Aer Lingus gives offense

last updated 8 January 2015

Dublin

The Irish national airline Aer Lingus has changed the songs on one of its in-flight entertainment channels after a Northern Irish Assembly member complained that the music supported terrorism. Roy Beggs Jr., an Ulster Unionist member of the legislature for the British province of Northern Ireland, said he was appalled to find an entire channel devoted to songs by Irish nationalist Derek Warfield, formerly of the Wolfe Tones. “Even a cursory listen to the lyrics of the aptly named Mr. Warfield,” Beggs said, “shows a glorification of murder and terrorism under the guise of Irish republicanism.” Particularly offensive, he said, were those that celebrated Irish attacks on the British, such as “Patriots of Erin,” “Fenian Volunteers,” and “Fighting Irish.”