While at Wembley in 2013, moments after kick off between England and Ireland - the first match between the two sides since 1995′s ‘friendly’ was abandoned due to crowd violence - I received a call from a newsroom colleague asking me about the booing of Amhrán na bhFiann.
The Irish News was readying an article about it, although I was of zero help as I had genuinely not heard any.
I had expected it, and was surprised when the anthems seemed to pass by without any pantomime behaviour. I was equally surprised when told by my colleague on the phone that people on Twitter were claiming it had definitely happened.
Apparently it did, but I was either unaware or out of earshot.
It was impossible to be out of earshot on Saturday as boos rang out during God Save the King. You kind of knew it was coming but when it did it was still a bit disheartening. I’m sure people have their reasons that do not need explained but I have since read a few different tortured attempts at justification online.
The reaction was as predictable as the booing itself. You often get the sense that people have their outrage held in drafts, finger hovering over the enter key, ready to hit send as soon as they hear the b of the first boo.
Some claims on social media that all 50,000 Irish fans booed are simply wrong, when you consider a few thousand of the 50,000 in attendance were in the England end and probably as many Ireland fans didn’t bother joining in.
Booing on anthems does go on. England fans were criticised in the summer’s Euros for doing it, although I’m not sure the majority boo every anthem they hear. Certainly Scotland, and Ireland and Argentina, and most definitely Germany. But beyond that, outside of a section of half wits, they just let other anthems play.
Some England fans in Dublin on Saturday booed and chanted throughout the Irish anthem too, only this wasn’t as immediately obvious as it was drowned out by home supporters singing.
More booing will happen at Wembley in November’s return fixture when it will then be the turn of Irish fans to become indignant and flood social media professing their disgust.
And so the cycle will continue.
It is easy to win the good PR battle by not conforming to stereotype. However, it appears that this level of maturity might be beyond some.