Sarah Harte: Our Olympians are the embodiment of true patriotism

Patriotism or civic nationalism creates a sense of solidarity with values of equality, freedom and tolerance. It’s what we are seeing daily at the Olympics, writes Sarah Harte

Sport brings us together patriotically. It’s something we should remember tonight when we’re watching Irish woman and superstar Rasidat Adeleke run in the semi-final of the women’s 400 metres. Photo: INPHO/Morgan Treacy

This column is delivered by an armchair expert couch potato. A person eating meals in front of the television and snatching quick toilet breaks. 

I could never even manage a credible head-over-heels as a child, but now I confidently opine that a gymnast has done themselves no favour on the pommel horse by allowing their hips to dip too low or that their routine was insufficiently complicated to score high points. On that note thank you Rhys McClenaghan for winning our first-ever gold medal for gymnastics for Team Ireland.

Team Ireland gave us a medal a day last week. We are unused to this kind of sustained sporting success. Huddled around the television intergenerationally I was trying to explain to Zoomers how bleak watching the Olympics was in the past. We had medals, of course, thanks to the likes of Sonia O’Sullivan, John Treacy, Michael Carruth and Wayne McCullough but the wins were few and far between. 

The Zoomers were polite but exuded a don’t care old-timer vibe. We global Irish citizens take success in our stride.

An interesting question is what it takes to be a member of Team Ireland’s success. Is it being born in the Republic of Ireland because gold medallists Rhys McClenaghan or Daniel Wiffen were not? Is it being white or having parents born here because that would disqualify brilliant athlete Rasidat Adeleke? 

These are questions worth asking in a broader sense in terms of the definition of Irishness too.

Given the rise of racism and toxic nationalism, somebody said to me that we should jettison the flags and national anthems at the Olympics because it heightens differences. I strongly disagree.

Patriotism or civic nationalism creates a sense of solidarity that ultimately allows the social contract to work so that people buy into the notion of society. This kind of nationalism is compatible with values of equality, freedom and tolerance. It’s what we are seeing daily at the Olympics.

It has zilch to do with ethno-nationalism which defines the nation in terms of a narrow, chilling ethnicity. Positive patriotism is not ideological, it’s more a feeling, it’s of the heart and not the head, it’s about loyalty and devotion, not belligerence. It’s about pride and not prejudice which the athletes embody.

Patriotism can be a hugely unifying force when it respects the individual and their bonds and alliances with other patriots. It doesn’t attempt to put fixed boundaries on what culture is.

Conor McGovern, a coach at Rhys McClenaghan’s gym who has been away at competitions with McClenaghan, said of his gold medal: “It means so much to the community here in Newtownards. It means so much to the country of Northern Ireland and the country of Ireland.’’ 

All three things can be true at the same time.

A coach at Rhys McClenaghan’s gym said of his gold medal: 'It means so much to the community here in Newtownards. It means so much to the country of Northern Ireland and the country of Ireland.'

We see this with champion swimmer Daniel Wiffen. He was born in Leeds to English parents, his family home is Co. Down but the postcode for their house is Co. Armagh, as he and his brother Nathan went to school in Armagh. His father Jonathan has clarified they “consider themselves County Armagh”. 

The comments were made in the context of good-natured wrangling between Down and Armagh as they attempted to claim their hero, but that kind of parochial competition is healthy. We witness it at every All-Ireland, we see it at every crossroads in matches when one parish battles another.

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However, gatekeeping culture damages the ecosystem where ideas thrive, and progress is made. We’re seeing more of this in Ireland, as proponents of a bogus ethno-nationalism speak of ‘plantations’ in Ireland attempting to narrow what ‘authentic’ Irishness is.

If we are going to take pride in our Olympians who do our country proud, then equally we must fight the creeping xenophobia in our backyards, in the language we use, and in what we write on social media and refuse to submit to propagandists' definition of what Irishness is.

The racist version of Irishness being sold by the far-right is born out of hatred causing some communities to latch onto ideas of an imagined Irishness because they feel the brunt of unfair allocation of resources or lack of opportunity. 

In some ways, they are reacting to the breaking of the social contract where housing is concerned, and that crisis is being artfully leveraged by bad actors.

At the weekend, Taoiseach Simon Harris expressed his "disgust" over protesters flying the tricolour amid violent scenes in Belfast during an anti-immigration rally while “attacking police and spouting racism”. He’s correct, we don’t want our flag disrespected like that, but we also need clearer public statements on how the country benefits from the fact that 20% of the population wasn’t born here. 

Ireland's champion swimmer Daniel Wiffen was born in Leeds to English parents, his family home is Co. Down but the postcode for their house is Co. Armagh, as he and his brother Nathan went to school in Armagh. Photo: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

As Dr Ebun Joseph, Special Rapporteur on Racial Equality said: “The hatred is spreading. We need leadership from the top to put a stop to the hate and change the narrative about immigration and people of migrant descent.” 

It’s happening elsewhere too. The USA has its America First brigade spear-headed by characters like the Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump who touts the triple pillars of isolationism, protectionism and restricted immigration which in the last century preceded militarism and fascism.

At the weekend, I was struck by how Jeremy Clarkson in his Sunday column denigrated the fantastic French Olympics opening ceremony while crowing about how superior Britain is at opening ceremonies and everything. The French didn’t have much to talk about he suggested, but London can’t be beaten. Sure, Jeremy and you have Brexit to prove it.

Meanwhile back on planet Earth, in towns and cities across Britain, far-right riots have resulted in migrants being hunted as targets for racist abuse. Last November in Dublin we saw the results of a toxic nationalism that promotes aggression and a ‘we are superior to you attitude, and we will fight you to prove it’.

The type of mentality that led to World War One and World War Two which were essentially giant ethno-nationalistic pissing competitions where much evil was done in the name of nationalism. Because bad nationalism is imperialism wearing a patriotic mask, and in this country, we know too well the consequences of that supranationalism or imperialism.

Sport brings us together patriotically. Part of our newfound success and increased belief in ourselves has been opening ourselves up to other cultures and allowing them to contribute to the culture of this island, in doing this we have transcended a monoculture that psychologically held us back. 

An interesting question is what it takes to be a member of Team Ireland’s success. Is it being born in the Republic of Ireland because gold medallists Rhys McClenaghan (pictured) or Daniel Wiffen were not? Photo: INPHO/James Crombie

If we are grading our performance on a scorecard the wins have far surpassed any fictive losses. It’s something we should remember tonight when we’re watching Irish woman and superstar Rasidat Adeleke run in the semi-final of the women’s 400 metres.

This week Sheila Reilly wrote in the Irish Examiner’s ‘Revoiced’ newsletter: “Watching [the athletes] carrying the Irish flag with such pride, demonstrating what patriotism truly means, brings a warm relief.” The words "nail" and "on the head" spring to mind.

Patriotism 2024 is the opposite of tribe mentality. It’s about taking pride in who we are, acknowledging the achievements and sacrifices of past generations for the Irish state and evolving together in new and interesting ways to play our part in a global society.