(The Center Square) – The University of Notre Dame apologized after telling fans not to wear clothing containing various Irish symbolism to its hockey game in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The private school told its hockey followers not to wear clothing that displayed the color green, shamrocks, leprechauns, or the Ireland flag, as well as the words “Irish” or “Fighting Irish,” to the Friendship Four hockey tournament, according to a now-deleted post.
Suggested items to wear are the colors navy and gold, Notre Dame’s monogram, or “Notre Dame hockey.”
Notre Dame’s guidelines appear particularly out of place when the school’s spirit palette includes green, its team mascot is a leprechaun, a secondary spirit mark is a shamrock, and its nickname is the “Fighting Irish.”
The BBC reported that the deleted post was concerned about people causing offense during the trip to Belfast, stating “a reminder to avoid our Irish symbolism, that may be deemed offensive to some, while out around town.”
Notre Dame retracted its dress guidelines in an apology post, saying “the guidelines were not properly reviewed and should not have been posted.”
“Out of an abundance of caution, we posted guidelines on social media for fans wishing to express support for the team during its upcoming trip to Northern Ireland,” the post said.
“Our game in Belfast is meant to bring people together and build bridges through sport, we apologize to fans and to the people of Northern Ireland for any confusion or offense,” the post said.
Confusing fans even more is the fact that Notre Dame’s “specialty jersey” released earlier in November in honor of the Belfast hockey game features both a shamrock and the word “Irish” sprawled across the front.
A news release about the attire stated that “with the University of Notre Dame hockey program’s first ever international trip fast approaching, the team, in partnership with Under Armour and Fanatics, have released a specialty jersey for the Friendship Four tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland.”
The same Notre Dame Hockey account that discouraged wearing certain clothing also posted in mid-November that it was “still not over these threads for Belfast” referring to the new jersey and linking where fans can buy replica jerseys.
Notre Dame, Harvard, Boston University and Merrimack College are the four schools participating in Belfast’s annual Friendship Four hockey tournament this year, according to a Notre Dame Hockey news release.
Notre Dame won its game against Harvard on Nov. 29 and plays against Boston on Nov. 30, as stated by Notre Dame.
The Center Square reached out to Notre Dame’s associate athletics communications director Katherine Harvath for comment. As she is traveling with the hockey team, she did not respond by publication time other than an automated response noting her travel.
