The Clap

[Gangster Octopus]

Some of the Irish in my local O'Neill's stand to attention when that's played before a televised game.

[elguapo4]

Some of the Irish in my local O'Neill's stand to attention when that's played before a televised game.

I've seen that happen here too. The funniest thing is when it's played at a small pre season GAA game, people feel they should sing it ,but don't want to look like a tool blasting it out. So you get this light murmurings like they're trying to avoid waking the baby.

[Benjm]

Some of the Irish in my local O'Neill's stand to attention when that's played before a televised game.

What are O'Neill's bars like these days, GO? I haven't been in one for about ten years.

[Various Artist]

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is both stirring (whether sung solo or with 75,000 others in the Millennium Stadium, say) and pretty non-aggressive. It's a sort of mournful pride, rooted in hiraeth and things like that. The focus of it is the "old language": something, as far as I can see, common to only one other country in the world according to VV's excellent map on the first page – Moldova is it?

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad,
Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.

Gwlad!, Gwlad!, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad.
Tra môr yn fur i'r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau.


There's at least a couple of relatively poetic English translations, of greater or lesser fidelity to the Welsh original, but per Wikipedia the literal translation is something like:

The old land of my fathers is dear to me,
Land of bards and singers, famous men of renown;
Her brave warriors, very splendid patriots,
For freedom shed their blood.

Nation, nation, I am faithful to my nation.
While the sea is a wall to the pure, most loved land,
O may the old language endure.

The (normally unused) second and third verses go on about the mountains and streams, then back to the language and harp. It's lovely.

I wish there was an English equivalent (I mean, for England, or Britain); I've always thought my preferred choice from the obvious candidates for English national anthem for football games etc. would be Land of Hope and Glory as it's a far better tune and fundamentally about freedom.

[pebblethefish]

I like the fact that those 75000, belting it out at the tops of their voices to intimidate the English, or whoever are in town, are at one point actually singing "very splendid"

[Nocturnal Submission]

Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau is both stirring (whether sung solo or with 75,000 others in the Millennium Stadium, say) and pretty non-aggressive. It's a sort of mournful pride, rooted in hiraeth and things like that. The focus of it is the "old language": something, as far as I can see, common to only one other country in the world according to VV's excellent map on the first page – Moldova is it?

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad,
Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.

Gwlad!, Gwlad!, pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad.
Tra môr yn fur i'r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau.


There's at least a couple of relatively poetic English translations, of greater or lesser fidelity to the Welsh original, but per Wikipedia the literal translation is something like:

The old land of my fathers is dear to me,
Land of bards and singers, famous men of renown;
Her brave warriors, very splendid patriots,
For freedom shed their blood.

Nation, nation, I am faithful to my nation.
While the sea is a wall to the pure, most loved land,
O may the old language endure.

The (normally unused) second and third verses go on about the mountains and streams, then back to the language and harp. It's lovely.

I wish there was an English equivalent (I mean, for England, or Britain); I've always thought my preferred choice from the obvious candidates for English national anthem for football games etc. would be Land of Hope and Glory as it's a far better tune and fundamentally about freedom.

Yes, Moldova is the other country with a language-linked national anthem. It goes on a bit:

A treasure is our language that surges
From deep shadows of the past,
Chain of precious stones that scattered
All over our ancient land.

A burning flame is our language
Amidst a people waking
From a deathly sleep, no warning,
Like the brave man of the stories.

Our language is made of songs
From our soul's deepest desires,
Flash of lightning striking swiftly
Through dark clouds and blue horizons.

Our language is the tongue of bread
When the winds blow through the summer,
Uttered by our forefathers who
Blessed the country through their labour.

Our language is the greenest leaf
Of the everlasting codris,
Gentle river Dniester's ripples
Hiding starlight bright and shining.

Utter no more bitter cries now
That your language is too poor,
And you will see with what abundance
Flow the words of our precious country.

Our language is full of legends,
Stories from the days of old.
Reading one and then another
Makes one shudder, tremble and moan.

Our language is singled out
To lift praises up to heaven,
Uttering with constant fervour
Truths that never cease to beckon.

Our language is more than holy,
Words of homilies of old
Wept and sung perpetually
In the homesteads of our folks.

Resurrect now this our language,
Rusted through the years that have passed,
Wipe off filth and mould that gathered
When forgotten through our land.

Gather now the sparkling stone,
Catching bright light from the sun.
You will see the endless flooding
Of new words that overflow.

A treasure will spring up swiftly
From deep shadows of the past,
Chain of precious stones that scattered
All over our ancient land.

I must admit that I'm not a huge fan of Land of Hope and Glory as a potential English national anthem. I've always preferred Jerusalem (it was sung during my wedding) but I've recently become a big fan of I Vow To Thee My Country.

[ad hoc]

<Notes which posters' ignore lists he's on>

[Nocturnal Submission]

Did anyone else's screen just flicker ever so slightly?

[Gangster Octopus]

What are O'Neill's bars like these days, GO? I haven't been in one for about ten years.

Pretty much the same. That the Harrow one is my local tells you more about the quality of pubs in Harrow town centre than it does about the chain...

[Jimski]

Why not become the first country to have *no* national anthem. That would be the thing to make me proud.

[jwdd27]

I'd go for Land of Hope and Glory, great tune and it suits being belted out by a crowd as it is at the Proms.

The problematic line will be:
"Wider still and wider shall thy bounds be set",
which seems to be about empire building and colonisation.
Could it be spun to be about general ambition to excel?

[Favourite Worst Nightmare]

Could it be spun to be about general ambition to excel?

I reckon so, I still haven’t learnt how to do those VLOOKUP thingies on excel, just as one example off the top of my head.

[lambers]

Don't bother with vlookups, learn INDEX - MATCH formulas instead, much more flexible than VLOOKUPs, and makes you sound smarter too!

[Favourite Worst Nightmare]

That’s another great line for the new anthem.

[Duncan Gardner]

If Ireland's Call is as bad as El Guapo says, how about summat else by Phil Coulter?

Puppet State on a string
Stay Back Home, Save Lives
Shang-a-Langers

[Various Artist]

<Notes which posters' ignore lists he's on>

Ahh, sorry AH – looking back, I evidently didn't twig the context of your comment here previously:

That map encouraged me to look up the national anthem of Moldova, which I hadn't been aware of before. Limba noastră

Seems a bit of a pisser for all the Russian speakers in the country, but then I guess a lot of national anthems tend to have a "piss on our minorities" subtext

But thanks NS for posting the (English) lyrics. It does indeed go on a bit, though to be honest I got quite derailed early on by trying to work out what "tongues of bread" might be.

[San Bernardhinault]

The US military just flew their death machines over our place to honour the people who prevent deaths. I forgot to stand and salute.

[Bored Of Education]

The English anthem has to be 'Jerusalem'. Even I would stand up and probably join in with that when it was played

[Fussbudget]

If Ireland's Call is as bad as El Guapo says, how about summat else by Phil Coulter?

Puppet State on a string
Stay Back Home, Save Lives
Shang-a-Langers

Easy Easy is the one, though admittedly you'd have to change the lyrics a little (yabba dabba deen, we support the boys in green?)

[Sporting]

Back to the clap. There will be a final applause here on Sunday, bringing to an end more than 60 consecutive days of the action.

[Lurgee]

Has there ever been a best national anthem poll/contest on here?

We could have ... a world cup of anthems.

[Logan Mountstuart]

We could have ... a world cup of anthems.

I was thinking that too. But I'd have to have a word in Bruno's ear to wangle East Germany into the competition.

[NickSTFU]

I looked out the window Thursday night to see every single one of those who ignored social distancing during the street's VE day party, clapping.

Wankers.

[tuckwat]

Why not play a tune according to who you are playing/mood. So you could have "Don't look back in Anger" if England are playing Germany or before the wreaths are laid at the cenotaph.

[ad hoc]

The English anthem has to be 'Jerusalem'. Even I would stand up and probably join in with that when it was played

Quite clearly the English anthem should be "Yesterday". It's by the country's most famous musicians, everyone knows the words, and it's all about how the past was better which is the essence of English patriotism