ENGLAND LOVES to claim Irish sports stars as one of their own after every groundbreaking achievement.
It's one of the most annoying aspects of being an Irish sports fan when pundits and commentators on British TV call the likes of Katie Taylor (Bray), Conor McGregor(Crumlin) or Shane Lowry(Offaly) as British.
This week was no different, when Tipperary's Rachael Blackmore was labeled as one of greatest Britons' during the last week in one of British broadcaster's GB News segments.
Blackmore is from Killenaule in a rural part of Ireland, a place that couldn't be more unBritish if it tried.
Blackmore became the first female jockey to win the Gold Cup last week and has become one of Ireland's most recognised sports stars over the last 18 months.
Appearing on the Dan Wootton Tonight show on Tuesday, the New Zealander had Dawn Neesom, an English journalist on the show.
The English woman said"
"My greatest Briton this week is Rachael Blackmore. She became the first female rider to win the Cheltenham Gold Cup."
What makes the nomination even odder is when she added that Blackmore has returned back to her birthplace in Ireland despite being British
"There's lovely pictures back home of her in Ireland with her winning horse and the lovely Gold Cup."
The clip did not go down well on social media with several users giving their take on the gaffe
One tweeted:
"Give it a rest, Britons. We’ve offered you Conor McGregor on a number of occasions and you won’t take him.
Another pointed out:
"You can't designate people as 'Britons' just because they won the top two championship races at your top jumps racing festival, Ms. Neesom. That's not how it works.
While a third relied on the classic: "Never not at it."
Let's hope IRELAND'S Racheal Blackmore isn't too fussed about the nomination
See More: Horse Racing, Ireland, Rachel Blackmore
