Posted by Songs and football go hand in hand. Over the years football clubs, as well as nations have seen anthems come and go, be it for tournaments or special events. You could say singing said songs are as popular as football betting at William Hill, with Ireland blessed with many great tunes in the last several decades.
Joxer Goes To Stuttgart
Joxer Goes To Stuttgart sees Christy Moore tell a fictional tale about Joxer. Joxer is heading off to Stuttgart to enjoy watching Ireland in the first tournament they have managed to qualify for. Christy Moore makes sure to mention when Ireland famously beat England 1-0, making this a feel-good track for every Ireland fan. Joxer Goes To Stuttgart debuted in 1989, but it will always be linked to the European Championships of 1988, and Ray Houghton, of course.
Put ‘Em Under Pressure
Many people will say, Irish or otherwise, that you will struggle to find a football anthem as fantastic as Put ‘Em Under Pressure. The track, which uses a riff sample from An Dearg Doom by the Horslips, and was co-penned by U2’s Larry Mullen, hit the scene at Italia ’90. And, thirty years later, Put ‘Em Under Pressure is still played at Irish Weddings and social gatherings. It’s a football anthem that became about more than the sport.
Watch Your House For Ireland
You could say that over the years Watch Your House For Ireland has been forgotten about where Irish football songs are concerned. It’s a track which Christy Dignam of Aslan recorded the vocals for, and while it did split opinion between fans, it went on to scoop a number one. It was Ireland’s anthem of the World Cup 1994, which took place in the USA. And Dignam would go on to be involved in more Irish football songs in the future.
Here Come The Good Times
Ireland famously reached the World Cup in 2002, and to mark their achievement they set about bringing out the big guns to devise a song ahead of the tournament. Nicky Byrne of Westlife teamed up with Christy Dignam, the vocalist of Watch Your House For England, and Dustin the Turkey. Together, the trio covered A House’s track Here Come The Good Times. It went down a hit with Ireland fans, as you will expect.
The Rocky Road To Poland
After qualifying for Euro 2012, Ireland knew they needed to turn to an expert where an anthem for their participation in the tournament was concerned. And, who better to turn to than Dubliner Damien Dempsey? He adapted The Rocky Road to Dublin to what lay ahead in Poland at the European Championships. Dempsey had help from The Dubliners, who are the original artists behind The Rocky Road to Dublin, The Coronas’ Danny O’Reilly, as well as Bressie. All proceeds from the sale of The Rocky Road to Poland went to charity.
