Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
BOD threatened with a beating over drum solo
Rugby legend reveals backlash for playing Orange Order Lambeg
RUGBY legend Brian O’driscoll has revealed how he was threatened on social media during filming for the documentary Shoulder To Shoulder.
The film, which premiered in Belfast last night, tells the story of players from both sides of the religious divide who played for the all-island team during the Troubles.
O’driscoll scored a social media scrum when he was filmed battering a Lambeg drum at this year’s Twelfth of July in Loughgall, Co Armagh.
The 39-year-old, who won a worldrecord 140th cap in his final Ireland appearance in 2014, said he received a mixed response to the video.
He also revealed how one person issued a more direct threat. O’driscoll said: “One guy threatened me. A bit of a keyboard warrior.
“I got a bit of stick from down south for playing the Lambeg drum. I wasn’t shocked at that. I knew it would polarise opinion.
“I suppose this threat was a viewpoint from the other side. I was told if I was seen in Portadown wearing an Irish jersey I would have eight guys there to give me a hiding.
“But when you think about it, what would I be doing wearing an Irish jersey in Portadown in the first place? It’s not as if I run around in my Irish jersey these days.
“It is one individual and it is water off a duck’s back. But I suppose you will always have a minority where people are stuck in the past. I couldn’t believe it would take eight men. I thought I was in reasonable shape but eight lads to beat up Brian O’driscoll?
“Come on. I thought four reasonable sized fellas should be able to do the job. But eight?”
In Shoulder To Shoulder, O’driscoll talks to Northern Ireland based players who represented Ireland during the Troubles, including Willie John Mcbride, David Irwin and Mike Gibson.
O’driscoll added: “These are household names of Irish rugby but people who have lived and played rugby for Ireland at a different time to me.
“It was getting a sense of what it was like back then with the backdrop of the Troubles going on. Listening to Willie John Mcbride talk about Bloody Friday was captivating and haunting.
“How 20 bombs detonated in just over 80 minutes and him leaving work as a bank manager and being told to evacuate and not knowing whether he was running towards the next bomb, or away from it.
“When you hear it first hand from him, and put yourself in that position, the emotion, the panic of that day, that really stood out for me. The survival instinct really kicking in.”
■ Shoulder To Shoulder will air on BT Sport 2 at 10pm on Friday, October 12.
You will always have a minority living in the past BRIAN O’DRISCOLL IN DUBLIN YESTERDAY