The Confederate flag has
controversial connotations; it was the banner under which the Confederate pro-slavery states fought in the American Civil War and, in a modern-day US context, it is associated with neo-Nazis, far-right nationalists and unashamed racists in the deep south.
I know
Cork GAA fans used to wave it at GAA matches, albeit without any supremacist or racist intentions. At least I'm pretty sure it was (more or less exclusively?) used innocently or naïvely and wasn't at all an expression of solidarity with any of the nastiness it represents in the US. I dunno if Cork GAA fans still wave it as there was a lot of debate (and official condemnation) in respect of its use during the summer, probably as the flag's more toxic and unsavoury associations gained a bit more notoriety on account of increased media exposure and coverage of right-wing reactions to and protests against the Black Lives Matter movement in the US. The GAA might well have banned the flag actually.
I think the supposed "connection" between Cork GAA and the flag has always been fairly superficial really; it was due to the flag's red and white colouring, along with the fact the Confederate flag is also known as the "rebel flag". Cork is known as the "Rebel County", of course. I don't think there was anything deeper or more significant to it than that apparent shared sense of rebelhood.
I'm not certain either whether or not the well-intentioned "rebel" thing is why those lads in the photo up-thread are displaying it, or if they're just being intentionally antagonistic and trying to provoke a reaction from someone whilst knowing full well the flag's contentious nature. I'll guess it's the latter, judging by their gestures.
Is the flag often seen in Turners Cross?
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