we talked of the great shame of the war and embarrassed by 2 minorities behaviour whilst labelling themselves Catholic or protestant instead of their real identity of republican or unionist. Needless to say nearly both sides don't religions don't reflect the Christian values of peace.
You need to be from Ireland to understand the politics. Brexit and the Irish Sea Border have complicated things even more as although NI is part of the UK, it is treated as being still in the EU by the protocol. Most Protestants I know support N Ireland at soccer and Ireland at Rugby. Brian O'Driscoll travelled up to the 12th of July parade in Loughgall a few years ago. Orangeman had selfies with him and he played a Lambeg drum. All the Orangemen wanted to remain in the union, but supported Ireland rugby. I could see O'Driscolls confusion. I'm Protestant and have respect for the Irish people. I've no respect for Sinn Fein however who condemn everyone else whilst sanitising the fact that their military wing murdered 1700 people. I respect the SDLP who although nationalist, have always supported non violence.
Sadly i agree. More the fact that if a united ireland does happen. There will be people from the loyalist side who will actively fight it like the IRA did to try and create a united ireland.
@@oliver69cork46 Yeah I'm from a Catholic background and spent 8 happy years in a Protestant school in the Republic as a kid in the 80s. Most of my pals were Protestant and it was never an issue. We were probably too young to really understand what was happening in NI.
Great video mate. I live in Coleraine and as anyone will tell you from here talking about our country comes with the danger of offending someone (which isnt hard in this day and age) but you done very well in how you spoke about it. Look forward to seeing more of you in Northern Ireland and at the Rangers matches to.
Country? Your not. A country . within occupied six county's. Where half population is Irish nationalist 🇮🇪 .. only one nation and Irish on the island of Ireland.
Definitely maybe not your best, but by far your most interesting video. I have never heard of any English person to be so knowledgeable on the Irish situation with regard football. You gave such an accurate account of the complicated history. Its unique to the world. However.,,,,,,,,its even less straignt forward than anyone outside Ireland could fathom. Either way thank so much for another fantastic video. The research that you did and of course your presenting are more professional than anything you would see in the mainstream. Well done young man.
Too much crowd trouble nightmare for both sets of police who might have to do actually work.That is another discussion Recently 2012 Shamrock rovers and Linfield played in it and had trouble Shamrock rovers have a Republican element of support likewise Linfield Loyalist. It is just a tinder box when both sets of clubs north and south play
Seeing that your here until the linfield game on sat, If your stuck for something to do on Friday night, check out the parade on in east Belfast on Friday night! Will give a good insight into the Protestant culture which is referenced in a lot of songs you would have heard at rangers games. And it’s a good entertaining way to spend an evening!
@@trueblue3719 its not a band parade on the ist, its a somme remembrance parade,it remembers all those of ALL faiths who fell at the battle of the somme
You did a great job of explaining a complicated system. Pity the leagues are divided & dont see Shamrock Rovers v Linfield or Glentoran v Bohemians just like we no longer have Hajduk v Red Star, Željezničar v Rijeka, Partizan v Dinamo etc..so the standard is not as high
@@bouse23 Sounds great, a pity no longer play. Was there trouble with fans? I would love the old Jugoslav league, most of us have no hatred but maybe still problems of hooligans some who would spread nationalist dogma as excuse to fight ?
@@saradrugi6760 no there was never much trouble. I think they stopped playing because there was it was dominated by republic of ireland teams and the competition sponsor went out of business..
@@bouse23 Im happy fans got along and football brings us together not divide. As I say would love Hajduk playing teams of Serbia, Bosna, Slovenija etc.meaning higher standard and I have only good feelings for those countries & love visiting Belgrad and Mostar ...but would be safe watching Hajduk at Zvezda or Partizan ???
Great video Sam. A very fair and balanced report on the situation and football here in Belfast. Great to see someone take a genuine interest in it. On the “Who owns Windsor Park” comment, since the redevelopment of Windsor Park the IFA own the stadium which sits on Linfield’s land.
@footyadventures just subscribed as enjoyed your Ireland vlogs. You did well on the Irish history, you are right, it is very sensitive but you handled it well. Dublin Derby wasn't a classic match, Rovers needed the win after losing our last match. As you are in Ireland maybe you can get to Rovers v Hibs of Malta on Tuesday 5th July in CL Qualifiers. Final suggestion, look up Rovers old ground Milltown "Glenmalure Park". In 1987 we played our last game there as the then owners disgracefully put the ground up for sale. There is a monument to mark the site and I think some of the old perimeter wall still stand, it's been over 10 years since I've been in the area. For 22 years we survived without a ground of our own until we moved into Tallaght thanks to hard working fans and vital support from South County Dublin Council and the government.
Thanks very much for subscribing mate. Welcome to the channel!!! That’s really interesting to hear about the old ground. I did know that Rovers went a long time without a home of their own but I wasn’t aware of some of the background. I’ll definitely have to add that to the video To Do List! Cheers
As a Catholic who grew up right beside the peace Wall and during all the problems of the troubles I would say you done a good job to please both sides which is a difficult thing to do as it is such a touchy subject but the history of the island as a whole is fascinating, bloody and incredibly hard and sad to read. Football plays a massive part of the culture with celtic and rangers, and on the peace Wall eventually it will come down but we need to be united it won't come down until all the older ones have moved on who hold such resentment towards each other which is a shame I don't think in my lifetime ill see it happen but we need to stand together and united as every family has been affected in some way with the troubles and civil war
You did a good job covering a complicated situation there! One extra point is those gates get closed every evening to prevent quick access to and from the relevant areas.
Mate that video 👏👏👏 but I can tell u as someone who adores Northern Ireland and sympathizes with my northern Irish brethren and sisters o'er by I can say that in my opinion those peace walls will never come down in our life time and I say our life time cuz u and I are only a year apart
I dont believe the Peace Walls will ever come down in my life time I am 40 & comeing up for 41. I just want the best for all the people of Nothern Ireland both my Grampa's family's came from Belfast originally & my Mum's Mum was born in Castlederg in Country Tyrone then she stayed in Ballymena till she was 5 when the family moved to Elderslie in Renfrewshire Scotland. I love Nothern Ireland with all my heart hands across the water.
Great video sam 👍 you need to get back over for a Northern ireland home game next home game is kosovo Saturday 24th Sept atmosphere is always brilliant from the #GAWA
The Northern most tip of Northern Ireland is in the Irish Republic. So "Northern Ireland" is miss named. They cant call it "Ulster" either because 3 counties of Historic Ulster are in the Irish Republic. Hence why many Irish people call that artificially created Masonic Sectarian state "The 6 Counties".
Londoner of Mauritian descent here - Honestly shocked me when you mentioned mauritius out of nowhere as a relatively unknown footballing nation! Love to see you do a video in mauritius one day - from what I know the Mauritian prem is dreadfully underfunded .. but if nothing else you’ll get a good holiday out of it!
Fair play, as a League Of Ireland (St.Pats) supporter, your last few videos caught my attention an earned a sub! Also very good cover of a sensitive subject. Do they teach it in school? Or did you have to research it all recently? Once again, great video!
They don’t even teach it in school In Northern Ireland, never mind England. Unless you specifically choose to do it for A Levels. So he probably had to research it first.
I appreciate that you don't claim to be an expert on the matter but "A referendum on the Irish Constitution in 1937 led to the troubles" is one of the most bizarre takes I've ever heard and I thought I had heard them all.
yeah Lingfield 56 league's took over from RANGER'S 55 as most league titles. Another great video.Dont even try with the politics mate, it's a minefield. Both sides see it differently. w.a.t.p
100% agree about it being a minefield. I would say Irish history is full of errors of judgement on both sides the media have always been keen to stir the poison right from the very start buy twisting the facts & making things out to be worse than they actually where at points in history. Keep Safe.
@@albertmccready478 They did have the benefit of their more successful rivals, Belfast Celtic, having to quit. They'd never have close to 56 titles otherwise.
Linfield could be managed by a 10 year old and still win the league the amount of crying there fans do about wanting there managers sacked if they don't win the league is unbelievable uses got big davey out David will be next funny how rentboys fans call themselves rangers fans when celtic got handed the title due to covid they cried but never said anything when the same thing happened to Linfield nothing was said hopefully glens kick your arse this season
Went to belfast for the super cup with chelsea against villareal. Granted we only drank on sandy row with the rest of the chelsea mob. And rangers was a brilli ant day. Very interesting city. Want to go back for a long weekend sometime
imagine how strong ireland would have been over the years if they had a full country to choose from. some legendary northern and republic of ireland players could have played together. especially from 1980 - 2010. missed opportunities due to bs religion and bs politics
well it’s not bs religion and politics, ireland is an island that has been divided by british occupation. it’s time to remove the occupation, and people won’t stop fighting for it until that happens
@@rangabanga0311 I'm english and i fully agree that england had and still has no right to cling onto the north eastern part of ireland. having said that, there are far too many protestants living there and whoever is uk prime minister for whichever party, in our lifetime we will never allow ireland to be whole again. they want to keep their little tax haven and back door into the EU. plus the british have never liked retreating. ever. religion divides the ppl. politics divide the land. and both complete bs reasons imho. rugby knows how it's done
@@mowvu that will all depend on how the population shapes up in terms of supporting possible unification .the island was divided inan undemocratic act. And an artificial border was drawn up on a sectarian headcount . The Brits would drop the north in a heart beat if they could. But tbf to all,this thread is not the place for all this. I want unity, but it has to be a fair and just unity.
@@albertmccready478 Albert, there is still a lot of sympathy for loyalists in NI from the English, but i believe this is tipping in favour of Republican/Nationalists slowly due to the history of Ireland, British colonialism within, and facts of the Troubles.However, i think there would never be peace in a UI where loyalists would never agree to it. A sad situation where there is no easy answer. I personally think NI should stay with us economically, Catholics now have more freedoms and rights than ever before, and Catholic students consistently excell academically. What d'ya think mate?
My understanding was the split in Irish football was due to a dispute on the replay of an Irish Cup semi final between Shelbourne and Glenavon in 1921. The drawn game was played in Belfast and it was expected that the replay would be played in Dublin. Due to the ongoing war the authorities in Belfast ordered the replay to be played in Belfast. Shelbourne refused and shortly after the FAI was formed. There was one occasion when effectively an all Ireland team played a charity game as Shamrock Rovers XI against Brazil in 1973, Brazil won 4-3. But the Shamrock Rovers XI impressed so much (the only team to score 3 against Brazil in 8 years) that it led to talks of a merger, which obviously never happened.
Because it is an island with six of its counties being occupied by Britain so not matter who govern’s this great country it will always be the island of Ireland
@@Andy7907 Technically not a country. It's a province officially according to Westminster. Scotland, Wales and England hold country status. Northern Island is still a province. Source: ISO, U.N. and Westminster
Good stuff again man well done. I am a big glentoran fan and would be happy to meet up with you and give you a bit of a run down of our history and show you the oval if you would like. Gimmie a shout if you want. Keep up the great work
Goodness me. I was thinking the exact same thing about the Glens and the Oval. And I've been living in Australia since 1977 !!!. Still remember the night we played BMG in the old European Cup. There used to be a kids playground next to the Oval that me and my mates would ride our bikes to. Is it still there ?
C.O.Y.G from Hamilton in South Lanarkshire Scotland. The Oval is a proper Old School ground it's part of what I love about the club the place just smells of history. Been trying to get Sam to vist The Oval & The Gens for ages but still wateing. If you do meet up with Sam make sure you mention our Vienna Cup win something that lot from Windsor Park cant say they have ever won is a European trophy no matter how much cash they get from The I.F.A to help them. Honestly believe we are on the rise again just dont know if Mick is the man to help us win the league. Keep Safe.
Absolutely love watching all your stuff mate!! And brilliant how you have done this as many folk don’t understand it really! Keep up the good work bro 👍🏻
As a Bohemian Fan I think our national team and our national leagues are weakened because of the split, isn't it obvious. Hopefully in the future we can Come together as one nation under Football. The Rugby can do it so should we.
As a NI fan thanks but no thanks, our clubs are gradually moving full time and the quality will improve. Its been a 100 years man its not going to change anytime soon.
Norn iron fans don’t want it so respect their wishes. Our league is bigger and better anyway so why ruin that with potential crowd trouble and violence every week
@@Beanbag777 Pretty sure Shamrock Rovers have 3 times the average attendances than Linfield. Most people in the Shankhill support teams in the country they are from - Scotland.
Too many on the gravy train the IFA and FAI they'd hate to have to compete for one position Hench the real reason these in charge will never even try to merge, well that and hate filled catholic protestant bigots who can't see past religion and dividing walls. Didn't Jesus say love your neighbour more importantly love your enemy for you bigots.
I've had the pleasure of going to Belfast on two different trips. The first time was in August 2015 by myself and the second time was with my parents in January 2022. The first thing that struck me about communities in the suburbs of the city is how assertive a particular community's politics and identity can be. Whether it's having flags on every lamp post or painting kerbs in the colours of their flag, or murals commemorating martyrs to their causes, it brings it front and centre to anyone visiting. Sometimes even the name of places can be contentious in Northern Ireland (the second city of the province, Derry/Londonderry)
I work around the North and flags and divide mostly is working class areas. Go to rich areas were the politicians live like castle rock there is no flags or divide. Divide the people and not focus on the goverment is a tactic used all over the world by so called Democratic countries ( like black lives matter,pride etc.
Your video has quite a lot of good information, that is a actually clearer than what's on Wikipedia. It's interesting to find out about the two Irish football leagues. Here in Australia our media tends to focus on the English "soccer" league and occasionally mentions Scottish football. P.S. the sport of Gaelic Football is played in a limited way here in Australia.
I'm from the Shankill area... the peace walls won't be coming down anytime soon for people in England they believe that since the good Friday agreement everything has been peaceful here that is not interly true there is still a lot of mistrust between the communities and the n.ireland portacol has brought a lot of anger too the protestant community and this could have the potential too cause civil unrest here again.
Well sead I am Scottish and unless you spend time amongst the people in Nothern Ireland you will never fully understand & I dont mean staying in a hotel & doing a bus tour of Belfast I actually mean living amusement the people. I dont think people in England really understand the situation I think in Scotland we have a better understanding but I still dont think many Scots United what it's like day to day living in Nothern Ireland. I have see the good & the very bad in Nothern Ireland.
Bohemian FC and Shelbourne FC competed for decades in the Irish League before partitioning of the island in 1921. The other famous League of Ireland teams played in the Leinster Senior League or Munster Senior League again for several decades before partitioning and later formation of the League of Ireland.
Great video, get to glentoran while your here and try to ask for a tour and they would happily take you about the boardroom and show you the trophy cabinet
If you want to find out more about life during the troubles I would suggest a few things: Derry Girls is a sitcom based in the time and gives subtle hints to the troubles throughout but makes it known that people there just wanted to live their lives The Real Derry Documentary which I found really powerful as it is presented by a Catholic and her experience growing up in Post-Troubles Derry and discusses some very powerful topics like Bloody Sunday and talks to the Orange Order as well as mental health problems people have experienced post troubles. The Song "The Town I Loved So Well" by the Dubliners led by the powerful voice of Luke Kelly was sung immediately after the Bloody Sunday outrage in 1972 and shows the feeling across Derry and the world for a desire for peace in Northern Ireland. Overall try not to take sides when talking about these things as people get very defensive about their own position. For example I am not Catholic (Protestant and live in England) but would like a united Ireland because I feel they would be better treated but I understand why many people in Northern Ireland want to remain in the UK for political and religious reasons that are long drawn out and often violent. Finally hats off to you for going there and exposing the footballing and everyday life there but also addressing the problems as there is nothing that annoys me more when people say that Northern Ireland is difficult (which it is) so don't talk about it instead healing can only be done by discussing the differences and not just shoving it to one side as too difficult.
The best way to learn about the troubles is to spend at least a month in Nothern Ireland & I dont mean staying in a hotel actually go & live in amongst the people that actually live there permanently & talk to the people that actually lived through the troubles. I am Scottish & growing up in The West of Scotland thought I had a good understanding but I had my eyes opened in 2011 to the reality when I was dateing a woman from East Belfast & spent 3 weeks over there I got to see the reality of it all put it this way I got a very graphic insight to how life can be in Nothern Ireland but I also seen positive changes aswell it was a mixture of positive & negative experiences. I honestly dont think most English people have the first clue about the situation in Nothern Ireland in Scotland we have a much better understanding because of The Old Firm side of things. When I was growing up I was could an O.B buy a friend's uncle I sead to him yes I am Orange & proud of it but I sure as hell am not the b word dont tell me you would get that happening in England. I was about 14 at the time the friends Uncle must of been in his 30's. Keep Safe.
@@alanfox691 Honestly I would 100% agree and talking to people is always better than seeing it through any other medium. I realise that the media I consume is very Irish centric over Northern Irish Unionist centric so that may have tilted my view. I know that everyone's experience of the Troubles has been vastly different to some people having lost loved ones whereas others it was just part of normal life. I know Scotland have a much closer link to Northern Ireland but that doesn't mean that people in England don't know about it either. I am embarrassed to admit that I probably know more than most English people about the Troubles and that is only because I take an active interest in Irish affairs and would like to move to Ireland one day. In England people have a very tinted perspective with most people blaming the IRA for everything as the IRA used violence in Britain but the Orange Order was equally as bad but people in England don't see it like that as they haven't seen it on the mainstream news when they were growing up.
@@yvonnejohnston9429 They committed acts of violence as well such as Drumcree. But it was on a much smaller scale only really restricted to Northern Ireland. I don't condone the IRA but I'm just saying that both sides used violence and we only blame the IRA.
@@ramsfanyt8227 there is a big difference between what happened at drumcree and what the ira did, and there is a lot more to drumcree than what is regularly mooted. there can be no comparison. the ira murdered people the orange order as an organisation did not!
Great video! Was just in Belfast in April and there is such a deep history of football in NI and IE that rivals Scottish football. As an impartial observer it's interesting to see the intrarelationships between football and religion and politics. For example, did you notice in the Shankill area there is a building with Linfield and Rangers logos on the side? Go to the city centre and you can shop in either the Rangers FC or Celtic stores. Perhaps go to a Cliftonville vs Linfield match, I understand it rivals the Old Firm (I believe the league title was settled between Cliftonville and Linfield on the final matchday). Can't wait to see your further videos.
This has been a really difficult video to research. I hope I did the Irish football story justice. I've got lots more teams to cover over the next few weeks within the island of Ireland so please subscribe!!! THANK YOU!!!
Please come to Derry 🔴⚪️
Come to cork city 💚❤️
That was an interesting video, Sam. Summarising 1000 years of Irish history in a couple of minutes is no mean feat. What didn't come across very clearly is the Troubles being largely confined to Northern Ireland. Some sports are competed on an all-Ireland basis. For example the Ireland rugby team represents all Ireland. The Gaelic sports like hurling and Gaelic football are contested throughout all Ireland. I think the Ireland Olympic team includes Northern Ireland. I'm looking forward to more videos on this theme. One last thing, I think a lot of sports in Ireland are contested on a provincial basis: Munster, Leinster, Connacht and Ulster.
another great video Sam. If you are coming to sligo this week you take a visit to the village of Ballymote County Sligo the birthplace of Brother Walfrid founder of Glasgow Celtic FC also you have to see the Sean Fallon Training center at sligo showgrounds in honor of the sligo town born former celtic Player and asistant manger of Celtic FC or also the sligfo rovers dixe dean connection in the 1930's en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brother_Walfrid
To us in Ireland most of us see North Ireland and the Republic of Ireland as just Ireland
British 🇬🇧 are to blame imperialist colonialist oppression in Ireland 🇮🇪. Remember Derry city FC are in league of Ireland ⚽🏆 because it a Irish nationalist population
I grew up in the North. Its impossible to please everybody when covering this topic but I appreciate the effort you put in to be as sensitive and respectful as possible
Northern Ireland. it's a country, no?
The north? 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧 NORTHERN IRELAND AYE
@@allanj1872 exactly!! NORTHERN IRELAND!!!
@@allanj1872 North of Ireland ayeee🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪🇮🇪
@@jordantreacy1574yeeeoooo 🇮🇪
As an Irishman from Belfast ( I live right behind the "Peace wall" you visited at the start) and who is a big fan of the channel I was actually thinkin no don't do this it'll only end badly, but you done well mate, this place is so complicated and there's always plenty looking to be offended but honestly you handled it perfectly. Great job and great video as always. You should come visit on a personal holiday, our wee place really is a great wee part of the world.
Excellent video, as a league of Ireland fan it’s great to see all the research and effort you’ve put into shining light on the league 🇮🇪
Derry fan,,the irish league is just crap full of bigots,
GB*
There is an R in Ireland 🇮🇪. It is an Island 26 +6=1 . Good history lesson.
As an Englishman living in Northern Ireland I found this to be your best video yet. Top work 👍
I agree, I've watched a lot of these football videos and this is my favourite. He has really researched all this well. I'm from Northern Ireland and I have learned a few things from this
As an Englishman living in Northern Ireland also, do you watch any teams over here, if so which ones?
No chance the rangers v leipzig semi final was the best.
I would play for the national Irish team and I was born in Scotland 2 counties is no a country.
Brilliant video man
Maybe the average British football fan can now understand why Celtic 🇮🇪 v Rangers 🇬🇧 is the biggest derby in the world (international ties,history,politics,religion).
In Belfast,the Falls Road is Catholic Celtic,the Shanks Road is Protestant Rangers (see the Walter Smith painting)
p.s. Ferry from Northen Ireland to Scotland is great with lovely views of the Mull of Kintyre and Ailsa Craig!
Is there a big club in Northern Ireland that has a similar political view to celtic?
@@memomoe3927 cliftonville
@@memomoe3927 I would say derry city fc aswell ,but they play in the LOI not in NIs league.
@@byroncroninmcelvogue4
Only from around the late 70's when the demographics changed and Cliftonville became more successful on the field having dropped their longstanding amateur status. Cliftonville were associated more with the Protestant and to a lesser extent Jewish middle class who resided in the nearby area.
Prior to that, it was Belfast Celtic who were supported by the Catholic Nationalist community. With Celtic's unfortunate demise which was a huge detriment to the game in the North, I believe in those in between years a sizeable chunk of Celtic's former support went towards Distillery. Distillery did not identify explicitly with either of the political traditions but they were the main challengers to what became the new Big Two dominance of Linfield and Glentoran. I have heard that Glentoran absorbed some of the former Celtic support but given their location in the strongly Unionist East of the City, don't think it would have amounted to that many. Geographically, Distillery's Grosvenor Park ground was the nearest to where Celtic attracted their core following in West Belfast.
@@gallowglass2630
With the Troubles, there was a huge population shift with many Protestants moving away from the City side. Historically, Derry City were a cross community club and their support was probably marginally more Protestant when they were in the Irish League.
A fun fact for you: UEFA recently acknowledged Glentoran (a Northern Irish team from Belfast) as the winners of the first ever European Cup which, at the time, was known as the Vienna Cup!
Wasn’t the European cup though was it, there was only about 4 teams in it and you didn’t need to qualify. It was a friendly tournament between a handful of tiny obscure teams.
Well done Sam from a fellow Englishman . I will enjoy your videos on Irish football as much as all your other ones ..keep up the great work . Like Jack Charlton , I suspect you can achieve far more in harmonising Anglo / Irish relations than any politician has ever done
I'm from The Netherlands (but I live in Scotland) and I went over to Northern Ireland in November 2019 for the Northern Ireland v Netherlands international at Windsor Park. As a keen groundhopper, I also went to Carrick Rangers on the Friday night and Cliftonville on the Saturday afternoon (the international game was Saturday night). I was really happy I added those 2 grounds in as they are both lovely, traditional, football grounds. I decided then I will make more trips to Ireland (as in the island, both sides of the border). As an outsider, nobody expected from me to pick a side in the political debates there, if you're not from there, they won't drag you into those debates. I had lovely chats with people from both sides of the divide and as long as you go into those chats with a "neutral" stance, they'll respect that. And you'll find out soon enough, things are not as black and white as outsiders sometimes think. I met Catholic supporters of the Northern Irish national team for example.
Well said
Excellent English - better than many of the natives. 🍀👍
I don't mean to bring politics into things but when I read that you are from the Netherlands I wondered, what do you know about William Of Orange and how he came over to Ireland,fought at the river Boyne and became William III of England? I visited Holland once and went on a bus tour.When I asked the guide about William Of Orange in Ireland she said she didn't know much about it yet his role in Ireland is a MAJOR part of Protestant culture in Northern Ireland. Is that part of Netherlands history and it's links to Northern Ireland taught much in history lessons at schools, is it thought as something minor or,dare I say it, controversial. Also I've always wondered why is your country called Holland AND the Netherlands? I hope these questions don't sound like I'm being rude about Dutch history,that is NOT my reasons for asking these questions, HONEST.
@@adrianbradley8513 First of all, it's worth noting that there have been several "Williams of Orange". If you mention the name "William of Orange" to a Dutchman, they'd generally first think of William I (also called William the Silent), who was actually the great-grandfather of William III, the William of Orange that you mean (I'll refer to him as William III from here, just to prevent confusion). William the Silent is still seen as an important historical figure to us as he liberated The Netherlands from the Spanish back in the 1500's and ended persecution of Protestants by the Spanish in The Netherlands. Because of that, he is in Dutch history seen as the more important William. It's not that William III doesn't get taught at all, I knew about him before I came to the UK, but not many people know how big his role in Northern Ireland really was and how important he still is to many Protestants there today. Only once I moved to the UK I started realising all that myself.
In terms of the name of the country, I can be brief. The only official name is The Netherlands & the name Holland is technically only the collective name of 2 Dutch provinces. If you want to know more about that history, I'd suggest watching CGP Grey's video on "The difference between Holland and The Netherlands", he explains it really well.
@@martenkats6915 very interesting facts there Marten, many thanks for that post.
This is Great . Refreshing to see an Englishman know so much about this topic and the football on this island . You’ve got a new Subscriber! . Ps Loads of league of Ireland on tomorrow night and Shamrock rovers in Champions league next week!
Amazing thanks Conor! I was a bit nervous that I’d have got some of the info wrong but I tried hard to make sure all the relevant points were in there.
Cheers for subscribing. Got loads more videos on the island planned 📽😃
@@FootyAdventures
Alan Shields
Hamilton
South Lanarkshire
Scotland
I understand about you being nervous to make this video it's an extremely sensitive subject I come from a mixed family myself.
I have cousins & a brother in law on the other side of the fence from me
and I need to be very tactile when talking to them about football , religion & politics.
They day growing up in Scotland try to avoid talking about Football , religion & politics when in mixed company all three subjects are like a minefield in Scotland &
Nothern Ireland.
I feel a lot of the time English & Welsh people dont understand.
@@FootyAdventures there are alot of european matches in the coming weeks for both leagues. You should go to a few of them. (dont exclusively do linfield in the north, its like exclusively doing rangers in scotland. You have to go to Cliftonville aswell. Cliftonville are the biggest Catholic team and also Irelands first team (1879).)
@@alanfox691 another Hamilton man hows you mate . your bang on what you say ,
Thats the West of Scotland.
and in a Blue nose
@@ronan3336
My brother in law is a Celtic fan he asked me what are the biggest
Catholic football clubs in
Nothern Ireland about 2 years ago last Christmas.
I sead from what I know
I would say Cliftonville is the biggest them there is Donegal Celtic &
Newry City & to the best of my knowledge the rest of the big clubs are Prodestent in terms of the area they are situated in.
Am I correct in my thinking ?
If not feel free to correct me.
My impression having visited Nothern Ireland & Belfast in particular many times over the years is that a lot of Catholic youngsters have a fear of going to football games in Nothern Ireland & tend to go to watch Gaelic football & Hurling
games for fear of getting caught up in violence if they go to a football game is the correct ?.
I have been to watch
Glasgow Clan VS Belfast Giants
& Glasgow Warriors VS Ulster Rugby & religion never comes in to it at all it's sad it needs to come in to it in football.
I do like the idea of going
to a Gaelic football for the experience but I dont know how the atmosphere would be in terms of it being a comfortable experience being a Prodestent would you say
Gaelic football is very much a
Catholic sport ?.
I would appreciate your advice Ronan ?.
I feel you will have better insight than me as I am Scottish.
In this world I wish we could just live & let live.
We say in Scotland we are all
Jock Tamsons Waynes or Barnes depending on where in Scotland you live Waynes is a West of Scotland word & Barnes is a East of Scotland word both means kids
basically the saying is saying we are all the same.
Jock Tamson was a minister in Edinburgh Church of Scotland that would take in Children that where left to fend for themselves on the streets of Edinburgh & would make sure they where cared for.
Keep Safe.
The football associations split as the IFA was mostly Belfast focused. The tipping point was a cup semi final in the 1920s where Glentoran drew with Shelbourne in Belfast. The IFA insisted that the replay would also be in Belfast, Shels wanted it in Dublin.
FIFA backed Free State as was new sovereign state too!
Great video I’m from Northern Ireland and this topic is very complex but was explained very well by you. Also shoutout to Scotland moving there in august so can’t wait 🏴❤️
Thanks for showing so much respect to our island. Most people would not try and learn like you have. Keep on the great work Sam
Trying to avoid the politics is difficult when talking about Ireland. There has been many All Ireland Cup tournaments since the island was divided. There has also been a handful of European ties involving teams from both leagues playing each other. Sadly football remains divided unlike boxing, rugby etc where there is one national team. Make sure you visit the other stadiums in Belfast. All classic old school settings.
There was an all ireland cup competition called the setanta Cup which had some great games in it.
living life by politics lol, who gives a f**k about politics sad country
@@bouse23 you're a real one , remembering the Setanta Cup , respect 👍 why did they stop doing it?
So much still to learn ,but gd work lad 🇬🇧🇬🇧🥢🥢
Fair play mate. Subbed.
So good to see somebody try to explain a very complicated situation instead of just glossing over it. Pity your not over during the season to sample some of the bigger games and atmosphere at the grounds, Love the videos man keep up the good work 👍🏼
Never heard of your channel before now. Its nice to see someone from England look at Irish history and the troubles with so much respect and curiosity. Love it.
It's worth mentioning that after the 'split' happened and the FAI was created, both the FAI and the IFA claimed to represent 'Ireland', and were picking some of the same players to play for two ' separate Ireland' teams in international fixtures. . That is when FIFA intervened and said neither was allowed to use Ireland as a name. So it's now "Northern Ireland" and "Republic of Ireland" even though the country is simply named "Ireland".
Go and visit Lurgan and see Glenavon at Mourneview Park.
The first team ( not from Belfast) to win the Irish League. Wilbur Cush of Leeds Utd played for Glenavon and scored the winning goal for N. Ireland against the Czechs in Sweden 1958.Nice town, divided also but has a lot of history.
Mourneview is on my to do list. I watch highlights on TV and always look out for "Life without Jesus has no meaning"
You can tell you didn’t want to say the wrong thing! Great vlog, the ferry looked decent!
If you get a chance whilst in Belfast, visit the Park Centre where, I believe there is a plaque and small museum about Belfast Celtic. A fascinating tale.
Suggested this on a very old video, very excited if he actually does it!
Belfast is shite
It's closed now
Belfast Celtic 🍀 🇮🇪🏆. Is returning ..
Correct, The park centre is where Celtic Park once stood. My great uncle played for Belfast Celtic as a goalkeeper. Was supposed to sign for Liverpool but decided to stay at home in Larne where he remained the rest of his days. He gave me some stick for be being a Linfield fan mind you lol
Belfast a brilliant place to visit , verry friendly people been there many a time , not for the football but the ice hockey ie Belfast giants.
Cricket and Rugby is played jointly as All Ireland, it is a shame that football isn't anymore. I think Windsor Park is owned by Linfield who receive a lot of money from the IFA for internationals to be played there which does give Linfield a big advantage over the other teams.
Genial Harry goat Nobody cares about cricket though ,they have established a modicum of visibility since 2007,but you will still find people especially in the south that don't know we have a national cricket team.
Actually the only sport in which Northern Ireland competes separately is football, in the rest all compete under the principle of one Ireland.
The IFA own the stands but Linfield own the pitch if I remember correctly
Linfield doesn't receive any money for internationals at Windsor anymore! Not since the stadium was refurbished!
@@graemebo21 The IFA refurbished Windsor Park and the deal for doing so gives the national team free use of the stadium?
Well done Sam, good effort to understand, and one can sympathise with your bemusement and 'deer in headlights' look throughout this!
I find it fascinating how the media in England have kept the English public in the dark over the situation in Ireland for generations, to the point where many English Brexit voters apparently wouldn't mind losing Northern Ireland as they see it as irrelevant or confusing - not really what they think of as 'Britain' at all. Meanwhile in Northern Ireland the union jack and link to England is everything - well to half of the population. A bit of a one sided romance.
Looking forward to your upcoming videos on football in Ireland, keep it up.
Possible United Ireland on the horizon so the English can continue to not care about over here
Well done mate you done well walking the tightrope of not offending anyone, I'm a Linfield (and Rangers) fan but believe there should be an all Ireland league, it would raise the standard of all Irish teams, the FAI were forward looking when changing to a summer league similar to the Rugby league, super league in England in the months it's played in, it has improved the standard of the league of Ireland as shown by Shamrock rovers being the first Irish team north or south to reach the group stages of the Europa league (or UEFA cup as it was then) though Linfield are the only Irish team to reach the quarter final of the European cup (now Champions league) in 1966/67 when they lost 3-2 on aggregate to CSKA Sofia, losing 1-0 in Sofia after a 2-2 draw at Windsor park , right up to the outbreak of the troubles in N.I. football crowds were infinitely bigger with 30,000 attendances the norm for Linfield v Glentoran Big two derbies and even in the 1980s there was a 40,000 crowd for legendary Linfield captain peter Rafferty's testimonial match.
Good video... enjoyed it. Yep, a lot to get your head round when it comes to understanding many of the divisions and differences. You did sterling work. Hope you had a great visit and will have many more in the future.
From a guy living in the north you approached this in a very mature and sensible manor well done.
You gotta got to Derry to learn about the club. It is infact having one of the most unique history.
Great video man. This is a subject that, as you mentioned, gets confusing and isn't super easy to research. The Champions Cup is the successor to the Setanta Cup where the winners of both leagues play each other, although it has only been played once in 2019 so far. Unfortunately Linfield lost 7-1 on aggregate to Dundalk which really shows much Northern Irish football needs to improve. I think a cup competition like that is a good idea though, certainly better than the IFA simply being absorbed into the FAI or vice versa to be fair to the Republic. Looking forward to seeing you getting in the stadium.
A lot of clubs in Northern Ireland didn't form until after the creation of Northern Ireland take my team Coleraine (on my profile pic) didn't form till 1927. Great vid 👌
Same in the south, my club Waterford formed in 1930, pats, sligo rovers, galway united, Cork City, finn harps and even Derry City all formed after the split
that's crazy to think. i always imagine footy as timeless. up the bannsiders!
C'mon the BANNSIDERS
Coleraine were only formed in 2006
@@RonanBegley still got to stay in the league mate only change was ownership and financial structure
From cork in Ireland. Well done Sam. It's a tightrope of a subject but you did a great job of it🇮🇪👍
Fair play, buddy. Not an easy task. Would love to see a Derry City and Belfast Celtic video.
Londonderry*
you need to vist the oval, you’d like stadium and finding out the history and also the link of the club and the shipyard
Good effort...a lot to take in...Looking forward to Cliftonville
As an Irishman from the North who has no interest in football whatsoever and have never sen this channel before in my life, i have to congratulate you on this excellent video
Non of these "foreign games" for you mr Pearse, eh ! With that monika, i do'nt doubt it.
Well done Sam - you must have done a lot of research - really impressed - very difficult to give a overview of Irish history from the Normans on and how we got to where we are today - for anyone interested in finding out more about the partition of Ireland there is a very good BBC podcast Year '21 - 50 episodes - most about 15 minutes - episode 12 deals with football - but if you listen from the start you'll get a much clearer understanding of the issues facing Ireland and Northern Ireland today - thanks for this Sam - really looking forward to future vlogs.
👏👏👏👏👏👏...Quality Sam 👍
man i love football history its so good to learn about it
Unreal video Sam,refreshing to see you have done enough research and can really educate people about it
as a protestant in ireland it’s hard to even get the point across about the whole story without getting involved in politics but i do think i’d like to see a united ireland someday but i honestly don’t think our irish government is stable enough for it to happen anytime soon but great video man keep it up
As a Catholic from the Republic it kind of annoys to see the misinformed view by outsiders that northern Ireland is split on a religious divide,its more ethnic with loyalist and republican ideals opposite. In the south both religions lived together whilst the North was at war within itself. Some of my best friends come from protestant backgrounds and it matters so little its never discussed but during the troubles we talked of the great shame of the war and embarrassed by 2 minorities behaviour whilst labelling themselves Catholic or protestant instead of their real identity of republican or unionist. Needless to say nearly both sides don't religions don't reflect the Christian values of peace.
You need to be from Ireland to understand the politics. Brexit and the Irish Sea Border have complicated things even more as although NI is part of the UK, it is treated as being still in the EU by the protocol. Most Protestants I know support N Ireland at soccer and Ireland at Rugby. Brian O'Driscoll travelled up to the 12th of July parade in Loughgall a few years ago. Orangeman had selfies with him and he played a Lambeg drum. All the Orangemen wanted to remain in the union, but supported Ireland rugby. I could see O'Driscolls confusion. I'm Protestant and have respect for the Irish people. I've no respect for Sinn Fein however who condemn everyone else whilst sanitising the fact that their military wing murdered 1700 people. I respect the SDLP who although nationalist, have always supported non violence.
Sadly i agree. More the fact that if a united ireland does happen. There will be people from the loyalist side who will actively fight it like the IRA did to try and create a united ireland.
@@hawdehaw youre 100% correct
@@oliver69cork46 Yeah I'm from a Catholic background and spent 8 happy years in a Protestant school in the Republic as a kid in the 80s. Most of my pals were Protestant and it was never an issue. We were probably too young to really understand what was happening in NI.
Great video.. Get yourself over to The Oval East Belfast the greatest old stadium in the world with a great history
Enjoyed your video, enjoy Belfast. Linfield 57 🏆 this season 🔴⚪🔵
Visit Ballyclare comrades, the team that formed after the first world war with the hero's who fought for their country
Great video mate. I live in Coleraine and as anyone will tell you from here talking about our country comes with the danger of offending someone (which isnt hard in this day and age) but you done very well in how you spoke about it. Look forward to seeing more of you in Northern Ireland and at the Rangers matches to.
I'm also from coleraine.
Country? Your not. A country . within occupied six county's. Where half population is Irish nationalist 🇮🇪 .. only one nation and Irish on the island of Ireland.
@@shamrockgerry dude please stop this has been the least hateful video on norn iron I've ever seen
@@davestewart3778 ok ps sorry to hear about thoses fans in Motherwell ground.. peace ☮️ n love ❤️🙏 go go Irish ☘️🇮🇪
Definitely maybe not your best, but by far your most interesting video. I have never heard of any English person to be so knowledgeable on the Irish situation with regard football. You gave such an accurate account of the complicated history. Its unique to the world. However.,,,,,,,,its even less straignt forward than anyone outside Ireland could fathom. Either way thank so much for another fantastic video. The research that you did and of course your presenting are more professional than anything you would see in the mainstream. Well done young man.
It's a shame that the setanta cup isn't still happening, it should be
Too much crowd trouble nightmare for both sets of police who might have to do actually work.That is another discussion
Recently 2012 Shamrock rovers and Linfield played in it and had trouble Shamrock rovers have a Republican element of support
likewise Linfield Loyalist.
It is just a tinder box when both sets of clubs north and south play
Great video Sam handled the topic very respectfully 👍
Great video mate you should try and come back during the season to watch a belclasico game. That's the derby game between glentoran and linfield.
As an Irish person from the North, your video came across pretty well researched and respectful. Fair play, it's great to see
Seeing that your here until the linfield game on sat, If your stuck for something to do on Friday night, check out the parade on in east Belfast on Friday night! Will give a good insight into the Protestant culture which is referenced in a lot of songs you would have heard at rangers games. And it’s a good entertaining way to spend an evening!
1st of July band parade in east Belfast is brilliant get on that 🇬🇧✋🏻🏴
@@trueblue3719 its not a band parade on the ist, its a somme remembrance parade,it remembers all those of ALL faiths who fell at the battle of the somme
Excellent work - well researched, and delivered in a most sensitive way.
You did a great job of explaining a complicated system. Pity the leagues are divided & dont see Shamrock Rovers v Linfield or Glentoran v Bohemians just like we no longer have Hajduk v Red Star, Željezničar v Rijeka, Partizan v Dinamo etc..so the standard is not as high
They had a joint cup competition for a while there was some great games in it.
@@bouse23 Sounds great, a pity no longer play. Was there trouble with fans? I would love the old Jugoslav league, most of us have no hatred but maybe still problems of hooligans some who would spread nationalist dogma as excuse to fight ?
@@saradrugi6760 no there was never much trouble. I think they stopped playing because there was it was dominated by republic of ireland teams and the competition sponsor went out of business..
@@bouse23 Im happy fans got along and football brings us together not divide. As I say would love Hajduk playing teams of Serbia, Bosna, Slovenija etc.meaning higher standard and I have only good feelings for those countries & love visiting Belgrad and Mostar ...but would be safe watching Hajduk at Zvezda or Partizan ???
Great video Sam. A very fair and balanced report on the situation and football here in Belfast. Great to see someone take a genuine interest in it. On the “Who owns Windsor Park” comment, since the redevelopment of Windsor Park the IFA own the stadium which sits on Linfield’s land.
Fascinating video on a difficult subject. I would love to see a combined Irish league, but would the fans and people in general be ready for it?
You did perfect apart from showing a map at the start calling Derry "Londonderry" :D
@footyadventures just subscribed as enjoyed your Ireland vlogs.
You did well on the Irish history, you are right, it is very sensitive but you handled it well.
Dublin Derby wasn't a classic match, Rovers needed the win after losing our last match.
As you are in Ireland maybe you can get to Rovers v Hibs of Malta on Tuesday 5th July in CL Qualifiers.
Final suggestion, look up Rovers old ground Milltown "Glenmalure Park". In 1987 we played our last game there as the then owners disgracefully put the ground up for sale. There is a monument to mark the site and I think some of the old perimeter wall still stand, it's been over 10 years since I've been in the area.
For 22 years we survived without a ground of our own until we moved into Tallaght thanks to hard working fans and vital support from South County Dublin Council and the government.
Thanks very much for subscribing mate. Welcome to the channel!!!
That’s really interesting to hear about the old ground. I did know that Rovers went a long time without a home of their own but I wasn’t aware of some of the background.
I’ll definitely have to add that to the video To Do List! Cheers
@@FootyAdventures thanks 👍☘
Fantastic video! 🇬🇧🤝🇮🇪
I like the emoji style 😊👍
You should visit Cliftonville in Belfast they are the oldest club in the island of Ireland based in North Belfast on the Cliftonville Road
Isn't solitude not the oldest football stadium still in use as well?
You reds
You needed a vaccine to go to solitude and that’s even before Covid
And the worst team ever played there. Come on Linfield
@@Dylanthefootballer aye ashkeigh no bother lmao 🤣
Very respectable (or is it respectful) job done on that video Sam.
great vid as always, pal, but i was kinda hoping you woulda got to Inver Park aswell.
C.I.A.
🇬🇧
🇮🇪
@@Beanbag777 ballbag more like.
@@col1690 🇮🇪🇮🇪
you should visit Glentoran. Very old fashion stadium and very nice. Good ground!
I would love to see an all Ireland league would make it "interesting " 😅
Linfield might make top 4 if lucky
As a Catholic who grew up right beside the peace Wall and during all the problems of the troubles I would say you done a good job to please both sides which is a difficult thing to do as it is such a touchy subject but the history of the island as a whole is fascinating, bloody and incredibly hard and sad to read. Football plays a massive part of the culture with celtic and rangers, and on the peace Wall eventually it will come down but we need to be united it won't come down until all the older ones have moved on who hold such resentment towards each other which is a shame I don't think in my lifetime ill see it happen but we need to stand together and united as every family has been affected in some way with the troubles and civil war
You did a good job covering a complicated situation there! One extra point is those gates get closed every evening to prevent quick access to and from the relevant areas.
You've actually done a good job of explaining the situation so good on you. This is of course very sensetive political terrain, well done.
Mate that video 👏👏👏 but I can tell u as someone who adores Northern Ireland and sympathizes with my northern Irish brethren and sisters o'er by I can say that in my opinion those peace walls will never come down in our life time and I say our life time cuz u and I are only a year apart
@@mickmc3832 knew that but there are elsewhere
I dont believe the Peace Walls will ever come down in my life time
I am 40 & comeing up for 41.
I just want the best for all
the people of Nothern Ireland
both my Grampa's family's came from Belfast originally & my Mum's Mum was born in Castlederg in Country Tyrone then she stayed in
Ballymena till she was 5 when the family moved to Elderslie in Renfrewshire Scotland.
I love Nothern Ireland with all my heart hands across the water.
@@alanfox691 exact same feeling Alan....the badge in my pic might (definitely) have something to do with it but I wholeheartedly agree
@@mickmc3832 I never said it wasn't....but I just don't ever see it happening and tbh would rather it didn't
@@mickmc3832 what do u mean I'll be grand I'm from over the water in Scotland
It's such a messy topic and I think you've did brilliantly explaining it. Another great video.
Great video sam 👍 you need to get back over for a Northern ireland home game next home game is kosovo Saturday 24th Sept atmosphere is always brilliant from the #GAWA
The Northern most tip of Northern Ireland is in the Irish Republic. So "Northern Ireland" is miss named. They cant call it "Ulster" either because 3 counties of Historic Ulster are in the Irish Republic. Hence why many Irish people call that artificially created Masonic Sectarian state "The 6 Counties".
You should definitely do a video on fc andorra who are based in andorra but play in the Spanish 2nd division
Londoner of Mauritian descent here - Honestly shocked me when you mentioned mauritius out of nowhere as a relatively unknown footballing nation! Love to see you do a video in mauritius one day - from what I know the Mauritian prem is dreadfully underfunded .. but if nothing else you’ll get a good holiday out of it!
Fair play, as a League Of Ireland (St.Pats) supporter, your last few videos caught my attention an earned a sub! Also very good cover of a sensitive subject. Do they teach it in school? Or did you have to research it all recently? Once again, great video!
They don’t even teach it in school
In Northern Ireland, never mind England. Unless you specifically choose to do it for A Levels. So he probably had to research it first.
Those peace gates still get closed once it gets dark
I appreciate that you don't claim to be an expert on the matter but "A referendum on the Irish Constitution in 1937 led to the troubles" is one of the most bizarre takes I've ever heard and I thought I had heard them all.
I laughed at that too mate 😂😂😂
Sam. This is one of your best vids. Well done 👍🏻
yeah Lingfield 56 league's took over from RANGER'S 55 as most league titles. Another great video.Dont even try with the politics mate, it's a minefield. Both sides see it differently. w.a.t.p
100% agree about it being a minefield.
I would say Irish history is full of errors of judgement on both sides
the media have always been keen to stir the poison right from the very start buy twisting the facts & making things out to be worse than they actually where at points in history.
Keep Safe.
And of course Linfield never went into liquidation . All their titles were won by the same club
@@albertmccready478 They did have the benefit of their more successful rivals, Belfast Celtic, having to quit. They'd never have close to 56 titles otherwise.
@@vincentmcnabb939 Having to quit because their players and fans were attacked by Linfield fans.
Linfield could be managed by a 10 year old and still win the league the amount of crying there fans do about wanting there managers sacked if they don't win the league is unbelievable uses got big davey out David will be next funny how rentboys fans call themselves rangers fans when celtic got handed the title due to covid they cried but never said anything when the same thing happened to Linfield nothing was said hopefully glens kick your arse this season
God Bless All Éireann. ☘🇮🇪⚽️
u should go to cliftonville when ur here 🇮🇪🔴
Why ?
@@trueblue3719 why not?
Went to belfast for the super cup with chelsea against villareal. Granted we only drank on sandy row with the rest of the chelsea mob. And rangers was a brilli
ant day. Very interesting city. Want to go back for a long weekend sometime
imagine how strong ireland would have been over the years if they had a full country to choose from. some legendary northern and republic of ireland players could have played together. especially from 1980 - 2010. missed opportunities due to bs religion and bs politics
well it’s not bs religion and politics, ireland is an island that has been divided by british occupation. it’s time to remove the occupation, and people won’t stop fighting for it until that happens
@@rangabanga0311 I'm english and i fully agree that england had and still has no right to cling onto the north eastern part of ireland.
having said that, there are far too many protestants living there and whoever is uk prime minister for whichever party, in our lifetime we will never allow ireland to be whole again. they want to keep their little tax haven and back door into the EU. plus the british have never liked retreating. ever.
religion divides the ppl.
politics divide the land.
and both complete bs reasons imho. rugby knows how it's done
@@mowvu that will all depend on how the population shapes up in terms of supporting possible unification .the island was divided inan undemocratic act. And an artificial border was drawn up on a sectarian headcount . The Brits would drop the north in a heart beat if they could. But tbf to all,this thread is not the place for all this. I want unity, but it has to be a fair and just unity.
@@albertmccready478 haha nowhere on yt is it the place for this. and I'd love to see an all ireland footy team.
@@albertmccready478 Albert, there is still a lot of sympathy for loyalists in NI from the English, but i believe this is tipping in favour of Republican/Nationalists slowly due to the history of Ireland, British colonialism within, and facts of the Troubles.However, i think there would never be peace in a UI where loyalists would never agree to it. A sad situation where there is no easy answer. I personally think NI should stay with us economically, Catholics now have more freedoms and rights than ever before, and Catholic students consistently excell academically.
What d'ya think mate?
My understanding was the split in Irish football was due to a dispute on the replay of an Irish Cup semi final between Shelbourne and Glenavon in 1921. The drawn game was played in Belfast and it was expected that the replay would be played in Dublin. Due to the ongoing war the authorities in Belfast ordered the replay to be played in Belfast. Shelbourne refused and shortly after the FAI was formed.
There was one occasion when effectively an all Ireland team played a charity game as Shamrock Rovers XI against Brazil in 1973, Brazil won 4-3. But the Shamrock Rovers XI impressed so much (the only team to score 3 against Brazil in 8 years) that it led to talks of a merger, which obviously never happened.
To be fair, English people pronouncing ireland as island doesn't make it easier to understand 😂
Because it is an island with six of its counties being occupied by Britain so not matter who govern’s this great country it will always be the island of Ireland
It is an island, it's called Ireland 💚🇨🇮
@@fishon605 , yes - with two countries on it. 😀🇬🇧🏴🇮🇪
@@Andy7907 Technically not a country. It's a province officially according to Westminster. Scotland, Wales and England hold country status. Northern Island is still a province.
Source: ISO, U.N. and Westminster
Everyone has an accent, don’t make pronunciation a life or death issue.
I love how carefully you're choosing your words here in the intro. Fair play. 😅
Good stuff again man well done. I am a big glentoran fan and would be happy to meet up with you and give you a bit of a run down of our history and show you the oval if you would like. Gimmie a shout if you want. Keep up the great work
Goodness me. I was thinking the exact same thing about the Glens and the Oval. And I've been living in Australia since 1977 !!!. Still remember the night we played BMG in the old European Cup. There used to be a kids playground next to the Oval that me and my mates would ride our bikes to. Is it still there ?
@@tomblack6965 it is indeed. Not much has changed either well the oval. Not the play ground
C.O.Y.G from Hamilton in
South Lanarkshire Scotland.
The Oval is a proper Old School ground it's part of what I love about the club the place just smells of history.
Been trying to get Sam
to vist The Oval & The Gens for ages
but still wateing.
If you do meet up with Sam
make sure you mention
our Vienna Cup win something that lot from Windsor Park cant say they have ever won is a European trophy no matter how much cash they get from The I.F.A to help them.
Honestly believe we are on the rise again just dont know if Mick is the man to help us win the league.
Keep Safe.
Is the big Jesus sign still up in the oval? I'm I bohs fan and I remember going in to the ground and the 1st thing that grabs you is this big sign.
@@daviddunne7794 it's long gone mate but very iconic. I miss the old satanta cup days. Some cracking away days
Absolutely love watching all your stuff mate!! And brilliant how you have done this as many folk don’t understand it really! Keep up the good work bro 👍🏻
BELFAST LINFIELD🔴⚪🔵🇬🇧
Thanks for super Shane lavery ,from a Blackpool fc fan 🇬🇧
@@mickharrison9004np 🇬🇧🇬🇧
@@Calebtheger55 fair play m8 🇬🇧
Some lovely cities in north of Ireland especially DERRY(Doire in Irish)and BELFAST(Beil Feiriste)
As a Bohemian Fan I think our national team and our national leagues are weakened because of the split, isn't it obvious. Hopefully in the future we can Come together as one nation under Football. The Rugby can do it so should we.
As a NI fan thanks but no thanks, our clubs are gradually moving full time and the quality will improve. Its been a 100 years man its not going to change anytime soon.
Norn iron fans don’t want it so respect their wishes. Our league is bigger and better anyway so why ruin that with potential crowd trouble and violence every week
@@Beanbag777 Pretty sure Shamrock Rovers have 3 times the average attendances than Linfield. Most people in the Shankhill support teams in the country they are from - Scotland.
Too many on the gravy train the IFA and FAI they'd hate to have to compete for one position Hench the real reason these in charge will never even try to merge, well that and hate filled catholic protestant bigots who can't see past religion and dividing walls. Didn't Jesus say love your neighbour more importantly love your enemy for you bigots.
No chance 🇬🇧
I've had the pleasure of going to Belfast on two different trips. The first time was in August 2015 by myself and the second time was with my parents in January 2022. The first thing that struck me about communities in the suburbs of the city is how assertive a particular community's politics and identity can be. Whether it's having flags on every lamp post or painting kerbs in the colours of their flag, or murals commemorating martyrs to their causes, it brings it front and centre to anyone visiting. Sometimes even the name of places can be contentious in Northern Ireland (the second city of the province, Derry/Londonderry)
I work around the North and flags and divide mostly is working class areas. Go to rich areas were the politicians live like castle rock there is no flags or divide. Divide the people and not focus on the goverment is a tactic used all over the world by so called Democratic countries ( like black lives matter,pride etc.
Just call derry/londonderry, stroke city everyone will know what your talking about and you won't offend anyone lol
Trust me it will be alot less confusing very soon 1 island 1 nation up the Republic ✊️🇮🇪
Keep you spending your money with Lizzies head on it!Been hearing that for years......🤔😴
@@neilmcilwrath5951 sorry here in the biggest county in ulster (donegal which u probably didn't know 🤔) no queen's head here 🇮🇪🇮🇪
Your video has quite a lot of good information, that is a actually clearer than what's on Wikipedia. It's interesting to find out about the two Irish football leagues. Here in Australia our media tends to focus on the English "soccer" league and occasionally mentions Scottish football. P.S. the sport of Gaelic Football is played in a limited way here in Australia.
Gaelic football and hurling are a billion times more interesting than "soccer" anyways.
I'm from the Shankill area... the peace walls won't be coming down anytime soon for people in England they believe that since the good Friday agreement everything has been peaceful here that is not interly true there is still a lot of mistrust between the communities and the n.ireland portacol has brought a lot of anger too the protestant community and this could have the potential too cause civil unrest here again.
Get it right lad - Brexit has caused the problems, the NI protocol is a hang up from Brexit.
Well sead
I am Scottish and unless you spend time amongst the people in
Nothern Ireland you will never fully understand & I dont mean staying in a hotel & doing a bus tour of Belfast I actually mean living amusement the people.
I dont think people in England really understand the situation I think in Scotland we have a better understanding but I still dont think many Scots United what it's like day to day living in Nothern Ireland.
I have see the good & the very bad in Nothern Ireland.
You all need to get a grip and grow up.
@@samuelbarrett9403 Yes.
The protocol that the British government signed. Grow up.
Bohemian FC and Shelbourne FC competed for decades in the Irish League before partitioning of the island in 1921. The other famous League of Ireland teams played in the Leinster Senior League or Munster Senior League again for several decades before partitioning and later formation of the League of Ireland.
Our wee country norn iron🇬🇧🇬🇧
Yes a wonderful country. 🇮🇪
N. Ireland is a province officially; not a country.
Great video, get to glentoran while your here and try to ask for a tour and they would happily take you about the boardroom and show you the trophy cabinet
If you want to find out more about life during the troubles I would suggest a few things:
Derry Girls is a sitcom based in the time and gives subtle hints to the troubles throughout but makes it known that people there just wanted to live their lives
The Real Derry Documentary which I found really powerful as it is presented by a Catholic and her experience growing up in Post-Troubles Derry and discusses some very powerful topics like Bloody Sunday and talks to the Orange Order as well as mental health problems people have experienced post troubles.
The Song "The Town I Loved So Well" by the Dubliners led by the powerful voice of Luke Kelly was sung immediately after the Bloody Sunday outrage in 1972 and shows the feeling across Derry and the world for a desire for peace in Northern Ireland.
Overall try not to take sides when talking about these things as people get very defensive about their own position. For example I am not Catholic (Protestant and live in England) but would like a united Ireland because I feel they would be better treated but I understand why many people in Northern Ireland want to remain in the UK for political and religious reasons that are long drawn out and often violent. Finally hats off to you for going there and exposing the footballing and everyday life there but also addressing the problems as there is nothing that annoys me more when people say that Northern Ireland is difficult (which it is) so don't talk about it instead healing can only be done by discussing the differences and not just shoving it to one side as too difficult.
The best way to learn about
the troubles is to spend at least a month in Nothern Ireland & I dont mean staying in a hotel actually go & live in amongst the people that actually live there permanently & talk to the people that actually lived through
the troubles.
I am Scottish & growing up in
The West of Scotland thought I had a good understanding but I had my eyes opened in 2011 to the reality when I was dateing a woman from East Belfast & spent 3 weeks over there I got to see the reality of it all put it this way I got a very graphic insight to how life can be in
Nothern Ireland but I also seen positive changes aswell it was a mixture of positive & negative experiences.
I honestly dont think most
English people have the first clue about the situation in
Nothern Ireland in Scotland we have a much better understanding because of The Old Firm side of things.
When I was growing up I was could an O.B buy a friend's uncle I sead to him yes I am Orange & proud of it but I sure as hell am not the b word
dont tell me you would get that happening in England.
I was about 14 at the time the friends Uncle must of been in his 30's.
Keep Safe.
@@alanfox691 Honestly I would 100% agree and talking to people is always better than seeing it through any other medium. I realise that the media I consume is very Irish centric over Northern Irish Unionist centric so that may have tilted my view. I know that everyone's experience of the Troubles has been vastly different to some people having lost loved ones whereas others it was just part of normal life. I know Scotland have a much closer link to Northern Ireland but that doesn't mean that people in England don't know about it either. I am embarrassed to admit that I probably know more than most English people about the Troubles and that is only because I take an active interest in Irish affairs and would like to move to Ireland one day. In England people have a very tinted perspective with most people blaming the IRA for everything as the IRA used violence in Britain but the Orange Order was equally as bad but people in England don't see it like that as they haven't seen it on the mainstream news when they were growing up.
@@ramsfanyt8227 In what way were the Orange order as bad as the ira?
@@yvonnejohnston9429 They committed acts of violence as well such as Drumcree. But it was on a much smaller scale only really restricted to Northern Ireland. I don't condone the IRA but I'm just saying that both sides used violence and we only blame the IRA.
@@ramsfanyt8227 there is a big difference between what happened at drumcree and what the ira did, and there is a lot more to drumcree than what is regularly mooted. there can be no comparison. the ira murdered people the orange order as an organisation did not!
Great video! Was just in Belfast in April and there is such a deep history of football in NI and IE that rivals Scottish football. As an impartial observer it's interesting to see the intrarelationships between football and religion and politics. For example, did you notice in the Shankill area there is a building with Linfield and Rangers logos on the side? Go to the city centre and you can shop in either the Rangers FC or Celtic stores. Perhaps go to a Cliftonville vs Linfield match, I understand it rivals the Old Firm (I believe the league title was settled between Cliftonville and Linfield on the final matchday). Can't wait to see your further videos.
Just watch any Celtic game, there is more Irish flags than Scottish flags