When Ireland lined out against the Czech Republic last Wednesday night, there's a good chance that David Beckham was supporting Ireland. Not that Beckham is Irish (if only) or has any Irish ancestry to speak of (ditto) but most English people support Ireland. Indeed, anytime any Irish team is playing any sport on TV, the English support Ireland.
Curiously, the reverse is never the case. With Euro 2004 a few spring weeks away, do we really need to support "anyone but England". . .again? For the 2002 football world cup, an Irish pub chain in the UK was giving away, subject to the consumption of a few pints of Guinness on their premises, reversible T-shirts. The T-shirts were green on one side with the words "I support Ireland". When you turned the T-shirt inside out (outside in?), the T-shirts were white with the words "I support England". The English loved the idea but many Irish people living here were torn: To wear or not to wear. A few spilt pints later and many people had no option but to wear the reversible T-shirts.
This summer, England are the only team from the "home countries" (a nation shudders) to have qualified for Portugal 2004. From an Irish perspective, there is not much interest in Euro 2004, beyond moaning that we're not there. In England, on the other hand, people are already talking about the tournament with an enthusiasm usually reserved for kids on Christmas Eve. Even two months before Euro 2004 kicks off, it's difficult not to join in the excitement building in London.
For years, we have been hung up on supporting "anyone but England".
Anyone who attempts to buck this trend is promptly called a "West Brit"; a term which, one hopes, will be consigned to the twentieth century, or at least to the pages of An Phoblacht. Apparently, we "hate" the English but we "love" Manchester United or Leeds or Liverpool or (insert your favourite English club here). In recent years, interest in the English Premiership has grown in Ireland and one would have thought that as a consequence of the increased interest in English football, the Irish would find it easier to support an England team. Yet still, when some of the same players who Irish people support week-in, week-out ( be it Paul Scholes, Michael Owen, Alan Smith, the Neville Brothers, Nicky Butt, etc) change into an England shirt, you see the same "Premiership Fans" turn on their idols and support Liechtenstein, Turkey or whoever is playing against England.
Why? Contrary to what some may tell you, supporting the English football team does not involve swearing an oath of loyalty to the Queen nor does it imply a sneaking regard for the acts of Oliver Cromwell. This isn't nationalism by proxy or war-by-proxy; it's a football tournament. ..which Ireland are not even playing in.
Our influence on the European stage this summer will be, dare I say it, neutral. I am sure we can make up excuses as to why we don't want to support England.
Just look at what they inflicted on us: 800 years of oppression, hooligans, Sellafield, Cilla Black. . .the list is endless. But these are just excuses, which, taken to their illogical conclusion, would mean that we should still not play rugby (an "English" sport), follow the Premiership or watch BBC.
What other country are the Irish going to support in England's group, which comprises England, France, Croatia or Switzerland? Most of us can just about pick out Croatia on a map. . .or is that Serbia? We are hardly going to support a Swiss side that kicked us out of the championship and represent a country with which we have nothing in common - apart from a dubious stance on neutrality. And pretending to have some affinity with the French would be a stretch. . .though not beyond some people.
Admittedly, the situation is made a little easier for the Irish expats based in England. We live here, many of our friends and colleagues are English, and we watch football and rugby matches with the English. Quite simply, it is more difficult for us expats living in England to find excuses not to support the English. We don't blame them for the ill deeds of a small minority of their ancestors, in the same way that they do not blame us for any of the many IRA bombings, the murder of Mountbatten, or Graham Norton.
Sure, one can presume that de Valera and Pearse are posthumously supporting Switzerland, Croatia or "Anyone but England". But times have changed since our grandfathers helped found the State, and we should change with them.
An encouraging sign that the times are indeed "a' changin'", was seen ahead of the Rugby World Cup final, when the IRFU sent the English rugby team a telegram wishing them good luck against Australia. It was not a telegram necessarily "against" Australia; rather it was an acknowledgment that we might just have a little more in common with England than with that country on the other side of the world. This was a small gesture, yet it was the epitome of magnanimity and maturity, and one that should be an example to the rest of us.
Similarly, David Beckham and his team mates have not done much to deserve our antipathy.
I am not suggesting that we pack the pubs singing "Football's coming home" or start tuneless renditions of "Eng-er-land" to the tunelessness of "Here we go", but if Sven's men win, we should be genuinely happy for them.
Not because we are all "West Brits", but because we no longer need to define ourselves by being for "anyone but England".