Why do Irish people follow English & Scottish soccer teams.

Sceala Philosopher

On many supposed Irish websites, the cynical and anti Irish have made this wonder
Why do Irish people follow English & Scottish soccer teams.
their favorite cliché, they use to suggest that Irish distinct culture has been diluted or diminished or even fake.
Unionist journalist like Ruth Fugly Edwards and Colonel Myarse use it and similar simplistic statements for their bias & rhetoric.

Irish people do follow some English and Scottish based soccer teams.
Note the word some!
Is this habit of Irish people really copying English or British culture?
Not at all! The core reasoning is complex but points to a distinctly Irish cultural reasoning.

First of all, the need to address the simplistic ignorance and arrogance of those who imagine that Soccer or Football are English in origin.
Football is about as English in Origin as Tea is!

First recorded football was not specifically from England or from any part of Britain!
The idea it ever was, is laughable and based on the ignorant acceptance of English 19th Century ridiculous Victorian myths and pompous re invention.

Football actually goes back to pre recorded history, long before the English existed and thousands of years before the invention of the supposed British race in the 18th C.
Football goes back to pre recorded history, long before the English existed and thousands of years before the invention of the supposed British race in the 18th C.

The Ancient Greeks and Romans are known to have played football games. The Roman politician Cicero (106–43 BC) describes the case of a man who was killed whilst having a shave when a ball was kicked into a barber's shop. Roman ball games already knew the air-filled ball, the follis.
Documented evidence of an activity resembling modern Soccer football can be found in the Chinese military manual Zhan Guo Ce compiled between the 3rd century and 1st century BC.

Irish Community Images

1. Ancient Greek football player balancing the ball. Depiction on an Attic Lekythos.
2. Paint of a Mesoamerican ballgame player of the Tepantitla murals in Teotihuacan.
3. A Song Dynasty painting by Su Hanchen, depicting Chinese children playing cuju.

Unfortunately many Irish are ignorant to history and carry on arguments on the basis of British myths, in the way that some extremely ignorant Irish even use the old Colonial term british isles, which is another 18th C arrogant Colonial invention.

Back to why do Irish people follow English & Scottish soccer teams.
The analysis of the core rational of why Irish people follow English & Scottish soccer teams, proves that Irish people are following what they perceive to be Irish or Irish friendly teams.

Irish people wearing and supporting English or Scottish soccer teams is in practice a very selective and specifically Irish habit, having all but nothing to do with any copying of any supposed especially British culture in any significant way.

Why do Irish people follow English and Scottish soccer teams.

If we leave aside the facts that the English Premier League (along with others like the Spanish Primera) has become a world wide product, watched by a market targeted audience.

Are Chinese people really less Chinese for wearing Man City or Chelsea tops or Barcelona tops!
Or English kids less so for wearing a Brazil top as many like the world over do.

Leaving aside the appeal of the modern Global soccer phenomena aside. That global soccer started in the 1970's with the success of the old Italian league, Serie A. That league attracted all the top talent, including Irish stars like Liam Brady.

If we leave aside the historical fact that the Irish emigrant community in Britain were a significant factor in every social and Labour movement, from the Chartists to the Labour party to the Working mens clubs to the working mans game.
Irish people were players and managers from the very foundation of the official league game that was given official rules in England, but as shown prior, was a world wide ball sport from pre history.

If we examine the teams that Irish people follow then the story is far more complex than Unionist journalists would have the naive swallow.

Why do Irish people support the following English and Scottish soccer teams.

Note - no Welsh teams, and so the idea that the Irish follow British teams can be immediately discarded.

In reality the soccer teams the Irish follow are few and specific.

Manchester United - Celtic - Liverpool

These are the teams you will find are actively supported across Ireland 32 counties.
To a lesser extent and probably in order Arsenal, Aston Villa and Tottenham HotSpur and Sunderland and Leeds FC have some significant Irish support base.

So why are these football teams specifically supported by Irish people from Father to Son and daughter, even Mother in Ireland and among the Irish diaspora.

The answer really has nothing to do with England or Britain or even a token copying or envy of culture.

These teams are supported by Irish people because they are considered to be Irish connected.

The evidence is very clear for some teams

Irish Community Images

Irish support of Celtic FC
Celtic having Irish people at the foundation of the club. The Irish flag to this day is pride of place at Celtic Park. Irish players and managers are part of the fabric of the club.
You will see as many Irish flags at Celtic Park as you would at Croke Park.
Past Irish managers like Liam Brady to Martin O'Neill to the current Irish Celtic manager Neil Lennon.
Past Greats like the recently departed legend Sligo man Sean Fallon. Charlie Tully , John Peacock , Neil Lennon , Paddy McCourt , Charlie McEleny , Frank Collins , Sean Fallon , Charlie Gallagher , Paddy Turner , Packie Bonner , Chris Morris , Mick McCarthy , Tommy Coyne , Aiden McGeady , Roy Keane , Robbie Keane , Anthony Stokes

Irish Community Images

Irish support of Man Utd
Again Celtic having Irish people at the foundation of the club. The Irish flag to this day is pride of place at Celtic Park.
Current manager is the first non Catholic manager since at least Matt Busby's days.
Irish players such as George Best, Kevin Moran, Frank Stapleton , Paul McGrath , Denis Irwin , Roy Keane , John O'Shea ,Darron Gibson , Robbie Brady

Irish Community Images

Irish support of Liverpool
Liverpool rightly or wrongly is considered almost a county of Ireland. While Everton also has a number of Irish fans, Liverpool has the most Irish fans.
The historical list of Irish players is once again the significant factor. Steve Heighway , Ronnie Whelan , Mark Lawrenson , Kevin Sheedy , Michael Robinson , Jim Beglin , Brian Mooney , John Aldridge , Steve Staunton , Ray Houghton , Phil Babb , Mark Kennedy , Jason McAteer , Darren Potter , Richie Partridge , Steve Finnan , Robbie Keane

There is the Irish diaspora itself which centered near or around the grounds of Liverpool, Manchester Glasgow, North London. Birmingham. Tyne & Wear. Edinburgh.

So likewise there are Irish Hibernian and Man City and Everton fans, Dundee Utd fans, but these are rarer but followed for the same Irish connectivity reasons.
But that is about the teams the Irish follow.

There are no Irish based Swansea city fans or Bolton wanderers or Norwich city of any note significance, or many other English soccer teams.

So this sporting habit is specific and Irish centric a very Irish sporting habit.
Irish people are following what they consider Irish or Irish friendly teams in the EPL or SPL

Reference
Irish Sporting books

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Why do Irish people follow English & Scottish soccer teams.