Notre Dame University have been forced to apologise after posting a contentious tweet ahead of their hockey team's upcoming trip to Belfast.
The famed American university's ice hockey team will participate in the Friendship Four at the end of this month at the city's SSE Arena.
Inaugurated in 2015, the Friendship Four brings four American universities to Belfast every winter for a four-game tournament. It is the only NCAA Division One ice hockey tournament to take place outside North America.
Boston University, Harvard University, Merrimack College, and Notre Dame are this year's colleges, and the tournament will take place on the final weekend of November.
There has already been controversy, however, with Notre Dame apologising after warning their fans against displaying the 'Irish symbolism' traditionally associated with the college while in the city.
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Notre Dame apologise for contentious Belfast tweet
Notre Dame's nickname is the 'Fighting Irish' and they are one of the most recognisable US colleges this side of the Atlantic, with their leprechaun mascot and their use of shamrocks.
26 August 2023; The Notre Dame Leprechaun mascot during the Aer Lingus College Football Classic match between Notre Dame and Navy Midshipmen at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
However, the university has caused totally self-inflicted issues for the university ahead of the upcoming Friendship Four tournament.
Ahead of next week's games, Notre Dame Hockey posted the following message to their fans on Twitter.
We can't wait to see your Notre Dame in Belfast gear inside SSE Arena.
Just a reminder to avoid our Irish symbolism, that may be deemed offensive to some, while out around town.
Not only that but they also tweeted a graphic advising fans on what colours and symbols to avoid while in Belfast.
These tweets came after special uniforms were released for the upcoming games. The team's jerseys read 'IRISH' on the front. N
Still not over these threads for Belfast ✨
🔗 https://t.co/pTW6Ej8bfK#GoIrish pic.twitter.com/QvHX07jffv— Notre Dame Hockey (@NDHockey) November 12, 2024
The sentiment behind the messaging has caused outcry, with the @NDHockey account since deleting the two posts.
An apology was then posted to the account on Tuesday evening.
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 guidelines were not properly reviewed and should not have been posted. 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.
It is certainly not the start to the Belfast Friendship Four that Notre Dame and their fellow US colleges will have hoped for.
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