“Most Irish nationalists, most Irish Catholics in Northern Ireland regarded it as being not for them. Sales of the poppies to the public go towards the Royal British Legion, a charity that supports members of the UK armed forces and veterans.īut as the years have gone by, the mourning and remembrance rituals evolved and now extend to all of those who have given their lives in service of the country.įor some in the UK and abroad, though, there is unease about honoring a military that carried out atrocities in their homelands across the globe – places such as Ireland and Northern Ireland – as funds that come from poppy sales go in part to support British veterans who served in Northern Ireland. Since the 1920s, the symbol has traditionally been worn around Remembrance Sunday – this year it falls on the November 13 – to honor those who gave their lives in service of the country and the freedoms gained from their sacrifice. The poppy can be seen up and down the country on Remembrance Sunday.
The distinctive, small flower has become a symbol used to remember the soldiers and other servicemen and women of Great Britain who fell in WWI. These days, the red and black image of a poppy is displayed on footballers’ shirts in England during early November as a mark of remembrance to the UK’s fallen soldiers. The poppy finds its origins in a poem written by John McCrae during World War I, “the war to end all wars.”ĭespite the death and destruction of WWI, poppies were a common sight amid the cloying mud of the Western Front, according to the Imperial War Museum. The Republic of Ireland international, who was born in Northern Ireland, has been outspoken about what the poppy and Remembrance Sunday mean to his community and its relationship to the British military.īut what is the poppy and why has it become so controversial in football? Since he first refused to wear the poppy in 2012, McClean and his family have been subjected to abuse both in football stadiums across England and online. For footballer James McClean, Remembrance Sunday is arguably his most difficult day of the year.
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