IRELAND rugby captain Jonathan Sexton has spoken of his emotionally charged rendition of Ireland's Call before his squad's Six Nations victory over France.
Before kickoff, Sexton (37) was among many players giving a unusually wholehearted performance of the rugby anthem.
Penned by Phil Coulter for the 1995 Rugby World Cup, Ireland's Call was written to represent all players and traditions fans on both sides of the border.
While the song is regularly belted out by fans, critics have also dismissed it over the years as a song for no one.
Speaking after Saturday's convincing 32-19 victory, Sexton praised an inspiring team talk from former Ireland captain Brian O'Driscoll, presenter Craig Doyle and "The Doc" David Irwin - a former Ireland player and team doctor to Ulster Rugby.
"We had a very special week, a special build up to the game. We had special guests in during the week who spoke about Ireland's Call. It was very emotional. Unless you were in the room on Monday night, you wouldn't understand why," he said.
"Brian, Craig Doyle and the Doc came in and spoke to us about the Shoulder to Shoulder documentary."
The 2018 documentary had focused on the all-island nature of the Irish rugby team, it's impact on cross border relations during the Troubles and the significance of the alternative sporting anthem.
Dr Irwin, a former British & Irish Lion, has previously spoken about being injured by an IRA bomb blast as he and two other players drove from Belfast to Dublin one month before the 1987 Rugby World Cup.
While driving near the border in Killeen, their car was impacted by the blast that killed Lord Justice Maurice Gibson and his wife Cecily.
Ulster captain at the time, Irwin escaped serious injury and helped to pull his two teammates - Nigel Carr and Philip Rainey - from the wreckage.
Speaking in 2013, he said: "The guys in the squad from down south were quite shocked. From my point of view, from the age of 10 until I was about 30, The Troubles were a part of your everyday life. It was the norm."
"There was a determination in the squad, after the bombing, that it wasn’t going to stop us from going to the World Cup. We wanted to do well for Nigel (whose injuries prevented from competing). It was a shame as he would have done great for Ireland over there."
During his ITV commentary on Saturday, O'Driscoll said the relevance of Ireland's Call has also grown as Ireland features more international players.
"(The documentary) focused through The Troubles in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, and the unifying effect of that jersey North and South," he said.
"It's such a multicultural environment now, you've got Kiwis, South Africans, and Hawaiians and all sorts. It has changed.
"It was just to get a sense of where the jersey has come from and the journey it has been on through the last 50 or 60 years."
On last week's team talk, he added: "At the end of it James Ryan, who is a history graduate himself, stood up and spoke. He spoke incredibly well, it was so passionate and from the heart.
"He talked about the importance of Ireland's Call. We're in the unusual position of having two national anthems, but Ireland's Call is for everyone on the island.
"He is clearly a very academic and smart guy."
