Irish scattered by pride of Lions

I BELIEVE the Irish Examiner, along with many other media outlets, has given a disproportionate amount of coverage to the supposed success of Ireland playing under the symbol of another’s national sports emblem, the British Lion.

It has been my sour and dismaying experience that, as an international business traveller, this is the way the rest of the world views such an archaic event as a British Lions tour supported by a sporting body from another country that, in reality, should have no national association with the British Lion. We are happy, it seems, to throw away our national identity and join the great commonwealth circus on the trek to South Africa under another nation’s symbol for some sporting reason that is totally confusing to any EU, American or Middle East business person whom I encounter while abroad.

Why does this matter — many of us in business have built strong personal relationships abroad where our Irish nationality is vital to maintaining such links.