RA-RA SKIRT | Dancing with the Stars celeb Stephanie Roche says, ‘I’d love to dance to a Wolfe Tones song '

...just not that one, says soccer star Stephanie

Stephanie with dance partner Ervinas

Dancing With The Stars celebrity Stephanie Roche has defended her fellow football players from the Ireland ladies team after they were caught up in controversy singing ‘Ooh Ah Up the ‘Ra’ in celebrations when they qualified for the World Cup.

And while Stephanie admits she would think twice about dancing to the Wolfe Tones pro-IRA ‘Celtic Symphony’ song which contains the disputed line, she would be up for performing to another number from the band as she’s a huge fan.

So much so, the Dubliner confirms she was thrilled last weekend during rehearsals for the hit show to meet Wolfe Tones frontman Brian Warfield, who penned ‘Celtic Symphony’.

“It was great to have him there. I loved the band as a kid, so just to have him there was nice,” says the 33-year-old Shamrock Rovers player and former Ireland star.

The FAI was fined €20,000 by Uefa after complaints about members of the Irish women’s team singing along to ‘Celtic Symphony’ in their dressing room last October, which was even the subject of a police investigation.

““I know every one of those girls, I know there was never any malice in it. “It was just about celebrating the moment they had and they got caught in the moment and unfortunately it was caught on video and other people take a different perception of it. “ It’s a proud moment, the girls were in the heat of the moment qualifying for the World Cup. “There’s obviously words that some people don’t agree with, but I don’t think there was any malice in it,” she argues.

“I’d have to avoid anything to do with that,” said Stephanie when asked if she’d dance to that tune.

But she is considering doing a routine to a different Wolfe Tones song.

“I’ve always been a big fan of them, I love their music, I love their story telling. I think they keep the history of our country alive,” she says.

​ Stephanie finished bottom last week with a score of 13.

“This weekall the ladies are doing ballroom, all the lads are doing Latin. Our dance is the foxtrot and we are dancing to Love Song by Sara Bereilles,.

“I just want to enjoy the experience as best I can, it’s something I will never do again.”​

Dancing With The Stars was broadcast on Saturday night on RTÉ1 6.30pm

With many thanks to the: Sunday World and Eugene Masterson for the original story. 

Follow these links to find out more on this story: Wolfe Tones singer says those who criticise ▪️ 'Ooh ah up the 'Ra' chant are 'cranks and unionists' following football video. They also forgot to mention in the picture ▪️ #NoCatholics

Streisand Effect Complete As Celtic Symphony Sang At LOI Terraces

RA-RA SKIRT | Dancing with the Stars celeb Stephanie Roche says, ‘I’d love to dance to a Wolfe Tones song '

Wolfe Tones singer says those who criticise ▪️ 'Ooh ah up the 'Ra' chant are 'cranks and unionists' following football video. They also forgot to mention in the picture ▪️ #NoCatholics

One of the lead vocalists of the Wolfe Tones, Brian Warfield, has said those who criticise their song Celtic Symphony are “cranks and unionists or people who side with them”. They also forgot to mention in the picture▪️#NoCatholics. 

Watch: FAI apologise for any offence caused after IRA chants in the Ireland dressing room'

              October 13th, 2022.

His remarks to the Irish Times come as the Football Association of Ireland (FAI) apologised after a video emerged of the Republic of Ireland’s women’s football team chanting ‘Ooh ah up the Ra’ – a line from the 1987 track. 

Warfield is credited as the writer of the track and claims the line is not “necessarily referring to the Provisional IRA” - instead saying it was inspired by a line of graffiti he saw on a wall in Glasgow. 

  The Wolfe Tones track Celtic Symphony        has now re-entered Ireland's music          charts in the wake of all the hype and        is now sitting at No:1 in the Irish music                               charts... 

On Wednesday, a video was widely circulated on social media showing Ireland’s players celebrating their win against Scotland in Hampden Park, which saw them qualify for the 2023 World Cup, chanting the line from the song.

Read More

▪️Wolfe Tones tune Celtic Symphony hits number one in the Irish music charts following FAI video controversy

▪️Sky won't pull its sponsorship deal with Ireland women's team after pro-IRA chants

▪️Fionnán Sheahan:" 'Up the Ra' is just a chant to a younger generation but it sparks painful memories for those who remember the slaughter of innocents

Alongside the FAI, the team’s manager Vera Pauw and some players later apologised for the team’s actions, the latter saying it was a “lapse in judgment.” 

"From the bottom of our heart, we are so sorry because there is no excuse for hurting people. It was unnecessary,” said Pauw, who said she was not in the changing room when the chanting occurred. 

Dublin born musician Mr Warfield said the women were being “persecuted and bullied for a song they like”.

“What the hell is wrong with IRA? It is the Irish Republican Army. It is the people who put us here and gave us some hope when we had no hope.”

      Another example they mascarade           themselves as anti-Protocol protesters       but in reality its the paramilitary wing                     of the outlawed UVF 

Warfield, who performs alongside Noel Nagle and Tommy Byrne in the group also referred to how critics of the song had “no problem with God Save the King even though it now honours King Charles III, who was the honorary colonel of the Parachute Regiment which shot dead 13 civilians on Bloody Sunday in Derry in 1972.” 

“There were terrible things that happened on both sides, but don’t give me the argument that it was one sided,” he continued. 

 Celtic Symphony has also re-entered the   UK music charts because of all the hype     and is now sitting at No2 in the chart. 

“Don’t tell that you can’t sing Celtic Symphony but you can sing God Save the King? Don’t give the argument that Land of Hope and Glory isn’t a rebel song. It is." 

   ◾'Up the Ra' 🎶◾'Rule Britannia' 🎶 

 “In England they wear poppies and rise them up to ‘sir this’ and ‘sir that’ for killing for English expansionism but to kill to gain Ireland’s freedom is a terrible crime" he said, before adding that members of his family “died in the First World War.” 

Read More

▪️Vera Pauw admits shine has been taken off Republic of Ireland qualification as video emerges of pro-IRA chant

▪️Steven Beacom: "Republic of Ireland made it a night to remember, but for all the wrong reasons

Warfield’s remarks are not the first time he has weighed in on criticism of his song. In August he told the Irish Daily Star: "We're entitled to our own song and culture” following Belfast's Feile an Phobail which was branded a “hate-fest” after concert-goers also chanted the ‘Ooh ah up the Ra’ line during their performance. 

        #NoCatholicsAboutThisPlace                         #NoCatholicFirstMinister

"They might give titles and medals back to the people who killed for England over the years - Sir or Lord this - but we don't give titles to the Irish people that fought for freedom. What we do is we give them a song in their memory."

With many thanks to the: Belfast Telegraph and Kurtis Reid for the original story. 

Follow these links to find out more on this story: ◾'Up the Ra' 🎶◾'Rule Britannia' 🎶 If you're totally offended by the former... but not in slightest by the latter, there in lies the problem.

◾'Up the Ra' 🎶◾'Rule Britannia' 🎶 If you're totally offended by the former... but not in slightest by the latter, there in lies the problem.

Wolfe Tones singer says those who criticise pro-IRA chant are ‘cranks and unionists’ following football video controversy