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Paul Mescal (file photo) Leon Farrell

BBC apologises for claiming that Paul Mescal is British

“The text should have said that Paul Mescal is Irish,” the broadcaster admitted on its website.

THE BBC HAS apologised for claiming that Paul Mescal is British. 

In a report rounding up the Academy Awards nominations, the BBC claimed he was “one of two British actors” who had received nominations, arising from the Kildare actor’s role in Aftersun.

The broadcaster has now retracted the remark. 

A brief note published on its website reads: “In text running across the screen we reported that Paul Mescal was one of two British actors who had been nominated for an Oscar for a leading role.

“The text should have said that Paul Mescal is Irish. We apologise for the mistake.”

Mescal is up for Best Actor at March’s Oscars ceremony.

It’s not the first time Mescal, 26, has had been claimed as belonging to our neighbours.

In 2020, when he was winning acclaim for his turn in Normal People, Mescal was declared British more than once; his correction on that occasion was the most ‘liked’ post on Irish Twitter that same year.

paul mescal tweet

He’s also far from the first Irish person to have a new nationality bestowed upon him.

Saoirse Ronan was described by one Sky News journalist as “one of our own”, claiming she was British, while golfer Shane Lowry has been the target of the all-too-frequent error

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    Mute Togs
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    Jan 27th 2023, 2:01 PM

    With any luck they’ll claim Enoch Burke at some stage..

    1783
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    Mute Patrick Brompton
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    Jan 27th 2023, 2:07 PM

    @Togs: No, he is definitely Irish: principled; determined; independent-minded, indifferent to public opinion on a matter where he believes that he is right.

    647
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    Mute declan hassett
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    Jan 27th 2023, 2:10 PM

    @Patrick Brompton: indifferent to the rights of others too.

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    Mute Mary Garry
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    Jan 27th 2023, 2:17 PM

    @Togs: love it

    98
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    Mute Kieran Smith
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    Jan 27th 2023, 2:34 PM

    @Togs: I’d actually give up mcgregor before that plant pot

    249
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    Mute kevin mc cormack
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    Jan 27th 2023, 3:42 PM

    @Patrick Brompton: It must be a bit weird for the kids though,having a grown man hanging around at the school gates

    155
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    Mute Paul Jude Redmond
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    Jan 27th 2023, 7:26 PM

    @Patrick Brompton: sounds British

    19
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    Mute Gearoid Mc Amhlaidh
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    Jan 27th 2023, 7:58 PM

    @Patrick Brompton:
    He don’t care if it rains or freezes
    As long as he got his plastic jesus….

    36
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    Mute Dave Ryan
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    Jan 28th 2023, 8:25 AM

    @Patrick Brompton: naaa hes a left footer hes one of them they can have him

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    Mute Paul O Connor
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    Jan 27th 2023, 2:43 PM

    You can be sure if he was in the news for getting arrested in a drunken fight they would be calling him Irish.

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    Mute
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    Jan 27th 2023, 3:26 PM

    Standard from the Brits let’s be honest. They done it with McGregor before but if they want him again that’d be great!

    285
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    Mute Cormac Figgis
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    Jan 27th 2023, 2:44 PM

    The English have been claiming the Irish as their own for decades. Their education doesn’t fill in the bits concerning the downside of their colonisations, hence the fact that they have no real understanding of who the Irish actually are, how we fit into their programme, or what they’re for. All successful Irish bands and actors have always been English. I’ve even heard Alan Titchmarsh refer to Dingle as part of the “beautiful English countryside of my childhood”. Arsehole.

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    Mute Red Line
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    Jan 27th 2023, 4:08 PM

    @Cormac Figgis: In fairness to them, many are English and came here during the occupation of our country. Eg Bono (Hewson). We claim Joe Biden even though it was only his grandfather being Irish. We are just as bad!

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    Mute Tom Quinn
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    Jan 27th 2023, 4:58 PM

    @Cormac Figgis: I don’t remember it making UK headlines when RTE made a doc called ‘Harry Is One Of Our Own’ despite the fact he has repeatedly said he feels English.

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    Mute Mike Finnegan
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    Jan 27th 2023, 6:06 PM

    @Tom Quinn: Oh that Harry! I thought you were talking about the Derry lad….

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    Mute A$AP ETH
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    Jan 27th 2023, 8:18 PM

    @Tom Quinn: fairly sure that was a 5 minute fluff piece on rte news in advance of their wc semi final showing his relatives in galway supporting him. Exaggerate much?

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    Mute Tom Quinn
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    Jan 27th 2023, 11:04 PM

    @A$AP ETH: Well you’re wrong. It was a 45 minute documentary exploring the ‘Irishman’ harry Kane. Need to check your facts mate.

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    Mute A$AP ETH
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    Jan 27th 2023, 11:31 PM

    @Tom Quinn: send us on a link or any article about it so.

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    Mute Deirdre Harbison
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    Jan 28th 2023, 6:40 AM

    @Red Line: my Great grandfather was Hewson born in Leitrim – was he not Irish ? Am I not Irish ?

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    Mute Tipper Irie
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    Jan 27th 2023, 2:15 PM

    Can we have an article on all the people who have been incorrectly claimed as Irish. Not sure how many names it would run to, but a lot.

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    Mute An tOll. Evan Ó Catháin
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    Jan 27th 2023, 2:04 PM

    This article was probably written in advance of the claim, knowing that it would inevitably be forthcoming. The picture is too good.

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    Mute Peter Denham
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    Jan 27th 2023, 2:23 PM
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    Mute Dara O Toole
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    Jan 27th 2023, 2:06 PM

    He’s in Aftersun, not Afternoon.

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    Mute Alex Marquis
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    Jan 27th 2023, 7:44 PM

    Lads you can have Conor McGregor if you want.

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    Mute Richard Ahern
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    Jan 27th 2023, 4:48 PM

    What does it really matter? We are neighbours, look similar and speak the same language. Many of us over there and many of them over here. Perfect!

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    Mute Lisa Jones
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    Jan 28th 2023, 7:52 PM

    @Richard Ahern: that might be fine if you’re discussing someone from a far flung country but not the Brits. That’s just plain uneducated ignorance.

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    Mute Nick Caffrey
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    Jan 27th 2023, 5:12 PM

    The Brits do it on purpose just to annoy us. They’ve nothing else to do. Their country is broken.

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    Mute Tom Quinn
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    Jan 27th 2023, 5:28 PM

    @Nick Caffrey: So what was up with Ireland when RTE made a doc during the World Cup called ”Harry kane is one of our own” despite the fact he has always said ”he English?

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    Mute GERARD KENNELLY
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    Apr 3rd 2023, 3:48 PM

    @Nick Caffrey:

    saoirse ronan is american

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    Mute Mick Murp
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    Jan 27th 2023, 3:37 PM

    Why would anyone care,?

    49
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    Mute Tomaldo
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    Jan 27th 2023, 4:46 PM

    We’re as bad, how many “Iriish” men did we claim for our football team, Tony Cascarino is about as Irish as Saddam Hussein. Then there’s any famous American, Muhammed Ali, Barack Obama, Meryl Streep and numerous others.

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    Mute Seamus O'Corcorain
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    Jan 27th 2023, 7:35 PM

    @Tomaldo: Whatever about Obama, the Ali one was pure dodgy.

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    Mute A$AP ETH
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    Jan 27th 2023, 8:42 PM

    @Tomaldo: if you can’t see the difference in power dynamics between us talking up the factual irish roots of a few notable people, and England basically ignoring years of political struggle and change to act as if ireland is still their property, you should probably go back and do some junior cert history.

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    Mute Sean Partidge
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    Jan 27th 2023, 8:51 PM

    @A$AP ETH: yep

    12
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    Mute Larry O Reilly
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    Jan 27th 2023, 6:29 PM

    Nothing new here any Irish person/group that does good or is successful on the international stage weather it is sports,entertainment the Brits try to claim them happening for decades

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    Mute Tom Quinn
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    Jan 27th 2023, 6:56 PM

    @Larry O Reilly: Lol. What about the RTe documentary in the world cup called ‘Harry Kane is one of our own’ despite Harry Kane has always said he felt English?

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    Mute Larry O Reilly
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    Jan 27th 2023, 9:00 PM

    @Tom Quinn: who Harry kane

    29
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    Mute A$AP ETH
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    Jan 27th 2023, 8:12 PM

    Imagine still thinking they don’t do it on purpose.

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    Mute Tom Quinn
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    Jan 27th 2023, 5:00 PM

    I don’t remember it making national UK headlines when RTE made a doc called ‘Harry Is One Of Our Own’ last year despite the fact he has repeatedly said he always ‘felt English’.

    24
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    Mute Tomaldo
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    Jan 27th 2023, 10:45 PM

    @A$AP; Cascarino was a hero to me when he scored that equalizer against England in ’91 and other game, but we claimed an English man with Italian roots as one of our own, how we can get annoyed about Mescal is puzzling. Yes it was a state visit by JFK, but supplements 50 years later, come on. Rice and Grealish did have factual roots here but it obviously didn’t mean that much to them.

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    Mute Tomaldo
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    Jan 27th 2023, 11:04 PM

    Gareth Bale was advised to declare for England and would have earned more money, Ryan Giggs played for England youths but both played for Wales and the 2 of them would have walked into that English team. Compare that to Rice and Grealish who donned the green shirt or Harry Kane and Martin Keown who wouldn’t consider playing for us. I heard Keown’s son declared for us, he mustn’t be very good.

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    Mute Tomaldo
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    Jan 27th 2023, 10:18 PM

    @A$AP: Cascarino said he was a fake Irish man in his book. We saw how Irish Grealish and Rice were recently. Did u not think it was a bit cringey when Irish newspapers commemorated the 50th anniversary of JFK’s “visit” to Ireland with special supplements?

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    Mute A$AP ETH
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    Jan 27th 2023, 10:31 PM

    @Tomaldo: nobody ever claimed tony cascarino was irish, ever. As long as the english lads with us put a shift in, nobody cared. No need to put in qoutation marks. JFK did do a state visit, it is what they are called.

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    Mute A$AP ETH
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    Jan 27th 2023, 10:59 PM

    @Tomaldo: @Tomaldo: jfk has irish roots. It was a momentous moment in irish history. It was the first state visit of a US president to ireland. That is something big regardless of whether you find it cringey or not. As i say, there is a difference between acknowledging someone’s irish descent, and claiming someone with no discernible british roots as your own just because it’s one of the last semi-acceptable forms of cultural appropriation.

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    Mute Tomaldo
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    Jan 27th 2023, 11:44 PM

    @A$AP:Another famous leader, Margaret Thatcher had Irish roots and she visited Ireland but she’s not revered like him. Why. That’s a rhetorical question btw.

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    Mute Tomaldo
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    Jan 28th 2023, 2:24 AM

    @A$AP: Just to clarify, I didn’t think his visit was cringey, just the supplements etc. After all, he came here for the Irish vote back in his home country (USA) for the next election, which sadly didn’t happen.

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    Mute Pat Barry
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    Jan 28th 2023, 11:22 AM

    I wouldn’t take it as an affront, Lowry total travesty yeah but I note Ronan bought a house in Notting Hill in 2018 and Mescal has been living in North East London for the past few years so some belonging.

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    Mute Pat Barry
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    Jan 28th 2023, 11:54 AM

    @Pat Barry: PS The origin of the Lowry name and the nationality of “Lowry” is still somewhat disputed, there’s several different explanations for the name and origin and no one knows for certain. It is a name that is primarily found in either Scotland or Ireland. Whether it is Scottish or Irish cannot be said for certain.

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