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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Why Rory McIlroy is happier to be British and not Irish -- No history of Irish nationalism in area where he grew up

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Why Rory McIlroy is happier to be British and not Irish -- No history of Irish nationalism in area where he grew up

Posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2012 at 08:11 AM

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Graeme McDowell, right, and Rory McIlroy walk behind the Tricolour during the Opening Ceremony of the World Cup at the Mission Hills' Blackstone Course in Hainan Island, China, last year (Photo: Getty)

Graeme McDowell, right, and Rory McIlroy walk behind the Tricolour during
the Opening Ceremony of the World Cup in Hainan Island, China, last year (Photo: Getty)

I think I know why Rory McIlroy is happier with his British identity rather than his Irish one.

It starts with North Down, the area he comes from.

For the length of The Troubles, North Down was never a hot bed of nationalism, preferring most of the time to send very moderate nationalist politicians to the parliament in Britain.

To this day Sinn Fein has no real traction in the area and despite the death of a relative at the hands of Loyalist killers, McIlroy grew up unaffected by the aftermath of the Troubles.

It is also an historical legacy. Unlike Tyrone and Armagh where the planters were brutal and drove the Catholics off the land and persecuted and damned them, in Down the occupation was much more gently handled.

This led to better relations between the communities there than almost anywhere else in Northern Ireland.

McIlroy is following men like Lord Ballyedmond, formerly Eddie Haughey, another highly successful Catholic businessman from close by to McIlroy, who assumed the British mantle as well.

So McIlroy was insulated from much of the bad stuff growing up and indeed in the post-troubles era his choice of British as his identity is not a complete shock.

He is too young or too successful to have studied the history too much I imagine or his family has made peace with the other side a long time ago perhaps.

Yet when you visit Northern Ireland you immediately become aware of the scope and intent of the original plantation.

All the good land was taken by the Protestants and their holdings tended to literally look down on the Catholic patches where they drove off the natives.

If you visit Stormont, the seat of government, you see how the massive building with its triumphal statue of Carson looks down from a height on the deprived nationalist neighborhoods below.

The history is rife with Protestant triumphalism, Derry, the leading Catholic city still does not have a proper motorway to Belfast – the best roads always led to Protestant towns.

Equally, when a second university was to be built it was sited in Coleraine and not Derry so that Protestants could take better advantage.

Up until the 1970s and the civil rights movement, there was not even one-man one vote. People with property, always Protestants, were entitled to extra votes.

Ironically, an example of this arrogance was on display with McIlroy's former golfing counterpart, David Feherty, now with CBS Sports. During the Notre Dame game in Dublin, Feherty, a Protestant, made the claim that Gaelic football and hurling were not played in Northern Ireland -- even though they are by far the most popular games in nationalist areas.

Those bad days are behind us but driving through the North the other day I could not miss the triumphal Ulster flag flying that still goes on both on the motorway to Belfast and then from Belfast to Derry.

The bad days are over, nationalists are now in a power sharing government and men like Rory McIlroy are free to make a choice that would have been almost impossible a generation ago.

It is still one that will grate with many, especially many Irish Americans I’d wager. Then again I’d rather cheer Padraig Harrington anytime just to see the Tricolor wave after a major tournament.

The Northern Ireland flag, flown by a Protestant like Graeme McDowell, will never bother me in the slightest, flown by a Catholic like Rory, however, will never seem quite right to me.

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

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curtisjohnson | Sep 11, 2012, 08:22 PM EDT

"im not trying to deny the fact that the British ruled over Ireland and killed many Irish people, at the same time the French and Spanish were also doing the same thing all over the world" No comparison - the Spanish and French took steps to try to improve the areas they invaded whereas the british terror state merely wanted to destroy and/or enslave the indigenous peoples (see, for instance, the number of universities established by the Spanish and French for native peoples whereas the british terror state made education a felony in Ireland).

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fiddlinvet | Sep 11, 2012, 08:14 PM EDT

A large sack full of rice fell over in China. Who cares.

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seanomelb | Sep 11, 2012, 07:29 PM EDT

If the maudlin Brit cillowen hates "paddy,Taffy and Jock so much why does he use the Irish "cill" to identify himself. What an idiot

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cillowen | Sep 11, 2012, 07:01 PM EDT

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.

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gerardmccabe53 | Sep 11, 2012, 06:33 PM EDT

mccoo1, your analogy is ridiculous, period, end of story, you are that apologist that I am always running into online. Oh yeah, your limited focus on the numbers of people killed by who during the last 30 years is lame also. Are you really telling me to do some research? Slan leat

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seanomelb | Sep 11, 2012, 06:26 PM EDT

O'Dowd article above says more about His "Irishness" than McIllroys'. You sound more like a condescending parish priest saying "sorry" for someone else's shortcomings.

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mccoo1 | Sep 11, 2012, 06:20 PM EDT

gerardmccabe53, im not trying to deny the fact that the British ruled over Ireland and killed many Irish people, at the same time the French and Spanish were also doing the same thing all over the world. Britain itself also suffered from foreign invaders. Personally I don;t know Rory and neither do you so I don't how he was brought up. But by the looks of it he had a very good upbringing without any problems due to his religion. Yes his uncle was murdered by some thugs, but those thugs didnt represent Britain, so I don't see how that would play any part in his decision..

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dan | Sep 11, 2012, 06:11 PM EDT

more drivel from Oirish-America. Stick your periscope where the sun dont shine, ODowd...and I hope it stings

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gerardmccabe53 | Sep 11, 2012, 06:09 PM EDT

@mccoo1, I am in Belfast all the time, have seen the changes and for the most part, the changes are good! Lets not change the history. You can't deny that the Brits conquered Ireland, tried to kil the language and the Catholic religion, to no avail and then partitioned the North, creating an aritifical majority which sewed the seeds for the violence for the next 80 years. I believe in moving forward and trying to respect each culture since they are living next to each other. You throw the word bigot around very loosely. I am just saying that the history is the history and the Brits used the protestants as pawns to d otheir dirty work. You disagree?? Ok, then you are the one who can't be objective. McElroys' embrace of the British culture is certainly ironic when you think about his family suffering from the troubles which were created by the Brits, No?

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mccoo1 | Sep 11, 2012, 06:09 PM EDT

Gerardmccabe53, Republicans killed more Catholics in N.Ireland than Loyalists. Do some research.

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mccoo1 | Sep 11, 2012, 05:46 PM EDT

gerardmccabe53, Were did i blame Irish Americans for problems in N.Ireland?? I actually said it was people like TisEyerish living in N.Ireland during the troubles with their hate filled sectarion views that caused alot of the problems. I in no way blamed Irish Americans for problems in the N.Ireland. And stop all this nonsense about how the Brits and Loyalist paramilitaries were allowed run rampant over the Catholics, when in actual fact the IRA murdered more Catholics than any other group during the troubles...... All sides during the troubles did things they shouldnt have done, and until you accept that Republicans were no angels either then you will remain same hate filled bigot you currently are. As I said earlier religion should play no part in Rory's decision, I think it shows how much things have moved on in N.Ireland in a good way that someone like Rory from a Catholic background could be brought in in a part of N.Ireland were the majority are Protestants and not suffer from any problems. Its happening all over N.Ireland, people like you are in a tiny minority now, you arent wanted. Catholics and Protestants on a whole live side by side quite happily now. It's 2012 stop living in the past, move on like the rest of us in N.Ireland have. How about actually spending some time over here, you will soon realise quite quickly how your hate filled views wont be welcomed. The relionship between Ireland and Britain is at the strongest its ever been at the minutre. Like I said times are changing, deal with it.

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Kilsally | Sep 11, 2012, 05:43 PM EDT

hoodw - Why would someone from Northern Ireland choosing to fly the Northern Irish flag be a traitor?

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Kilsally | Sep 11, 2012, 05:42 PM EDT

ancavker - I live and Tyrone and there is a marked increase - most still choose British or Irish but Northern Irish has increased as first preference and is also second preference for the majority - see census figures

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hoodw | Sep 11, 2012, 05:33 PM EDT

Castle Catholics are nothing new nor special. To Hell with McIlroy and all traitors to their people and land.

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Kilsally | Sep 11, 2012, 05:31 PM EDT

Niall, your contrast of Down with Tyrone & Armagh doesnt really hold either as there have been several Catholic Unionist MP`s elected in those counties through the years - Sir Denis Henry, was born in County Londonderry in 1864. A son of prosperous Catholic businessman, he was elected MP for South Londonderry in 1916 and later served as Solicitor-General for Ireland and then as the First Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland.

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