The rugby anthem “Ireland’s Call” has divided opinion among supporters, but former international players Hugo MacNeill and Trevor Ringland say it has served a greater purpose by giving a voice to the Northern Irish players on the Ireland national rugby team.
“Ireland’s Call,” composed by the Grammy-nominated Northern Irish composer Phil Coulter, had its first outing at the 1995 World Cup.
Due to the sectarian divide in Ulster — brought to a violent head by the Troubles which lasted almost three decades from the late 1960s to 1998 — and Northern Ireland being part of the United Kingdom, it made it impossible for the Northern Irish players to sing the Irish national anthem.
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