I am proud to have it as my national anthem. Damn it, its one of the most rousing anthem on this earth. I shall admit it brings tears to my eyes when i hear it played. I was there in Croke park, when we played England, for the first time. I get goosebumps remembering that day. Yes, we are all bollixed as a nation, but we are still a nation. I and all Irishmen and Irishwomen, should be proud of the fact, that we are Irish.

As we approach the 100th anniversary of 1916 and in a time where our sovereignty is temporarily out of our hands we need to retain and be proud of our national anthem. It reminds us of our roots as a nation and of the dreams of our ancesstors. It should be retained at all costs.

Is may be just me, but I think our national identity has nothing to do with the current economic climate. In good times or bad, we’re still Irish. Like your life, whether things are going good or bad, it is what you make of it! Everyone who moans about the IMF taking the country over, remember that we are still IRISH!! We can still be proud of that, and no one can take that away. Iwould not like to see the anthem changed, it is what we all grew up with, and I think the words mean less than the sentiment associated with it. It is quite simply ours. Even in a nightclub at closing people stand when its played, no new song will ever get that reaction. Copyright, IMF, eurozone crisis. None of these can ever change the fact that we are IRISH, and we are PROUD TO BE!

Of course we have to keep it! Otherwise Ryanair would find some way of using it in an ad…

Amhrán na bhFiann mar atá abú!

What ever happened being proud to be Irish..being proud of our history & heritage..i cant beleive this question is even being asked..if some people had there own way there would be an xfactor style tv show for a new national anthem..shocking

horrified that anyone would even consider changing it… horrified! it’s the national anthem and that’s how it should stay!

Its kinda sad that a replacement national anthem is even being discussed. Its OURS and I love it! Gets the heart pumping everytime.

It should never have been under copyright.
The purpose of copyright is to give creators a limited monopoly on their work to encourage them to create, and therefore enrich the public domain. Nothing created by or for the government requires this incentive – it should always belong to the people who paid for it.

Just imagining “Go Harvey Norman, go!” in the tune of “Sinne Fianna Fáil”!

I always have to laugh when people describe a tune as being too militaristic! Seriously how can a melody be militaristic? What qualities does a melody have to have for people to go “oh yeah let’s go invade xyz”
If its been arranged for a marching band (which is the format I guess we mostly hear the anthem in) then any melody would sound that way. Godspeed, you black Emperor! played by the Artane boys band would still sound militaristic.
Brain Boydells arrangement (which used to be played on the TV at the end of transmission pre-digital days) shorn the melody of a lot of these military connotations.
Sorry but most people talk a lot of nonsense about music without actually knowing what they are talking about. And in case of a national anthem this phenomenon is only more prevalent

I think the part of Amhran na bhFiann that is usually sung translates as follows:

Soldiers are we, whose lives are pledged to Ireland,
Some have come from a land beyond the wave.
Sworn to be free, no more our ancient sireland
Shall shelter the despot or the slave.
Together we’ll man the bearna baoghail
In Erin’s cause, come woe or weal.
Mid cannon’s roar and rifle’s peal,
We’ll chant a soldier’s song.

A friend of mine always sang the last line as “Shoving Connie around the Green”. I hope we’ll be giving Connie a push for many years to come.

what about the specials ghost town

Any people don’t know the words of it a disgrace,but they know how to rap.

My remix will be on iTunes from 12 tonight

A lot of Irish sentiment here but it doesn’t reflect on the street. How cheap we have let ourselves be sold down the Danube. Those speaking truths here are the ones thumbed under the most. What does that say about us. An unknowing of who we are? What we stand for? What we could stand for?
Cheap…

As an Irish speaker I think it should have been kept in English, people find it easier when they know what they are singing…….

Does it matter?? We have already lost our identity as a nation

A Soldier’s Song
We’ll sing a song, a soldier’s song
With cheering rousing chorus
As round our blazing fires we throng
The starry heavens o’er us
Impatient for the coming fight
And as we await the morning’s light
Here in the silence of the night
We’ll chant a soldier’s song

Soldiers are we…

In valley green, on towering crag
Our fathers fought before us
And conquered ’neath the same old flag
That’s proudly floating o’er us
We’re children of a fighting race
That never yet has known disgrace
And as we march, the foe to face
We’ll chant a soldier’s song

Soldiers are we…

Sons of the Gael! Men of the Pale!
The long-watched day is breaking
The serried ranks of Inisfail
Shall set the tyrant quaking
Our camp fires now are burning low
See in the east a silv’ry glow
Out yonder waits the Saxon foe
So chant a soldier’s song

Soldiers are we…

(we’re children of a fighting race)………………. Ireland to me is dead. The fight in the Irish is dead.
Have your drinks and stand because thats the only time you stand for Ireland. Slainte.

Sure whats being Irish anymore.?!?! just get the American or German anthems and be done with it.

I’m amazed people find ‘Amhrain…’ stirring. It’s such a bland tune and the words, even if you know them, are like one long tongue twister. I’ve never really heard it belted out with any real passion – not like the French or US ones, which really do stir the blood. Even at matches it’s kind of hummed instead of sang. As anthems go, it’s pants.
That said, dunno if I’d want it changed. As has been ( kind of) said, you can’t change your parents. It’s our national anthem and we’re kind of stuck with it now

Maybe Maureen O Sullivan could spend more effort on helping people today than this issue. It may be important to have a identity with the national anthem given it historical value / nature. When someone suggested that we have another anthem for the rugby, it caused a stirr that isnt mentioned much nowadays. This is different and to be fair i can see how some might get angry about its demise or otherwise. Again, i think we have much more pressing causes at the minute for this to be a major issue. Someone somewhere in some department will get this sorted, so maybe the rest inclusive of Mr o Sullivan can concentrate on doing something more productive for the Nation.

Presidential runner up Sean Gallagher suggested during that campaign that it was too ‘militaristic’ and it should be changed. I agree. It was too rigid anyways.

Let all the emblems of nationalism go. Between religion and nationalism this country and many others have lost so many of their sons and daughters it is sinful.
The cost alone of Irish to the people of Ireland is huge. We could save a lot of money from not duplicating everything as a result of the Irish language. Our kids learning Irish – for what? They would be better learning Manderin or German. All the subsidies to the Irish cause like TG4 and Irish radio is a waste of good money that could be better used. Road signs and street signs would half in price. Again who needs Irish signs in pubs, clubs, airports etc. cut out this waste of money and feed the poor people instead. At times like now it is a real luxury to have a second language for a minority and the country bankrupt. Muslims are the second biggest community in Ireland and do they get equal support? Will we triplicate all our official documents? Should we? The answer is no. I did notice about 60 cars clamped at the mosque in Sandymount not so long ago on the day they worshipped and on Sunday (every week) in Donnybrook none of the cars are clamped on double yellow lines. Real Irish.

Keep the anthem, change the first line … “Sinne Fianna Fáil” … FFS!

Keep the tune change the words.

I thought our national anthem had been replaced a while back and that this is now it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D0W7H1Uca0&feature=related.

new Anther could point the way for the people…

suggest..
down, down,deeper and down.

Replace it with the Angelus.

Couldn’t care less, never stood to attention for it in my life, won’t shoot people for my country either, will the GAA be sending athletes to 2012 or will they keep all the money they get from unpaid athletes breaking sweat kicking a round yoke up and down a field to be told they were useless today!!

Reinstate the original Irish anthem, “Let Eireann Remember”.

Replace it with “There is an isle” replacing the words ‘bonnie isle’ by ‘emerald isle’