Irish MEP to visit Scotland amid anger over football chants

An Irish politician today agreed to visit Scotland amid growing anger over sectarian singing at football matches.

Eoin Ryan MEP accepted the invitation after hitting out yesterday in the European Parliament at fans who chant a song which refers to the Irish famine of the 1840s which killed an estimated one million people.

Rangers fans have been warned they face arrest if they are caught singing 'The Famine Song', which refers to events that led to a mass migration from Ireland and features the line: “The famine is over, why don’t you go home?”

SNP MEP Alyn Smith extended the invitation and hopes to involve anti-sectarian group Nil by Mouth, the Scottish government and Glasgow City Council, as well as Celtic and Rangers.

Mr Smith said: “A lot of good work has been done in Scotland to combat sectarianism, on all sides, and I am not going to stand by and watch a limited few mindless thugs damage our special relationship with the Irish.”

Mr Smith said he hoped to reassure others that Scotland was committed to ridding the country of the “tiddly toy town poison” in the national game.

He added: “Organisations like Nil By Mouth have been doing some fantastic work in building bridges, and I hope that by introducing them to Eoin we can put right some of the damage that has been done to Scotland’s reputation in the eyes of some of our closest friends.”

A spokeswoman for Mr Ryan said he was “delighted” to accept the offer.

The 'Famine Song' controversy began following an Old Firm clash on August 31 when Irish diplomats raised concerns with the Scottish government over Rangers fans’ chanting.

That was followed by the Northern Ireland sports minister Gregory Campbell saying he was unlikely to accept an invitation to Parkhead after pro-IRA chanting by Celtic fans.

Celtic’s chairman, former UK cabinet minister Dr John Reid, has previously condemned 'The Famine Song' as being in breach of race relations legislation.

Rangers chiefs have asked their fans to stop singing the song.