The booing of God Save The King by Irish fans has been described by one loyalist as “disrespectful” and “classless”. 

Ireland lost 2-0 to England in the Nations League opener on Saturday, with Taoiseach Simon Harris and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in attendance.

Thousands of people in the crowd could be heard booing the English anthem God Save the King when it was played ahead of the match.

On Newstalk Breakfast, loyalist organiser Moore Holmes said he thought the booing gave people in his community an insight into how people in the Republic view the United Kingdom.

“It’s not so much that I’m not happy,” he said. 

“I just think it is a demonstration of people’s attitudes south of the border. 

“I think when you look at what happened at the Aviva Stadium, 50,000 or so Irish fans booing and jeering your British neighbours’ sacred song, I don’t think that’s a good look for Irish fans.” 

It may be trivial to some, but 50,000 Irish fans jeering the British National Anthem tells us quite a bit about mindsets South of the border.

In my view, the heckling and booing was but another demonstration of the anglophobic and anti-British attitudes that have poisoned… pic.twitter.com/XOlxA37tAC

— Moore Holmes (@mooreholmes24) September 7, 2024

When presenter Shane Coleman - who was at the match - disputed his claim that 50,000 people had booed the anthem, Mr Holmes said the exact number was not important.

“Regardless of the finite detail of how many people did it, it was classless, churlish and it was a demonstration of disrespect from Irish people to their British neighbours,” he said. 

“Listen, I love footballing and sporting rivalry and I think that’s great but I do think it does tell us about people’s mindsets and attitudes; about how people view any vestige of British identity and culture.”

Taoiseach Simon Harris and British Prime Minister Kier Starmer at the match. Photo by Seb Daly /Sportsfile

When it was put to him that the Irish anthem would likely be booed by Northern Ireland fans at Windsor Park, Mr Holmes described it as an “interesting point”. 

“What I would say is that any booing of a national anthem, I think, is disrespectful,” he said. 

“I think we all have our cultural components; we all have things that are dear to us and I think it’s important to foster a culture of respect regardless of what those things are.” 

'A victimhood mindset' 

Mr Holmes described the British National Anthem as something that is “dear to me” and said that some Irish people need to focus less on the past. 

"Some people, I think, south of the border are trapped in what I would class as a victimhood mindset, where they believe themselves to be the most oppressed people who have ever lived,” he said.

“They’re obsessed with summoning the ghosts of the past - this isn’t 1916 anymore. 

“The Republic of Ireland has had independence for 75 years and a Free State for over 100 years. 

“Most people alive within the Republic will not have been oppressed by the British State.” 

Simon Harris has previously described the booing of the British National Anthem as “embarrassing and idiotic”.

Main image: Jack Grealish, Kobbie Mainoo, Declan Rice and Marc Guéhi singing the British National Anthem in the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile