Four Irish women who aren’t wearing the poppy

This being Remembrance Sunday in what remains of the United Kingdom, you might be wondering why some people in England are obsessed with the poppy. Who’s wearing one? Who isn’t? It happens every November these days. Whehter you wear a poppy in early November now signals which side you're on in the culture wars.   

The give and take over wearing a poppy to honor Britain’s war dead seemed to be fading recently, but some women from Ireland have taken a stand and reignited the flames of controversy.  

SOME BACKGROUND: After World War One, representatives for British veterans monetized and memorialized the symbol of the poppy still growing in Belgium after more than a million deaths “in Flanders fields.” Loyal Brits were urged to wear silk poppies in their lapels and on their dresses or blouses to show support for the troops. Paper replaced silk and millions were sold by the Royal British Legion. England’s professional soccer clubs signed on at some point and all players put poppies on their jerseys, with the jerseys being auctioned off and proceeds going to veterans' groups. 

Then, in 2012, James McClean, a professional soccer player from the north of Ireland, joined the Premier League team from Sunderland. Early November rolls around, and  McClean won’t put on the poppy.The tabloid/talk show outrage meter goes to Def Con Five. Hundreds of newspaper columns and radio talk shows are devoted to the betrayal of basic British values by McClean. 

WHAT'S NEW? McClean had hoped his refusal to wear the poppy would encourage other Irish players to do the same. “Yeah, look, maybe I was a bit naive in thinking you know, with me being the one that took the stand first,’  It’ll pave way for young Irish lads coming through and it doesn’t seem to be the case. I speak to a lot of people, and I’ve had players say that they don’t believe in wearing the poppy and they wouldn’t wear it, but they just don’t want to the hassle,” he once said. 

Well, the “lads” may not have come through, but this season the ladies have his back.. Four Irish professional women soccer players in England are NOT wearing poppies this season, led by  Katie McCabe, a star for Arsenal who captains the Women’s National Team of Ireland.  

None of the four (Katie McCabe (Arsenal) Caitlin Hayes (Brighton) Abbie Larkin (Crystal Palace) Hayley Nolan (London City Lionesses) have said anything about their poppy protests, and McClean says he’s tired of answering questions about his lonely stand. In October, McClean described the issue of the poppy as '’a pain in my arse.'’ 

WHY MC CLEAN WON’T WEAR THE POPPY: McClean has played for a number of teams in the top two British soccer leagues. He was never a superstar at fullback but plays solid defense. He’s currently playing for Wrexham. He was a fixture on Ireland’s Men’s National Team. He grew up in the Creggan estate in Derry. Six residents of the estate were killed by British soldiers on Bloody Sunday in 1972.

Here’s how he has described his decision not to wear the poppy. “People say I am being disrespectful [for not wearing the poppy] but they don’t ask why I choose not to wear it. If the poppy was simply about World War One and Two victims alone, I’d wear it without a problem. I would wear it every day of the year if that was the thing, but it doesn’t. It stands for all the conflicts that Britain has been involved in. Because of the history where I come from in Derry, I cannot wear something that represents that.” 

reland's James McClean with his wife Erin and their kids Allie May, James Junior, Willow Ivy and newborn Mia Rose.

Four years ago, in an official statement the Royal British Legion had this to say about McClean’s stance. “To insist that people wear a poppy would be contrary to everything that it stands for. We offer our full support to James for exercising his right to choose not to wear a poppy.”