Birmingham City football club has confirmed that Irish players have been spoken to in relation to the singing of a pro-IRA song in the aftermath of Ireland's World Cup qualification win over Scotland last week.
Louise Quinn, Lucy Quinn, Jamie Finn and Harriet Scott all play for both Birmingham and Ireland. In a statement issued to The Belfast Telegraph , the club confirmed that all four players have been spoken to about the incident.
It reads: “The club is aware of chants made by the Republic of Ireland women’s national team.
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“Head coach Darren Carter has spoken with the individuals and has reminded them of their responsibilities while representing both Birmingham City and their national team.
“It is paramount that everybody associated with Blues is acutely aware of the second city’s history and the sensitivities that surround this.
“The players involved have expressed regret for their actions and ill judgement.
“The club will be making no further comment.”
The song in question is 'Celtic Symphony' by the Wolfe Tones. The tune, which has risen to the top of the music charts in recent days, contains the controversial lyric 'Ooh, ah, up the Ra'.
A video surfaced in the aftermath of the win of some members of the Irish team singing the song along with other songs in the changing rooms after the historic victory.
The video has upset and offended some people. So much so, that DUP MP Carla Lockhart wrote to the chief executive of Birmingham City, Ian Dutton, asking if the club intended to investigate the incident.
Many have also come out and defended the Irish team in recent days. Conor McGregor showed his support for the team and said they should apologise 'to absolutely nobody,' while sports-stars like Kevin Kilbane and Paul Galvin have praised the manner in which Irish players have responded to the backlash.
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