James McClean says Catholics can’t feel comfortable playing for Northern Ireland

@allan07 Amhran na bhFiann is not an IRA song as you state, it is a song celebrating Irish freedom and the fact that is the Irish National Anthem should have no bearing on a citizen of the UK. Also Gaelic sports are hundreds of years old, hurling being over 3000 years old, the Scottish Gaelic game of shinty is closely related to hurling and has Gaelic Irish origins. Shinty led the invention of Ice Hockey by Scottish emigrants in Nova Scotia, in Canada. Gaelic games may not be played too widely outside of the island of Ireland but I do't see how that has any relevance, American Football and Aussie Rules being similar in that regard. To blindly state that the Irish are stupid and "tunnel visioned" without giving any valid argument to back up your point doesn't reflect well on your own level of intelligence. I'm happy to say that it is highly unlikely that your sectarian attitude to sport will ever come to pass and I think that the All Ireland Rugby team is something to be proud of as it demonstrates that some people can leave religion and politics outside of sport.

@Seanmor being from Northern Ireland as I am I wish to have a separate Rugby national team as well as soccer. Lets be honest having to play all the Rugby games in a foreign country (Republic of Ireland) is a farce. It is also very uncomfortable having to be listen to a IRA song (the soldiers song) as the national anthem. Its a bit like playing a nazi song to a group of jewish people and then saying to them "well what the problem?". It would be a bit like playing an al-queda song to some New Yorkers at ground zero. Northern Ireland has its own domestic soccer league, the Republic of Ireland has the same. Both have national teams formed after the 1922 independence of the Republic. (Known as the Free State at the time). The strange thing about all of this is that the Gaelic sports were invented by the nationalists/Roman Catholic Church as they were opposed to so called foreign sports such as soccer (called football here), cricket and rugby. (Those sports were considered "British". Now they play them all and suddenly they are no longer British. The Irish are very stupid and tunnel visioned. In truth Gaelic sports are not played in any numbers outside Ireland (Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland). Many in Northern Ireland want a complete separation in all sports. Northern Ireland should have its own Rugby and Cricket teams. The sooner the better. Today if possible!

Is soccer the Irish League in north of the Border and prior to Partition, that league had teams from all of Ireland. In was the South that divided Irish soccer by establishing the League of Ireland in the in the Free State soon after Partition. Up to about the 1970s, the North's team were called Ireland in international competition.

Anybody who knows anyone from Derry, and in particular from the West Bank (which is largely Catholic) that a good many of them have a chip on their shoulders; that the world in general is out to get Derry and to do it down. This man is a byproduct of that siege mentality. I dont argue for one moment Windsor Park can be a cold house for catholic players, but when you look at how many great players from the Nationalist Community in NI who have played their soccer for NI and have gone on to greatness, then young James McLeans comments sound a tad hollow. Martin O'Neill, and before him Pat Jennings, or indeed the present Manager, Michael O'Neill have all worn the NI Jersey as far as I am aware. That sectarianism persists, there is no doubt and the IFA is charged to do what it can to eliminate it!!

Northern Ireland is very happy having its own soccer team, thank you Seanmor in the US.

James McClean obviously can't speak for all Catholics in Northern Ireland. Many are, and have been proud to play for NI throughout the years. One wonders why he chose to play for the North upto the 21 year old level when he could have declared for the Republic earlier. I suspect it has more to do with his political persuasion than religion.

If he feels uncomfortable playing under the Union Jack thats stupid cause he plays for Sunderland in England. Plenty of Union Jacks at every ground he plays at. Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge, Emirates Stadium, White Hart Lane, etc, I have been to many matches and the Stamford Bridge fans fly them with great happiness. Perhaps Mr McClean should play for Shamrock Rovers instead and then he would not have to be uncomfortable. (Of course he would have to accept a huge pay cut but whats money?) Hes a spoit brat and a typical footballer whom likes to grab attention. Martin O'Neill his manager at Sunderland (also a Catholic from Northern Ireland) had no problem being the captain of NI for years.

There should be ONE soccer tam for all of Ireland, as is the case in rugby, cricket and hockey. When it comes to soccer, it makes little difference to me whether the North or the South wins, loses or draws.

Because McClean has made unproven statements doesn't mean there's any necessity or wish for one Ireland and Northern Ireland team by either country. McClean's just looking for attention.

Gearoid4, no foreign power did anything without the agreement of the Irish people. Michael Collins signed the Anglo Irish Treaty which included partition and it was approved by representatives of the Irish people. There are two countries, Northern Ireland and Ireland not one. The 30 years of IRA terrorism required Ireland change out constitution giving up all claim to Northern Ireland. It's finished.

Maybe we should have an all Island team like we do for rugby along with the ROI and NI teams. Let the players decide who they want to represent.

Bythebay whats your problem. Have you no job.

Would RCs feel more comfortable if the Saint Patrick's cross was removed? If the Derry born lad (with the conspicuously Ulster-Scot Protestant surname?) switched allegiences from North to South, would that not mean he's playing for Munster/southern Ireland - which would be rugby! I expect ROI soccer fans will now chant "We are, we are, we are the Paddy Boys" at any future matches at Aviva - or Croker?

James McClean is correct. The Ulster Protestant bullies both on the teams and in the stands are a disgrace.

@ByTheBay, Your fallacious description of the partitioned areas in Ireland as "Ireland and northern ireland" are misleading and erroneous. Ireland incorporates the whole of the Island i.e 32 counties. A foreign power partitioned a natural country into two jurisdictions, and held on to six northern counties by a crude gerrymander.