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Days after counter protester Heather Heyer died in the Charlottesville race riots, and a car crashed into and injured 19 others, the Confederate flag flew proud in Ireland. The waving red-and-white bunting had nothing to do with the Charlottesville riots, the KKK rally in Virginia, or the deadly car crash though. Irish fans of the Cork hurling and football teams have made the flag their own since at least the 1970s. According to Irish Central, the teams are called “The Rebels” and fans see the Confederate battle flag as the perfect symbol of their rebel players.
Despite repeated attempts to ban the Confederate flag, usually in response to an incident of racial violence, fans insist on their right to use whatever symbols the like. The Confederate icon appeared at Sunday’s All-Ireland hurling semifinal where 72,000 watched live and thousands more around the world saw the southern flag flying during television coverage of the game.