The reaction of Irish rugby coach Andy Farrell to criticism of his team’s performance last weekend is worth pondering for its implications which go far wider than sport. “I think people need to ask themselves, really, sometimes, ‘Are we Irish?’ Do we want people to do well or not?”
Ireland had just beaten Italy in a ferociously fought contest but much of the commentary focused on the weak aspects of the Irish performance. Considering that Italy had beaten Scotland and the Scots went on to thrash England, why was it assumed we could stroll past Italy?
Farrell’s remark has a relevance to the negative narrative on almost every aspect of Irish life that dominates so much commentary, which has been infected by the vile standards of social media.
Fortunately, th
Continue Reading on The Irish Times
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.