It’s the bad buzz of the moment. After the Irish rugby team beat South Africa in the World Cup, the Stade de France echoed to the sound of “Zombie” by the Cranberries, sung by thousands of Irish fans. The scene, which was widely shared on social networks, provoked contrasting reactions. For some, the song has become the new unofficial anthem of Irish rugby, while others have cried foul, and questioned the choice of the song in particular for political reasons.
While Zombie has been an international hit for 29 years, nothing would have led us to believe that it would be debated in a stadium. But the question was raised when a crowd of ecstatic Irish fans started singing the Cranberries’ song following their victory over South Africa at the Stade de France.
The Irish were soon divided on the issue: for many, there was nothing delicate about the song. In fact, it’s regularly sung at Munster Rugby matches, as a tribute to the link between the Cranberries and Limerick. It would be a simple song, to get the crowds on board… There would be no ulterior motive, no form of provocation or political commitment.
But for others, this song would be quite different. For some Irish people, it trivializes what happened in Northern Ireland, minimizing the suffering of the nationalist camp. Worse still, it would show the Republic of Ireland’s lack of understanding of what has happened to the nationalists living in Northern Ireland…
But why so much debate? A look back at a politically committed song that has been interpreted in many different ways.
As a reminder, the song “Zombie” was released in 1994. She discusses the Warrington bombings perpetrated by the Provisional IRA, which claimed the lives of two young boys in England. Dolores O’Riordan, singer of the Cranberries, explained in 2017 that the song was a personal reaction to the events, stressing that she was shocked by these acts of violence, but that she felt very distant as an Irishwoman from what had happened in Northern Ireland :
It’s not me, it’s not my family. she said
At the time, these comments sparked a real debate, demonstrating the split between the Irish on the Northern Irish question. For many, the song is a hymn to peace… while for others, it reflects a gap in perception between Irish people living in the Republic of Ireland and those living in Northern Ireland… A kind of denial of the suffering experienced there.
At the time, some Irish people were vocal in their criticism of Dolores O’Riordan’s alleged “ignorance” of the Northern Irish question. They felt that the Cranberries singer had a total lack of understanding of the situation in Northern Ireland at the time. That it detached itself from their struggle, and seemed almost to deny the difficulty of Northern Irish people living under the risk of bombs and attacks.
Although the debate finally died down in 2017, it unfortunately seems to be coming back to life on the occasion of this Rugby World Cup.
After the match, discussions on social networks were literally ablaze. However, some called for a halt to “this nonsense”, believing that the opposing camp, too sensitive, would create controversy where none existed… For them, Zombie would be a simple song. Nothing else. There would be no question of offending nationalist families who have experienced tragedy there…
For the others, it would be a different story. They would have perceived the song as a provocation.
A controversy that is likely to be tenacious, demonstrating the fragility of Ireland’s position on the Northern Ireland question… A bad buzz that unfortunately marred Ireland’s magnificent victory over the South African rugby team…
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