Castlereagh Councillor Michael Long said: “I welcome the fact that we can have a mature and sensible debate on our football anthem. I would have though that something like Danny Boy would be appropriate. I am sure that more people from across the community would have an affinity with this song. The IFA has done much good work on community relations to attract more people to Northern Ireland matches, and this could be seen as a natural extension of this.
“Scotland and Wales play their own football anthems and they are much-loved in those regions, so I don’t see why that couldn’t be the case for Northern Ireland too.
“It is good to see Northern Ireland having a reasoned debate on this issue. Northern Ireland is a distinct region with a distinct culture, so a song that appeals to the whole community would be a positive step forward for local football.”
ENDS