British legend makes anti-Irish slur over Olympic torch bearer tattoo made in USA

In the words of Edmund Spenser: "For it is certain that Ireland hath had the use of letters very anciently and long before England; that they had letters anciently is nothing doubtful, for the Saxons of England are said to have their letters and learning, and learned men, from the Irish"

I would like to remind MPPM that Irish writers won four Nobel prizes for literature in the last century. Irish monks brought learning to Europe in the dark ages. Ill-educated Brits like Thompson will always hate the Irish. Let them hate, they will never beat us. I would also like to say to the West-Brits who defended Thompson's remarks that they are seriously deluded and in my opinion do not deserve to call themselves Irish. We are a way better educated nation than they will ever be. Thompson's remarks are just the surface of a centuries-old hatred for the Irish and not a harmless joke at all. You have to have lived in Britain to understand. I would also like to say to our friend who defends Northern-Irish/British paramilitary thuggery that he needs to reread his history Erin go Brach

It's not funny. There's no excuse. This is not the playground where we have to pretend it's funny in order to survive. This is a prominent representative of British sport at the time of the Olympics. No nation should put up with these slurs any time, but NEVER at the Olympics and NEVER an intellectual beacon like Ireland. Anyone with half an education in Britain should at least know the hugely disproportionate contribution of Ireland to literature. In fact these sort of slurs backfire on the British people showing a distrust and a resistance to learning.

watch it Young Pike we hear in Melbourne are reading your boring comments.Canadianirish we live in the richest countries in the world.What we have in common is a low unemployment, good wages, great healthcare,no mass murders and a high standard of living some of Yankee types are just jealous or ignorant.

If it wasn't for hockey nobody would even know about Canada.

Sorry ProudCanadian but your country is a coat tail hanger, always has been and always will be.

"Irish" jokes used to be a mainstay of British humour, just as the Poles were the butt of jokes in the USA. However, the rise of alternative comedians and political correctness have made such humour obsolete. Maybe Daley Thompson has been stuck in a 1970s shrine with Jim Davidson, surrounded by his gongs from yesteryear!

Ummmm he is an athlete not a diplomat. It was clearly meant to be a joke which fell flat. Thompson is notorious for putting his foot in it ie refusing to carry the British flag at previous games, wearing a T-shirt referencing Carl Lewis’s rumored gayness another time. What is funny to me is that such a to-do is made about this on a site which is littered with anti-racist comments from readership on any given day. Honestly!

People who make comments like this have deep seeded hatred for the nationality that they are making these comments about. They are racists and racists are dangerous people. How would he like it if someone said something about Blacks...I am certain if a white person made this comment, he/she would have been slammed all over the world.

It is the casual nature of the insult. He believed it was acceptable, but he is wrong. He has been a fairly anonymous character of late, best that he returns to that status.

Racist or not, the truth is that Irish people are not very good at grammar or spelling. This is not even a joke, it's reality

if we cant take a joke like this we arent Irish anymore,who are the worst for taking the mick out of us, we are,this wasn't a strictly racist joke,iv,e made the same comment loads of times,i hate the bloody Olympics,iv,e vaguely heard of delay Thomson,HE,S JUST WON THE TOUR DE FRANCE OR SOMETHING,be tragic if the guy is banned for such a light hearted remaRK,LIGHTEN UP PEOPLE,AND WATCH BORIS DOESNT BURN HIMSELF.

Kevin: Having never been to Canada I don't know if it's the dullest place in the world. I thought Australia was the dullest place!

Wow, ignorance abounds! If the situation would have been reversed the Irish person would be handed their head on a platter but because this moron is half-black he'll probably get a pass. As an aside to proud Canadian, what has Canada ever done but ride on America's coattails? It's the dullest place in the world unless freezing is a sport.

Yes, the idiot probably doesn't even realize the origins of his own name. It's doubtful that the british establishment will impose any substantive consequences to this slur - the institutional bias seems to be against the Irish as well as, ironically, nationalistic englishmen.