Fionn O’Dea
Staff Writer
It was Ireland’s first appearance at a major tournament and fittingly, the opponent was England, ‘the old enemy’. The scene in Stuttgart’s Neckarstadion has since been immortalised by Christy Moore who sings: “the ball fell to Ray Houghton and he stuck it in the net.”
The team that started alongside Scottish-born Houghton that day contained just three players born in Ireland, Packie Bonner, Steve Stauton and Kevin Moran. The remaining seven players, including the likes of Mick McCarthy, Chris Hughton and John Aldridge, were playing against their country of birth and seeing to its downfall.
Earlier this week, Joey Barton (in bizarrely confrontational form!) launched a twitter attack on Bury-born former Ireland player and occasional captain Matt Holland. Barton said: “If ur English, u play for England. If ur English and sh*t, u pretend ur Irish grand parentage matters to u and play for Ireland.”
Since Shay Brennan, born to Irish parents in England, first lined out in the green of Ireland, Irish managers have used the parentage rule and later “the granny rule” to great effect. A Scotsman gave us our first goal at a major championship and later a world cup winner against Italy, while we were led to our first two World Cups by English-born captains. Today’s team also has several “plastic paddies”.
Overlooking the needless aggression in his words, Barton did raise an interesting issue: does the Irish heritage of these players matter to them? Should we care if it doesn’t? Holland replied claiming that he wore the Irish shirt with pride and I have no doubt that this is true.
It was evident from the dedication shown by the likes of Holland and Kevin Kilbane (going even as far as learning the words to Ámhrán na bhFiann) that Ireland mattered hugely to them. But will 2004’s one-cap-wonder Jon Macken look back on their time as an Irishman with a tear in their eye?
Holland himself gave me one of my favourite Ireland memories, being too young to remember the days of Lawrenson, Aldridge and Townsend. I was nine years old and getting my first (and to this point only) taste of Ireland playing at an international tournament. I’ll never forget Holland’s second half equaliser against Cameroon or the ensuing scenes of celebration. A poster on my bedroom wall has the scene etched in my mind and this is not something I would dream of trading.
In my books, the likes of Holland are as Irish as he they say they are, who am I and who is Joey Barton to question this?
This question of “Irishness” has reared its head a number of times in the years since the Good Friday Agreement, with a number of players born in the north declaring for Ireland.
Can you blame a player for trying to bring his career to a new level by using his heritage? Can you blame a country’s fans for wanting the best possible players available? Is it wrong that we benefit from various waves of emigration from the island?
Barton also pointed out that for every English-born Irish player, the will be an Irish-born one not getting a look in. This issue arose when now second choice goalkeeper Keiran Westwood claimed that he was not Irish “as such” but rather “a good Catholic boy” to the fury of Bohemians’ in-form goalkeeper Brian Murphy, now of Ipswich.
Of course, I don’t believe that as situation should ever arise whereby countries have free reign to pick and choose what players they would like to “sign”. A line must be drawn somewhere and for that reason, we can assume that a “great granny rule” will never emerge.
Barton has given food for thought. However, while I would prefer to have more Irish-born players on the team (if only as a testament to our youth development), the fact is, if eligible by FIFA rules to play, I’ll never begrudge an English-born player a place on the Irish team.
