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| This flag represents the four provinces of Ireland. Clockwise from top left: Munster, Connacht, Leinster, and Ulster. |
In many sports, Ireland fields all-island teams, which include members from the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom. When it comes time to play the pre-game national anthems, neither God Save the Queen nor The Soldier's Song would do, since either anthem would represent only part of the team. So in the 1995, the Irish Rugby Football Union commissioned Phil Coulter to write a song suitable to be played as an anthem that both sides could sing. Ireland's Call is the result. So here on Saint Patrick's Day I'm posting the prettiest version of it I've heard (and this is indeed very pretty):
