Some members of staff at Belfast's SSE Arena will refuse to work at an upcoming Wolfe Tones gig at the venue, according to reports this evening.
The band are set to play at the venue on October 6th, with two concerts at Dublin's 3 Arena set to take place the following week. Those shows will mark the band's 60th anniversary and will also be their final performances before retirement.
However, not everyone is enthused by the prospect of them playing in Belfast next year.
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Staff at Belfast venue to refuse to work at Wolfe Tones gig
The Wolfe Tones have been at the centre of some controversial incidents in recent times, with many feeling that the lyrics in some of their songs related to the IRA and republican movement are no longer acceptable in 2023.
The Republic of Ireland Women's National Team were forced to apologise for singing Celtic Symphony after their win over Scotland in 2022, while Leinster also found themselves in hot water when they played the song at the RDS after a win over Connacht at the turn of the year.
Those same lyrics have now caused some workers to refuse to work at their gig next year.
The Sunday World are reporting that they have been contacted by a number of members of staff at the SSE Arena who have said they will not work on the night of the Wolfe Tones gig due to the band's republican leanings.
Speaking to the Sunday World, one member of staff explained their decision.
I’ll not be there when the Wolfe Tones have the whole crowd singing ‘Ooh, aah, up the ’Ra’.
I live in east Belfast and I regard myself as a unionist. There’s no way I could stand there while IRA terrorists are being glorified.
It’s one thing having it sung up the Falls (at the Féile an Phobail in west Belfast) in the summer, but the people who work here are cross-community.
I assume the people who work during the summer concert in west Belfast are comfortable with that being sung or they wouldn’t sign up for it, but this is my actual job.
The singing of Wolfe Tones songs has certainly split opinion in recent times, with many on both sides of the political spectrum against their use in 2023. That includes a number of Unionist politicians, who have repeatedly called for their annual appearances at Belfast's Féile an Phobail to be brought to an end.
However, the band's popularity only seems to have increased as a result, as evidenced by those three arena gigs on the island of Ireland in 2024.
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