Fontaines D.C. have teamed up with Irish football club Bohemian to launch a new shirt to raise funds for humanitarian aid for Palestine amid the on-going genoicide in Gaza.
The shirt, which will be the club’s 2025 third (alternative) jersey, is designed by the Dublin band's guitarist Carlos O’Connell, features a lyric from the band's song Horseness Is the Whatness - “I thought it was love” – printed around the neck, while an embroidered hem tag features a Palestinian flag with the words Saoirse don Phalaistín, Gaeilge for 'Free Palestine'.
Profits from the shirt will go to Medical Aid for Palestinians to go straight into their emergency response action for what is most needed in Gaza at that moment, for example the rehabilitation of Nasser hospital, limb reconstruction, procurement of antibiotics/saline bags/ultrasound gel/intravenous paracetamol/hot meals etc.
Fans in Ireland will have the first opportunity to buy the shorts from a merch stall which will be in operation at the halfway line of Dalymount Park, Bohemian's stadium, tomorrow and Saturday, December 6 and 7.
In a statement, Carlos O’Connell says: “There’s few institutions in this world who stand strong and unyielding against oppression. Bohemian F.C. is one of them and being a small part of this club has been an honour for us in FDC for a few years now. We will always stand with them and their values.”
Daniel Lambert, Chief Operating Officer of Bohemian F.C. says, “We are delighted to unveil this jersey following lots of work over the past few months with Fontaines, in particular Carlos as main designer and Trevor Dietz (manager). The rise of the band, since their days rehearsing in a garage in Phibsboro and early photoshoots in Dalymount has been spectacular, Romance is an album that sits alongside the very best Irish albums of all-time. Even more impressive is to see them continuously highlight and speak about Palestine to bigger and bigger crowds and be unrelenting in their moral convictions.
“That we can raise further significant funds for Medical Aid for Palestinians through the shirt at such a tragic time once again shows the power of Sports and Music when combined. Medical Aid for Palestinians were one of the our three partners on funds raised from our game against the Palestinian women’s team in May, their first time playing in Europe, and also a beneficiary from our screening of the movie ‘Gaza’ in Dalymount in late 2023.”
The shirt can be ordered online here.
At the recent Rolling Stone UK Awards 2024, Fontaines D.C. won the Album Award for Romance. Accepting the award, Carlos O’Connell told the audience at London''s The Roundhouse venue, "Free Palestine. Fuck [Isareli Prime Minister] Netanyahu."
