Rory McIlroy denies that he has decided to play for Britain in the 2016 Olympics

Likely there would be no controversy if we had a united Ireland. Citizenship is one thing; heritage another. So he was born in the North ... If a cat had her litter in an oven would you call them biscuits?

I cannot believe some of the immature comments on here. The guy feels British, he has a British passport but to appease the minority (I hope) of insecure people from the Republic he has to say how he feels loyalty to them too. I understand the support he had from Ireland golf before but he has also had a lot of support from British government and monarch who he sees as his leaders. He may well change his mind and if he does I dare say there will be a host of Brits on here doing the same thing that the Irish are. It's pathetic. If he wasn't good, no one would care. Let him make his decision and if those people in Ireland are truly patriotic for everyone from the island of Ireland then they'll be supporting him in GB colours too!

Maggie Thatcher seemed to think flags were important when she engaged in a spot of good ol' fashioned Victorian imperial gingoism over the Argentinian Islas de Malvinas. The whole Island of Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom (UK) from 1800/'01 because a majority of a minority landowning gentry voted it's very own Protestant Parliament in Dublin into extinction - not entirely uninfluenced by hefty bribes and promises of peerages! Northern[ised] Ireland (NI) continues to be a part of the UK because a majority of a la carte democrats in this gerrymandered neo-provincial statelet demand that it be so. Alas, young Rúadhrí is not responsible for the peculiar constitutional circumstances in which he finds himself. But does it have to be either Team Ireland or Team GB (Great Britain). Can it not be both in different events, or neither in all? Why not play for Team USA, and avoid all the inevitable acrimony.

Maggie Thatcher seemed to think flags were important when she engaged in a spot of good ol' fashioned Victorian imperial gingoism over the Argentinian Islas de Malvinas. The whole Island of Ireland was a part of the United Kingdom (UK) from 1800/'01 because a majority of a minority landowning gentry voted it's very own Protestant Parliament in Dublin into extinction - not entirely uninfluenced by hefty bribes and promises of peerages! Northern[ised] Ireland (NI) continues to be a part of the UK because a majority of a la carte democrats in this gerrymandered neo-provincial statelet demand that it be so. Alas, young Rúadhrí is not responsible for the peculiar constitutional circumstances in which he finds himself. But does it have to be either Team Ireland or Team GB (Great Britain). Can it not be both in different events, or neither in all? Why not play for Team USA, and avoid all the inevitable acrimony.

Britain's new heros according to news media are mcilroy and murray. that covers it nicely as most viewers think only of that being by default merry o. The frustration of avid tennis watcher trying to make sense of such spoke mightily to the "by design" one-sided credit. When these cats come acropper they get full of notice for their humble origin, mark my words - Jock and Paddy or Taffy.

I grew up in Sligo in the 50s and it was no bed of roses. I was glad to get away to England. I have no quarrel with the English, I think everybody should own one. And since they lost their empire they're a little more down to earth. So Rory, good for you.

Good on you Rory. No matter what you or anybody else says, you are Irish. It does not matter what side of the border you were born on. You, Rory, can be a bridge between the warring fractions in Northern Ireland. The Brits gave you a chance and you took it and ran with it and your showed the world what an Irishman can do. Screw the begrudgers.

I say...let the Brits have him. He's no Irishman.

Good comments, especially by christilcaugh. I think Rory would do better to not keep emphasizing his feelings, at this point. He appears to have spoken from the heart. Those that feel hurt by his references to the UK, do need to let it go - I include myself, in this group.

Well said pilib04

Whoever this MichaelMcGrath is, will someone lend him a hand in understanding sports. Obviously the lad does not read for content or he would bloody well know that Rory is a golfer and at present the best in the world. Ulster folks are proud of Rory as are the rest of Ireland. It's only a handful of malcontents on this blog that seem to think flags are important. Rory is playing a sport not running for Taoiseach or First Minister.

I don't think it matters, after all he's not all that important. He's only a tennis player , champion of a snob's game, not some genius. Let him off , the Brit:-)

Here's hoping that the passionate for Ireland will realize that to get past the divide and bring the partisan's to the understanding of a WHOLE Ireland one must let go and ignore these type of comments.