When this site started in 2008, one of the issues that concerned this journalist was the apparent inability of the occupants of the sports desks in Scotland to grasp the concept of anti-Irish racism.
It was the year that the Famine Song entered the repertoire of the Ibrox klanbase.
That racist ditty mocked the genocidal crime of An Gorta Mór.
It was a good day for Scotland when it was ruled as racist by the highest court in the land in 2009.
That should have been a teachable moment for the sports desks to realise that anti-Irish racism was a thing.
In 2008 it was also open season on any Scottish born player who would decide to represent the Republic of Ireland at football.
Aiden McGeady was a Celtic player, and the Irish internationalist suffered appalling abuse at most grounds in the country.
It should have been called out for what it was, racism.
However, it was either reported as “sectarian” or the manifestation of patriotic Scots who were outraged that one of their own would turn his back on Fair Caledonia to play for another country.
Here is Pat Nevin Jockplaining it all for an Irish readership in 2014.
“There’s a lot of people that are angry with (McCarthy). There’s a very dark and subtle political side to it.”
I must say that is a wonderful euphemism for racism, Mr Nevin.
Even in 2014, anti-Irish racism was hatred that dare not speak its name in nice, tolerant Scotland.
Of course, McGeady’s cultural crime was the fact that he cleaved to the nation of his ethnic heritage.
James McCarthy, then with the Accies, similarly offended some of the poor dears in the Tartan Army.
The Famine Song controversy and issues around Scottish born players representing Ireland highlighted just how much being second-generation Irish (2GI) in modern Scotland was a problem for some Scots.
Of course, addressing that was the task for the Fourth Estate.
It should not have been a problem in a country that has produced many fine journalists for generations.
However, I quickly concluded that the chaps in the press box at matches either lacked the collective cognitive bandwidth or the courage to tackle the issue.
Whatever the real reason, they continued to churn out Orwellian lies about “banter” and ” sectarianism”.
The Irishman was back in the country of his birth at the weekend playing for Sunderland against Hearts at Tynecastle.
The coverage in the Herald made me reflect on the work that is still to be done in educating sports journalists in Scotland about anti-Irish racism.
You can read it here.
However, here is a key paragraph:
“Former Celtic man McGeady is no stranger to a hostile atmosphere when playing away, so revelled in his pantomime villain role in the capital as he put Robbie Neilson’s Hearts side to the sword in a pre-season friendly played in the Gorgie sunshine.”
Let’s look at that again.
Now,“…pantomime villain…” is doing a lot of heavy lifting there, dear reader.
Also, the sub-editor (who creates the headlines) thought that McGeady was guilty of “taunting” the home crowd.
Given the experience of the player in Scotland, this was, at best, rather strange wording.
Moreover, McGeady was playing football in a stadium where another Irishman, Neil Francis Lennon, was assaulted by a Hearts supporter a decade ago.
That this happened in the native city of James Connoly made it all the more poignant.
There have been so many teachable moments for football writers in Scotland to break away from the banter excuse for racists in the national game.
Yet, they do not seem to grasp fairly simple concepts that most thinking citizens can get their heads around rather quickly.
When Aiden McGeady left Celtic in 2010 to ply his trade in Russia, I wrote this piece for the Irish Post.
At that time, I was hoping for some movement on this issue and a greater understanding from those who write about football in Scotland.
Thankfully the term anti-Irish racism has now entered the public discourse, and the “sectarian” catch-all term is being increasingly viewed as imprecise and problematic.
Sadly, many of the Fitba Fourth Estate have not improved their understanding of issues that are crucial to the well-being of the game and society as a whole.
My work is not yet complete.
Meant to include this re my comment on Mr Nevin
Interesting that you should highlight Pat Nevin the soup taker’s soup taker.
Pat “I will call out sectarian(sic) singing when and where I hear it” Nevin – the statement made at half time in the 2013 Scottish Cup final after the singing of Boys of the Old Bridade.
8 years later of Dead Club/zombie party songs… silence.
But perfectly willing to take some soup from the English media to espouse his Irish credentials and in the same breath slaughter the anti-Irish attitudes in Scotland that he was perfectly willing to operate in and take a media salary from without challenge.
To me, he’s even worse than a Derek Johnstone who is/was open about who he is.
Informed supporters are generally aware of just how wilfully ignorant – and compromised – the sports desks are in Scotland.
The only positive is that their audience size – and influence – has collapsed in recent decades.
They will soon go the same way as the dinosaurs. 🙂
Unfortunately Bob their online subscriptions are on the rise. All clickbait stuff and anti-Celtic headlines of course. No Celtic fan should be clicking on any of the sites that have a staunch agenda.
Hard copies will surely disappear but the guff will still be there for the type that like to read while eating their Coco Pops. HH
“Pantomime Villian” oh my this really is poor journalism and more importantly trivialisation of a major issue. The article itself is condoning racist views or at the very least making them trivial.
Racism is not behind everything. Good players get booed every time they kick a ball, no matter where they come from. Anti Irish racism is rife in Scotland there is no doubt, but don’t try to put that label on everything that happens on the football field. You continue to post the same picture whenever Tynecastle is mentioned, get over it it, was ONE individual fueled by drink. Not everything is anti Irish racism.
Hi Phil,
I commented on that article yesterday. I wasn’t surprised in the slightest that this kind of nonsense still comes out from the Herald, but it doesn’t make it any less disappointing.
I emailed the journalist directly but haven’t had a a reply. if I get anything, I’ll let you know.
Keep up the good work, fella.
Gary.
Many thanks Gary
Good read, thanks Phil, sadly not much has changed in my lifetime far less the last 2/3 decades, and tbph I don’t see major changes happening before my expiry date. Cynical? Yes, definitely.
There’s been a plethora of false dawns and until I see legislation passed AND acted on, my pessimistic outlook shall remain. Although, getting sevco under control will help tremendously with all of that.
I sincerely hope I’m wrong in that regard.
Thanks Phil🇮🇪
They do grasp the concept, and they fully understand what they’re writing, but its inbred into them , the same as the other bigots, the written media in Scotland has always been run by bitter little bigoted people, but their time has thankfully coming to an end pretty soon, as my old Irish neighbour used to say, get to fck with you and your rubbish