North-west Derby (Ireland)
The North-west Derby is the name of the association football match played between Finn Harps and Derry City. It has been hotly contested on a season-to-season basis since Derry's inception into the League of Ireland in 1985, with the rival West Ulster clubs often meeting on a number of occasions during the one season. History The derby has existed since Derry City's entry into the League of Ireland in 1985 as a result of the close proximity of the club's respective homes to the other's. The city of Derry is located about 30 miles from the town of Ballybofey in County Donegal, where Finn Harps play. The rivalry between the teams is fuelled by quite a substantial gulf in success and a rural-urban divide between the two. Derry's support comes largely from the city of Derry, although there is strong support for the club in Inishowen and The Laggan district of East Donegal. Finn Harps, who have been less successful historically, play in a small regional market-town in East Donegal and take their support from large parts of County Donegal. Even though they have quite a large support-base in Letterkenny, a sizable proportion of their support is derived from those who are culturally rural. Because of this, Derry fans often view and verbally abuse their Donegal neighbours as backward, in-bred "sheep-shaggers", "rednecks" or "culchies" who watch their team play in a cow-shed, relating to Finn Park, the home ground of Finn Harps. The terms have found their way into a number of club songs reserved for derby-day. Abusive and demeaning songs sung by Derry's supporters include: Meanwhile, Finn Harps supporters often taunt the mainly-nationalist Derry fans by rhetorically asking in chant what it is like to have a British queen, as Derry are based in Northern Ireland, while Finn Harps play across the border in the Republic of Ireland and have the common perceived pleasure of living life free from monarchical-rule. Along with chants such as You're Brits and You Know You Are and provocatively referring to the city as "Londonderry, United Kingdom", they also mock Derry fans due to their Brandywell ground's association with greyhound racing and, in response to the "sheep-shagging" taunts directed towards them, often imply that their Derry counterparts are dogs or engage in acts of bestiality with dogs. The Baha Men's Who Let the Dogs Out? is a popular song amongst Finn Harps supporters on the day of a derby. However, it must be pointed out that the rivalry is not always a negative one. It is, in the main, a friendly, healthy one and the exchange of verbal abuse is often taken as "banter" and in good spirit and humour by the two groups of fans. Furthermore, while both clubs have encountered periods of financial trouble in recent years, they have often been helped by the other in this regard. Finn Harps were also one of the major proponents of Derry's joining of the League of Ireland in 1985. Phil Coulter is known as