Cork musician's song against Israel match features former Ireland boss Kerr

Cork musician Martin Leahy has penned a new song in opposition to the Republic of Ireland v Israel Uefa Nations League fixtures, which are due to take place in the autumn.

Don’t Play is a rewritten version of Put ‘Em Under Pressure, the Irish anthem from the 1990 World Cup, with the iconic words of “Olé olé olé” replaced with “Don’t play”.

The song features Palestinian singer Leen Maarouf on vocals, and an appearance by the former Ireland football manager Brian Kerr, with clips included from a recent TV appearance in which he voiced his opposition to the fixtures.

Amnesty International and the Stop The Game campaign have lent their support to the song.

Mr Leahy told The Echo: “I was in awe of the original song (Put ‘Em Under Pressure). It was such a unifying anthem at the time. You couldn’t avoid it in the best possible way.

“I thought it was a great move what they did on the original, the way they sampled Jack Charlton’s voice. So I thought it might be good to echo that with the interview that Brian Kerr did.”

He described Brian Kerr as an iconic figure on the Irish football scene.

“He’s a heavyweight in Irish football. I feel he gave a very strong interview and I felt that it was a good idea to use it. Through a mutual contact, I got a message saying that I was good to go ahead with it and he was ok with it.”

Mr Leahy said he feels the public reaction to Don’t Play illustrates the overall opposition that exists towards the Ireland vrs Israel fixtures taking place.

“The reaction has been great and it has been shared loads of time.

“The song is going around and it is having a life. It is reflective of the feeling engaging in these games. Stop the game means stop the game anywhere.

“There’s such a broad opposition across all sections of society. I just feel that it’s impossible for the games to go ahead.”

The Football Association of Ireland is due to meet this week to debate the upcoming Israel games.