THE WORLD CUP reaches its crescendo this weekend — and what a wonderful tournament it has been. Ireland may have not qualified, but at least France returned home disgraced and in disarray. The way they were playing they could have had somebody’s eye out. Meanwhile, north of the border the two communities came together in their desire to see England bundled out ASAP. It’s an odd thing, but there are — largely speaking — three things the two communities on either side of the religious divide share: ■ A gift for annoying each other beyond normal reason ■ A love of bad food ■ A dislike of the English Yes, the last one is a hard old duck to explain on the unionist side. During the Germany-England match, in places like the Shankill Road, the complicated conundrum that is the North of Ireland threw up a wonderful irony. Football fans who are unashamedly loyalist showed their respect for the British national anthem even though most of them were hoping the players bellowing out God Save The Queen with them were going to lose. On the other side of the divide — along the Falls Road, or in the tight streets of Ardoyne — German flags could be seen fluttering in the breeze. However, there were a few disapproving glances at the man on the No. 81 Andersonstown bus dressed in full Nazi regalia. At the final whistle, the Krautastic Germans had won 4-1 and the happy crowds in the Six Counties were united in — well, there’s only one word for it: schadenfreude.
Celebrating 125 years of the GAA, Railway Cup Ruislip 2009.