Offical and Unoffical National Anthems

During the Isles of Wonder: 2012 Olympics opening ceremony four songs were sung to represent the 4 "home" countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland those being..

* England:  Jerusalem, the BBC lists this 3rd English rugby song after God Save the Queen (official national anthem) and Swing low, sweet chariot. But any of these songs make most Irish people cringe, We hear enough of this songs at matches against the "Old enemy".


* Scotland: Flower of Scotland, although Scotland has no official national anthem, this song is very popular and a potential anthem. It gives me goosebumps every time I hear it, as it's a tale of the Scottish victories against English Army of Edward II, as loosely depicted in the movie Braveheart.

* Northern Ireland:  Danny Boy, to the tune of "A Derry air" is popular and maybe less controversial the other songs such as The Sash and The Town I Loved So Well.

* Wales:  Bread Of Heaven, personally I thought the official welsh anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (sometimes called in English: Land of My Fathers) is great song and would have shown the importance of the welsh language to the Welsh people) Of course, they could have one of the many other great welsh tunes, like the Stereo-phonics "As long as we beat the English" :-)

So Danny Boyle managed a fair representation of people of the U.K. without using a single official national anthem, so continue of theme of unofficial versus official national anthems...

Ireland 

There was complains from fans other nations at Euro2012 football finals, that the Irish fans only were one song The Fields of Athenry, but it really one of the few songs everyone can agree on. Amhrán na bhFiann, the Irish National anthem is problematic never heard A cappella, as gaeilge (in the Irish language) and the lyrics of this Soldier's Song is quite bloodthirsty.  

Other options like "Wild Rover", "Whiskey in the jar" are alcohol themed and probably heard outside Ireland. Maybe we should try The Fairytale of New York

Rugby when Ireland plays an Island of Ireland team, rather the Republic of Ireland (26counties of the south and west) and Northern Ireland (6counties of the north-east), the recently composed "Ireland's call" is used alongside or instead of Amhrán na bhFiann as the anthem. Because of this comprise solution are prize for most rousing 6nations rugby anthem has go Flower of Scotland, followed by France's La Marseillaise and the Wales' Wlad Fy Nhadau.

Australia: The story of how Advance Australia Fair beat Waltzing Matilda in a 1984 vote to become the Australia's national anthem is at www.dfat.gov.au/facts/nat_anthem.html


United States of America: The Star Spangled Banner based a 1814 poem written by a battle of the War of 1812 in Baltimore harbor, it was only made the official anthem in 1931. The tune "God Bless America" seems to places where it should not be replace the official anthem, because there separation of Church and State, no mention of "god" should be made at publicly funded events, like a recent 4th of July festival I attended.