ANOTHER Irish rugby star has spoken out in defence of Ireland's Call saying critics of the song "don't understand the bigger picture".
James Ryan, who is preparing to captain the Irish side this weekend, has spoken out at critics who "give out" at the use of the Phil Coulter tune, which was written by the Derry musician in 1995 as a song to represent both the Republic and the north in place of Iriah national anthem Amhrán na bhFiann.
The player said the song promotes the team's all-Ireland make-up.
His defence of the song, which has been called a song for no-one by detractors, follows praise by injured Irish captain Jonathan Sexton, who gave a striking rendition of the song before Ireland's Six Nations victory over France earlier this month.
Ryan, who will replace Sexton as captain when Ireland faces Italy this Saturday in a Six Nations clash in Rome, spoke this week about how much the often-maligned song means to players and fans.
The history and significance of the song features in a documentary on Irish rugby, Shoulder to Shoulder, which the squad recently viewed at a training camp alongside former British and Irish Lions player David Irwin, who was injured in an IRA bombing in 1987 that killed Lord Justice Maurice Gibson and his wife when a device exploded close to the border.
Irwin and two teammates had been travelling from Belfast to Dublin for a training session when the blast occurred, and he escaped with minor injuries.
Speaking on Thursday, Ryan, whose great-grandfather James took part in the Easter Rising, fighting in the GPO and becoming a founding member of Fianna Fail, said of Ireland's Call: "People seem to give out about it a bit.
"But they probably don’t understand the bigger picture of it, the uniqueness of it and the uniqueness of the Irish rugby team.
"It’s the only song that recognises the fact that the Irish rugby team makes up the whole island, north and south."
He added that the Irish rugby team was one of the only things to have persisted for over 150 years "in unity and in solidarity on this island"
"So it’s understanding the strength of it and the sacrifices that people made to wear the green jersey — and the privilege to wear it," he said.