Katie Taylor is Irish. The comments on sky sports last night, referring to her as "Team GB" will be written off as a gaffe.

But this happens all the time.

Paul Mescal has had to remind everyone that he's Irish after publications incorrectly labelled him as British.
Harper’s Bazaar caused the first “forgetting the Irish aren’t British” controversy of 2019 by appearing to claim Irish actress Saoirse Ronan as one of “The spirit of Great Britain.”

Michael Fassbender insists the media only label him British when he's doing well. He's Irish.
I had to go to court to argue that I'm Irish, not British. I still have to remind people on a near daily basis.

The question is where does this mindset stem from? It's as if for some, Irish independence just never happened and the Irish are still kinda British. We never were.
A prime example is this exchange between Cillian Murphy & an interviewer;

You both are British…

No, I’m Irish.

Yeah I know, British.

No, no, no, I’m Irish.

Oh, sorry.
Or this red carpet interview with Chris O'Dowd

Coming from being a British actor and working on something like Bridesmaids.

Irish actor, yep.

Irish actor, I apologise.
Not forgetting when Saoirse Ronan, Colin Farrell & Michael Fassbender were nominated for “Best British Actor/Actress"

The London Film Circle tried to brazenly weather that storm until the huge backlash forced them to reluctantly rename some categories as joint British & Irish.
And I cannot do a thread on the Irish not being British without including the legendary Maureen O'Hara

"I'm terribly sorry but I can't forswear an allegiance that I don't have, I have no allegiance to England at all, I am Irish"
Seems appropriate to end with our own long running struggle to be recognised as Irish and not British
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