Would Cork fans fly a flag not dissimilar to Confederate?
August 19, 2017
Cork supporters with the confederate flag on the pitch after the All-Ireland SHC quarter-final defeat to Galway at Semple Stadium, Thurles in 2015.
©INPHO/Cathal Noonan.
The flying of a Confederate flag at last Sunday's All-Ireland SHC semi-final in Croke Park caused huge controversy.
Despite numerous calls for Cork supporters to stop bringing the flag to games, particularly in the wake of the latest events in the US state of Virginia, at least one was spotted in the crowd of over 72,000. In a letter to The Irish Times yesterday, Gearoid O Loingsigh from Bogota in Columba suggests that the Confederate flag was as offensive to some people in the US as the Union Jack is to many Irish people.
He wrote: "If Cork fans want to fly the Confederate battle flag, that is their choice. If, as some may claim, it is a harmless flag, in the context, and is only used for its colours, well, there is another flag to hand that they may use that contains the same red, white and blue, ie the British flag.
"No takers? I didn't think so, given the reputation of the Tans in Cork. Well, now, they know what 'offensive' means."
For the record, it was chosen as 'Letter of the Day'.
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