Sent in by a Irishman (from the north).

So, both teams from the island of Ireland are going to the finals of a major tournament. What an amazing achievement. It seems almost obvious to an outsider that the whole island should be supporting both teams, but Ireland has such a complex and troubled history that the idea of supporting both teams is not entertained by many Irish people. However, I believe that we should support for all the lads from this island who are going to Euro 2016 and we have outlined four core reasons to support this argument.

1. All the lads from both teams are from the Emerald Isle

This point is pretty simple. The fact is that all these lads are from the island of Ireland. Belfast is only an hour and a half away from Dublin, so why shouldn’t someone in the south cheer lads from the north on. The same point stands for an Irish Nationalist in the north, these lads are from your area and a lot of the lads on the team are from your town or city so it should feel strange not to cheer them on.

2. Don’t let the minority tarnish your opinion of the majority

There are always trouble makers in any club or organisation. Yes, there are instances when fans from Northern Ireland sang sectarian songs, but that doesn’t mean that all Northern Ireland fans are ‘sectarian thugs’. Suggesting this would be as ridiculous as suggesting that all Muslims are terrorists. We shouldn’t let intolerance of a minority of people tarnish the reputation of a whole bunch of supporters – and that goes for any club or organisation. The majority of Northern Ireland’s fans have done so much to make Windsor Park a more inclusive venue and stamp out sectarianism. They deserve massive respect for this. I went to a Northern Ireland in 2002 and then again this year and I couldn’t believe the change. It is far more inclusive and the atmosphere is incredible.

3. Sport should never be political

The idea of supporting Northern Ireland, even for many people living in Belfast, can be a bit awkward. Most nationalists in the north prefer the Republic of Ireland team as they identify more with an Irish tradition than a British one. Indeed, to many in the north, the Republic of Ireland team represents the 32 county identity and many including James McClean choose to play for Ireland instead of Northern Ireland. Given the complex history of this island, it is understandable why a catholic in the north would not feel completely comfortable in Windsor Park as they play ‘God Save the Queen’ and have much of the stadium draped in Union Flags. However, these differences are mostly political and and sport should never really be mixed with politics. Take the flags, national anthem and songs by a few fans out of it and you are left with supporters and players who are from this beautiful island, so why wouldn’t we should cheer them on.

4. We should build bridges, not walls

The whole debate about what national team you should support in Northern Ireland will go on long into the future. But it would be great if we could all show each other a bit of support when the other team is playing. I’m not saying that we should support both teams equally, we all know that your heart is going to end up loving one team more than the another. For me, I love and identify more with the Republic of Ireland team more than Northern Ireland. However, when Northern Ireland are playing, I cheer them on. I was really pleased to see in the news this week that Northern Ireland and Republic fans gathered in Belfast City Airport for a bit of craic before their flight before all jetting off together. That’s a great sign of how far we have come and I would love that to be the norm in future.

I want to wish the best of luck to both teams from this beautiful island in France! Come on ALL the boys in Green!