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“I FEEL LIKE I’m going to ruffle some feathers here, but… my toxic trait is that I think Ireland’s Call is a banger.”
That’s the final word from comedian, musician and social media sensation Michael Fry, speaking on The42′s new rugby show The Front Row in partnership with Guinness.
Michael joined our all-star panel – fellow comedian Seán Burke, Irish international Eimear Considine, and The42′s own Murray Kinsella – for a chat about the Ireland-Italy match and his own dark rugby past. So given his well-known musical chops, we asked him to rank every national anthem in the GUINNESS SIX NATIONS from best to worst.
His first priority was an impassioned musical defence of Ireland’s sometimes-divisive all-island anthem. “I love it. Look, I love hooks, and Ireland’s Call has a killer hook,” he said. “You can hum it back. Purely as a piece of music, it’s a banger.”
This sparked intense discussion. For the players in a major international, Eimear said, the musical experience can be something of a mixed bag. “When you’re stood there singing it, the key change is horrendous,” she said.
Ireland’s Call is one of the most stressful things. The RTE cameras are right in your face… And when the cameras come in front of you, you’re miming because you don’t want to be caught singing out of key, off key, too high, too low.
Murray, meanwhile, revealed that Ireland’s Call was a former party piece of his – but one he’d rather not remember. So moving swiftly on… Michael’s favourite anthem?
“I think everyone is in agreement that the French is the best national anthem. Even if you don’t know the words – when you do, it’s actually quite bloody. But it’s lovely, it’s such a nice tune. That’s my favourite.”
And the worst? ”God Save The Queen is so lazily written. They just say God Save The Queen like, three times. It’s like someone’s job is to write the national anthem, and they wrote it in the car on the way over. It goes nowhere.”
After intensive debate, the final ranking was as follows:
Michael also discussed his life as a schoolboy rugby player who “looked the same from age 12 to age 22″; the challenges of having a rugby referee as a dad; and his namesake, the formidably-moustachioed Bristol Bears prop Mike Fry.
In a packed show, we also tackled the rule everyone was talking about after Ireland-Italy; why Johnny Sexton is still the boss despite Joey Carbery’s best efforts; and which Ireland player has the best haircut.
New episodes of The Front Row, in partnership with Guinness, drop on Mondays after Ireland’s big games. To get the latest episodes in your feed, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Or you can listen to the full show below.
Listen to The Front Row in partnership with Guinness:
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Flower of Scotland should be way up that list. It’s a belter
@James Beattie: Agreed. It’d be my number 1, followed by La Marseillaise.
Ireland’s Call ? pure undiluted Muck .
Ireland’s Call is an embarrassment. Shockingly bad songwriting from the normally great Mr Coulter.
@JusticeForJoe: agreed.. technically not a national anthem either
@Fi Harte: not even technically
@JusticeForJoe: Fully agree with you.
Flower of Scotland all day long for me.
Ireland’s Call is not our, or any nation’s, national anthem. If our national team is playing they should play their own national anthem.
@Boyne Sharky: because its.not just our (Republic) national team, its a team representing the whole island.
@Barry Sorensen: We have our 32 counties represent Ireland in other sports and they use our national anthem and national flag of Ireland.
@Daniel Roche: which sports?
@OnlyHereForTheComments: Shinty-Hurling International Series, international football series.
Ireland’s Call is the worst thing to happen to the country since the Black and Tans
Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is class.
The irish one is awful.. It More like a hoot for school boys.
The Italian one is like from a great opera. Except that it needs trained classical voices to sing and not the fans dog howling..
The Welsh one is beautiful and a billion times better then the dreadful tone deaf irish one.
Flower of Scotland should be number 2.
Ireland s call is the best we got.better than Danny boy which would put the players to sleep or 4 green fields and certainly better than the rose of Tralee. Why not the old reliable fields of athenry. We all love that one
@Michael Murray: Nothing wrong with our national anthem.
Ireland’s call is a bit cringey why not Danny boy instead
@John Byrne: Maybe cause it was written by a English man that never set foot in Ireland or maybe it’s a crap song and our national anthem is way better and should only be use for Ireland games.
@Daniel Roche: Amhrán na bhFiann is a shocking song
@John Byrne: if you think Danny boy is a great song,I’m more than happy with our national anthem.
@John Byrne: but still our National Anthem. Point missed.
@Daniel Roche: was the man not from derry who wrote this song ?
@Lee Ridley: no.
@Lee Ridley: Nope. The guy who wrote Ireland’s call, Phil Coulter, is from Derry. Danny Boy’s original title was the Londonderry Air.
I’d have both Irish anthems in 5th & 6th
Sorry, while Flower of Scotland is a good rousing anthem, the fact that it says of the English “proud Edward’s army sent them homewards to think again”.
We’ll, a few years ago, they had a chance to send them homewards without having to left a finger in the independence referendum but chose not to. So the sentiments in “Flower of Scotland ” have rung somewhat hollow ever since!
I wonder if Cork had got a mention in Irelands Call would it be a more likeable in general.
I love it.
@Brian Farrell: No,I’m fairly sure they just don’t like it like the majority of this country.
Flower of Scotland is even worse than Ireland’s call. I’d rate the Welsh anthem after the French and Italian, and above the other three
When Flower of Scotland is played in Murrayfield against England, you would almost feel like jumping on the next plane and invading England yourself! Ireland’s call was made to win awards – not to be sung by burly Irish rugby players! They had a great chance to have a rousing going into battle anthem and instead it’s more like a lament!
What drugs are ye on and can I have some??
ireland’s call is an unremarkable turd, god save the queen an honourable second to the marseillaise
Eimear Considine’s point about the key change in Ireland’s call is valid. When you are not musically trained it can lead to horrendous results. La Marseillaise which has 2 key changes is regularly destroyed by well-meaning French supporters and athletes.
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