Sunday, May 04, 2008

The words of shame that Scotland ignores

Today, before a ball has even been kicked, Rangers supporters can clearly be heard on Setanta singing their "Famine's over song" at Easter Road - the one that self-appointed social commentators like The Herald's Darryl Broadfoot and PA Scotland's Ronnie Esplin (who supplies a large chunk of the Scottish press with reports) think do not merit condemnation. These same people who supplied endless columns and reports on Artur Boruc's T-shirt and told us, falsely, that Celtic would face a UEFA investigation for alleged "sectarian" singing after a journalist sent Youtube clips to Europe's governing body, think this latest song unworthy of mention.

In case anyone is in any doubt, here the words are printed in full.

Why don't they go home.

I often wonder where they would have been
If we hadn't have taken them in
Fed them and washed them
Thousands in Glasgow alone
From Ireland they came
Brought us nothing but trouble and shame
Well the famine is over
Why don't they go home?

Now Athenry Mike was a thief
And Large John he was fully briefed
And that wee traitor from Castlemilk
Turned his back on his own
They've all their Papists in Rome
They have U2 and Bono
Well the famine is over
Why don't they go home?

INSTRUMENTAL

Now they raped and fondled their kids
That's what those perverts from the darkside did
And they swept it under the carpet
and Large John he hid
Their evils seeds have been sown
Cause they're not of our own
Well the famine is over
Why don't you go home?

Now Timmy don't take it from me
Cause if you know your history
You've persecuted thousands of people
In Ireland alone
You turned on the lights
Fuelled U boats by night
That's how you repay us
It's time to go home.
Rangers 2008 - Scotland's shame. The Scottish media and football authorities - complicit by your silence.


Update: In Monday's Herald, near the bottom of Darryl Broadfoot's piece calling for a knighthood for Walter Smith and demanding unstinting praise for Rangers (with an ill-considered swipe at the Celtic of Tommy Burns) carried this comment :

"Intense rivalry makes the Old Firm unique. Intense loathing and religious intolerance makes them a national embarrassment.

"For example: the 2200 fans inside the Artemio Franchi stadium were impeccably behaved yet spoiled a magical trip to Florence with a drink-fuelled chorus of Why Don't You Go Home - a reference to the Irish famine - at 3am as the players and backroom team attempted to board the charter home."

Although it is not clear that the term "impeccably behaved" is appropriate, at least, coincidentally, the issue has now been mentioned by Broadfoot, albeit arguably "shoehorned" into a piece of unbridled sycophancy, perhaps as an afterthought. Now, will the issue actually be addressed in the manner of the Artur Boruc's T-shirt which was linked to a death on Sunday night and an assault on Aiden McGeady with Boruc caricatured as a bringer of mayhem? We watch with interest.




Seed Newsvine

5 comments:

onekennymiller said...

this from the same fans who think it is ok to refer to rangers fans as huns and animals , sing the praises of terrorists and murderers and who want nacho novo to die in his sleep from a bullet from the ira . yes bhoys these are all in the nice songs yous sing .. take a look at your own support !!

TheCeltsAreHere said...

Did you have a comment to make about the above song Kenny - or just more "we only do it because your fans sing nasty songs too" rubbish?

The word Hun is used to describe Rangers by every group of fans in Scotland. Animals? Well, I know it was used after Barcelona and Manchester. For the record, I wouldn't condone any song wishing harm to Nacho Novo or anyone else.

Then again, I doubt if I'll ever hear such songs sung by tens of thousands of Celtic fans at every match.

Some extremely sick individual coined the "Famine's Over" within the last few years. Vast numbers of Rangers fans seem to be impressed by it which speaks volumes for the mentality of those fans. A bit like yourself?

onekennymiller said...

as you can see by my name ..onekennymiller .i have absolutely no objection to him rejoining rangers which would also say i am no bigot .. i do not condone the famine song .i am all for getting all this crap out of football.but i will tell you what i have, like many other rangers fans found the phrase "hun" to be offensive ( dictionary term- savage)as for animals dont even go there and dont tag every rangers fan with the louts who caused trouble in Manchester . As for the nacho novo song ..it was clearly heard on tv at the youth cup final thats how sad it is..My gripe here is your rightly offended by this song but not with some of the bile thats comes from your own support ..but there is always a valid reason for it. i.e .. its an irish folk song ...its a political song .....its our away support what are they like eh tut tut... we could debate this for years but i for one welcome all moves to rid scottish football racism and sectaranism but every one must take a good look at their own support and stop looking at the world through their own teams colours tinted glasses..

TheCeltsAreHere said...

All that seems like a smokescreen to me. Naming yourself after Kenny Miller doesn't say anything about bigotry - nor does pretending that the word Hun is in any way bigoted.

Next we'll be hearing that cheering goals should be stopped because it is bad manners.

Flippin Eck said...

Funny thing is this song you have printed doesnt even get sung at games, so maybe thats why it is ignored? All that is sung is a small song, a few lines, most 3 of which are the same... someone on youtube with no affiliation to any OFFICIAL supporters clubs posted their version on youtube, this version and automatically you try to mix both versions in with each other to fit your agenda?

If I go on youtube and post a version of me singing YNWA but start adding REAL derogatory and offensive remarks about Celtic fans, maybe some FACTS about Big Jock, would that mean the 25000 fans singing YNWA before games are singing an offensive song every home game? Nah... didnt think so